KDPI score is a strong predictor of future graft function: Moderate KDPI (35 - 85) and high KDPI (> 85) grafts yield similar graft function and survival .

Background: Efforts have been made to maximize the utility of each organ transplanted. Policy changes to capture unrealized graft years have been implemented utilizing the kidney donor profile index (KDPI). Understanding the impact of KDPI on long-term graft function is critical to an informed organ acceptance decision.

Transforming growth factor β1 and coronary intimal hyperplasia in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease.

Background: Congenital heart defects or the process of their repair leads to an increased risk for adult cardiovascular disease compared with the general population. Intimal hyperplasia is a preatherosclerotic lesion that may be produced as a consequence of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) pathway activation. We studied the presence of intimal hyperplasia in arteries from a pediatric population with congenital heart disease (CHD) and TGF-β1 expression to enlighten its possible role in the genesis of these lesions.

Peritransplant kidney biopsies: comparison of pathologic interpretations and practice patterns of organ procurement organizations.

The preimplantation kidney biopsy affects utilization by diagnosing glomerulosclerosis, interstitial fibrosis (IF), arteriosclerosis, and arteriolar hyalinosis. Organ procurement organizations (OPOs) determine whether a donor warrants this biopsy and the donor hospital pathologists (DHPs) report on an OPO-specific pathology interpretation form. Biopsy slides from 40 deceased donor kidneys transplanted at our institution were used to compare interpretations between our transplant pathologist and the DHPs.

Congenital left main coronary artery aneurysm.

We report a rare case of a congenital left main coronary artery aneurysm in a 2-year-old patient with concomitant intimal hyperplasia and strong intimal apolipoprotein B expression.