以西罗莫司为基础的免疫抑制方案不能改善肾移植受者远期疗效

西罗莫司（SRL）较钙调磷酸酶抑制剂（CNI）肾毒性小，因此从包含SRL和皮质类固醇的免疫抑制方案中减少或撤除CNI可能对肾移植后移植肾远期功能有益处。因此，美国克立夫兰移植中心研究人员比较了SRL联合他克莫司（TAC）、SRL联合吗替麦考酚酯（MMF）、TAC联合MMF3种免疫抑制方案在肾移植受者中的有效性和安全性。     

肾移植长期受者贫血的特征及相关因素分析

目的 分析肾移植长期受者贫血的特征及其影响因素。 方法 以肾移植长期受者258例为研究对象,总结贫血的性质和发生率,分析贫血与红细胞生成素（EPO）、肾小管功能、肾功能、排斥反应、免疫抑制药物及心脑血管并发症的关系。 结果 258例均为首次肾移植受者,贫血的总发生率为41.1％。受者大部分为正细胞正色素性贫血,少部分为小细胞低色素性贫血,极少部分为溶血性贫血。贫血受者中,大部分为EPO缺乏,少部分为EPO抵抗。受者的血红蛋白（Hb）与估算肾小球滤过率（eGFR）、肌酐清除率（Ccr）呈正相关（r = 0.348, P ＜ 0.01;r = 0.351,P ＜ 0.01）;与N-乙酰氨基葡萄糖苷酶（NAG）呈负相关（r = -0.327,P ＜ 0.01）。在Scr正常的情况下,贫血组肾小管病变比非贫血组严重。贫血受者急、慢性排斥反应的发生率显著高于非贫血受者（P ＜ 0.01)。环孢素+硫唑嘌呤+泼尼松方案（CsA+Aza+Pred ）贫血的发生率为69.0％;环孢素+霉酚酸酯+泼尼松方案（CsA+MMF+Pred）贫血的发生率为35.8％;他可莫司+霉酚酸酯+泼尼松方案（FK506+MMF+Pred)贫血的发生率为34.8％;西罗莫司（雷帕霉素）+霉酚酸酯+泼尼松方案 （SRL+MMF+Pred）贫血的发生率为41.7％。骨髓抑制是硫唑嘌呤最常见的不良反应。Hb与硫唑嘌呤的使用时间呈负相关（r = -0.354,P ＜ 0.01);Hb与霉酚酸酯的剂量（2~3 g/d）及使用时间呈负相关（r = -0.285,P ＜ 0.05;r = -0.372,P ＜ 0.01）;Hb与雷帕霉素的剂量（2~5 mg/d）及使用时间呈负相关（r = -0.278,P ＜ 0.05; r = -0.359,P ＜ 0.01）。贫血受者心脑血管病变发生率显著高于非贫血受者（P ＜ 0.01）。 结论 肾移植长期受者贫血的发生率相当高。贫血不仅与肾功能、肾小管间质病变相关,而且也与EPO、排斥反应、免疫抑制药物相关。贫血是肾移植受者出现心脑血管并发症的高危因素。     

3种免疫抑制剂替换方案治疗肾移植术后“爬行肌酐”的疗效观察

目的：观察3种免疫抑制剂替换方案治疗肾移植术后“爬行肌酐”患者的疗效。方法：回顾性分析1992年12月～2005年11月间53例术后出现“爬行肌酐”肾移植受者的临床资料,按出现“爬行肌酐”后采用的替换治疗方案分为FK506组（n=24）、MMF组（n=18）和SRL组（n=11）,观察治疗前后的移植肾功能及血压、血糖、血脂等的变化,并比较随访12个月的情况。结果：FK506组治疗后移植肾功能较前明显好转,血肌酐下降明显（P〈0.05）,同时降低了血脂水平,减少降脂药物及抗高血压药物的使用,替换后的血糖升高不明显;MMF组治疗后可以延缓大部分病例的移植肾功能减退,降低血脂水平,减少抗高血压药物的使用以及肝脏、骨髓毒性;SRL组治疗后亦可以延缓部分病例的移植肾功能恶化,但可引起或加重高脂血症及贫血。结论：对肾移植术后“爬行肌酐”患者采用的3种免疫抑制剂替换方案都可以有效地改善或稳定移植肾功能。     

