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Purpose: To report the indications, surgical techniques, and outcomes of repeat keratoplasty and evaluate the risk factors for graft failure in the Chinese population., Methods: The medical records of 216 patients (243 cases) who underwent at least two keratoplasties at a leading eye hospital in southern China between 2011 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. Indications and surgical procedures for repeat corneal transplantation were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine the graft survival rate after repeat keratoplasty. A multivariable survival model was used to assess the risk factors., Results: Repeated keratoplasties increased continuously from 2011 to 2020 (P = 0.002). The most common primary indication was infectious keratitis (38.7%), and the most common reason for repeat keratoplasty was graft rejection (30.04%). Regraft techniques included penetrating keratoplasty (PK) in 165 cases (67.9%), deep lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) in 52 cases (21.40%), and endothelial keratoplasty (EK) in 26 cases (10.7%). Median survival was 5.3, 6.8, and 6.4 years for PK, DALK, and EK, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 53.5%, 66.6%, and 69.8% for PK, DALK, and EK, respectively. The median LogMAR visual acuity was 1.4 for PK, 0.75 for DALK, and 1.2 for EK at the end of the follow-up. Multivariate analysis revealed that graft rejection is a risk factor for repeat keratoplasty failure (P = 0.002)., Conclusions: DALK and EK may provide better outcomes than PK in treating graft failure. Preventing and treating postoperative graft rejection may be key to improving regraft survival. These findings will aid in the management of failed corneal grafts., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Indian Journal of Ophthalmology.)

Abstract: To compare the difference between University of Wisconsin (UW) solution and histidine-tryptophan-ketoglutarate (HTK) solution in adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).This study included LDLT patients at the Liver Transplantation Center of West China Hospital of Sichuan University from November 2001 to June 2018. These patients were classified into 2 groups depending on the use of the different preservation solutions, and the confounding factors between the 2 groups were eliminated by propensity score matching. Finally, the incidence of complications; serum examination at postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21, and 30; and the overall survival rate of the 2 groups were compared to observe whether there were any differences between the 2 preservation solutions.Of the 298 patients we screened, 170 were treated with UW solution and 128 with HTK solution. After propensity score matching, 106 pairs of patients were selected. In the comparison of the 2 groups, the length of intensive care unit stay in the UW group was significantly longer than that in the HTK group (P = .022), but there was no difference in the total length of hospital stay between the 2 groups (P = .277). No statistically significant difference was observed in the 2 groups in terms of the incidence of complications or postoperative examinations. However, the incidence of early allograft dysfunction in the HTK group was slightly lower than that in the UW group (HTK: UW = 14.1%: 20.7%), although the difference was not statistically significant. In terms of the overall survival rate, the 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates of the HTK group were 85.5%, 70.2%, and 65.1%, respectively, while the 1, 3, and 5-year survival rates of the UW group were 83.1%, 67.2%, and 59.8%, respectively, and there was no significant difference between the 2 groups.In conclusion, our study shows that UW solution and HTK solution are equivalent in perioperative safety, the recovery of transplanted liver function, the occurrence of postoperative complications and overall survival and can be safely and effectively applied in adult LDLT. If economic factors are taken into account, HTK can save costs to a certain extent., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2020 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: To investigate the safety of using ABO incompatible (ABO-i) liver grafts in pediatric patients under our prophylactic strategies., Methods: A total number of 544 pediatric liver transplantations between January 2013 and December 2017 performed in Organ Transplant Center, Tianjin First Central Hospital were included in this study. The recipients were divided into 3 groups based on the compatibility of donor-recipient blood type matching (ABO-identical group, n = 352, ABO-compatible group, n = 121 and ABO-incompatible group, n = 71). Recipient characteristics, perioperative data, postoperative complications and recipient survival rate were compared. The recipient outcomes between living-related and non-living-related ABO-incompatible liver graft recipients were also compared., Results: The median follow-up time in three groups were 3.4 (1.8, 6.4) years, 3.2 (1.8, 6.1) years and 2.8 (1.8, 6.2) years, without statistical difference. The cumulative 1-year and 3-year graft survival rate were 94.3% and 94.0% in ABO-id group, 93.1% and 93.1% in ABO-c group and 97.1% and 97.1% in ABO-i group. The cumulative 1-year and 3-year recipient survival rate were 96.1% and 95.5% in ABO-id group, 94.8% and 94.8% in ABO-c group and 97.1% and 97.1% in ABO-i group, respectively. No significant difference was seen among three groups. The recipient characteristics and perioperative data were similar among three groups. The recipients in ABO-i group showed significantly lower incidence of portal vein stenosis. Apart from that, three groups shared equal incidence of other surgical complications and acute rejection. Among ABO-i liver graft recipients, the cumulative 1-year and 3-year recipient survival rate were 98.2% and 98.2% in living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients and 92.9% and 92.9% in deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) recipients, without significant difference. The incidence of hepatic artery thrombosis was significantly higher in DDLT group compared with LDLT group, while the other complications were similar between two groups., Conclusion: Our data revealed that the application of ABO-i liver grafts in pediatric liver transplantation under rational peri-operative management strategy is a safe measure to increase donor availability for pediatric patients in Chinese population., Levels of Evidence: III., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

