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1. The Los Angeles Transplant Society and the Regional Organ Procurement Agency of Southern California (ROPA) was established in November 1967. ROPA was the first such organization in the United States. 2. The use of simple cold storage and shipment of kidneys by commercial airline resulted from pioneering concepts developed in the Los Angeles area from 1968-1969. 3. In the 26-year period of ROPA's operation, it has coordinated 8,446 kidney transplants. 4. All kidneys transplanted in 1993 were allocated according to the UNOS point system. 5. Allocating all kidneys under the point system has not significantly disadvantaged either large or small transplant centers in the greater Los Angeles area. 6. Racial distribution of recipients: 13% Black (compared with Los Angeles population of 12% and 6% donor population). Blacks represent 20% of the recipient waiting list. Hispanic recipients were 31% (compared to Los Angeles population of 40% and donor population of 30%). Hispanics comprised 28% of the waiting list. 7. The average waiting times for centers in the Los Angeles area ranged from 14-19.4 months. Transplanted patients waited an average of 16.3-22.1 months. 8. "Required request" had a significant effect on the number of referrals but did not produce a meaningful increase in the number of kidneys transplanted.

We compare the results in recipients of cadaveric renal allografts immunosuppressed with cyclosporine and prednisone to those who received immunosuppression with cyclosporine, azathioprine and prednisone. The 2 groups were compared relative to HLA-ABDR matching, plasma reactive antibodies, cold ischemia time, diabetes as a cause of renal failure and recipient age greater than 50 years. The incidences of clinical allograft rejection and grafts lost to rejection were not significantly different in these 2 groups evaluated at 1 year. In the 2-drug immunosuppressed group the actual 3, 6 and 12-month graft function was 87, 86 and 85%, respectively, compared to 79, 78 and 74%, respectively, in the 3-drug immunosuppressed group. A difference in graft survival was due to graft loss secondary to vascular thrombosis and patient death, and not to immunological events. No advantage was demonstrated for the use of 3-drug immunosuppression for kidney allografts over a 2-drug protocol of cyclosporine and prednisone.

We believe a first case of ganglioneuroma arising in an accessory adrenal gland is reported. Evidence suggests the ganglioneuroma is a benign tumor of neural crest origin that arises by spontaneous maturation from malignant neuroblastoma.

Seven biospecific adsorbents containing immobilized androgens were synthesized: dihydrotestosterone-17 beta-succinyl agarose, and both the unsubstituted and the 17 beta-acetyl derivatives of dihydrotestosterone-7 alpha-undecanoyl agarose, testosterone-7 alpha-undecanoyl agarose, and 19-nortestosterone-7 alpha-undecanoyl agarose. The retention capacities for nuclear androgen receptor were generally between 40-80% with little variation in reproducibility; the amount of binding was greatest with dihydrotestosterone-17 beta-succinyl agarose and dihydrotestosterone-17 beta-acetoxy-7 alpha-undecanoyl agarose. Rapid flow rates were obtained with all gels, and no tendency for decomposition was observed over a period of 1 year. Factors that affected retention included the concentration of immobilized androgen, length of the linker arm, occupation of receptor sites, interval of contact with the gel, and temperature of incubation. Chemical dissociation of androgens from androgen receptor complexes with 0.2 mM mersalyl increased the retention of receptor by dihydrotestosterone-17 beta-succinyl agarose. Two elutants showed promise for the dissociation of gel-bound receptor: 1) 0.2 mM mersalyl in the presence of 1.5 mg/ml of ovalbumin; 2) 10% (v/v) dimethylformamide:water containing 30 microM [1,2-3H] dihydrotestosterone and 0.5 M sodium thiocyanate.