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BACKGROUND Outcomes of retroperitoneoscopic procurement of living kidneys with multiple renal arteries (MRA) in the recipients are largely unknown. Our aim is to access the effect of kidney allografts with MRA on donor and recipient outcomes after pure retroperitoneoscopic live donor nephrectomy (RPLDN). METHODS From July 2001 to August 2010, 533 patients underwent live donor kidney transplants with allografts procured by RPLDN at our center. Of these 533 transplants, 406, 105, and 22 patients had one, two, and three renal arteries, respectively. We compared the retrospectively collected clinical data of each donor with MRA and the recipient using those with single renal artery as controls. RESULTS Significant differences were found among the one-renal artery and three-renal artery groups regarding operative time, estimated blood loss, warm and cold ischemic time, and incidence of slow graft function (SGF). However, there was no significant difference regarding patient and graft survival among the three groups. Major complications, such as open conversion, bleeding, and blood transfusion, were not found in patients with MRA. Five ureteral complications occurred. Of these, there was one patient with MRA. In univariate analysis, MRA patients had a risk factor of developing SGF (P=0.005) but not ureteral complications following RPLDN. CONCLUSION Kidneys with MRA after RPLDN increase the risk of SGF in recipients. However, they provide similar outcomes as to long-term graft survival and complications compared with those of single renal artery. Renal artery multiplicity should not be a contraindication for live kidney donation and may not increase the risk of ureteral complications.

We report a case of kidney transplantation from mother to son, both of whom were likely to have had an unrecognized renal variant phenotype of Fabry disease. The patient was a 54-year-old man, with an unknown primary cause of end stage renal disease. He had no notable past medical history, other than end stage renal disease. He underwent living-related kidney transplantation from his mother at age 40 years. Foam cells in the glomeruli were identified on histology assessment of a 0-hour allograft biopsy, with zebra bodies identified in the glomerular visceral epithelial cells by electron microscopy. These findings were indicative of Fabry disease in the donated kidney. As a definitive diagnosis of Fabry's disease could not be confirmed, enzyme replacement therapy was not initiated. Thirteen years after kidney transplantation, the patient underwent left nephrectomy for a left renal tumour, with pathological findings of clear cell carcinoma, foam cells and zebra bodies in the native kidney. Detailed examinations identified low α-galactosidase A activity and mutation of the α-Gal A gene, confirming a diagnosis of a renal variant phenotype of Fabry disease. Histology of several allograft biopsies performed over the 14 years from the time of kidney transplantation revealed only moderate interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, with no evidence of disease progression on electron microscopy, despite the presence of zebra bodies in the glomerular visceral epithelial cells.

Background Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients receiving hemodialysis. Systemic metabolic perturbation is one of the hallmark abnormalities in patients at high cardiovascular risk. We sought to determine the relationship between circulating ketone body and clinical outcomes in patients with prevalent hemodialysis. Methods and Results We retrospectively assessed the relationship between serum β‐hydroxybutyrate (β OHB ), the most abundant ketone body in the circulation, and prognosis in 405 stable hemodialysis patients. During a mean follow‐up of 3.2±0.9 years, there were 54 major adverse cardiovascular events (defined as cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and hospitalization attributed to heart failure) and 67 all‐cause deaths. Major adverse cardiovascular events rates increased from 11.1 per 1000 person‐years in the lowest β OHB quintile (409 μmol/L). After adjusting for demographic characteristics, coronary artery disease, and atrial fibrillation, the highest β OHB quintile was associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events compared with the lowest quintile (hazard ratio, 10.2; 95% confidence interval [3.35–44.0]; P OHB were independently and incrementally associated with major adverse cardiovascular events over the model based on an established risk score (the second Analyzing Data, Recognizing Excellence and Optimizing Outcomes cohort score) and N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (chi square 39.9 versus 21.7; P OHB and all‐cause death. Conclusions Increased serum β OHB levels were independently associated with cardiovascular events and all‐cause death in patients receiving hemodialysis. These results highlight the need for future studies to understand the mechanisms underlying these observations.

In hematological malignancy patients intended to receive rituximab, hepatitis B virus (HBV) serology screening, viral reactivation monitoring, are recommended. However, the effect of single-dose rituximab (RIT) on HBV reactivation in kidney transplant patients with previous HBV infection is still unclear.In this retrospective cohort study consisting of 1294 kidney transplant patients, we identified 76 patients showing preoperative hepatitis B surface antigen-negative, hepatitis B core antibody-positive, and HBV-DNA-negative results. A rituximab dose of 200 mg/body was administered to 48 patients, 46 of whom did not receive prophylaxis (RIT+ group). Twenty-eight patients received neither rituximab nor prophylaxis (RIT- group). We monitored HBV-DNA by polymerase chain reaction every 1 to 3 months, and HBV reactivation was defined as detectable HBV-DNA.HBV reactivation was found in 1 patient in the RIT+ group (2.2%) and 1 patient in the RIT- group (3.6%) at 6 weeks and 5.5 years posttransplant, respectively, but spontaneously cleared. Both patients showed positive hepatitis B surface antibody preoperatively. HBV reactivation was not found in 6 patients lacking anti-hepatitis B surface preoperatively.Low-dose RIT administration in kidney transplant patients without prophylaxis is associated with low incidence of HBV reactivation. However, the comparisons among standard-dose RIT, low-dose RIT, and controls with high-quality study design is necessary.

BACKGROUND The effect of everolimus, one of the mammalian targets of rapamycin inhibitors, on cardiac function was evaluated in kidney transplant recipients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-six participants who underwent kidney transplant between March 2009 and May 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. To standardize everolimus administration, the following criteria were used: (1) the recipient did not have a donor-specific antigen before kidney transplantation; (2) the recipient did not have proteinuria and uncontrollable hyperlipidemia after kidney transplantation; and (3) acute rejection was not observed on protocol biopsy 3 months after kidney transplantation. According to these criteria, everolimus administration for maintenance immunosuppression after kidney transplantation was included. Cardiac function was compared between the treatment group (n=30) and non-treatment group (n=46). RESULTS The mean observation periods of the treatment and non-treatment groups were 41.3±12.6 and 43.9±19.8 months, respectively (p=0.573). The mean ejection fraction and fractional shortening of the treatment and non-treatment groups after kidney transplant were 66.5±7.9% vs. 69.6±5.5% (p=0.024) and 37.1±6.2% vs. 39.3±4.7% (p=0.045), respectively. In the treatment group, the mean ejection fraction and fractional shortening before and after kidney transplantation did not differ significantly (p=0.604 and 0.606, respectively). In the non-treatment group, the mean ejection fraction and fractional shortening before and after kidney transplantation differed significantly (p=0.004 and 0.006, respectively). CONCLUSIONS Supplementary administration of everolimus after kidney transplantation can reduce cardiac systolic function.

