Liver transplantation in a patient after COVID-19 - Rapid loss of antibodies and prolonged viral RNA shedding.

To date, little is known about the duration and effectiveness of immunity as well as possible adverse late effects after an infection with SARS-CoV-2. Thus it is unclear, when and if liver transplantation can be safely offered to patients who suffered from COVID-19. Here, we report on a successful liver transplantation shortly after convalescence from COVID-19 with subsequent partial seroreversion as well as recurrence and prolonged shedding of viral RNA.

Attenuated early inflammatory response in solid organ recipients with COVID-19.

Immunosuppression leaves transplanted patients at particular risk for severe acute respiratory syndrome 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The specific features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in immunosuppressed patients are largely unknown and therapeutic experience is lacking. Seven transplanted patients (two liver, three kidneys, one double lung, one heart) admitted to the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich because of COVID-19 and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were included. The clinical course and the clinical findings were extracted from the medical record. The two liver transplant patients and the heart transplant patient had an uncomplicated course and were discharged after 14, 18, and 12 days, respectively. Two kidney transplant recipients were intubated within 48 hours. One kidney and the lung transplant recipients were required to intubate after 10 and 15 days, respectively. Immunosuppression was adapted in five patients, but continued in all patients. Compared to non-transplanted patients at the ICU (n = 19) the inflammatory response was attenuated in transplanted patients, which was proven by decreased IL-6 blood values. This analysis might provide evidence that continuous immunosuppression is safe and probably beneficial since there was no hyperinflammation evident. Although transplanted patients might be more susceptible to an infection with SARS-CoV-2, their clinical course seems to be similar to immunocompetent patients.

Hypoxic-inflammatory responses under acute hypoxia: In Vitro experiments and prospective observational expedition trial.

Induction of hypoxia-inducible-factor-1α (HIF-1α) pathway and HIF-target genes allow adaptation to hypoxia and are associated with reduced incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Little is known about HIF-pathways in conjunction with inflammation or exercise stimuli under acute hypobaric hypoxia in non-acclimatized individuals. We therefore tested the hypotheses that 1) both hypoxic and inflammatory stimuli induce hypoxic-inflammatory signaling pathways in vitro, 2) similar results are seen in vivo under hypobaric hypoxia, and 3) induction of HIF-dependent genes is associated with AMS in 11 volunteers. In vitro, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were incubated under hypoxic (10%/5% O2) or inflammatory (CD3/CD28) conditions. In vivo, Interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), C-X-C Chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR-4), and C-C Chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR-2) mRNA expression, cytokines and receptors were analyzed under normoxia (520 m above sea level (a.s.l.)), hypobaric hypoxia (3883 m a.s.l.) before/after exercise, and after 24 h under hypobaric hypoxia. In vitro, isolated hypoxic (p = 0.004) or inflammatory (p = 0.006) stimuli induced IL-1ß mRNA expression. CCR-2 mRNA expression increased under hypoxia (p = 0.005); CXCR-4 mRNA expression remained unchanged. In vivo, cytokines, receptors, and IL-1ß, CCR-2 and CXCR-4 mRNA expression increased under hypobaric hypoxia after 24 h (all p ≤ 0.05). Of note, proinflammatory IL-1ß and CXCR-4 mRNA expression changes were associated with symptoms of AMS. Thus, hypoxic-inflammatory pathways are differentially regulated, as combined hypoxic and exercise stimulus was stronger in vivo than isolated hypoxic or inflammatory stimulation in vitro.

