Liver transplantation reperfusion injury. Factors in its development and avenues for treatment.

This work studies some of the advances that have participated in the development of the liver transplantation-reperfusion injury. This lesion is a rather complex one that probably is not only associated with the production of free radicals, but also of other vasoactive substances such as, prostanoids, altered calcium related compounds, abnormal coagulation factors, as well as other important potentially harmful substances. Our interest since 1975, has resided in compounds that modify the xanthine oxidase pathway, such as allopurinol, that might either protect from the formation of free radicals or might act through other mechanisms such as, purine salvage and production of high energy compounds, among few of them.

[The mechanisms of neutrophilic oxygen damage in ischemic and reperfusion lesions. Pharmacological manipulations].

This work studies the ischemic/reperfusion injury (I/R) in relationship to the production of free radicals from activated neutrophils. It is well known, that biochemical and physiopathological alterations participate in the tissue lesion produced by the interaction oxygen/leukocyte. Pharmacological manipulations, oriented to eliminate the harmful effect of the free radicals, remain as the most significant event in the management of the I/R injury.

Peritonitis after cecal perforation. An experimental model to study the therapeutic role of antibiotics associated with allopurinol and catalase.

This work uses cecal perforation on the rat as a model of intra-abdominal sepsis. Under these conditions, various antibiotics were tested alone or in association with free radical scavengers, such as allopurinol and catalase. It can be concluded that the scavengers were not effective alone, but when combined with antibiotics they rendered good results in the majority of the groups when given postsepsis.

A prospective controlled trial of cold-storage versus machine-perfusion preservation in cadaveric renal transplantation.

A prospective controlled study was carried out in 60 consecutive cadaver renal donors comparing cold storage to pulsatile machine-perfusion preservation. Each donor served as its own control, by allocating one of the kidneys to each of the two preservation methods. There were 51 evaluable pairs of kidneys.

Clinical pancreas transplantation. Complete review of eight years experience.

In the eight years since the initiation of pancreas transplantation at our center, 36 patients have received either segmental or whole pancreas grafts. Seventeen patients had segmental pancreas allografts, with eight of these receiving simultaneous kidney allografts from the same donor. Nineteen patients received whole pancreas and kidney allografts.