Prospective assessment of subclinical cardiovascular damage and associated factors in liver transplant recipients.

Cardiovascular (CV) disease plays a major role after liver transplantation (LT). This prospective study assessed subclinical CV damage after LT by measuring pulse wave velocity (PWV), intima-media thickness (IMT) and left-ventricular mass index (LVMI) and characterized associated risk factors. We included 112 patients with a median of 1.8 years after LT (q1-q3 0.9-9.2). Fifty-three percent (n = 59) of patients had ≥2 annual assessments (median follow-up 1.6 years, q1-q3 1.1-2.0), with a total of 195 assessments. We found increased PWV (indicating arteriosclerosis) in 16% (n = 17), elevated IMT in 5% (n = 5; indicating atherosclerosis) and increased LVMI in 25% (n = 24; indicating left-ventricular hypertrophy). A linear mixed model analysis using all 195 assessments revealed that higher age and systolic blood pressure (BP) were associated with higher PWV (ß = 0.069, P < 0.001 and ß = 0.022, P = 0.005) and higher IMT (ß = 0.005, P < 0.001 and ß = 0.001, P = 0.029), while higher body mass index was associated with higher IMT (ß = 0.004, P = 0.023). Higher systolic BP (ß = 0.200, P = 0.034), male sex (ß = 8.847, P = 0.031) and lower glomerular filtration rate (ß = -0.288, P < 0.001) were associated with higher LVMI. Our data highlight not only the rate of subclinical CV damage in LT patients, but also the impact of classical CV risk factors (such as BP and body mass index) which outweighed LT-related factors. These modifiable risk factors are suitable targets for interventions to reduce CV morbidity in LT patients.

Longterm calcineurin inhibitor therapy and brain function in patients after liver transplantation.

Calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) frequently induce neurological complications early after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). We hypothesize that longterm CNI therapy after OLT causes dose-dependent cognitive dysfunction and alteration of brain structure. In this study, 85 OLT patients (20 with CNI-free, 35 with CNI low-dose, and 30 with standard-dose CNI immunosuppression) underwent psychometric testing and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging approximately 10 years after OLT to assess brain function and structural brain alterations. A total of 33 healthy patients adjusted for age, sex, and education served as controls. Patients receiving CNI showed a significantly worse visuospatial/constructional ability compared with controls (P ≤ 0.04). Furthermore, patients on low-dose CNI therapy had an overall impaired cognitive function compared with controls (P = 0.01). The tacrolimus total dose and mean trough level were negatively correlated to cognitive function. CNI doses had been adjusted in 91% of the patients in the low-dose and CNI-free groups in the past due to CNI-induced kidney damage. Patients treated with CNI showed significantly more white matter hyperintensities (WMH) than patients on CNI-free immunosuppression and controls (P < 0.05). Both the mean cyclosporine A and tacrolimus trough levels correlated significantly with WMH. In conclusion, longterm CNI therapy carries a risk of cognitive dysfunction especially in patients who already showed nephrotoxic side effects indicating an increased susceptibility of these patients against toxic CNI effects. This subgroup of patients might benefit from a change to CNI-free immunosuppression. Liver Transplantation 24 56-66 2018 AASLD.