The number of kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) from diabetic nephropathy (DN) and with cardiovascular disease (CVD) history has increased worldwide. Nevertheless, epidemiologic evidence of CVD in KTRs remains limited. We investigated post-transplant CVD in 1614 adult KTRs between 1990 and 2014. CVD was defined according to the international classification of diseases (ICD-10). All-cause mortality was also investigated. Final follow-up was performed in March 2016. The KTRs were categorized into four groups according to DN and CVD at surgery. During the follow-up period, 309 KTRs experienced CVDs and 124 KTRs died. The 15-year cumulative CVDs rate was 87% in KTRs with both DN and CVD history, and the rate in KTRs without those was 22.3%. DN and CVD were associated with increased risk of post-transplant CVD [hazard ratio (HR), 3.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.03–5.82; P

BACKGROUND Development of de novo donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (dnDSA) has been associated with poor graft outcome, although the preventive factor for its production is still elusive. We analyzed the incidence of dnDSA within 5 years posttransplant in 562 living-kidney transplant recipients to evaluate predicting and preventive factors for dnDSA development. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients were considered to be non-HLA sensitized, as determined by the preoperative single-antigen bead assay (SABA), although they included various ABO blood type compatibilities. Preoperative administration of rituximab was indicated for 48% of patients, mainly for ABO incompatible transplantation. We retrospectively compared the patients with dnDSA and those without. RESULTS Development of dnDSA was observed in 27 of the total 562 patients (5%). Chronic rejection was more frequently observed in patients with dnDSA than in those without (41% vs. 6%, P

Previous studies have reported negative impacts of long-term dialysis on kidney transplantation (KTx) outcomes. However, advances in surgical techniques, immunosuppressive therapies, and post-transplant monitoring have led to an impressive increase in patient and allograft survival. Thus, the number of KTx among patients on long-term dialysis is increasing. We evaluated the influence of dialysis duration on the outcome of living donor KTx. Between January 2000 and October 2011, we performed 1098 first KTx from living donors in adults (>18 years). We divided the patients into six groups, A group: pre-emptive kidney transplantation, B group

We determined if the serum N-glycan profile can be used as a diagnostic marker of antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) in living donor kidney transplant (LKTx) recipients. Glycoblotting, combined with mass spectrometry, was used to retrospectively examine N-glycan levels in the postoperative sera of 197 LKTx recipients of whom 16 recipients had ABMR with or without T-cell-mediated rejection (TCMR), 40 recipients had TCMR, and 141 recipients had no adverse events. Multivariate discriminant analysis for prediction of ABMR was performed by inputting an ABMR event as an explanatory variable and sex, age, and serum N-glycan level as objective variables. The N-glycan score was calculated by multiplying the level of candidate objective variables by objective function values. The ABMR predictive performance of the N-glycan score was assessed by receiver operator characteristic curve and Kaplan–Meier curve analyses. The N-glycan score discriminated ABMR with 81.25% sensitivity, 87.85% specificity, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.892 that was far superior to that of preformed donor-specific antibody status (AUC, 0.761). Recipients with N-glycan-positive scores >0.8770 had significantly shorter ABMR survival than that of recipients with N-glycan-negative scores. Although the limitations of our study includ its small sample size and retrospective nature, the serum N-glycan score may contribute to prediction of ABMR.

Background: The number of solid organ transplantation (SOT) is increasing. While the remarkable improvement in SOT procedures provides recipients with a good chance of long-term survival, the prolonged immunosuppression has led toa variety of malignancies in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients; post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is a life-threating complication among them. However, there remain some controversies regarding its clinical features. Method: We retrospectively surveyed the patients who had visited both departments: hematology and urology, or renal surgery in kidney center at Tokyo Women's Medical University Hospital from 2003 to 2017. We identified 61 patients diagnosed with hematological disorder in kidney-transplant recipients. Among them, PTLD were analyzed. Continuous variables were compared using Student's t-tests. Overall survival rate (OS) was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. P values < 0.05 were considered significant. Statistical analyses were performed using JMP Pro 14 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA) and GraphPadPrism version 7.0 (GraphPad Software, San Diego, USA). This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the institutional review boards. Results: During the survey period, 3,133 patients had visited both departments: hematology and urology, or surgery in Kidney Center. Among them, 61 kidney-transplant recipients were diagnosed with hematological disorder; they comprised 27 PTLD, 10 plasmacytic disorder, 6 idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, 5 myelodysplastic syndromes, 4 acute leukemia, 3 polycythemia, 6 other diseases. Among the patients with PTLD (n = 27), 18 patients (66.7%) were male.Median patient ages at the diagnosis of PTLD and kidney transplant were 54 (25-79) and 43 (16-75) years, respectively. Eighteen and nine patients had received kidney-transplant from a living donor (15 related and three unrelated donors) and a cadaveric donor, respectively. The median time from kidney transplant to diagnosis of PTLD was 7.8 years; there was a significant difference in the time between the kidney-transplant recipients from a cadaveric donor and those from a living donor (Figure 1A, 11.3 and 5.6 years, P = 0.02). With regard to the histological subtypes of PTLD, they comprised 17 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (63.0%), 2 Burkitt lymphoma (7.4%), 4 unclassified B-cell lymphoma (14.8%), 2 T-cell lymphoma (7.4%), and 2 unknown cases (7.4%). 24 of 27 patients had extranodal involvement: 9 central nervous system (33.3%), 7 gastrointestinal tract (25.9%) and other sites. First-line treatment procedure which all patients received was the modification of immunosupressants; complete response (CR) rate was 37.0%. After the failure of first-line therapy, 15 of 27 patients received chemotherapy: 4 rituximab monotherapy (30.8%), 6 CHOP-like regimens (46.2%), and other regimens (33.3%). Among them, five patients experienced relapse. They received salvage chemotherapy, and 2 and one patients achieved CR and partial response, respectively. Rest of them died of lymphoma and infection. The estimated five-year OS from the diagnosis of PTLD and the initiation of chemotherapy was 88.7% and 86.7%, respectively. During the survey period, 5 patients died; their causes of death were 3 lymphomas, 1 infection, and 1 heart failure. There were no deaths in kidney-transplant recipients from a cadaveric donor (Figure 1B). Discussion: While our cohort had more extranodal PTLD recipients than those reported previously, the modification of immunosupressants improved them in more than one-third of cases, which showed the usefulness of it as first-line treatment procedure for PTLD. Nearly half of cases were identified in recipients from a cadaveric donor; the results suggest that the incidence o PTLD among them is higher than those from a living donor because the number of kidney-transplant from a living donor was 10 times higher than those from a cadaveric donor. This study has several limitations due to its retrospective nature and small sample size. In addition, the estimated five-year OS might be better than actual because some patients became lost to follow-up. Further large-scale studies are warranted to validate the findings of this study. Disclosures Hagiwara: Bristol Myers Squibb: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Tanaka:Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding.

