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Background The early identification of recipients at high risk of graft loss is clinically relevant after kidney transplantation. The authors explored whether the earlier monitoring of tacrolimus (Tac) time-in-therapeutic range (TTR) is predictive of and a subsequent gain in TTR improves transplant outcomes. Methods The TTR within 3, 6, 9, and 12 months was evaluated. Multivariate Cox analyses were performed to explore when TTR was predictive of transplant outcomes. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on incremental TTR change [TTR gain (increase >10%), TTR stable (maintained within 10%), and TTR loss (decrease >10%)] and 4 groups based on predefined cutoff values [low-low (LL), low-high (LH), high-low (HL), and high-high (HH)] using 6- and 12-month TTRs. Death-censored graft loss and patient death were primary outcomes. Results Nonlinear associations were observed between 6-, 9-, and 12-month TTR and death-censored graft and patient survival rates. In multivariate analysis, every 10% increase in 6-, 9-, and 12-month TTRs was associated with reduced patient death [hazard ratio (HR): 0.83; HR: 0.68; HR: 0.61, respectively] and graft loss (HR: 0.88; HR: 0.73; HR: 0.66, respectively). A nonlinear relationship was observed between transplant outcomes and incremental changes in TTR. TTR gain and stable TTR contributed to higher graft survival (HR: 0.20; HR: 0.21) and patient survival (HR: 0.14; HR: 0.15) rates than TTR loss, whereas the former 2 had comparable outcomes. Furthermore, compared with those in the HH group, the LL and HL groups had inferior graft survival (HR: 3.33; HR: 5.17) and patient survival (HR: 5.15; HR: 8.94) rates, whereas the LH group had similar outcomes (P = 0.63, P = 0.97). Nonadherence was the main controllable risk factor for low TTR. Conclusions The 6-month TTR identified patients at higher risk of worse outcomes. The subsequent gain of TTR may contribute to better transplant outcomes.

Fan Zhang,1,* Jiayu Liang,1 You Lu,2,* Yongquan Tang,3 Shengzhuo Liu,1 Kan Wu,1 Fuxun Zhang,1 Yiping Lu,1 Zhihong Liu,1 Xianding Wang1 1Department of Urology, Institute of Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pediatrics, West China Second University Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pediatric Urology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xianding Wang; Jiayu Liang, Email xiandingwang66@126.com; drliangjiayu@163.comBackground: Cathepsin Z (CTSZ) is a cathepsin family member that plays a dual role in the adhesion and migration of immune and tumor cells.Methods: The expression pattern of CTSZ in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) was observed by immunohistochemistry and validated by using double-labeling immunofluorescence. Publicly available single-cell sequencing data was used to further define the cell type-specific CTSZ expression in ccRCC. Methylation modification, immune infiltration, and tumor-related signaling enrichment analyses involving CTSZ were performed using multi-omics data. Data from two independent cohorts of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) therapeutic clinical trials were used to investigate correlations between CTSZ levels and treatment responses.Results: CTSZ was upregulated in ccRCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues at the RNA but not in ccRCC cells. Immunohistochemistry indicated that CTSZ was expressed in tumors infiltrated with lymphocytes. Double immunofluorescence demonstrated that CTSZ was co-expressed with CD68 but not CD8. Single-cell transcriptome data showed macrophage-specific expression of CTSZ in ccRCC. High CTSZ expression was significantly correlated with the enrichment of interferon-γ, epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition, cell cycle, apoptosis pathways, and B cell, macrophage, neutrophil, and dendritic cell infiltrations, as well as the expression of immune checkpoints CTLA4, LAG3, HAVCR2, PDCD1LG2, PDCD1, TIGIT, and SIGLEC15. Hypomethylation modification of cg02744249, cg02744249, and cg22145559 were negatively correlated with CTSZ expression, suggesting an epigenetic mechanism for the regulation of CTSZ expression. Clinically, CTSZ levels were associated with the prognosis of patients with ccRCC (hazard ratio=1.5, P=0.007). Notably, patients with higher CTSZ expression had a worse prognosis with anti-PD-1 monotherapy (hazard ratio=1.51, P=0.039).Conclusion: Macrophage-specific CTSZ was associated with activation of epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition, cell cycle signatures, and a higher infiltration level of B cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment. High expression of CTSZ could be considered as a prognostic and treatment response biomarker for patients with ccRCC receiving anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.Keywords: ccRCC, CTSZ, macrophage, single-cell, prognosis

