Simulect induction facilitates Neoral-based steroid-free immunosuppression in primary kidney transplant recipients.

This study compares outcomes of kidney transplantation with two distinct induction protocols Basiliximab (Simulect) versus Muromonab (OTK 3) in the setting of cyclosporine (Neoral)-based immunosuppression. Postinduction protocols included either total prednisone avoidance or prednisone sparing versus standard prednisone dosing. Two hundred forty five adult patients receiving kidney transplantation between 1995 and 2000 were included in the study. Treatment in group 1 was OKT 3 + Neoral + adjunct + standard prednisone; group 2, Simulect + Neoral + adjunct + steroid sparing; group 3, Simulect + Neoral + adjunct + no prednisone. The demographics between all groups were similar. The mean (+/- SD) trough cyclosporine levels at 1 month were 276 +/- 128 versus 291 +/- 180 versus 398 +/- 365 (P=.020); at 3 months were 261 +/- 120 versus 280 +/- 152 versus 399 +/- 408 (P=.32); at 12 month were 235 +/- 144 versus 245 +/- 154 versus 234 +/- 132 (P=.96). Creatinine clearance at 1 month was 59 +/- 24 versus 58 +/- 18 versus 47 +/- 23 mL/min (P=.004); at 3 months was 66 +/- 28 versus 62 +/- 22 versus 53 +/- 25 mL/min (P=.007); at 12 months was 68 +/- 38 versus 65 +/- 22 versus 64 +/- 29 mL/min (P=.556). Serum creatinine at 1 month was 1.8 +/- 0.9 versus 1.6 +/- 1.2 versus 2.8 +/- 2.21 mg/dL (P=.005); at 3 months was 1.7 +/- 0.6 versus 1.9 +/- 1.0 versus 2.3 +/- 1.3 mg/dL (P=.007); at 12 months was 1.9 +/- 1.3 versus 2.1 +/- 1.0 versus 2.3 +/- 1.7 mg/dL (P=.179). The incidence of acute rejection within 1 year in the respective groups were 28% versus 15% versus 16%. Therefore, we conclude that using Simulect in transplant recipients results in long-term patient and graft survival similar to those achieved with OKT 3. The use of Simulect resulted in significant reduction in clinical rejection incidence within the first year regardless of steroid use. Thus, the use of Simulect allows complete steroid avoidance in Neoral-based immunosuppression regimen.

Acute renal failure with thrombocytopenia after cryosurgery of the prostate.

We report three cases of transient acute renal failure accompanied by thrombocytopenia all occurring within 48 h of percutaneous transperineal cryoprostatectomy. Renal function spontaneously improved in all three patients, who currently have normal renal function and are voiding without difficulty. No known risk factor or specific etiology for the renal failure could be identified; therefore, we conclude that the renal failure is most likely secondary to the cryosurgery procedure, a common link shared by all three patients. We are currently administering intravenous mannitol before initiation of the freeze and have seen no further episodes of postcryosurgical acute renal failure in > 50 patients with prostate cancer. Because cryosurgery is currently becoming a more pervasive treatment option for localized prostate cancer, we believe it most important to report this heretofore unrecognized potential complication.

Renal effects of oral prostaglandin supplementation after ibuprofen in diabetic subjects: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.

Prostaglandins of the E series (PGE) are known to contribute to the maintenance of renal hemodynamics in subjects with chronic renal insufficiency. Agents that block PGE synthesis, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAID), are widely used by people with renal insufficiency. This study was undertaken in subjects with renal insufficiency secondary to diabetes to evaluate the acute effects of a PGE1 analog, misoprostol, on NSAID-induced changes in RBF, as calculated by para-aminohippurate clearance, and GFR, as calculated by inulin clearance. Sodium excretion was also assessed. Twenty-five fasting subjects with a mean age of 56 +/- 4 yr received 800 mg of ibuprofen orally. A concomitant dose of either a placebo (PL) or 200 micrograms of misoprostol was also given. This was followed in 1 h by either a placebo or an additional 200-micrograms dose of misoprostol. Measurements for the determination of RBF, GFR, blood pressure, and fractional excretion of sodium were performed every 30 min for the next 5 h. The greatest reduction in both GFR (-25 +/- 7 mL/min per 1.73 m2 PL versus -10 +/- 4 mL/min per 1.73 m2, misoprostol delta GFR; P < 0.05) and RBF (-48 +/- 21 mL/min per 1.73 m2 PL versus -15 +/- 8 mL/min per 1.73 m2, M delta RBF; P < 0.05) occurred approximately 2 h after the NSAID dose. No significant differences were noted in blood pressure, fractional excretion of sodium, or other measured parameters between groups during the entire study. Gastrointestinal upset was the most common side effect observed in both groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Utility of pretransplantation cyclosporine pharmacokinetic studies.

