Skin cancer in organ transplant recipients is a serious problem that manifests as increased squamous cell carcinoma in longterm patients. In these patients, a combination of cumulative sun exposure as well as the immunosuppressive effects of transplant medications can cause cutaneous malignancy. Skin cancer can affect transplant patients in multiple ways. It can decrease quality of life by caus...

OBJECTIVES Neurologic problems have a major effect on the survival and quality of life in renal transplant recipients. This study sought to review the incidence and character of neurologic complications after renal transplant. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical records of 319 renal transplant recipients admitted to the Transplant Outpatient Clinic were reviewed retrospectively for neurologic compl...

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is highly prevalent in kidney transplant recipients and is associated with poor clinical outcome. Immunosuppressive agents might affect LVH behavior after kidney transplantation. This review is an appraisal of available data regarding LVH in renal transplantation and especially of studies that evaluated LVH response to treatment. In particular, the role of mam...

Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) represents an immunologically mediated disease characterized by deposition of immune complexes in the glomerular subepithelial space. Persistent proteinuria at diagnosis predicts poor prognosis. Pregnancy with MGN is a risk of fetal loss and may worsen maternal renal function.Here, we report a lady with MGN and proteinuria achieved spontaneous remission and s...

OBJECTIVES To measure the association of transplant patients' personality, depression, and quality of life with medication adherence in kidney and liver transplant recipients. METHODS A cross-sectional study of liver and kidney transplant recipients greater than 1 year post-transplant was conducted. Patients' adherence with medications was assessed using the Immunosuppressive Therapy Adherenc...

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) occurs with significant morbidity and health care expenditure. Transplant recipients on immunosuppressive medications are at increased risk for infections caused by less common organisms at unusual sites. Here we report a case of isolated PJI with Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) in an immunosuppressed failed kidney transplant recipient and review the literatur...

BACKGROUND Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody inducing depletion of B lymphocytes and presently approved for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and rheumatoid arthritis. Here is the first report of the use of this drug in a case of Cogan's syndrome (CS). CASE PRESENTATION a 25-year-old Italian woman was referred with conjunctival hyperaemia, interstitial keratitis, moderate bilateral sen...

The treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis frequently includes potent immunomodulator and biologic therapy to reduce intestinal inflammation, heal fistulae, limit complications, and improve quality of life. These medications may increase susceptibility to and severity of infections, many of which are preventable by preemptive immunizations. Conversely, live-virus vaccines are gener...

Nonadherence to immunosuppressive medications may partly explain the worse allograft outcomes among black recipients of renal transplants. In a prospective cohort study of recipients of deceased donor renal transplants, microelectronic cap monitors were placed on bottles of one immunosuppressive medication to (1) measure average daily percentage adherence during the first posttransplantation ye...

OBJECTIVES There is no active treatment for postrenal transplant BK virus-associated nephropathy proven to be effective so far. We assessed the effectiveness of actively treating this condition with combined leflunomide, intravenous immunoglobulin, and ciprofloxacin on long-term graft outcome compared with minimization of immunosuppressive drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Kidney transplant recipi...