Antibody-removal therapies for de novo DSA in pediatric intestinal recipients: Why, when, and how? A single-center experience.

Background: Donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) impact negatively on the outcome of intestinal grafts. Although the use of antibody-removal therapies (ART) is becoming more frequent in the last few years, issues regarding their timing and effectiveness remain under discussion.

Methods: In the present study, we report our experience with eight ART procedures (based on plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab) in eight pediatric intestinal and multivisceral transplants with de novo DSA (dnDSA).

An Early Th1 Response Is a Key Factor for a Favorable COVID-19 Evolution.

The Th1/Th2 balance plays a crucial role in the progression of different pathologies and is a determining factor in the evolution of infectious diseases. This work has aimed to evaluate the early, or on diagnosis, T-cell compartment response, T-helper subsets and anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody specificity in COVID-19 patients and to classify them according to evolution based on infection severity. A unicenter, randomized group of 146 COVID-19 patients was divided into four groups in accordance with the most critical events during the course of disease.

Donor-Specific Antibodies in Pediatric Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplantation: The Role of Liver and Human Leukocyte Antigen Mismatching.

Rejection is one of the most important drawbacks for graft and patient survival in intestinal and multivisceral transplantation. However, there is no consensus on the diagnostic criteria for humoral rejection, and the literature about the role of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) on allograft outcome and the risk factors that contribute to their development is scant with contradictory results. The present study analyzes the role of DSA exclusively in a pediatric cohort of 43 transplants.

Acquired Senescent T-Cell Phenotype Correlates with Clinical Severity in GATA Binding Protein 2-Deficient Patients.

GATA binding protein 2 (GATA2) deficiency is a rare disorder of hematopoiesis, lymphatics, and immunity caused by spontaneous or autosomal dominant mutations in the gene. Clinical manifestations range from neutropenia, lymphedema, deafness, to severe viral and mycobacterial infections, bone marrow failure, and acute myeloid leukemia. Patients also present with monocytopenia, dendritic cell, B- and natural killer (NK)-cell deficiency.

Early mortality after heart transplantation related to IgA anti-β2-glycoprotein I antibodies.

Background: The presence of pre-formed IgA anti-β-glycoprotein I antibodies (IgA-aB2GP1ab) has been related to early graft loss after kidney transplant. Because β-glycoprotein I is produced in both the kidney and heart, we aimed to assess whether the presence of these antibodies may also be associated with poor outcomes after heart transplantation (HT).

Methods: A 2-year follow-up retrospective analysis of 151 consecutive patients who underwent HT between 2004 and 2012 was performed to assess the role of this pre-formed antibody type in HT.

Early renal graft function deterioration in recipients with preformed anti-MICA antibodies: partial contribution of complement-dependent cytotoxicity.

Background: We previously reported that preformed anti-MHC class I-related chain A (MICA) antibodies increase the risk for renal graft rejection and enhance the deleterious effect of PRA(+) status early after transplantation.

Methods: We studied 727 kidney recipients. Days to reach optimal serum creatinine level, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at Month 3 and chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages were recorded.