Pretransplant cyclosporine (CsA) pharmacokinetic analysis of an individual patient is advocated as a more accurate method of determining the optimal dose schedule of CsA for immediate posttransplant patients than traditional mg/kg dosing methods. Eight adult renal transplant candidates (age range 28-69 years) were studied. CsA whole blood analysis was done with a monoclonal fluorescence polarization immunoassay (mFPIA) and high-performance liquid chromatography HPLC. Noncompartmental modeling methods were used to derive CsA pharmacokinetic values. At 1 and 3 months posttransplant CsA pharmacokinetic analyses were completed on five subjects and the average steady state CsA concentration for the dosing interval, Cav, was compared to predicted values calculated from pretransplant pharmacokinetic parameters for each subject. At 6 months posttransplant, actual and predicted Cav were compared in three subjects. Correlation between predicted and actual Cav at 1 month posttransplant was poor (mean actual Cav = 365 ng/ml versus mean predicted Cav = 238 ng/ml; r2 = 0.361). At 3 months posttransplant, the discrepancy between predicted and actual Cav was greater for all five subjects (r2 = 0.039) and this trend persisted for three subjects at 6 months posttransplantation. The mFPIA analysis overestimated the parent CsA concentration when compared to HPLC analysis; the degree of overestimation ranged from 118 to 180%. The mFPIA assay variability may have contributed to the poor correlation between pre- and posttransplant Cav values. There appears to be little or no basis for subjecting transplant candidates to sophisticated pharmacokinetic tests in order to develop specific CsA dosing guidelines for the posttransplant phase.

Insulin receptor down-regulation and impaired antilipolytic action of insulin in diabetic patients after pancreas/kidney transplantation.

Patients with insulin-dependent diabetes who receive pancreas/kidney transplants lose their need for insulin injections, but they become hyperinsulinemic and insulin resistant, and sometimes develop noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The reason for the insulin resistance is not well understood. Specifically, it is not known whether they become resistant to the action of insulin on lipid metabolism. Euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamps were performed in six pancreas/kidney (P/K) recipients, six kidney (K) recipients (to control for immunosuppressive therapy), and eight healthy controls. Measured were leg blood flow (by plethysmography), rates of lipolysis (with [2H5] glycerol), fatty acid oxidation (by indirect calorimetry), fatty acid reesterification (with [2H5]glycerol and [1-13C]palmitate), monocyte membrane insulin binding (with [125I]Tyr-A14 insulin), and insulin receptor mass (by RIA). Fasting plasma insulin concentrations were 2 times higher in P/K and K recipients (108 pmol/L) than in controls (54 pmol/L). Insulin receptor mass in solubilized monocyte membranes from P/K and K recipients was reduced by 61% and 63%, respectively, whereas insulin binding was reduced by 73% and 70%, respectively. P/K and K recipients were resistant to the inhibitory action of insulin on lipolysis (P/K vs. controls, P < 0.01; K vs. controls, P < 0.02) and on fatty acid reesterification (P/K vs. controls, P < 0.02; K vs. controls, P < 0.03). P/K recipients appeared to be more resistant than K recipients, but the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. We conclude that P/K recipients were hyperinsulinemic, had down-regulated the number of their monocyte insulin receptors, and were resistant to the antilipolytic action of insulin.

Exercise training ameliorates progressive renal disease in rats with subtotal nephrectomy.