There is no large data analysis reporting the outcome of Chinese kidney transplant patients using mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). This study analyzed 6719 patients from the Chinese Scientific Registry of Kidney Transplantation using MMF, which included 1153 from donation after cardiac death (DCD), 1271 from donation after brain and cardiac death (DBCD), and 4295 from living donor (LD). Compared with the transplants from deceased donor (DD), better outcomes including 3-year graft survival probabilities (LD = 95.8% vs. DD = 91.3%), incidence of delayed graft function (DGF, LD = 2.4% vs. DD = 17.7%), infection (LD = 10.7% vs. DD = 20.7%), graft loss (LD = 2.3% vs. DD = 6.3), and death (LD = 1.3% vs. DD = 3.2%) were shown in the LD group, with similar incidences of acute rejection (AR, LD = 3.7% vs. DD = 4.7%), hyperuricemia (LD = 21.7% vs. DD = 22.2%) within postoperative 1 year, and serum creatinine (Scr) >133 μmol/l at 1 year (LD = 18.8% vs. DD = 18.6%). Nonsignificant differences were found between the DCD and DBCD group. The 5-year survival of patient and graft in the LD group were 97.5% and 93.0%. Adjusted Cox model for graft loss showed significant associations with DGF [hazard ratio 3.7 (95% CI: 2.4, 5.8)], AR [2.8 (1.7, 4.6)], Scr >133 μmol/l at 1 year [2.6 (1.5, 4.2)], hyperuricemia [2.3 (1.6, 3.3)], and DD [1.6 (1.1, 2.4)]., (© 2019 Steunstichting ESOT.)

Background: With a novel finding of significantly lower incidence of acute rejection (AR) in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after liver transplantation, compared with those with benign end-stage liver disease (BESLD), in a large national cohort, we analyzed the correlations among the perioperative immuno-inflammation status, postoperative AR, and prognosis in HCC and BESLD patients with same etiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV), who underwent liver transplantation., Methods: Patients who underwent liver transplantation due to HBV-related HCC or BESLD and experienced AR between September 2008 and April 2017 were analyzed retrospectively and followed up until April 2018. HCC patients with AR were matched with those without AR according to tumor stage and immunosuppressant concentration, at a 1:3 ratio. Preoperative immuno-inflammation status and prognosis of patients in both groups were compared., Results: The overall incidences of AR in patients with HCC and BESLD were 8.60% and 10.61%, respectively. The postoperative 28-day incidence of AR was significantly lower in HCC compared with BESLD patients (3.23% vs 7.08%, p = 0.031). Compared with BESLD patients, the rejection activity index and perioperative CD 4 /CD 8 ratio were significantly lower (p = 0.047 and p < 0.001, respectively), while platelet/lymphocyte ratio was significantly higher in HCC patients (p = 0.041). Later tumor stage in HCC patients was associated with higher systemic immuno-inflammation index, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, monocyte/lymphocyte ratio, platelet/lymphocyte ratio, aspartate aminotransferase/lymphocyte ratio, C-reactive protein/albumin ratio and fibrinogen level, and lower CD 4 /CD 8 ratio before transplantation. In HCC patients with AR, the percentage of regulatory T cells (CD 4 + /CD 25 + ) and the level of IL-10 significantly decreased (p = 0.0023, < 0.0001, respectively), while Th1/Th2 ratio, levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 markedly increased before transplantation (p = 0.0018, 0.0059, 0.0416, respectively). Preoperative monocyte/lymphocyte ratio was an independent risk factor for overall and recurrence-free survival after liver transplantation in HCC patients (p = 0.025, < 0.001, respectively). The 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 76%, 71% and 53% in the AR group, and 67%, 37% and 25% in the non-AR group (p = 0.042)., Conclusion: Preoperative tumor-related immunosuppression may persist after liver transplantation in HCC patients, and reduce the incidence of AR. AR after liver transplantation may indicate a better prognosis in HCC patients.