老年肾移植受者贫血的特征及危险因素分析

目的 研究老年肾移植受者贫血的特征及其危险因素.方法 回顾性分析168例首次肾移植的老年肾移植受者的临床资料,采用多因素Logistic回归方法筛选老年肾移植受者发生贫血的危险因素.结果 168例老年首次肾移植受者,贫血的总发生率为45.2％( 76/168).40例为正细胞正色素性贫血;26例为小细胞低色素性贫血;10例为溶血性贫血.76例贫血受者中,51例为红细胞生成素(EPO)缺乏;25例为EPO抵抗.贫血受者营养不良,心、脑血管病变的发生率显著高于非贫血受者(P＜0.01).环孢素、硫唑嘌呤、泼尼松方案( CsA+Aza+Pred)贫血发生率为57.1％,显著高于其他方案(P＜0.01).多因素非条件Logistic回归分析表明,男性、肌酐水平、急性排斥反应、移植肾功能延迟恢复(DGF)是老年肾移植受者贫血发生的独立危险因素,OR值分别为1.089、5.156、6.345、1.876.结论 贫血是老年肾移植受者严重并发症.男性、肌酐水平、急性排斥反应、DGF是老年肾移植受者贫血发生的独立危险因素.     

不同性别大鼠同种肾移植慢性排斥反应的比较

目的观察比较不同性别供体的移植肾慢性排斥反应。方法以雄性Lewis大鼠作受体，以雄、雌Fisher大鼠作供体，分为两组进行同种肾移植，建立大鼠同种肾移植慢性排斥反应动物模型。移植后每4周检测受者的24h尿蛋白、血肌酐、肌酐清除率；移植后24周处死受体大鼠，对移植肾进行显微镜检、免疫组化、核糖核酸酶保护测定等检测，对比两组数据评价供体性别对移植肾的影响。结果两组比较，第20周雄性供体组的24h尿蛋白（21．14±0．98）mg／24h、肌酐清除率（0．35±0．01），雌性供体组24h尿蛋白（24．15±2．38）mg／24h、肌酐清除率（0．33±0．02），具有明显差异，雌性供体组的肾功能明显严重受损。雄性供体组移植肾仅有低度间质纤维化和轻微的血管内膜增厚，肾小球硬化百分数（19．7±4．2）％，淋巴细胞CD5’数量（14．94-3．0），雌性供体组移植肾间质纤维化和血管内膜增厚更严重，肾小球硬化百分数（23．9±3．92）％，淋巴细胞CD5’数量（17．3±1．0），雌性供体组均高于雄性供者组，有统计学意义。雄性组TGF-B（0．01434-0．0031）和IL-6（0．0018±0，0024）的mRNA表达比雌性组TGF-B（0．0092±0．0018）和IL-6（0．000644-0．00022）高。结论在大鼠同种肾移植慢性排斥动物模型上，供体的性别对移植肾的功能和组织形态具有明显的影响。     

肾移植术后口服伐昔洛韦预防巨细胞病毒性肺炎的观察

目的探讨口服伐昔洛韦（valaciclovir）预防肾移植术后巨细胞病毒（CMV）性肺炎的有效性和安全性。方法前瞻性研究121例肾移植的临床资料，其中供、受者血清CMV-IgG均为阳性（D＋R＋组）肾移植63例，供者血清CMV-IgG阳性、受者血清CMV-IgG阴性（D＋R-组）肾移植58例。上述两组受者随机再分为预防组和对照组，预防组口服伐昔洛韦，对照组不给予抗病毒药物。观察肾移植术后1年内CMV性肺炎的发生率。结果预防组的受者对口服伐昔洛韦有良好的耐受性。预防组CMV性肺炎发生率为8．06％，对照组为22．03％，两组比较，差异有统计学意义（P〈0．05）。结论对供者血清CMV-IgG阳性、受者血清CMV-IgG阴性或供、受者血清CMV-IgG均为阳性的肾移植，受者预防性口服伐昔洛韦可以安全有效地降低术后CMV性肺炎的发生率。     

