Publications by authors named "Schwenger V"

In the face of growing transplant waitlists and aging donors, sound pre-transplant evaluation of organ offers is paramount. However, many transplant centres lack clear criteria on organ acceptance. Often, previous scores for donor characterisation have not been validated for the Eurotransplant population and are not established to support graft acceptance decisions.

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Introduction: The impact of deceased donor characteristics on kidney transplant outcomes is controversial. Correspondingly, the predictive performance of deceased donor scores remains moderate, and many transplant centers lack validated criteria for graft acceptance decisions. To better dissect donor-related risk from recipient and periprocedural variables, we analyzed outcomes of kidney donor pairs transplanted in different individuals.

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Background: Preformed donor-specific HLA antibodies (DSA) are a well-known risk factor in kidney transplantation. There is still considerable debate, however, about the optimal risk stratification among patients with preformed DSA. Additionally, data on the prognostic value of different crossmatch assays in DSA-positive patients are scarce.

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Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is a rare, life-threatening autoimmune disorder caused by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13) deficiency. Caplacizumab, an anti-von Willebrand factor nanobody, is approved for iTTP treatment, reducing the need for therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and improving platelet count recovery and survival. We conducted a retrospective study on 42 acute iTTP cases in Austria and Germany, treated with a modified regimen aimed at avoiding TPE if platelet count increased after the first caplacizumab dose.

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Background: Kidney graft rejections are classified based on the Banff classification. The RejectClass algorithm, initially derived from a cohort comprising mostly protocol biopsies, identifies data-driven phenotypes of acute rejection and chronic pathology using Banff lesion scores. It also provides composite scores for inflammation activity and chronicity.

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Background: Whenever the kidney standard allocation (SA) algorithms according to the Eurotransplant (ET) Kidney Allocation System or the Eurotransplant Senior Program fail, rescue allocation (RA) is initiated. There are 2 procedurally different modes of RA: recipient oriented extended allocation (REAL) and competitive rescue allocation (CRA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of patient survival and graft failure with RA mode and whether or not it varied across the different ET countries.

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We report a case of antibody-mediated rejection treated with the human CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab in a 58-year-old female patient with end-stage kidney disease due to autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease who received an ABO- and human leukocyte antigen antibody-incompatible living donor kidney transplant. The patient experienced an episode of severe antibody-mediated rejection within the first week of transplantation. Blood-group-antibody selective immunoadsorption in combination with administration of four doses of daratumumab (each 1800 mg s.

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Article Synopsis
  • The peritoneum, the largest organ next to the skin, plays a significant role in abdominal health, but research on its tight junctions and transport mechanisms remains limited.
  • A study involving 93 participants assessed these structures in healthy individuals, those with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) using advanced microscopy techniques.
  • The findings highlighted age-related variations and changes in specific proteins associated with CKD and PD that affected transperitoneal transport rates of creatinine and glucose, suggesting potential for further experimental investigations.
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Background: The administration of modified immune cells (MIC) before kidney transplantation led to specific immunosuppression against the allogeneic donor and a significant increase in regulatory B lymphocytes. We wondered how this approach affected the continued clinical course of these patients.

Methods: Ten patients from a phase I clinical trial who had received MIC infusions prior to kidney transplantation were retrospectively compared to 15 matched standard-risk recipients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The TOL-2 Study is a phase-IIb clinical trial investigating the use of modified immune cells (MIC) from living donors to provide specific immunosuppression in kidney transplantation, comparing MIC treatment with standard care.
  • Sixty-three kidney transplant recipients will be randomly assigned to receive MIC treatment or serve as controls, with the trial aiming to assess the efficacy of MIC in reducing conventional immunosuppressive therapy while achieving operational tolerance-like results.
  • The study will monitor patient health, looking for infections and signs of transplant rejection, alongside ethical oversight to ensure safety and efficacy throughout the process.
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Aims: Chronic kidney disease is a common cardiovascular risk indicator and strongly associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The heart and kidneys are pathophysiologically closely connected, which becomes particularly obvious in patients with cardiorenal syndrome. This review summarizes clinically relevant studies on the cardio-renal interaction published in 2021 and 2022.

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Patients with non-dialysis-dependant chronic kidney disease (NDD-CKD) and dialysis-dependant chronic kidney disease (DD-CKD) frequently also suffer from thyroid disorders, especially hypothyroidism which is found two to five times more often among them compared to the general population. Emerging research has illustrated the potential prognostic implications of this association as NDD-CKD and DD-CKD patients with hypothyroidism have been shown to have higher mortality rates, and treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism in NDD-CKD patients has been reported to attenuate the decline of glomerular filtration rate over time. This review illustrates the bidirectional, multi-layered interplay between the kidneys and the thyroid gland explaining how pathologies in one organ will affect the other and vice versa.