ObjectivesTo investigate the cumulative return-to-work (RTW) rate and to identify predictors of employment after kidney transplantation (KT).DesignRetrospective, outpatient-based cohort study.SettingThis was a single-centre study of the largest Japanese kidney transplant centre.ParticipantsWe selected Japanese kidney transplant recipients aged 20–64 years who were employed in paid jobs at the time of transplantation and who visited an outpatient clinic from December 2017 to March 2018. From 797 patients, we evaluated 515 in this study.InterventionsWe interviewed patients at an outpatient clinic and investigated the timing and predictors of RTW using logistic regression models.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the cumulative RTW rate, and the secondary outcome was to investigate the predictors of RTW after KT.ResultsAmong the 515 included recipients, the cumulative overall partial/full RTW rates at 2, 4, 6 and 12 months were 22.3%, 59.0%, 77.1% and 85.0%, respectively. The median duration from transplantation to RTW was 4 months. Regarding partial/full RTW, according to the multivariable analysis including all variables, male sex was a greater predictor for RTW than female sex (OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.32 to 3.20), and a managerial position was a greater predictor than a non-managerial position (OR 2.23, 95% CI 1.42 to 3.52). Regarding full RTW, male sex (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.06) and managerial position (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.25 to 3.06) were also good predictors.ConclusionsThe cumulative RTW rate was 85.0% 1-year post-transplantation. Given that cumulative RTW rates varied by sex and position, transplant and occupational physicians should support kidney transplant recipients in the aspect of returning to work.Trial registration numberUMIN000033449

Hydrothermal solidification/synthesis of diatomaceous earth based material has been carried out so as to investigate the relationship between porous and mechanical properties. Compaction pressure could make contact of particles closer, which accelerated the hydrothermal reaction and thus improved the strength of the solidified specimen; however, it could shrink the pore volume yet seemed to exert a small influence on the surface area. Curing time and temperature affected the porous and mechanical properties of synthesized specimens significantly, and the toughest specimen seemed to possess the largest surface area and optimum pore size distribution. As such, a porous and tough humidity regulating material seemed to be manufactured easily by the hydrothermal solidification/synthesis technology.

Alloantibodies contribute significantly to renal transplant rejection by activation of complement and various cytokines with a variety of effector cells, and are a major cause of allograft loss. Although there is clinical evidence of antibody- and complement-mediated injury in renal transplantation, the mechanism of antibody-mediated rejection remains largely unknown. In order to understand the sequential production of antibodies and complement components, we presensitized recipient rats by skin transplantation. Anti-donor-specific IgG levels reached a maximum 2 weeks following presensitization after which the rats underwent renal transplantation from the same donor strain. We then evaluated sequential pathological findings based on the Banff classification and several factors related to graft rejection. In this presensitized model, peritubular capillaries were already dilated and stained for C4d. Neutrophil and mononuclear cell infiltration in these capillaries was detected beginning 2 h after transplantation. Donor-specific antibody IgG levels decreased rapidly and anti-IgG antibody stained glomerular and peritubular capillaries in the grafts beginning 2 h after transplantation. Additionally, several cytokines and complement components showed marked changes in the presensitized group. Thus, in the donor-specific presensitized recipient, alloantibodies and complement were activated immediately after transplant. C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries appears to be a key factor for the diagnosis of antibody-associated rejection.

Five cases of recurrent immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) after kidney transplantation were successfully treated by tonsillectomy and steroid pulse therapy (SPT). The clinical background and pathology in the five cases were different, but good results were obtained in all of them. In cases 1 and 2, mild recurrent IgAN developed and failed to remit after tonsillectomy alone, but a remission was achieved in both cases after SPT. In case 3, highly active recurrent IgAN with crescent lesions developed 13 years after kidney transplantation, and a remission was achieved after SPT. In case 4, renal biopsy specimens showed pathological findings of recurrent IgAN with tubulitis, and hematuria and proteinuria resolved after SPT. In case 5, the biopsy findings indicated recurrent IgAN with chronic rejection. Tonsillectomy was followed by resolution of the proteinuria, and a remission was achieved after SPT. In conclusion, SPT is effective in inducing a remission of recurrent IgAN when tonsillectomy alone fails.