雌激素预防大鼠同种肾移植慢性排斥反应的实验研究

目的 探讨雌激素对移植肾慢性排斥反应的影响。方法 以Fisher大鼠作供者,雌性Lewis大鼠作受者进行同种肾移植,为排除排卵周期及相应的内源性性激素变化的影响,肾移植均在非排卵期进行,后治疗组大鼠隔日给予25μg/kg雌二醇皮下注射。移植后16周作肾功能、移植肾组织学及免疫组化检测,测定肾组织中转化生长因子及β－机动蛋白mRNA的表达。结果 与对照组比较,移植后治疗组24d尿蛋白持续保持较低的水平（P＜0.01）,血清肌酐水平降低（P＜0.01）,肌酐清除率升高（P＜0.01）,移植肾组织管内膜增厚、肾小球硬化和间质纤维化程度减轻（P均＜0.01）,淋巴细胞和单核／巨噬细胞浸润减少（P＜0.01）,细胞间粘附分子（ICAM－1）、转化生长因子（TGF－β1）的mRNA表达减少（P均＜0.01）。结论 雌激素对移植肾功能有保护作用,其机理与影响上述细胞因子在移植肾的表达有关,提示雌激素可能为一类潜在的抗慢性排斥反应药物。     

大豆异黄酮对大鼠慢性移植肾肾病的防治作用

目的通过对肾移植大鼠的饮食营养干预，观察大豆异黄酮对慢性移植肾肾病的防治作用。方法选择近交系雄性Fisher（F344）大鼠作为供者，雄性Lewis（Lew）大鼠作为受者，采用显微外科技术制作肾移植模型。将受者随机分为三组，分别给予高异黄酮大豆蛋白饲料（HIS组）、低异黄酮大豆蛋白饲料（LIS组）或酪蛋白饲料（CAS组）。移植前和移植后第4、12和24周时检测血压，并收集受者的血和尿样，检测尿蛋白和血肌酐含量。24周时处死大鼠获取移植肾，行组织学和免疫组织化学检查。结果在移植后4周时，HIS组受者的尾动脉收缩压、24h尿蛋白含量和血肌酐浓度即低于LIS组和CAS组，但差异无统计学意义（P〉0．05）；移植后12周和24周时，HIS组的受者尾动脉收缩压、24h尿蛋白含量和血肌酐浓度均较LIS组和CAS组显著降低（P〈0．05）；移植后24周时，HIS组移植肾组织的间质纤维化和炎症、血管硬化、肾小球硬化和肾小管萎缩等慢性病变均较LIS组和CAS组为轻（P〈0．05）；HIS组移植肾组织中转化生长因子-β1（TGF-β1）的表达和分泌均较LIS组和CAS组为少（P〈0．05）。结论大豆异黄酮对移植肾功能和结构有保护作用，可作为一种防治慢性移植肾肾病的新方法。     

巨细胞病毒感染肾移植受者红细胞表面分子CD35、CD58、CD59表达的变化

目的探讨巨细胞病毒(CMV)感染肾移植受者红细胞膜表面分子CD35、CD58、CD59表达的变化规律及其意义。方法选择同种异体肾移植术的受者82例,根据外周血CMV-pp65抗原检测定性结果将其分为CMV阴性组(21例)和CMV阳性组(61例),再根据CMV-pp65(+)白细胞计数结果将活动性CMV阳性组分为低活动性感染亚组(55例)和高活动性感染亚组(6例);另外选取健康成人志愿者作为健康对照组(30名)。采用流式细胞术检测CMV-pp65抗原和红细胞膜表面分子CD35、CD58、CD59的表达情况。结果与健康对照组比较,CMV阳性组的肾移植受者红细胞表面分子CD35、CD58、CD59表达水平降低,CMV阴性组的CD35和CD59表达水平降低(均为P0.05);与CMV阴性组比较,CMV阳性组的红细胞表面分子CD58和CD59表达水平明显降低(均为P0.05)。高活动性感染亚组的红细胞表面分子CD35和CD59表达水平均低于低活动性感染亚组(均为P0.05)。结论肾移植术后CMV活动性感染的程度越严重,患者红细胞表面免疫分子CD35、CD58、CD59的表达越低,提示红细胞免疫功能紊乱可能参与了CMV活动性感染。     