To determine the effect of chronic exercise training on renal function in animals with moderate renal insufficiency, rats with 75% renal ablation were either exercise trained by swimming for two months or remained sedentary. Glomerular filtration rate was significantly higher in trained (1.89 +/- 0.07 ml/min) than in sedentary rats (1.52 +/- 0.11 ml/min). No change was observed in renal blood flow or the degree of hypertension. Proteinuria was reduced in trained (13.6 +/- 4.9 mg/24 hr) compared to sedentary animals (33.5 +/- 9.2 mg/24 hr). The degree of glomerulosclerosis was much less prominent in trained animals. Plasma, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol-levels and total triglycerides were reduced in trained compared to sedentary rats. This study suggests that chronic exercise training ameliorates the progression of renal disease and improves plasma lipids in rats with moderate renal insufficiency. The mechanism for this improvement in renal function appears to be independent of the influence of systemic blood pressure.

Effect of dietary lipids on renal function in rats with subtotal nephrectomy.

Female rats with 1-3/4 nephrectomy were divided in two groups and pair fed for five weeks diets differing in their linoleic acid content. Five weeks after subtotal nephrectomy, values for glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow were significantly higher and the values of blood pressure significantly lower in rats fed a diet rich in linoleic acid. Systolic blood pressure averaged 156 +/- 5.6 mm Hg in high and 215 +/- 8.1 mm Hg in low linoleic acid-fed rats. Differences in the values of blood pressure between the two groups were observed three weeks after subtotal renal ablation and persisted throughout the period of observation. Inulin clearance averaged 0.89 +/- 0.07 ml/min in the high and 0.44 +/- 0.05 ml/min in the low linoleic acid group. Protein excretion in the urine was significantly less in rats fed the high linoleic acid diet (36.9 +/- 4.4 mg/24 hr) than in those fed the low linoleic acid diet (90.1 +/- 12.5 mg/24 hr). The weight of the remnant kidney five weeks after subtotal renal ablation was greater in rats fed a low linoleic acid diet as compared to those fed a high linoleic acid diet (P less than 0.05). Glomerular lesions were more severe in rats fed a low linoleic acid diet than in those fed a high linoleic acid diet. Feeding high linoleic acid diets to normal and subtotally nephrectomized rats increased the content of linoleic and arachidonic acid in renal cortex and medulla.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of fasting on citrate transport by the brush-border membrane of rat kidney.

Fasting in rats decreases plasma citrate levels and reduces urinary citrate excretion by the kidney. After 72 h of fasting, the endogenous renal citrate clearance was decreased and the fractional citrate excretion was 0.026 +/- 0.008 compared with 0.218 +/- 0.030 in control fed rats. To determine whether these findings result from an adaptation in citrate transport across the plasma membrane of the renal tubular cell, Na+ gradient-dependent [14C]citrate uptake was examined in brush-border membrane vesicles (BBMW) prepared from kidneys of fed and 72-h fasted rats. The initial rate (10 s) of Na+ gradient-stimulated uptake of 100 microM citrate was significantly increased in BBMW from kidneys of fasted rats (380 +/- 24.9 pmol/mg prot) compared with fed rats (255 +/- 24.9 pmol/mg prot). Arterial acid-base parameters from conscious animals were similar between the two groups. There was no significant difference in Na+-independent citrate uptake or in L-glutamine uptake measured at 20 s in BBMV from the kidneys of fasted compared with fed rats. An adaptation occurs in the brush-border membrane of the renal tubular cell of fasting rats, unrelated to systemic acidosis, that may result in increased reabsorption of citrate.

Thin-layer chromatography of lipid antigens as a means of identifying nontuberculous mycobacteria.

The previously described thin-layer chromatography procedure (Brennan et al., J. Clin. Microbiol. 8:374-379, 1978) for identifying serovars of the Mycobacterium avium-M. intracellulare-M. scrofulaceum complex, based on their specific C-mycoside glycopeptidolipid antigens, has now been extended to all 31 known serovars. Photographs of the characteristic pattern of the glycopeptidolipids are presented. Although the procedure is fraught with the difficulties inherent to comparative thin-layer chromatography, it is particularly suitable for the screening of isolates which are not amenable to seroagglutination, such as those which autoagglutinate or for which antisera are not presently available. In this way it was possible to tell whether isolates were of the M. avium-M. intracellulare-M. scrofulaceum complex and whether or not they had previously been recognized. Knowledge of the chemical features of the typing antigens nontuberculous mycobacteria other than M. avium-M. intracellulare-M. scrofulaceum strains also enables us to develop thin-layer chromatography systems for the identification of M. kansasii, M. szulgai, members of the M. gordonae complex, M. terrae, M. xenopi, and M. gastri.