Background A prolonged-release formulation of tacrolimus (Tacrolimus QD) was developed to allow once-daily dosing and to have similar safety and efficacy profiles to twice-daily tacrolimus (Tacrolimus BID). This study compared the pharmacokinetics (PK) and renal pathology by protocol biopsy in de novo living kidney transplant recipients treated with either low-dose Tacrolimus QD or Tacrolimus BID. Methods Between November 2009 and January 2011, 102 consecutive adult patients were randomized to receive either low-dose Tacrolimus QD or Tacrolimus BID. All patients underwent PK study and protocol biopsy on postoperative day 14. Additional protocol biopsies were performed between 6 and 12 months after renal transplantation. Results During the 1-year follow up, the incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection and toxic tubulopathy was low and similar in both groups. Twenty-four hours area under the curve (AUC0-24) was not different in both groups (285 ± 78.7 and 281 ± 62.4 ng hr/mL in Tacrolimus QD and Tacrolimus BID, respectively). C0 was well correlated with AUC0-24 in both groups and AUC0-24 between 260 and 280 in the Tacrolimus QD group was achieved by 6 to 8 ng/mL of C0. Acute nephrotoxicity was less than 10% in both groups without any clinical manifestation. Conclusion Clinical efficacy, safety, and PK profile of Tacrolimus QD is same as those of Tacrolimus BID.

To simulate the thermal properties of cave dwellings, which are warm in winter and cool in summer, a mesoporous material with a good humidity-regulating performance was synthesized hydrothermally from loess. Through the calcination of loess, which both provides active calcium through the decomposition of calcite within loess and improves the reactivity by dehydroxylation, a tough mesoporous material could be synthesized without any additives, and tobermorite formation was found to exert a positive effect on its strength and porosity. Mesopores seemed to exert a positive influence on the humidity-regulating performance of the material from loess. Although calcination destroyed the original porosity of the loess, the porosity and thus the humidity-regulating performance could be recovered greatly through hydrothermal treatment. As such, using only calcined loess, a tough mesoporous material exhibiting good humidity-regulating performance was synthesized that could be used as a “cave-dwelling” building mater...

We have performed more than 200 ABO-incompatible and HLA-incompatible transplantations, by using low-dose rituximab (Rit) as one of the B cell-depleting strategies. It has been revealed that a significant number of such patients who receive rituximab treatment develop late-onset neutropenia (LON). To obtain insights into the mechanism underlying the development of LON, we evaluated the kinetics of various cytokines involved in B-cell and granulocyte homeostases. The subjects of this study could be categorized into five groups, as follows; group 1: Rit(+)LON(+), N=22; group 2: Rit(+)LON(-), N=30; group 3: Rit(-)LON(+), N=15; group 4: Rit(-)LON(-), N=53; and group5: CKD5 patients (N=10). Serum levels of the cytokines were examined pre-RTx, 6months after RTx, 12months after RTx and 1.5years after RTx. We investigated the association between the serum levels of the B cell-related cytokines and the incidence of acute rejection. Serum levels of BAFF were significantly elevated in groups 1, 2 and 3; in particular, group 1 patients showed marked elevation of the serum BAFF at 6 and 12months after RTx. No correlations were observed between the serum BAFF and the incidence of acute rejection. Transplant recipients treated with low-dose Rit and presenting with LON showed a marked elevation of the serum BAFF levels.

Marfan’s syndrome is a systemic disorder of the connective tissue caused by mutations in the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1, with aortic dissection and aneurysm being its most life-threatening manifestations. Kidney transplantation for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in patients with Marfan’s syndrome has not been reported in the literature, and the rate of the incidence of dissection or aneurysm in the iliac artery is unknown. Here, we present a patient with Marfan’s syndrome with ESRD due to severe renal ischemia caused by massive bleeding from thoracoabdominal aortic dissection leading to transplant surgery of a living kidney procured from the patient’s mother. After kidney transplantation, the renal function normalized without vascular complications, and stable graft function along with negative results for both microhematuria and proteinuria continued for two years. Also, vascular complication such as aneurysm or dissection of the iliac artery was not observed using ultrasonography during the follow-up period. ESRD patients with Marfan’s syndrome might be suitable for kidney transplantation, but long-term and careful observations are needed.

We investigated the risk factors for recurrence of IgA nephropathy after kidney transplantation. Of the 184 recipients of allografts for end-stage renal disease caused by primary IgA nephropathy at our institution and affiliated hospitals between 1990 and 2005, 70 developed recurrent IgA nephropathy (group 1), while the remaining 114 did not develop recurrent IgA nephropathy (group 2). The diagnosis of recurrent IgA nephropathy was based on case and/or protocol renal biopsies. We examined the risk factors for recurrence of IgA nephropathy by comparing the two groups. In addition, we also investigated the risk factors for graft loss in the patients with recurrent IgA nephropathy. The recipient's age at transplantation was significantly younger in group 1 than in group 2 (33.4 ± 10.4 vs. 36.7 ± 10.7, P = 0.037). No significant influence of the immunosuppressive regimens used was observed on the likelihood of recurrence of IgA nephropathy. In the analysis of the risk factors for graft loss, the mean age of the donor was significantly higher in the patient group with graft loss (59.1 ± 9.5 vs. 53.9 ± 9.0, P = 0.033), and the serum creatinine level at one year after surgery was also significantly higher in the patient group with graft loss (1.62 ± 0.52 vs. 1.34 ± 0.34, P = 0.022). Recipients with recurrent IgA nephropathy after transplantation, especially younger patients, need to be followed up carefully.

Background Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is a predictor of adverse outcomes in hemodialysis patients. LVEF is, however, an integral parameter determined by contractility, loading condition, and coupling. We sought to determine whether these components would better predict adverse outcomes and have incremental prognostic value over a validated clinical score and EF. Methods Two hundred thirty-four hemodialysis patients were prospectively followed up for primary composite endpoint: all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and hospitalization due to worsening heart failure (HF). Load-independent contractility (end-systolic elastance [Ees] and preload recruitable stroke work [PRSW]) and arterial afterload (arterial elastance [Ea]) were noninvasively estimated. Ventricular-arterial coupling was assessed using the Ea/Ees ratio. LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and mitral E-wave over annular velocity E′ ratio (E/E′) were also measured. Results During a median follow-up of 776 days, 30 patients developed the primary endpoint. Ees, PRSW, GLS, S′, Ea/Ees, E/E′, and EF were independently associated with the outcome after adjusting for the clinical score and prior HF hospitalization, whereas end-diastolic volume index or arterial afterload parameters were not. The nested Cox models indicated that Ea/Ees had independent and incremental predictive value over the model based on the score and either EF or E/E′. Furthermore, Ea/Ees continued to have predictive value after adjusting for GLS. The classification and regression analysis stratified event rates ranging from 4.2% to 68.8%. Conclusions LV contractility and Ea/Ees were independently associated with adverse outcome in hemodialysis patients. Ea/Ees had an incremental prognostic value over the clinical score and EF.

