Timing of rejection events preceded by Covid-19 mRNA vaccination in recipients of solid organ transplants.

Objectives: SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine reactogenicity has raised concerns regarding the risk of rejection in solid organ transplant recipients. We explored whether SOT recipients diagnosed with acute rejection had previously received a vaccine injection within a timeframe consistent with a causal link.

Methods: We identified all SOT recipients with a diagnosis of acute rejection from 2020 to 2022 and who had previously received a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, and analysed whether the delay between vaccination and rejection was constant.

Anti Phospholipase A2 Receptor 1 Antibodies and Membranous Nephropathy Recurrence After Kidney Transplantation.

Introduction: Membranous nephropathy can lead to end-stage kidney disease, for which kidney transplantation is the preferred therapy. However, the disease often relapses, which can impact allograft survival.

Methods: We conducted a prospective multicenter study in France involving 72 patients with membranous nephropathy who were awaiting and then underwent kidney transplantation.

Outcomes of ABO-incompatible kidney transplants with very high isoagglutinin titers: a single-center experience and literature review.

Background: ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation (ABOi-KTx) represents a possible solution to address the shortage of kidney donors. However, these transplants present immunological challenges, particularly when isoagglutinin titers are elevated pretransplant.

Methods: Single-center retrospective study describing clinical and biological outcomes of 8 patients who underwent ABOi-KTx with initial isoagglutinin titers ≥ 1/512.

Unraveling complexity: morbidity factors in elderly kidney transplant recipients.

Background: The rising prevalence of end-stage renal failure in the elderly has led to an increased number of kidney transplantations in older individuals. While age does not solely determine transplant eligibility, frailty in elderly recipients significantly impacts post-transplant outcomes, particularly within the first year.

Methods: The RETRAITE (REnal TRAnsplantIon ouTcome in Elderly recipients) study, a single-center retrospective cohort study at Grenoble Alpes University Hospital (France), examined kidney transplant recipients aged 70 years and above transplanted between 2015 and 2020.

Estimating glomerular filtration in young people.

Background: Creatinine-based equations are the most used to estimate glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). The Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), the re-expressed Lund-Malmö Revised (r-LMR) and the European Kidney Function Consortium (EKFC) equations are the most validated. The EKFC and r-LMR equations have been suggested to have better performances in young adults, but this is debated.

Effects of SLC34A3 or SLC34A1 variants on calcium and phosphorus homeostasis.

Background: Variants in SLC34A1 and SLC34A2 genes, which encode co-transporters NaPi2a and NaPi2c, respectively, can lead to hypophosphatemia due to renal phosphate loss. This condition results in hypercalcitriolemia and hypercalciuria, leading to formation of kidney stones and nephrocalcinosis. Phenotype is highly variable.

A Population Pharmacokinetic Model of Tocilizumab in Kidney Transplant Patients Treated for Chronic Active Antibody-Mediated Rejection: Comparison of Plasma Exposure Between Intravenous and Subcutaneous Administration Schemes.

Background: Tocilizumab prevents the clinical worsening of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAAMR) in kidney transplant recipients. Following a global shortage of the intravenous pharmaceutical form in 2022, patients were switched from monthly intravenous administration of 8 mg/kg to weekly subcutaneous injection of 162 mg, raising the question of bioequivalence between these schemes of administration.

Aims: We aimed to compare the areas under the curve (AUC) of tocilizumab in virtual simulations of populations treated with the two administration schemes and to identify the covariates that could contribute to pharmacokinetic variability of tocilizumab in kidney transplant patients with CAAMR who received tocilizumab as salvage treatment.

Glycolysis Changes in Alloreactive Memory B Cells in Highly Sensitized Kidney Transplant Recipients Undergoing Desensitization Therapy.

Despite the growing use of desensitization strategies, hyperimmune patients remain at high risk of antibody-mediated rejection suggesting that, even when donor-specific antibodies (DSA) are effectively depleted, anti-donor specific B cells persist. We included 10 highly sensitized recipients that underwent desensitization with plasmapheresis and B cell depletion prior to kidney transplantation. We quantified changes in DSA (luminex), total B-cell subsets (flow cytometry), anti-donor HLA B cells (fluorospot), and single-cell metabolism in serially collected samples before desensitization, at the time of transplant, and at 6 and 12 months thereafter.

A Randomized Trial Comparing Imlifidase to Plasmapheresis in Kidney Transplant Recipients With Antibody-Mediated Rejection.

