Do pre-transplant cultural factors predict health-related quality of life after kidney transplantation?

Background: Post-transplant health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is associated with health outcomes for kidney transplant (KT) recipients. However, pretransplant predictors of improvements in post-transplant HRQOL remain incompletely understood. Namely, important pretransplant cultural factors, such as experience of discrimination, perceived racism in healthcare, or mistrust of the healthcare system, have not been examined as potential HRQOL predictors.

Impact of race-neutral eGFR calculations on African American kidney transplant candidate wait time: A single center retrospective analysis.

Race-inclusive estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) could contribute to racial disparity in access to kidney transplantation. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) issued a policy allowing waiting time modification for candidates affected by race-inclusive eGFR calculations. Implementation of the new OPTN policy at the kidney transplant program of the Mount Sinai Hospital involved review of 921 African American candidates, of whom 240 (26%) candidates gained a median of 1 year and 10 months.

Outcomes after kidney transplant alone in patients with cirrhosis-A case-control study.

Background: Guidelines recommend kidney transplant alone (KTA) in compensated cirrhosis based on a few small studies, but this is not widely performed despite its potential benefit to patients and the organ supply. Our aim was to determine the outcomes of KTA in patients with compensated cirrhosis.

Study Design: From 1/2012 to 12/2021, outcomes in KTA recipients with compensated cirrhosis were retrospectively compared to patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) but no cirrhosis.

Comparison of Single-Port Robotic Donor Nephrectomy and Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy.

To compare the intra- and postoperative outcomes of single-port robotic donor nephrectomies (SP RDNs) and laparoscopic donor nephrectomies (LDNs). We retrospectively reviewed our institutional database for patients who received LDN or SP RDN between September 2020 and December 2022. Donor baseline characteristics, intraoperative outcomes, postoperative outcomes, and recipient renal function were extracted and compared between LDN and SP RDN.

Sustained in vivo perfusion of a re-endothelialized tissue engineered kidney graft in a human-scale animal model.

Despite progress in whole-organ decellularization and recellularization, maintaining long-term perfusion remains a hurdle to realizing clinical translation of bioengineered kidney grafts. The objectives for the present study were to define a threshold glucose consumption rate (GCR) that could be used to predict graft hemocompatibility and utilize this threshold to assess the performance of clinically relevant decellularized porcine kidney grafts recellularized with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Twenty-two porcine kidneys were decellularized and 19 were re-endothelialized using HUVECs.

The living donor evaluation as a life-saving event.

Background: As a population, living kidney donors have a longer life expectancy than the general population. This is generally thought to be an artifact of selection, as only healthy individuals are allowed to donate, and the operative mortality and risk of subsequent renal failure are very low. However, there may also be an additional benefit to the process, as the donor evaluation may uncover an early occult cancer or a potentially serious medical problem.

Infliximab Induction Lacks Efficacy and Increases BK Virus Infection in Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant Recipients: Results of the CTOT-19 Trial.

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) of a kidney transplant (KTx) upregulates TNF α production that amplifies allograft inflammation and may negatively affect transplant outcomes.

Methods: We tested the effects of blocking TNF peri-KTx via a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 15-center, phase 2 clinical trial. A total of 225 primary transplant recipients of deceased-donor kidneys (KTx; 38.

Role of time from transplantation to biopsy in histologic ABMR: A single center report.

Background: Allograft biopsies with lesions of Antibody-Mediated Rejection (ABMR) with Microvascular Inflammation (MVI) have shown heterogeneous etiologies and outcomes.

Methods: To examine factors associated with outcomes in biopsies that meet histologic ABMR criteria, we retrospectively evaluated for-cause biopsies at our center between 2011 and 2017. We included biopsies that met the diagnosis of ABMR by histology, along with simultaneous evaluation for anti-Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) donor-specific antibodies (DSA).

Are cultural or psychosocial factors associated with patient-reported outcomes at the conclusion of kidney transplant evaluation?

Background: Kidney transplant evaluation (KTE) is a period marked by many stressors for patients, which may lead to poorer patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Research on the association of cultural and psychosocial factors with PROs during KTE is lacking, even though cultural and psychosocial variables may mitigate the relationship between acceptance status and PROs.

Methods: Using a prospective cohort study of 955 adults referred for KTE, we examined whether cultural factors and psychosocial characteristics, assessed at the initiation of KTE, are associated with PROs at KTE completion, controlling for demographics and medical factors.

The Combined Roles of Race/Ethnicity and Substance Use in Predicting Likelihood of Kidney Transplantation.

Background: Racial/ethnic minorities face known disparities in likelihood of kidney transplantation. These disparities may be exacerbated when coupled with ongoing substance use, a factor also reducing likelihood of transplantation. We examined whether race/ethnicity in combination with ongoing substance use predicted incidence of transplantation.

Medication, Healthcare Follow-up, and Lifestyle Nonadherence: Do They Share the Same Risk Factors?

Unlabelled: Barriers to medication adherence may differ from barriers in other domains of adherence. In this study, we assessed the association between pre-kidney transplantation (KT) factors with nonadherent behaviors in 3 different domains post-KT.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study with patient interviews at initial KT evaluation (baseline-nonadherence predictors in sociodemographic, condition-related, health system, and patient-related psychosocial factors) and at ≈6 mo post-KT (adherence outcomes: medications, healthcare follow-up, and lifestyle behavior).

Kidney transplantation using lymphocyte depleting induction and standard maintenance immunosuppression at the height of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in New York City: A single-center experience.

Background: Concerns have been raised regarding proceeding with kidney transplantation using standard immunosuppression in COVID-19 endemic areas.

Methods: We performed a single-center review of all adult kidney transplants performed during the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. Patients were managed with standard immunosuppression protocols, including lymphocyte depleting induction and trough-guided tacrolimus.

Influence of patient characteristics and immunosuppressant management on mortality in kidney transplant recipients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

The influence of patient characteristics and immunosuppression management on COVID-19 outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) remains uncertain. We performed a single-center, retrospective review of all adult KTRs admitted to the hospital with confirmed COVID-19 between 03/15/2020 and 05/15/2020. Patients were followed from the date of admission up to 1 month following hospital discharge or study conclusion (06/15/2020).

Chronic transplant glomerulopathy: New insights into pathogenesis.

There have been recent significant advances in short-term outcomes in renal transplantation, however, long-term allograft survival remains a challenge. With reported incidences as high of 74.5% of chronic graft loss in patients with biopsies showing transplant glomerulopathy (TG), this syndrome represents an important factor for chronic allograft complications.

Living Donor Nephrectomy Using a Right Malrotated Kidney: A Case Report.

A 46-year-old woman was approved as a living kidney donor in our center for paired donation working with the National Kidney Registry. The imaging revealed a malrotated right kidney with the hilum oriented cephalad. We selected that kidney for donation, and an uneventful laparoscopic donor nephrectomy was performed.