Tacrolimus Combined with Two Different Dosages of Sirolimus in Kidney Transplantation: Results of a Multicenter Study

Tacrolimus combined with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is an effective regimen in kidney transplantation. This study compared the efficacy of combining tacrolimus and two different dosages of sirolimus with an established tacrolimus-MMF regimen. Each day in addition to tacrolimus, 325 patients received 2 mg sirolimus (TAC-SRL2 mg), 325 patients received 0.5 mg sirolimus (TAC-SRL0.5 mg) and 327 patients 1 g MMF (TAC-MMF). The initial tacrolimus dose was 0.2 mg/kg/day. Sirolimus patients received loading doses of 6 or 1.5 mg, and daily doses of 2 or 0.5 mg thereafter. Steroid administration was identical for all groups. The incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection was lower in the TAC-SRL2 mg group (15.7%) compared with the TAC-SRL0.5 mg (25.2%, p = 0.003) and the TAC-MMF groups (22.3%, p = 0.036). Six-month graft survival was 91.0% (TAC-SRL2 mg), 92.6% (TAC-SRL0.5 mg) and 92.4% (TAC-MMF); the respective values for patient survival were 98.1%, 97.8% and 97.9%. Thirty-four patients (10.5%), 19 patients (5.8%) and 16 patients (4.9%) in the TAC-SRL2 mg, TAC-SRL0.5 mg and TAC-MMF groups, respectively, discontinued the study because of adverse events. Hyperlipemia was reported more often in the TAC-SRL2 mg group (24.0%) compared with 19.4% (TAC-SRL0.5 mg) and 11.0% (TAC-MMF; p < 0.05). Combining 2 mg sirolimus/day with tacrolimus results in lower rates of acute rejection, but a higher incidence of adverse events.     

Older donors and kidney transplantation

Reluctance to use kidneys from older donors (>50 years of age) is based on reports of inferior results. We reviewed our experience with 45 kidneys transplanted from older donors. Primary nonfunction, immediate graft function, and 1-, 2- and 3-year graft survival rates were similar to those obtained with kidneys transplanted from donors aged between 20 and 40 years. Renal function at 1 year (as measured by serum creatinine) was poorer in kidneys from older donors. No beneficial effect with respect to graft survival was noted with cyclosporin therapy compared to conventional immunosuppression; however, the numbers are small. We conclude that kidneys from older donors are a valuable source for transplantation.     

B超引导下经皮穿刺囊内注射铝溶液治疗肾囊肿

在 B 超引导下经皮穿刺囊内注射铝溶液治疗肾囊肿72例89个囊肿结果:消失48个,有效36个,总有效率94%。随访3个月至2年未见复发。其方法安全、简便、无副作用。并对铝溶液作用机制进行初步探讨。     

彩超对肾移植术后并发肝脏恶性肿瘤的监测

目的　探讨彩超在肾移植术后并发肝脏恶性肿瘤监测中的应用价值。　方法　应用 Acuson12 8XP彩色多普勒超声诊断仪 ,对在我院行异体肾移植手术的终末期尿毒症患者 12 0 0例进行规律随访。　结果　发现 17例恶性肿瘤 ,其中肝癌 7例 ,占 4 1.17%。 5例肿块单发 ,2例多发 ;肿块最大 10 cm× 10 cm,最小 2 .3cm× 2 .1cm。其中 6例手术病理证实 ,1例肝活检证实。　结论　对移植肾术后患者 ,首选彩超随访肝脏变化 ,能早期发现肿瘤 ,为临床选择治疗方案提供时机 ,并提高换肾后发生恶性肿瘤患者的存活率     

The Broad Spectrum of Quality in Deceased Donor Kidneys

The quality of the deceased donor organ clearly is one of the most crucial factors in determining graft survival and function in recipients of a kidney transplant. There has been considerable effort made towards evaluating these organs culminating in an amendment to allocation policy with the introduction of the expanded criteria donor (ECD) policy.
Our study, from first solitary adult deceased donor transplant recipients from 1996 to 2002 in the National Scientific Transplant Registry database, presents a donor kidney risk grade based on significant donor characteristics, donor–recipient matches and cold ischemia time, generated directly from their risk for graft loss. We investigated the impact of our donor risk grade in a naïve cohort on short- and long-term graft survival, as well as in subgroups of the population.
The projected half-lives for overall graft survival in recipients by donor risk grade were I (10.7 years), II (10.0 years), III (7.9 years), IV (5.7 years) and V (4.5 years). This study indicates that there is great variability in the quality of deceased donor kidneys and that the assessment of risk might be enhanced by this scoring system as compared to the simple two-tiered system of the current ECD classification.     

Xenograft rejection--all that glitters is not Gal.

Xenotransplantation is being developed in the hope of resolvingthe critical shortage of donor organs for transplantation. TheEurotransplant waiting lists [1] for donor organs of variouskinds number almost 16 000 patients and the US lists [2] morethan 90 000 patients. Renal transplantation, for instance, cost-effectivelyconfers a significant survival advantage [3] and improvementof quality of life [4]. But whereas currently, in Europe, nearly12 000 end-stage renal disease patients await a suitable donor,only 3383 kidney transplants were performed in 2005, with anaverage waiting time of 1174 days [1]. Substantial researchefforts are being made in the field of xenotransplantation,and the immunological barriers are gradually being elucidated.Pig-to-human xenogeneic     

Sodium MRI of the human kidney at 3 Tesla.

The sodium concentration gradient in the kidney (from the cortex to the medulla) serves to regulate fluid homeostasis and is tightly coupled to renal function. It was previously shown that renal function and pathophysiology can be characterized in rat kidneys by measuring the sodium gradient with (23)Na MRI. This study demonstrates for the first time the ability of (23)Na MRI to map the distribution of sodium in the human kidney and to quantify the corticomedullary sodium gradient. The study was performed on a 3T Signa LX scanner (GE) using an in-house-built quadrature surface coil. (23)Na images of volunteers were acquired using a 3D coronal gradient-echo sequence at a spatial resolution of 0.3 x 0.3 x 1.5 cm(3) in a 25-min scan time. The signal intensity (relative to the noise) increased linearly from the cortex to each of the medullae with a mean slope of 1.6 +/- 0.2 in relative arbitrary units per mm (Rel.u./mm, N = 6) and then decreased, as expected, toward the renal pelvis. Water deprivation (12 hr) induced a significant increase of 25% (P < 0.05) in this gradient. Based on these results, we suggest that sodium MRI can serve as a valuable noninvasive method for functional imaging of the human kidney.     

复方醋酸环丙孕酮和罗格列酮序贯用药对氯米芬抵抗的多囊卵巢综合征患者内分泌及生育功能的影响

目的探讨复方醋酸环丙孕酮和罗格列酮序贯用药对改善多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）患者生育功能的临床疗效。方法30例氯米芬抵抗的PCOS胰岛素抵抗患者，口服复方醋酸环丙孕酮3个月后，罗格列酮联合氯米芬用药6个月，比较用药前后体重指数、月经周期、生殖激素水平、排卵率、妊娠率、血糖和胰岛素水平的变化。结果与用药前相比，服用复方醋酸环丙孕酮后，雄激素水平和LH／FSH值明显降低（P〈0．05），服用罗格列酮后，胰岛素抵抗指数（Homa IR）、胰岛素分泌指数（Homa β）以及β细胞功能评定指数（MBCI）均较用药前降低（P〈0．05）。结论复方醋酸环丙孕酮和罗格列酮序贯用药可有效地抑制氯米芬抵抗的PCOS患者的高雄激素血症，改善胰岛素抵抗及生育功能。