Prague's IKEM and Berlin's Virchow Clinic: three years of bilateral cooperation between two European liver transplant centers.

With sweeping political changes in Europe since 1989, cooperation across former borders has become possible. This article reports an experience of cooperation between an established center in Western Europe (Berlin's Virchow Clinic) and a developing center in Central Europe (Prague's Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine, or IKEM). The relationship began with common organ procurement and has resulted in a high-quality transplant program in the Czech Republic.

Potential of 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy in monitoring the viability of human renal grafts stored in Euro-Collins perfusion solution.

The relative concentrations of inorganic phosphate and phosphomonoesters (PME) of 18 human cadaveric kidneys stored in Euro-Collins perfusion solution were measured by 31P MR spectroscopy. The signals of intracellular inorganic phosphate (Pii) and inorganic phosphate contained in the perfusion solution (Pie) were separated by the deconvolution technique. The ratio of the signal intensities of phosphomonoesters and intracellular inorganic phosphate (PME/Pii) was used as a marker of kidney viability and correlated with kidney function after transplantation.

[Therapy in kidney transplant rejection using murine monoclonal IgG2a A1CD3 (Cedetrin)].

Background: One of the substances used in recent years to suppress immune reactions after organ and tissue transplantations is mouse IgG2a globulin which acts selectively on CD3 lymphocytes; it is known under the name of Orthoclone (Ortho Co.) An analogous preparation was developed in the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic, although the idiotype is different. The authors submit a report on the experience with treatment of rejection of transplanted kidneys.

[Graft rejection after changing from cyclosporin A therapy to conventional treatment in kidney transplant patients].

Hundred and twenty live patients after the first transplantation of the kidney from a decreased donor with satisfactory graft function, treated with cyclosporine A combined with prednisone or combined with prednisone or combined with prednisone and azathioprine were divided into three groups: A--20 patients changed during the 6th-9th month after transplantation to conventional azathioprine-prednisone treatment. B--68 patients switched to this treatment during the 10h-15th month following transplantation. K--37 patients who were not switched to other treatment during the mentioned period.