Magnesium deficiency is common in patients with chronic kidney diseases (CKD) due to restricted magnesium intake and impaired magnesium reabsorption. Based on pathophysiological risk factors influencing kidney magnesium reabsorption, a magnesium depletion score (MDS) was developed. Using MDS as a novel indicator for assessing body magnesium status, we hypothesized that it was associated with clinical prognosis.We conducted a prospective population-based cohort study using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2014 to explore the impact of MDS on the clinical outcomes of CKD patients. Propensity score-matched analyses were conducted to increase comparability. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcomes were cardiovascular-cause and cancer-cause mortality.After propensity score matching, 3294 CKD patients were divided into 2 groups: MDS ≤ 2 (N = 1647), and MDS 2 (N = 1647). During a median follow-up of 75 months, Kaplan-Meier analyses showed that MDS 2 was associated with worse 5- and 10-year overall survival (78.5% vs 73.4%; 53.1% vs 43.1%, P 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables, MDS was found to be an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality (HR:1.34, 95% CI 1.20-1.50, P 0.001). MDS 2 was also associated with higher cardiovascular-cause mortality (16.2% VS 11.6%, P = 0.005). Multivariate competing risk analysis revealed that MDS 2 was an independent risk factor (HR: 1.33, 95% CI 1.06-1.66, P = 0.012). Subgroup analyses reported that MDS 2 increased all-cause mortality and cardiovascular-cause mortality only in patients with inadequate magnesium intake (P 0.001, P 0.001) but not in those with adequate intake (P = 0.068, P = 0.920).A magnesium depletion score 2 was independently associated with higher long-term cardiovascular-cause and all-cause mortality in CKD patients.

Background To develop and validate predictive nomograms for 5-year graft survival in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) with easily-available laboratory data derived markers and clinical variables within the first year post-transplant. Methods The clinical and routine laboratory data from within the first year post-transplant of 1289 KTRs was collected to generate candidate predictors. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses and LASSO were conducted to select final predictors. X-tile analysis was applied to identify optimal cutoff values to transform potential continuous factors into category variables and stratify patients. C-index, calibration curve, dynamic time-dependent AUC, decision curve analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to evaluate models' predictive accuracy and clinical utility. Results Two predictive nomograms were constructed by using 0-6- and 0-12- month laboratory data, and showed good predictive performance with C-indexes of 0.78 and 0.85, respectively, in the training cohort. Calibration curves showed that the prediction probabilities of 5-year graft survival were in concordance with actual observations. Additionally, KTRs could be successfully stratified into three risk groups by nomograms. Conclusions These predictive nomograms combining demographic and 0-6- or 0-12- month markers derived from post-transplant laboratory data could serve as useful tools for early identification of 5-year graft survival probability in individual KTRs.

Background In order to reduce the burden on organ shortage around the world, using potential infectious donor might be an option. However, scarce evidences have been published on kidney transplantation (KTx) from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) + donors to HBsAg- recipients [D (HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-)] without hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunity. Here, we reported the results of D(HBsAg+/HBV DNA- or +)/R(HBsAg-) living KTx recipients with or without HBV immunity. Methods We retrospectively identified 83 D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) living KTx recipients, and 83 hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb) + living donors to HBcAb- recipients [D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-)] were used as control group by reviewing medical archives and propensity score matching. Treatment failure (defined as any HBV serology conversion, liver injury, graft loss, or recipient death) is the primary endpoint. Results Twenty-four donors (28.9%) were HBV DNA+, and 20 recipients had no HBV immunity in the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) group pre-transplantation. HBV prophylaxis was applied in all D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) recipients, while none was applied in the D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) group. We observed a significant higher treatment failure in D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) than D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) group (21.7% vs. 10.8%, P Conclusion D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) should be considered for living kidney transplantation, but with extra caution on donors with HBV DNA+ and male candidates.

