Frequency and impact on renal transplant outcomes of urinary tract infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species.

Background: Enterobacterales are often responsible for urinary tract infection (UTI) in kidney transplant recipients. Among these, Escherichia coli or Klebsiella species producing extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) are emerging. However, there are only scarce data on frequency and impact of ESBL-UTI on transplant outcomes. Methods: We investigated frequency and impact of first-year UTI events with ESBL Escherichia coli and/or Klebsiella species in a prospective multicenter cohort consisting of 1,482 kidney transplants performed between 2012 and 2017, focusing only on 389 kidney transplants having at least one UTI with Escherichia coli and/or Klebsiella species. The cohort had a median follow-up of four years. Results: In total, 139/825 (17%) first-year UTI events in 69/389 (18%) transplant recipients were caused by ESBL-producing strains. Both UTI phenotypes and proportion among all UTI events over time were not different compared with UTI caused by non-ESBL-producing strains. However, hospitalizations in UTI with ESBL-producing strains were more often observed (39% versus 26%, p = 0.04). Transplant recipients with first-year UTI events with an ESBL-producing strain had more frequently recurrent UTI (33% versus 18%, p = 0.02) but there was no significant difference in one-year kidney function as well as longer-term graft and patient survival between patients with and without ESBL-UTI. Conclusion: First-year UTI events with ESBL-producing Escherichia coli and/or Klebsiella species are associated with a higher need for hospitalization but do neither impact allograft function nor allograft and patient survival.

Immunogenicity of High-Dose Versus MF59-Adjuvanted Versus Standard Influenza Vaccine in Solid Organ Transplant Recipients: The Swiss/Spanish Trial in Solid Organ Transplantation on Prevention of Influenza (STOP-FLU Trial).

BACKGROUND: The immunogenicity of the standard influenza vaccine is reduced in solid-organ transplant (SOT) recipients, so new vaccination strategies are needed in this population. METHODS: Adult SOT recipients from 9 transplant clinics in Switzerland and Spain were enrolled if they were >3 months after transplantation. Patients were randomized (1:1:1) to a MF59-adjuvanted or a high-dose vaccine (intervention), or a standard vaccine (control), with stratification by organ and time from transplant. The primary outcome was vaccine response rate, defined as a ≥4-fold increase of hemagglutination-inhibition titers to at least 1 vaccine strain at 28 days postvaccination. Secondary outcomes included polymerase chain reaction-confirmed influenza and vaccine reactogenicity. RESULTS: A total of 619 patients were randomized, 616 received the assigned vaccines, and 598 had serum available for analysis of the primary endpoint (standard, n = 198; MF59-adjuvanted, n = 205; high-dose, n = 195 patients). Vaccine response rates were 42% (84/198) in the standard vaccine group, 60% (122/205) in the MF59-adjuvanted vaccine group, and 66% (129/195) in the high-dose vaccine group (difference in intervention vaccines vs standard vaccine, 0.20; 97.5% confidence interval [CI], .12-1); P < .001; difference in high-dose vs standard vaccine, 0.24 [95% CI, .16-1]; P < .001; difference in MF59-adjuvanted vs standard vaccine, 0.17 [97.5% CI, .08-1]; P < .001). Influenza occurred in 6% of the standard, 5% in the MF59-adjuvanted, and 7% in the high-dose vaccine groups. Vaccine-related adverse events occurred more frequently in the intervention vaccine groups, but most of the events were mild. CONCLUSIONS: In SOT recipients, use of an MF59-adjuvanted or a high-dose influenza vaccine was safe and resulted in a higher vaccine response rate. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03699839.

