Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Revaccination Success in Kidney Transplant Recipients With No Initial Humoral Response Is Linked to Primary Vaccine Type.

Background: While anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccination success in kidney transplant recipients (KTR) after two doses and 1273-mRNA was associated with higher seroconversion rates compared to BNT162b2-mRNA in our "DIA-Vacc Study" (NCT04799808), it remains unclear whether this may also be the case in non-responding KTR after a third vaccination dose.

Materials And Methods: Non-responding KTR (after two mRNA vaccinations) were investigated 4.5-6 months after study enrollment at first vaccination.

Risk of strong antibody decline in dialysis and transplant patients after SARS-CoV-2mRNA vaccination: Six months data from the observational Dia-Vacc study.

Background: Vulnerable dialysis and kidney transplant patients show impaired seroconversion rates compared to medical personnel eight weeks after SARS-CoV-2mRNA vaccination.

Methods: We evaluated six months follow up data in our observational Dia-Vacc study exploring specific cellular (interferon-γ release assay) or/and humoral immune responses after 2x SARS-CoV-2mRNA vaccination in 1205 participants including medical personnel (125 MP), dialysis patients (970 DP) and kidney transplant recipients (110 KTR) with seroconversion ( IgA or IgG antibody positivity by ELISA) after eight weeks.

Findings: Six months after vaccination, seroconversion remained positive in 98% of MP, but 91%/87% of DP/KTR ( = 0·005), respectively.

10-Year Evaluation of Adherence and Satisfaction with Information about Tolvaptan in ADPKD: A Single-Center Pilot Study.

Purpose: Tolvaptan is the only approved drug for the treatment of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and causes significant polyuria with secondary polydipsia. Up to now, there is no study that examines tolvaptan adherence and satisfaction with information received about tolvaptan in ADPKD patients 10 years after starting tolvaptan therapy.

Patients And Methods: This pilot study includes 12 ADPKD patients that were formerly enrolled in the tolvaptan registration trials and have continued to use tolvaptan thereafter.

Humoral and cellular immunity to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in renal transplant versus dialysis patients: A prospective, multicenter observational study using mRNA-1273 or BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine.

Background: Dialysis and kidney transplant patients are vulnerable populations for COVID-19 related disease and mortality.

Methods: We conducted a prospective study exploring the eight week time course of specific cellular (interferon-γ release assay and flow cytometry) or/and humoral immune responses (ELISA) to SARS-CoV-2 boost vaccination in more than 3100 participants including medical personnel, dialysis patients and kidney transplant recipients using mRNA vaccines BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273.

Results: SARS-CoV-2-vaccination induced seroconversion efficacy in dialysis patients was similar to medical personnel (> 95%), but markedly impaired in kidney transplant recipients (42%).

Comparative study of microvascular function: Forearm blood flow versus dynamic retinal vessel analysis.

Objective: Recently, dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) has gained interest for investigation of microvascular function but comparative measurements with standard methods like the forearm blood flow technique (FBF) are uncommon till now.

Methods: We recruited 23 high-risk cardiovascular patients (Risk) and 17 healthy persons (Ctrl). During the FBF experiment, postocclusive reactive hyperaemia (RH) as well as endothelium-dependent and independent vasodilation was measured by infusion of acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) into the brachial artery.

Con: Tolvaptan for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease-do we know all the answers?

According to recent literature, tolvaptan ameliorates the natural decline of renal function in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Tolvaptan is an orally available vasopressin V2 receptor antagonist. We describe herein the remaining questions and problems: it is unclear from the published work what influence tolvaptan has on total kidney volume.

A new apparatus for standardized rat kidney biopsy.

Survival biopsies are frequently applied in rat kidney disease models, but several drawbacks such as surgical kidney trauma, bleeding risk and variable loss of kidney tissue are still unsolved. Therefore, we developed an easy-to-use core biopsy instrument and evaluated whether two consecutive kidney biopsies within the same kidney can be carried out in a standardized manner. On day 0, 18 Lewis rats underwent a right nephrectomy and 9 of these rats a subsequent first biopsy of the left kidney (Bx group).

Injured kidney endothelium is only marginally repopulated by cells of extrarenal origin.

The role of bone marrow marrow-derived cells after kidney endothelial injury is controversial. In this study, we investigated if and to what extent extrarenal cells incorporate into kidney endothelium after acute as well as during chronic endothelial injury. Fischer F-344wt (wild type) rat kidney grafts were transplanted into R26-hPAP (human placental alkaline phosphatase) transgenic Fischer F-344 recipient rats to allow identification of extrarenal cells by specific antibody staining.

Should we prescribe blood pressure lowering drugs to every patient with advanced chronic kidney disease? A comment on two recent meta-analyses.

Antihypertensive treatment is an essential, life-prolonging measure in primary hypertension. It prevents apoplexy, myocardial infarction, and hypertensive kidney failure. Chronic kidney failure is associated with hypertension and an accelerated form of arteriosclerosis.

Altered phenotype of natural killer cell subsets after haploidentical stem cell transplantation.

Objective: Haplotype-mismatched CD34(+) selected allogeneic stem cell transplantation (HASCT) has been described as a therapeutic option for patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The success of this regimen is based mainly on natural killer (NK) cell-mediated antileukemia effects.

Materials And Methods: We prospectively investigated NK-cell (CD56(+)/CD3(-)) reconstitution, including expression of antileukemia effector molecules in patients undergoing HASCT.

The graft content of donor T cells expressing gamma delta TCR+ and CD4+foxp3+ predicts the risk of acute graft versus host disease after transplantation of allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells from unrelated donors.

Purpose: Recently, high numbers of regulatory T cells within the stem cell graft were described to be associated with less graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after related peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Studies in mice also suggest a distinct role of gamma delta TCR(+) T cells in mediating GVHD. Therefore, the aim of this study was to define the yet-unknown role of regulatory and gamma delta TCR(+) T cells in human PBSCT from unrelated donors.