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Cancer is a common complication after kidney transplantation. Kidney transplant recipients (KTR) have a 2- to 4-fold higher risk of developing cancer compared to the general population and post-transplant malignancy is the third most common cause of death in KTR. Moreover, it is well known that certain cancer types are overrepresented after transplantation, especially non-melanoma skin cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized the treatment of cancer, with remarkable survival benefit in a subgroup of patients. ICI are monoclonal antibodies that block the binding of specific co-inhibitory signaling molecules. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4), programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), and its ligand programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) are the main targets of ICI. Solid organ transplant recipients (SOTR) have been excluded from clinical trials owing to concerns about tumor response, allo-immunity, and risk of transplant rejection. Indeed, graft rejection has been estimated as high as 48% and represents an emerging problem. The underlying mechanisms of organ rejection in the context of treatment with ICI are poorly understood. The search for restricted antitumoral responses without graft rejection is of paramount importance. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the use of ICI in KTR, the potential mechanisms involved in kidney graft rejection during ICI treatment, potential biomarkers of rejection, and how to deal with rejection in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 53-year-old man underwent a living donor kidney transplantation in the right iliac fossa 25 years prior to presentation. He had been noting an inguinal bugle that became more prominent as the day progressed, and it regressed at night. Upon further investigations, an ultrasound of the allograft revealed moderate-to-severe hydronephrosis. A computed tomography scan revealed herniation of the bladder and part of the transplanted ureter within the supravesical/direct inguinal space. Lichtenstein-like fashion of repair was performed, and the patient continues to enjoy satisfactory graft function with no recurrence. The case illustrates a rare hernia as a late complication of the kidney transplant incision leading to ureteric obstruction and a successful attempt at operative repair. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scrotal-inguino-retroperitoneal (SIR) lymphocele is a rare complication following kidney transplant. This entity is characterized by a tract originating in the retroperitoneal space, through the inguinal canal and scrotum following lymph hydrodissection. Systematic review investigating SIR lymphocele yielded cases with open fenestration of the sac into the peritoneum as treatment. We described a case report of a male in his 60s with a functioning kidney transplant and SIR lymphocele, which was successfully managed in the short term with percutaneous drainage of the collection. However, the collection recurred and computed tomography scan showed a multiloculated collection that prompted surgical management. Intraoperatively, the encapsulated fluid-filled tract was excised and a drain was placed, which was removed 48 h later. The patient wore a hernia belt for 6 weeks as support. He had no recurrence of his lymphocele following serial reviews for 9 months now. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-related complications after kidney transplantation remain a substantial challenge. Rather than applying one preventive strategy to all at-risk patients, we can now adapt our strategy at the individual patient level. Antiviral prophylaxis or a strict pre-emptive strategy may be optimal for patients at the highest risk for CMV, while patients at lower risk may benefit particularly from pre-emptive monitoring and the administration of therapy only if needed. CMV-specific T-cell assays may be useful for further refining the pre-transplant determination of CMV risk, and for guiding decisions about antiviral therapy need or duration. An immunosuppressive regimen including a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor reduces CMV risk and may thus be an attractive option in some patients. New antiviral agents may further expand our therapeutic arsenal in the near future, and the prospects of CMV vaccination and adoptive T-cell therapy appear to be on the horizon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections are among the most common complications arising in transplant patients, elevating the risk of various complications including loss of graft and death. HCMV infections are also responsible for more congenital infections worldwide than any other agent. Congenital HCMV (cCMV) infections are the leading nongenetic cause of sensorineural hearing loss and a source of significant neurological disabilities in children. While there is overlap in the clinical and laboratory approaches to diagnosis of HCMV infections in these settings, the management, follow-up, treatment, and diagnostic strategies differ considerably. As yet, no country has implemented a universal screening program for cCMV. Here, we summarize the issues, limitations, and application of diagnostic strategies for transplant recipients and congenital infection, including examples of screening programs for congenital HCMV that have been implemented at several centers in Japan, Italy, and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The considerable public health burden due to cytomegalovirus (CMV) supports current interest in vaccine development. Clinical studies intended to support regulatory action should be designed to demonstrate substantial evidence of effectiveness. However, design and conduct of clinical endpoint studies may be hampered by low incidence of disease, especially for congenital CMV. Discussion and experience from other vaccines directed against congenital disease (including rubella and Zika) may be instructive. This article summarizes current scientific and US regulatory considerations related to design of studies of vaccines intended to prevent congenital CMV and complications of CMV in transplantation, as discussed at the 2018 workshop entitled "Cytomegalovirus Infection: Advancing Strategies for Prevention and Treatment." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is a severe systemic genodermatosis lacking therapies beyond supportive care for its extensive, life‐limiting manifestations. Objectives: To report the safety and preliminary responses of 10 patients with RDEB to bone marrow transplant (BMT) with post‐transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy BMT) after reduced‐intensity conditioning with infusions of immunomodulatory donor‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (median follow‐up 16 months). Methods: BMT toxicities, donor blood and skin engraftment, skin biopsies, photographic and dynamic assessments of RDEB disease activity were obtained at intervals from pre‐BMT to 1 year post‐BMT. Results: Related donors varied from haploidentical (n = 6) to human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐matched (n = 3), with one HLA‐matched unrelated donor. Transplant complications included graft failure (n = 3; two pursued a second PTCy BMT), veno‐occlusive disease (n = 2), posterior reversible encephalopathy (n = 1) and chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (n = 1; this patient died). In the nine ultimately engrafted patients, median donor chimerism at 180 days after transplant was 100% in peripheral blood and 27% in skin. Skin biopsies showed stable (n = 7) to improved (n = 2) type VII collagen protein expression by immunofluorescence and gain of anchoring fibril components (n = 3) by transmission electron microscopy. Early signs of clinical response include trends toward reduced body surface area of blisters/erosions from a median of 49·5% to 27·5% at 100 days after BMT (P = 0·05), with parental measures indicating stable quality of life. Conclusions: PTCy BMT in RDEB provides a means of attaining immunotolerance for future donor‐derived cellular grafts (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02582775). What's already known about this topic? Severe, generalized recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) is marked by great morbidity and early death.No cure currently exists for RDEB.Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is the only described systemic therapy for RDEB. What does this study add? The first description of post‐transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) BMT for RDEB.PTCy was well tolerated and provided excellent graft‐versus‐host disease prophylaxis, replacing long courses of calcineurin inhibitors in patients receiving human leucocyte antigen‐matched sibling BMT. What is the translational message? The PTCy BMT platform permits identification of a suitable related donor for most patients and for subsequent adoptive transfer of donor nonhaematopoietic cells after establishment of immunological tolerance. Respond to this article Plain language summary available online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children are at increased risk of developing metabolic syndrome (MS) after kidney transplantation, which contributes to long-termcardiovascular (CV) morbidities and decline in allograft function. While MS in the general population occurs due to excess caloric intake and physical inactivity, additional chronic kidney disease and transplant-related factors contribute to the development of MS in transplant recipients. Despite its significant health consequences, the interplay of the individual components in CV morbidity in pediatric transplant recipients is not well understood. Additionally, the optimal methods to detect early CV dysfunction are not well defined in this unique population. The quest to establish clear guidelines for diagnosis is further complicated by genetic differences among ethnic groups that necessitate the development of racespecific criteria, particularly with regard to individuals of African descent who carry the apolipoprotein L1 variant. In children, since major CV events are rare and traditional echocardiographic measures of systolic function, such as ejection fraction, are typically well preserved, the presence of CV disease often goes undetected in the early stages. Recently, new noninvasive imaging techniques have become available that offer the opportunity for early detection. Carotid intima-media thickness and impaired myocardial strain detected by speckle tracking echocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance are emerging as early and sensitive markers of subclinical CV dysfunction. These highly sensitive tools may offer the opportunity to elucidate subtle CV effects of MS in children after transplantation. Current knowledge and future directions are explored in this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antithymocyte globulins (ATGs) are part of the immunosuppression arsenal currently used by clinicians to prevent or treat acute rejection in solid organ transplantation. ATG is a mixture of non-specific anti-lymphocyte immunoglobulins targeting not only T cell subsets but also several other immune and non-immune cells, rendering its precise immunoglobulin composition difficult to appreciate or to compare from one preparation to another. Furthermore, several mechanisms of action have been described. Taken together, this probably explains the efficacy and the side effects associated with this drug. Recent data suggest a long-term negative impact on allograft and patient outcomes, pointing out the need to better characterize the potential toxicity and the benefit--risk balance associated to this immunosuppressive therapy within large clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Kidney donor outcomes are gaining attention, particularly as donor eligibility criteria continue to expand. Kidney size, a useful predictor of recipient kidney function, also likely correlates with donor outcomes. Although donor evaluation includes donor kidney size measurements, the association between kidney size and outcomes are poorly defined. Methods: We examined the relationship between kidney size (body surface area-adjusted total volume, cortical volume and length) and renal outcomes (post-operative recovery and longer-term kidney function) among 85 kidney donors using general linear models and time-to-chronic kidney disease data. Results: Donors with the largest adjusted cortical volume were more likely to achieve an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≥60 mL/min/1.73m2 over a median 24-month follow-up than those with smaller cortical volumes (P <0.001), had a shorter duration of renal recovery (1.3-2.2 versus 32.5 days) and started with a higher eGFR at pre-donation (107-110 versus 91 mL/min/1.73m2) and immediately post-nephrectomy (~63 versus 50-51 mL/min/1.73m2). Similar findings were seen with adjusted total volume and length. Conclusions: Larger kidney donorswere more likely to achieve an eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73m2 with renal recovery over a shorter duration due to higher pre-donation and initial post-nephrectomy eGFRs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney transplantation (KTx) represents the best available treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. Still, full benefits of KTx are undermined by acute rejection (AR). The diagnosis of AR ultimately relies on transplant needle biopsy. However, such an invasive procedure is associated with a significant risk of complications and is limited by sampling error and interobserver variability. In the present review, we summarize the current literature about non-invasive approaches for the diagnosis of AR in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), including in vivo imaging, gene expression profiling and omics analyses of blood and urine samples. Most imaging techniques, like contrast-enhanced ultrasound and magnetic resonance, exploit the fact that blood flow is significantly lowered in case of AR-induced inflammation. In addition, AR-associated recruitment of activated leukocytes may be detectable by 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography. In parallel, urine biomarkers, including CXCL9/CXCL10 or a three-gene signature of CD3ε, IP-10 and 18S RNA levels, have been identified. None of these approaches has been adopted yet in the clinical follow-up of KTRs, but standardization of procedures may help assess reproducibility and compare diagnostic yields in large prospective multicentric trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kidney transplantation (KTx) represents the best available treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. Still, the full benefits of KTx are undermined by acute rejection (AR). The diagnosis of AR ultimately relies on transplant needle biopsy. However, such an invasive procedure is associated with a significant risk of complications and is limited by sampling error and interobserver variability. In the present review, we summarize the current literature about non-invasive approaches for the diagnosis of AR in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), including in vivo imaging, gene-expression profiling and omics analyses of blood and urine samples. Most imaging techniques, such as contrast-enhanced ultrasound and magnetic resonance, exploit the fact that blood flow is significantly lowered in case of AR-induced inflammation. In addition, AR-associated recruitment of activated leucocytesmay be detectable by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography. In parallel, urine biomarkers, including CXCL9/CXCL10 or a three-gene signature of CD3ε, CXCL10 and 18S RNA levels, have been identified. None of these approaches has yet been adopted in the clinical follow-up of KTRs, but standardization of analysis procedures may help assess reproducibility and comparative diagnostic yield in large, prospective, multicentre trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the last decade, a new view into the molecular mechanisms of chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) has been proposed, with fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) as a novel player in the field. Enhanced serum FGF23 levels cause a reduction in serum phosphate, together with calcitriol suppression and consequent hyperparathyroidism (HPT). In contrast, reduced serum FGF23 levels are associated with hyperphosphatemia, higher calcitriol levels and parathyroid hormone (PTH) suppression. In addition, serum FGF23 levels are greatly increased and positively correlated with serum phosphate levels in CKD patients. In this population, high serum FGF23 concentration seems to predict the occurrence of refractory secondary HPT and to be associated with higher mortality risk in incident haemodialysis patients. In living-donor kidney transplant recipients, a faster normalization of FGF23 and phosphate levels with a lower prevalence of HPT, may be considered a major pathway to investigate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Evidence is limited regarding the effect of de novo therapy with mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors on cancer risk after kidney transplantation. Methods. Collaborative Transplant Study data from 78 146 adult recipients of first deceased-donor kidney transplants (1999-2013) were analysed (4279 mTOR inhibitor, 73 867 no mTOR inhibitor) using standard methods. Propensity score matching was performed for analysis of basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer. Results. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR) versus a matched non-transplant population showed reduced tumour incidence in recipients with de novo mTOR inhibitor therapy compared with no mTOR inhibitor for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) (SIR 5.1 versus 6.1; P = 0.019) but not non-NMSC cancers (SIR 1.6 versus 1.7; P = 0.35). Within propensity scorematched groups (n = 4265),multivariable Cox regression analysis showed a trend to reducedNMSC withmTOR inhibition [hazard ratio (HR) 0.77; P = 0.063] but not for all non-NMSC tumours (HR 0.94; P = 0.59). A significant effect for mTOR inhibition was observed for basal cell carcinoma of the skin (HR 0.56; P = 0.004) but not squamous cell carcinoma (HR 0.87; P = 0.54). Conclusions. De novo mTOR inhibition was associated with a substantially and significantly reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin after kidney transplantation. Asignificant reduction of the incidence of other cancers was not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Infections have increased in simultaneous pancreas/kidney transplant recipients (SPKTRs) with BK polyomavirus (BKV)-associated nephropathy (BKVN) being the most important infectious cause of allograft loss. Comparisons of BKVN with kidney transplant recipients (KTRs), however, are lacking. Methods. We studied all SPKTRs and KTRs at our transplant centre between 2003 and 2012. Eleven of 106 SPKTs (10.4%) and 21 of 1062 KTRs (2.0%) were diagnosed with BKVN with allograft loss in 1 SPKTR (9.1%) and 2 KTRs (9.5%). Acontrol of 95 SPKTRs without BKVN was used for comparison. Results. SPKTRs showed an increased incidence of BKVN compared with KTRs (P < 0.001). Onset of BKVN in SPKTRs was significantly later compared with KTRs (P = 0.033). While 67% of KTRs showed early-onset BKVN, 64% of SPKTRs developed late-onset BKVN. Older recipient age and male gender increased the risk of BKVN in SPKTRs (P < 0.05). No differences were observed for patient and allograft survival (P > 0.05). However, SPKTRs with BKVN showed inferior estimated glomerular filtration rate and a higher incidence of de novo donor-specific antibodies compared with SPKTRs without BKVN in long-term follow-up (P < 0.05). SPKTRs showed higher peak BKV loads, a need for more intense therapeutic intervention and were more likely not to recover to baseline creatinine after BKVN (P < 0.05). Conclusions. Our results suggest a higher incidence, more severe course and inferior outcome of BKVN in SPKTRs. An increased vulnerability of the allograft kidney due to inferior organ quality may predispose KTRs to early-onset BKVN. In contrast, SPKTRs present with late-onset BKVN in the presence of high-dose immunosuppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rituximab (RIT) improves the outcomes of ABOincompatible (ABOi) kidney transplantation (KT), but it has been associated with infectious complications. The aim of this study was to investigate infectious complications according to the dose of RIT in ABOi KT. Methods. We analyzed 213 recipients [118 ABO-compatible (ABOc) KT and 95 ABOi KT] who underwent living donor KT between 2010 and 2014. ABOi KT patients were categorized by RIT dose: standard RIT (375 mg/m², n = 76) versus reduced RIT (200 mg, n = 19). All patients received basiliximab and maintained on triple immunosuppression consisting of tacrolimus, prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil. Infectious complications and post-transplant outcomes were analyzed for 1 year following KT. Results. The rates of overall infectious complications among the three groups were comparable (22.9% in ABOc KT, 38.2% in standard RIT and 26.3% in reduced RIT, P = 0.069). In the standard RIT group, hepatitis B virus reactivation occurred in three recipients (3.9%) with hepatitis B surface antigen [-]/anti-hepatitis B core antibody[+]. Three cases (3.9%) of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia occurred in the standard RIT group. Serious infections developed in 13 of the ABOc KT (11.0%), 20 from the standard RIT group (26.3%) and 2 from the reduced RIT group (10.5%, P = 0.015). Standarddose RIT was found to be an independent risk factor for serious infections [hazard ratio: 2.59 (95% confidence interval: 1.33-5.07), P = 0.005]. There were no significant differences in rejection, renal function, graft survival and patient survival between standard and reduced RIT groups. Conclusions. Standard RIT increased the risk of serious infection when compared with reduced-dose RIT. Reduced-dose RIT might be sufficient for ABOi KT without increasing the risk of serious infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV)-associated nephropathy remains a challenge to the success of kidney transplantation, but its impact varies in different transplant programmes. Methods: We investigated current practice through a webbased questionnaire made available by the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN). Results: A total of 90 physicians (23% of 391 active members) from 27 countries participated in the study. BKPyV-associated nephropathy is seen in 1-5% of patients annually with treatment success in 30-60%, and graft loss in 10%. Quantitative BKPyV load testing is available to >90% of physicians. Screening is performed in urine alone in 26%, in urine and blood in 37% and in blood alone in 37%. Most physicians (47%) screen at month 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 post-transplant. For patients with baseline renal function and plasma BKPyV loads of 10 000-1 000 000 copies/mL, 50% report performing renal biopsies prior to intervention. Intervention consists of reducing immunosuppression first with mycophenolate (Myc) in 40%, first with calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) in 29% or with both in 31%. Changing immunosuppressive drugs is considered mainly for biopsy-proven nephropathy consisting of discontinuation of Myc in 75%, and switching from CNI to mTOR inhibitors (52%). Cidofovir, intravenous immunoglobulin G, leflunomide and fluoroquinolones are used in less than one-third of this group. Furthermore, 66% of participants see a need for new antiviral drugs and new immmunosuppressive strategies, and almost 90% are willing to participate in future observational and interventional trials. Conclusion: This ESPN survey suggests that prompt translation of a positive screening test into reducing immunosuppression could improve outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic metabolic acidosis (CMA) is a common complication of the more advanced stages of chronic kidney diseases (CKD), and is associated with morbidity and mortality of CKD patients and possibly with the progression of renal disease. Nevertheless, there is limited evidence or information on the prevalence, the potential causal factors, the clinical impact and the effects of correction of CMA in kidney transplant recipients. In this review, we briefly look at the more relevant, though scanty, studies which have, over time, addressed the above-mentioned points, with the hope that in the future the interest of transplant nephrologists and surgeons will grow towards this unreasonably neglected issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polydipsia and polyuria are common symptoms in patients with diabetes insipidus (DI), which can be due to inadequate vasopressin production (cranial DI) or vasopressin insensitivity (nephrogenic DI). Clinical diagnosis of the subtypes of DI can be tricky. We present a 44-year-old man with a strong family history of DI who had been diagnosed with autosomal dominant nephrogenic DI from infancy. At the age of 40, he had progressed to end-stage renal failure. When he experienced unresolving severe polyuria after renal transplant, further investigations revealed that he was misdiagnosed and that he had a novel mutation causing autosomal dominant cranial DI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transplant glomerulopathy (TG) is generally accepted to result from repeated episodes of endothelial activation, injury and repair, leading to pathological abnormalities of double contouring or multi-layering of the glomerular basement membrane. TG is a major sequel of chronic active antibodymediated rejection (cABMR), from pre-existing or de novo anti-HLA antibodies. Hepatitis C infection, thrombotic microangiopathy or other factors may also contribute to TG development. TG prevalence is 5-20% in most series, reaching 55%, in some high-risk cohorts, and is associated with worse allograft outcomes. Despite its prevalence and clinical significance, few well-studied treatment options have been proposed. Similar to desensitization protocols, plasmapheresis with or without immunoabsorption, high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin, rituximab, bortezomib and eculizumab have been proposed in the treatment of TG due to cABMR individually or in various combinations. Robust clinical trials are urgently needed to address this major cause of allograft loss. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the epidemiology, etiology, pathology, and the preventive and treatment options for TG secondary to cABMR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Significant numbers of kidneys are discarded due to raised terminal creatinine of the donor. Aim: To determine long-term outcomes of kidneys utilized from donors with severe acute kidney injury (AKI). Methods: In this retrospective study, we included all patients who received kidneys from deceased donors between years 2000 and 2012. AKI was defined according to the acute kidney injury network (AKIN) classification. The primary outcomes were patient and graft survival and secondary outcomes were renal function at different time points, delayed graft function, acute rejection and length of hospital stay. Results: Two hundred and eighty-four recipients received kidneys from 261 deceased donors. One hundred and fourteen patients (40%) received kidneys from the donors with AKI. Forty-two patients received kidneys from the donors with severe AKI (AKIN-3 category). Mean age of the donor and recipient was 36 and 37 years, respectively. Main cause of death in donors was road traffic accident (34%) followed by cerebrovascular accident (33%). Terminal creatinine was 85 and 262 μmol/l in non-AKI and AKI groups, respectively (P<0.001). Significantly more patients in the AKI group had delayed graft function (P=0.006), prolonged hospital stay (P<0.001) and high creatinine at discharge (P=0.002). However, acute rejection rates (P=0.25), 1-, 5- and 10-year graft survival (P=0.57) and patient survival (P=0.77) were not different between AKI and non-AKI groups. The outcomes in the AKIN-3 category were comparable with the non-AKI group. Conclusions: This study has shown favorable long-term outcomes of kidneys utilized from donors with severe AKI. This study may encourage healthcare professionals to consider accepting such kidneys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central issue in organ transplantation remains suppression of allograft rejection. Thus, the development of immunosuppressive drugs has been the key to successful allograft function. The increased immunosuppressive efficiency obtained in the last two decades in kidney transplantation dramatically reduced the incidence of acute rejection. However, the inevitable trade-off was an increased rate of post-transplant infections and malignancies. Since the incidence of cancer in immunosuppressed transplant recipients becomes greater over time, and the introduction of new immunosuppressive strategies are expected to extend significantly allograft survival, the problem might grow exponentially in the near future. Thus, cancer is becoming a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients otherwise successfully treated by organ transplantation. There are at least four distinct areas requiring consideration, which have a potentially serious impact on recipient outcome after transplantation: (i) the risk of transmitting a malignancy to the recipient within the donor organ; (ii) the problems of previously diagnosed and treated malignancy in the recipient; (iii) the prevention of de novo post-transplant malignant diseases and (iv) the management of these complex and often life-threatening clinical problems. In this scenario, the direct and indirect oncogenic potential of immunosuppressive therapy should be always carefully considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In renal transplanted patients, lymphoceles and lymphorrhea are well-known lymphatic complications. Surgical damage of the lymphatics of the graft during the procurement and of the lymphatic around the iliac vessels of the recipients has been associated with development of lymphatic complications. However, lymphatic complications may be related to medical factors such as diabetes, obesity, blood coagulation abnormalities, anticoagulation prophylaxis, high dose of diuretics, delay in graft function and immunosuppressive drugs. Consistently, immunosuppression regimens based on the use of mTOR inhibitors, especially in association with steroids and immediately after transplantation, has been associated with a high risk to develop lymphocele or lymphorrhea. In addition, several studies have demonstrated the association between rejection episodes and lymphatic complications. However, before the discovery of reliable markers of lymphatic vessels, the pathogenic mechanisms underlining the development of lymphatic complications during rejection and the influence of mTOR inhibitors remained not fully understood. The recent findings on the lymphatic systems of either native or transplanted kidneys together with the advances achieved on lymphangiogenesis shared some lights on the pathogenesis of lymphatic complications after renal transplantation. In this review, we describe the surgical and medical causes of lymphatic complications focusing on the rejection and immunosuppressive drugs as causes of lymphatic complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Renal replacement therapy using dialysis has evolved dramatically over recent years with an improvement in patient survival. With this increased longevity, a cohort of patients are in the precarious position of having exhausted the standard routes of vascular access. The extent of this problem of failed access or 'desperate measures' access is difficult to determine, as there are no uniform definitions or classification allowing standardization and few studies have been performed. The aim of this study is to propose a classification of end-stage vascular access (VA) failure and subsequently test its applicability in a dialysis population. Methods: Using anatomical stratification, a simple hierarchical classification is proposed. This has been applied to a large dialysis population and in particular to patients referred to the complex access clinic dedicated to patients identified as having exhausted standard VA options and also those dialysing on permanent central venous catheters (CVC). Results: A simple classification is proposed based on a progressive anatomical grading of (I) standard upper arm options exhausted, (II) femoral options exhausted and (III) other options exhausted. These are further subdivided anatomically to allow ease of classification. When applied to a complex group of patients (n = 145) referred to a dedicated complex access clinic, 21 patients were Class I, 26 Class II and 2 Class III. Ninety-six patients did not fall into the classification despite being referred as permanent CVC. Conclusions: The numbers of patients who have exhausted definitive access options will continue to increase. This simple classification allows the scope of the problem and proposed solutions to be identified. Furthermore, these solutions can be studied and treatments compared in a standardized fashion. The classification may also be applied if patients have the option of transplantation where iliac vessel preservation is desirable and prioritization policies may be instituted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Transplant recipients are at risk for invasive aspergillosis (IA), associated with a significant mortality rate. Renal transplant-specific risk factors have not been established. Methods. Forty-one adult kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with proven or probable IA from 1995 through 2013 were identified by search of the computerized patient files in the University Hospitals Leuven. The control population in this 1:2 case-control study consisted of the 2 patients who received a kidney transplant immediately before and after each identified patient and did not develop IA (n = 82). Results. Leukopenia after kidney transplant increased the risk of IA among all patients (odds ratio [OR], 2.345 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.084-5.071]). For early-onset infection (ie, occurred during the first 3 months after transplant), a longer duration of renal replacement therapy pretransplant and the occurrence of leukopenia were risk factors (OR per year, 1.192 [95% CI, 1.006-1.413] and OR, 3.346 [95% CI, 1.063-10.527], respectively), whereas donor cytomegalovirus seropositivity increased the risk for late-onset IA (ie, occurred >3 months after transplant) (OR, 3.677 [95% CI, 1.388-9.743]). Twelve-week mortality rate was 39%. Disseminated infection, leukopenia, and the height of the serum galactomannan index were associated with an increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 