西罗莫司与未成熟树突状细胞延长小鼠皮肤移植存活时间的协同作用

目的 研究西罗莫司（SRL）对小鼠骨髓源树突状细胞（DC）分化及成熟的影响，观察西罗莫司与未成熟树突状细胞在延长小鼠皮肤移植存活时间中的协同作用。方法 （1）在诱导C57BL／6小鼠骨髓细胞定向分化为DC时加入SRL，通过流式细胞仪检测CD11c、CD86及MHCⅡ类分子表达情况，经脂多糖（LPS）刺激后，再检测各分子表达的变化。（2）通过单向混合淋巴细胞反应（MLR）观察经SRL处理的DC刺激同种异基因小鼠T细胞增殖情况。（3）以C57BL／6小鼠为供者，BALB／c小鼠为受者建立皮肤移植模型。观察皮肤移植前7d经尾静脉注射供者未成熟DC及经胃管连续灌注SRL7d的受者移植皮片存活情况及组织学变化。结果 （1）经SRL处理的DC表面CD11c表达仅有轻度降低，但CD86和MHCⅡ类分子表达明显减少。（2）MLR显示经SRL处理的DC刺激同种异基因小鼠T细胞增殖的能力降低。（3）受者皮肤移植术前联合应用供者未成熟DC和SRL，可减轻移植皮片炎症反应并延长其存活时间。结论 SRL对DC分化的影响不明显，但可抑制DC发育成熟。受者术前应用SRL和未成熟DC可延长皮肤移植的存活时间。     

Impact of very early high doses of recombinant erythropoietin on anemia and allograft function in de novo kidney‐transplant patients

After kidney transplantation, occurrence of anemia in the early post‐transplant period (<1 month) is high and arises out of issues that are multifactorial. We performed a retrospective single‐center study to assess whether delivery of high doses of erythropoietin‐stimulating agents (ESA) within the first week of kidney transplantation, translates at 1 month post‐transplant, in to causing less anemia and whether it has an impact on allograft function. Ninety‐nine patients were not given ESA (group I), whereas 82 were (250 IU/kg/week; group II). All patients had similar pretransplant and baseline (day 0) variables. Similar numbers of group II patients were still receiving ESA by day 14 (97.5%) and day 30 (89%). Respective figures for group I were 27% and 27%. Independent factors for anemia at 1 month post‐transplant included: being male subject, treatment for hypertension at pretransplant, anemia at transplant, a higher mean corpuscular volume at transplant, and an induction therapy using antithymocyte globulins. Independent predictive factors for lower creatinine clearance included being female subjects, having a donor aged >50 years, being a recipient aged >50 years, not treated for hypertension at pretransplant, and no post‐transplant ESA therapy. High doses of ESA within the first month of kidney transplantation have no impact on anemia or renal function by 1 month post‐transplant.     

