Transplantation News Archive

Racial-Ethnic Gap in Living Donor Kidney Transplantation Widens
New findings suggest that national strategies have failed to correct racial/ethnic disparities in live donor kidney transplantation.

Excess Death Risk in ESRD Has Declined
Decrease in excess risk of all-cause mortality from 1995 to 2013 for those with end-stage renal disease.

Targeting Ups Nanoparticle Accumulation in Graft Endothelial Cells
Altering the surface of an anti-CD31 antibody helps NPs administer therapeutics to ECs.

Monoclonal Antibodies Reduce Injury of Renal Allografts
In animal model, anti-CD47 monoclonal antibody group had decease in injury of renal allografts.

Nonmedical Attributes Tied to Later Kidney Transplant Waits
African-Americans less likely to be wait-listed; higher income positively associated with wait-listing.

Causes of Most Kidney Transplant Patient Deaths Reported as Unknown
Among kidney transplant recipients who died with a functioning graft, the cause of death was reported as unknown for 64% of them.

Intensive Home HD, Deceased-Donor Transplants Offer Similar Survival
After adjusting for confounders, patients on intensive home hemodialysis and recipients of deceased-donor kidneys showed no significant difference in death risk

Kidney Graft Loss Risk Not Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency
In a study 383 kidney transplant recipients, low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were not associated with an increased risk of graft loss following transplantation.

Skin Cancer After Organ Transplant Declining
Standardized incidence ratio peaked in patients who underwent transplantation in 1983-1987 period.

Melanoma Staging System Updated
Key changes include new N category descriptors, more stage III subgroups, new M1D designation.

Study Identifies Possible Way to Reduce Kidney Discard Rate
Limiting cold ischemia times could increase the use of renal allografts donated from patients after death from cardiovascular causes, researchers say.

Recurrent UTIs Worsen Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Kidney transplant recipients who experience recurrent urinary tract infections are at increased risk of graft failure and death.

High Rates of Infective Endocarditis Found Among ESRD Patients
Hemodialysis patients had higher rates of infective endocarditis than peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplant patients.

Health Beliefs About Salt Intake Low Among Dialysis Patients
Score for subscale of perceived seriousness for no reduction of salt intake higher in transplant patients.

High Phosphorus Ups Risk of Kidney Transplant Failure, Death
Each 1-mg/dL increase in serum phosphorus among kidney transplant recipients is associated with 36% and 21% increased risk in graft failure and death, respectively.

Kidneys From Octogenarian Donors Show Similar Survival
Biopsy-guided allocation of kidneys from octogenarian donors permits further expansion of the donor-organ pool.

Allograft Quality Not the Sole Reason for Turning Down Kidney
There was a correlation for later acceptance in the match-run with delayed graft function, but not with all-cause graft failure.

IgG-Degrading Enzyme Desensitizes, Permits HLA-Incompatible Transplant
IdeS reduced or eliminated donor-specific antibodies and permitted HLA-incompatible transplantation.

Melanoma Risk Higher in Kidney Transplant Recipients
Risk factors include older age, white race, and receiving a kidney from a living donor.

Worse Outcomes for HIV Kidney Recipients on Protease Inhibitor ART
Increased risk of allograft loss, death for HIV-positive patients receiving protease inhibitor ART.

Viable Donor Kidneys May Be Discarded Based on Biopsy
Most lower-quality kidneys also remained viable for nearly as long as the best kidneys, with 73.2% still working 5 years after transplant.

New UNOS Kidney Allocation System Narrowed Racial Gaps in Transplant
The researchers observed a narrowing of disparities in the average monthly transplantation rates with implementation of the new system.

Surgery More Effective for Post-Transplant Hyperparathyroidism
Up to half of transplant patients might experience tertiary hyperparathyroidism.

Transplanting Diabetic Kidneys Better Than Remaining on Waitlist
Overall, recipients of diabetic donor kidneys had a 9% lower chance of dying compared with remaining on the waitlist.

Few Organ Transplant Recipients Have Important Cancer Screenings
During the observation period, the researchers found that 77.5%, 69.8%, and 91.4% of SOTRs were not up-to-date for colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening tests, respectively.

HCV-Infected Kidneys Transplanted to Uninfected Recipients
Early data from the study revealed this treatment effectively cleared hepatitis C from all of the patients.

