Practice patterns and outcomes in retransplantation among pediatric kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: More than 25% of pediatric kidney transplants are lost within 7 years, necessitating dialysis or retransplantation. Retransplantation practices and the outcomes of repeat transplantations, particularly among those with early graft loss, are not clear. METHODS: We examined retransplantation practice patterns and outcomes in 14,799 pediatric (ages <18 years) patients between 1987 and 2010. Death-censored graft survival was analyzed using extended Cox models and retransplantation using competing risks regression. RESULTS: After the first graft failure, 50.4% underwent retransplantation and 12.1% died within 5 years; after the second graft failure, 36.1% underwent retransplantation and 15.4% died within 5 years. Prior preemptive transplantation and graft loss after 5 years were associated with increased rates of retransplantation. Graft loss before 5 years, older age, non-Caucasian race, public insurance, and increased panel-reactive antibody were associated with decreased rates of retransplantation. First transplants had lower risk of graft loss compared with second (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.80; P<0.001), third (aHR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.49-0.78; P<0.001), and fourth (aHR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.24-0.78; P=0.005) transplants. However, among patients receiving two or more transplants (conditioned on having lost a first transplant), second graft median survival was 8.5 years despite a median survival of 4.5 years for the first transplant. Among patients receiving three or more transplants, third graft median survival was 7.7 years despite median survivals of 2.1 and 3.1 years for the first and second transplants. CONCLUSIONS: Among pediatric kidney transplant recipients who experience graft loss, racial and socioeconomic disparities exist with regard to retransplantation, and excellent graft survival can be achieved with retransplantation despite poor survival of previous grafts.

Outcomes in African American kidney transplant patients receiving tacrolimus and mycophenolic acid immunosuppression.

BACKGROUND: Prospective data regarding immunosuppression and rejection in African American patients receiving modern immunosuppressive regimens are sparse. METHODS: One-year data were analyzed from 901 tacrolimus-treated de novo kidney transplant patients in the prospective Mycophenolic Acid Observational Renal Transplant registry. RESULTS: Mean tacrolimus dose was significantly higher in African Americans (n=217) versus non-African Americans (n=684), but mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were similar. The proportion of patients receiving mycophenolic acid dose equal to or more than 2000 mg per day (mycophenolate mofetil equivalents) was significantly higher with enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium versus mycophenolate mofetil at month 6 among African Americans and at month 3 in non-African Americans, but rates of acute rejection and adverse events (including gastrointestinal events) were similar. The 1-year incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) was 14.1% in African Americans versus 7.5% in non-African Americans. On multivariate analysis, African American ethnicity was associated with a higher risk of BPAR (hazard ratio, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-3.09; P=0.007). Mean (standard deviation) glomerular filtration rate at month 12 estimated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration formula was 59.2 (22.2) mL/min/1.73 m in African Americans versus 58.8 (19.9) mL/min/1.73 m in non-African Americans (confidence interval of the difference, -3.4 to 4.3; P=0.83). CONCLUSION: This observational study confirms that African Americans require higher doses of tacrolimus to achieve target trough concentrations and are more likely to experience BPAR during the first year after kidney transplantation despite modern immunosuppression regimens. In our 1-year study, this was not associated with significantly inferior graft survival.

Acute rejection characteristics from a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial of early corticosteroid withdrawal.

BACKGROUND: This report characterizes acute rejection and rejection outcomes in subjects randomized to continuous corticosteroid therapy (CCS) or early corticosteroid withdrawal (CSWD; 7 days after transplantation) in the Astellas Blinded CSWD Trial. METHODS: The Astellas Blinded CSWD Trial was a 5-year, prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial of early CCS withdrawal in 386 kidney transplant recipients (195 CCS and 191 CSWD). Tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil were required as well as either rabbit antithymocyte globulin or interleukin-2 receptor antibody induction. Biopsy-confirmed acute rejection (BCAR) was grade 1A or higher by Banff criteria. This report also provides borderline changes (BL) that did not meet Banff grade 1A included with BCAR (BCAR+BL). RESULTS: BCAR+BL was 25 (12.8%) in CCS group and 42 (22.0%) in CSWD group (P=0.022). Early BCAR+BL (first 90 days after transplantation) was less frequent in CCS (n=5 [2.6%]) than in CSWD (n=22 [11.5%]; P<0.001). Among non-African-American subjects, early BCAR+BL occurred more often in CSWD (n=20 [12.7%]) versus CCS (n=2 [1.3%]; P<0.001). Late acute rejection (>2 years) occurred more often in African-American subjects in CCS (n=5 [13.9%]) than in CSWD (n=0; P=0.056). Risk factors were CSWD (hazard ratio [HR], 4.72; P<0.002) and human leukocyte antigen mismatch (HR, 1.48; P<0.005) for early BCAR+BL and CSWD (HR, 1.9; P<0.02), human leukocyte antigen mismatch (HR, 1.2; P<0.01), and age (HR, 0.97; P<0.002) for 5-year rejection. The HR for graft loss associated with BCAR+BL was 8.8. CONCLUSIONS: BCAR+BL may occur more frequently during the early period after transplantation under an early CSWD regimen with tacrolimus plus induction compared with CCS, particularly among non-African-Americans.