High intrahepatic HHV-6 virus loads but neither CMV nor EBV are associated with decreased graft survival after diagnosis of graft hepatitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: In liver transplant recipients with graft hepatitis, the relevance of herpesviruses is not well defined. METHODS: Viral loads of CMV, EBV, and HHV-6 were determined in blood and liver biopsies of 170 liver transplant recipients with graft hepatitis by quantitative PCR. RESULTS: HHV-6-, CMV-, and EBV-DNA were detected in 58%, 14%, and 44% of the biopsies, respectively, with coinfections in 34%. High intrahepatic HHV-6 DNA levels (>75th percentile, 11.27 copies/1000 cells) and detection of HHV-6 DNAemia were significantly associated with decreased graft survival after diagnosis of graft hepatitis (p=0.014 and p=0.003, respectively, median follow-up was 23.8 months). Multivariate analysis confirmed high intrahepatic HHV-6 loads as an independent factor associated with reduced graft survival (adjusted hazard ratio 2.61, 95%confidence interval 1.16-5.87). Low concentrations of HHV6 DNA in the liver, indicating latent infection, did not influence graft survival. Neither CMV nor EBV (qualitative detection and high virus loads) nor acute rejection (according to the BANFF score) affected graft survival. However, patients had been treated for CMV reactivations and acute rejections in this retrospective study. High age and high bilirubin levels were the other independent factors associated with reduced graft survival (adjusted hazard ratio 3.56CI 1.52-8.34 and 3.23CI 1.50-6.96, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: High intrahepatic HHV-6-DNA levels are associated with decreased graft survival in liver transplant recipients with graft hepatitis. The significance of HHV-6 as potential etiology of graft hepatitis needs further evaluation.

Ileal Bile Acid Transporter Inhibition Reduces Post-Transplant Diarrhea and Growth Failure in FIC1 Disease-A Case Report.

Familial intrahepatic cholestasis 1 (FIC1) disease is a genetic disorder characterized by hepatic and gastrointestinal disease due to ATP8B1 deficiency, often requiring liver transplantation (LT). Extrahepatic symptoms, such as diarrhea, malabsorption, and failure to thrive, do not improve and instead may be aggravated after LT. We describe a patient with FIC1 disease who underwent LT at 2 years, 8 months of age. After LT, the child developed severe refractory diarrhea and failed to thrive. The response to bile acid resins was unsatisfactory, and the parents declined our recommendation for partial external biliary diversion (PEBD). Quality of life was extremely impaired, especially due to severe diarrhea, making school attendance impossible. Attempting to reduce the total bile acids, we initiated off-label use of the ileal bile acid transporter (IBAT) inhibitor Elobixibat (Goofice™), later converted to Odevixibat (Bylvay™). After six months of treatment, the patient showed less stool output, increased weight and height, and improved physical energy levels. The child could now pursue higher undergraduate education. In our patient with FIC1 disease, the use of IBAT inhibitors was effective in treating chronic diarrhea and failure to thrive. This approach is novel; further investigations are needed to clarify the exact mode of action in this condition.

Impact of immunosuppressive therapy on brain derived cytokines after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: While acute neurotoxic side effects of calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) are well-known, data upon long-term effects on brain structure and function are sparse. We hypothesize that long-term CNI therapy affects the neuroimmune system, thereby, increasing the risk of neurodegeneration. Here, we measured the impact of CNI therapy on plasma levels of brain- and T cell-derived cytokines in a cohort of patients after liver transplantation (LT). METHODS: Levels of T cell-mediated cytokines (e.g. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ)) and brain-derived cytokines (e.g. brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), platelet derived growth factor (PDGF)) were measured by multiplex assays in plasma of 82 patients about 10 years after LT (17 with CNI free, 35 with CNI low dose, 30 with standard dose CNI immunosuppression) and 33 healthy controls. Data were related to psychometric test results and parameters of cerebral magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: IFN-γ levels were significantly higher in the CNI free LT patient group (p=0.027) compared to healthy controls. BDNF levels were significantly lower in LT patients treated with CNI (CNI low: p<0.001; CNI standard: p=0.016) compared to controls. PDGF levels were significantly lower in the CNI low dose group (p=0.004) and for PDGF-AB/BB also in the CNI standard dose group (p=0.029) compared to controls. BDNF and PDGF negatively correlated with cognitive function and brain volume (p<0.05) in the CNI low dose group. CONCLUSION: Our results imply that long-term treatment with CNI suppresses BDNF and PDGF expression, both crucial for neuronal signaling, cell survival and synaptic plasticity and thereby may lead to cognitive dysfunction and neurodegeneration.

