Everolimus TDM using Thermo Fisher QMS immunoassay on Indiko, Beckman DxC, AU680, and AU5800 analyzers.

Objectives: Everolimus (EVR), a mTOR inhibitor immunosuppressant approved for renal, liver and cardiac transplants. This study established the appropriate TDM performances of the Thermo Scientific QMS EVR Assay by using the Beckman DxC, followed by comparison to the Thermo Scientific Indiko and a previously published LC-MS/MS assay, and Beckman AU680 and AU5800 analyzers.

Design And Methods: The study initially established acceptable linearity, precision and accuracy of the QMS EVR turbidimetric assay.

Development and validation of a questionnaire to assess fear of kidney failure following living donation.

Living kidney donors (LKDs) may feel more anxious about kidney failure now that they have only one kidney and the security of a second kidney is gone. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to develop and empirically validate a self-report scale for assessing fear of kidney failure in former LKDs. Participants were 364 former LKDs within the past 10 years at five US transplant centers and 219 healthy nondonor controls recruited through Mechanical Turk who completed several questionnaires.

Trajectories of perceived benefits in living kidney donors: association with donor characteristics and recipient outcomes.

Background: While improved health of the recipient may serve as a primary motivating factor, living kidney donors (LDs) also may expect to accrue some personal benefit following donation. This study sought to identify trajectories of perceived benefit over the first 2 years after donation.

Methods: Prospective questionnaire data were collected from 133 LDs from three kidney transplant programs in the United States.

Tubular expression of KIM-1 does not predict delayed function after transplantation.

Injured epithelial cells of the proximal tubule upregulate the glycoprotein kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), suggesting its potential as a biomarker of incipient kidney allograft injury. It is unknown whether KIM-1 expression changes in kidney allografts with delayed graft function (DGF), which often follows ischemia-reperfusion injury. Here, we prospectively measured KIM-1 RNA and protein expression in preperfusion biopsies of 30 living- and 85 deceased-donor kidneys and correlated the results with histologic and clinical outcomes after transplantation.