Surgical site infections after kidney transplantation are independently associated with graft loss.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common health care-associated infections. SSIs after kidney transplantation (K-Tx) can endanger patient and allograft survival. Multicenter studies on this early posttransplant complication are scarce. We analyzed consecutive adult K-Tx recipients enrolled in the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study who received a K-Tx between May 2008 and September 2020. All data were prospectively collected with the exception of the categorization of SSI which was performed retrospectively according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria. A total of 58 out of 3059 (1.9%) K-Tx recipients were affected by SSIs. Deep incisional (15, 25.9%) and organ/space infections (34, 58.6%) predominated. In the majority of SSIs (52, 89.6%), bacteria were detected, most frequently Escherichia coli (15, 28.9%), Enterococcus spp. (14, 26.9%), and coagulase-negative staphylococci (13, 25.0%). A BMI ≥25 kg/m2 (multivariable OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.07-4.34, P = .023) and delayed graft function (multivariable OR 2.88, 95% CI 1.56-5.34, P = .001) were independent risk factors for SSI. In Cox proportional hazard models, SSI was independently associated with graft loss (multivariable HR 3.75, 95% CI 1.35-10.38, P = .011). In conclusion, SSI was a rare complication after K-Tx. BMI ≥25 kg/m2 and delayed graft function were independent risk factors. SSIs were independently associated with graft loss.

Effect of protein supplementation on plasma sodium levels in the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis: a monocentric, open-label, proof-of-concept study-the TREASURE study.

IMPORTANCE: The syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis (SIAD) can be treated with oral urea; however, compliance is impaired by its poor palatability. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether dietary proteins could increase plasma sodium levels through urea-induced osmotic diuresis. DESIGN: An open-label, proof-of-concept trial. SETTING: University Hospital of Basel, Switzerland, between October 2021 and February 2023. PARTICIPANTS: Outpatients with chronic SIAD. INTERVENTIONS OR EXPOSURES: Ninety grams of protein daily for 7 days in the form of protein powder, followed by 30 g of oral urea daily for 7 days after a wash-out period of ≥1 week. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The increase in sodium levels from baseline to the end of the 7-day protein supplementation. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were included. After 7 days of 90 g daily protein supplementation (n = 17), plasma sodium levels increased from 131 (129-133) to 133 (132-137), that is, by a median of 3 mmol L-1 (0-5) (P = .01). Plasma urea levels increased by 3 mmol L-1 (1.7-4.9) (P < .01), and urine urea to creatinine ratio increased by 21.2 mmol mmol-1 (6.2-29.1) (P < .01). After 7 days of 30 g oral urea (n = 10), plasma sodium levels increased from 132 (130-133) to 134 (131-136), that is, by a median of 2 mmol L-1 (1-3) (P = .06). Plasma urea levels increased by 5.8 mmol L-1 (2.7-9.2) (P < .01), and urine urea to creatinine ratio increased by 31.0 mmol mmol-1 (18.7-45.1) (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Our findings suggest that protein powder increases plasma sodium levels in patients with chronic SIAD through protein-induced ureagenesis and osmotic diuresis. The effects are comparable with oral urea.

Outcome of kidney transplantation from senior deceased donors: a single centre study.

BACKGROUND: Addressing the current demographic development, the efficacy and safety of kidney transplantations from very senior donors needs to be carefully evaluated. The aim of this study was to analyse patient and graft outcomes of kidney allograft recipients stratified by donor age. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated n = 491 patients from a prospective, observational renal transplant cohort. Patients with kidneys from very old donors (n = 75, aged >70 years), elderly donors (n = 158, between 60-70 years), and regular donors (n = 258, aged <60 years) were investigated. The primary outcome was death-censored graft survival within the predefined donor age groups. RESULTS: Overall, n = 57 death-censored graft losses occurred. Graft loss was proportionally highest in the very old donor group (n = 11/75), but this did not reach statistical significance when compared to the elderly (14/158) and regular donor groups (32/258); (p = 0.37). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that 3-year/5-year death-censored graft survival in the very old donor group was 96%/86% and did not differ from the other age groups (p = 0.44). Median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), calculated by the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula (in ml/min/1.73 m2 of body surface) 12 months post-transplant did not differ between the elderly donor and very old donor groups (p = 0.53). However, patients who received regular donor kidneys had higher median eGFR compared to recipients in both the elderly and very old donor groups (p <0.0001). During follow-up, 31% of patients developed at least one acute rejection episode. Time-to-event analysis demonstrated no difference in occurrence of any acute rejection event across all three groups (p = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that kidney transplantation from carefully selected very old donors seems a valid option with reasonable short- and mid-term outcomes.

