Brachionus leydigii (Monogononta: Ploima) reported from the western basin of Lake Erie.

Several species of non-indigenous planktonic invertebrates have historically been introduced to the Laurentian Great Lakes. Previous introductions of non-indigenous planktonic invertebrates to the Great Lakes have been crustacean zooplankton, specifically Cladocera and Copepoda. This report documents the first known occurrence of Brachionus leydigii var. tridentatus (Zernov, 1901) in Lake Erie and possibly the first detection of a non-indigenous rotifer species in the Laurentian Great Lakes. The specimen was collected from a U.S. EPA monitoring station in the western basin of Lake Erie on April 4, 2016.

Importance of minimizing HLA-DR mismatch and cold preservation time in cadaveric renal transplantation.

Univariate and multivariate analyses have been performed on donor an d recipient variables to determine possible effects on the outcome of 516 primary cadaveric renal transplants performed in our single center from 1989 until 1993. The overall actuarial patient survival at 1 year and 5 years was 94.4% and 87.4%, respectively; the 1 year and 5 year graft survival rates were 88.3% and 77.8%, respectively. A total of 95 grafts were lost; death with function (35%) and chronic rejection (22%) were the major causes. Three variables (HLA-DR mismatch, delayed graft function, and prolonged cold ischemia time) had a significant detrimental effect on both short- and long-term graft survival. Zero HLA-DR mismatched grafts showed significantly enhanced survival over those with 1 HLA-DR mismatch both at 1 year (92.8% vs. 84.5%) and at 5 years (88.3% vs. 73.9%) only if cold ischemia time was less than 26 hours (P=0.0009). Occurrence of delayed graft function significantly lowered graft survival at both 1 year and 5 years (P=0.002), and the incidence was significantly associated with prolonged cold ischemia time (P<0.0001). HLA-A or HLA-B matching, percentage panel reactive antibodies (PRA), and anastomosis time showed no independent effect on long-term survival. The small number of 2 HLA-DR mismatched grafts (n=6) precluded separate analysis of this group. Acute rejection accounted for 12% of losses but had no statistically significant effect on graft survival, even though an increased frequency of rejection episodes was significantly associated with HLA-DR mismatch (P<0.0001). These results would suggest that significant survival benefits may be achieved by prospective HLA matching if cold ischemia times are limited. The efficiency of organ sharing must he improved to make optimal use of a limited resource.

Outcome of pediatric cadaveric renal transplantation: a 10 year study.

This report deals with 120 cadaveric renal transplants performed in 101 pediatric recipients in this Centre in two five-year periods, 1984 to 1988 (N = 65) and 1989 to 1993 (N = 55). In the first group transplants were allocated on the basis of best size (small donors for small recipients); in the second group priority was given to beneficial HLA matching. Initial immunosuppression was either cyclosporine (CsA) monotherapy (15 mg/kg/day), or triple therapy (CsA 5 mg/kg/day, prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day and azathioprine 1 mg/kg/day) if there was delayed graft function. Patient survival at one year and five years (97.5% and 92.3%, respectively) did not differ between the two groups, although there was an improvement in graft survival at one and five years in the second period relative to the first: 69.2% and 53.8% versus 78.6% and 65.6%. This did not achieve statistical significance. One year graft survival in recipients under five years did not differ significantly from older children (72%). There was a trend to improvement in one year graft survival in the < five years of age pediatric patients in Group 2, with beneficially matched kidneys and improved immunosuppressive management. Graft losses due to acute rejection were similar in both groups. Donor age < 4 years significantly reduced one year graft survival (63% vs. 85%, P = 0.01), while recipient age had no effect. Small donor kidneys were associated with a higher incidence of graft thrombosis. Transplantation resulted in the normalization or acceleration of growth velocity in (84%) of the pre-pubertal children who completed follow up. In conclusion, we have shown that excellent patient and graft survival can be achieved in children transplanted under the age of five years. Kidneys from donors under the age of four years are associated with an unacceptable rate of graft loss. Small children do not readily accept cyclosporine monotherapy. Successful early renal transplantation offers the best chance of normal growth and development.