Treatment of Late Class II Antibody-Mediated Rejection Status Postkidney Transplantation: Two Case Reports

We are describing the successful treatment of two cases of late Class II antibody mediated rejection status postkidney transplantation. The first patient was treated with a combination of plasmapheresis, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and stenting of the transplanted renal artery. The second was treated with IVIG and pulse steroids.     

Comparison of Fracture Toughness of All-Ceramic and Metal–Ceramic Cement Retained Implant Crowns: An In Vitro Study

To evaluate the fracture toughness of cement-retained implant-supported metal–ceramic molar crown with that of all-ceramic crowns, fabricated using IPS Empress 2 and yttria-stabilized zirconia copings. An dental implant and abutment was embedded in a clear polymethyl methacrylate model. A wax pattern reproducing the anatomy and dimension of a mandibular molar was made using inlay wax. Copings were made from the manufacturers guidelines for zirconia, metal ceramic and empress crown, in total of 21 copings, which were built for the crowns with metal layering ceramics specified by the manufacturers. The polymethylmethacrylate block-implant abutment complex was mounted on universal testing machine, and a static continuos vertical compressive load with a crosshead speed of 0.5 mm/min was applied. The breaking load and the peak load (in kilo Newtons) were recorded. The fractures for group I (zirconia–ceramic) and group II (metal–ceramic) occurred on the mesio-buccal aspect of the crowns involving the veneered ceramic layer while the catastrophic/bulk fracture was not observed. The mean value of breaking load for zirconia–ceramic, metal–ceramic and IPS-empress 2 was 3.4335, 3.071 and 1.0673 kN respectively. The mean value of peak load for zirconia–ceramic, metal–ceramic and IPS-empress 2 was 4.7365, 3.2757 and 1.566 kN respectively. It can be concluded that the zirconia–ceramic crown with the fracture toughness of 4.7365 ± 2.2676 kN has sufficient strength to allow clinical testing of these crowns as an alternative for metal–ceramic crowns (3.2757 ± 0.4681 kN).     

Preparation and first biological evaluation of novel Re-188/Tc-99m peptide conjugates with substance-P

IntroductionNew ¹⁸⁸Re and ^99mTc peptide conjugates with substance- P (SP) were prepared and biologically evaluated. The radiopharmaceuticals have been labelled with the [M≡N]²⁺ (M=^99mTc, ¹⁸⁸Re) core using a combination of π-donor tridentate and π-acceptor monodentate ancillary ligands.MethodsThe new radiopharmaceuticals have been prepared through a two-step reaction by simultaneous addition of the tridentate and monodentate ligands to a vial containing a preformed [M≡N]²⁺ core. The tridentate ligand was formed by linking two cysteine residues to the terminal arginine of the undecapeptide SP, whereas the monodentate ligand was a tertiary phosphine. The preparation of the corresponding Re-188 derivative required developing a more complex chemical procedure to obtain the [Re≡N]²⁺ core in satisfactory yields. Characterization of the resulting products was obtained by chromatographic methods. Biological evaluation was performed for both Tc-99m and Re-188 derivatives by in-vitro studies on isolated cells expressing NK1-receptors. In-vivo imaging in mice was carried out using a small-animal YAP(S)PET tomograph.ConclusionNew Tc-99m and Re-188 peptide radiopharmaceuticals with SP have been prepared in high-yield and with high-specific activity. Both Tc-99m and Re-188 peptide radioconjugates exhibit high affinity for NK1 receptors, thus giving further evidence to the empirical rule that structurally related Tc-99m and Re-188 radiopharmaceuticals exhibit identical biological properties.