Biomarkers are urgently required for predicting rejection so that anti-rejection treatment can be taken early to protect the allograft from irreversible damage. We hypothesized that the combination of circulating fractalkine, IFN-γ and IP-10 might serve as effective biomarkers for predicting early acute renal allograft rejection. We conducted a retrospective study of 87 subjects, who were classified into acute rejection group (ARG; n = 38) and non-rejection group (NRG; n = 49). Serum fractalkine, IFN-γ and IP-10 levels were measured by Luminex. The levels of fractalkine on day 0 and 7th day, IP-10 on 4th and 7th day, and IFN-γ on 7th day in ARG was significantly higher than that in NRG. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis highlighted the higher-levels groups of fractalkine on day 0, 4th and 7th day, IFN-γ on day 0, 1st, 4th, and 7th day and IP-10 on the 4th and 7th day in rejection-free survival probability were significantly lower than low-levels groups. ROC analyses highlight the superiority of fractalkine on day 0, IP-10 on day 0, 4th and 7th day, and IFN-γ on day 0, 1st and 7th day in prediction of acute rejection. We found the combination of fractalkine on day 0, IP-10 on 7th day and IFN-γ on 7th day had the highest AUC (0.866) for predicting rejection with a sensitivity of 86.8% and a specificity of 89.8%. Our findings demonstrated a more powerful prediction of early acute renal allograft rejection during the first month after transplantation by combination of multiple-biomarkers of fractalkine, IFN-γ and IP-10, and the results might help stratify the immunologic risk of acute allograft rejection in recipients., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Shortage of deceased donors is a severe problem in recent years in China especially in a culture in which brain death criteria is not widely accepted. Donation after cardiac death (DCD) has been reported to expand the donor pool despite higher rates of primary nonfunction (PNF) and delayed graft function (DGF) after transplantation. We collected 71 DCD kidney transplants performed at our hospital between February, 2007 and June, 2012 with aims to demonstrate the feasibility of DCD donation in China. All patients were followed up, and postoperative complications and graft loss were recorded. The PNF rate was 2.8%, and DGF rate was 28.2%. The 1- and 3-year graft survival was 95.7% and 92.4%. In conclusion, graft survival of DCD kidney transplantation in China is excellent despite of higher rates of PNF and DGF after transplantation., (© Copyright 2013 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Objective: Acute rejection resulting from alloimmune responses is a major risk factor affecting patient survival following liver transplantation. Since interleukin (IL)-6 can mediate acute rejection, the association between IL-6 gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and incidence of acute rejection in liver transplant recipients was investigated., Methods: Patients who received liver transplant between January 2005 and December 2010 were typed for IL6-572C/G (rs1800796) polymorphisms using the snapshot technique. Association between genotype and acute rejection was analysed using the SNP Statistics website: http://bioinfo.iconcologia.net/snpstats/start.htm. Allelic and genotypic distributions for rs1800796 were compared among 335 patients with or without acute rejection within the first 6 months following liver transplant., Results: Incidence of acute rejection was 11.94%. A heterozygous CG genotype for IL6-572C/G was associated with a lower acute rejection rate compared with homozygous CC or GG genotypes., Conclusion: IL6-572 CG genotype may be related to protection from acute rejection following liver transplant in Han Chinese patients.

Background: The aim was to retrospectively analyse the reasons for not performing laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery among refractive surgery candidates at a university eye clinic., Methods: Case records of patients who presented to a university eye clinic between June 2005 and June 2010 for consideration for LASIK surgery were examined. Cases that did not undergo LASIK were selected for analysis. Reasons for not performing surgery in these cases were analysed., Results: In total, 552 patients requested LASIK between July 2005 and June 2010 and 377 (68.3 per cent) of them received refractive surgery. Among 175 (31.7 per cent) patients who did not get LASIK, 62 (35.4 per cent) were male and 113 (64.6 per cent) were female, with a mean age at presentation of 36.4 ± 9.3 years (range: 19 to 78 years). The most common reasons for not offering LASIK were low corneal thickness (28.6 per cent), high myopia (15.4 per cent), large pupil (8.0 per cent) and keratoconus (7.4 per cent). Overall, 39 patients (22.3 per cent) changed their mind after their initial consultations with surgeons. The prevalence of rejection of LASIK decreased from 44.1 per cent between July 2005 and June 2006 to 3.5 per cent between July 2009 and June 2010., Conclusions: Reasons for not performing refractive surgery are quite diverse. Inadequate corneal thickness and change of mind after initial consultation were the most common reasons in the present study. There was a marked change in magnitude and trend of reasons for not performing LASIK over the study period. Further studies from settings other than university hospitals would be beneficial to compare the trend in patient selection., (© 2012 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Optometry © 2012 Optometrists Association Australia.)