Impact of posttransplantation glomerulonephritis on long-term outcome of kidney transplants: single-center 20-year experience.

BACKGROUND: Successful renal transplantation has been performed in patients with end-stage renal disease and has been routine in patients with end-stage renal failure for more than two decades. Despite advances in the use of immunosuppressants, there has been only modest improvement in long-term allograft survival. Accumulating data have demonstrated that chronic rejection and recurrent glomerulonephritis are major causes of long-term allograft loss. However, data regarding the long-term impact of posttransplantation glomerulonephritis (PTGN) on ethnic Chinese populations are still unavailable. METHODS: From 1984 to 2010, a total of 268 patients who underwent renal allograft biopsies were reviewed retrospectively. Renal outcomes were compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and risk factors for renal survival and all-cause mortality were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: In all, 85 patients (31.7%) had PTGN, and the mean time of disease onset was 5.32±5.18 years after transplantation. Among the 85 PTGN cases, 33 (39%) were immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, 24 (28%) were focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and 8 (9.4%) were membranous GN. Significant risk was associated with posttransplant IgA GN in hepatitis B virus carriers (odds ratio 5.371, 95% confidence interval 1.68, 17.19; p=0.0064). A total of 45 PTGN patients had allograft loss, of whom 49% had IgA nephropathy. Patients with PTGN had inferior allograft survival rates compared to those with other pathologic findings (p<0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our results indicate that PTGN had a strong negative impact on long-term kidney graft survival. Posttransplant IgA nephropathy is a leading cause of allograft loss in Chinese kidney transplant patients with PTGN.

Early corticosteroid withdrawal in recipients of renal allografts: a single-center report of ethnically diverse recipients and recipients of marginal deceased-donor kidneys.

BACKGROUND: Candidacy for kidney transplantation is being progressively liberalized, and the safety and efficacy of early withdrawal of corticosteroids in high-risk patients have not been fully characterized. METHODS: We analyzed the safety and efficacy of an early corticosteroid withdrawal regimen of rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction, tacrolimus, mycophenolate mofetil, and steroid withdrawal by day 5 after transplantation in our study cohort of 634 kidney transplant recipients that included 27% African American and 18% Hispanic recipients. Fifty-five percent of the recipients were recipients of deceased-donor kidneys, and 46% of deceased-donor kidneys were kidneys from expanded criteria donors. RESULTS: Kaplan-Meier patient survival at 1, 3, and 5 years after transplantation was 98.6%, 94.6%, and 90.2%, and death-censored graft survival was 96.2%, 91.9%, and 87.6%, respectively. During a mean follow-up of 57 months, 89.3% of patients remained off of corticosteroids, and the incidence of acute rejection including subclinical rejection identified by protocol biopsy was 12.0%. Multivariable analysis identified age older than 60 years as protective against (P=0.01) and the African American ethnicity as a risk factor for (P=0.03) rejection. Delayed graft function (P<0.0001), rejection (P<0.0001), and transplant panel reactive antibody 20% or more (P=0.03) were risk factors for graft loss. Opportunistic infections included viral in 15.3%, fungal in 1.6%, and parasitic in 0.6% of the patients. Posttransplantation malignancy occurred in 9.1% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: An early corticosteroid withdrawal regimen of rabbit antithymocyte globulin induction, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil is associated with excellent patient and kidney graft survival in an ethnically diverse population with risk factors for poor outcomes.

Graft outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation: focus on the role of race.