Prevention and Management of CMV Infections after Liver Transplantation: Current Practice in German Transplant Centers.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major cause of mortality and morbidity in human liver transplant recipients. Anti-CMV therapeutics can be used to prevent or treat CMV in liver transplant recipients, but their toxicity needs to be balanced against the benefits. The choice of prevention strategy (prophylaxis or preemptive treatment) depends on the donor/recipient sero-status but may vary between institutions. We conducted a series of consultations and roundtable discussions with German liver transplant center representatives. Based on 20 out of 22 centers, we herein summarize the current approaches to CMV prevention and treatment in the context of liver transplantation in Germany. In 90% of centers, transient prophylaxis with ganciclovir or valganciclovir was standard of care in high-risk (donor CMV positive, recipient CMV naive) settings, while preemptive therapy (based on CMV viremia detected during (bi) weekly PCR testing for circulating CMV-DNA) was preferred in moderate- and low-risk settings. Duration of prophylaxis or intense surveillance was 3-6 months. In the case of CMV infection, immunosuppression was adapted. In most centers, antiviral treatment was initiated based on PCR results (median threshold value of 1000 copies/mL) with or without symptoms. Therefore, German transplant centers report similar approaches to the prevention and management of CMV infection in liver transplantation.

Brain metabolic alterations in patients with long-term calcineurin inhibitor therapy after liver transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) neurotoxicity after liver transplantation might be due to impairment of the cerebral metabolism. AIMS: To investigate CNI-related alterations of brain metabolite distributions and associations between cognitive function and brain metabolism in patients with long-term CNI treatment after liver transplantation. METHODS: Eighty-two patients (19 CNI free, 34 CNI low-dose and 29 standard-dose CNI immunosuppression) 10 years after liver transplantation and 32 adjusted healthy controls underwent nonlocalised brain phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) and single voxel proton MRS in the parietal white matter to estimate brain metabolite contents. The MRS results were correlated with psychometric data assessing cognitive function. RESULTS: Phosphorus metabolite concentrations with the exception of phosphocreatine (PCr) were reduced in patients compared to controls. Particularly, patients with low-dose CNI therapy showed a significant decrease in adenosine triphosphate (0.209 ± 0.012 vs 0.222 ± 0.010; P < 0.001) and a significant increase in PCr (0.344 ± 0.026 vs 0.321 ± 0.017; P < 0.001) compared to controls. Myo-Inositol in the CNI free group (2.719 ± 0.549 institutional unit [iu]) was significantly lower compared to controls (3.181 ± 0.425 iu; P = 0.02), patients on low-dose (3.130 ± 0.513 iu; P < 0.05) and standard-dose CNI therapy (3.207 ± 0.632 iu; P < 0.02). Glutamate and glutamine levels correlated negatively with cognitive function (Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status Total Scale: R = -0.362, P = 0.029). CONCLUSION: Long-term CNI therapy after liver transplantation might be associated with alterations of brain metabolites.

Evidence for protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 playing an amplifier role in beta-adrenergic signaling in cardiac myocytes.

The protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 (PPI-1) inhibits phosphatase type-1 (PP1) only when phosphorylated by protein kinase A and could play a pivotal role in the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation balance. Rat cardiac PPI-1 was cloned by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, expressed in Eschericia coli, evaluated in phosphatase assays, and used to generate an antiserum. An adenovirus was constructed encoding PPI-1 and green fluorescent protein (GFP) under separate cytomegalovirus promotors (AdPPI-1/GFP). A GFP-only virus (AdGFP) served as control. Engineered heart tissue (EHT) from neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and adult rat cardiac myocytes (ARCMs) were used as model systems. PPI-1 expression was determined in human ventricular samples by Northern blots. Compared with AdGFP, AdPPI-1/GFP-infected neonatal rat cardiomyocytes displayed a 73% reduction in PP1 activity. EHTs infected with AdPPI-1/GFP exhibited a fivefold increase in isoprenaline sensitivity. AdPPI-1/GFP-infected ARCMs displayed enhanced cell shortening as well as enhanced phospholamban phosphorylation when stimulated with 1 nM isoprenaline. PPI-1 mRNA levels were reduced by 57+/-12% in failing hearts with dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy (n=8 each) compared with nonfailing hearts (n=8). In summary, increased PPI-1 expression enhances myocyte sensitivity to isoprenaline, indicating that PPI-1 acts as an amplifier in beta-adrenergic signaling. Decreased PPI-1 in failing human hearts could participate in desensitization of the cAMP pathway.