Background: Limb allotransplantation is emerging as a promising solution to the loss of a limb with the development of advanced surgical techniques and new, highly effective immunosuppressive agents., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 15 hand allotransplantations in 12 patients in China which were performed from September 1999 to May 2008., Results: In total, there were 1 bilateral and 5 unilateral hand transplantations, 3 unilateral and 2 bilateral forearm transplantations, and 1 palm and 1 thumb transplantation. The average age of recipients was 34 ± 11.3 years (range, 19-52 years). At 1-year follow-up, all grafts were viable and with good function. Of the 15 hands transplanted, 8 are currently viable (mean follow-up, 52 ± 36.3 months; range, 16-112 months), including all 3 bilateral cases. Reasons for graft failure were rejection and failure of compliance with immunosuppressive therapy., Conclusions: Long-term survival of hand transplantation with appropriate immunosuppression is feasible, and satisfactory functional results have been achieved. Careful pretransplant psychologic and social evaluation, consideration of the financial burden of long-term immunosuppressive medications, and close multispecialty collaboration is critical for good outcomes. Limb rejection was related with immunosuppression use. Further study and experience is required before hand allotransplantation can become a generally recommended treatment.

Gene polymorphisms of cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) play an influential role in the graft rejection and long-term clinical outcome of organ transplantation. We investigated the associations of five CTLA4 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs733618T/C, rs4553808A/G, rs5742909C/T, rs231775G/A, rs3087243G/A) on the early acute rejection (AR) of Chinese deceased donor renal transplantation recipients. Genotyping of the CTLA4 SNPs was performed in 167 deceased donor renal transplantation recipients. Each patient underwent a 6-month follow-up observation for AR. The incidence of AR during the 6 months post-transplantation was 26.9% (45 out of 167 patients). Patients experiencing AR were found to have a higher frequency of the rs733618TT genotype and T allele (p=0.000 and p=0.002, respectively). While the haplotype CACAG was merely observed in non-AR group (corrected p=0.000), the frequency of haplotype TACGG was significantly higher in AR group than in non-AR group even after 50,000 permutation tests (corrected p=0.018). In conclusion, these polymorphisms statistically significantly associated with acute renal allograft rejection may be considered as a risk factor of AR in Chinese renal transplantation recipients except for haplotype CACAG as a protective one., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Genetic polymorphisms in cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) play an influential role in graft rejection and the long-term clinical outcome of organ transplantation. We investigated the association of 5 CTLA4 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs733618 C/T, rs4553808 A/G, rs5742909 C/T, rs231775 A/G, and rs3087243 G/A) with drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in Chinese renal transplantation (RT) recipients. Each recipient underwent a 24-month follow-up observation for drug-induced liver damage. The CTLA4 SNPs were genotyped in 864 renal transplantation recipients. A significant association was found between the rs231775 genotype and an early onset of DILI in the recipients. Multivariate analyses revealed that a risk factor, recipient rs231775 genotype (p = 0.040), was associated with DILI. Five haplotypes were estimated for 4 SNPs (excluding rs733618); the frequency of haplotype ACGG was significantly higher in the DILI group (68.9%) than in the non-DILI group (61.1%) (p = 0.041). In conclusion, CTLA4 haplotype ACGG was partially associated with the development of DILI in Chinese kidney transplant recipients. The rs231775 GG genotype may be a risk factor for immunosuppressive drug-induced liver damage.