While significant racial disparities in graft outcome persist among adult and pediatric kidney transplant recipients in the US, some international studies do not show these differences. The aim of this study is to examine predictors of graft outcomes and the impact of race in our pediatric kidney transplant cohort. Records of 109 pediatric kidney transplant recipients performed at our institution between 7/99 and 4/07 were studied. Patients were grouped based on race: African-American (AA) vs. non-AA. Fifty-five AA (12 ± 5 years) and 54 non-AA patients (11 ± 6 years) were studied. There were more females, pre-emptive transplants and living donors in the non-AAs. Survival analysis showed significantly higher rejection rates in AAs, P = 0.02, and lower unadjusted graft survival (P = 0.09). Cox Proportional Hazards Survival Regression Analysis revealed biopsy-proven acute rejection and delayed graft function contributed to worse graft survival, while pre-emptive transplantation had a favorable effect. Race was not an independent risk factor for decreased graft survival in the final model. In conclusion, our cohort showed several modifiable risk factors that can partially account for poorer graft survival in pediatric AA kidney transplant recipients.

Interleukin-2 receptor antagonist does not decrease biopsy-proven acute rejection among adult Chinese kidney transplant recipients.

Induction therapy with interleukin-2 receptor antagonist (IL2RA) is widely used for renal transplant recipients and this study aimed to examine the impact of IL2RA among Chinese renal transplant recipients. Two hundred and thirty-eight Chinese renal transplant recipients aged 18-65 years at the Taichung Veterans General Hospital from January 2004 to July 2009 were retrospectively studied to assess the influence of IL2RA on biopsy-proven acute rejection (BPAR) within 1 year. Secondary outcomes included acute rejection rate in the first 3 months, delayed graft function, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, and malignancy. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used for multivariate analysis. Of all the patients, 116 received IL2RA (basiliximab, n = 44; daclizumab, n = 72) and 122 had no induction therapy. The mean follow-up duration was 43.3 months (range, 1-79 months). Overall, 227 (95.4%) patients completed the 12-month follow-up period with a functioning graft. No difference of BPAR was observed between the two groups and the secondary outcomes were also similar. After adjusting potential covariates with Cox regression, IL2RA use still provided no benefit on BPAR. In conclusion, there is no benefit of IL2RA in decreasing BPAR was observed in our study. Routine use of IL2RA for adult Chinese kidney transplant recipients may not be as effective as we thought before. More research is still needed to elucidate the effect of IL2RA among Chinese kidney transplant recipients.

Body mass index and postoperative complications in kidney transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND: There is a growing number of overweight and obese patients receiving kidney transplants, despite elevated body mass index (BMI) being associated with postoperative complications. Understanding associations between BMI and complications would allow more objectivity when recommending patients for transplantation or otherwise. METHODS: We analysed a retrospective cohort of 508 adult patients who received primary kidney grafts at a single centre in South Australia, 2002-2009, using hospital records and Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry (ANZDATA) data. Complications within 1 year of transplantation were classified into: surgical, wound, urological, delayed graft function, early nephrectomy and admission to intensive care unit (ICU). RESULTS: Overall, 62% of transplant recipients had a BMI above 25 kg/m(2) at transplant. Higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of wound complications (P < 0.001), early nephrectomy (P = 0.002) and delayed graft function (P = 0.03), but not associated with surgical or urological complications, or ICU admission. These associations were stronger for Indigenous Australians than other patients, especially for surgical complications. There was no BMI value above which risks of complications increase substantially. CONCLUSION: Delayed graft function is an important determinant of patient outcomes. Wound complications can be serious, and are more common in patients with higher BMI. This may justify the use of elevated BMI as a contraindication for transplantation, although no obvious cut-off value exists. Investigations into other measures of body fat composition and distribution are warranted.

"Now, I am a proper human being": kidney transplantation in Cyprus.

By exploring kidney transplantation as a social process, I describe the variety of lived experience of transplantation and explain how the sociocultural and medical context among Greek-Cypriots on the island of Cyprus works as a template of reference and understanding for this surgery. Patients understand kidney transplantation as a means for the return to normality, as the mechanism to become "proper human beings" (σωστóς άνθρωπoς), able to fulfill social obligations and achieve important cultural goals. Such perceptions reflect medical discourses on the island, which present kidney transplantation as the mechanism to enable a return to normal social life.

A 6-month, open-label, multicenter clinical study in Korean de novo renal transplant patients evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerance of myfortic concomitantly used with tacrolimus.

