Low-solute hyponatremia in a kidney transplant recipient.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Electrolyte and acid-base disturbances are common in kidney transplant recipients, but there are few reports of low-solute hyponatremia or beer potomania in this population. We report herein a case of low-solute hyponatremia in a kidney transplant recipient with impaired graft function, highlighting key issues in diagnosis and management of low-solute hyponatremia, as well as exploring the pathophysiology of hyponatremia after kidney transplantation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old man who had received a cadaveric renal transplant 18 years before presented with symptomatic hyponatremia and seizure. Workup for an underlying intracranial pathology was negative, and subsequent biochemical workup suggested low-solute hyponatremia with potomania, arising from dietary modifications taken by the patient while self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correction of hyponatremia was successful with conservative management with close monitoring. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates key points in the diagnosis and management of low-solute hyponatremia and highlights the pathophysiology of hyponatremia after kidney transplantation.

Remote sensory assessment of beer quality based on visual perception of foamability and biometrics compared to standard emotional responses from affective images.

The social isolation settings derived from the COVID-19 pandemic affected the standard sensory evaluation techniques used in the food and beverage industry. This situation forced companies and researchers to assess other options to continue conducting these tests in remote contactless locations. This study aimed to evaluate two sets of samples (i) six images from Geneva affective picture database (GAPED) and (ii) six videos of beer pouring using traditional self-reported sensory data and emotional response from consumers biometrics. Specifically, four research questions (RQ) arouse from this study: RQ1: are there significant differences between GAPED images and beers in unconscious and self-reported responses from consumers?, RQ2: are there any correlations between subconscious and self-reported responses from consumers when assessing beer?, RQ3: can consumers differentiate positive, neutral and negative images based on subconscious and self-reported responses?, RQ4: are there any relationships between subconscious and self-reported responses when assessing GAPED images and beers, and how are samples associated with variables? A total of 113 Mexican beer consumers participated in the virtual sensory session using an online videoconference software to record videos of participants during the session. Results showed there were significant differences (p < 0.05) between samples, especially for self-reported responses (RQ1), and several correlations between variables, such as positive correlations between the perceived quality of beers and happy emoji (r = 0.84), and negative correlation with confused emoji (r = -0.97; RQ2). Besides, using the proposed methods, consumers were able to correctly differentiate through elicited emotions the positive, neutral and negative GAPED images (RQ3). Regarding RQ4, several relationships were found between variables in both GAPED images and beers; however, it was found that different emotions were elicited depending of the stimuli used. The proposed method showed to be a reliable and practical option to conduct visual and potentially tasting sensory tests in isolation and recruit participants from different countries without travelling to collect their responses.

The behaviour of alcohol-dependent drinkers of spirits during level 4 COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand.

INTRODUCTION: Behaviour of alcohol drinkers during previous major public health or economic crises has varied, with reductions in use generally occurring during periods of reduced availability. This study aimed to discover the behaviour of a group of dependent drinkers of spirits during a 33-day period of complete closure of physical stores selling spirits during COVID-19 lockdown in Auckland, New Zealand, March 2020. METHODS: Electronic clinical records of drinkers waitlisted to complete an alcohol detox at the in-patient service were followed from day 1 of lockdown and outcomes at the end of the period analysed. RESULTS: Drinkers of spirits were statistically more successful in stopping drinking (P = 0.002) than those of wine or beer. Only 26% chose to switch to an alternate alcohol type initially. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: A sudden reduction in availability of spirits resulted in positive behaviour change in spirits drinkers compared to those of other alcohol types, aided by the support of detox services. Internet alcohol purchasing, while not used by this group, deserves close future scrutiny due to its potential to increase alcohol availability in dependent drinkers.