Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty of focal coronary lesions after cardiac transplantation

Summary Transplant coronary artery disease is the greatest impediment to long-term survival beyond the first year after cardiac transplantation. Transplant coronary artery disease shows a heterogeneous angiographic appearance, but focal stenoses can occur alone or at least predominate. Based on an angiographic indication 35 critical focal lesions causing narrowing by 75% or more were treated by PTCA during 23 procedures in seven patients 18–84 months after cardiac transplantation. Three patients each underwent only one procedure and four underwent repeated procedures [2, 3, 4 and 11, respectively]. Primary success was achieved without any complication in 35 of 35 lesions (100%). The mean degree of stenosis was reduced from 86±9% to 28±17% (P<0.001). The rate of restenosis was 18/29 (62%) at a mean of 4 months after angioplasty. Four patients are alive and free of adverse effects (symptoms, myocardial infarction, repeated percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, retransplantation) 16±10 months after their last angioplasty. One patient underwent a successful second heart transplantation 26 months after the first angioplasty. Two patients died, 1 and 31 months after the last angioplasty. In conclusion, percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty can be performed safely with an excellent primary success rate in critical focal transplant coronary artery disease. The rate of restenosis is higher than in native coronary artery disease. Long-term follow-up depends on the individually variable accelerated nature of graft atherosclerosis.Abbreviations PTCA percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty - TxCAD transplant coronary artery disease - HTX heart transplantation - LAD left anterior decending artery - CFX circumflex artery - RCA right coronary artery     

Microfilaria in malignant pleural effusion: an unusual association

Lymphatic filariasis is common in tropical countries and is endemic in India. Filariasis presenting with pleural effusion is an unusual presentation. Malignancy in association of filarial pleural effusion is extremely rare. We report a case of a 60-year-old female who presented with chest pain, loss of weight and breathlessness for a few months. Pleural fluid examination revealed malignant cells, along with microfilaria of Wuchereria bancrofti.     

Exercise after heart transplantation

Exercise intolerance in heart transplant recipients (HTR) has a multifactorial origin, involving complex interactions among cardiac, neurohormonal, vascular, skeletal muscle and pulmonary abnormalities. However, the role of these abnormalities may differ as a function of time after transplantation and of many other variables. The present review is aimed at evaluating the role of cardiac, pulmonary and muscular factors in limiting maximal aerobic performance of HTR, and the benefits of chronic exercise. Whereas pulmonary function does not seem to affect gas exchange until a critical value of diffusing lung capacity is attained, cardiac and skeletal muscle function deterioration may represent relevant factors limiting maximal and submaximal aerobic performance. Cardiac function is mainly limited by chronotropic incompetence and diastolic dysfunction, whereas muscle activity seems to be limited by impaired oxygen supply as a consequence of the reduced capillary network. The latter may be due to either immunosuppressive regimen or deconditioning. Endurance and strength training may greatly improve muscle function and maximal aerobic performance of HTR, and may also reduce side effects of immunosuppressive therapy and control risk factors for cardiac allograft vasculopathy. For the above reasons exercise should be considered an important therapeutic tool in the long-term treatment of heart transplant recipients.     

Parathyroidectomy after kidney transplantation: short-and long-term impact on renal function

INTRODUCTION:

Kidney transplantation corrects endocrine imbalances. Nevertheless, these early favorable events are not always followed by rapid normalization of parathyroid hormone secretion. A possible deleterious effect of parathyroidectomy on kidney transplant function has been reported. This study aimed to compare acute and long-term renal changes after total parathyroidectomy with those occurring after general surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This was a retrospective case-controlled study. Nineteen patients with persistent hyperparathyroidism underwent parathyroidectomy due to hypercalcemia. The control group included 19 patients undergoing various general and urological operations.

RESULTS:

In the parathyroidectomy group, a significant increase in serum creatinine from 1.58 to 2.29 mg/dl (P < 0.05) was noted within the first 5 days after parathyroidectomy. In the control group, a statistically insignificant increase in serum creatinine from 1.49 to 1.65 mg/dl occurred over the same time period. The long-term mean serum creatinine level was not statistically different from baseline either in the parathyroidectomy group (final follow-up creatinine = 1.91 mg/dL) or in the non-parathyroidectomy group (final follow-up creatinine = 1.72 mg/dL).