Enteric-coated mycophenolate sodium (myfortic, Novartis Pharma AG, Basel, Switzerland) is designed to improve the gastrointestinal tolerability of micophenolic acid. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of myfortic in Korean de novo renal transplantation. A total of 65 patients from four transplantation centers received the study drug at least once and were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. This study was an open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial with 6-month patient follow-up. Patients received 360 mg (body weight < 50 kg) or 720 mg (body weight > 50 kg) of myfortic per day with tacrolimus and steroids. Induction therapy included basiliximab. The incidence of biopsy-confirmed acute rejection (primary endpoint) within 6 months after transplantation was 7/65 (10.8%). There were 2 (3.1%) graft losses due to severe acute rejection and 1 (1.5%) patient-death due to cardiac arrest. Twenty-two (38.8%) patients experienced gastrointestinal discomfort; however, only 3 (4.5%) cases were associated with an apparent drug reaction. Seventeen (25.4%) patients underwent dose adjustment or myfortic discontinuation during the study period. Patient and graft survival rates at 6 months posttransplantation were 98.1% and 97.0%. Myfortic with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression was efficient and safe after de novo renal transplantation in Korean patients.

Lower prevalence of BK virus infection in African American renal transplant recipients: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Because the occurrence of BK virus (BKV) nephritis is far less frequent than BK viremia or viruria, analysis of risk factors for BKV nephritis as an endpoint could lead to erroneous findings. We undertook a prospective study to evaluate the risk factors for the occurrence of BKV infections using BK viruria and viremia as endpoints. METHODS: Two hundred forty renal only transplant recipients were prospectively enrolled into our institutional review board-approved single center study to evaluate various aspects of posttransplant BKV infection. All patients were followed up for a minimum of 6 months posttransplant. RESULTS: Of the 240 subjects, 154 were whites, 61 African Americans, and 25 belonged to other races. A total of 94 developed BKV infection (any degree of BK viruria or viremia) whereas 146 developed no infection. Among these, 33 had BK viruria alone, 61 had BK viremia with viruria and 25 had significant viremia defined as BKV DNA more than 10,000 copies/mL of plasma. Lower proportion of African Americans developed BKV infection, 14 of 61 (23%), as opposed to whites, 67 of 154 (47%). Logistic regression model showed lower risk of any BKV infection in African American recipient race (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17-0.82; P=0.016) and higher risk of significant BKV infection with occurrence of acute rejection (OR, 3.9; 95% CI, 1.31-11.8; P=0.015). The Kaplan-Meier analysis shows a trend toward greater freedom from BKV infection in African Americans as opposed to other racial groups (P=0.33). CONCLUSION: Renal transplant recipients of African American race had a lower risk of posttransplant BKV infection compared with whites, independent of other confounding risk factors.

A critical analysis of racial difference with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dosing, clinical outcomes and adverse effects in pediatric kidney transplant patients.

There is paucity in the data examining the differences in mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) dosing and outcomes among pediatric kidney transplant recipients (PKTX) between races. The aims of this study were as follows (i) to assess whether higher doses of MMF are being utilized in African American (AA) PKTX (ii) to determine whether there is a correlation between MMF dose and outcomes between races, and (iii) to assess the adverse effects of MMF between races. This study analyzed 109 PKTX who received MMF between 7/99 and 5/08. Demographics were similar between groups. Fewer AAs received kidneys from living donors (18% vs. 44%), spent more time on dialysis (1.0 vs. 0.5 yr), and had more human leukocyte antigen mismatches (4 vs. 3). MMF doses among AA patients were higher throughout the study, with statistical differences at week 4, month 3, and month 18. AA patients had significantly higher acute rejection rates and trended toward poorer graft survival; infections, adverse events from MMF and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease tended to be lower in the AA patients. AA PKTX received higher MMF doses within the first three yr post-transplant compared to their non-AA counterparts, yet demonstrate significantly more acute rejection episodes. Importantly, MMF caused fewer adverse events in AA patients, despite these patients receiving higher doses.

Race and gender are not independent risk factors of allograft loss after kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the impact of gender on kidney allograft survival in black recipients. METHODS: A total of 805 kidney transplant recipients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: All blacks compared with all whites had significantly reduced graft survival at 1, 2, and 3 years (89%, 84%, 82% vs 93%, 89%, 87%, respectively, log-rank P = .03). After stratification by race and gender, black females showed the worst graft survival. When black females were excluded, allograft survival between black males and all whites were similar. Black females carried more risk factors for graft loss. Compared with all others, the unadjusted hazard ratio of graft loss for black females was 1.67 (P < .01; 95% confidence interval, 1.15-2.43), but the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.47 (P = .07, 95% confidence interval, .98-2.23). CONCLUSIONS: Race and gender in a multivariate analysis are not statistically significant independent risk factors for poor allograft outcomes.

