Effectiveness and safety of the conversion to MeltDose extended-release tacrolimus from other formulations of tacrolimus in stable kidney transplant patients: A retrospective study.

Tacrolimus is the cornerstone of immunosuppressive therapy after kidney transplantation. Its narrow therapeutic window mandates serum level strict monitoring and dose adjustments to ensure the optimal risk-benefit balance. This observational retrospective study analyzed the effectiveness and safety of conversion from twice-daily immediate-release tacrolimus (IR-Tac) or once-daily prolonged-release tacrolimus (PR-Tac) to the recent formulation once-daily MeltDose extended-release tacrolimus (LCP-Tac) in 365 stable kidney transplant recipients.

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate in Renal Transplantation: The Nephrologist in the Mist.

Background: Formulas do not estimate renal function with acceptable precision and accuracy.

Methods: We compared 51 creatinine-based and/or cystatin c-based formulas with a gold standard (iohexol plasma clearance) in 193 renal transplant recipients using concordance correlation coefficient, total deviation index, coverage probability and the error in chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage classification.

Results: No formula showed a concordance correlation coefficient greater than 0.

Artery Wall Assessment Helps Predict Kidney Transplant Outcome.

Background: Kidney transplant recipients have high cardiovascular risk, and vascular inflammation may play an important role. We explored whether the inflammatory state in the vessel wall was related to carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) and patient survival following kidney transplantation.

Methods: In this prospective observational cohort study we measured c-IMT and expression of proinflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules in the inferior epigastric artery in 115 kidney transplant candidates.

Early association of low-grade albuminuria and allograft dysfunction predicts renal transplant outcomes.

Background: Data on the combined associations of albuminuria and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with renal transplant outcomes are limited. Our objective was to explore how renal transplant outcomes could be predicted by a combined variable of early low-grade albuminuria and allograft dysfunction.

Methods: We studied a cohort of adult deceased-donor kidney transplant recipients who were subdivided into four groups according to median albuminuria (100 mg/day, interquartile range, 0-470 mg/day) and median eGFR (60 mL/min/1.