CONCLUSION:

Although renal function deteriorates in the acute period following parathyroidectomy, long-term stabilization occurs, with renal function similar to both preoperative function and to a control group of kidney-transplanted patients who underwent other general surgical operations by the final follow up.     

肝移植后早期胸腔积液的病因

背景：胸腔积液是终末期肝病及肝移植后患者常见并发症,如果采取措施不当,可能会增加移植后死亡率。 目的：探讨肝移植后患者胸腔积液的发病原因。 方法：回顾解放军第309医院全军器官移植中心2009-05/2010-05收治的36例行原位肝移植病例资料,分析移植后早期胸腔积液发生率、危险因素,对左右胸腔积液采用t 检验,对有意义的统计学指标进行Logistic回归分析。 结果与结论：肝移植后早期胸腔积液的发生率为72%(26/36),单纯右侧胸腔积液26例(26/36,72%),双侧胸腔积液13例(13/36,1%)。Logistic回归分析结果显示,是否二次手术、是否肺部感染、移植后机械通气时间、移植后3 d出入量、基础疾病是移植后发生胸腔积液的易感因素。     

心肌干细胞移植心肌梗死区12周后的心电生理稳定性及室颤阈值改善效应

背景：课题组前期研究证实心肌干细胞治疗心肌梗死后短中期(6周)能明显改善心电生理学稳定性和室颤阈值。 目的：观察心肌干细胞对心力衰竭大鼠室颤阈值和心电生理稳定性的长期影响。 方法：开胸结扎20只SD大鼠左前降支冠状动脉,2周后其中10只大鼠局部梗死心肌内注射PKH26荧光标记的由PBS悬浮的心肌干细胞,另10只大鼠局部梗死心肌内注射等量PBS。治疗12周后,再次开胸检测梗死区、梗死边缘区和非梗死区的心电生理特性和室颤阈值。实验结束后,摘取心脏行病理切片,检查PHK26标记的心肌干细胞是否在梗死区内生存并表达连接蛋白43及α-肌动蛋白。 结果与结论：与对照组相比,心肌干细胞移植12周后其梗死区、梗死边缘区和非梗死区的单极电图激动恢复时间、纠正的激动恢复时间差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05);单极电图纠正的激动恢复时间离散度、电刺激所激发的恶性心律失常差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05);室颤阈值方面,实验组梗死区和梗死边缘区与对照组相比差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05),非梗死区与对照组相比差异有显著性意义(P < 0.05)。PHK26标记的心肌干细胞在梗死边缘区内被发现并表达连接蛋白43和α-肌动蛋白。以上结果提示心肌干细胞移植后12周其心电生理的稳定性和室颤阈值的改善效应已逐渐消失,但机制未明。 中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞;骨髓干细胞;造血干细胞;脂肪干细胞;肿瘤干细胞;胚胎干细胞;脐带脐血干细胞;干细胞诱导;干细胞分化;组织工程全文链接：     

The management of malignant cardiac tumors: clinical considerations

Primary sarcomas of the heart are extremely rare, whereas secondary cardiac involvement with malignancy is relatively common, especially in the setting of widespread metastatic disease. Patients may present acutely with catastrophic hemodynamic instability, but presentation is more commonly nonspecific. The symptoms of primary cardiac sarcomas are often misattributed to more common conditions, and secondary cardiac involvement may be overlooked in the constellation of symptoms associated with widespread metastases. Initial diagnosis of cardiac malignancy is best made with echocardiography, but a more complete assessment of local and regional disease extent with CT and MRI is required when curative management is contemplated. Early diagnosis and radical excision are essential to long-term survival for primary cardiac sarcoma and can lead to long-term survival, although this is rarely accomplished and overall results are very disappointing. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy have a limited role in primary management, but can be beneficial and should be considered for selected cases. Orthotopic cardiac transplantation is a controversial treatment for primary cardiac sarcoma, but has been associated with prolonged survival in selected cases. Secondary cardiac involvement with malignancy usually occurs at the terminal phase of a prolonged disease course, and palliative chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery can provide temporary symptomatic relief. In the specific instance where secondary cardiac involvement leads to the initial diagnosis of malignancy, or is the first evidence of small-volume metastatic recurrence, aggressive surgical management may result in long-term survival, provided that all gross tumor can be excised. Management is always complex, and patients with malignant cardiac involvement should be referred to centers of specialized expertise for multidisciplinary assessment and treatment whenever possible.     