5.080 [95% CI, 1.740-14.830]; HR, 3.198 [95% CI, 1.183-8.649]; and HR, 1.371 [95% CI, 1.123-1.674], respectively). Conclusions. Prolonged renal replacement therapy before kidney transplant increases the risk of IA early after transplant. The height of the serum galactomannan index predicts mortality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Hypovitaminosis D has been frequently reported after renal transplantation, but the impact of obesity and other factors in the reduction of vitamin D levels is not well established. We aimed to evaluate risk factors contributing to hypovitaminosis D among nondiabetic renal transplant recipients (RTR) with serum creatinine <2.0 mg/dL, at least 6 months after transplantation. Methods. One hundred RTR were subjected to anthropometric evaluation and body composition assessment through bioelectrical impedance analysis; blood samples were drawn for biochemical and hormonal determinations and clinical data were retrieved from the medical records. Results. Hypovitaminosis D was observed in 65% and overweight (body mass index, BMI >25 kg/ m2) in 59% of cases with a significant median weight gain after transplantation of 5.1 kg. An inadequate distribution of body fat was evidenced in 50% of males and in 58% of females. Patients with either vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency presented significantly higher median values of body fat and weight gain since transplantation, as well as lower lean mass compared with patients with normal vitamin D levels (P < 0.001). Moreover, median values of waist circumference, BMI, serum leptin and parathyroid hormone levels were significantly higher in the group with vitamin D deficiency. A multivariate linear regression analysis then revealed that body fat and leptin levels, but not skin color, gender, age, glucocorticoid use, renal function, microalbuminuria and other confounding factors, were independently associated with low levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 even after adjustments for seasonal variations. Conclusion. In conclusion, the present study showed body fat and serum leptin levels to be the only independent risk factors for hypovitaminosis D among RTR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal transplantation, first performed successfully in the 1950s, is the treatment of choice for most patients with end-stage renal failure. It confers longer term survival and a better quality of life than do both haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis. The success of renal transplantation is dependent on the preservation of renal graft function and despite the many advances in surgical techniques, immunosuppressive regimens and supportive therapies, many challenges remain including post-operative ureteral obstruction. This complication can pose a risk to graft, and, occasionally, to patient survival. In this pictorial review, we describe the causes of ureteral obstruction following renal transplantation and illustrate the pivotal role of radiology in both diagnosing and managing these complications [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring preformed cytomegalovirus (CMV)–specific T- and B-cell memory immune responses, using novel functional immune assays, may allow accurate characterization of antiviral immune sensitization in kidney transplant recipients, regardless of CMV-specific serological profile, illustrating the risk for posttransplant CMV infection.Background. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a major complication after kidney transplantation. Baseline CMV risk is typically determined by the serological presence of preformed CMV-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibodies, even though T-cell responses to major viral antigens are crucial when controlling viral replication. Some IgG-seronegative patients who receive an IgG-seropositive allograft do not develop CMV infection despite not receiving prophylaxis. We hypothesized that a more precise evaluation of pretransplant CMV-specific immune-sensitization using the B and T-cell enzyme-linked immunospot assays may identify CMV-sensitized individuals more accurately, regardless of serological evidence of CMV-specific IgG titers.Methods. We compared the presence of preformed CMV-specific memory B and T cells in kidney transplant recipients between 43 CMV IgG–seronegative (sR−) and 86 CMV IgG–seropositive (sR+) patients. Clinical outcome was evaluated in both groups.Results. All sR+ patients showed a wide range of CMV-specific memory T- and B-cell responses. High memory T- and B-cell frequencies were also clearly detected in 30% of sR− patients, and those with high CMV-specific T-cell frequencies had a significantly lower incidence of late CMV infection after prophylactic therapy. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis for predicting CMV viremia and disease showed a high area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (>0.8), which translated into a high sensitivity and negative predictive value of the test.Conclusions. Assessment of CMV-specific memory T- and B-cell responses before kidney transplantation among sR− recipients may help identify immunized individuals more precisely, being ultimately at lower risk for CMV infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses two cases of ganciclovir (GCV)-resistant cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in renal transplantation. It says that the first case in a 47-year-old male patient presented recurrence of invasive CMV gastrointestinal disease, which was treated with prolonged valganciclovir (VGCV) for 8 weeks. Meanwhile, the case in a 61year-old female patient, which was diagnosed while undertaking CMV prophylaxis with oral VGCV, was given with adjusted dose of IV GCV.

…there is enough evidence now to persuade nephrologists, wherever they practice, to take clearly articulated steps to improve the safety of the patients who trust them to provide care.Background Patients receiving treatment with renal replacement therapy (RRT) have high mortality, and ensuring patient safety in this population is difficult. We aimed to estimate the incidence and nature of medical adverse events contributing to the death of patients being treated with RRT. Methods This population registry-based retrospective case review study included all patients being treated with RRT for established renal failure in Scotland and who died between 1 January 2008 and 30 June 2011. Deaths were reviewed by consultant nephrologists using a structured questionnaire to identify factors contributing to death occurring in both the inpatient and outpatient setting. Reviewers were able to use any information source deemed relevant, including paper and electronic clinical records, mortality and morbidity meetings and procurator fiscal (Scottish coroner) investigations. Deaths occurring in 2008 and 2009 where avoidable factors were identified that may have or did lead to death of a patient were subject to further review and root cause analysis, in order to identify recurrent themes. Results Of 1551 deaths in the study period, 1357 were reviewed (87.5%). Cumulative RRT exposure in the cohort was 2.78 million person-days. RRT complications were the primary cause of death in 28 (2.1%). Health-care-associated infection had contributed to 9.6% of all deaths. In 3.5% of deaths, factors were identified which may have or did contribute to death. These were both organizational and human error related and were largely due to five main causes: management of hyperkalaemia, prescribing, out of hours care, infection and haemodialysis vascular access. Conclusions Adverse events contributing to death in RRT recipients mainly relate to the everyday management of common medical problems and not the technical aspects of RRT. Efforts to avoid harm in this population should address these ubiquitous causes of harm. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents case study of a patient who had a suspected renal disease when she was two, and was diagnosed with hypoplastic-dysplastic syndrome. The patient underwent renal transplant at age 18 from her adoptive mother, after which she had mild diarrhea. A second cycle of ivermectin was given to the patient to ensure eradication. It also discusses the Strongyloides infection, which has been prevalent in the U.S.

The article presents a case study of a 50 years old man, who received kidney transplant from brain dead donor who died of meningitis, with end stage kidney failure that is secondary to diabetic nephropathy in Great Britain. It states that the patient failed to receive prophylaxis and his ailment surfaced 50 days after kidney transplantation. Moreover, ways of managing cryptococcal disease in solid organ transplant (SOT) are also discussed.