Recently, the signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) gene have been associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. Taking into consideration that the different autoimmune diseases may share some common pathogenetic pathways, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of STAT4 rs7574865 polymorphism on acute allograft rejection. The present case-control study included 453 renal allograft recipients and 378 sex matched healthy controls. Genotyping was performed using a PCR based discrimination assay for the rs7574865 STAT4 SNP. No evidence of association was found between health controls and renal transplant recipients for the G/T or T/T genotype and wild type G/G. (p=0.431, two-tailed χ(2); OR=0.894, 95% CI=0.677-1.181). But among the transplant recipients, the G/T or T/T genotype was more common in transplant rejectors (acute allograft rejection) than nonrejectors who had mostly wild-type G/G genotype (p=0.003, two-tailed χ(2); OR=0.542, 95% CI=0.361-0.815). We also found a trend that the frequency of G/T or T/T genotype was also relatively more in the acute cellular mediated rejection than antibody mediated ones (p=0.049, two-tailed χ(2); OR=0.466, 95% CI=0.216-1.003). Thus, our data suggest that the rs7574865 STAT4 SNP is a genetic susceptibility variant for acute renal allograft rejection in the Chinese population., (Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of living-related kidney transplantation (LRKT)., Methods: From January, 2004 to December, 2008, 175 LRKT were performed including 63 cases (36%) of parent-child relations and 49 cases (28%) of sibling relations between the recipients and donors. Out of 175 donors, 52 were 50 years old or above, 4 had microscopic hematuria (including 2 with also hypertension), 2 had kidney stone, and 2 had high body mass index (BMI). Zero-point graft biopsy was performed in 59 donors, and abnormalities were found in 15 of them. The recipients were at the age of 33-/+10.5 years, and the primary diseases are mainly dominant glomerular nephritis (72.6%, 127/175), and with a few cases of diabetes (4%, 7/175) and hypertensive nephropathy (4%, 7/175)., Results: Serum creatinine of the donors was 102-/+22.5 micromol/L at 7 days postoperatively, and 92-/+19.1 micromol/L at one month. One recipient died of severe pulmonary infection. Two recipients underwent graft nephrectomy due to anastomotic stenosis with concomitant acute graft rejection and renal arterial embolism. The one-year survival rates of the patients and grafts were 99.3% and 98.2%, respectively. The incident rates of accelerated rejection and acute rejection were 1.1% and 14.9%, respectively. Other complications included impaired liver function (22.3%), infection (9.7%) and leucopenia (4.6%). The renal arterial stenosis occurred in 2.3% (4/175) of the recipients., Conclusions: The recipients of living-related and cadaveric kidney transplant have different primary kidney disease spectrums. Differential diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection and renal artery or anastomotic stenosis can be of vital importance. Marginal donor kidneys with appropriate inclusion criteria can be safely used for transplantation. With good short-term patient and graft survival, LRKT needs further study to evaluate its long-term effect.

Objective: To introduce clinical experience for living-related donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) by reviewing LDKT clinical data., Methods: A total of 158 patients underwent LDKT. Expect for 7 patients donated by their spouses, the others had blood relationship donors. Donor-recipient HLA matching showed 2 patients had 5-loci mismatch, 5 with 4-loci mismatch, 88 with 3-loci mismatch, 50 with 2-loci mismatch, 12 with 1-loci mismatch, the other 1 with 0-loci mismatch. All of the 158 donors underwent open nephrectomy, 35 of whom donated the right kidneys and the other 123 donated the left kidneys. Triple immunosuppressive regimen consisted of calcineurin inhibitors or FK506, MMF or AZa, and steroid., Results: All donors were healthy after the operation. All donors were followed up for 6 to 12 months and blood exams showed that inosine levels were normal. The longest kidney transplant functional survival time was 10 years to up June 2008. The one year patient/graft survival rate was 95.5%. Delayed graft function (DGF) occurred in 5 patients, 4 of whom recovered in 2-5 weeks. Five patients died, 4 of whom died of post-operational pulmonary infection within 3-5 months, with no transplantational complications. The other one died of pulmonary bleeding during dialysis while treating for DGF. One patient received a second deceased kidney transplant because of hyperacute rejection during the surgery. Five developed acute rejection 1 month after the operation (incidence rate 3.16%), 4 of whom were cured by administration of methylprednisolone, and the other one returned to dialysis because of renal toxicity of cyclosporine. Three patients had positive chronic rejection, 2 of whom lost graft function in 1.5-3.5 years. Eight patients developed pulmonary infection and 4 of them were cured., Conclusion: Sufficient LDKT pre-operational assessment, satisfactory tissue matching and reduced ischemia time may result in lower incidence of DGF, acute rejection and higher patient/graft survival rate. In LDKT, importance should also be attached to the prevention of DGF and graft rejection. Rational dosage of immunosuppressants is advocated to prevent secondary infective complications. Donor specifications and all around evaluation of the living-related donors should also be emphasized to minimize the harm to the donors. Long term follow-up is also essential to ensure donors' post-operational healthy life.