Surgical complications and cardiovascular comorbidity - Substantial non-immunological confounders of survival after living donor kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Surgical complications following kidney transplantation compromise immediate graft survival. However, the role of early surgical complications in the impairment of long-term survival is not completely established due to various other influences, such as patient comorbidities. The purpose of this study was to characterize the impact of surgical complications and overlapping patient comorbidities on graft function and survival after living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT). METHODS: Two groups of patients following LDKT between 1995 and 2014 with (n = 65) or without (n = 294) Clavien-Dindo grade 3 and 4 complications were analyzed. Type of surgical revision, graft and patient survival, general patient characteristics, pre-transplant renal function, immunosuppression, and immunological characteristics (HLA mismatch, panel-reactive antibodies, rejections) were determined. Post-transplant graft function as well as long-term graft and patient survival were quantified. RESULTS: Graft survival was 84.4/97.6% (1y), 75.2/92.7% (3y), and 62.1/87.6% (5y) with/without surgical revision, patient survival was 95.3/99.3%, 90.0/97.5%, and 84.7/93.7%, respectively. Surgical revision was required in 18%, which affected graft survival (p = 0.008) to a comparable extent as pre-existing cardiopulmonary/-vascular disease. Initially impaired graft function recovered to an equal level without complications following surgical revision. Whereas pre-existing cardiopulmonary/-vascular disease affected graft loss and patient survival, surgical revision had no particular impact on patient survival. These observations were confirmed by Cox regression. CONCLUSION: Long-term graft survival following LDKT is independently impaired by both postoperative complications and cardiovascular comorbidities. Although both factors may interact, a complication-free postsurgical course may improve graft survival, thereby reducing the need for dialysis restart and enhancing long-term recipient survival.

Renal volume assessed by magnetic resonance imaging volumetry correlates with renal function in living kidney donors pre- and postdonation: a retrospective cohort study.

Renal function of potential living kidney donors is routinely assessed with scintigraphy. Kidney anatomy is evaluated by imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We evaluated if a MRI-based renal volumetry is a good predictor of kidney function pre- and postdonation. We retrospectively analyzed the renal volume (RV) in a MRI of 100 living kidney donors. RV was correlated with the tubular excretion rate (TER) of MAG3-scintigraphy, a measured creatinine clearance (CrCl), and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by Cockcroft-Gault (CG), CKD-EPI, and modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) formula pre- and postdonation during a follow-up of 3 years. RV correlated significantly with the TER (total: r = 0.6735, P < 0.0001). Correlation between RV and renal function was the highest for eGFR by CG (r = 0.5595, P < 0.0001), in comparison with CrCl, MDRD-GFR, and CKD-EPI-GFR predonation. RV significantly correlated with CG-GFR postdonation and predicted CG-GFR until 3 years after donation. MRI renal volumetry might be an alternative technique for the evaluation of split renal function and prediction of renal function postdonation in living kidney donors.

Benefit in liver transplantation: a survey among medical staff, patients, medical students and non-medical university staff and students.

BACKGROUND: The allocation of any scarce health care resource, especially a lifesaving resource, can create profound ethical and legal challenges. Liver transplant allocation currently is based upon urgency, a sickest-first approach, and does not utilize capacity to benefit. While urgency can be described reasonably well with the MELD system, benefit encompasses multiple dimensions of patients' well-being. Currently, the balance between both principles is ill-defined. METHODS: This survey with 502 participants examines how urgency and benefit are weighted by different stakeholders (medical staff, patients on the liver transplant list or already transplanted, medical students and non-medical university staff and students). RESULTS: Liver transplant patients favored the sickest-first allocation, although all other groups tended to favor benefit. Criteria of a successful transplantation were a minimum survival of at least 1 year and recovery of functional status to being ambulatory and capable of all self-care (ECOG 2). An individual delisting decision was accepted when the 1-year survival probability would fall below 50%. Benefit was found to be a critical variable that may also trigger the willingness to donate organs. CONCLUSIONS: The strong interest of stakeholder for successful liver transplants is inadequately translated into current allocation rules.

Sodium storage in human tissues is mediated by glycosaminoglycan expression.

The current paradigm regarding sodium handling in animals and humans postulates that total body sodium is regulated predominately via regulation of extracellular volume. Active sodium storage independent of volume retention is thought to be negligible. However, studies in animals, hypertensive patients, and healthy humans suggest water-free storage of sodium in skin. We hypothesized that tissue sodium concentrations ([Na]T) found in humans vary and reflect regulation due to variable glycosaminoglycan content due to variable expression of XYLT-1. Twenty seven patients on dialysis and 21 living kidney transplant donors free of clinically detectable edema were studied. During surgery, abdominal skin, muscle, and arteries were biopsied. [Na]T was determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry, semiquantitative glycosaminoglycan content with Alcian stain, and XYLT-1 expression by real-time PCR. [Na]T of arteries were ranging between 0.86 and 9.83 g/kg wet wt and were significantly higher in arteries (4.52 ± 1.82 g/kg) than in muscle (2.03 ± 1.41 g/kg; P < 0.001) or skin (3.24 ± 2.26 g/kg wet wt; P = 0.038). For individual patients [Na]T correlated for skin and arterial tissue (r = 0.440, P = 0.012). [Na]T also correlated significantly with blinded semiquantitative analysis of glycosaminoglycans staining (r = 0.588, P = 0.004). In arteries XYLT-1 expression was also correlated with [Na]T (r = 0.392, P = 0.003). Our data confirm highly variable [Na]T in human skin and muscle and extend this observation to [Na]T in human arteries. These data support the hypothesis of water-independent sodium storage via regulated glycosaminoglycan synthesis in human tissues, including arteries.