Background The effect of donor kidney morphology parameters on the prognosis of renal transplant recipients remains unclear. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study consisting of 290 pairs of donors and recipients who underwent living related renal transplantation in our center between December 2013 and December 2015. The donor kidney morphology parameters, demographic characteristics and renal function of the included participants were collected and analyzed. Results The univariate linear regression analysis revealed that the donor kidney weight (DKW)/recipient body weight (RBW), DKW/recipient body surface area (RBSA), DKW/recipient body mass index (RBMI), donor kidney volume (DKV)/RBW, DKV/RBSA, DKV/RBMI, and donor body weight (DBW)/RBW were significantly correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and serum creatinine in recipients within two years of transplantation. In our multivariate linear regression analysis, DKW/RBW and donor age significantly correlated with eGFR at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after transplantation. DKW/RBW had the best prediction performance for good renal allograft function at 12 months after transplantation. We found that when the age of the donor was 55 years and above, the prediction performance of the nephron dosing to the recipient's metabolic demands mismatch was elevated. After grouping according to the donor's age and DKW/RBW, the allograft function from different donor ages improved as DKW/RBW increased. The number of recipients who were rejected in the high DKW/RBW group was significantly fewer than those in the low and medium groups the 1, 2, and 3-year graft and patient survival rates were comparable among these groups. Furthermore, we also identified that when the age of the donor was 55 years and above, the threshold of DKW/RBW was 3.09 g/kg via the receiver operating characteristic curve, which predicted a good renal function 12 months after transplantation. Conclusions The donor kidney morphology parameters were significantly associated with early renal allograft function, especially when the age of the donor was 55 years and above.

Alloreactive memory T cells play a key role in transplantation by accelerating allograft rejection and preventing tolerance induction. Some studies using µMT mice, which are constitutionally devoid of B cells, showed that B cells were required for the generation of memory T cells after allotransplantation. However, whether B cell depletion in normal adult mice has the same effect on memory responses by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells activated after transplantation has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we tested the effect of anti-CD20 antibody-mediated B cell depletion on CD4+ and CD8+ memory T cell alloresponses after skin transplantation in wild-type mice. We found that B cell depletion prevented the development of memory alloresponses by CD4+ T cells but enhanced that of CD8+ memory T cells. Next, we tested the influence of B cell depletion on hematopoietic chimerism. In OT-II CD4+ anti-OVA TCR transgenic mice sensitized to ovalbumin antigen, B cell depletion also impaired allospecific memory T cell responses and thereby enhanced donor hematopoietic chimerism and T cell deletion after bone marrow transplantation. This study underscores the complexity of the relationships between B and T cells in the generation and reactivation of different memory T cell subsets after transplantation.

Since first introduced in 1980s, nanotechnology has always been the eye-catching point as its providing us with new approaches to explore the microscopic world. Many nanotechnology-associated novel technologies have been brought into clinical use in the past decades and uncountable patients benefited from them, which convinces us of a bright prospect of nanotechnology in the field of medicine. In this review, literatures concerning nanotechnology applications in andrology were retrieved and we made a comprehensive discussion on drug delivery, gene therapy and stem cell therapy use in andrology, which calls for the engagement of nanotechnology.

