Annals of Transplantation : Quarterly of the Polish Transplantation Society

BACKGROUND The management and fate of liver transplant (LT) recipients with preformed donor-specific antibodies (pDSA) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical impact of rituximab desensitization on pDSA in LT recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS This retrospective observational study enrolled 120 LT patients aged ≥18 years. Patients with pDSA were administered 500 mg/body rituximab 1-21 days before LT, except for those who had an active infection or had insufficient time to receive rituximab...

BACKGROUND Liver regeneration after partial liver transplantation, including living donor liver transplantation and split liver transplantation, is important for successful transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 68 patients who underwent partial liver transplantation and calculated their regeneration index (RI)-based difference in postoperative and preoperative liver volume. We collected clinical data of donors and recipients and analyzed the correlation between clinical characteristics and RI...

BACKGROUND To evaluate the role of double-lung transplantation (DLT) for lung cancer, the survival outcomes of patients who underwent DLT for lung cancer and the incidence of de novo lung cancer after DLT were assessed. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data from all cases reported in the literature were pooled for analysis and additional data were collected from the Organ Procurement Transplantation Network (OPTN) registry. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and cancer-specific survival (CSS) of patients who underwent DLT for lung cancer were determined...

BACKGROUND Toll-like receptor 3 expression is detected both on the cell membrane and in endosomes of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Our goal in this study was to determine to what extent a single, baseline measurement of non-stimulated PBMC TLR3-mRNA can be related to baseline GFR (b-GFR) and post-follow-up-GFR (F-up-GFR) of a kidney transplant (KT) and baseline immunosuppression. MATERIAL AND METHODS In non-stimulated PBMC we investigated averaged mRNA expression of Toll-like receptor 3. A total of 133 patients were enrolled; the median of months after KT surgery was 11...

BACKGROUND Malignant and benign neuroendocrine tumors (NET) share many histopathological features. Liver transplantation (LT) is one of the liver-directed therapies for neuroendocrine liver metastases (NELM). The aim of this study was to determine the outcomes of patients undergoing LT for NELM. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a retrospective study that included 19 patients who underwent LT for unresectable NELM between December 1989 and December 2022 in the Department of General, Transplant, and Liver Surgery of the Medical University of Warsaw...

BACKGROUND Over the past 2 decades, there have been many medical advances in the field of liver transplantation. We conducted this study to evaluate the changes in liver transplantation over the last 2 decades. MATERIAL AND METHODS Three hundred cases of liver transplantation encountered between 1997 and 2019 in Nagasaki University Hospital were divided into 3 groups: Era 1 (cases no. 1-100), Era 2 (cases no. 101-200), and Era 3 (cases no. 201-300). Several items were compared among the groups. RESULTS There were no cases of deceased-donor liver transplantation in Era 1, 1 case in Era 2, and 12 cases in Era 3...

BACKGROUND Alveolar echinococcosis, a lethal parasitic disease, can invade important vessels in the liver. A liver vascular anomaly causes compensatory changes in other blood vessels connected to it because of the close relationship between them. Obstruction of the retrohepatic inferior vena cava and the second hilum can form the intrahepatic venous network and the vertebral venous plexus pathway, which can be demonstrated by hepatic venography and anatomical and autopsy studies. CASE REPORT A Tibetan woman, age 31, with hepatic alveolar echinococcosis and unique intrahepatic hemodynamic features, was referred to our center and underwent successful ex vivo liver resection and autotransplantation...

BACKGROUND Many patients have bone defects that exceed the healing size. This study aimed to construct polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite (PCL/nHA) composite scaffolds with different pore sizes and investigate the osteogenesis and histocompatibility of cortical bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs-C) seeded on it after inoculation. MATERIAL AND METHODS After mixing PCL and nHA proportionally, three-dimensional (3D) printing was used to print scaffolds. Porosity, compressive strength, and elastic modulus of PCL/nHA scaffolds were tested...

BACKGROUND The Naples prognostic score is a comprehensive measure of patients' inflammation and nutritional status, consisting of serum albumin, total cholesterol, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and lymphocyte/monocyte ratio (LMR). We compared the Naples prognostic scores of kidney transplant patients with a creatinine reduction ratio of less than 30% vs those with greater than 30%. MATERIAL AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective study on 93 patients who received kidney transplants at our hospital from January 2020 to January 2023...

