Follow-up examination of 12 heart transplant recipients with cardiac CT.

Objective: The aims of this study were to observe the changes of a transplanted heart with cardiac computed tomography (CT) and to evaluate the clinical application of the examination.

Methods: Cardiac CT was performed on 12 heart transplant recipients, of which 4 cases were also examined by echocardiography. Coronary arteries, the cardiac chamber, and the wall were shown with three-dimensional imaging techniques, and their changes were analyzed and discussed.

[Effect of inhaling specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor on lung injury induced by cardiopulmonary bypass].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pretreatment by inhaling specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor on lung injury induced by cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

Methods: From April 2010 to November 2010, 30 patients were divided randomly into two groups: control group (n = 15) and milrinone group (n = 15). In milrinone group, 5 mg milrinone diluted by 5ml normal saline was inhaled per 8 h two days pre-operation.

The recall alloresponse following retransplantation is more intense compared with the T cell memory-transfer model.

The presence of alloreactive memory T cells in recipient is a critical handicap to achieving transplantation tolerance. To make a mouse model that can as closely as possible mimic the presensitized transplant patient is important for research on this subject. Thus, we developed a novel retransplant model and compared the alloresponse in this model with that in the memory T cells-transfer model (transfer control).

Rapamycin or tacrolimus alone fails to resist cardiac allograft accelerated rejection mediated by alloreactive CD4(+) memory T cells in mice.

Donor-reactive memory T (Tm) cells undermine transplanted organs more readily than naive T cells. Rapamycin (RAPA) and tacrolimus (FK-506) are current mainstay immunosuppressants used for preventing acute allograft rejection. Although their efficacy in suppressing naive T cell is established, their suppressing effect on memory T cells is undefined.

[Investigation of sexual function rehabilitation of 11 male heart transplant recipients].

Objective: To investigate the rehabilitation of the sexual function of male patients after heart transplantation.

Methods: Eleven discharged adult male cardiac transplant recipients (ranging 32-54 years) with a normally functioning allograft for at least 9 months were questioned on their pre- and post-operative sexual function.

Results: All the recipients complained of a significant pretransplantive decrease and 10 stated a significant posttransplantive increase in sexual function.

[Experimental investigation of non-heart-beating donor in the rat lung transplantation].

Objective: To explore the impact of different warm ischemia time on structure and function of the non-heart-beating donor lung and to find out the feasibility of non-heart-beating donor in rat lung transplantation.

Methods: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: heart-beating donor (HBD) group, non-heart-beating donor (NHBD) with 30 minutes of warm ischemia time (WIT) group and NHBD with 60 minutes of WIT group. Each group has 10 pairs (the donors and the recipients).

Immunosuppression induction with daclizumab and antithymocyte globulin in cardiac transplantation: clinical experience with 8 cases.

Objective: To review the clinical experience of immunosuppression induction therapy to prevent acute rejection in 8 patients with cardiac transplant.

Methods: Between June, 2000 and May, 2002, 8 patients with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy undergoing orthotopic cardiac transplantation received induction therapy with two-dose daclizumab (1.0 mg/kg), given intravenously within 12 h before cardiac-transplantation surgery and two weeks thereafter, and with an initial 5-day course of intravenous antithymocyte globulin (100 mg/d) following transplantation.

[Effect of tetramethylpyrazine on endothelin, von Willebrand factor and thromboxane A2 during cardiopulmonary bypass in patients of congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension].

Objective: To study the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) on the vascular endothelial cell (VEC) related humoral factors, including endothelin (ET), factor VIII related antigen (i.e. von Willebrand factor, vWF) and thromboxane A2(TXA2) in patients of congenital heart disease with pulmonary hypertension (CHD-PH) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), and explore the clinical physiopathologic significance of them.