PCSK9 Linked to New-Onset Diabetes After Kidney Transplantation
NODAT occurred more frequently in the upper PCSK9 tertile vs the lowest two PCSK9 tertiles.

Low Muscle Mass Predicts Mortality in Obese Transplant Recipients
In a study, obese transplant recipients with low muscle mass had an increased risk of death but not graft loss.

NODAT Risk Similar After Switching From CNIs to Everolimus
The incidence of NODAT was 33.8% among patients who switched to everolimus and 36.4% among those who stayed on calcineurin inhibitors.

Post-Transplant Infections, Cancer Do Not Up Mortality
Opportunistic viral and fungal infections or malignancies develop in 34% of kidney transplant recipients, but these complications do not affect patient or graft survival.

Opioid Use Linked to Worse Outcomes in Kidney Transplant Patients
Highest level of opioid use in the year prior to transplantation was associated with a 45% and 28% increased risk of death and graft loss, respectively.

Diabetes Increases Post-Transplant Mortality Risk
In a study, diabetes in both the donor and recipient was associated with triple the risk of death at 5 years post-transplant compared with the absence of diabetes in both the donor and recipient.

Antibiotic Combo Found to Reduce Post-Transplant UTI Rate
Post-transplant UTI rates were lower when cephalexin was added to SMX-TMP than when SMX-TMP was used alone (7.5% vs 25.8%), study finds.

Bacteremia Worsens Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Kidney transplant recipients who experienced an episode of bacteremia had double the risks of graft failure and death.

CCI May Predict Outcomes Among Older Kidney Recipients
Older patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index score below 5 had a higher 3-year survival rate than those with a score of 5 or higher (90% vs 76%).

Accepting High-Risk Kidneys Is Better Than Waiting
High-KDPI kidneys can improve the likelihood of a functioning graft compared with waiting for a superior kidney.

VTE Linked to Higher Death, Graft Loss Risk in Transplant Recipients
Venous thromboembolism is associated with a 4.1-fold increased risk of death and a 2.3-fold increased risk of death-censored graft loss among kidney transplant recipients.

Risk Factors for Contrast-Induced AKI in Transplant Patients ID'd
Risk factors include impaired renal function and inadequate hydration prior to contrast exposure.

Stenting May Improve Transplant Renal Artery Stenosis Outcomes
Angioplasty plus stenting is associated with less residual stenosis and a lower restenosis rate compared with angioplasty alone.

Kidney Donor-Recipient CMV Matching Is a Promising Strategy
Researchers report that matching deceased kidney donors and kidney recipients by cytomegalovirus serostatus optimizes high- and low-risk profiles.

Living Kidney Donor Graft Survival Improving
Five-year graft survival rates among recipients of kidneys from living donors increased from 76.6% in 1985-1894 to 85.4% in 2009-2015.

Obesity Ups Diabetes Risk Among Living Kidney Donors
The adjusted 5-year risk of insulin use following donation is 5 times higher among obese vs normal weight donors.

Cipro Not Better for UTI Prophylaxis After Transplant With Stent
In a study of renal transplant patients who received ureteral stents, ciprofloxacin did not lower the incidence of UTI compared with SMX-TMP.

Cinacalcet Appears to Ease Hyperparathyroidism in Transplant Patients
Cinacalcet treatment may serve as a bridge to parathyroidectomy or as an alternative, researchers say.

Higher Cancer Risk for Pediatric Kidney Recipients
Among 1734 childhood recipients, 289 developed cancer over a median follow-up of 13.4 years.

Donor-Recipient Weight, Sex Mismatch Ups Graft Loss
Graft failure risk was highest when a recipient of a kidney from a donor of the opposite sex was more than 66 pounds heavier than the donor.

Pre-transplant Anti-donor Antibodies Linked With Better Kidney Survival
Study supports transplant of kidneys into sensitized patients.

High-Volume Hospitals Recover More Transplantable Organs Per Donor
Hospitals that managed the most deceased donors were 1.5 times more likely to recover 4 or more transplantable organs than those that managed the least.

Kidney Transplant Recipients Often Hospitalized With Acute MI
Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) accounted for 29.3% of RTR admissions.

Record Number of Transplants in 2016 Reported
From 2015 to 2016, the number of organ transplants rose from 30,969 to 33,595; the number of kidney transplants increased from 17,878 to 19,061.