Objective: To study the complication incidence of 54 patients with chronic HBV infection following their orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), and factors associated with HBV recurrence and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence or metastasis post-OLT., Methods: The light-microscopic appearance of hepatic allograft biopsies in 54 patients with chronic HBV infection following OLT was examined. The related clinical data were analyzed. The incidence and occurrence time of post-OLT complications were studied. Furthermore, the relationship between recurrent type B viral hepatitis and acute rejection and the relationship among HCC recurrence/metastasis, acute rejection, the tumor diameter, and the portal vein invasion were particularly studied., Results: The frequent complications of patients with chronic HBV infection following OLT were acute rejection [38(70.4%); occurrence time: 5-365 d], chronic rejection [ 1(1.9%); occurrence time: 10.7 months],bile duct complications [24(44.4%); occurrence time: 7-940 d], HBV recurrence [7(13.0%); occurrence time: 1-540 d], HCV infection [3(5.6%); occurrence time: 60 d, 60 d, 33 months], CMV infection [8(14.8%); occurrence time: 67-90 d], and HCC recurrence or metastasis [17(31.5%); occurrence time: 2-41 months]. At the end of 1 year post-OLT, 95% of patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis were alive; At the end of 3 years post-OLT, 85% of patients with post-hepatitis B cirrhosis were alive. However, at the end of 1 year post-OLT, 67.6% of patients with post-hepatitis B HCC were alive; At the end of 3 years post-OLT, 50% of patients with post-hepatitis B HCC were alive. The number of acute rejection episodes in patients with recurrent HBV infection and that without recurrent HBV infection was (0.86+/-1.46) time/patient and (1.07+/-0.90) time/patient respectively(P>0.05); the number of moderate acute rejection episodes(RAI>or=score 4) in patients with recurrent HBV infection and that without recurrent HBV infection was (0.29+/-0.49) time/patient and (0.50+/-0.63) time/patient(P>0.05); Incidence of patients with >or=3 episodes of acute rejection in patient with recurrent HBV infection and that without recurrent HBV infection was 14.3% and 10.6%(P>0.05). Furthermore, the number of acute rejection episodes in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and that without HCC recurrence or metastasis was (1.12+/-0.93) time/patient and (1.06+/-1.39) time/patient respectively(P>0.05); the number of moderate acute rejection episodes(RAI>or=score 4) in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and that without HCC recurrence or metastasis was (0.65+/-0.79) time/patient and (0.65+/-1.06) time/patient respectively(P>0.05); Incidence of patients with >or=3 episodes of acute rejection in patient with HCC recurrence or metastasis and that without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 5.9% and 17.6% respectively(P>0.05). The tumor diameter in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis was (6.72+/-3.40)cm, however, that in patients without HCC recurrence or metastasis was (3.55+/-2.17)cm(P=0.004 7).The incidence of Portal vein invasion in patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis and that without HCC recurrence or metastasis was 68.75% and 33.3% respectively(P=0.006)., Conclusion: There was no significant difference among HBV recurrence and acute rejection post-liver transplantation in patients with chronic HBV infection. There was no significant difference between HCC recurrence and acute rejection. The tumor diameter of patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis was significantly greater than that of no HCC recurrence or metastasis. The portal vein invasion of patients with HCC recurrence or metastasis was significantly frequent than that of no HCC recurrence or metastasis.

We investigated the short- and long-term results after heart retransplantation in terms of different causes of heart allograft failure. We sought to establish the data of heart retransplantation in Chinese compared with Western counterparts due to differences in heart allograft vasculopathy. From March 1995 to May 2005, eight heart transplantation recipients with allograft failure underwent retransplantation. Heart allograft failure was due to coronary vasculopathy (CAV) in six patients (75%) and acute rejection in two patients (25%). The mean interval to retransplantation was 32 to 84 months (mean 54.3 months). There were five patients who survived after heart retransplantation for CAV and no patient survived after an earlier diagnosis of acute rejection. Heart retransplantation is a feasible method with acceptable long-term survival rate for heart allograft failure. After careful pretransplant evaluation, retransplantation is acceptable. The survival after retransplantation for CAV is notably great than that after acute rejection. Heart retransplantation is the only way for patients who have cardiac allograft failure to achieve long-term survival.