Background While BK polyoma virus nephropathy (PVN) is a well-recognized cause of renal allograft dysfunction, PVN of native kidneys is likely under-recognized. Methods We present the pathologic features, risk factors and outcomes of eight cases of PVN in native kidneys. Results The cohort included eight males aged 16–73 years (mean 47.4) with an immunocompromised state (mean duration 3.15 years) attributable to: hematologic malignancies (n = 6), for which three had undergone bone marrow transplant; lung transplant (n = 1) and combined tuberculosis and diabetes (n = 1). Seven patients were receiving specific immunosuppressive therapies. Patients were biopsied for acute kidney injury (AKI) with rise in mean creatinine levels from baseline 1.6 to 2.8 mg/dL. Pathology showed BK PVN with characteristic intranuclear inclusions staining positive for SV40 T antigen and negative for JC virus (JCV), with positive serum and/or urine PCR for BK virus. One patient had focal medullary JCV co-infection. Two patients also had renal infiltration by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Six patients received specific therapy directed to PVN (cidofovir or leflunomide). Follow-up ranged from 2 to 20 (mean 10) months. Despite marked decrease in serum BK viral copy numbers, creatinine continued to rise in six cases (mean 3.7 mg/dL in four, requiring dialysis in two) and three patients died of malignancy, opportunistic infection or renal failure. Advanced histologic stage of PVN, ineffective antiviral therapy, co-morbidities and persistent immunocompromised state likely contributed to the poor outcomes. Conclusion A high level of suspicion in immunocompromised patients is needed to diagnose PVN in an early stage that may respond more favorably to antiviral therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Late-onset post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs) occur 1 year after transplantation and are associated with poor prognosis. Initial treatment usually involves a reduction in immunosuppressive treatment. While early-onset PTLDs have a good prognosis following RI, this approach is generally inadequate for late-onset PTLDs. We assessed the specific outcome of late-onset PTLDs after kidney transplantation during the past three decades. Methods We reviewed the clinical and biological data of 52 kidney transplant recipients who developed late-onset PTLDs at our centre between 1980 and 2010. We compared clinical features, long-term outcome and renal prognosis of late-onset PTLDs both before and after the era of rituximab. Results Before 2000, 38% of the patients underwent surgery and 76% received chemotherapy either immediately or after surgery. After 2000, rituximab was administrated to 70% of the patients either alone (23%) or in combination with chemotherapy (77%). Chemotherapy alone was administrated in 26% of the cases. Before and after 2000, complete remission was achieved in 38 and 87% of the cases, respectively (P = 0.0005). The 5-year overall survival (OS) was 33.3 and 69% (P = 0.003), and 5-year disease-free survival was 37.5 and 80%, respectively (P = 0.19). Renal function was preserved in 70% of the cases at the end of the follow-up. Conclusions This study shows an increase in OS and low graft loss for patients with late-onset PTLDs during the last decade, which may be attributed to multiple changes in clinical practice, including a more standardized treatment and the use of rituximab in combination with chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fungal infection is relatively common among renal transplant recipients from developing countries. Mucormycosis, also known as zygomycosis, is one of the most serious fungal infections in these patients. The most common of presentation is rhino-cerebral. Isolated involvement of a renal allograft is very rare. A thorough search of literature and our medical records yielded a total of 24 cases with mucormycosis of the transplanted kidney. There was an association with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and anti-rejection treatment in these patients and most of these transplants were performed in the developing countries from unrelated donors. The outcome was very poor with an early mortality in 13 (54.5%) patients. Renal allograft mucormycosis is a relatively rare and potentially fatal complication following renal transplantation. Early diagnosis, graft nephrectomy and appropriate antifungal therapy may result in an improved prognosis for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Recent observational studies and a controlled trial suggest more favorable outcomes upon later dialysis initiation in chronic kidney disease. The role of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in predicting outcome at reinitiation of dialysis in failed kidney transplant recipients is unclear. Methods Five-year data in a large dialysis organization was linked to the ‘Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients’ to identify 747 failed kidney transplant patients with CKD Stage 5, who had restarted dialysis therapy. A propensity score for early (eGFR >10.5 mL/min/1.73m2) versus late reinitiation of dialysis was fit by logistic regression. The mortality hazard ratio (HR) was estimated across tertiles of the fitted score. Results Patients were 44 ± 14 years old and included 42% women. Male gender {odds ratio (OR), [95% confidence interval (CI)]: 1.82 (1.22–2.73)}, diabetes mellitus [OR: 1.75 (1.14–2.68)] and peripheral vascular disease [OR: 3.55 (1.17–10.77)] were associated with higher odds of early dialysis reinitiation. Each mL/min/1.73m2 higher eGFR was associated with 6% higher death risk in unadjusted model [HR: 1.06 (1.01–1.11)], and although not significant in fully adjusted models [HR: 1.02 (0.96–1.07)], it was significant in some subgroups including women and younger patients. The death HR of higher eGFR across lowest to highest tertiles of propensity score of early dialysis initiation (corresponding healthiest to sickest patients) were 1.10 (0.98–1.24), 1.00 (0.91–1.10) and 0.99 (0.92–1.07), respectively (P for trend <0.05), indicating a trend toward higher mortality risk with earlier dialysis initiation in the healthiest patients. Conclusions Earlier return to dialysis therapy in failed kidney transplant patients tends to correlate with worse dialysis survival especially among healthiest and younger patients and women. Additional studies need to verify these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background Given the reported efficacy of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in the treatment of glomerular diseases, we question whether MMF can reduce the rate of renal allograft loss due to glomerular disease recurrence compared to azathioprine (AZA) as adjunctive therapy to cyclosporine (CSA)-based immunosuppression. Methods This is a retrospective study based on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network for Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) database designed to compare the Kaplan–Meier rates of graft loss due to disease recurrence stratified by primary renal diagnoses between recipients receiving CSA + AZA versus CSA + MMF. Recipients of primary kidney transplants (both deceased donor and living, related and unrelated) renal transplants performed between 1 January 1988 and 31 December 2007 with the primary renal diagnosis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN), membranous glomerulonephropathy (MGN), membranoproliferative glomerulonephropathy (MPGN), lupus nephritis (LN) or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) with a functioning allograft at discharge were included. Results Seven thousand eight hundred and twenty-six recipients of primary deceased donor kidney transplants (DDKT) [CSA + AZA: IgAN (890), MGN (380), MPGN (193), LN (1324), FSGS (1314) and CSA + MMF: IgAN (855), MGN (614), MPGN (116), LN (715), FSGS (1425)] and 5498 recipients of living donor kidney transplants (LDKT) [CSA + AZA: IgAN (694), MGN (229), MPGN (100), LN (592), FSGS (654) and CSA + MMF: IgAN (1066), MGN (435), MPGN (89), LN (530), FSGS (1109)] were included in the analysis. At 10-year follow-up (mean duration was 5.6 to 6.7 ± 1.8 years in DDKT and 6.2 to 7.4 ± 1.7 years in LDKT), mean times of transplantation (era of transplantation) were: 1992 ± 1.6 years and 2002 ± 1.9 years for the CSA + AZA and CSA + MMF groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the Kaplan–Meier rates of graft loss due to disease recurrence of any glomerular disease studied between the CSA + AZA and CSA + MMF groups in either DDKT or LDKT recipients. Chi-square analysis