The low sensitivity of C4d immunoreactivity in peritubular capillaries (PTCs) hinders its use in the diagnosis of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (CAAMR). C4d-negative CAAMR was defined in the 2013 Banff classification, which included the expression of endothelial-associated transcripts (ENDATs). We previously showed that the ENDAT caveolin-1 (CAV-1) is a distinct feature of CAAMR. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of CAV-1 immunoreactivity in PTCs in kidney transplant patients. Ninety-eight kidney transplant recipients were included in this study. The prognostic value of CAV-1 immunoreactivity in PTCs was evaluated by double immunostaining for CAV-1 and pathologische Anatomie Leiden endothelium (PAL-E, a PTC marker) in the PTCs of kidney allograft biopsy samples. The patients were divided into two groups: CAV-1/PAL-E

We compared the clinical features, pathological features, and prognoses of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) arising in the native kidney after kidney transplantation (RCC-transplant) or on hemodialysis (RCC-HD), and analyzed predictive factors for survival at a Japanese single institution. This cohort included 42 patients in the RCC-transplant group and 467 patients in the RCC-HD group. RCC-transplant patients were younger (53 years vs. 56 years, P = 0.0358) and had less frequent symptoms (12% vs. 27%, P = 0.0344) than RCC-HD patients. Although tumor size, tumor stage, and histological subtype were not significantly different, the RCC-transplant group had less frequent multifocal occurrences and ACDK. Overall 5-year survival (RCC-transplant, 80%; RCC-hemodialysis, 76%; P = 0.3217) and 5-year cancer-specific survival (CSS; RCC-transplant, 84%; RCC-hemodialysis, 89%; P = 0.8916) were not significantly different between the two groups. Tumor stage and grade were significant predictors for CSS. Although kidney transplantation and hemodialysis were not associated with CSS, tumor stage was an independent predictor of CSS.

IgA vasculitis, a rare condition resulting in end-stage renal disease, is a small-vessel vasculitis that affects the kidney in 49–83 % of adults. The reported recurrence rate of IgA vasculitis in renal transplant recipients is 11.5–60 %, leading to graft loss in 0–50 % of these patients. However, limited data are available on recurrence and graft loss after renal transplantation. We evaluated renal transplant recipients seen from 1987 to 2015 at the Jikei University School of Medicine and the Department of Urology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University. Using a 1:2 match, 21 patients with IgA vasculitis and 42 controls were selected. The mean post-transplant follow-up was 121 ± 69 months for IgA vasculitis and 147 ± 66 months for the controls. The 15-year patient survival was 100 % in IgA vasculitis and 97.6 % in the controls (p = 0.22). The 5-, 10-, and 15-year graft survival rates were 95.2, 90.5, and 81 % in IgA vasculitis and 100, 90.5, and 88.1 % in the controls, respectively (p = 0.63). The recurrence rate was 28.6 % (6 of 21 cases) and half of them (3 of 6 cases) showed histological activity (ISKDC III). We treated them with methylprednisolone pulse therapy and/or tonsillectomy. None of the recurrence cases lost the allograft. The long-term patient and graft survival of IgA vasculitis in renal transplantation were comparable with the previous reports. The recurrence rate was 28.6 %, but none of the recurrent cases showed allograft loss in this study. We speculate that methylprednisolone pulse therapy and/or tonsillectomy prevent the progression of recurrent IgA vasculitis.

Our objectives were to compare the clinical outcomes of mizoribine (12 mg/kg/d) and mycophenolate mofetil (2000 mg/d) in combination with tacrolimus, basiliximab, and corticosteroids.We enrolled 83 recipients of living-donor renal transplant (performed between 2008 and 2013) in this study. This prospective multi-institutional randomized comparative study compared mizoribine (n = 41) and mycophenolate mofetil (n = 42) in combination with tacrolimus, basiliximab, and corticosteroids for living-donor renal transplant recipients. We compared the acute rejection and graft survival rates and adverse event rates within 1 year of renal transplant between the 2 groups using intention-to-treat analyses.During the 1-year observation period, patient and graft survival rates were 100%. The acute rejection rate was 17.1% in the mizoribine group and 19% in the mycophenolate mofetil group. The incidence rate of cytomegalovirus infection seropositivity (recipient and donor with positive cytomegalovirus antibody status) was higher in the mycophenolate mofetil group than in the mizoribine group, although the difference in these rates was not statistically significant. The incidence of leukopenia was higher in the mizoribine group than in the mycophenolate mofetil group.High-dose mizoribine at 12 mg/kg/day was a safe and efficacious immunosuppressive alternative to mycophenolate mofetil in living-donor renal transplant recipients. Leukopenia should be closely monitored in the initial period of insufficient kidney function after renal transplant.

Objectives To clarify the incidence rate of post-transplant diabetes mellitus and associated risk factors in Japanese kidney transplant recipients, and to explore which treatment components are most effective in reducing post-transplant diabetes mellitus. Methods We analyzed 849 Japanese non-diabetic adult recipients who had undergone living kidney transplantation and had received tacrolimus-based immunosuppression from 1996 to 2013 with a median follow-up of 5 years. Results In all, 127 patients developed post-transplant diabetes mellitus during the follow-up period. The incidence rate of post-transplant diabetes mellitus was 15.1% (95% confidence interval 12.7–17.5) at 5 years. Recipient age (hazard ratio 1.05, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.06, P < 0.001 for every 5-year increase), obesity (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% confidence interval 1.06–2.73, P = 0.028), tacrolimus trough level at 2 weeks post-transplantation (hazard ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.03–1.09, P < 0.001 for a 1-ng/mL increase) and mycophenolate mofetil use (hazard ratio 0.46, 95% confidence interval 0.28–0.77, P = 0.003) were significant predictors of post-transplant diabetes mellitus. Estimated 5-year predicted incidence rate after adjusting for age and obesity was 9.4% for recipients with a low tacrolimus trough level, and receiving mycophenolate mofetil and 38.4% for recipients with a high tacrolimus trough level and not receiving mycophenolate mofetil. Conclusions Post-transplant diabetes mellitus is a common complication in Japan, similar to that in other Western countries. The present results show that an appropriate immunosuppressive regimen with a combination of tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil can reduce the likelihood of developing post-transplant diabetes mellitus. Clinical trials are required to confirm these findings.

