Reactivation of hepatitis and lamivudine therapy in 11 HBsAg-positive renal allograft recipients: a single centre experience.

Background: In hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) (+) renal allograft recipients, the mortality associated with liver disease reaches 37-78%. An antiviral agent, lamivudine, has recently been reported to be safe and effective for preventing hepatic damage in these patients, although either resurgence of HBV-DNA levels after discontinuation or emerging resistant HBV mutants caused by long-term administration are still unsettled.

Methods: Between July 1976 and December 2003, 555 renal transplantations were performed in our centre.

Severe elevations of FK506 blood concentration due to diarrhea in renal transplant recipients.

Background: The rate of metabolism in the intestine of oral administered FK506 decreases as FK506 passes on to the lower intestine. In transplant recipients with diarrhea given oral FK506, the main areas for absorption of FK506 shift to the lower intestine, where the ability to metabolize FK506 is weaker. Therefore it is considered likely that when FK506 is administered to recipients with diarrhea, the blood concentration of FK506 will be higher.

Prophylactic deoxyspergualin treatment in living-related renal-transplant recipients transfused with donor-specific blood.

Background: Deoxyspergualin (DSG) prophylaxis has improved long-term graft survival in living-related renal-transplant recipients transfused with donor-specific blood (DST). We examined the influence of acute rejection (AR) on graft survival in these patients.

Methods: The study groups consisted of either historic control recipients without DSG (group A, n=64, 1985-1989) and recipients with DSG as the initial immunosuppressive agent (group B, n=76, 1989-1995).