revealed no statistically significant difference between the two immunosuppressive regimen groups in terms of age, gender and ethnic background. Conclusion The OPTN/UNOS database revealed no difference in the rates of renal allograft loss due to disease recurrence of IgAN, MGN, MPGN, LN and FSGS among recipients receiving either CSA + AZA or CSA + MMF maintenance immunosuppressive therapy at 10-year follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background. Cardiovascular (CV) risk remains high in renal transplant patients despite a clear improvement conferred by transplantation. This risk is attributed mostly to recipient-related risk factors. Donor vascular characteristics, such as arterial stiffness, have been poorly investigated in this regard. Methods. Recipients of living-related (n = 75) and living-unrelated (n = 20) kidney grafts were recruited at a mean time of 107 ± 41 months after transplantation for baseline evaluation and follow-up for the occurrence of the following composite outcome: myocardial infarction, stroke, CV death, doubling of serum creatinine or development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). At inclusion, recipients and their corresponding donors underwent complete history, physical examination, laboratory tests and non-invasive measurement of aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV). Results. During a mean follow-up of 56 ± 18 months, 20 recipients doubled their serum creatinine, of whom 16 reached ESRD, and 9 suffered of a new CV event (5 of which were fatal). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis showed that, in addition to recipient-related parameters, such as the presence of CV event and the estimated glomerular filtration rate at inclusion, donor aortic PWV was a strong and independent predictor of the composite recipient outcome. Conclusions. Donor large artery stiffness may predict recipient CV and graft outcome. This finding demonstrates the tight link that exists between the vascular system and the kidneys and suggests that donor contribution to recipient outcome goes beyond simple parameters like age, gender and even familial or non-familial donor type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA) is an important cause of renal function loss and ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury is considered to play an important role in its pathophysiology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17 (ADAM17) in human renal allograft disease and in experimental I/R injury of the kidney.Methods. We studied the expression of ADAM17 messenger RNA (mRNA) in IF/TA and control kidneys by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. Moreover, we assessed ADAM17-mediated heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) shedding in immortalized human cells. Finally, we studied the effect of pharmacological ADAM17 inhibition in a model of renal I/R injury in rats.Results. ADAM17 mRNA was up-regulated in IF/TA when compared to control kidneys. In normal kidneys, ADAM17 mRNA was weakly expressed in proximal tubules, peritubular capillaries, glomerular endothelium and parietal epithelium. In IF/TA, tubular, capillary and glomerular ADAM17 expression was strongly enhanced with de novo expression in the mesangium. In interstitial fibrotic lesions, we observed co-localization of ADAM17 with HB-EGF protein. In vitro, inhibition of ADAM17 with TNF484 resulted in a dose-dependent reduction of HB-EGF shedding in phorbol 12-myrisate 13-acetate-stimulated cells and non-stimulated cells. In vivo, ADAM17 inhibition significantly reduced the number of glomerular and interstitial macrophages at Day 4 of reperfusion.Conclusions. In conclusion, HB-EGF co-expresses with ADAM17 in renal interstitial fibrosis, suggesting a potential interaction in IF/TA. Targeting ADAM17 to reduce epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylation could be a promising way of intervention in human renal disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With advancements in surgical techniques and immuno-suppression, renal transplantation is established as the most effective treatment option in patients with end-stage renal disease. Early detection of renal allograft complications is important for long-term graft survival. Late clinical presentation often causes diagnostic delays till the time allograft failure is advanced and irreversible. Imaging plays a key role in routine surveillance and in management of acute or chronic transplant dysfunction. Multimodality imaging approach is important with ultrasound-Doppler as the first-line imaging study in immediate, early and late post-transplant periods. Additional imaging studies are often required depending on clinical settings and initial ultrasound. Renal functional MRI is a rapidly growing field that has huge potential for early diagnosis of transplant dysfunction. Multiparametric MRI may be integrated in clinical practice as a noninvasive and comprehensive "one-stop" modality for early diagnosis and longitudinal monitoring of renal allograft dysfunctions, which is essential for guiding appropriate interventions to delay or prevent irreversible renal damage. With rapidly increasing numbers of renal transplantation along with improved patient survival, it is necessary for radiologists in all practice settings to be familiar with the normal appearances and imaging spectrum of anatomical and functional complications in a transplant kidney. Radiologist"s role as an integral part of multidisciplinary transplantation team continues to grow with increasing numbers of successful renal transplantation programs across the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in a hospitalized patient. The incidence and severity of nosocomial CDI have increased significantly since the year 2000. Solid-organ transplant recipients (SOT) are at high risk for CDI for multiple reasons including impaired defense mechanisms from immunosuppression, perioperative antibiotic use, and organ failure. For the past decade, there has been the advance modality of diagnosis and treatments for CDI including early detection of toxin, novel antibiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation. With the innovative measurements and the effort of antibiotic stewardship, the recent study show improvement of mortality in hospitalized CDI; however, there is still lack of such evidence among SOT patients. Therefore, it would be beneficial to scrutinize the prevalence and outcomes of CDI among SOTs with the most current available nationwide database. Methods Our study utilized the 2015 and 2016 National Inpatient Sample (NIS). It is the largest publicly available all-payer inpatient healthcare database in the United States, yielding national estimates of hospital inpatient stays. Patients with history or undergoing SOT transplant procedure who were hospitalized in 2015 and 2016 NIS database were included in our study. We included heart, lung, liver, intestinal, kidney, pancreas, or at least one of these organs transplanted in our definiton of SOT. History of organ tranplants and CDI were extracted by using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM from discharged diagnosis. Baseline characteristic include age, gender, race, median household income were collected. Confounding includes comorbidities which were calculated into charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and discharge diagnosis of pneumonia and urinary tract infection. Primary outcomes include in-patient mortality, hospital length of stay and total hospital charges. Secondary outcomes include transplant failure or rejection, colectomy and disposition of patients. Multivariable logistic regression was used for the adjusted analysis of the primary and secondary outcomes include all confounders and significant covariates. All reported CIs were two-sided 95% intervals, and tests were done at the two-sided 5% significance level. Stata v14.2 (Stata Corp, College Station, Texas) was utilized for all analyses. Results A total of 107,461 discharges of SOTs in 2015–2016 NIS database were included in our study. The mean age was 53 years (SD 17) and 45,666 (42%) were female. History of kidney transplant was found to be the most common (55%) and history of liver tranplants was the second most common (19%) among our population.The incidence of CDI was 3,626 (3.37%) among SOTs. Factors associated with CDI include age (4% increasing of odds for 10-year increment in age), female (OR 1.2; 95% CI 1.16–1.34), history of heart transplant (OR 1.28; 95% CI 1.11–1.48), kidney transplant (OR 0.98; 95% CI 0.82–0.97), UTI (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.50–1.81) and pneumonia (OR 1.24;; 95% CI 1.122- 1.38). CDI associated with higher inpatient mortality (OR 1.85, 95% CI 1.56–2.20, P < 0.01), longer length of hospital stay (mean difference 5.07 days, 95% CI 4.43–5.71, P < 0.01) and higher total hospital charges (mean difference 43,958 dollars, P < 0.01). Furthermore, SOTs with CDI had higher risk of transplant complication (OR1.67, 95% CI 1.50–1.87, P < 001) and increase risk of colectomy (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.50–3.72). Those who had CDI were less likely to be discharged home when compare to non-CDI (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.49–0.58, P < 0.01). Conclusion Our study found that CDI associated with significant overall worse outcomes among hospitalized solid-organ transplant patients. Multicenter prospective study is considered as a future direction to evaluate the impact to healthcare. Despite the improvement of overall mortality of CDI in general population in the United States from prior study, CDI in SOTs remains problematic. More attention is needed in this particular field. