Aliya O. Affdal

Université de Montréal | UdeM · Public Health Research Institute

There is a gap between the number of patients waiting for a transplant and the number of kidneys available. Some deceased donor kidneys are currently non-utilized, as medical teams fear that they will experience suboptimal graft survival. However, these organs could provide an acceptable therapeutic option if they were allocated for pre-emptive kid...

Background Kidney transplantation is the optimal treatment for end‐stage renal disease. However, highly sensitized patients (HSPs) have reduced access to transplantation, leading to increased morbidity and mortality on the waiting list. The Canadian Willingness to Cross (WTC) program proposes allowing transplantation across preformed donor specific...

Purpose Despite the increasing number of childhood cancer survivors, significant advances in ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC) technique and medical societies’ recommendations, fertility preservation (FP) and FP discussions are not always offered as a standard of care in the pediatric context. The aim of this literature review is to understand...

Background It can be difficult for kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) to be physically active after their transplantation. Physical inactivity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, one of the leading cause of death among KTRs. To help KTRs start and maintain a physical activity routine, we developed the KEeP ACTIVe Club, a 6-month online in...

Background Antibody-mediated rejection is an important cause of kidney transplant loss. A new strategy requiring application of precision medicine tools in transplantation considers molecular compatibility between donors and recipients and holds the promise of improved immunologic risk, preventing rejection and premature graft loss. The objective o...

L’utilisation du microbiome humain à des fins judiciaires comme objet d’étude implique divers enjeux allant d’une remise en question de notre conception traditionnelle de l’identité au respect de la vie privée, en passant par le type de consentement à recueillir lors du prélèvement d’un échantillon de microbiome. La particularité de cette étude néc...

Key Points Hemodialysis workers' well-being and work were affected by the COVID-19 pandemics. Effective communication strategies and taking into account psychological distress are ways to mitigate the challenges faced by health care workers. Background The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted health systems and created numerous challenges in hospitals...

Background Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for kidney failure but is associated with medical, psychological, and existential challenges for patients. Patients’ experiential knowledge can help other patients facing these challenges. Patients’ self-narratives and creative writings are ways to operationalize this experiential knowledge. C...

Background: Hemodialysis patients have faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. They face high risk of death if infected and have unavoidable exposure to others when they come to hospital three times weekly for their life-saving treatments. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the scope and magnitude of th...

Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) face numerous challenges following transplantation. Given that healthcare professionals do not necessarily have first-hand experience living with or waiting for a transplant, it may be hard for them to communicate with and help patients when it comes to transplant-related issues. KTRs have experiential knowledge,...

Background Noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT) provides important benefits yet raises ethical concerns. We surveyed Canadian pregnant women and their partners to explore their views regarding pressure to test and terminate a pregnancy, as well as other societal impacts that may result from the routinization of NIPT. Methods A questionnaire was off...

Background: Chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatments may cause premature ovarian failure and irreversible loss of fertility. In the context of childhood cancers, it is now acknowledged that possible negative effects of therapies on future reproductive autonomy are a major concern. While a few options are open to post-pubertal patients, the only...

Non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) using cell-free DNA (cfDNA) offers numerous benefits to pregnant women and their families. It also raises ethical, legal and social concerns regarding, for instance, the possible effects of a routinization of prenatal genetic testing on free and informed decision-making by prospective parents, and the role of th...

Background: Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. The decision to accept a kidney from a deceased donor can be a difficult one, especially when organs from high KDPI (>85%) donors are offered. This study aims to capture the perspectives of transplant nephrologists (TNs) on the decision-making proce...

Chapitre 9. Oncofertility and prepubescent girls: A ‘right to an open future’? While chemotherapy and radiotherapy have increased the life expectancy of cancer patients, they may cause premature ovarian failure and irreversible loss of fertility. In the context of childhood cancers, it is now acknowledged that possible negative effects of treatment...

Objective: This study sought to assess Canadian pregnant women's and their partners' preferences for information about non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). Methods: Pregnant women and their partners across Canada were surveyed as part of the Personalized Genomics for prenatal Aneuploidy Screening Using maternal blood (PEGASUS) study. Results:...

Background: Canadian policies regarding the implementation and public coverage of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) are heterogeneous and shifting, with NIPT being publicly covered for high-risk pregnancies in some provinces, but not others. Such a diverse and evolving policy landscape provides fertile ground for examining the preferences of pre...

Background: Noninvasive prenatal testing is a recent technology that provides some genetic information about the fetus through the analysis of cell-free fetal DNA circulating in maternal blood. We aimed to identify the benefits, challenges and guiding ethical principles most relevant to the clinical integration of noninvasive prenatal testing in Ca...

In recent years, progress in cancer treatment has greatly increased the chances of recovery. Yet, treatment may have irreversible effects on patients’ fertility. In order to protect future fertility, preservation of ovarian tissue may be offered today even to very young girls, involving a surgical procedure that may be performed by minimally invasi...

Bien qu’il soit un être vulnérable, l’enfant pourrait être considéré comme un agent moral dans certaines circonstances. Ainsi, il peut et devrait être davantage associé aux décisions médicales le concernant.

Résumé Objectif Le but de cette étude était d’analyser les modalités de la transition des soins en épilepsie d’un service pédiatrique vers un service pour adultes et par-là même l’acquisition de l’autonomie du patient. Méthode Notre enquête a été menée à l’aide d’un guide d’entretien composé de trois grandes parties : les critères du passage du p...

Objective To report results of analysis of in vitro fertilization (IVF) users' choices regarding the potential use of their surplus cryopreserved embryos for posthumous assisted reproduction (PAR). Design Examination of signed consent forms. Setting The study was carried out at the public IVF clinic of a university medical center. Patient(s) A t...