Lung Congestion Severity in Kidney Transplant Recipients Is Not Affected by Arteriovenous Fistula Function.

Lung ultrasound is a bedside technique for the assessment of pulmonary congestion. The study aims to assess the severity of lung congestion in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) in relation to arteriovenous fistula (AVF) patency. One hundred fifty-seven patients at least 12 months after kidney transplantation were recruited to participate in a cross-sectional study. Apart from routine visits, lung ultrasound at 28 typical points was performed. The patients were assigned to either AVF+ or AVF- groups. The mean number of lung ultrasound B-lines (USBLs) was 5.14 ± 4.96 with no differences between groups: 5.5 ± 5.0 in AVF+ and 4.8 ± 4.9 in AVF-, p = 0.35. The number and proportion of patients with no congestion (0-5 USBLs), mild congestion (6-15 USBLs), and moderate congestion (16-30 USBLs) were as follows: 101 (64.7%), 49 (31.4%), and 6 (3.8%), respectively. In multivariate analysis, only symptoms (OR 5.90; CI 2.43,14.3; p = 0.0001), body mass index (BMI) (OR 1.09; CI 1.03,1.17; p = 0.0046), and serum cholesterol level (OR 0.994; CI 0.998,1.000; p = 0.0452) contributed significantly to the severity of lung congestion. Lung ultrasound is a valuable tool for the evaluation of KTR. Functioning AVF in KTR is not the major factor affecting the severity of pulmonary congestion.

Focus on COVID-19: Antiviral polymers in drugs and vaccines.

Pathogenic viral factors pose a serious epidemiological threat and challenge to the world population, as proven by the scale and rapidity of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Polymer macromolecules can be an alternative to the accepted forms of treatment. Polymeric substances can be used as drugs or as adjuvants in vaccines. The most important feature of polymers is their advanced structure and the ability to construct the molecule from scratch, giving it the desired properties. Antiviral properties are influenced by, among other things, electrical charge, form and structure, and composition with other polymers or heavy metals. Depending on the expected properties, molecules can be built from scratch to be capable of transporting drugs or improve the effectiveness of the right drug. They can also be antiviral drugs in themselves. Polymeric compounds allow to reduce the frequency of adverse effects and improve the effect of the drug. They can have a direct antiviral effect by upsetting the lipid membrane of the surrounding viruses. Antiviral action of polymers occurs because of the properties of the polymers alone or in combination with other molecules. Viral epidemics are a motivation for research that can help stop a global pandemic in the future.