An Advanced Practice Practitioner-Based Program to Reduce 30- and 90-Day Readmissions After Liver Transplantation.

Hospital readmissions after liver transplantation (LT) are common and associated with increased morbidity and cost. High readmission rates at our center motivated a change in practice with adoption of a nurse practitioner (NP)-based posttransplant care program. We sought to determine if this program was effective in reducing 30- and 90-day readmissions after LT and to identify variables associated with readmission. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing LT from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2017, at a tertiary LT referral center. A NP-based posttransplant care program with weekend in-house nurse coordination providers and increased outpatient NP clinic availability was instituted on January 1, 2016. Postdischarge readmission rates at 30 and 90 days were compared in the pre-exposure and postexposure groups, adjusting for associated risk factors. A total of 362 patients were included in the analytic cohort. There were no significant differences in demographics, comorbidities, or index hospitalization characteristics between groups. In the adjusted analyses, the risk of readmission in the postexposure group was significantly reduced relative to baseline at 30 days (hazard ratio [HR] 0.60, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.39-0.90; P = 0.02) and 90 days (HR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.34-0.71; P < 0.001). Risk factors positively associated with 30-day readmission included peritransplant dialysis (HR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.13-2.58; P = 0.01) and retransplant on index hospitalization (HR, 10.21; 95% CI, 3.39-30.75; P < 0.001). Male sex was protective against readmission (HR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.45-0.97; P = 0.03). In conclusion, implementation of expanded NP-based care after LT was associated with significantly reduced 30- and 90-day readmission rates. LT centers and other service lines using significant postsurgical resources may be able to reduce readmissions through similar programs.

Safe and effective methylphenidate therapy in a pediatric patient with glaucoma.

Stimulant medications used as first-line treatment in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are contraindicated in patients with glaucoma. We present the first reported case of using methylphenidate therapy to safely and effectively treat ADHD in a pediatric patient with glaucoma.

Fatty acid profile of sunshine bass: I. Profile change is affected by initial composition and differs among tissues.

Fatty acid (FA) composition of fillet tissue can be tailored by transitioning fish from alternative lipid-based, low long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) grow-out feeds to high LC-PUFA "finishing" feeds. To address whether grow-out feed composition influences the responsiveness of fillet tissue to finishing, sunshine bass (SB, Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis) were reared to a submarketable size on grow-out feeds containing fish oil (FO) or a 50:50 blend of FO and coconut (CO), grapeseed (GO), linseed (LO), or poultry (PO) oil. For the final 8 weeks of the trial, fish were either maintained on assigned grow-out feeds or finished with the 100% FO feed. Production performance was unaffected by dietary lipid source, but fillet FA profile generally conformed to nutritional history. Regardless of grow-out regimen, finishing had a significant restorative effect on fillet FA composition; however, complete restoration of control levels of 20:5n-3, 22:6n-3, total LC-PUFA and n-3:n-6 FA ratio was achieved only among fish fed the CO-based grow-out feed. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) appear to be preferential catabolic substrates, whereas medium-chain and long-chain PUFA are selectively deposited in tissues. Provision of SFA in grow-out feeds appears to optimize selective FA metabolism and restoration of beneficial fillet FA profile during finishing.

Fatty Acid Profile of Sunshine Bass: II. Profile Change Differs Among Fillet Lipid Classes.

Fatty acid (FA) profile of fish tissue mirrors dietary FA profile and changes in a time-dependent manner following a change in dietary FA composition. To determine whether FA profile change varies among lipid classes, we evaluated the FA composition of fillet cholesteryl esters (CE), phospholipids (PL), and triacylglycerols (TAG) of sunshine bass (SB, Morone chrysops x M. saxatilis) raised on feeds containing fish oil or 50:50 blend of fish oil and coconut, grapeseed, linseed, or poultry oil, with or without implementation of a finishing period (100% FO feed) prior to harvest. Each lipid class was associated with a generalized FA signature, irrespective of nutritional history: fillet PL was comprised largely of saturated FA (SFA), long-chain polyunsaturated FA (LC-PUFA), and total n-3 FA; fillet TAG was higher in MC-PUFA and total n-6 FA; and fillet CE was highest in monounsaturated FA (MUFA). Neutral lipids reflected dietary composition in a near-direct fashion; conversely, PL showed evidence of selectivity for MC- and LC-PUFA. Shorter-chain SFA were not strongly reflected within any lipid fraction, even when dietary availability was high, suggesting catabolism of these FA. FA metabolism in SB is apparently characterized by a division between saturated and unsaturated FA, whereby LC-PUFA are preferentially incorporated into tissues and SFA are preferentially oxidized for energy production. We demonstrated provision of SFA in grow-out feeds for SB, instead MC-PUFA which compete for tissue deposition, meets energy demands and allows for maximum inclusion of LC-PUFA within fillet lipids.