Objective: In this study, the effects of Triptergium Wilfordii Hook F.(T II) were assessed on human kidney allograft rejection and long-term survival., Methods: This study compared treatment with T II(T II group, n=121) to that without T II(control group, n=102) among adult first cadaveric renal transplant recipients. The T II cohort of 121 recipients were divided into a regular dosage group (n=82) and a double dosage group (n=39). No antibody induction was administered to any patient., Results: Biopsy-proven early acute allograft rejection occurred in 4.1% of patients in the T II group versus 24.5% of patients in the control group. No rejection or repeated rejections occurred in the double dosage group at 3 months after transplantation. Acute rejection episodes were milder in the T II than the control group. The incidence of CD25+ cells>10/ mm3 in the allografts at 3 months after transplantation was lower in the T II group than the control group, 15% and 50%, respectively. All patients tolerated T II well over the 5 years of this study. The 5-year graft survival censored for death with function was 96.7% in the T II group and 80.4% in the control group., Conclusion: T II was effective to prevent renal allograft rejection and increase long-term renal allograft survival among adult cadaveric renal transplant recipients.

Objective: To explore the influence of early completely reversal vascular rejection on late rejection., Methods: The data of 1062 patients who received their first cadaveric transplants between May 1988 and March 2003 were analyzed respectively. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group with vascular rejection occurring within 1 month postoperatively (n = 45), and group without vascular rejection (n = 1017). Follow up was performed for at least 6 months. The influence of demographic characteristics (transplant age, sex), transplant variables (complement dependent cytotoxicity test, cold/warm ischemia time), and post-transplant variables (immunosuppressive agents for the prevention of acute rejection,) were analyzed., Results: There were no differences in the age at transplantation, sex, complement dependent cytotoxicity test, cold/warm ischemia time, immunosuppression agent protocol, and serum creatinine during follow-up between the recipients of these two groups. Late rejection, including acute interstitial rejection, borderline rejection, and chronic rejection, occurring one month after transplantation was 2.22% (1/45) in the vascular rejection group, significantly lower than that of the no vascular rejection group (12.59%, 128/1017, P = 0.034), Conclusion: Early completely reversal vascular rejection can reduce the rate of late rejection.

During the last 29 years the dramatic changes that have taken place in our transplant programs and in solid organ transplantation permit us to face tomorrow with courage and confidence. In the future we will be deeply concerned that the long-term benefit of more effective immunosuppression or novel strategies might be unfavorably impacted by the tendency to use organs whose intrinsic lifespan may be limited. We are deeply concerned by the inexorably increasing discrepancy between supply and demand for deceased kidneys, especially for the added morbidity that this inevitably entails for those patients with ESRD who do not have live donors. Our program continues to seek better ways to improve survival and the quality of the life of our patient population.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of donor-specific bone marrow cell infusion on the production of chimerism and acute rejection in kidney transplantation., Methods: Sixty-one patients, 48 males and 13 females, aged 38.4 (23 - 45), underwent transplantation of cadaveric kidneys, 24 of which underwent kidney transplantation combined with donor-specific bone marrow cell infusion and 37 of which underwent pure transplantation of kidney. During the kidney transplantation combined with donor-specific bone marrow cell infusion the donor bone marrow cells (DBMC) were isolated from the thoracic vertebrae and iliac bones of the donors-cadavers and infused into the recipients of the kidneys of the same donors. After operation the peripheral blood was collected from the 61 recipients every 2 - 3 months for at least 1 year to undergo PCR to detect the presence of chimerism, and the rates of chimerism and acute rejection were compared between these 2 groups., Results: During the follow-up the presence rate of chimerism was 87.5% (21/24) in the marrow recipients, significantly higher than that in the control group (40.5%, 15/37, P < 0.001). The prevalence of acute rejection in the chimerism positive patients was 19.4% (7/16), significantly lower than that in the chimerism negative patients (44%, 11/25, P < 0.05)., Conclusion: Donor-specific bone marrow cell infusion in cadaver kidney transplantation induces the production of chimerism, and increases the immune tolerance to the donor organs, thus finally decreasing the incidence of acute rejection. Chimerism is correlated with immune tolerance.