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a strong rationale for renal denervation (RDN) of the native kidneys in kidney transplant recipients with treatment-resistant hypertension. We present a patient with a stable graft function, who underwent RDN for posttransplant therapy-resistant hypertension (24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) 143/89 mmHg, while compliantly using five different antihypertensive agents). After RDN, BP measurements and orthostatic complaints required withdrawal of two antihypertensive agents and halving a third. At 6 months, ABPM was 134/84 mmHg and allograft function remained unchanged. This case calls for designing well-designed prospective studies on RDN in kidney transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renal lipomatosis was diagnosed in a kidney transplant recipient who presented with acute kidney injury (AKI) several years after transplantation. The patient had an odd-looking kidney transplant on ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) scan, showing a medullary mass with resultant compression of the surrounding renal parenchyma. A biopsy of the renal medulla confirmed fatty infiltration of the renal parenchyma. The patient underwent percutaneous nephrostomy and AKI resolved with relief of the obstruction. Renal lipomatosis is a rare condition that should be differentiated from other neoplasms of the kidney. When it occurs in a functioning transplant kidney, the treatment approach proves to be very challenging. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: biliary tract reconstruction during liver transplantation (LT) is the final technical step and the cornerstone of the procedure and is often performed by a duct-to-duct anastomosis. Rarely, recipient and donor biliary stump discrepancies or liver disease-related reasons could lead to a hepaticojejunostomy. Purpose: To clarify the role of non-stented biliary anastmosis in reducing biliary complications in adult to adult living donor liver transplant and ending the era of using intraductal removable stent. Patients and Methods: this is a retrospective Single arm Cohort study. Our study was performed in Egypt by following the results of 80 cases of adult to adult living donor liver transplant using non-stented biliary anastomosis in Airforce specialized hospitals and Nasser institute in Cairo. Study period was from July 2015 to June 2018. Results: The rate of biliary complications in non-stented patients was 23/80 (27%), and (27%) is subdivided as follow; (18%-strictures, 9%-leaks, and 1%-mixed),). All biliary complications had been treated with successful outcome representing 20/23(87%), while persistent biliary complication was in 3 (13%). Treatments used in biliary complications were (ERCP n=22, PTC n=5, Rendezvous n=2, Surgical biliary-reconstruction n=2). Conclusion: Stentless biliary anastomosis is a well established and trusted method in biliary reconstruction in adult living donor liver transplant and has a less complications than stented duct to duct biliary anastomosis and biliary-enteric anastomosis and allow better management of biliary complication if occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diagnosis of acute rejection still relies on renal allograft biopsy. In fact, histological features including C4d staining can be useful to differentiate cellular and antibody-mediated acute rejection. However, the pathogenic mechanism to define the type of rejection is usually assessed by anti-HLA donor specific antibodies (DSA) monitoring. Suspicion of acute rejection is usually based on renal function deterioration. This method has low sensitivity. Moreover, creatinine increase follows graft injury and therefore the diagnosis is performed when there is an ongoing acute rejection. One strategy to overcome the limitation of serum creatinine as predictor of acute rejection is to perform surveillance protocol biopsies. However, the low incidence of subclinical acute rejection among patients treated with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression makes this procedure questionable in terms of cost-effectiveness. In this scenario new biomarkers predicting acute rejection are urgently needed. Ideally, such biomarkers should anticipate acute rejection, thus allowing preventive actions such as maintenance immunosupression intensification and/or modification. Alternatively, these new biomarkers should at least improve the predictive value of serum creatinine monitoring. Although many of the new biomarkers are promising, none have been translated to the clinic to date because of a lack of validation studies and the existence of major methodological concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents several studies conducted by the authors related to microbial and viral diseases. Topics discussed include device infections causing Propionibacterium acnes after shoulder arthroplasty, association of narcolepsy with Pandremix vaccination for influenza virus infections, and a case study of a 51-year-old man who was hospitalized due to urosepsis and a perigraft fluid collection infected with Escherichia coli bacterium after a renal transplant.

The article presents case studies including African Histoplasmosis in India, Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, and cerebral chagas in a transplant recipient. Topics discussed include 59-year-old HIVâ€uninfected farmer in Kerala, India, presenting multiple erythematous papules and plaques, and Chagas disease found in HIVâ€uninfected man in Argentina receiving kidney transplant from living donor.

The article presents a case study of a 61-year-old woman who was admitted for acute renal failure and fever for 6 weeks after receiving her kidney transplant. The patient has underwent a post-operative course and her admission laboratory examination reveals an acute kidney injury. The patient's sections of the allograft biopsy has showed marked neutrophilic inflammation. The article also discusses the patient treated with antifungal therapy with pulse corticosteroids.

Hypertension is a prevalent complication that occurs in 80–85% of all kidney transplant recipients. The pathogenesis of post-transplant hypertension is multifactorial and includes pre-transplant hypertension, donor hypertension, renin secretion from the native kidney, graft dysfunction, recurrent disease and immunosuppressive treatment. Hypertension negatively affects transplant and patient survival outcomes; cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic renal disease and after successful renal transplantation. Hypertension is a well-known risk factor for CVD and it is frequently associated with other CVD risk factors. Despite increased awareness of the adverse effects of hypertension in both graft and patient survival, long-term studies have shown that arterial hypertension in the transplant population has not been adequately controlled. Resistant hypertension (RH) is defined as office blood pressure (oBP) that remains above goal (oBP ≥140/90 or 130/80 mmHg) in patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease despite the concurrent use of three antihypertensive agents, at full doses, one of them being a diuretic. Despite studies in the general population and the high prevalence of hypertension in renal transplant patients, data about RH are very scarce and the prevalence of RH in renal transplant patients is unknown and could be associated with a worse prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]