Urine CXCL10 to Assess BK Polyomavirus Replication After Kidney Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Urine CXCL10 is a biomarker for renal allograft inflammation induced by rejection, urinary tract infection, or BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) replication. This study aimed to compare urine CXCL10 levels in different stages of BKPyV reactivation and to investigate urine CXCL10 as a biomarker for BKPyV replication. METHODS: We included 763 urine samples (235 patients) from an interventional, randomized trial obtained in the context of regular screening for urine CXCL10 levels. All urine samples had a complete urine sediment analysis, no rejection episode noted within 30 d before urine collection, and a urine decoy cell analysis was conducted within ±3 d. RESULTS: Urine CXCL10 levels were 2.31 ng/mmol in samples without BKPyV viruria, slightly rose to 4.35 ng/mmol with BKPyV viruria, and then markedly increased to 16.42 ng/mmol when decoy cells were detectable, but still in the absence of BKPyV DNAemia ( P < 0.001). The highest urine CXCL10 values were observed in samples with BKPyV DNAemia (median 42.59 ng/mmol). The area under the curve of urine CXCL10 levels to detect ≥3 decoy cells was 0.816. At a CXCL10 cutoff of 3 ng/mmol, the negative predictive value was 97%. The area under the curve of urine CXCL10 levels to detect BKPyV DNAemia was 0.882, with a negative predictive value of 99% at a CXCL10 cutoff of 3 ng/mmol. CONCLUSIONS: Urine CXCL10 levels are already significantly elevated in BKPyV viruria (especially with decoy cell shedding) and further increase with BKPyV DNAemia. Low urine CXCL10 values can rule out the presence of ≥3 decoy cells and BKPyV DNAemia with high certainty.

Immunologic and Genetic Contributors to CD46-Dependent Immune Dysregulation.

Mutations in CD46 predispose to atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) with low penetrance. Factors driving immune-dysregulatory disease in individual mutation carriers have remained ill-understood. In addition to its role as a negative regulator of the complement system, CD46 modifies T cell-intrinsic metabolic adaptation and cytokine production. Comparative immunologic analysis of diseased vs. healthy CD46 mutation carriers has not been performed in detail yet. In this study, we comprehensively analyzed clinical, molecular, immune-phenotypic, cytokine secretion, immune-metabolic, and genetic profiles in healthy vs. diseased individuals carrying a rare, heterozygous CD46 mutation identified within a large single family. Five out of six studied individuals carried a CD46 gene splice-site mutation causing an in-frame deletion of 21 base pairs. One child suffered from aHUS and his paternal uncle manifested with adult-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Three mutation carriers had no clinical evidence of CD46-related disease to date. CD4+ T cell-intrinsic CD46 expression was uniformly 50%-reduced but was comparable in diseased vs. healthy mutation carriers. Reconstitution experiments defined the 21-base pair-deleted CD46 variant as intracellularly-but not surface-expressed and haploinsufficient. Both healthy and diseased mutation carriers displayed reduced CD46-dependent T cell mitochondrial adaptation. Diseased mutation carriers had lower peripheral regulatory T cell (Treg) frequencies and carried potentially epistatic, private rare variants in other inborn errors of immunity (IEI)-associated proinflammatory genes, not found in healthy mutation carriers. In conclusion, low Treg and rare non-CD46 immune-gene variants may contribute to clinically manifest CD46 haploinsufficiency-associated immune-dysregulation.