Low prevalence of BK virus nephropathy on nonprotocol renal biopsies in Iranian kidney transplant recipients: one center's experience and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: BK virus-associated nephropathy in renal transplant recipients has been increasing in frequency in recent years. This rise is probably because of widespread use of highly potent immunosuppressive regimens, and increased immunosuppression load leads to inability of the recipients to increase a successful antiviral immune response. The incidence of BK virus-associated nephropathy in different reports is between 1% and 10%, with an allograft loss in significant numbers of patients, especially when timely diagnosis and treatment is not restored. We report our experience on BK virus nephropathy in our institute. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All renal transplant biopsies performed at our center between 2001 and 2006 were immunohistochemically screened for the presence of PV-specific protein (SV40 Ag). The histologic diagnosis of BK virus-associated nephropathy was made upon the observation of morphologic changes in tubular epithelium and confirmation with immunohistochemical staining. We reviewed the clinical records of the subjects for demographic, clinical, and laboratory data. RESULTS: BK virus nephropathy was found in 0.93% of all investigated allograft biopsies (1/108) and in 1.04% of all recipients (1/96; mean age of recipients, 36.48±14.10 years; age range, 13-74 years); 54 of them were male (57%). Type of kidney transplant was living-unrelated donor 76 (79%), living-related donor 13 (14%), and deceased donor 7. Seventeen patients (18%) were transplanted for a second time. Immunosuppressive drugs in 87 of recipients (90%) were cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil, and prednisolone. Our patient who developed BK virus-associated nephropathy 9 months after transplant was a 37-year-old man on prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine immunosuppresion. He lost his graft 4 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Although BK virus nephropathy after renal transplant is uncommon, it is a serious complication causing loss of the allograft. It should be included in the clinical differential diagnosis of transplant dysfunction.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha promoter polymorphism in posttransplantation diabetes mellitus of renal transplant recipients.

Posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is a major complication in renal transplant recipients. Some studies have demonstrated that tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression and its genetic polymorphism are associated with diabetes mellitus. We investigated this association in Asian renal transplant recipients. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction-fragment length polymorphism was used to measure TNF-α G-238A and G-308A gene polymorphisms among 241 nonposttransplantation diabetic subjects and 73 PTDM patients. PTDM patients showed higher values of body weight and body mass index (BMI) than the non-PTDM group. However, no significant association was observed between TNF-α G-238A and TNF-α G-308A polymorphisms with PTDM incidence, gender, age at transplantation, follow-up duration, BMI, or type of immunosuppression.

Preferential adherence to immunosuppressive over nonimmunosuppressive medications in kidney transplant recipients.

Successful kidney transplantation continues to be associated with an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. Treatment for hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperglycemia adds to the pre-existing medication burden of immunosuppression. We postulated that patients are selectively adherent, preferentially taking some medications and choosing not to take others. To test this hypothesis, a random cross-sectional sample of outpatient kidney transplant recipients was interviewed by a person previously unknown to them using a structured closed-ended interview. Nonadherence was defined as missing any dose of medication over the preceding 1 month. By this criteria, 18.4% of patients were nonadherent to immunosuppressive medications, whereas 44.9% of patients were nonadherent to nonimmunosuppressive medication (antihypertensives, antidiabetic agents, and lipid-lowering agents). More patients were selectively nonadherent to their nonimmunosuppressive medications than to their immunosuppressive medications (P = .028). Patients who were nonadherent to nonimmunosuppressant medications were on a higher number of total medications and were more likely to be diabetic. We conclude that patients are more likely to miss or change doses of nonimmunosuppressive medications than immunosuppressive medications. The importance of nonimmunosuppressive medications must also be stressed at clinic visits to facilitate adherence to all classes of medication. Whether nonadherence to medications that treat cardiovascular risk factors contributes to the persistently high cardiovascular death rate in kidney transplant recipients remains to be determined.