CD40-ligand in primate cardiac allograft and viral immunity

Our laboratory has studied the role of CD40 ligand (CD40L, CD154) in the primate immune response to allogenic and infectious challenges. We find that intensive early blockade of CD40L reliably attenuates acute rejection of primate cardiac allografts. Monotherapy fails to prevent late graft loss, which often occurs in association with rising antidonor antibody titers and allograft vasculopathy, despite continuing anti-CD40L therapy. In contrast, the primary humoral response to T helper dependent influenze viral antigen is inhibited during anti-CD40L the rapy, and responses to subsequent immunization are blunted after discontinuation of therapy. These results are encouraging with regard to the tolerogenic potential of costimulatory blockade for specific T helper dependent antigens. However, these findings also indicate that pathogenic allograft responses in primates are probably not entirely CD40L-dependent. As such, additional immunomodulatory strategies are needed to facilitate tolerance to a transplanted organ.     

Outcomes of Relapsed and Refractory Primary Mediastinal (Thymic) Large B Cell Lymphoma Treated with Second-Line Therapy and Intent to Transplant

Primary mediastinal (thymic) large B cell lymphoma is a subtype of diffuse large B cell lymphoma with distinct clinical, molecular, and genetic features, many of which overlap with Hodgkin lymphoma. Increasingly, initial therapy for these patients has used dose-dense chemotherapy with or without radiation with excellent results. In patients with relapsed and primary refractory disease, outcomes of second-line therapy followed by consolidation with high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplantation remains largely undefined. We reviewed the outcomes of 60 transplant-eligible patients with relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal (thymic) large B cell lymphoma enrolled on sequential protocols with uniform second-line therapy with intent to consolidate with autologous stem cell transplant. The estimated 3-year overall and event-free survivals for all patients were 61% and 57%, respectively, and 68% and 65%, respectively, for patients proceeding to stem cell transplant. Multivariable analysis of risk factors before transplant revealed that an incomplete response to initial therapy, advanced Ann Arbor stage at disease progression, and failure to achieve a partial remission or better to second-line therapy to be independently associated with inferior event-free and overall survival. A risk score based on these variables was able to identify patients who are unlikely to respond to conventional second-line strategies. These results suggest that salvage chemoradiotherapy with intent of subsequent high-dose therapy and autologous stem cell transplant is successful in most patients with relapsed and refractory primary mediastinal (thymic) large B cell lymphoma. Alternative strategies are warranted for a significant subset of patients with high-risk disease who are unlikely to be cured with this strategy.     

Lung transplantation: Chronic allograft dysfunction and establishing immune tolerance

Despite significant medical advances since the advent of lung transplantation, improvements in long-term survival have been largely unrealized. Chronic lung allograft dysfunction, in particular obliterative bronchiolitis, is the primary limiting factor. The predominant etiology of obliterative bronchiolitis involves the recipient’s innate and adaptive immune response to the transplanted allograft. Current therapeutic strategies have failed to provide a definitive treatment paradigm to improve long-term outcomes. Inducing immune tolerance is an emerging therapeutic strategy that abrogates allograft rejection, avoids immunosuppression, and improves long-term graft function. The aim of this review is to discuss the key immunologic components of obliterative bronchiolitis, describe the state of establishing immune tolerance in transplantation, and highlight those strategies being evaluated in lung transplantation.     

Heart rate reactivity and heart period variability throughout the first year after heart transplantation

Heart rate reactivity to mental stress is substantially blunted early after heart transplantation, suggesting that the loss of neural modulation limits the cardiovascular response to mental stress. We tested whether reactivity to mental stress recovers during the first year after heart transplantation. Hemodynamic and respiratory responses to mental arithmetic challenge were studied in 20 heart transplant recipients 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery. A normal comparison group was studied at equivalent intervals. Heart rate reactivity to mental arithmetic was significantly reduced in the cardiac transplant group compared to the normal subjects. This effect persisted up to 1 year after transplantation. Heart period variability in the heart transplant recipients was minimal in all three-test sessions. The findings suggest that no functional reinnervation or other compensatory adaptation occurs up to 1 year after heart transplantation.