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health worldwide. Kidney transplant recipients represent a vulnerable population that may experience increased anxiety due to their health concerns and the risk of infection. This study aims to delve into the psychological anxiety levels and influential factors of kidney transplant patients during the Omicron variant of COVID-19 pandemic in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using an online survey questionnaire to investigate the anxiety levels of 203 kidney transplant recipients and 53 individuals from the general population...

BACKGROUND Arytenoid dislocation (AD) is a rare complication of general anesthesia with tracheal intubation, with a published incidence of 0.009-0.097%. This retrospective case-control study aimed to identify risk factors associated with AD in patients who underwent liver transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study included 476 patients who underwent liver transplantation between January 2013 and December 2022. Patients with AD who underwent surgery were included in the AD group. For each case of AD, 4 patients matched by anesthesia type and anesthetist were randomly selected as the non-AD group...

BACKGROUND Hypertension is a risk factor for graft failure and mortality among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The aim of the study was to examine blood pressure (BP) as a factor that contributes to graft failure or death during a 10-year observation period. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study group comprised 70 KTRs who were treated according to their clinical state. Data were collected at 1 month and 1 year after transplantation and included office and ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) BP values, eGFR, proteinuria, and BMI...

BACKGROUND Inducing transplantation tolerance and monitoring the recipient's immune status to improve allograft survival remains the main goal for kidney transplantation (KTx). MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 53 renal transplantation patients and 20 healthy individuals were assigned to the post-transplantation and healthy groups, respectively; 10 recipients with stable renal function for 2 years after kidney transplantation were assigned to Group C. Eleven kidney transplantation recipients were hospitalized due to lung infection...

BACKGROUND In liver transplantation (LT), preoperative desensitization therapy is considered necessary in patients positive for donor-specific anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies (DSAs). However, the relationship between DSA intensity and the necessary desensitization therapy is unclear. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 37 adult living donor (LD) LTs performed between January 2016 and March 2022 were examined. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was administered preoperatively in DSA-positive cases with positive lymphocyte cross-matching who underwent LDLT...

A number types of extracellular DNA (eg, cell-free, cfDNA) circulate in human blood, including mitochondrial, transcriptome, and regulatory DNA, usually at low concentrations. Larger amounts of cfDNA appear in any inflammatory condition, including organ damage due to a variety of reasons. The role of cfDNA in solid organ transplantation is discussed in this review as a valuable additional tool in the standard of care of transplant patients. Post-transplant monitoring requires the use of high-quality biomarkers for early detection of graft damage or rejection to be able to apply early therapeutic intervention...

BACKGROUND EPTS (Estimated Post-Transplant Survival), KDRI (Kidney Donor Risk Index), and KDPI (Kidney Donor Profile Index) were developed aiming to ameliorate donor-recipient longevity matching in kidney transplants. They are based on a prediction model made using the United States population; evidence of their use outside EEUU remains limited. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of deceased-donor kidneys and to determine recipient and graft survival, glomerular filtration rate, and incidence of delayed graft function in renal transplantation according to these indices in Cali, Colombia...

BACKGROUND Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is an uncommon cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Recurrence rates after transplantation range from 11.8% to 18.9% after 5 and 15 years, respectively. This study aimed to assess the risk factors of MPGN recurrence after kidney transplantation and its impact on graft survival. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was a single-center retrospective cohort, including renal transplant recipients older than 18 years, with a diagnosis of MPGN in native kidneys...

BACKGROUND The present study evaluated expanded cause of death (COD) definitions and its implications on donor utilization for solid organ transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS The OPTN Standard Transplant and Research file was queried for potential donors between 2005 and 2019. Donor- and organ-specific utilization were evaluated. Expanded donor COD were identified: trauma, cardiovascular (CV), cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or stroke, drug intoxication (DI), anoxia not otherwise specified (NOS), and other...

BACKGROUND Recently, there has been a recommendation to utilize a combination of supportive extracorporeal therapies, specifically plasma exchange and continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration, in patients with acute liver failure. This 15-year retrospective study aimed to evaluate supportive extracorporeal therapy, including plasma exchange and continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration, for 114 adults with acute liver failure awaiting liver transplant. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this retrospective study, the medical records of 1288 adult patients who underwent liver transplantation and 161 adult patients who received alternative therapy were analyzed; 114 patients who received combined supportive extracorporeal therapy for acute liver failure were included in the study...

BACKGROUND Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is a serious complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The efficacy and survival of plasma exchange (PE) for TA-TM have not been fully clarified. In addition, there is a lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria for TA-TMA.  MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 32 patients diagnosed with TA-TMA by different diagnostic criteria from January 2018 to February 2022 at the First Medical Center of the PLA General Hospital...