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Introduction: Despite continued efforts, long-term outcomes of kidney transplantation remain unsatisfactory. Kidney graft rejections are independent risk factors for graft failure. At the participating centres of the TRAnsplant BIOpsies study group, a common therapeutic standard has previously been defined for the treatment of graft rejections.

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Kidney transplantation (KT) from donors with acute kidney injury (AKI) has been associated with delayed graft function (DGF) but similar graft survival compared with KT from donors without AKI. Kidneys from ≥65-year-old donors with comorbidities are more susceptible to cold ischemia time (CIT) and DGF and it is unknown whether such elderly kidneys with AKI can also be transplanted with satisfactory outcomes. All KTs from ≥65-year-old donors performed at our center from 1999 to 2019 (n = 233) were retrospectively analyzed and short- as well as long-term outcomes were compared for KTs from donors with (n = 64) and without AKI (n = 169).

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  • * Analyzing data from over 31,000 transplants, the researchers found no significant difference in graft loss, patient mortality, or overall infection rates between the two drugs; however, Tac users experienced less rejection treatment.
  • * Notably, Tac was associated with a higher risk of hospitalization due to human polyomavirus infections and a greater incidence of new-onset diabetes compared to cyclosporine A.
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  • The study examined kidney transplant outcomes from donors aged 65 and older to evaluate the impact of surgeon assessments of donor arteriosclerosis on allograft function.
  • Results indicated that while macroscopic donor arteriosclerosis affected kidney function at various time points post-transplant, it did not influence graft survival or mortality rates.
  • The findings highlight the need for larger studies and standardized evaluation methods to better understand the role of surgeon evaluations in kidney transplants.
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Background: At Eurotransplant (ET), kidneys are transferred to "rescue allocation" (RA), whenever the standard allocation (SA) algorithms Eurotransplant Kidney Allocation System (ETKAS) and Eurotransplant Senior Program (ESP) fail. We analyzed the outcome of RA.

Methods: Retrospective patient clinical and demographic characteristics association analyses were performed with graft outcomes for 2422 recipients of a deceased donor renal transplantation (DDRT) after RA versus 25 481 after SA from 71 centers across all ET countries from 2006 to 2018.

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Heart failure and renal insufficiency as well as pulmonary hypertension are pathophysiologically closely associated as a cardio-renal or cardio-pulmonary-renal syndrome. Due to the frequent hospitalization of patients affected by this syndrome, it is of high medical and also health economic relevance. Besides the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), multimodal treatment options are available with mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors and sodium-glucose transporter 2 (SGLT-2) inhibitors.

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Introduction: Patients with a history of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and subsequent brain death are frequently evaluated for organ donation. Whether kidneys from ≥65-year-old braindead donors with a history of CPR can be transplanted with satisfactory outcomes is unknown.

Material & Methods: All kidney transplants (KTs) from ≥65-year-old donors performed at our center from 1999 to 2018 (n = 185) were retrospectively analyzed and outcome was compared for KTs from donors with and without a history of CPR (n = 27 and n = 158, respectively).

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Article Synopsis
  • * Two studies, DAPA-CKD and SCORED, reveal that specific SGLT2 inhibitors (dapagliflozin and sotagliflozin) can enhance outcomes for CKD patients, whether or not they have diabetes.
  • * New treatments like finerenone for diabetic nephropathy and insights from studies on coronary heart disease and kidney function are shaping future recommendations for managing CKD and acute kidney damage.
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  • The study analyzed the impact of cold ischemia time (CIT) on the survival of kidney transplants from donors aged 70 and older, using data from 47,585 transplantations performed between 2000 and 2017.
  • Results showed that a CIT of 13-18 hours didn't significantly increase the risk of graft failure, but once CIT exceeded 18 hours, the risk became notably higher, particularly for transplants from older donors.
  • The findings suggest that keeping CIT to 18 hours or less is crucial for maintaining kidney transplant survival, even for kidneys from older donors, while additional HLA matching improves outcomes within that timeframe.
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This consensus paper summarizes the expert consensus and recommendations of the working group "Heart and Kidney" of the German Cardiac Society (DGK) and the German Society of Nephrology (DGfN) on contrast medium-induced acute kidney injury. Potentially nephrotoxic contrast agents containing iodine are frequently used in interventional medicine and for computer tomography diagnostics. Acute kidney injury occurs in approximately 8-17% of patients exposed to contrast media.

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