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Aim: To provide data on conversion of kidney transplant patients from sirolimus to everolimus., Materials and Methods: In this 6-month prospective, open-label pilot study, maintenance renal transplant patients receiving sirolimus, mycophenolic acid and corticosteroids without concomitant calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) therapy were converted to everolimus 8 mg/day (8 - 15 ng/ml), and followed for 6 months. Mycophenolic acid and corticosteroid therapy were continued unchanged. Patients with acute rejection within the previous 3 months were excluded., Results: 11 patients were recruited and completed the study (mean 5.1 +/- 1.8 years post transplant). Mean everolimus trough level remained within target throughout the study. Mean GFR remained stable (Day 0, 48.4 +/- 8.4 ml/min/1.73 m2, Month 6, 49.5 +/- 17.3 ml/ min/1.73 m2 (p = 0.966), as did mean renal phosphate threshold (TmPO4/GFR) (Day 0, 0.41 +/- 0.15 mmol/l, Month 6, 0.40 +/- 0.17 mmol/l (p = 0.966)). Serum phosphates increased significantly from 0.71 to 0.77 mmol/l (p = 0.01), but tubular reabsorption of phosphates and 24-h phosphaturia remained unchanged and mean PTH concentration tended to decrease. No patient died, lost their graft or experienced biopsy-proven acute rejection after conversion. There were no cases of CMV infection. Tolerability remained similar post conversion. Hematological and lipid parameters remained stable. Liver enzymes and sex hormones remained within normal ranges., Conclusion: This pilot study suggests that converting kidney transplant patients receiving CNI-free maintenance immunosuppression from sirolimus to everolimus, at relatively high exposure levels, is safe and easily manageable. There was no consistent evidence for a change in GFR or proximal tubular function.

Aims: To examine the prevalence of cryoglobulinemia (Cryo) and autoimmune markers in renal-transplant recipients in a stable condition, and to determine its risk factors and impact upon allograft function., Patients and Methods: In May, 2006, 117 kidney-transplant (KT) recipients, aged 31 â 76 years, were tested for cryoglobulinemia, hepatitis B and C, complement C3, C4, CH50, antinuclear (ANAs), anticytoplasmic nuclear (ANCAs) and anticardiolipid antibodies, rheumatoid factor (RF), and lymphocyte subpopulations. Renal, liver, and hematological tests were also performed. Immunosuppressive regimens were based on calcineurin inhibitors (82%)., Results: Cryo was positive in 47 patients (Cryo(+): 40.2%), of whom 13 were HCV+ (27.7%), with characteristics of Type II in 21.2% and Type III in 78.8%. Cryo was positive in 13/16 (81.2%) of HCV+/RNA+ patients vs. 34/101 (33.6%, p = 0.0003) of HCV-negative patients. Cryo(+) RT patients had been recipients of a graft for longer (142 months) than Cryo(-) patients, i.e., 95 months (p = 0.02). Creatinine clearances were similar in the two groups (56 vs. 50 ml/mn, p = 0.5), as were microalbuminuria and albuminemia. There was no difference between Cryo(-) and Cryo(+) patients in terms of age, sex, HLA mismatch, daily steroid doses, liver and hematological tests, ANAs, anticardiolipid antibodies, serum complement, and lymphocyte subpopulations. RF occurred in all Cryo(+) patients and in 82.8% of Cryo(-) patients, with higher titers in the Cryo(+) group (23 vs. 9 UI/ml, p = 0.012). ANCA occurred in nine Cryo(-) but in no Cryo(+) patients (p = 0.013). Finally, a multivariate analysis was not able to determine any predictive factor associated with cryoglobulinemia., Conclusion: Cryoglobulinemia is frequent after KT, and is associated with HCV markers, RF, and absence of ANCA.