IntroductionIt remains unclear whether kidney transplantation (KT) from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) +donors to HBsAg− recipients (D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg−)) provides comparable transplant outcomes without hepatitis B virus (HBV) transmission compared with D(HBsAg−)/R(HBsAg−) KT. Moreover, no consensus has been reached for standardised prophylaxis regimens to prevent HBV transmission after D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg−) KT. We developed stratified prophylaxis regimens, including pretransplant antiviral treatment of donors, and pretransplant hepatitis B vaccination and post-transplant antiviral treatment of recipients, based on donors’ and recipients’ HBV serological characteristics. However, the safety and efficacy of stratified prophylaxis regimens remains unknown.Methods and analysisWe are conducting a prospective, multicentre, observational study. Between September 2020 and December 2023, 100 cases of (D(HBsAg+)/R (HBsAg−)) KT will be recruited from four university-affiliated hospitals with a follow-up at least 2 years. They will naturally receive stratified prophylaxis regimens or routine prophylaxis based on clinical experience to compare the efficacy and safety of these two regimens in (D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg−)) KT. The primary outcome will be post-transplant HBV infection to evaluate safety, defined as post-transplant HBsAg−→+or HBV DNA−→+. The composite endpoint of prevention failure will be also an endpoint of safety (any one of HBsAg−→+, HBV DNA−→+, HB e antigen−→+, HB e antibody−→+ and HB c antibody−→+). The efficacy will be evaluated by transplant outcomes, including death-censored graft survival, patient survival, acute rejection, delayed graft function and kidney graft function.Ethics and disseminationThis study will be registered as a clinical audit at each participating hospital and has obtained approval from the Ethics Committee of West China Hospital (reference: 2020-683, 8 September 2020).Trial registration numberNCT04562051.

To prospectively evaluate short-term outcomes between a novel minimally invasive kidney transplantation (MIKT) technique and conventional kidney transplantation (CKT).From March 2018 to February 29, 2019, 148 patients were randomized into MIKT and CKT groups. All patients were followed up for 12 months.The MIKT group had a significantly shorter incision length (5.6 ± 0.4 vs 11.4 ± 0.4 cm, P.001). There was no difference in operation time, blood loss, acute rejection, infection, and wound dehiscence between MIKT and CKT groups. Both groups had comparable pain scores and analgesic requirements in the first 3 days after transplantation and comparable renal function at 12 months. The MIKT group had higher satisfaction than the CKT group during follow-up (9.3 ± 0.3 vs 8.1 ± 0.5, P.001; 9.5 ± 0.2 vs 8.5 ± 0.3, P.001; 9.4 ± 0.3 vs 8.5 ± 0.3, P.001; 9.2 ± 0.3 vs 8.5 ± 0.4, P = .003 for posttransplant months 1, 3, 6, and 12, respectively). The MIKT group had a significantly lower Vancouver Scar Scale score (4.1 ± 0.4 vs 5.2 ± 0.5, P.001; 4.3 ± 0.4 vs 6.1 ± 0.4, P.001; 5.2 ± 0.6 vs 6.7 ± 0.5, P.001; 7.7 ± 0.7 vs 8.9 ± 0.5, P = .009 for posttransplant months 1, 3, 6, and 12, respectively).MIKT has demonstrated equivalent safety and improved patient satisfaction compared to CKT. This technique may be an appropriate choice for selected patients.

Background: Bladder urothelial carcinoma (BLCA) is the most common type of bladder cancer. In this study, the correlation between the metabolic status and the outcome of patients with BLCA was evaluated using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets.Methods: The clinical and transcriptomic data of patients with BLCA were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas and cBioPortal datasets, and energy metabolism-related gene sets were obtained from the Molecular Signature Database. A consensus clustering algorithm was then conducted to classify the patients into two clusters. Tumor prognosis, clinicopathological features, mutations, functional analysis, ferroptosis status analysis, immune infiltration, immune checkpoint-related gene expression level, chemotherapy resistance, and tumor stem cells were analyzed between clusters. An energy metabolism-related signature was further developed and verified using data from cBioPortal datasets.Results: Two clusters (C1 and C2) were identified using a consensus clustering algorithm based on an energy metabolism-related signature. The patients with subtype C1 had more metabolism-related pathways, different ferroptosis status, higher cancer stem cell scores, higher chemotherapy resistance, and better prognosis. Subtype C2 was characterized by an increased number of advanced BLCA cases and immune-related pathways. Higher immune and stromal scores were also observed for the C2 subtype. A signature containing 16 energy metabolism-related genes was then identified, which can accurately predict the prognosis of patients with BLCA.Conclusion: We found that the energy metabolism-associated subtypes of BLCA are closely related to the immune microenvironment, immune checkpoint-related gene expression, ferroptosis status, CSCs, chemotherapy resistance, prognosis, and progression of BLCA patients. The established energy metabolism-related gene signature was able to predict survival in patients with BLCA.