Beta-adrenergic stimulation induces cardiac ankyrin repeat protein expression: involvement of protein kinase A and calmodulin-dependent kinase.

OBJECTIVE: The cardiac ankyrin repeat protein (CARP), a nuclear transcription co-factor that negatively regulates cardiac gene expression, is increased in human heart failure and in animal models of cardiac hypertrophy. The mechanism by which CARP expression is regulated and the consequences of CARP overexpression on cardiac contractility are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Compared to vehicle treated controls, 4-day treatment of male Wistar rats with the beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline (2.4 mg/kg per day) induced hypertrophy and significantly increased CARP mRNA and CARP protein levels in left ventricles. The signalling pathways were investigated in more detail in isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Treatment of cells with isoprenaline (1 micromol/l) caused a significant increase in CARP mRNA and protein by approximately 50%. Combined beta(1)- and beta(2)-adrenoceptor blockade, inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA; Rp-cAMPS, 100 micromol/l), and inhibition of calmodulin-dependent protein kinases (CaMK; KN-62, 10 micromol/l) completely reversed the effects of isoprenaline. To examine the consequences of CARP overexpression on contractile function, an adenovirus encoding human CARP as well as a control virus were constructed. Although the basal force of contraction was not different, contractile response to Ca(2+) and isoprenaline was significantly diminished in engineered heart tissue infected with the recombinant adenovirus that carries the CARP gene (Ad.CARP). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides the first evidence that overexpression of CARP, which is thought to act as a transcriptional co-repressor, may deteriorate contractile function of the heart tissue. Furthermore, beta-adrenoceptor stimulation and activation of PKA and CaMK have been identified as mechanisms that induce expression of CARP in cardiomyocytes.

Long-term follow-up after successful interferon therapy of acute hepatitis C.

Early treatment of acute hepatitis C infection with interferon alfa-2b (IFN-alpha-2b) prevents chronicity in almost all patients. So far, no data are available on the long-term outcome after interferon (IFN) therapy of acute hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical, virological, and immunological long-term outcome of 31 successfully treated patients with acute hepatitis C infection who were followed for a median of 135 weeks (52-224 weeks) after end of therapy. None of the individuals had clinical evidence of liver disease. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were normal in all but 1 patient. Serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA was negative throughout follow-up, even when investigated with the highly sensitive transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay (cutoff 5-10 IU/mL). In addition, no HCV RNA was detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 15 cases tested. The patients' overall quality-of-life scores as determined by the SF-36 questionnaire did not differ from the German reference control cohort. Ex vivo interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) ELISPOT analysis detected HCV-specific CD4(+) T-helper cell reactivity in only 35% of cases, whereas HCV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses were found in 4 of 5 HLA-A2-positive individuals. Anti-HCV antibody levels decreased significantly during and after therapy in all individuals. In conclusion, early treatment of symptomatic acute hepatitis C with IFN-alpha-2b leads to a long-term virological, biochemical, and clinical response. Waning of anti-HCV humoral immunity and presence of HCV-specific CD8(+) (but not CD4(+)) T cells highlights the complexity of T-cell and B-cell memory to HCV, which might be significantly altered by IFN treatment.