De novo donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies after kidney transplantation are associated with impaired graft outcome independently of their C1q-binding ability.

Many aspects of post-transplant monitoring of donor-specific (DSA) and non-donor-specific (nDSA) anti-HLA antibodies on renal allograft survival are still unclear. Differentiating them by their ability to bind C1q may offer a better risk assessment. We retrospectively investigated the clinical relevance of de novo C1q-binding anti-HLA antibodies on graft outcome in 611 renal transplant recipients. Acute rejection (AR), renal function, and graft survival were assessed within a mean follow-up of 6.66 years. Post-transplant 6.5% patients developed de novo DSA and 11.5% de novo nDSA. DSA (60.0%; P < 0.0001) but not nDSA (34.1%, P = 0.4788) increased rate of AR as compared with controls (27.4%). C1q-binding anti-HLA antibodies did not alter rate of AR in both groups. Renal function was only significantly diminished in patients with DSAC1q+ . However, DSA significantly impaired 5-year graft survival (65.2%; P < 0.0001) in comparison with nDSA (86.7%; P = 0.0054) and controls (90.7%). While graft survival did not differ between DSAC1q- and DSAC1q+ recipients, 5-year allograft survival was reduced in nDSAC1q+ (80.9%) versus nDSAC1q- (90.7%, P = 0.0251). De novo DSA independently of their ability to bind C1q are associated with diminished graft survival.

Early conversion from cyclosporine to everolimus following living-donor kidney transplantation: outcomes at 5 years posttransplant in the randomized ZEUS trial.

AIMS: To assess 5-year efficacy, renal, and safety outcomes following early conversion from cyclosporine to everolimus vs. a standard cyclosporine-based regimen in living-donor kidney transplant (LDKT) recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ZEUS study was a randomized, open-label, 1-year, multicenter study in which 300 de novo kidney transplant recipients continued to receive cyclosporine or converted to everolimus at 4.5 months post-transplant, with annual follow-up visits to 5 years post-transplant. RESULTS: Of the 80 LDKT patients who were randomized, 75 completed the 1-year core study and 60 attended the 5-year follow-up visit. At year 5, 15/31 (48.4%) everolimus patients and 20/29 (69.0%) cyclosporine patients remained on the study drug. Mean adjusted estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at year 5 in LDKT recipients was 67.2 vs. 60.8 mL/min/1.73m2 for everolimus vs. cyclosporine (mean difference 6.4 mL/min/1.73m2; p = 0.031). For patients who remained on study drug, the mean difference was 13.2 mL/min/1.73m2 (p = 0.003), but no significant difference was seen in patients who switched from study drug (mean -2.6 mL/min/1.73m2, p = 0.701). Patient and graft survival rates were similar with everolimus and cyclosporine. Biopsy-proven acute rejection occurred in 22.0% vs. 7.5% of LDKT patients randomized to everolimus vs. cyclosporine (p = 0.116). Only 1 LDKT patient discontinued everolimus due to adverse events during years 1 - 5. CONCLUSIONS: Early initiation of everolimus with calcineurin-inhibitor (CNI) withdrawal after LDKT improved graft function to 5 years post-transplant compared to standard CNI-based therapy. The renal benefit was concentrated in patients who remained on everolimus. An increase in mild acute rejection was not associated with long-term graft loss.

Rescue management of early complications after liver transplantation-key for the long-term success.