Randomized Trial to Assess the Clinical Utility of Renal Allograft Monitoring by Urine CXCL10 Chemokine.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: This study is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the clinical utility of a noninvasive monitoring biomarker in renal transplantation. Although urine CXCL10 monitoring could not demonstrate a beneficial effect on 1-year outcomes, the study is a rich source for future design of trials aiming to explore the clinical utility of noninvasive biomarkers. In addition, the study supports the use of urine CXCL10 to assess the inflammatory status of the renal allograft. BACKGROUND: Urine CXCL10 is a promising noninvasive biomarker for detection of renal allograft rejection. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of renal allograft monitoring by urine CXCL10 in a randomized trial. METHODS: We stratified 241 patients, 120 into an intervention and 121 into a control arm. In both arms, urine CXCL10 levels were monitored at three specific time points (1, 3, and 6 months post-transplant). In the intervention arm, elevated values triggered performance of an allograft biopsy with therapeutic adaptations according to the result. In the control arm, urine CXCL10 was measured, but the results concealed. The primary outcome was a combined end point at 1-year post-transplant (death-censored graft loss, clinical rejection between month 1 and 1-year, acute rejection in 1-year surveillance biopsy, chronic active T-cell-mediated rejection in 1-year surveillance biopsy, development of de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies, or eGFR <25 ml/min). RESULTS: The incidence of the primary outcome was not different between the intervention and the control arm (51% versus 49%; relative risk (RR), 1.04 [95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 1.34]; P = 0.80). When including 175 of 241 (73%) patients in a per-protocol analysis, the incidence of the primary outcome was also not different (55% versus 49%; RR, 1.11 [95% confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.47]; P = 0.54). The incidence of the individual end points was not different as well. CONCLUSIONS: This study could not demonstrate a beneficial effect of urine CXCL10 monitoring on 1-year outcomes (ClinicalTrials.gov_ NCT03140514 ).

Safety and Feasibility of Immunoadsorption with Heparin Anticoagulation in Preparation of ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplantation: A Retrospective Single-Center Study.

Introduction: Immunoadsorption (IA) of isohemagglutinins is an often-crucial procedure in preparation of major ABO blood group-incompatible living donor kidney transplantation (ABOi LDKT). Standard citrate-based anticoagulation during the procedure has potential disadvantages for distinct patient groups. In this study, we report our experience with an alternative anticoagulation scheme using heparin during IA for selected patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients who underwent IA with heparin anticoagulation between February 2013 and December 2019 at our institution with focus on the safety and efficacy of the adapted procedure. For further validation, we compared graft function, graft survival, and overall survival with those of all recipients of living donor kidney transplants with or without pretransplant desensitizing apheresis for ABO antibodies at our institution during the same period. Results: In thirteen consecutive patients prepared for ABOi LDKT with IA with heparin anticoagulation, no major bleeding or other significant complications were observed. All patients achieved sufficient isohemagglutinin titer reduction to proceed to transplant surgery. Graft function, graft survival, and overall survival did not significantly differ from patients treated with standard anticoagulation for IA or ABO compatible recipients of living donor kidneys. Conclusion: IA with heparin in preparation of ABOi LDKT is safe and feasible for selected patients after internal validation.

Infection Risk in the First Year After ABO-incompatible Kidney Transplantation: A Nationwide Prospective Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: ABO-incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplantation (KT) expands the kidney donor pool and may help to overcome organ shortage. Nonetheless, concerns about infectious complications associated with ABOi-KT have been raised. METHODS: In a nationwide cohort (Swiss Transplant Cohort Study), we compared the risk for infectious complications among ABOi and ABO-compatible (ABOc) renal transplant recipients. Infections needed to fulfill rigorous, prespecified criteria to be classified as clinically relevant. Unadjusted and adjusted competing risk regression models were used to compare the time to the first clinically relevant infection among ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT recipients. Inverse probability weighted generalized mixed-effects Poisson regression was used to estimate incidence rate ratios for infection. RESULTS: We included 757 living-donor KT recipients (639 ABOc; 118 ABOi) and identified 717 infection episodes. The spectrum of causative pathogens and the anatomical sites affected by infections were similar between ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT recipients. There was no significant difference in time to first posttransplant infection between ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT recipients (subhazard ratio, 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-1.66; P = 0.142). At 1 y, the crude infection rate was 1.11 (95% CI, 0.93-1.33) episodes per patient-year for ABOi patients and 0.94 (95% CI, 0.86-1.01) for ABOc-KT recipients. Inverse probability weighted infection rates were similar between groups (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.83-1.52; P = 0.461). CONCLUSIONS: The burden of infections during the first year posttransplant was high but not relevantly different in ABOi-KT and ABOc-KT recipients. Our results highlight that concerns regarding infectious complications should not affect the implementation of ABOi-KT programs.

Impact of different urinary tract infection phenotypes within the first year post-transplant on renal allograft outcomes.