Social deprivation, ethnicity, and access to the deceased donor kidney transplant waiting list in England and Wales.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic and ethnic inequity in access to kidney transplant waiting list has been described in the United States but not examined in a universal healthcare system. METHODS: Eleven thousand two hundred ninety-nine patients aged 18 to 69 years starting renal replacement therapy (January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2004) in England and Wales were included. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess time to activation on the transplant waiting list for socially deprived patients among white patients. The effect of ethnic origin (South Asians and blacks compared with whites) was examined among all patients. RESULTS: Among white patients, in the fully adjusted model, the hazard ratio (HR) for the most deprived quintile was 0.60 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.68, P trend <0.0001) compared with the least deprived. Deprivation effects were more pronounced among those 50 years and older (P value for interaction <0.0001). Non-whites had a lower risk of being waitlisted than whites (for blacks: HR 0.89, 95% CI 0.79-1.01; for South Asians: HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.83-0.99, P value for heterogeneity=0.03). These differences were attenuated in a fully adjusted model. However non-whites who were 50 years and older were more likely to be transplant waitlisted than whites (interaction P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals living in socially deprived areas have reduced access to the transplant waiting list. Understanding the reasons for this apparent inequity is important if we wish to ensure equitable access to renal transplants. There were no major differences by ethnicity, and if anything, older white patients were less likely to be waitlisted.

Expanded infectious diseases screening program for Hispanic transplant candidates.

Most guidelines for pre-transplant screening recommend enhanced screening among patients with potential exposure to such pathogens as Strongyloides stercoralis and Trypanosoma cruzi, the cause of Chagas disease. The incidence of these diseases in the Hispanic immigrant population has not been extensively studied. Transplant candidates who were evaluated by our program's Hispanic Transplant Program were referred for expanded infectious disease screening including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, S. stercoralis, Leishmania, and T. cruzi. Between December 2006 and December 2008, 83 patients were screened. Most were from Mexico but we also screened patients from Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and Peru. Most patients lived in urban locations before moving to the United States. Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) was found in 20%, and 6.7% had serologic evidence of S. stercoralis infection. These patients underwent treatment of latent infection without difficulty. To date, 14 patients have undergone living-donor kidney transplantation. Two of these patients had positive Leishmania titers and are being followed clinically, 1 was treated for S. stercoralis, and 2 were treated for LTBI pre-transplant. All have done well without evidence of screened pathogens an average of 348 days (range 65-766 days) post transplant. Expanded screening identifies endemic infections in the Hispanic immigrant population that can be treated before transplant, thereby minimizing post-transplant infectious complications.

Racial disparities in urologic health care.

In the United States, disparities in health care delivery and access are apparent between different racial and ethnic groups. Minorities, including African Americans, often suffer disproportionately from disease compared to Caucasians. In the urologic arena, this is apparent in urologic cancer screening, treatment choices, and survival, as well as in the arena of chronic kidney disease, transplant allocation, and transplant outcomes. Latino men also seem to be affected more often by erectile dysfunction than Caucasian counterparts. Disparities such as these have been identified as a problem in the delivery of health care in the United States, and resources have been allocated to help allay the disparity. Through organizations such as the Cleveland Clinic Minority Men's Health Center, policy initiatives, and increased cultural awareness by physicians, steps can be made to reduce and eliminate health care disparities.

Can serial eGFR, body mass index and smoking predict renal allograft survival in south Asian patients.

Limited data exist regarding long-term allograft survival in South Asian patients in the era of modern immunosuppressive therapy. This retrospective cohort study was undertaken to see the graft survival based on serial eGFR, immunosuppressive therapy, BMI and other confounding factors including smoking in patients who have undergone renal transplantation in a tertiary care center in south India. Three hundred and three kidney transplant recipients including live and cadaveric transplantation performed between 2001 and 2006 were included in this study. The mean graft survival after transplantation was 6.38 +/- 0.11 years, graft survival at one, two, three and five years were 95.7%, 92.72%, 91.72% and 89.21%, respectively. The mean serum creatinine and eGFR in the biopsy proven acute rejection (BPAR) group were 1.74 +/- 0.94 mg/dL and 43.73 +/- 13.65 mL/min com-pared with 1.24 +/- 0.59 mg/ dL and 61.50 +/- 17.40 mL/min in the non-BPAR group (P < 0.001 and P= 0.0159) respectively. The mean BMI in the BPAR group at one year was 26.59 +/- 3.18 kg/m 2 compared with 21.63 +/- 2.29 kg/m 2 in the non-BPAR group (P < 0.05). The mean graft survival in patients who were smokers at the time of pretransplant evaluation was 89.3% compared with 92.5% in the non-smokers (P=0.347). This retrospective cohort study found that serial eGFR, body mass index and smoking were significant predictors of graft survival following renal transplantation in South Asian patients.