PURPOSE: Postoperative complications may have not only immediate but also long-term effects on the outcomes. Here, we analyzed the effect of postoperative complications requiring a reoperation (grade 3b) within the first 30 days on patients' and graft survival following liver transplantation. METHODS: Graft and patient survival in relation to donor and recipient variables and the need of reoperation for complications of 277 consecutive liver transplants performed from January 2007 to December 2012 were analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-seven liver transplants were performed in 252 patients. Overall patient and graft survival at 1, 2, and 3 years were significantly reduced in patients requiring a reoperation. The labMELD score was significantly elevated (p = 0.04) and cold ischemia time was prolonged (p = 0.03) in recipients undergoing reoperations. Kaplan-Meier curves indicate that complications impact the outcome primarily within the first 3 months after transplantation. In multivariate analyses, the actual need of reoperation (p < 0.001), the labMELD score (p = 0.05), cold ischemia time (p = 0.02), and the need for hemodialysis pre-transplant (p = 0.05) were the only variables which correlated with the overall survival. CONCLUSION: Postoperative complications resulting in reoperations have a significant impact on the outcome primarily in the early phase after liver transplantation. Successful management of postoperative complications is key to every successful liver transplant program.

SDF-1/CXCR4/CXCR7 is pivotal for vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and chronic allograft vasculopathy.

Chronic rejection remains a major obstacle in transplant medicine. Recent studies suggest a crucial role of the chemokine SDF-1 on neointima formation after injury. Here, we investigate the potential therapeutic effect of inhibiting the SDF-1/CXCR4/CXCR7 axis with an anti-SDF-1 Spiegelmer (NOX-A12) on the development of chronic allograft vasculopathy. Heterotopic heart transplants from H-2bm12 to B6 mice and aortic transplants from Balb/c to B6 were performed. Mice were treated with NOX-A12. Control animals received a nonfunctional Spiegelmer (revNOX-A12). Samples were retrieved at different time points and analysed by histology, RT-PCR and proliferation assay. Blockade of SDF-1 caused a significant decrease in neointima formation as measured by intima/media ratio (1.0 ± 0.1 vs. 1.8 ± 0.1, P < 0.001 AoTx; 0.35 ± 0.05 vs. 1.13 ± 0.27, P < 0.05 HTx). In vitro treatment of primary vascular smooth muscle cells with NOX-A12 showed a significant reduction in proliferation (0.42 ± 0.04 vs. 0.24 ± 0.03, P < 0.05). TGF-ß, TNF-α and IL-6 levels were significantly reduced under SDF-1 inhibition (3.42 ± 0.37 vs. 1.67 ± 0.33, P < 0.05; 2.18 ± 0.37 vs. 1.0 ± 0.39, P < 0.05; 2.18 ± 0.26 vs. 1.6 ± 0.1, P < 0.05). SDF-1/CXCR4/CXCR7 plays a critical role in the development of chronic allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Therefore, pharmacological inhibition of SDF-1 with NOX-A12 may represent a therapeutic option to ameliorate chronic rejection changes.

Intraoperative simulation of remnant liver function during anatomic liver resection with indocyanine green clearance (LiMON) measurements.

OBJECTIVE: Post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) is the major cause of death following liver resection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of an intraoperative simulation of post-resection liver function. METHODS: Intraoperative liver function was measured by indocyanine green (ICG) clearance using the LiMON technology. In 20 patients undergoing anatomic liver resection, ICG plasma disappearance rate (PDR (%/min) and ICG retention at 15 min (R15 ) (%) were measured immediately after the induction of anaesthesia (t0 ), after selective arterial and portovenous inflow trial clamping (TC) of the resected liver segments (t1 ), after the completion of resection (t2 ) and before the closure of the abdominal cavity (t3 ). RESULTS: The median baseline (t0 ) PDR was 16.5%/min. Trial clamping of the inflow (t1 ) resulted in a significant reduction in PDR to 10.5%/min. Results under TC were similar to those obtained after resection (t2 ) (median PDR: 10.5%/min). Linear regression modelling showed that post-resection liver volume could be accurately predicted by TC of liver inflow (P < 0.0001), but not by determining the resected liver volume. Simulated post-resection liver function under TC correlated well with PHLF and length of hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative ICG clearance measurements allow real-time monitoring of intraoperative liver function during surgery. Trial clamping of arterial and portovenous inflow accurately predicts immediate post-resection liver function. The intraoperative measurement of liver function and simulation of post-resection liver function may help to avoid PHLF.

Loss of liver transplant surgeons into alternate career paths.