再次肾移植受者和移植肾长期预后影响因素分析

目的探究再次肾移植受者和移植肾存活情况及长期预后影响因素。 方法回顾性分析1991年1月1日至2017年12月31日于浙江大学医学院附属第一医院肾脏病中心接受肾移植受者临床资料。共纳入再次肾移植受者37例,首次肾移植受者5 374例。根据再次肾移植受者移植肾存活时间长短,将其分为长期存活组(19例,>5年)和短期存活组(18例,≤5年)。采用成组t检验比较长期和短期存活组供受者年龄、首次与再次肾移植间隔时间、HLA错配数和再次移植供肾冷/热缺血时间。采用卡方检验比较长期和短期存活组受者性别、再次移植供肾类型、再次移植前后群体反应性抗体阳性比例、首次移植失功移植肾切除比例、再次移植前免疫诱导比例及再次移植后移植肾功能延迟恢复(DGF)和急性排斥反应发生比例。采用Kaplan-Meier法分析再次和首次肾移植受者/移植肾1、5和10年存活率。采用Cox比例风险模型分析影响再次肾移植术后移植肾长期存活影响因素。P<0.05为差异有统计学意义。 结果截至2018年3月1日,37例再次肾移植受者中位随访时间为152个月(11～323个月),2例死亡,18例发生移植肾失功,17例移植肾功能稳定。5 374例首次肾移植受者中位随访时间为108.9个月(0.1～350.0个月),459例死亡,1 343例发生移植肾失功。再次移植组受者/移植肾1、5和10年存活率分别为86%/81%、86%/62%和82%/36%,首次移植组受者/移植肾1、5和10年存活率分别为99%/98%、93%/89%和88%/80%。再次移植组移植肾1、5和10年存活率均低于首次移植组(χ²＝60.816、25.110和43.900,P均<0.05);再次移植组受者1年存活率低于首次移植组,差异有统计学意义(χ²＝40.409,P<0.05)。长期和短期存活组受者再次移植后移植肾DGF和急性排斥反应发生比例差异均有统计学意义(χ²＝4.039和4.748,P均<0.05)。Cox回归分析结果示DGF和急性排斥反应是影响再次肾移植受者移植肾长期存活的独立危险因素,差异有统计学意义(RR＝4.317和4.571,P均<0.05)。 结论再次肾移植受者移植肾存活率低于首次肾移植受者,DGF和急性排斥反应是影响再次移植受者移植肾存活的独立危险因素。     

Prevalence and association of post-renal transplant anemia

In some renal allograft recipients, anemia persists or develops following transplantation. Anemia is associated with pre-operative blood loss and allograft dysfunction, including delayed graft function, acute rejection and chronic allograft dysfunction. To study the prevalence and association of post-renal transplant anemia, we studied 200 renal transplant recipients; 131 (65.5%) patients were males and 69 (34.5%) patients were females, and age ranged from 17 to 67 years, with a mean of 37.7 ± 10.8 years. All patients were receiving cyclosporine, prednisolone and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Complete blood count was done at two times: three and six months post-renal transplant. There were 74% anemic patients three months after renal transplantation and 45% anemic patients six months after renal transplantation. High creatinine value, female gender, delayed graft function, episodes of acute rejection, perioperative blood loss and infections were the only significant independent risk factors for prevalence of anemia post-renal transplant. In our study, we did not find an association between MMF and cyclosporine nor angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptors blocker (ARBs) with anemia. This study demonstrates that anemia is a common complication during the first six months after kidney transplantation, with several risk factors precipitating this complication.     

Long-term results of living kidney transplantation from HLA-identical sibling donors under calcineurin inhibitor immunosuppression

BACKGROUND: Recently, it has been revealed that alloantigen-independent causes are important factors for late graft loss in kidney transplantation. We compared the results of living kidney transplantation from HLA-identical siblings with those from HLA-non-identical siblings to analyse the impact of alloantigen-independent factors on long-term graft survival. METHODS: Two hundred and sixty-six recipients who were grafted from their siblings between 1983 and 2002 were subdivided into those transplanted from HLA-identical donors (n=86) and those from HLA-non-identical donors (n=180). RESULTS: The incidence of acute rejection was significantly lower in the HLA-identical group than in the HLA-non-identical group (9.3% vs 53.9%, respectively; P<0.0001). Graft survival was significantly higher in the HLA-identical group than in the HLA-non-identical group (91.3% vs 79.2% at 5 years, 80.3% vs 66.8% at 10 years and 59.1% vs 51.7% at 15 years, respectively; P=0.0372). Although acute rejection was not seen as a cause of graft loss in the HLA-identical group, death with functioning graft, recurrence of the original disease or chronic allograft nephropathy were observed as the major causes of graft loss in the late period of the HLA-identical group. CONCLUSION: We concluded that alloantigen-independent causes constitute a crucial factor for graft loss in the late period of HLA-identical kidney transplantation.     

