27,747 research outputs found
q-Differential equations for q-classical polynomials and q-Jacobi-Stirling numbers
No full textWe introduce, characterise and provide a combinatorial interpretation for the so-called q-Jacobi–Stirling numbers.
This study is motivated by their key role in the (reciprocal) expansion of any power of a second order
q-differential operator having the q-classical polynomials as eigenfunctions in terms of other even order operators,
which we explicitly construct in this work. The results here obtained can be viewed as the q-version of
those given by Everitt et al. and by the first author, whilst the combinatorics of this new set of numbers is a
q-version of the Jacobi–Stirling numbers given by Gelineau and the second author
Author Kiese Laymon: A Reading and a Conversation (LAI)
No full textAuthor Kiese Laymon read from his memoir Heavy, followed by a conversation and audience Q&A moderated by LAI director, Matt Harkins.
Kiese Laymon is a Black southern writer from Jackson, Mississippi, who is the author of the genre-bending novel, Long Division, the essay collection, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, and the bestselling memoir, Heavy. In Heavy, Laymon “fearlessly explores what the weight of a lifetime of secrets, lies, and deception does to a black body, a black family, and a nation teetering on the brink of moral collapse.
Metabolic Disorders Following Kidney Transplantation
No full textSeveral metabolic processes are altered by kidney transplantation (KT), mainly due to a mechanism of overlapping between preexisting favoring conditions and side effects of immunosuppressive agents. Among the metabolic alterations commonly observed after KT, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemias, and uric acid metabolism represent the most important ones, mainly due to the clinical impact they may present not only in relation to graft function but also in terms of patient survival. The most recent (as of 2017) national guidelines, randomized controlled trials, and metaanalyses on these arguments are reported in this chapter, with the intent to better clarify the therapeutic strategies to adopt in case of metabolic disorder after KT
Transplantation for hepatocellular cancer. Pushing to the limits?
No full textMilan criteria (MC) represents the cornerstone in the selection of patients with hepatocellular cancer (HCC) waiting for liver transplantation (LT). MC represent the precursor of the scores based on the idea of “utility”: in other terms, the scoring systems typically used in the field of LT oncology present the exclusive aim of selecting the cases with the best post-LT outcomes. However, some other scores have been proposed specifically investigating the risk of death or tumour progression during the waiting list. In this case, the selection process is connected with the idea of “priority”: patients at higher risk for drop-out (DO) should be selected, prioritising them or, conversely, deciding to de-list them due to the high risk of post-LT futile transplant. Lastly, models based on the concept of “benefit”, namely the balancing between priority and utility, have been recently created. The present review aims to examine these three different types of scoring systems, trying to underline their pro and cons in the allocation process of HCC patients
Author Heid E. Erdrich: A Reading and a Conversation (LAI)
No full textThe Literary Arts Institute presents author and interdisciplinary artist, Heid Erdrich, a week-long writer-in-residence. Heid will read from her work, followed by a Q&A with the audience moderated by LAI associate director, Rachel Marston.Heid E. Erdrich is the author of seven collections of poetry. Her writing has won fellowships and awards from the National Poetry Series, Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Minnesota State Arts Board, Bush Foundation, Loft Literary Center, First People’s Fund, and other honors. She has twice won a Minnesota Book Award for poetry. Heid edited the 2018 anthology New Poets of Native Nations from Graywolf Press which won an American Book Award. Her most recent poetry collection, Little Big Bully, won the Balcones Prize. Heid grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota and is Ojibwe enrolled at Turtle Mountain
Reply to "Association between donor age and risk of graft failure after liver transplantation: an analysis of the Eurotransplant database”
No full textReply to https://doi.org/10.1111/tri.1335
Donor diabetes and prolonged cold ischemia time increase the risk of graft failure after liver transplant: Should we need a redefinition of the donor risk index?
No full textDear Editors,
We read with great interest the paper by Brüggenwirth et al. (1) about the importance of cold ischemia time (CIT) and diabetes type II (DM-2) in increasing the risk of graft failure after liver transplantation (LT). The results obtained from the UNOS database are in line with those obtained in a recently published study coming from our center. (2) Our retrospective, single-center analysis was based on data from 1,354 adult LTs performed at the University of Pisa Medical School Hospital: in all the cases, whole sized livers coming from deceased-brain donors were transplanted. Using a propensity score approach, 448 patients receiving a graft younger than 70 years were finally matched with 515 counterparts receiving grafts older than 70 years. Four variables were found to be independently significant as risk factors for graft loss, namely HCV positivity (HR=2.1; p<0.001), donor age (HR=1.0; 95% p<0.001), CIT (HR=1.0; p=0.042), and donor DM-2 status (HR=1.5; p=0.047). It is extremely interesting to underline that two apparently very different databases like a North American and an Italian one consented to obtain similar results, mainly in consideration of their big numerosity (58,226 and 1,354 respectively). In both the contexts, the synergic action of acute (prolonged CIT) and chronic (DM-2) damages eventually ended in promoting post-LT graft failure. Indeed, the fact that advanced donor age is an amplifying factor of chronic damages induced by DM-2 looks to be as a natural consequence. Also Brüggenwirth et al. reported that “the only risk factor that meaningfully altered the HR for DM-2 (and remained statistically significant) in the final models was donor age”.(1) Here comes the problem connected with the vagueness of the definition of donor DM-2. In fact, defining DM-2 status as “use of insulin” or “altered blood sugar levels” is not enough for completely capturing the real pathological changes induced by the disease. For example, using these dichotomous variables completely fails in defining the length and the severity of DM-2: thus, age is probably only a very good surrogate for this purpose. For this reason, identification of pathological markers (3) consenting to pre-operatively define the grafts at high-risk for poor post-LT function should represent a real revolution in the selection and allocation processes. We strongly believe that not age per se, but a combination of acute and chronic damages associated with age, mainly due to metabolic diseases, play a fundamental role in worsening results when using older grafts.
Under the light of these experiences, and in agreement with other Authors,(4) a re-evaluation of the Donor Risk Index (DRI) should be considered. In fact, after the publication by Feng et al. in 2006,(5) a larger use of the so called extended criteria donors has been observed, in particular of donors with multiple comorbidities. As a consequence, a new analysis able to update the donor-related risk stratification should be considered. We believe that a new universal DRI should be the future target, including international experiences, and not being limited only to regional databases which may not be able to intercept specific behaviors or needs of a particular region of the world
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Network Q
No full textA press release from Network Q announcing that they will begin featuring Brian McNaught, a gay columnist and author, for a monthly segment
Network Q
No full textA press release from Network Q announcing that they will begin featuring Brian McNaught, a gay columnist and author, for a monthly segment
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