Background: Anemia, frequent in post-transplant patients, has been associated with cardiovascular outcomes. Although recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) is used in post-transplant anemic patients, little information is available concerning the use of darbepoetin-alfa (DA) in this population., Methods: Eligible patients had been recipients of a kidney graft for > 3 months, had anemia and chronic renal failure, but no iron deficiency. 38 patients, not previously treated by rHuEPO (Group 1), were given DA, and 35 rHuEPO-treated patients (Group 2) were switched to DA according to European Summary of Product Characteristics. Only the subcutaneous route was used. Dose adjustments were done to maintain Hb at 11 - 13 g/dl. Hb levels and DA dosage were assessed at baseline, and at Months 3 and 6., Results: Mean age (A+/- SD) of patients was 47.7 (A+/- 13.4) years (53% male). Mean duration of transplantation was 8.5 (A+/- 5.5) years and mean creatinine clearance was 42.5 (A+/- 19.8) ml/min. In Group 1, mean Hb became increased by +1.27 g/dl (95% CI 0.61, 1.94) and mean DA dose was decreased by 44% between baseline and M6. In Group 2, mean Hb and DA dose remained stable between baseline and M6. Hb response to DA appeared faster in patients who had received a transplant for less than 3 years, and lower in patients who had received a transplant more than 12 years previously., Conclusions: DA effectively corrected anemia in renal-transplant patients, in previously treated patients and in EPO-naive patients. DA was also found to be well-tolerated.

Linezolid is a recent oral antibiotic used in drug-resistant Gram-positive cocci infections. Herein, we report on the first case of linezolid-related acute renal failure in a kidney-transplant patient. A 60-year-old male having autosomic polycystic kidney disease with liver involvement, on cyclosporin A, mycophenolate mofetil and very low dose prednisolone, presented with an Enterococcus faecium abscess of a huge liver cyst, which was treated by percutaneous drainage and linezolid therapy. Eight days after starting linezolid, he presented with acute renal failure, i.e. serum creatinine increased from 136- 221 micromol/l, associated with mild hypereosinophilia, anemia and thrombocytopenia. There was no skin rash, arthralgia, eosinophiluria or proteinuria. The transplant kidney biopsy, performed 15 days after the beginning of linezolid therapy, showed interstitial nephritis and focal tubular atrophy. After linezolid withdrawal and increasing prednisolone daily dose to 20 mg/d, within a few days, serum creatinine had decreased; after 2 and 4 weeks post linezolid withdrawal, his serum creatinine was 166 and 159 micromol/l, respectively. Because of the potential side effects of linezolid, i.e. myelosuppression and possibly nephrotoxicity, we recommend close monitoring of these parameters when linezolid therapy is attempted in kidney transplant patients.

The successful use of cinacalcet in dialysis patients and in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism has prompted transplant physicians to use it to treat renal-transplant patients with persisting hyperparathyroidism. However, in the setting of kidney transplantation, many questions remain unanswered, i.e. the time of initiation of cinacalcet after transplantation, its dosage and the side effects on kidney function all remain unknown. Herein, we report on a kidney-transplant recipient with persisting hyperparathyroidism who developed hypercalciuria afterreceiving high doses of cinacalcet. Cinacalcet was started 3 months after transplantation at a once-daily dose of 60 mg. Thereafter, the dosage was increased progressively because of persistant hyperparathyroidism and hypercalcemia. At a dose of 90 mg b.i.d, hypercalciuria occurred. The latter disappeared after reduction of cinacalcet dosage. Cinacalcet might be responsible for urinary calcium excretion, either by reduction of tubular calcium reabsorption via the reduction of PTH level, or by its direct effect on the calcium sensor receptor located in the upper thick ascending limb of the loop of Henle. We conclude that cinacalcet should be used with caution in renal-transplant patients. Further investigations are required to determine the best way to use this drug in this setting.

Background: Primary focal segmental glomerular sclerosis (FSGS) recurs in 20 - 40% of patients after kidney transplantation. Rituximab has been used to treat several glomerular diseases., Patients and Results: We treated two renal-transplant patients with recurrence of FSGS with rituximab. Despite a prophylactic perioperative therapy of plasmapheresis (PE) and i.v. cyclosporine A, Patient 1 developed significant proteinuria, at 1 day after his first kidney transplantation. After two infusions of rituximab (375 mg/m2) he had complete remission. A second relapse, which occurred on Day 40, was also successfully treated by PE and one additional infusion of rituximab. 10 months after transplantation, he still has complete remission from recurrent nephrotic syndrome. Patient 2 also developed significant proteinuria, but 1 day after a second kidney transplantation. Nephrotic syndrome persisted despite 27 sessions of PE and cyclophosphamide therapy. At 13 months after transplantation, he received four infusions of rituximab (375 mg/m(2)), but this was ineffective., Conclusion: There is a need to demonstrate whether or not rituximab therapy is of interest to prevent and to treat nephritic syndrome in renal-transplant patients who suffer from FSGS.