BACKGROUND: Kidney ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury is an independent risk factor for delayed graft function after kidney transplantation with long-term graft survival deterioration. Previously, we found that the upregulated expression of miR-17-5p exerts a protective effect in kidney I/R injury, but the mechanism has not been clearly studied. METHODS: A kidney I/R injury model was induced in adult C57BL/6 male mice (20–22 g) by clamping both kidney pedicles for 30 min. The miR-17-5p agomir complex was injected into mice 24 h before surgery via the tail vein at a total injection volume of 10 µL/g body weight. The mice were euthanized on post-I/R injury day 2, and kidney function, apoptosis, autophagy, and related molecules were then detected. Human kidney-2 (HK-2) cells, which underwent hypoxia/reoxygenation, were treated with the miR-17-5p agomir, miR-17-5p antagomir, and small interfering ribonucleic acids (siRNAs). Cell viability, apoptosis, autophagy, and molecules were also examined. RESULTS: Autophagy, miR-17-5p expression, and kidney function damage were significantly more increased in the I/R group than in the sham group. In the cultured HK-2 cells underwent hypoxia/reoxygenation, the miR-17-5p agomir directly inhibited the expression of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) and Bcl-2 like protein 11 (BIM), and attenuated apoptosis and autophagy. Further, miR-17-5p inhibited autophagy by activating the protein kinase B (Akt)/Beclin1 pathway, which was suppressed by siRNAs. Additionally, the administration of miR-17-5p agomir greatly improved kidney function in the I/R mice group by inhibiting autophagy and apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a new possible therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of kidney I/R injury. The upregulation of miR-17-5p expression appears to inhibit apoptosis and autophagy by suppressing PTEN and BIM expression, which in turn upregulates downstream Akt/Beclin1 expression.

Intrapatient variability (IPV) was previously defined as coefficient of variation (CV) or standard deviation of tacrolimus (Tac) exposure while none of them was easily being interpreted and translated into clinical practice after kidney transplantation.We developed a novel Tac variability score (TVS) to evaluate IPV by calculating the frequency of clinically significant changes of Tac trough levels after kidney transplantation. Multivariate Cox proportional analyses were conducted to compare the impact of TVS and CV on transplant outcomes.A total of 1343 patients were divided into high TVS (0.30) and low TVS (0.30) groups, and low CV (0.30) and high CV (0.30) groups. Univariate analyses showed that high TVS (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.323, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.455-3.709) and high CV (HR: 1.606, 95%CI: 1.044-2.471) were associated with inferior graft survival. However, only TVS was an independent predictor for graft failure in multivariate analyses (HR: 1.972, 95%CI: 1.2-3.24), and the correlation maintained in high CV (P = .020) and low CV (P = .037) subgroups, while CV failed to predict graft loss in neither low (P = .387) nor high TVS (P = .600) subgroups. In addition, TVS had a higher correlation with graft survival in patients with Tac exposure within the therapeutic range and the correlation was less influenced by mean Tac trough levels.TVS is a novel measure of Tac IPV with higher correlation with graft survival and more convenience in clinical use than CV after kidney transplantation.

Background Post-operative pneumonia (Pop) following meningioma surgery is the dominant systemic complication which could cause serious threats to patients. It is unclear whether hematological biochemical markers are independently associated with the Pop. This study attempted to perform a more comprehensive study of taking both clinical factors and hematological biomarkers into account to promote the management of patients after meningioma surgery. Methods We collected clinical and hematological parameters of 1156 patients undergoing meningioma resection from January 2009 to January 2013. According to whether the symptoms of pneumonia had manifested,patients were divided into the Pop group and the Non-Pop group. We analyzed the distinctions of clinical factors between the two groups. We successively performed univariate and multivariate regression analysis to identify risk factors independently associated with the Pop. Results 4.4% patients infected with the Pop (51 of 1156). The median age at diagnosis of the Pop patients was significantly older than the Non-Pop group (p = 0.002). There were strike distinctions of post-operative hospital stays between two groups, with 21 days and 7 days each (p