In Germany, long-term commitment of surgeons to transplantation is rare. Most surgeons leave transplant surgery after a short stint and follow careers in other surgical fields. This rapid turnover of liver transplant surgeons may result in poor resource utilization and potentially compromise patient safety. In this report, we have analyzed the caseload and the careers of 25 surgeons in liver transplantation over a period of 22 years. The median time in liver transplantation was short. Of all surgeons who engaged in liver transplantation, the median time was 3.5 years. Surgeons who completed their training remained in the field for 7 years. Surgeons who prematurely stopped their training remained for 2 years. Individual total caseloads of transplant surgeons were relatively low. The median number of procedures was 40 for all surgeons, 153 for currently active surgeons, 51 for surgeons who completed training, 27 for surgeons currently in training, and a median of four liver transplantations for surgeons who prematurely stopped liver transplantation. The vast majority (75%) of surgeons prematurely quit liver transplantation to follow alternate surgical careers. Structural changes in academic transplant surgery have to be made to facilitate long-term commitments of interested surgeons and to avoid "futile" transplant careers.

Preemptive treatment of Cytomegalovirus infection in kidney transplant recipients with letermovir: results of a Phase 2a study.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. Letermovir (AIC246), is a novel anti-HCMV drug in development, acting via a novel mechanism of action. In this proof-of-concept trial with first administration of letermovir to patients, 27 transplant recipients with active CMV replication were randomly assigned to a 14-day oral treatment regimen of either letermovir 40 mg twice a day, letermovir 80 mg once a day, or local standard of care (SOC) in a multicenter, open-label trial. Efficacy, safety, and limited pharmacokinetic parameters were assessed. All groups had a statistically significant decrease in CMV-DNA copy number from baseline (40 mg BID: P = 0.031; 80 mg QD: P = 0.018; SOC: P = 0.001), and comparison of viral load reduction between treatment groups showed no statistically significant differences. Viral clearance was achieved for 6 of 12 patients (50%) in the letermovir groups versus two of seven SOC patients (28.6%). Letermovir treatment was generally well tolerated, no patient developed CMV disease during the trial. Both letermovir treatment regimens resulted in equally high trough level plasma concentrations. The efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics observed in these viremic transplant recipients indicate that letermovir is a promising new anti-CMV drug.

Efficacy and safety of conversion from cyclosporine to everolimus in living-donor kidney transplant recipients: an analysis from the ZEUS study.

Conversion of living-donor kidney transplant patients from calcineurin inhibitor therapy to an mTOR inhibitor is poorly documented. In the prospective, multicentre ZEUS study, 300 kidney transplant recipients without prior rejection (Banff grade >1) and serum creatinine ≤265 µmol/l were randomized to continue cyclosporine or convert to everolimus at 4.5 months post-transplant. In a post hoc analysis of 80 living-donor recipients, adjusted estimated GFR (Nankivell) at month 12 (the primary endpoint) was 74.3 (95% CI [70.7, 77.9]) ml/min/1.73 m(2) with everolimus versus 63.8 (95% CI [60.0, 67.7]) ml/min/1.73 m(2) ) with cyclosporine, a difference of 10.5 ml/min/1.73 m(2) in favour of everolimus (P < 0.001). From randomization to month 12, adjusted estimated GFR increased by a mean of 9.8 (95% CI [6.2, 13.4]) ml/min/1.73 m(2) with everolimus versus -0.7 (95% CI [-4.6, 3.1]) ml/min/1.73 m(2) ) (P < 0.001) with cyclosporine. There were six biopsy-proven acute rejection episodes in everolimus-treated patients (five Banff grade I) and one episode in cyclosporine-treated patients (Banff grade 1). Overall safety profile was similar between groups. Discontinuation due to adverse events occurred in three everolimus patients (7.1%) and five cyclosporine patients (13.2%) between randomization and month 12. Initiation of everolimus with early elimination of calcineurin therapy is associated with a significant renal benefit at 12 months post-transplant that is observed in both living and deceased-donor recipients. (clinicaltrials.gov NCT00154310).

Use of drug-eluting balloon coronary intervention prior to living donor kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is the gold standard of therapy in patients with terminal renal insufficiency. Living donor transplantation is a well-established option in this field. Enlarging the donor's pool implicates the acceptance of an increased rate of comorbidities. Among them, coronary artery disease is a growing problem. An increasing number of patients, undergoing living donation, receive antiplatelet therapies due to coronary disease. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report about the perioperative treatment with a drug-eluting balloon in a patient with major cardiac risk factors who underwent kidney transplantation. CONCLUSION: At the current time no recommendation can be given for the routine use of drug-eluting balloons.

