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Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rarely described in the pregnant population, and knowledge of their impact on the mother/fetus is limited. Objective: To describe SJS/TEN in pregnant women and to investigate the risk factors for developing SJS/TEN in pregnancy. Methods: We utilized hospitalization data from the 2009–2020 National Inpatient Sample. Pregnancy hospitalizations and SJS/TEN involvement were identified by ICD-9/10 codes and analyzed by chi-square and logistic regression. Results: We identified 650 pregnancies complicated by SJS/TEN requiring hospitalization. The median age was 28 years, and most were non-Hispanic White (55.2%). There were ≤10 cases associated with mortality. Most SJS/TEN cases (73.9%) occurred during the third trimester. HIV infection (OR = 9.49; P = .030), herpes simplex virus infection (OR = 2.49; P = .021), genitourinary tract infections (OR = 3.80; P

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and SJS-TEN overlap syndrome are rare severe cutaneous adverse reactions associated with high mortality. Objectives: To estimate incidence and describe trends of SJS/TEN hospitalizations in the United States and to describe the clinical, demographic, and geographic characteristics of affected patients and risk factors for mortality. Methods: We utilized hospitalization data from the 2010 to 2020 National Inpatient Sample. SJS, SJS-TEN overlap syndrome, and TEN were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision and International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes and analyzed by logistic regression. Results: We identified 51,040 hospitalizations involving SJS/TEN. Amog those, 37,283 (73.0%) were for SJS only, 7818 (15.3%) were for SJS-TEN overlap syndrome, and 7160 (14.0%) were for TEN only. Overall, SJS/TEN hospitalization rates declined over time, 2010 to 2020 (P

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV), the causative agent of hepatitis E, is a common but self-limiting disease. However, in immunosuppressed kidney transplant 47 recipients (KTRs), HEV infection can become chronic. We investigated risk factors associated with HEV infection among 271 KTRs at the Johns Hopkins Hospital transplanted between 1988 and 2012., Methods: HEV infection was defined as having positive anti-HEV IgM, anti-HEV IgG, or HEV RNA. The risk factors included: age at transplant, sex, hemodialysis/peritoneal dialysis, plasmapheresis, transfusions, community urbanization, and other socioeconomic factors. Logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors associated with HEV infection., Results: Out of 271 KTRs, 43 (16%) had HEV infection though not active disease. HEV infection in KTRs was associated with older age (≥45 years; OR = 4.04; 95% CI = 1.81-57 10.03; p = 0.001) and living in communities with low proportions of minorities (OR = 0.22; 95% 58 CI = 0.04-0.90; p = 0.046)., Conclusion: KTRs who had HEV infection may be at an increased risk of developing chronic HEV., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors of this manuscript have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been associated with immune-mediated kidney diseases in developing countries. However, its relationship with kidney transplant outcomes has never been studied. We investigated the association between HEV infection and kidney graft rejection among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs)., Methods: We conducted a matched cohort and longitudinal study utilizing banked sera following kidney transplantation during 1988-2012. Studies with evidence of post-transplantation HEV infection were identified by positive ELISA tests (anti-HEV IgM or anti-HEV IgG seroconversion) or positive HEV PCR and matched to KTR controls with negative HEV ELISA and PCR tests in a 1:5 ratio by age, sex, crossmatch status, immunosuppression era, and time of HEV testing. Outcome data collected included time to first kidney graft rejection, transaminases, and glomerular filtration rates. Log-ranked test was used to analyze survival., Results: Of 271 KTRs, 9 (3%) had evidence of post-transplantation HEV infection and were compared to 45 negative, matched controls. Median age at transplantation was 46 years. Kidney graft rejection was reported in 8 (89%) of cases and 21 (47%) of controls. Median time to first episode of kidney graft rejection was 17.4 months in cases and 30.8 months in controls (p = 0.029), with a higher hazard of developing kidney graft rejection in cases (HR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.19-8.79). Lower mean glomerular filtration rates over time were observed in cases (35 mL/min/1.73m 2 ) versus controls (42.4 mL/min/1.73m 2 ) but did not reach significance (p = 0.24)., Conclusion: Subjects with evidence of post-transplantation HEV infection demonstrated earlier kidney graft rejection compared to controls., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To examine and characterize post-transplant eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders (PTEGID) and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in pediatric liver transplant recipients., Methods: This is a single center retrospective study of all liver transplant recipients aged 0-18 years from 1999 to 2019 who received tacrolimus as their primary immunosuppressant. Demographic data and clinical/laboratory data including PTEGID, PTLD, liver transplant types, Epstein-Barr virus status, and blood eosinophil count were reviewed. Analysis was done with logistic regression and Mann-Whitney U test., Results: Ninety-eight pediatric liver transplant recipients were included with median age at transplantation of 3.3 years (IQR: 1.1-9.3). The major indication for transplantation was biliary atresia, 51 (52%) cases. Eight (8%) children had PTLD and 14 (14%) had PTEGID. Receiving liver transplantation at an age of ≤1 year was associated with developing PTEGID (OR = 11.9, 95% CI = 3.5-45.6, p < 0.001). Additionally, eosinophilic count of ≥500/μL was associated with having PTLD (OR = 10.7, 95% CI = 1.8-206.0, p = 0.030) as well as having at least one liver rejection (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.2-7.0, p = 0.024). The frequency of food-induced anaphylaxis significantly increased post-transplantation (p = 0.023)., Conclusions: PTEGID and PTLD are common in this cohort and are associated with certain risk factors that help screen children to improve recipient survival. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical benefits of these findings., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background & Aims: A practical, inexpensive, and non-invasive biomarker of liver fibrosis is needed as a reliable screening test for cystic fibrosis-associated liver disease (CFLD). Studies have shown the utility of AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI), fibrosis index based on 4 factors (FIB-4), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) as good biomarkers for identifying CFLD. The goal of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of APRI, FIB-4, AST/ALT ratio, platelet count, GGT, and GGT platelet ratio (GPR) in predicting CFLD development., Methods: Data was collected from CF Foundation Patient Registry for patients aged 3-21 years at Johns Hopkins from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2014. Collected data included demographic characteristics, presence of splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, ascites, and variceal bleeding, AST, ALT, GGT, platelet count, and FEV 1 . The sensitivity and specificity of each biomarker were analyzed and reported by the area under receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve., Results: By the end of the study, 144 "healthy" CF, 12 CFLD, 19 CF-associated pulmonary disease (CFPD), and 4 CFLD with CFPD cases were identified. APRI scores were higher in CFLD, 0.85 versus 0.28 in "healthy" CF and 0.23 in CFPD groups (p<0.001). GPR had the highest AUROC curve at 0.91., Conclusions: GPR, GGT, APRI score, and platelet count were potentially useful biomarkers while FIB-4 did not predict CFLD development. Cost-effectiveness studies are needed to analyze the utility of these biomarkers in clinical practice., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2020 European Cystic Fibrosis Society. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)