Objective: To detect the combination protective effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and Klotho gene on the renal ischemia-reperfusion injury (RIRI). Methods: BMSCs isolated from rats were transfected with Klotho gene to form BMSCKl. We injected BMSCKl to allogenic rat RIRI model. After 24 h and 72 h, we detected the serum creatinine (SCr), malondialdehyde (MDA), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in renal tissue, Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining, and TUNEL of renal pathology. The expression of FoxO1 and p-FoxO1 in post-hypoxia tubular epithelial cells of normal rat kidney (NRK-52E) were detected by Western blot after cocultured with BMSCKl. Results: Comparing with BMSCCon group, Rats in BMSCKl group had lower SCr and MDA but higher SOD. Both HE and TUNEL score of renal tissue in BMSCKl group were lower than that of BMSCCon group. Western blot indicated that FoxO1 was upregulated, while p-FoxO1 was downregulated in post-hypoxia NRK-52E cells. Conclusions: BMSCs transfected with Klotho gene can further ameliorate RIRI. The possible mechanism may be attributed to the upregulation of SOD in NRK-52E caused by Klotho-FoxO1 axis.

Background Deceased donor kidney transplantation is an important therapeutic option for end-stage renal diseases. Adverse events including acute rejection after deceased donor kidney transplantation are not uncommon and result in poor transplant outcomes. Exploration of risk factors and patient stratification is increasingly significant to improve graft survival. This study aim to evaluate and identify the risk factors for treated rejection of patients after deceased donor kidney transplantation. Methods Clinical and immunological data of deceased donors and corresponding recipients between 2015 and 2018 in West China Hospital were retrospectively collected. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to indicate distribution of variables. Univariate comparisons of baseline characteristics were made with Chi-square, t and Mann-Whitney U tests. Logistic regression was constructed to analysis potential risk factors. Receiver operating characteristic curve and Jordan index were generated to determine optimal cut-off value for continuous variables. Results Data of 123 deceased donors and 246 recipients were obtained. The median (range) age was 41(4–62) years in recipients and 39 (1–65) years in donors. The recipients who died or suffered graft loss during the follow-up period were 8 (3.3%) and 12 (4.9%) respectively. After univariate analysis and subsequent multivariate analysis, some preoperative hemato-biochemical and transplantation-related parameters including uric acid (HR 2.132, 95%CI: 1.016–4.476, P = 0.045), platelet (HR 2.202, 95%CI:1.051–4.617, P = 0.037), absolute neutrophil count (HR 2.164, 95%CI:1.018–4.599, P = 0.045) and HLA-DQ mismatch (HR 2.197, 95%CI:1.119–4.317, P = 0.022) showed statistical significance and could be considered as independent predictors for treated rejection. Conclusions Including unexpected serum uric acid, several hemato-biochemical and transplantation-related parameters were found to be independent risk factors for rejection, which may contribute to stratify patients and develop personalized regimen in perioperative period.

Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive cancer with high recurrence rates and poor prognosis, even after radical surgery. The survival benefit of adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) in patients with ACC has not been well explored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of adjuvant RT on the survival outcome of patients with ACC. Patients and Methods: All patients with nonmetastatic ACC who underwent complete resection were identified from the SEER database (2004–2016). Overall survival (OS) was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was performed to identify prognostic factors associated with survival. Results: Of 365 patients with nonmetastatic ACC, 55 (15.1%) received adjuvant RT and the remainder underwent surgery alone. Patient characteristics were similar between the 2 groups, but those with a higher disease stage were more likely to receive adjuvant RT. Overall, patients receiving RT seemed to have better survival compared with the non-RT group (3-year OS rate, 63.1% vs 52.8%; PP=.023) for all patients. In addition, adjuvant RT may confer a survival benefit only in patients with a high risk of recurrence (3-year OS rate, 55.1% vs 40.0%; P=.048) rather than in those with low/moderate-risk ACC (P=.559). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that adjuvant RT may be associated with improved survival in patients with nonmetastatic ACC who underwent radical surgery, especially those with high risk of recurrence.

