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Aims: To determine whether C4d immunopositivity helps recognition of humoral rejection in dysfunctional liver allografts. Methods and results: C4d immunopositivity was retrospectively evaluated in liver allografts. There were three staining patterns: portal venular plexus, sinusoidal and hepatocellular. The latter was related to ischaemic necrosis and not scored as positive. C4d immunopositivity was not encountered in 10 preperfusion or 15 consecutive early protocol biopsies. However, three of 12 early protocol biopsy specimens from crossmatch-positive patients were C4d+, two showing repeated positivity on at least one further biopsy specimen, while others remained negative. C4d was also positive in 2/16 early moderate acute cellular rejections, 3/14 cases of centrilobular necroinflammation, 3/11 biliary obstructions, 3/13 chronic rejections and 1/10 primary non-functional allografts. Conclusion: C4d immunopositivity is uncommon in liver allografts. There is a weak positive correlation with a positive lymphocytotoxic crossmatch and some patterns of allograft dysfunction. The morphological associations resemble those reported in lymphocytotoxic crossmatch-positive patients, plus occasional sinusoidal and hepatocellular injury. Although the practical utility of C4d immunohistochemistry seems limited, it may identify a small subgroup of individuals in whom chronic humoral microvascular injury contributes to allograft dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The Banff 1997 classification of renal allograft pathology identifies arteriolitis as a finding of uncertain significance. We sought to improve our understanding of arteriolitis by correlating its occurrence with histopathological and clinical parameters. Methods and results Twenty allograft kidney biopsies from 19 patients, showing arteriolitis, were identified. Arterioles were defined as small vessels with: (1) wall thickness of 1–3 myocytes; (2) diameter less than one-third of an adjacent glomerulus; and (3) discontinuous or absent elastica. Arteriolitis was defined as mural infiltration by lymphocytes. Other histological findings were categorized according to the Banff 1997 working formulation. Ten biopsies (50%) showed type IIA rejection, seven (35%) showed type I rejection, and three (15%) showed borderline change. Two patients with borderline change had acute rejection in the next biopsy. None of the seven patients with type I rejection had previous or subsequent type II rejection on biopsy. A total 11/20 biopsies (10/19 patients) showing arteriolitis had type IIA rejection in the index or next biopsy. On follow-up, graft loss due to rejection occurred in 5/19 (26%) patients (median 126 days); all had shown type IIA rejection on a previous biopsy. Chronic allograft nephropathy developed in a further 4/19 (21%) patients (median 157 days), of whom three had shown only type I rejection on biopsy. Conclusion Arteriolitis is associated with acute rejection, often type II rejection, and is associated with poor graft outcome. Other causes of arteriolitis were not encountered in this series. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Periodontal health states are difficult to quantify and no formal scale quantifying patients' utilities for periodontal health states exits. Multi-attribute utility (MAU) techniques were used to develop such a scale. The MAU scale may be used to quantify patients' assessment of their current periodontal health and that of possible treatment outcomes. Such data, combined with probability values in formal decision analysis techniques would result in improved rationality of treatment planning for periodontal disease. 20 patients attending for routine undergraduate care were interviewed. Data from these interviews were sorted into groups of common interest (domains). Intra-domain health statements were complied from the interview content. 21 patients ranked the intra-domain statements on a scale of 0-100. This same group of patients also performed an inter-domain weighting. Mean results showed that patients were 2 × as concerned with how they felt and with the prognosis of possible outcomes, than with how they looked and what facts they knew about their oral health. However, the real value of utilities research lies in application of individual results to treatment planning, as there is a wide range of opinion regarding outcome health states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]