67%, 7 in 28% and 8 in 5%. Final pathology showed that 11% had pT3a disease, 6% had pT3b disease and 2% had pN1 disease. Regarding the Gleason score, 13% had primary Gleason pattern 4 (4+3 and up), 48% had secondary Gleason pattern 4 (3+4) and 2% had secondary Gleason 5 (3+5 or 4+5). Regarding the maximal tumor diameter 21% had a diameter

Immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy (IgAN) is a known autoimmune disease due to abnormal glycosylation of IgA1, and occasionally, IgG co-deposition occurs. The prognosis of IgG co-deposition with IgAN is adverse, as shown in the previous studies. However, in the clinical setting, monoclonality of IgG co-deposition with IgAN has not been observed. We describe a case of proliferative glomerulonephritis with monoclonal IgG deposits (PGNMID) combined with IgAN in a renal allograft. A-21-year-old man developed end-stage renal failure with unknown aetiology and underwent living-donor kidney transplantation from his mother 2 years after being diagnosed. One year after kidney transplantation, proteinuria 2+ and haematuria 2+ were detected; allograft biopsy revealed mesangial IgA and C3 deposits, indicating a diagnosis of IgAN. After tonsillectomy and steroid pulse therapy, proteinuria and haematuria resolved. However, 4 years after transplantation, pedal oedema, proteinuria (6.89 g/day) and allograft dysfunction (serum creatinine (sCr) 203.3 µmol/L) appeared. A second allograft biopsy showed mesangial expansion and focal segmental proliferative endocapillary lesions with IgA1λ and monoclonal IgG1κ depositions. Electron microscopic analysis revealed a massive amount of deposits, located in the mesangial and subendothelial lesions. A diagnosis of PGNMID complicated with IgAN was made, and rituximab and plasmapheresis were added to steroid pulse therapy. With this treatment, proteinuria was alleviated to 0.5 g/day, and the allograft dysfunction recovered to sCr 132.6 µmol/L. This case suggests a necessity for investigation of PGNMID and IgA nephropathy in renal allografts to detect monoclonal Ig deposition disease.

Transplantation-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) is relatively rare and requires immediate intervention to avoid irreversible organ damage or death; however, consensus regarding the treatment approach is lacking. Atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare disease caused by dysregulation of the alternative complement pathway resulting in TMA. aHUS is histologically similar to TA-TMA; approximately 60% of TA-TMA patients have complement dysregulation. Eculizumab, a humanized anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, inhibits terminal membrane-attack complex formation and TMA progression. Eculizumab has been successfully used to treat aHUS post-transplant. We present two cases of kidney TA-TMA due to unknown causes, suspected antibody-mediated rejection, or calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-related toxicity that developed on day 1 or 2 post-kidney transplantation. Low platelet count and haemoglobin level with red cell fragments were detected. Despite steroid pulse, plasma exchange (PE), and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy, TA-TMA did not improve; therefore, eculizumab was administered despite no genetic testing. Laboratory data, including renal function, improved immediately. TA-TMA treatment primarily involves PE initiation or CNI discontinuation; eculizumab can be used to safely treat TA-TMA and then be ceased in the short term. Therefore, eculizumab administration might be beneficial for kidney TA-TMA as early as the diagnosis of refractory to PE.

We carried out a clinicopathological analysis of cases presenting with interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA) after renal transplantation in an attempt to clarify the mechanisms underlying the development and prognostic significance of IF/TA.IF/TA was diagnosed in 35 renal allograft biopsy specimens (BS) obtained from 35 renal transplant recipients under follow up at the Department of Transplant Surgery, Kidney Center, Toda Chuo General Hospital, between January 2014 and March 2015.IF/TA was diagnosed at a median of 39.9 months after the transplantation. Among the 35 patients with IF/TA, 19 (54%) had a history of acute rejection. Among the 35 BS showing evidence of IF/TA, the IF/TA was grade I in 25, grade II in 9, and grade III in 1. Arteriosclerosis of the middle-sized arteries was observed in 30 BS (86%). We then classified the 35 BS showing evidence of IF/TA according to their overall histopathological features, as follows; IF/TA alone (6 BS; 17%), IF/TA + medullary ray injury (12 BS; 34%), and IF/TA + rejection (12 BS; 34%). Loss of the renal allograft occurred during the observation period in one of the patients (3%). Of the remaining patients with functioning grafts, deterioration of the renal allograft function after the biopsies occurred in 15 patients (43%).The results of our study suggests that rejection contributes to IF/TA in 30-40% of cases, medullary ray injury in 30-40% of cases, and nonspecific injury in 20% of cases. IF/TA contributes significantly to deterioration of renal allograft function.

Transplant glomerulopathy (TG) is a feature of chronic antibody-mediated injury in the glomerular capillaries in renal transplant recipients. TG is generally associated with proteinuria; however, renal function at the diagnosis of TG varies. This study aimed to determine which morphological abnormalities are associated with renal function and proteinuria at the diagnosis of TG.A total of 871 renal transplantations were performed at Tokyo Women's Medical University between 2005 and 2013. TG was diagnosed in 127 biopsies from 58 (6.7%) recipients. Renal function was evaluated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Proteinuria was assessed by a dipstick test: positive for +1 and over.At diagnosis, of 127 biopsies, 72, 37, and 18 had mild, moderate, and severe TG (Banff cg). The severity of TG was not associated with decreased eGFR at the time of biopsy (cg1: 36.1 ± 14.8, cg2-3: 38.8 ± 14.5 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) , P = 0.25), whereas the severity of interstitial fibrosis (IF) (Banff ci) was significantly associated with decreased eGFR (ci0-1: 42.75 ± 13.32, ci2-3: 27.69 ± 11.94 mL/min per 1.73 m(2) , P 0.0001). The multivariate analysis revealed that IF was the only independent risk factors for decreased eGFR (OR = 4.38, P = 0.0006). Meanwhile, TG was identified as the only independent risk factor for the incidence of proteinuria (OR = 2.67, P = 0.014).Interstitial fibrosis was a critical determinant of impaired renal function at the diagnosis of TG. The severity of TG was significantly associated with proteinuria, but did not contribute to renal dysfunction.