The use of extended-release tacrolimus twice a day might be beneficial for selected kidney transplant recipients: a case report.

The calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus, which is available as an immediate- or extended-release formulation, is the standard-of-care immunosuppression after kidney transplantation with low rejection rates, especially in the first year after transplantation. However, its highly variable metabolism rate, narrow therapeutic window, and nephrotoxic side effects require close drug monitoring and individual dosing. Here, we describe first the application of extended-release tacrolimus (ER-Tac) twice daily with beneficial effects in a kidney transplant recipient under extensive therapeutic drug monitoring. A 47-year-old female kidney transplant recipient, who was identified as a fast metabolizer for tacrolimus, presented with declining allograft function and low tacrolimus through levels over time and 8 years after a second kidney transplantation despite the administration of high doses of ER-Tac once daily. Therefore, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) showed exceedingly high blood levels of ER-Tac. The latest biopsy of the kidney transplant showed arteriolar hyalinosis with pole vessel stenosis as a sign of chronic transplant vasculopathy and transplant glomerulopathy as a sign of chronic humoral rejection. After the exclusion of other options for immunosuppressive therapy due to the patient's high immunological risk, the patient was switched from ER-Tac once daily to ER-Tac twice daily. After switching to ER-Tac twice daily, the AUC for oral tacrolimus decreased and the transplant function improved despite higher tacrolimus trough levels and a lower total dose administered. This case highlights the importance of careful therapeutic drug monitoring with the performance of an AUC in the follow-up management of kidney transplant recipients.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and end-stage renal disease: it is not all about the kidneys!

INTRODUCTION: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a powerful biomarker for the early detection of acute kidney injury. However, recent data suggest that NGAL also plays an important role in chronic kidney disease (CKD), reflecting the level of acute kidney damage within the CKD condition. To study whether elevated NGAL levels in CKD are a consequence of damaged tubular cells or rather due to extrarenal production, we investigated NGAL levels in anephric patients on dialysis. METHODS: Plasma NGAL levels were investigated in 14 dialysis patients who underwent bilateral nephrectomy (anephric group), 18 anuric dialysis patients with remaining kidneys (dialysis group) and 12 healthy patients (healthy group). RESULTS: Plasma NGAL levels were significantly lower in the healthy group compared with the anephric group (143 vs. 981 ng/mL; P < 0·001) or the dialysis group (143 vs. 838 ng/mL; P < 0·001), respectively. However, NGAL levels did not differ between the anephric group and the dialysis group (981 vs. 838 ng/mL; P = 0·19). DISCUSSION: Assuming that NGAL is highly expressed in chronically damaged kidneys due to tubular stress, there should be significantly less NGAL in anephric patients compared with anuric dialysis patients with remaining kidneys. In contrast to this hypothesis, we found no difference in NGAL expression between these two groups, proving the entire extrarenal NGAL production in anephric patients and suggesting that the tubular NGAL expression seems to be negligible in anuric dialysis patients.

BK virus-associated nephropathy: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as a new diagnostic tool?

INTRODUCTION: BK nephropathy has emerged as an important cause for allograft failure in renal transplant patients. The kidney tubules are the main target of BK virus infiltration. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been proven to be a powerful biomarker for tubular damage. Therefore, we investigated the suitability of plasma NGAL as new diagnostic tool in patients with BK infection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 240 renal transplant recipients. Systematic BKV screening by plasma PCR was performed one month after transplantation and every three month thereafter for two yr. Plasma NGAL concentration was investigated using a commercial ELISA. Medical records and electronic databases were reviewed for clinical parameters. RESULTS: BK viremia (BKV+) was diagnosed in 5.0% (12/240) and BK nephropathy in 3.3% (8/240) of our patients. BKV+ patients received more induction therapy (p = 0.03) and experienced a higher rate of biopsy-proven rejections compared to 13 control patients with similar graft function but negative BKV PCR. Contrary to our hypothesis, there was no difference in plasma NGAL expression between both groups (128.6 vs. 172.2 ng/mL; p = 0.68). CONCLUSIONS: Intensified immunosuppressive therapy is associated with an increased risk for BK nephropathy. Plasma NGAL is neither suitable for diagnosing BK nephropathy nor helpful in predicting the individual course of patients with BKV infection.