Turkish Validation of the Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers

LAY ABSTRACT

It is important to diagnose autism spectrum disorder at an early age and to start an early intervention program without delay. In this study, we aimed to validate the Rapid Interactive Screening Test for Autism in Toddlers (RITA-T) in a group of Turkish children and found that the RITA-T which has been shown to be a valid and reliable screening test for 18- to 36-month-old children in studies conducted in different countries, is also valid in Turkish children. Similar to previous studies, our results showed that the RITA-T has good sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing children with autism spectrum disorder. We think that our study will contribute to the timely initiation of early intervention programs for many children with autism by enabling a valid test to be used in screening programs.

Relevance of Flow Cytometric Auto-Crossmatch to the Post-transplant Course of Kidney Transplant Recipients

INTRODUCTION

The crossmatch test is essential prior to kidney transplantation (tx) to confirm compatibility between the donor and the recipient. However, its results can be misleading due to "undetectable antibodies" in the recipient's serum. To establish if undetectable autoantibodies are responsible for a positive result, an auto-crossmatch test can be performed. In this study, we aim to determine the long-term prognostic value of auto-flow cytometric auto-crossmatch (FCXM) test on kidney survival in kidney tx recipients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The primary outcome variable was reduced renal function. Secondary endpoints were incidence of biopsy-confirmed chronic antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR) and recurrent glomerulonephritis (GN).

RESULTS

There were no differences regarding initial serum creatinine levels between the study and control groups (P = .441). Patients who had positive auto-B FCXM had a significantly reduced renal function compared with the control group (P = .016). Four patients developed biopsy-confirmed CAMR in the study group and 1 patient in the control group (P = .047). Five patients had biopsy-confirmed recurrent GN in the GN study group, and only 1 patient had recurrent GN in the GN control group (P = .026).

DISCUSSION

Kidney transplant recipients with positive auto-FCXM test had significantly reduced renal function and a higher incidence of recurrent GN and CAMR compared with the control group. The findings of this study suggest a potential role of auto-antibody causing positive auto-FCXM test result, meanwhile increasing the risk of CAMR, recurrent GN, and new-onset diabetes after tx.