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Increasing evidence indicates an integral role for the complement system in the deleterious inflammatory reactions that occur during critical phases of the transplantation process, such as brain or cardiac death of the donor, surgical trauma, organ preservation and ischaemia-reperfusion injury, as well as in humoral and cellular immune responses to the allograft. Ischaemia is the most common cause of complement activation in kidney transplantation and in combination with reperfusion is a major cause of inflammation and graft damage. Complement also has a prominent role in antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) owing to ABO and HLA incompatibility, which leads to devastating damage to the transplanted kidney. Emerging drugs and treatment modalities that inhibit complement activation at various stages in the complement cascade are being developed to ameliorate the damage caused by complement activation in transplantation. These promising new therapies have various potential applications at different stages in the process of transplantation, including inhibiting the destructive effects of ischaemia and/or reperfusion injury, treating ABMR, inducing accommodation and modulating the adaptive immune response.

The pig is commonly used in renal transplantation studies since the porcine kidney resembles the human kidney. To meet the requirements of intense caretaking and examination without stress, a 2-week socialisation and training programme was developed. Conventional cross-breed pigs ( n = 36) with high health status were trained for 15 min/day in a four-step training programme before kidney transplantation. The systematic training resulted in calm animals, which allowed for ultrasound examination, blood sampling and urine sampling without restraint. When a 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine polymer-coated jugular catheter introduced via the auricular vein was used for post-operative blood sampling, clotting was avoided. To assess renal function, urinary output was observed and creatinine and cystatin C were measured; the latter was not found to be useful in recently transplanted pigs. The results presented contribute to the 3Rs (refine, reduce, replace).

Owing to an increasing shortage of donor organs, the majority of patients with end-stage kidney disease remains reliant on extracorporeal hemodialysis (HD) in order to counter the lifelong complications of a failing kidney. While HD remains a life-saving option for these patients, mounting evidence suggests that it also fuels a vicious cycle of thromboinflammation that can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. During HD, blood-borne innate immune systems become inappropriately activated on the biomaterial surface, instigating proinflammatory reactions that can alter endothelial and vascular homeostasis. Complement activation, early during the HD process, has been shown to fuel a multitude of detrimental thromboinflammatory reactions that collectively contribute to patient morbidity. Here we discuss emerging aspects of complement's involvement in HD-induced inflammation and put forth the concept that targeted intervention at the level of C3 might constitute a promising therapeutic approach in HD patients.

Summary Adoptive transfer of regulatory T cells (Tregs) has been proposed for use as a cellular therapy to induce transplantation tolerance. Preclinical data are encouraging, and clinical trials with Treg therapy are anticipated. In this study, we investigate different strategies for the isolation and expansion of CD4+CD25highCD127low Tregs from uraemic patients. We use allogeneic dendritic cells (DCs) as feeder cells for the expansion and compare Treg preparations isolated by either fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) or magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) that have been expanded subsequently with either mature or tolerogenic DCs. Expanded Treg preparations have been characterized by their purity, cytokine production and in-vitro suppressive ability. The results show that Treg preparations can be isolated from uraemic patients by both FACS and MACS. Also, the type of feeder cells used in the expansion affects both the purity and the functional properties of the Treg preparations. In particular, FACS-sorted Treg preparations expanded with mature DCs secrete more interleukin (IL)-10 and granzyme B than FACS-sorted Treg preparations expanded with tolerogenic DCs. This is a direct comparison between different isolation techniques and expansion protocols with Tregs from uraemic patients that may guide future efforts to produce clinical-grade Tregs for use in kidney transplantation.

Background: Nitrones such as 2-sulfo-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (S-PBN) are known to trap and stabilize free radicals and to reduce inflammation. Recently, S-PBN was shown to reduce infiltration o ...

Complement activation was characterized during and after desensitization treatment in 19 consecutive patients receiving ABO-incompatible (ABOi) living donor kidney transplants to assess the effect of desensitization protocol including antigen-specific immunoadsorption (IA) on complement activation.All patients received rituximab- and tacrolimus-based triple treatment. Anti-A/B antibodies were removed by IA. Serial determinations of C3, C3a, the C3a/C3 ratio, and sC5b-9 were carried out between day -30 and postoperative day 30. C1q was measured on day -30 and the day before the transplantation. In two recipients, eluates from immunoadsorbent columns were analyzed for C3a, C1q, and immunoglobulins by western blotting. Same complement analysis was performed in eluate from a control column after in vitro perfusion of AB-plasma.Patient and graft survival were 100% for a median follow-up of 40 months (range, 12-60 months). There were no humoral rejections based on ABO-antigen-antibody interactions. C3a and the C3a/C3 ratio declined with the start of IA treatment, and this decline was maintained postoperatively. C1q declined from day -30 to a lower value on the day before transplantation (P0.05). In eluates from both patient and control, immunoadsorbent column immunoglobulins together with C3a and C1q were detected.The current protocol including antigen-specific IA interferes with the complement system; this effect may be partially responsible for the absence of humoral rejection resulting from ABO-antigen-antibody interactions and the excellent outcomes obtained after ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation.

We describe the presumably first intentional ABO-incompatible deceased-donor kidney and pancreas transplantation with a severe antibody-mediated rejection during a rebound of isoagglutinins. Rejection was successfully treated with eculizumab, which inhibits the terminal pathway of complement. Complement analysis (C3, C3d,g, and a modified assay of classical complement-related hemolytic function) documented complement activation and confirmed that eculizumab completely blocked complement function. At 6 months, the patient had normal kidney and pancreas function, and histological evaluations revealed no evidence of sustained graft damage. This successful transplantation suggests that ABO barriers can safely be overcome without extensive preconditioning, when the complement inhibitor eculizumab is included.

