Effect of the 50 bp deletion polymorphism in the SOD1 promoter on SOD1 mRNA levels in Italian ALS patients.

The genetic association between homozygosity for a 50 bp deletion polymorphism in the SOD1 promoter, 1684 bp upstream of the ATG, and an increased age of symptom onset was observed in various populations of ALS patients. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that this deletion reduces SOD1 expression in vitro. The objective of the present study was to test whether the observed association is replicated in patients from an Italian population and to check whether the deletion correlates with reduced SOD1 mRNA expression in vivo.

Lung transplantation with grafts from elderly donors: a single-center experience.

Introduction: Use of extended criteria donors is one of the strategies to face the scarcity of donors for lung transplantation.

Methods: Between November 2002 and May 2009, we performed 52 LTs in 50 recipients, 10 of whom (group A) received lungs from donors aged 55 years or older (median, 58.5; range, 56-66 years) for comparison with 28 patients (group B) transplanted with lungs from donors younger than 55 years (median, 25.

The choice of recipient does not have a bearing on early outcome in liver transplant patients receiving grafts from non-heart-beating donors: a reappraisal?

Introduction: Donation after cardiac death has reemerged as a potential way of increasing the supply of organs for transplantation. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of non-heart-beating donor (NHBD) liver transplantation (OLT) experience and compared with standard heart-beating donation (HBD) at a single center.

Methods: From October 2003 to November 2006, 13/111 liver transplantations were performed in our institution with NHBD.

Combined double lung-liver transplantation for cystic fibrosis without cardio-pulmonary by-pass.

Sequential bilateral single lung-liver transplantation (SBSL-LTx) is a therapeutic option for patients with end stage lung and liver disease (ESLLD) due to cystic fibrosis (CF). A few cases have been reported, all of them were performed with the use of cardio-pulmonary by-pass (CPB). We performed SBSL-LTx in three young men affected by CF.

Extended right split liver graft for primary transplantation in children and adults.

Skepticism remains about the use of the extended right (ER) split graft (segments I, IV-VIII) for adult liver transplantation. We analyzed the results of primary liver transplantation performed with an ER graft in adult and in pediatric recipients. At our Institution, between October 1997 and June 2005, 32 primary liver transplantations with an ER graft were performed in 22 adult and 10 pediatric recipients.

Pathological score for the evaluation of allograft rejection in human hand (composite tissue) allotransplantation.

The experience obtained from the human hand allografts (HHA) performed to date suggests that the skin is a priviledged target of allograft rejection in this setting. The aim of this study was to establish a pathological score for assessing the severity of HHA rejection. The pathological slides of 89 skin biopsies obtained from the allografted limbs of six HHA recipients from day 0 to 5 years post-graft were retrospectively examined.