Background: In order to lighten the burden of organ shortage around the world, using potential infectious donor might be an option. However, scarce evidences have been published on Kidney transplantation (KTx) from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)+ donors to HBsAg- recipients [D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-)] without hepatitis B virus (HBV) immunity. Here, we reported the results of D(HBsAg+/HBV DNA- or +)/R(HBsAg-) living KTx recipients with or without HBV immunity.Methods: We retrospectively identified 83 D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) living KTx recipients, and 83 hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)+ living donors to HBcAb- recipients [D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-)] were used as control group by reviewing medical archives and propensity score matching. Treatment failure (defined as any HBV serology conversion, liver injury, graft loss, or recipient death) is the primary end-point.Results: 24 donors (28.9%) were HBV DNA+, and 20 recipients had no HBV immunity in the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) group pre-transplantation. HBV prophylaxis was applied in all D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) recipients, however, we did not use any in D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) group. We observed a significant higher treatment failure in D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) than D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) group (21.7% vs. 10.8%, PConclusion: D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) should be considered for living kidney transplantation, but with extra caution on donor with HBV DNA+ and male candidates.

Background Currently, research on the quantitative distribution of ABO antigens in different organs and tissues remains limited. We aimed to examine the individual characteristics of blood group glycoprotein A and B antigen expression in human kidneys and livers. Methods We obtained human samples, including the renal artery, renal vein, renal tissue, hepatic artery, hepatic vein, portal vein, and hepatic tissue, from 24 deceased organ transplant donors. The expression of the blood group antigens glycoprotein A and B was analysed and compared by Western blotting. Results There was no significant difference in the expression between blood group glycoprotein A and B antigens at any of the seven sites (p > 0.05). The expression of both A and B antigens was highest in renal tissue and the portal vein and was lowest in the renal artery. A large difference in glycoprotein antigen expression was observed among various donors or different regions of the same individual. Univariate analysis revealed that glycoprotein A/B antigens were affected by the age and sex of donors and were significantly higher in males and in young people. Conclusions Our study found that blood group glycoprotein antigen expression showed certain trends and distinct distribution in the kidney, liver, and vessels among individuals and in different regions of the same individual, which may explain the different clinical outcomes of patients who received ABO-incompatible transplantation.

Purpose To assess the correlation between preoperative serum albumin level and prognosis in patients with adrenocortical carcinoma after primary surgery. Methods We reviewed medical information of 71 included patients with diagnosis of ACC who underwent primary resection. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed using Cox’s proportional hazards model. Survival analysis was conducted by Kaplan–Meier method with log-rank test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Jordan index were generated to explore cut-off value for serum albumin. Statistical significance was defined as P

Background: Urinary fistula is a common complication of kidney transplantation. It may cause severe complications like graft loss and patient death.Case presentation: Here we present a recipient who developed graft ureteral necrosis with leakage of urine into the superficial perineal space but not into the peri-graft or the retroperitoneal space, as an unusual clinical feature. This may be due to dense adhesions in the peri-graft region and dam-like effect of adhesive spermatic cord and inferior epigastric vessels traversing across the graft ureter. Urine leaking out with high pressure extravasates through the potential gaps in the incision of aponeurosis at the lateral margin of the rectus abdominis and into the superficial perineal space. The proximal ureter of the graft was end-to-end anastomosed to the right ureter. Both the recipient and graft recovered well.Conclusions: Comparing the creatinine levels in the leaking fluid and serum is an effective way to confirm urinary fistula. Early aggressive management is a rational option for treatment of urinary fistula.

Introduction Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare endocrine malignancy with a high recurrence rate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of surgery for patients with local or distant recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma and to attempt to identify prognostic features related to survival benefit in patients undergoing resection of recurrence. Methods The data of 47 patients with recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma in West China Hospital, Sichuan, China, between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively collected. These patients were divided into 2 groups according to whether resection of recurrence was performed. The correlation between overall survival after recurrence and reoperation was evaluated. Kaplan-Meier and univariate/multivariate Cox regression methods were used to identify any prognostic factors. Results Included in our study were 21 patients who underwent reoperation and 26 patients who underwent nonoperative treatments were. The operation group had a better median overall survival after recurrence than the nonoperation group (19 months versus 6.5 months; P = .007). In the operated group, disease-free interval >12 months (P = .002), complete resection of recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma (P = .041), and R0 resection of the primary tumor (P = .005) were associated with prolonged survival after recurrence. Conclusions Reoperation plays an important role in the management of selected patients with recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma. Disease-free interval, preoperative evaluation for complete resection, and R0 resection of the primary tumor are important prognostic characteristics for the resection of recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma. The overall survival after recurrence was significantly improved for patients who had a disease-free interval >12 months, and initial R0 resection or complete resection of recurrent adrenocortical carcinoma is feasible.

