Publications by authors named "D A Stauch"
Background And Hypothesis: Donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) shows good diagnostic performance for the detection of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in kidney transplant recipients (KTR). However, the clinical benefits of dd-cfDNA monitoring need to be established. Early diagnosis of AMR at potentially reversible stages may be increasingly important due to emerging treatment options for AMR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: De novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSAs) may cause antibody-mediated rejection and graft dysfunction. Little is known about the clinical course after first detection of dnDSAs during screening in asymptomatic patients. We aimed to assess the value of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria to predict graft failure in patients with dnDSAs and their potential utility as surrogate endpoints.
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- Donor-specific HLA antibodies (dnDSA) are crucial for diagnosing antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) and are linked to kidney graft failure.
- A study of 400 kidney transplant recipients showed that changes in mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of dnDSA significantly influenced graft survival rates over an average follow-up of 8.3 years.
- Notably, a quarter of the patients had a stable loss of dnDSA, which correlated with improved graft survival, highlighting the importance of monitoring MFI changes in transplantation outcomes.
Article Synopsis
- Novel mRNA-based vaccines, like Comirnaty, have proven effective against COVID-19 but their impact on individuals with renal insufficiency and those on immunosuppressive medication is not fully understood.
- A study analyzed kidney transplant recipients and found that a significantly low number showed immune responses (IgA and IgG seroconversion) after vaccination, compared to healthy individuals and hemodialysis patients.
- Despite some T cell responses, kidney transplant patients had fewer and weaker immune responses, indicating a need for revised vaccination strategies and monitoring for this vulnerable population.
The definition of biological donor organ age rather than chronological age seems obvious for the establishment of a valid pre-transplant risk assessment. Therefore, we studied gene expression for candidate markers in 60 zero-hour kidney biopsies. Compared with 29 younger donors under age 55, 31 elderly donors age 55 and older had significant mRNA expression for immunoproteasome subunits (PSMB8, PSMB9 and PSMB10), HLA-DRB, and transcripts of the activating cytotoxicity receptor NKG2D.
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