In this study, we investigated the clinical impact of different urinary tract infection (UTI) phenotypes occurring within the first year after renal transplantation. The population included 2368 transplantations having 2363 UTI events. Patients were categorized into four groups based on their compiled UTI events observed within the first year after transplantation: (i) no colonization or UTI (n = 1404; 59%), (ii) colonization only (n = 353; 15%), (iii) occasional UTI with 1-2 episodes (n = 456; 19%), and (iv) recurrent UTI with ≥3 episodes (n = 155; 7%). One-year mortality and graft loss rate were not different among the four groups, but patients with recurrent UTI had a 7-10 ml/min lower eGFR at year one (44 ml/min vs. 54, 53, and 51 ml/min; p < .001). UTI phenotypes had no impact on long-term patient survival (p = .33). However, patients with recurrent UTI demonstrated a 10% lower long-term death-censored allograft survival (p < .001). Furthermore, recurrent UTI was a strong and independent risk factor for reduced death-censored allograft survival in a multivariable analysis (HR 4.41, 95% CI 2.53-7.68, p < .001). We conclude that colonization and occasional UTI have no impact on pertinent outcomes, but recurrent UTI are associated with lower one-year eGFR and lower long-term death-censored allograft survival. Better strategies to prevent and treat recurrent UTI are needed.

A trial platform to assess approved SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in immunocompromised patients: first sub-protocol for a pilot trial comparing the mRNA vaccines Comirnaty® and COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna®.

BACKGROUND: Late 2019, a new highly contagious coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has emerged in Wuhan, China, causing within 2 months a pandemic with the highest disease burden in elderly and people with pre-existing medical conditions. The pandemic has highlighted that new and more flexible clinical trial approaches, such as trial platforms, are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of interventions in a timely manner. The two existing Swiss cohorts of immunocompromised patients (i.e., Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) and Swiss Transplant Cohort Study (STCS)) are an ideal foundation to set-up a trial platform in Switzerland leveraging routinely collected data. Within a newly founded trial platform, we plan to assess the efficacy of the first two mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that reached market authorization in Switzerland in the frame of a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) while at the same time assessing the functionality of the trial platform. METHODS: We will conduct a multicenter randomized controlled, open-label, 2-arm sub-study pilot trial of a platform trial nested into two Swiss cohorts. Patients included in the SHCS or the STCS will be eligible for randomization to either receiving the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty® (Pfizer/BioNTech) or the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Moderna®. The primary clinical outcome will be change in pan-lg antibody response (pan-Ig anti-S1-RBD; baseline vs. 3 months after first vaccination; binary outcome, considering ≥ 0.8 units/ml as a positive antibody response). The pilot study will also enable us to assess endpoints related to trial conduct feasibility (i.e., duration of RCT set-up; time of patient recruitment; patient consent rate; proportion of missing data). Assuming vaccine reactivity of 90% in both vaccine groups, we power our trial, using a non-inferiority margin such that a 95% two-sided confidence interval excludes a difference in favor of the reference group of more than 10%. A sample size of 380 (190 in each treatment arm) is required for a statistical power of 90% and a type I error of 0.025. The study is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (National Research Program NRP 78, "COVID-19"). DISCUSSION: This study will provide crucial information about the efficacy and safety of the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in HIV patients and organ transplant recipients. Furthermore, this project has the potential to pave the way for further platform trials in Switzerland. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04805125 . Registered on March 18, 2021.

Lactic acidosis and hyperlactatemia associated with lamivudine accumulation and sepsis in a kidney transplant recipient-a case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: We report a case of sudden, lethal metabolic acidosis in a 70-year-old man on long-term nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) -based antiretroviral therapy (ART) who had developed atypical necrotizing fasciitis 1 month after kidney transplantation. CASE PRESENTATION: The HIV infection of the patient was treated for the last four months with an integrase strand inhibitor (dolutegravir 50 mg/d) plus a NRTI backbone including lamivudine (150 mg/d) and abacavir (600 mg/d). In this renal transplant patient we hypothesize that the co-existence of sepsis, renal failure and an accumulation of lamivudine led to the development of fatal metabolic acidosis and hyperlactatemia. Although lamivudine is only rarely associated with hyperlactatemia, there is evidence that overdose may be a risk factor for developing it. In our patient the lamivudine concentration two days after stopping and during hemodiafiltration was more than 50 times higher than therapeutic target trough concentrations. Likely reasons for this were renal impairment and concurrent treatment with trimethoprim, known to inhibit the renal elimination of lamivudine. CONCLUSIONS: NRTIs could trigger the development of hyperlactatemia in septic patients. The use of NRTI sparing regimens might be considered in the presence of this critical condition.