Background and Aims Data on kidney transplantation (KTx) from hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)+ donors to HBsAg- recipients [D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-)] are limited. We aimed to report the outcomes of D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) KTx in recipients with or without hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb). Method Eighty-three D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) living KTx cases were retrospectively identified. The 384 cases of KTx from hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)+ living donors to HBcAb- recipients [D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-)] were used as the control group. Primary endpoint was post-transplant HBsAg -→+. Results Before KTx, 24 donors (28.9%) in the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) group were hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA+, and 20 recipients were HBsAb-. All eighty-three D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) recipients received HBV prophylaxis, while no D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) recipients received prophylaxis. After a median follow-up of 36 months (range 6-106) and 36 months (range 4-107) for the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) and D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) groups, respectively, 2/83 (2.41%) D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) recipients and 1/384 (0.26%) D(HBcAb+)/R(HBcAb-) became HBsAg+, accompanied with HBV DNA+ (P=0.083). The three recipients with HBsAg-→+ were exclusively HBsAb-/HBcAb- before KTx. Recipient deaths were more frequent in the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) group (6.02% vs. 1.04%, P=0.011), while liver and graft function, rejection, infection, and graft loss were not significantly different. In univariate analyses, pre-transplant HBsAb-/HBcAb- combination in the D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) recipients carried a significantly higher risk of HBsAg-→+, HBV DNA-→+, and death. Conclusion Living D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) KTx in HBsAb+ recipients provides excellent graft and patient survivals without HBV transmission. HBV transmission risks should be more balanced with respect to benefits of D(HBsAg+)/R(HBsAg-) KTx in HBsAb-/HBcAb- candidates.

Background and Aims Chemokines are deeply involved in the process of inflammatory and immune responses. Interferon-γ-inducible chemokines C-X-C motif chemokine 9 and 10 (CXCL9 and CXCL10) are significantly associated with Th1 cells and monocytes and rise rapidly during early episode of renal allograft rejection and various infectious diseases. CXCL13 is one of the most potent B cells and T follicular helper (Tfh) cells chemoattractants when acts through its cognate receptor CXCR5. Recent work of CXCL13 indicated a critical immune regulatory role in both multiple infectious diseases and kidney transplantation. Additionally, C-C motif chemokine 2 (CCL2) is shown to be is critical for chronic kidney diseases. The aim of this study was to identify the predictive role of serum CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL13 or CCL2 on kidney posttransplant infection. Method 95 kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) were enrolled in this study. 31 recipients experienced at least once infection episodes within the first posttransplant 12 months and 64 KTRs did not experience any infection episode during the follow-up period. Serum CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL13 and CCL2 at the time points of pre-transplantation and post-transplant 30 days (POD 30) were analyzed with Bio-Plex® suspension array system. Results It was found that serum level of POD 30 CXCL9 and POD 30 CXCL13 was associated with infection within one year after transplantation (P=0.021, P=0.002, respectively, shown in Figure 1). The serum level of CXCL9 and CXCL13 before surgery, the serum level of CCL2 and CXCL10 before and after surgery were not associated with infection within posttransplant one year (P>0.05, shown in Figure 1). The combination of POD 30 CXCL9 plus POD 30 CXCL13 provided the best results with AUC of 0.721 (95%CI, 0.591-0.852), sensitivity of 71.4% and specificity of 68.5% at the optimal cut-off value of 52.72 pg/ml (shown in Figure 2). Conclusion Chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL13 as important chemokines could be used to predict the occurrence of infection within posttransplant one year in kidney transplant recipients.