Background: Antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) poses a barrier to long-term graft survival and is one of the most challenging events after kidney transplantation. Removing donor specific antibodies (DSA) through therapeutic plasma exchange (PLEX) is a cornerstone of antibody depletion but has inconsistent effects. Imlifidase is a treatment currently utilized for desensitization with near-complete inactivation of DSA both in the intra- and extravascular space.

Calcium-Free Dialysate Hemodialysis: A Simplified Approach.

Intermittent hemodialysis (HD) in high-bleeding-risk patients presents a challenge as circuit anticoagulation using heparin is contraindicated in such cases. Recently, the use of calcium-free citrate-containing dialysate with calcium supplementation emerged as a viable alternative to heparin-circuit anticoagulation. This is a retrospective, monocentric study to evaluate dialysis efficacy using calcium-free citrate-containing dialysate with calcium reinjection into the venous line in hemodialysis patients at risk of bleeding.

Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection (PASC) for Patients-3-Year Follow-Up of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is a significant health concern, particularly for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study investigates the long-term outcomes of individuals with CKD who were infected with COVID-19, focusing on their health status over a three-year period post-infection. Data were collected from both CKD and non-CKD patients who survived SARS-CoV-2 infection and were followed for three years as part of a research study on the impact, prognosis, and consequences of COVID-19 infection in CKD patients.

Evaluation of Torque Teno Virus DNA Load as a Predictive Biomarker in Kidney Transplant Recipients Converted from Calcineurin Inhibitors to Belatacept.

Introduction: Belatacept is a relevant alternative to calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) after kidney transplantation (KT). Circulating Torque Teno virus (TTV) DNA load is correlated to infections and rejection risks post-KT in patients treated with CNIs. The aim of this study was to assess the TTV DNA load profile in kidney transplant recipients converted from CNIs to belatacept and explore its use as a predictive biomarker.

Impact of donor-specific antibody with low mean fluorescence intensity on allograft outcomes in kidney transplant.

Background: Immune-mediated rejection is the most common cause of allograft failure in kidney transplant (KT) patients. Exposure to alloantigen, including human leukocyte antigen (HLA), results in the production of donor-specific antibodies (DSA). There are limited data about low levels of mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) DSA, especially post-transplantation.

Is There a Place for Apheresis in the Management of Idiopathic Membranous Nephropathy? A Report of Three Cases and Literature Review.

Membranous nephropathy constitutes approximately 20% of adult nephrotic syndrome cases. In approximately 80% of cases, membranous nephropathy is primary, mediated by IgG autoantibodies primarily targeting podocyte antigens (PLA2R, THSD7A, etc.).

Implementation of Kidney Biopsy in One of the Poorest Countries in the World: Experience from Zinder Hospital (Niger).

Kidney biopsy (KB) has become essential in the nephrologist's approach to kidney diseases, both for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. Our objective is to describe the preliminary results of KBs in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study that took place over 36 months in the nephrology/dialysis department of the Zinder National Hospital.

[Medical follow-up after organ transplantation].

MEDICAL FOLLOW-UP AFTER ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION. The role of the general practitioner is essential in the follow-up of solid organ transplant patients, both in the first year and over the long term, particularly beyond the first year, in relation to the organ transplant specialist. Within the first-year post-transplant the patient can present very specific complications related to the transplanted organ itself (acute rejection) or to the immunosuppressive drugs (toxicities) such as opportunistic infections.

IL-6 and SAA-Strong Predictors for the Outcome in COVID-19 CKD Patients.

In this prospective study, we assessed biomarkers of inflammation (IL-6 and SAA) from the serum of 120 COVID-19 patients, of whom 70 had chronic kidney disease. All the samples were taken at emergency-department (ED) admission. Our goal was to relate the biomarkers to the results of death and acute kidney injury.

Adverse Drug Events after Kidney Transplantation.

Kidney transplantation stands out as the optimal treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease, provided they meet specific criteria for a secure outcome. With the exception of identical twin donor-recipient pairs, lifelong immunosuppression becomes imperative. Unfortunately, immunosuppressant drugs, particularly calcineurin inhibitors like tacrolimus, bring about adverse effects, including nephrotoxicity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, infections, malignancy, leukopenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia, mouth ulcers, dyslipidemia, and wound complications.

Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome in Children in Chad: Epidemiology and Clinical Outcomes.

Introduction: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) remains the most common presentation of glomerular diseases in children. Moreover, NS is primarily idiopathic, accounting for 90% of cases, with an average onset age between 2 and 10 years. The objective of our study was to describe the characteristics and outcomes of NS in children from three major hospitals in one of the world's poorest countries, Chad.