Outcome of Husband-to-Wife Kidney Transplantation With Mutual Children: Single Center Experience Using T Cell-Depleting Induction and Review of the Literature.

Few data on husband-to-wife transplantations with mutual children (H2W) exist in the current era. We investigated the outcome of H2W transplantations (n = 25) treated with T cell-depleting induction compared to women with prior pregnancies also receiving their first HLA-mismatched kidney transplant, but from a different donor source: (i) other living donor (n = 52) and (ii) deceased donor (n = 120). Seventy-four percent of the women had ≥2 pregnancies; median follow-up time was 5 years. Death-censored allograft survival was significantly lower in the H2W group compared to the other two groups (p = 0.03). Three of four graft losses in the H2W group were due to rejection. 5-year patient survival in the H2W group was high and similar compared to the other living donor group (100 vs. 98%; p = 0.28). The incidence of (sub)clinical antibody-mediated rejection was higher in the H2W group (36 vs. 20 vs. 18%) (p = 0.10). The frequency of infections was similar among the three groups. No immunological parameter was predictive for rejection or graft loss in H2W transplantations. In conclusion, H2W transplantation is a valuable option, but associated with a higher risk for allograft loss due to rejection despite T cell-depleting induction. Further research is required for better risk prediction on an individual patient level.

Urinary CXCL10 Measurement in Late Renal Allograft Biopsies Predicts Outcome Even in Histologically Quiescent Patients.

BACKGROUND: CXCL10 is a promising early noninvasive diagnostic marker for allograft rejection and predictive for long-term outcomes. However, its value when measured later in the posttransplant course has not yet been accurately analyzed. METHODS: We investigated urinary CXCL10 in 141 patients from a prospective, observational renal transplant cohort with 182 clinically indicated allograft biopsies performed >12 months posttransplant and corresponding urines. Urinary CXCL10 was retrospectively quantified on stored urines using the MSD V-Plex Chemokine Panel 1 sandwich immunoassay (Meso Scale Discovery). The primary outcome was a composite of allograft loss/renal function decline (>30% estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]-decrease between index biopsy and last follow-up). RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (51%) reached the primary outcome, and their urinary CXCL10 levels were significantly higher at the time of their biopsy compared with patients with stable allograft function (median 9.3 ng/mmol vs 3.3 ng/mmol, P < .0001). Time-to-endpoint analyses according to high/low urinary CXCL10 demonstrated that low urinary CXCL10 (≤7.0 ng/mmol) was associated with 73% 5-year event-free graft survival compared with 48% with high urinary CXCL10 (>7.0 ng/mmol; P = .0001). Even in histologically quiescent patients, high urinary CXCL10 was associated with inferior endpoint-free graft survival (P = .003), and it was an independent predictor of the primary outcome (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that urinary CXCL10 has a promising diagnostic performance for detection of late allograft rejection and is an independent predictor of long-term renal allograft outcomes, even in histologically quiescent patients.

Short- and long-term impact of neutropenia within the first year after kidney transplantation.

