Living organ donation involves significant out-of-pocket costs, which burden donor candidates and may be an obstacle to donation. There is a single US grant (the National Living Donor Assistance Center-NLDAC) to cover live donor travel costs. Although there may be center-specific variability in grant utilization, prospective donors-and their intended recipients-must also meet eligibility criteria. In fact, the NLDAC grant is used by <10% of US live donors annually. We studied 154 consecutive kidney donor clinic evaluations (November 1, 2014-August 30, 2015) to determine eligibility and usage patterns during the evaluation process. Of these, 63 (41%) were local, had travel benefits, or declined. Of the remaining 91 prospective donors who might have benefited from grant support, only 29 (32%) obtained the grant. The other 62 (68%) did not meet eligibility screening. The major reason prospective donors were ineligible was that the recipient's household income was outside the required means test (ie, >300% of the federal poverty level) (n=51; 82%). The remaining exclusions (n=11; 18%) included being a nondirected donor, not meeting residency requirements, and "other." Expanding NLDAC eligibility criteria-by broadening the recipient means test or by taking steps to eliminate it from the NLDAC charter-would reduce financial burdens associated with live donation.

Previous studies have demonstrated increased numbers of circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), defined as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) co-expressing CD34 and CD133, in adults with asthma. However, it is unknown whether EPCs are differentially expressed developmentally based upon gender, puberty, and/or asthma diagnosis. A subset (n=42) of children in the Childhood Origins of Asthma (COAST) study were selected for this pilot study based upon pubertal status, defined as tanner stage 4 for males, and menarche for females. Pre- and post-pubertal PBMC samples from 26 females, and 16 males fulfilling these criteria were assessed using flow cytometry to identify the percentage of EPCs (CD34+/CD133+). Relationships among EPC numbers, gender, puberty, and asthma diagnosis were assessed. Both pre- and post-puberty, females had significantly higher percentages of circulating EPCs (CD34+/CD133+) compared to males (pre-puberty: 0.060% vs 0.041%, p=0.01; post-puberty: 0.062% vs. 0.031%, p=0.0001). EPC percentages were not significantly higher in children with asthma vs. no asthma (pre-puberty: 0.060% vs. 0.049%, p=0.13; post-puberty: 0.052% vs. 0.048%, p=0.63). The percentage of circulating EPCs did not differ by asthma severity or the presence of aeroallergen sensitization. Circulating EPCs were increased in females compared to males both pre- and post-puberty. In contrast to prior studies in adults, no differences in EPCs were seen in children with asthma. Prospective pubertal follow up in the COAST cohort will help determine if these differences persist or change with the expression and remission of asthma, as well as changes in severity of asthma based on gender and age.