Utilization of Small Pediatric Donors Including Infants for Pancreas and Kidney Transplantation : Exemplification of the Surgical Technique and the Surveillance

Nocardiosis is an opportunistic infection with unfavourable prognosis and is predominantly seen in immunocompromised patients. We here present a kidney transplant recipient with a history of two early graft losses who subsequently developed Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)-antibodies and underwent a desensitization treatment with plasmapheresis and monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody application. However, 3 months after a third HLA-identical kidney transplantation he developed Nocardiosis with pulmonary and asymptomatic brain manifestation. The present case report exemplifies this opportunistic infection and gives an overview of the literature.

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is generally accepted as the best overall index of renal function. Thus, all potential live kidney donors are tested to ensure that they have a normal GFR before they are eligible for kidney transplantation. The choice of GFR test is very much dependent on local traditions and may include iohexol, 51Cr-EDTA, inulin, or creatinine clearance based on urine collection, and creatinine clearance calculated from the Cockcroft-Gault or Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation as well as cystatin C. The aim of this study was to compare the results of GFR measurements performed in all actual live kidney donors who have undergone live donor nephrectomy at the University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, between the years 2000 and 2004.The patients were selected from all parts of Sweden and the measurements were performed at their local hospital.We found large discrepancies between repeated iohexol measurements in these presumably healthy individuals. There was also a poor correlation between iohexol clearance and calculated creatinine clearance using the Cockcroft-Gault (R2=0.046) or MDRD formula (R2=0.045).The study shows that the standardization and quality of GFR measurements in Sweden have to be improved.

The humoral barrier in transplant biology is the result of preformed donor-specific antibodies (DSAs), directed either against human leukocyte antigens (HLA) or non-HLA antigens such as blood group (ABO) molecules. The term "sensitization" applies to patients carrying these antibodies. Transplantation is widely accepted as a life-saving opportunity for patients with terminal end-organ disease. However, in sensitized patients, transplant outcome is hampered by antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) as a consequence of DSA exposure. Furthermore, sensitized patients have limited access to "matched" organs from the both living and deceased donor pool. Considering the crucial role of the complement system in the pathophysiology of AMR and the availability of complement intervention therapeutics, there is a growing interest in complement-targeting strategies. This review highlights the emerging importance of monitoring and modulation of the complement system in the context of enabling transplantation across humoral incompatibility in sensitized recipients with preformed anti-HLA or natural anti-ABO antibodies. It also discusses the significance of the complement system in the induction of accommodation and further emphasizes current and future perspectives of novel complement therapeutics.

Morphine-based analgesia is effective but can compromise donor safety. We investigated whether continuous infusion of local anesthetics (CILA) can provide sufficient pain control and reduce morbidity related to opiate analgesics after hand-assisted retroperitoneoscopic (HARS) live donor nephrectomy. Forty consecutive live kidney donors underwent HARS and were treated with the ON-Q system providing CILA with 0.5% ropivacaine through two SilvaGard catheters placed in the retroperitoneal cavity and the rectus sheath, respectively. The case control group consisted of 40 donors matched with regard to sex, age, BMI and surgical technique. All donors were maintained on standardized multimodal analgesia combining nurse-controlled oxycodone treatment and acetaminophen. CILA donors had lower median cumulative consumption of morphine equivalents (CCME) (7 mg [0-56] vs. 42 mg [15-127]; p < 0.0000001), lower incidence of nausea (18 [45%] vs. 35 [87.5%] donors; p < 0.001), shorter time in postoperative care unit (160 vs. 242.5 min; p < 0.001) and shorter hospital stay (4 [4-7] vs. 6 [4-11] days; p < 0.001). In 32.5% of CILA donors the CCME was 0 mg (0% in matched control group, p < 0.001). CILA with 0.5% ropivacaine provides effective postoperative pain relief, reduces the need for opioid treatment and promotes postoperative recovery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and deep vein thrombosis after living donor nephrectomy in a center using extensive preoperative screening and perioperative venous duplex scan.Thrombophilia screening and pre- and postoperative ultrasonographies were performed in 130 consecutive living kidney donors (laparoscopic 105, open 25). Donors were followed prospectively for at least 3 months. All donors received prophylaxis with the low molecular weight heparin enoxaparin and compression stockings. Donors with increased risk received a double dose of enoxaparin and the prophylaxis was continued for 6 weeks. Donors with venous thrombosis at discharge duplex also received prolonged prophylaxis.The frequency of thrombophilia was similar to what can be expected in the Swedish population (four with factor V Leiden and one each with protein S deficiency, prothrombin gene mutation, and anticardiolipin antibodies). Preoperative duplex was normal. Three donors had small postoperative deep vein thrombosis. Twelve donors (9.2%) received an intensified and prolonged prophylaxis. No further thromboembolic complications developed in 3 postoperative months.With the present protocol for preoperative evaluation, perioperative duplex screening, and prophylaxis, the risk of postoperative VTE is low after living donor nephrectomy. Given that 9.2% had risk factors or developed deep vein thrombosis, the extraordinary situation of an operation being performed on a healthy person who has no therapeutic benefit and the low incidence of VTE in the present study, we recommend the presented approach to be implemented more broadly and that further studies are performed in larger cohorts.

Vascular reconstruction using allogeneic homografts in a renal transplant patient with pseudoaneurysm and infected vascular prosthesis