To date, transplant arteriosclerosis (TA), the histologic counterpart of chronic transplant dysfunction, is the most important problem in clinical organ transplantation. Recently we showed in rats that intrathymic (IT) immune modulation substantially prolonged graft survival of MHC-incompatible, heterotopic vascularized cardiac allografts. Although acute rejection was prevented, eventually TA w...

AIM To compare the impact of tacrolimus (FK) and cyclosporine (CYA) on acute rejection and graft survival and to assess the predominant causes of graft loss between patients receiving these two calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs). METHODS Retrospective review of 1835 patients who received a kidney transplant (KTX) between 1999-2012. Patients were grouped based on initial CNI utilized: 1195 in FK gr...

Renal transplantation has become the treatment of choice for most patients with end-stage renal disease. Recent advances in renal transplantation notably, the matching of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) and improved immunosuppressants have improved short-term and long-term graft survival rates. In light of recent developments optimization of kidney transplant outcomes is paramount to fur...

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) or angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers (ARB) reduce cardiovascular death in the general population, but data for renal transplant recipients remain elusive. Similarly, ACEI/ARB have been shown to reduce proteinuria, but data on graft survival are lacking. Therefore a retrospective open cohort study was conducted of 2031 patients who received t...

Infections are a significant cause of morbidity in the form graft loss and mortality Renal Transplant Recipients (RTR). Several factors pre peri-transplant period increase susceptibility to Post (PTI), affecting overall patient survival.

BACKGROUND The causative role of alcohol consumption in renal disease is controversial, and its effect on renal graft and recipient survival has not been previously studied. METHODS We analysed the association between pre-transplant [at the time of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) onset] alcohol dependency and renal graft and recipient survival. The United States Renal Data System (USRDS) recor...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the leading cause of liver transplantation (LT) in Western countries. Polymorphism in the IL28B gene region has a major impact on the natural history and response to antiviral treatment in HCV. We investigated whether IL28B polymorphism was associated with graft survival in patients with or without HCV undergoing LT. 1,060 adult patients (age >18 years) unde...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Neointimal hyperplasia is the major cause of vascular access failure in hemodialysis patients. Statins reduce neointimal hyperplasia in experimental models, which may reduce access failure. The study presented here evaluated whether vascular access outcomes are superior in patients receiving statin therapy than in those not on statins. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, ...

BACKGROUND African American transplant recipients have poorer long-term outcomes than Caucasian Americans. This difference was not found in French patients, suggesting socialized medicine overcame this disparity. It has also been hypothesized that the difference relates to the higher prevalence of Black individuals who express the metabolic enzyme cytochrome P4503A5 (CYP3A5), with consequent al...

OBJECTIVES The optimal immunosuppression regimen for elderly kidney transplant recipients is poorly defined. We sought to evaluate the short-term efficacy and safety of thymoglobulin in geriatric recipients of deceased-donor kidneys. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single-center, retrospective analysis was undertaken between elderly (≥ 65 years) (n=137) and nonelderly (n=276) kidney transplant recipi...