Clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of kidney transplant recipients with de novo urothelial carcinoma: thirty years of experience from a single center.

BACKGROUND: De novo urothelial carcinoma (UC) is a leading cause of death after kidney transplant (KT). The efficacy of various treatments, apart from surgery, and the prognosis for patients with urothelial carcinoma after kidney transplantation remain unclear. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the efficacy of chemotherapy with gemcitabine + cisplatin (GC) or gemcitabine + carboplatin (GCa), bladder infusion chemotherapy, and immunosuppression therapy for de novo UC in kidney transplantation recipients at different sites and T stages. We evaluated the prognosis and compared the difference using Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test. RESULTS: Of the 97 kidney transplantation recipients with de novo UC, 51 (52.6%) were diagnosed with upper urinary tract carcinoma (UTUC), 17 (17.5%) with bladder carcinoma (BC), and 29 (29.9%) with both UTUC and BC. The five-year survival rates for BC, UTUC, and BC + UTUC with ≤ T1 stage were 100%, 88.2%, and 57.7%, respectively, while the survival rates for UTUC, BC + UTUC with ≥ T2 stage were 90.2% and 48.2%. Cyclosporine A significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) in UTUC with ≤ T1 stage (p = 0.017). Rapamycin significantly improved PFS in UTUC with ≥ T2 stage (p = 0.026). Bladder infusion chemotherapy and GC/GCa chemotherapy had no significant effect on each T stage and site. Patients with UTUC + BC had the poorest overall survival (OS) compared with those with BC and UTUC. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of UC in different sites varies. GC/GCa chemotherapy and bladder infusion chemotherapy appear to have no effect on prognosis. Rapamycin can delay the progression of advanced UTUC.

NPY Receptor 2 Mediates NPY Antidepressant Effect in the mPFC of LPS Rat by Suppressing NLRP3 Signaling Pathway.

Accumulated evidences show that neuroinflammation play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of depression. Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors have been demonstrated to have anti-inflammative as well as antidepressant effects. In the present study, the ability of NPY to modulate depressive-like behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in rats and the receptors and signaling mechanisms involved were investigated. Continuous injection LPS (i.p) for 4 days led to development of depressive-like behaviors in rats, accompanied with M1-type microglia activation and increased levels of IL-1ß as well as decreased levels of NPY and Y2R expression in the mPFC selectively. Local injection of NPY into the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) ameliorated the depression-like behaviors and suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway. Y2R agonist PYY (3-36) mimicked and Y2R antagonist BIIE0246 abolished the NPY effects in the mPFC. All these results suggest that NPY and Y2R in the mPFC are involved in the pathophysiology of depression and NPY plays an antidepressant role in the mPFC mainly via Y2R, which suppresses the NLRP3 signaling pathway, in LPS-induced depression model rats.

Comparison between Retroperitoneal Laparoscopic Nephrectomy and Traditional Open Nephrectomy to Treat Polycystic Kidney Disease before Kidney Transplantation.

PURPOSE: To compare the efficiency and safety between retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy and traditional open nephrectomy to treat autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease before kidney transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 57 patients diagnosed with huge autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease between 2000 and 2020 at our center were included in this study. Patients were divided into a retroperitoneal laparoscopic (RL; n=23) group and traditional open (TO; n = 34) group. We retrospectively analyzed and compared preoperative and perioperative variables between the two groups. RESULTS: Patients in the RL group showed a longer operation time (201.09±83.76min) compared to patients in the TO group (113.38 ± 51.84min, p < 0.001). The RL group also showed significantly less intraoperative blood loss (p = 0.025) and less intraoperative blood transfusion volume (p = 0.016) compared to the TO group. Meanwhile, time of gastrointestinal function recovery, bed leave, catheter indwelling and postoperative hospitalization in the RL group were 2.13 ± 0.63, 1.30 ± 1.0, 5.22 ± 2.09, 7.35±2.48 days, respectively, which were significantly shorter than the TO group (p < 0.05). Pain degree of patients during the first 48 hours after operation was similar between the RL and TO groups, but the opioid use percentage in the RL group was 8.70% (2/23) and was lower than the 26.47% (9/34) in the TO group (p = 0.022). Meanwhile, 5 and 23 patients exhibited postoperative complications in the RL and TO groups, respectively (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy and traditional open surgery are feasible to treat huge polycystic nephrectomy. However, patients who undergo retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephrectomy experience higher levels of safety and recover more rapidly.

Analysis of Anxiety and Influencing Factors in Kidney Transplant Recipients and General Public During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on mental health worldwide. Kidney transplant recipients represent a vulnerable population that may experience increased anxiety due to their health concerns and the risk of infection. This study aims to delve into the psychological anxiety levels and influential factors of kidney transplant patients during the Omicron variant of COVID-19 pandemic in China. MATERIAL AND METHODS A retrospective analysis was conducted using an online survey questionnaire to investigate the anxiety levels of 203 kidney transplant recipients and 53 individuals from the general population. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) was employed to evaluate anxiety levels, and the influencing factors affecting anxiety levels were analyzed for both cohorts. RESULTS Among the cohort of the 203 kidney transplant recipients, 28 individuals (13.8%) had symptoms indicative of anxiety, with an average SAS score of 40.5±9.0. Out of the 53 individuals from the general population, 9 (17.0%) had symptoms of anxiety, with an average SAS score of 39.6±10.7. Notably, females and those with chronic respiratory diseases within the general population showed higher anxiety levels, and having a chronic respiratory condition was found to be an independent risk factor for anxiety levels in the general population. CONCLUSIONS This investigation demonstrates that anxiety levels in kidney transplant recipients and the general population were comparable during the Omicron variant of COVID-19 pandemic. However, kidney transplant patients showed more stable anxiety levels.

Corynebacterium striatum Endocarditis After Renal Transplantation Confirmed by Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Potent immune-suppressive therapy has been demonstrated to increase the risk of infective endocarditis (IE) in renal recipients. Reports of Corynebacterium striatum (C. striatum) endocarditis in renal recipients are scarce, thus limiting understanding of the disease. Case Presentation: We describe a case of native valve endocarditis caused by C. striatum in a 35-year-old male patient. The young man with end-stage renal failure underwent kidney transplantation because of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. Ceftazidime was administered after the surgery according to routine procedures, and the patient was discharged on the 14th day after the surgery without any evidence of infection. The patient experienced fever on the 56th day, and Corynebacterium was cultured from the patient's blood, in agreement with the results of testing of the donor kidney preservation solution. On the 64th day, multiple thromboses were found in the right external iliac artery, particularly around the anastomotic orifice of the transplanted renal artery. Vegetation was found in the posterior mitral valve tip on the 65th day. The patient had symptoms of persistent angina pectoris and chest tightness and underwent mitral valve replacement and vegetative resection. The patient eventually died. C. striatum was detected in the mitral valve and vegetation tissue with metagenomic next-generation sequencing. Conclusion: C. striatum may cause endocarditis and endanger patients' lives and thus warrants greater attention. Genotypic assays such as metagenomic next-generation sequencing are demonstrated to be effective in confirming species identity. Adequate anti-infection therapy and early surgery are required after IE is discovered.