We report a case of kidney transplantation from mother to son, both of whom were likely to have had an unrecognized renal variant phenotype of Fabry disease. The patient was a 54-year-old man, with an unknown primary cause of end stage renal disease. He had no notable past medical history, other than end stage renal disease. He underwent living-related kidney transplantation from his mother at age 40 years. Foam cells in the glomeruli were identified on histology assessment of a 0-hour allograft biopsy, with zebra bodies identified in the glomerular visceral epithelial cells by electron microscopy. These findings were indicative of Fabry disease in the donated kidney. As a definitive diagnosis of Fabry's disease could not be confirmed, enzyme replacement therapy was not initiated. Thirteen years after kidney transplantation, the patient underwent left nephrectomy for a left renal tumour, with pathological findings of clear cell carcinoma, foam cells and zebra bodies in the native kidney. Detailed examinations identified low α-galactosidase A activity and mutation of the α-Gal A gene, confirming a diagnosis of a renal variant phenotype of Fabry disease. Histology of several allograft biopsies performed over the 14 years from the time of kidney transplantation revealed only moderate interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, with no evidence of disease progression on electron microscopy, despite the presence of zebra bodies in the glomerular visceral epithelial cells.

Background Heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), a molecular chaperone associated with the activation of client proteins, was recently reported to play an important role in immunologic reactions. To date, the role of HSP90 in solid organ transplantations has remained unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum HSP90α levels and acute allograft rejection after organ and tissue transplantation using serum samples from kidney allograft recipients, an in vitro antibody-mediated rejection model, and a murine skin transplantation. Results Serum HSP90α levels were significantly higher in kidney recipients at the time of acute rejection (AR) than in those with no evidence of rejection. In most cases with AR, serum HSP90 decreased to baseline after the treatment. On the other hand, serum HSP90α was not elevated as much in patients with chronic rejection, calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, or BK virus nephropathy as in AR patients. In vitro study showed that HSP90α concentration in the supernatant was significantly higher in the supernatant of human aortic endothelial cells cocultured with specific anti-HLA IgG under complement attack than in that of cells cocultured with nonspecific IgG. In mice receiving skin transplantation, serum HSP90α was elevated when the first graft was rejected and the level further increased during more severe rejection of the second graft. Conclusions The results suggest that HSP90α is released into the serum by cell damage due to AR in organ and tissue transplantation, and it is potentially a new biomarker to help detect AR in kidney recipients.

Hydrothermal solidification of sepiolite clay was carried out at different curing temperatures (100 °C and 200 °C) with an introduction of calcium hydroxide. The addition of calcium hydroxide greatly affected the stability of sepiolite within sepiolite clay. When Ca/Si molar ratio (C/S) is lower than 0.4, sepiolite sustained well at both curing temperatures even for a long curing time (72 h), and above C/S = 0.4 sepiolite decomposed readily. During early-stage hydrothermal processing (before 12 h), fine-grained particles of calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) gel precipitated and provided an early strength enhancement for the specimens solidified at 100 °C and 200 °C respectively. After that, fibrous CSH(I) that formed after 12 h was responsible for the highest strength and platy tobermorite after 72 h led to a slight decrease in strength at 200 °C, while agglomerated sponge-like CSH gel formed after 72 h contributed to the highest strength at 100 °C. The intercrystalline pores of crystalline CSH, including CSH(I) and tobermorite, formed at 200 °C provided more porosity than the gel pores at 100 °C within solidified specimens.

Summary We sought to clarify the controversial issue of whether detecting low-level anti-donor-specific HLA antibody (HLA-DSA) by single-antigen flow-bead assay (SAFB) may have a potential role in reducing acute and chronic antibody-mediated rejection (AMR). We retrospectively studied the preoperative serum of ABO-compatible living kidney transplantation recipients transplanted between 2001 and 2004 by SAFB using a Luminex platform. HLA-DSA was detected only by SAFB in 24 patients, although all of them showed negative T-cell and B-cell complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) crossmatches. The HLA-DSA patients went on to have surprisingly high levels of acute and chronic AMR despite being only weakly sensitized (acute AMR, 33.3%; chronic AMR, 41.7%). After 2005, we implemented SAFB routinely and any patient having a positive HLA-DSA was considered to be a desensitization candidate. The 52 patients found to have HLA-DSA underwent kidney transplantation after prior treatment with a single dose of rituximab (RIT) and three or four sessions of double-filtration plasmapheresis (DFPP) in addition to regimens commonly used between 2001 and 2004. After 2005, there was a significant reduction in the occurrence of acute and chronic AMR (acute AMR, 4.7%, P

Transplant glomerulopathy (TG) is involved in the criteria of chronic active antibody-mediated rejection (c-AMR) in Banff ‘09 classification. Patients TG was diagnosed in 58 renal allograft biopsy specimens (BS) from 37 renal transplant patients. Results Among 58 BS of TG, 27 BS were mild (cg1), 16 were moderate (cg2), and 15 were severe (cg3). Peritubular capillaritis was present in 49 (84%), transplant glomerulitis was seen in 47 BS (81%), interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy in 47 (81%) and the thickening of the peritubular capillary (PTC) basement membrane (PTCBM) in 44 (76%), and interstitial inflammation was present in 26 BS (45%). C4d deposition in PTC was presented in 32 BS (55%). The circulating anti-HLA alloantibody was detected in 38 times (76%), of which 27/38 (54%) were donor-specific antibodies. Deterioration of renal allografts’ function after biopsies was seen in 12 patients (32%) with six of them lost their graft. Conclusions We suggest that histopathological changes of TG accompanying by transplant glomerulitis, peritubular capillaritis, the thickening of the PTCBM, and circulating anti-HLA antibodies might indicate c-AMR, even if C4d deposition in PTC is negative. The prognosis of the graft exhibiting TG was relatively good under the present immunosuppression protocol in short time.

