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Objective: Inclusion of women in biomedical cancer research have the potential to close gaps in cancer health disparities and improve adjuvant therapies for women; yet samples needed to advance this area of science are lacking. We developed low-cost educational recruitment strategies to increase our collection of biospecimens from women. Materials and Methods: Women diagnosed with hormone receptor positive (HR+) breast cancer that initiated hormonal therapy were recruited from three integrated health systems. The analytical sample ( n  = 144) consisted of women who consented but did not return a saliva sample within 1 year of the initial assessment (baseline). Brief informational recruitment materials were developed via published literature and preliminary data. Women received recruitment materials, which included a personalized information letter, a colorful low-literacy instruction sheet, a postage-paid envelope, and collection kits. We evaluated intervention materials and performed descriptive and bivariate statistics to describe factors associated with biospecimen donation. Results: Of the total sample, 61% were white and 34% were black. Overall, 29 surveys (20%) and 25 (17%) saliva kits were returned. Women found the materials helpful and easy to read and understand. Women with higher levels of functional well-being and lower ratings of religiosity were more likely to return biospecimens ( p  < 0.005) after receiving enhanced materials. Conclusion: This article provides recruitment strategies to enhance biospecimen samples among women. Receipt of brief informational print materials inclusive of personalized messages enhanced our outreach strategies and increased our overall biospecimen provision rate by 17%. The inclusion of messages with a focus on spirituality and other cultural messages may further increase biospecimen provision in racial/ethnic diverse groups of women; however, further study is needed to support this claim. Clinical Trail Registration Number: NCT02992730.

Introduction: When choosing a modality for outpatient renal replacement therapy, patients and medical providers have 3 options to choose from in-center hemodialysis (HD), home HD (HHD), and peritoneal dialysis (PD). In 2017, just over 10% of incident ESKD patients were on a home dialysis modality. We set out to determine outcomes of dialysis modality education in both pre-dialysis and dialysis patients. Moreover, we examined barriers that preclude patients from choosing home dialysis., Methods: This was a single-center, retrospective study looking at patients who were referred to the CKD educator for dialysis modality education between January 1, 2019, and March 31, 2020. Patient demographics, preferred language of communication, stage of renal disease, and reasons for patients' refusal to undertake a home dialysis modality were recorded. Patients' average household income and driving distance to our home dialysis unit were calculated using their home zip code., Results: 167 patients were referred for CKD education. Mean age was 60 years, and 59% male, 42% African American, 22% White, 7% Asian, and 28% were Hispanic or Latino. Only 23% of the total cohort chose in-center HD, while 74% chose a home dialysis modality (59% PD and 15% HHD), and the remaining patients remained undecided. 56% of in-center HD patients chose a home dialysis modality. The most commonly cited barriers to home dialysis were lack of a care partner, lack of home space, and patient preference., Limitations: Over 90% of our patients reside in NY City where home space is limited. We require in our home HD program that patients have a trained care partner present during their treatments. We cannot assume that all CKD stage-4 patients or higher were either referred for CKD education or followed through on the referral., Conclusions: A large discrepancy between informed patients' choices and the reality of the current dialysis landscape. Absence of a care partner, lack of home space, and patients not deemed appropriate surgical candidates were the main driving forces in their not opting for a home modality., (© 2021 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Hypertension is the leading cause of renal failure in this dialysis and transplant center. When malignant hypertension is encountered, the symptom complex of cachexia and failure to thrive highlights its clinical presentation. The courses of 32 black renal hypertensive patients studied retrospectively demonstrated this symptom complex as well as prolongation of survival, when bilateral nephrectomy and renal transplantation were used as definitive treatment.

Caseous granulomatous lesions, consistent with tuberculosis, were found in the spleen in two of our renal transplant candidates. There was no clinical evidence of tuberculosis in either patient. Only one patient had a positive tuberculin skin test whose chest film showed hilar calcifications suggestive of healed granulomatous disease. Because of this incidental finding in the spleen, both patients were placed on antituberculous therapy. There has been no evidence of active tuberculosis in either patient despite the use of usual doses of immunosuppressive drugs.

Adult polycystic kidney disease treatment at Howard University Hospital is summarized. The cases are taken from autopsies performed between January 1955 and November 1975 and from the Hospital's dialysis population. Polycystic kidney disease was identified in six adults and four infants. Only two dialysis patients were clinically thought to have the disease. A review of the major clinical features of the disease is presented.