Objective: To identify the risk factors of acute rejection in sensitized recipients undergoing kidney transplantation., Methods: The clinical data of 102 sensitized kidney transplant recipients were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the incidence of acute rejection in relation to panel reactive antibodies (PRA), amino acid residual match, postoperative elevation of PRA level and cytokine genotypes., Results: During the follow-up, acute rejection occurred in totally 33 patients, and the incidence was higher in the recipients with high tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or high interleukin (IL)-10 producer genotype than in those with low TNF-alpha or low/intermediate IL-10 producer genotype (53.1%, 55.0% vs 22.8%, 20.9%, P(18)0.01 respectively). Acute rejection was even more frequent in the recipients with both high TNF-alpha and high/intermediate IL-10 producer genotypes than in those with low TNF-alpha and IL-10 producer genotype (66.7% vs 10.2%, P<0.01). No relations were found between TGF-beta1, IL-6, IFN-gamma gene polymorphisms and the incidence of acute rejection. The incidence in the recipients with PRA level of more than 40% was also higher than those with lower PRA level (<20%, 53.3% vs 22.7%, P<0.05), and the amino acid residual mismatch with 3-4 MM was responsible for a higher incidence in comparison with a mismatch with 0-1 MM (75.0% vs 24.1%, P<0.01). Postoperative elevation of PRA level also increased the risk of acute rejection (45.4% vs 22.4%, P<0.01)., Conclusion: TNF-alpha, IL-10 gene polymorphism, PRA, amino acid residual mismatch, and increased postoperative PRA level may significantly influence acute rejection in sensitized kidney transplantation recipient, and preoperative evaluation of these factors may benefit the designing of immunosuppressive protocols for these patients.

Objective: To investigate experience in diagnosis and treatment of postoperative complications in patients undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT)., Methods: Complications, treatment and management following liver transplantation in 16 cases were analyzed retrospectively., Results: Of 16 patients, 5 patients had advanced liver cirrhosis, 7 primary liver carcinoma, 1 liver failure after hepatectomy for liver cancer, 1 Wilson's disease, 1 chronic renal failure and liver cirrhosis and 1 acute live failure. Twelve patients survived, the longest survival was 4 years. Complications following OLT included: intra-abdominal bleeding in 3 cases, intracerebral vascular lesions in 2, pulmonary infection in 6, adult respiratory distress syndrome in 2, suprahepatic inferior vena caval occlusion in 2, hepatic artery thrombus in 1 case, bile duct stone or sludge in 3, bile leakage in 1 case, acute rejection in 2, chronic rejection in 2, acute renal failure in 2. Six patients died during perioperative period, one patient died of intracerebral bleeding, one from adult respiratory distress syndrome, one of acute renal failure one of hepatic artery thrombus, one of acute rejection and one of liver failure., Conclusions: Proper prevention and treatment can effectively reduce complications following OLT during perioperative period. The timely diagnosis, treatment and prophylactics are necessary to prevent these complications.

To evaluate factors affecting outcome of sibling umbilical cord blood transplantation in Chinese children with thalassemia. The authors conducted a retrospective review of all patients undergoing such transplants in a single institution. Nine children with thalassemia major were diagnosed at a median age of 12 months. They received irregular blood transfusions and suboptimal iron chelation therapy before transplant. Sibling cord blood transplant was performed at a median of 5.5 years (range 3.5-10 years). Six donors were HLA-identical; three were one- to three-antigen mismatched. The mean number of nucleated cells infused was 6.6 x 10(7)/kg (range 3.4-12.7); the mean number of CD34+ cells infused was 3.8 x 10(5)kg (range 0.6-11.7). Seven patients had engraftment of donor cells. The median number of days to achieve a neutrophil count of > 0.5 x 10(9)/L was 19 days (range 10-25); the median number of days to achieve a platelet count of > 20 x 10(9)/L was 33 days (range 19-63). Of the six patients who received HLA-identical transplants, one developed grade 2 and two developed grade 1 acute graft-versus-host disease. Two of the three patients receiving mismatched cord blood did not achieve engraftment, and the other one engrafted but developed grade 4 acute graft-versus-host disease. Two patients subsequently developed secondary graft rejection and had autologous marrow regeneration before day 60 posttransplantation. With a median follow-up of 49 months (range 38-64), eight patients survived but only four were transfusion-independent. Umbilical cord blood transplant appears to have a higher chance of nonengraftment and secondary rejection. A more intensive immunosuppressive conditioning regimen may be required.