Histopathological changes of acute vascular rejection (AVR) are characterized by intimal arteritis and transmural arteritis. According to the Banff 1997 classification, the quantitative criteria for intimal arteritis (v score) are classified: v0, v1, v2, and v3. According to Banff '09 classification, AVR may fall into one of four categories: acute T cell-mediated rejection (ATMR) Type IIA, ATMR Type IIB, ATMR Type III, and acute antibody-mediated rejection (AAMR) Type III. Both cellular and humoral immunity play roles in vascular rejection, and in some cases, AVR may be provoked by anti-donor antibodies. Anti-rejection therapies were effective in most of the v1 cases but were less effective in the v2 cases and were ineffective in the v3 cases. Some reports have indicated that the prognosis of grafts exhibiting AVR is poor, but in our series, the outcome of AVR was relatively good using recent immunosuppressive protocols. A definition for "isolated v-lesion" was originally characterized by arteritis with minimal interstitial inflammation and tubulitis. The 11th Banff conference was concluded that "isolated v1-lesions" comprised two types, T cell-mediated rejection and injury, and did not have any independent prognostic significance. However, we speculate that "isolated v-lesion" might be regarded as AAMR and ATMR.

Background: The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical characteristics and frequency of psychiatric consultation in a routine clinical setting after kidney transplantation. Methods: Subjects were 1,139 consecutive recipients who received kidney transplantation at our hospital between January 1997 and September 2006. The hospital patient database was searched to determine whether these recipients received psychiatric consultation after their transplantation during this period. Results: Among 1,139 recipients, 118 (10%) received psychiatric consultation after their transplantation. There were significantly more women among these recipients ( p = 0.036). Many of the recipients had received psychiatric consultation before transplantation ( p < 0.0001) and had received dialysis for a long time ( p = 0.018). There were three main psychiatric diagnoses according to ICD-10 diagnostic criteria in these 118 recipients: 42 (36%) had neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders (F4); 35 (30%) had organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders (F0); and 27 (23%) had mood (affective) disorders (F3). The median length of time between kidney transplantation and initial psychiatric consultation was 57 days (interquartile range: 10–650 days). The lengths were 7 days (6–17 days) for F0, 75 days (18–650 days) for F4, 243 days (35–1,004 days) for F3, and 253 days (10–1,393 days) for other diagnostic groups. Significant differences were observed among these four groups (Jonckheere-Terpstra test, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Our results show that appropriate psychiatric intervention is necessary not only in early stages after kidney transplantation but also over the long term.

Background Bladder dysfunction after kidney transplantation (KTx) impairs the patients' quality of life. We examined the bladder function status perioperatively in patients undergoing KTx and performed a randomized prospective study to determine the efficacy of an antimuscarinic agent, solifenacin, in ameliorating the bladder dysfunction after KTx. Methods The subjects in this study were 33 patients who underwent KTx at our institution. The patients were divided into two groups: group 1 (n=18), composed of patients who were not treated with any antimuscarinic agent, and group 2 (n=15), composed of patients treated with an antimuscarinic agent. We investigated the actual bladder function status of these patients before and after KTx by the following two methods: (1) video water cystometry and (2) questionnaire study using the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score and King's Health Questionnaire. Results The cystometry study revealed a significantly greater increase of the maximum cystometric capacity in group 2 than in group 1 (173.0±60.7 mL in group 1 and 260.1±51.0 mL in group 2 [P=0.005]) after KTx. In the questionnaire surveys, the decreases in the scores for all domains were observed 6 weeks after KTx. The scores in group 2 tended to be lower than those in group 1. Conclusion In all of our patients, the bladder dysfunction status improved dramatically after KTx. In addition, our results suggest that administration of the antimuscarinic agent, solifenacin, may contribute to improvement of the quality of life of patients undergoing KTx.

Diatomaceous earth (DE) solidifies hydrothermally with analcime formation. With analcime formation, strength development was much greater than that with calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) formation. NaOH addition conditioned analcime formation because NaOH solution not only promoted dissolution of quartz and montmorillonite but also provided Na+ to form the analcime. Curing temperature and time affected analcime formation, and, in this study, over 6 h (at 200 °C) and 175 °C (for 12 h), analcime seemed to form readily. After hydrothermal treatment, the skeletons of diatoms can still be seen in the solid after analcime formation but can hardly be found after CSH formation.

Introduction Histopathologic change of acute vascular rejection (AVR) is characterized by intimal arteritis and transmural arteritis. In this report, we discuss the clinicopathologic analysis of AVR cases after renal transplantation. Patients AVR was diagnosed in 28 renal transplant recipients followed up in our institute between January 2003 and November 2010. Results Among 28 cases of AVR, 18 were mild (v1 in Banff 07 classification), 8 were moderate (v2), and 2 were severe (v3). Interstitial inflammation was present in 25 biopsy specimens. Moderate to severe tubulitis (t2–t3) was present in 10 biopsy specimens and transplant glomerulitis in 17; peritubular capillaritis was in 25 of the 28 biopsy specimens. C4d deposition in peritubular capillaries was observed in 11/28 cases. By using assays with plastic beads coated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in the 28 cases, we detected circulating anti-HLA alloantibody in 18 patients, among which 11/28 were donor-specific. Acute antibody-mediated rejection was diagnosed in 6 cases. Among AVR cases, 19/28 displayed steroid-resistant rejection (SRR) requiring greater anti-rejection therapy (ART), including muromonab CD3 injection, gusperimus injections, plasmapheresis, intravenous immune globulin, and/or rituximab injections. Twenty of 28 patients recovered renal allograft function after ART, and 26/28 grafts are functioning. Among the 2 cases of graft loss, only 1 patient lost his graft due to AVR. Conclusions In some cases, AVR might be provoked by anti-donor antibodies. The prognosis of the graft exhibiting AVR was relatively good using available immunosuppression.