Background: Many etiologies lead to thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), amongst which are antineoplastic chemotherapies. Gemcitabine, a nucleoside analogue, has been approved for the treatment ofbladder and advanced non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). The reported incidence of gemcitabine-associated TMA in the literature is low, ranging from 0.015-0.31%., Methods: Herein, we describe the first reported case of gemcitabine-induced TMA in a renal transplant patient. This occurred in a 54-year-old male transplant recipient undergoing sirolimus-based immunosuppression. In February 2005, he was diagnosed to have NSCLC, for which he received dual chemotherapy, including carboplatin and gemcitabine. After the third cycle he developed TMA., Results: On admission, he presented with weakness, edema, normal blood pressure, leucopenia (2440/mm3), thrombopenia (11,000/mm3), hemolytic anemia with hemoglobin at 8 g/dl, schistocytes between 18-33% per hundred, increase in lactate dehydrogenase at 600 IU/l (N <380), and decreased haptoglobin at 0.29 g/l. Renal function was stable: serum creatinine was 1.3 mg/dl, albuminemia 30 g/l, proteinuria was present at 3 g/l in association with microscopic hematuria, and sirolimus trough level was 6.4 ng/ml. Treatment included infusions of fresh frozen plasma, withdrawal of sirolimus, which was replaced by mycophenolate mofetil, and suspension of chemotherapy. He fully recovered from TMA within 4 weeks. The concomitant use of sirolimus, which inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor, plus gemcitabine may have resulted in TMA.

Aims: To identify the predictive factors for acute renal failure (ARF) in a retrospective study of 100 orthotopic liver transplantations (OLT) performed in 94 patients between 2000 and 2003., Methods: Acute renal failure (ARF) was defined using the RIFLE criteria, i.e. injury when creatinine doubles or GFR halves, and failure when creatinine trebles or GFR decreases by > 75%. Patients on dialysis pre OLT (n = 3) were excluded from the study. Immunosuppression included steroids, calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs), with (n = 32) or without mycophenolate mofetil. A total of 85% of patients also received induction therapy with antithymocyte globulins (29%) or anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies (56%)., Results: 39 patients (41.5%) and 21 (22.3%) patients developed injury, and failure, respectively. Of these, 10 (10.6%) underwent dialysis. Univariate analysis revealed that acute renal dysfunction with a RIFLE score > or = 3 was significantly associated with a pre-operative serum creatinine level of > 100 micromol/l, pre-operative creatinine clearance of < 75 ml/mn, need for a transfusion (> 10 red packed units), post-operative diuresis of < 100 ml/h, use of vasopressive drugs, times to aspartate (AST) and alanine (ALT) aminotransferase peaks of > 20 and > 24 hours, respectively, relaparotomy, CNIs transient discontinuation, and the use of lower daily dosage of CNIs at post-OLT Days 3, 5, 7 and 15. In multivariate analysis, failure was significantly associated with time to AST peak (> 20 h) (OR 6.35 (1.2 - 33.6), p = 0.029), post-operative diuresis (< 100 ml/h) (OR 9.8 (2.03 47.3), p = 0.004), post-operative use of vasopressive drugs (OR 9.91 (2.02 - 48.7), p = 0.004), and transient CNIs withdrawal (OR 51.08 (7.58-344.1), p < 0.0001). Finally, the occurrence of ARF was significantly associated with an increased number of days on mechanical ventilation, on stay-in intensive care unit (ICU), and on overall hospitalization time., Conclusion: ARF is quite common after OLT and significantly increases the post-operative time at the hospital, thereby increasing the OLT cost. Its independent predictive factors are mainly related to perioperative events.