Function, structure, and volume of thyroid gland following allogenic kidney transplantation

The aim of the study was to assess the structure, volume, and function of the thyroid gland following kidney transplantation compared with those features of long-term transplant recipients as well as patients with normal native kidney function. Study group A consisted of 30 patients undergoing allogenic kidney transplantation, study group B included 30 long-term kidney transplant recipients who displayed stable renal function at 4 to 11 years following transplantation; control group C comprised 38 patients who were diagnosed or treated for reasons other than thyroid or renal insufficiency.Mean FT-3 concentrations in group A decreased from 2.19 pg/mL preoperatively to 1.52 pg/mL on the first posttransplantation day, returning to the preoperative values (2.06 pg/mL) at 30 days postoperatively. After 6 months the concentrations of thyroid hormones were similar to those among the long-term posttransplantation group (group B), although still lower than those in the control group. Mean thyroid volume in dialyzed patients was 17.10 mL; in the long-term group, 17.60 mL; and in the control group, 15.82 mL between groups that were not statistically significant. Abnormal structure of the thyroid gland was observed in 63% of group A (n = 19), 70% of group B (n = 21), and 29% of the control group. Significantly more abnormal thyroid gland structures were observed among dialyzed or transplanted patients. The thyroid volume was similar in all groups. Significant transient decrease in thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and free triidothyronine (FT-3) was not free thyroxine (FT-4) concentrations following kidney transplantation. Occasionally, increase accompanied by a change in FT-4 and TSH concentrations were observed, and antithyroid antibodies were detected only sporadically.     

Prevalence and Management of Anemia in Renal Transplant Recipients: A European Survey

The TRansplant European Survey on Anemia Management (TRESAM) documented the prevalence and management of anemia in kidney transplant recipients. Data from 72 transplant centers in 16 countries were screened, involving 4263 patients who had received transplants 6 months, 1, 3 or 5 years earlier. The mean age of transplant recipients was 45.5 years at transplantation. The most common etiology was chronic glomerulonephritis. The most common comorbidities were coronary artery disease, hepatitis B/C, and type 2 diabetes. The mean hemoglobin levels before transplantation were significantly higher in the more recently transplanted recipients. At enrollment, 38.6% of patients were found to be anemic. Of the 8.5% of patients who were considered severely anemic, only 17.8% were treated with epoetin. There was a strong association between hemoglobin and graft function; of the 904 patients with serum creatinine > 2 mg/dL, 60.1% were anemic, vs. 29.0% of those with serum creatinine 相似文献   

Anemia: A Continuing Problem Following Kidney Transplantation

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death among kidney transplant recipients. Anemia, a risk factor for cardiovascular complications among patients with chronic kidney disease, has not been well characterized in kidney transplant recipients. We performed a retrospective cohort study of the prevalence of and factors associated with anemia among 240 patients who underwent kidney transplantation at our institution. The mean hematocrit (Hct) rose from 33% at 1 month after transplantation to 40% at 12 months after transplantation. The proportion of patients with Hct < 36% was 76% at transplantation and 21% and 36%, 1 year and 4 years after transplantation, respectively. Six months after transplantation, women had higher likelihood (OR = 3.61) of Hct < 36%, while higher Hct at 3 months (OR = 0.67 for 1% higher Hct) and diabetes (OR = 0.14) were associated with a lower likelihood of Hct < 36%. Similar associations were seen 12 months after transplantation. Even among patients with Hct < 30%, only 36% had iron studies, 46% received iron supplementation and 40% received recombinant human erythropoietin. Awareness of factors associated with a lower Hct may prompt better anemia screening and management, potentially improving cardiovascular outcomes among kidney transplant recipients.     

