Pathological Consequences in Anti-HCV Antibody-Positive Organ Donation to an Anti-HCV Antibody-Negative Recipient.

Background: The need to expand the pool of available organs for transplantation has meant that the use of marginal organs is increasingly widespread. The advent of antiviral therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) has made it possible to consider the donation of organs from HCV-positive donors and even from viremic donors.

Methods: In HCV-positive to HCV-negative antibody donor transplantation, the development of antibodies to HCV is uneven, depending on the organ transplanted and with differences in the time of appearance.

The HDL mimetic CER-001 remodels plasma lipoproteins and reduces kidney lipid deposits in inherited lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency.

Background: Kidney failure is the major cause of morbidity and mortality in familial lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency (FLD), a rare inherited lipid disorder with no cure. Lipoprotein X (LpX), an abnormal lipoprotein, is primarily accountable for nephrotoxicity.

Methods: CER-001 was tested in an FLD patient with dramatic kidney disease for 12 weeks.

Hypothermic machine perfusion can safely prolong cold ischemia time in deceased donor kidney transplantation. A retrospective analysis on postoperative morbidity and graft function.

In deceased donor kidney transplantation (KT), a prolonged cold ischemia time (CIT) is a negative prognostic factor for KT outcome, and the efficacy of hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) in prolonging CIT without any additional hazard is highly debated. We conducted a retrospective study on a cohort of 154 single graft deceased donor KTs, in which a delayed HMP, after a preliminary period of static cold storage (SCS), was used to prolong CIT for logistic reasons. Primary outcomes were postoperative complications as well as 1 year graft survival and function.

Impact of kidney transplant morbidity on elderly recipients' outcomes.

Background And Aims: Nowadays, advanced age does not represent an absolute contraindication to kidney transplantation (KT). However, aging is frequently associated with multiple comorbidities and lower performance status, making KT candidates less surgically fit. Limited data are available on the impact of KT morbidity on elderly recipients' outcomes.

Effects of Delayed Hypothermic Machine Perfusion on Kidney Grafts with a Preliminary Period of Static Cold Storage and a Total Cold Ischemia Time of Over 24 Hours.

BACKGROUND Hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) appears to exert a reconditioning effect on the ischemic damage of kidney grafts. However, some concerns still remain about its real effectiveness when it is delayed after a preliminary period of static cold storage (SCS) or with prolonged overall cold ischemia time (CIT). MATERIAL AND METHODS The effect of HMP on hemodynamic, metabolic, histological and ultrastructural features of grafts was investigated in 21 single-kidney grafts treated with a delayed HMP after SCS and with a total CIT of over 24 h.

No metagenomic evidence of tumorigenic viruses in cancers from a selected cohort of immunosuppressed subjects.

The possible existence of yet undiscovered human tumorigenic viruses is still under scrutiny. The development of large-scale sequencing technologies, coupled with bioinformatics techniques for the characterization of metagenomic sequences, have provided an invaluable tool for the detection of unknown, infectious, tumorigenic agents, as demonstrated by several recent studies. However, discoveries of novel viruses possibly associated with tumorigenesis are scarce at best.

Risk Factors for Graft Loss Due to Acute Vascular Complications in Adult Renal Transplantation Using Grafts Without Vascular Anomalies.

Background: Vascular complications are the main cause of early graft loss in renal transplant (RT). A graft with multiple vessels represents the most validated risk factor. The aim of the present study was to identify potential predictive factors for acute vascular complications causing graft loss when graft vascular anomalies are excluded.

Acute rejection in kidney transplantation and the evaluation of associated polymorphisms (SNPs): the importance of sample size.

Background Acute rejection (AR) is one of the most frequent complications after kidney transplantation (KT). Scientific evidence reports that some single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in genes involved in the immune response and in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of immunosuppressive drugs are associated with rejection in renal transplant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate some SNPs located in six genes: interleukin-10 (IL-10), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette sub-family B member 1 (ABCB1), uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A9 (UGT1A9), inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase 1 (IMPDH1) and IMPDH2.

Serological and T Cell Responses After Varicella Zoster Virus Vaccination in HIV-Positive Patients Undergoing Renal Dialysis.

Limited data on varicella zoster virus (VZV) vaccine responses are available in HIV-positive adults, especially among those with end-stage renal disease on dialysis or undergoing kidney transplantation (KT). Serological and T cell responses were analyzed using anti-VZV IgG titers, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometric intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) in two HIV-positive kidney transplant candidates undergoing dialysis and receiving VZV immunization. The results were compared with two HIV-positive and two HIV-negative VZV-seropositive patients (two kidney transplant candidates and two kidney transplant recipients), and with one HIV-negative vaccinee.

Detection of transplant renal artery stenosis with contrast-enhanced ultrasound.

Transplant renal artery stenosis (TRAS) is a vascular complication occurring during the first 2 years after kidney transplantation, with an incidence and a prevalence ranging from 1% to 23%, and from 1.5% to 4%, respectively. Detection of TRAS is the key, since most stenoses may progress to renal graft loss, however it may be difficult to detect due to its nonspecific clinical manifestations.

Treatment of recurrent symptomatic lymphocele after kidney transplantation with intraperitoneal Tenckhoff catheter.

Objectives: The incidence of lymphocele after kidney transplantation ranges from 0.6% to 16%. The management of lymphocele is still controversial.

Role of cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus in patients with de novo colon cancer after renal transplantation.

Aims: The development of new effective immunosuppressive agents has provided long-term survival for transplant recipients, thereby increasing the risk of de novo malignancy in chronic immunocompromised hosts. Although de novo post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases and skin cancer have been shown to have an increased incidence in long-term surviving solid organ transplant recipients, the association with colon cancer is controversial.

Patients And Methods: Over a 12-year period, 20 patients (5%) out of 400 renal transplant recipients (treated at the University Hospitals of Udine and Ancona) developed 24 de novo tumors; 11 skin cancers and 13 non-skin cancers.

De novo gastrointestinal tumours after renal transplantation: role of CMV and EBV viruses.

The development of new and more effective immunosuppressive agents has provided long-term survival for transplant recipients, thereby increasing the risk of de novo malignancy in chronic immunocompromised hosts. While de novo post-transplant lymphoproliferative diseases and skin cancer has been shown to have an increased incidence in long-term surviving solid organ transplant recipients, the association with gastrointestinal (GI) cancer is controversial. Over 12 yr, 20 patients (5%) out of 395 renal transplant recipients developed 23 de novo tumours; 11 skin cancer and 12 non-skin cancer.