Bioengineered Kidney, Still a Long Way to Go.

Regenerative medicine has attempted to raise hopes to replace failing solid organs as a part of its wide-spectrum mission over the last couple of decades. To generate and implant an organ, taking the global challenge of organ shortage and histological complexity into consideration, has made this endeavor more taxing and strenuous in comparison with other subjects including cells and tissues. As the most prevalent transplanting organ worldwide, to make a kidney in laboratories using decellularized discarded donated kidney as a scaffold and recullalarize that with recipient's native cells to circumvent another unavoidable obstacle, immunological mismatch, has remained a not yet attainable promise.

Overview and Recent Advances of Regulatory T cell Therapy in Solid Organ Transplantation.

Solid organ transplant recipients are in high demand for developed immune-modulating agents to control allo-immune responses following transplantation. The immunosuppressive agents offer the recipients improved short-term graft survival; nonetheless, this benefit is tempered by unavoidable long-term adverse events of these medications. Active control of allo-response using therapeutic cell transfer has gained much attraction during the last few years.

Optimization of Taylor spatial frame half-pins diameter for bone deformity correction: Application to femur.

Using external fixtures for bone deformity correction takes advantages of less soft tissue injury, better bone alignment and enhances strain development for bone formation on cutting section, which cause shorter healing time. Among these fixtures, Taylor spatial frame is widely used and includes two rings and six adjustable struts developing 6 degrees of freedom, making them very flexible for this type of application. The current study describes a method to optimize Taylor spatial frame pin-sizes currently chosen from the surgeon's experiences.

Molecular testing of Klebsiella pneumoniae contaminating tissue allografts recovered from deceased donors.

Microbiological screening of tissue allografts is crucial to prevent the transmission of bacterial and fungal infections to transplant recipients. Klebsiella was the most prevalent and resistant contaminating microorganism observed in our setting in the Iranian Tissue Bank. This study was conducted to determine the presence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes, antimicrobial resistance patterns of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, and their clonal relationships in allograft materials.

Survival probabilities of end stage renal disease patients on renal replacement therapy in Iran.

Aim: To bridge the gap in the current knowledge, the present study was conducted to obtain evidences relating to clinical outcomes of the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) population in Iran over the last two decades.

Methods: The records of 84 652 incident ESRD patients from 1995 up to and including 2014 in the national registry of ESRD patients were analyzed retrospectively. Data were collected from dialysis and transplant centres in Iran from 1995 to 2008 via paper forms and from 2009 to 2014 through web-based records.

Iranian homograft heart valves: assessment of durability and late outcome.

Durability and the rate of complications of homograft heart valves, adjusted for patient-related contributors and surgical techniques, rely mainly on the quality of allografts which in turn are mirrored in the donor characteristics and most importantly recovery and processing procedures. Aimed to assess the quality, a study was conducted to figure out the durability and late outcome following homograft replacement with valved conduits procured by the Iranian Tissue Bank. Retrospectively, the pre-implantation, perioperative and follow-up data of 400 non-consecutive recipients of cryopreserved heart valves (222 pulmonary and 178 aortic) from 2006 to 2015 were collected and analyzed in terms of variables reflecting late outcome including adverse events and durability.

Kidney transplantation in the Middle East.

Aims: To delineate the kidney transplantation programs in the Middle East and to provide a comparative summary with other international datasets where deemed appropriate.

Patients And Methods: Data regarding kidney transplantation as the treatment of choice amongst renal replacement therapies in different countries in the Middle East was analyzed from 2004 to 2013. The number of kidney transplants and the source of kidneys were important topics of comparison.

When is Transplantation with a "Marginal Kidney" Justifiable?

The ability of kidney transplantation to improve quality of life has made this therapeutic modality the treatment of choice among renal replacement therapies; however, the continuing organ shortage has forced the use of marginal kidneys as a supplementary source of allografts. It has been repeatedly suggested that failed kidney transplant recipients have greater morbidity and mortality compared with dialysis patients with no renal transplant history. Achieving an optimal balance between the advantages of kidney transplant and disadvantages of allografts with marginal quality is a topic of controversy in transplant medicine.

Iranian homograft tissue processing.

Tissue transplantation is a life-enhancing therapeutic modality for damaged or non-functioning tissues. In most cases, there is no alternative other than human tissue as replacement, and taking into account the ever-increasing demand for tissue grafts, it makes sense to set up an establishment in charge of human tissue procurement to meet local needs. A quality assurance system, clearly defined standards, and regular audits complement the infrastructure which make this activity feasible.

Development of a kidney transplantation program--inverted funnel approach.

Introduction: The history of organ shortage has been approached differently by different countries. This review tries to discuss the inverted funnel approach of Iran.

Methods: The whole history of transplants in the country can be divided in three phases of legally regulated living unrelated kidney donation, legislation of brain death donation and lastly how it has been implemented.

Outlook of organ transplantation in Iran: time for quality assessment.

Organ transplantation as an undeniable life-saving therapeutic modality fundamentally requires infrastructure, devoted and trained professionals, and positive public attitude to be set up in a well-organized manner at the national level. In addition to sharing achievements and reviewing the increasing trend of transplanted organs in the past 12 years following legislations in Iran, this report raises some concerns from the point of transplantation outcome view.

Changing epidemiology of end-stage renal disease in last 10 years in Iran.

Introduction: The rapid increase in the prevalence of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) necessitates putting into practice some strategies to prevent its development and progression, especially in the developing world. Detailed chronological changes in the incidence of ESRD may sharpen the focus on its prevention. We, therefore, determined the detailed epidemiological features of ESRD in Iran.

Compensated living kidney donation in Iran: donor's attitude and short-term follow-up.

Introduction: Living unrelated kidney donation has a high rate in Iran, where a unique organ procurement model is running. We evaluated feelings and attitude of these donors after kidney donation.

Materials And Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 25 kidney transplantation centers in Iran.

Hemodialysis cost in Tehran, Iran.

The purpose of this study was to assess the health service cost of hemodialysis (HD) delivered at hospitals in Iran as a developing country with a well-defined program of renal replacement therapy. A cost analysis was performed from the viewpoint of the 2 hospitals, with 3 shifts and full chairs, on current practice for dialysis maintenance. Cost and patient data were collected in 2006 and from April 1 to May 31, 2007, respectively.

Management of calcium and phosphorus metabolism in hemodialysis patients in Tehran Province, Iran.

Introduction: Our aim was to evaluate the degree of achievement of the recommended values in National Kidney Foundation Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (K/DOQI) guidelines for the laboratory indicators of bone metabolism in patients undergoing hemodialysis (HD) in Tehran province.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated the laboratory information of 2630 HD patients in Tehran province. Demographic data of the patients and the clinical information including the duration of dialysis session, dialysate calcium concentration, Kt/V, and serum values of calcium, phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) were recorded.