Factors predicting the long-term success of maintenance cyclosporine monotherapy after kidney transplantation

BACKGROUND: The theoretical aim of maintenance cyclosporine monotherapy (mCsA) after kidney transplantation is to reduce the incidence of the metabolic complications of corticosteroids and to minimize the adverse effects of excessive long-term immunosuppression. This study was performed in low-immunological-risk cadaveric kidney transplant recipients to evaluate the risks and benefits of mCsA and the long-term graft survival, and to determine the factors predicting success of this policy. METHODS: The multicenter retrospective study was conducted in 329 Caucasian patients receiving mCsA out of 728 first cadaveric kidney transplant recipients. The inclusion criteria were: HLA antibodies < or =25%, serum creatinine <200 micromol/L, and no rejection or only one rejection episode. At the end of the study, we compared the group of patients successfully treated with mCsA (successful group) with those requiring additional immunosuppressive agents (unsuccessful mCsA group). RESULTS: Overall patient and graft survival rates for the 728 first cadaveric graft were 92% and 64%, respectively, at 8 years. Out of 329 patients enrolled in mCsA, 240 were maintained on this treatment and 89 were withdrawn (3 deaths, 18 graft losses, 68 functional grafts). The 8-year graft survival in the 329 enrolled mCsA patients was 84%, 95% in the successful mCsA group, and 70% in the unsuccessful mCsA group. Multivariate analysis showed that the factors predicting success of mCsA were: donor age <40 years (P = 0.001), serum creatinine at mCsA initiation <125 micromol/L (P = 0.02), no rejection episode before mCsA initiation (P = 0.005), and glomerulopathy as the primary renal disease (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Numerous kidney transplant recipients with a low immunological risk and good and stable renal function may benefit from discontinuation of prednisone and azathioprine in order to reduce the complications related to these drugs. This therapeutic approach had no adverse impact on the overall long-term graft survival for "low risk" and successful patients.     

Outcome of renal transplantation in patients treated with erythropoietin.

The introduction of treatment with recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) has raised the possibility of deleterious effects on early kidney graft function. Due to renal anemia, the great majority of patients waiting for kidney transplantation until now have had a low hematocrit. It has been suggested that a low hematocrit is beneficial for early kidney graft function by protecting the transplanted kidney from so-called reperfusion damage, which results in delayed onset of renal function. We have retrospectively examined the early function of 26 kidney grafts transplanted to uremic patients with rhEPO corrected anemia. Compared with a randomized control group no significant differences were seen in the rate of immediate onset of graft function, graft survival or serum levels of creatinine one year after transplantation. We conclude that the reversing of anemia by rhEPO in recipients of cadaver kidneys does not impair early graft function.     

Bilateral nephrectomy of the native kidneys reduces the incidence of arterial hypertension and erythrocytosis in kidney graft recipients treated with cyclosporin

Since the use of cyclosporin (CsA) the incidence of post-transplant arterial hypertension and erythrocytosis has increased sharply. In a retrospective analysis of 707 consecutive first cadaveric kidney graft recipients treated with CsA as basic immunosuppression, the effect of bilateral native nephrectomy on arterial hypertension and erythrocytosis was studied. Patient and graft survival as well as kidney function of the 264 nephrectomized patients were identical to those of the 443 non-nephrectomized patients. In the nephrectomized patients the mean number of rejections during the first year was 0.62 ± 0.88 versus 0.78 ± 1.02 in the non-nephrectomized patients (P = 0.0285). At 1 year after transplantation, 65.8% of the non-nephrectomized patients needed hypotensive drugs versus 45.3% of the nephrectomized patients (P < 0.0001). Notwithstanding the use of more anti-hypertensive drugs, diastolic blood pressure in the former group was significantly higher than in the latter group (87 ± 25 versus 83 ± 10 mm Hg; P < 0.02). During the first year 44 (9.9%) of the non-nephrectomized patients had haemoglobin levels higher than 17 g/dl versus only six (2.3%) of the nephrectomized patients (P < 0.0001). Comparable differences were also found up to 5 years after transplantation. These findings indicate that native nephrectomy is helpful in controlling arterial hypertension and erythrocytosis.