The aim of this retrospective single-center study was to investigate the short- and long-term impact of neutropenia occurring within the first year after kidney transplantation, with a special emphasis on different neutropenia grades. In this unselected cohort, 225/721 patients (31%) developed 357 neutropenic episodes within the first year post-transplant. Based on the nadir neutrophil count, patients were grouped as neutropenia grade 2 (<1.5-1.0*109 /l; n = 105), grade 3 (<1.0-0.5*109 /l; n = 65), and grade 4 (<0.5*109 /l; n = 55). Most neutropenia episodes were presumably drug-related (71%) and managed by reduction/discontinuation of potentially responsible drugs (mycophenolic acid [MPA] 51%, valganciclovir 25%, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole 19%). Steroids were added/increased as replacement for reduced/discontinued MPA. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was only used in 2/357 neutropenia episodes (0.6%). One-year incidence of (sub)clinical rejection, one-year mortality, and long-term patient and graft survival were not different among patients without neutropenia and neutropenia grade 2/3/4. However, the incidence of infections was about 3-times higher during neutropenia grade 3 and 4, but not increased during grade 2. In conclusion, neutropenia within the first year after kidney transplantation represents no increased risk for rejection and has no negative impact on long-term patient and graft survival. Adding/increasing steroids as replacement for reduced/discontinued MPA might supplement management of neutropenia.

Temporal trends of COVID-19 related in-hospital mortality and demographics in Switzerland - a retrospective single centre cohort study.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to analyse the demographics, risk factors and in-hospital mortality rates of patients admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to a tertiary care hospital in Switzerland. METHODS: In this single-centre retrospective cohort study at the University Hospital Basel, we included all patients with confirmed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection hospitalised from 27 February 2020 to 10 May 2021. Patients’ characteristics were extracted from the electronic medical record system. The primary outcome of this study was temporal trends of COVID-19-related in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes were COVID-19-related mortality in patients hospitalised on the intensive care unit (ICU), admission to ICU, renal replacement therapy and length of hospital stay, as well as a descriptive analysis of risk factors for in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: During the study period we included 943 hospitalisations of 930 patients. The median age was 65 years (interquartile range [IQR] 53–76) and 63% were men. The numbers of elderly patients, patients with multiple comorbidities and need for renal replacement therapy decreased from the first and second to the third wave. The median length of stay and need for ICU admission were similar in all waves. Throughout the study period 88 patients (9.3%) died during the hospital stay. Crude in-hospital mortality was similar over the course of the first two waves (9.5% and 10.2%, respectively), whereas it decreased in the third wave (5.4%). Overall mortality in patients without comorbidities was low at 1.6%, but it increased in patients with any comorbidity to 12.6%. Predictors of all-cause mortality over the whole period were age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] per 10-year increase 1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45–2.26; p <0.001), male sex (aOR 1.68, 95% CI 1.00–2.82; p = 0.048), immunocompromising condition (aOR 2.09, 95% CI 1.01–4.33; p = 0.048) and chronic kidney disease (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.35–3.76; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: In our study in-hospital mortality was 9.5%, 10.2% and 5.4% in the first, second and third waves, respectively. Age, immunocompromising condition, male sex and chronic kidney disease were factors associated with in-hospital mortality. Importantly, patients without any comorbidity had a very low in-hospital mortality regardless of age.

Comparison of Acute Kidney Injury in Patients with COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Infections: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Previous studies have indicated an association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and acute kidney injury (AKI) but lacked a control group. The prospective observational COronaVIrus-surviVAl (COVIVA) study performed at the University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland consecutively enrolled patients with symptoms suggestive of COVID-19. We compared patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 with patients who tested negative but with an adjudicated diagnosis of a respiratory tract infection, including pneumonia. The primary outcome measure was death at 30 days, and the secondary outcomes were AKI incidence and a composite endpoint of death, intensive care treatment or rehospitalization at 30 days. Five hundred and seven patients were diagnosed with respiratory tract infections, and of those, 183 (36%) had a positive PCR swab test for SARS-CoV-2. The incidence of AKI was higher in patients with COVID-19 (30% versus 12%, p < 0.001), more severe (KDIGO stage 3, 22% versus 13%, p = 0.009) and more often required renal replacement therapy (4.4% versus 0.93%; p = 0.03). The risk of 30-day mortality and a composite endpoint was higher in patients with COVID-19-associated AKI (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) mortality 3.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.10-14.46, p = 0.036; composite endpoint aHR 1.84, 95% CI 1.02-3.31, p = 0.042). The mortality risk was attenuated when adjusting for disease severity (aHR 3.60, 95% CI 0.93-13.96, p = 0.062). AKI occurs more frequently and with a higher severity in patients with COVID-19 and is associated with worse outcomes.