Anemia Control Similar for Transplant Patients Re-entering Dialysis
Investigators observed no difference in hemoglobin level between transplant recipients and non-transplant CKD patients starting hemodialysis.

HPV Infection Increase Seen in Female Kidney Recipients
Activation of latent HPV infections may contribute to the increased risk of HPV-related (pre)malignant lesions in female RTRs.

Obesity Ups ESRD Risk Among Living Kidney Donors
End-stage renal disease is nearly 1.9 times more likely to develop in donors with a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher.

Older Donor Kidneys Viable for Organ Donation
Similar survival rates seen whether organ comes from 50-year-old or octogenarian.

Ledipasvir-Sofosbuvir OK for Transplant Recipients With Hepatitis C
The researchers found that all patients treated for 12 and 24 weeks achieved sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after therapy ended.

Coccidioidomycosis Ups Death Risk in Organ Recipients
Organs from CI-positive donors were associated with higher mortality.

Kidney Transplantation Rejection Remains High With HIV
While antiretroviral therapy has allowed HIV patients to undergo kidney transplantation, allograft rejection remains high in this group.

Fewer Post-Transplant Fractures With Practice Changes
Fracture incidence within a year of transplant was 3 times lower among patients who had surgery from 2009 to 2011 vs 2004 to 2006.

Kidney Donors Possibly at Risk for Bone Loss
Bone turnover markers increased following unilateral nephrectomy.

Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Risk Up in Organ Transplant Recipients
All recipients should have full-body skin evaluations after transplant surgery, regardless of ethnicity.

Kidney Transplant Patients Benefit From Bisphosphonates
Therapy was associated with a significant improvement in bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femoral neck.

Donor, Recipient Factors Influence Kidney Transplant Costs
Living kidney donor costs up with higher degree of allosensitization; also linked to obesity.

Cancer Screening Guidelines for Transplant Recipients Need Improvement
Guidelines for kidney recipients differ on frequency of cancer screenings.

Post-Transplant Decrease in Kidney Graft Size Predicts Worse Outcomes
Study reveals a significantly higher risk of a 50% or greater decline in eGFR and end-stage graft failure.

Fracture Risk Factors in Transplant Patients ID'd
Major fractures included the proximal humerus, forearm, hip, and clinical vertebral fractures.

Smoking Hikes Mortality Risk Among Dialysis Patients
Study also links smoking with a decreased likelihood of receiving a kidney transplant.

Emetine May Treat Cytomegalovirus Infection
Inhibition with http://www.renalandurologynews.com/transplantation/section/635/ occurs after virus entry but before DNA replication.

Deceased-Donor Age Affects Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Recipients of kidneys from individuals who donated the organs after cardiac death are more likely to experience graft loss and delayed graft function.

Subtotal Parathyroidectomy Safe, Effective, Study Finds
Researchers highlighted the benefit of iPTH monitoring.

Worse Re-transplant Outcomes for HIV Positive Patients
HIV retransplant recipients have increased risk of death and graft loss versus HIV re-KT patients

Bariatric Surgery May Increase Risk of Renal Allograft Loss
Possible reasons include malabsorption of immunosuppressive drugs and deposition of oxalate crystals in transplanted kidneys.

Patient Non-Adherence Predicts Worse Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Rates of non-adherence to follow-up care and medication regimens also found to differ by race.

Prior Living Kidney Donors With ESRD May Not Get Timely Transplants
Some donors spend years on dialysis before being placed on the kidney transplant waiting list.

Muscle Density Predicts Death Risk in Patients Waiting for a Kidney
Each Hounsfield unit increase on CT is associated with a 7% decreased risk of death among waitlisted kidney transplant candidates.

Post-Kidney Transplant Mortality Linked to Pre-Existing Heart Disease
Coronary artery disease before transplantation increases death risk by 77%, study finds.

Long-Term Kidney Transplant Outcomes Linked to 30% eGFR Decline
An eGFR decline of at least 30% during the 6 to 24 months after kidney transplantation predicts a higher risk of graft loss.

Morbid Obesity Ups Viral Infection Risk After a Kidney Transplant
In a study, viral infections occurred in 52.4% of patients with a BMI of 35 kg/m2 or higher compared with 37.1% of those with a lower BMI.

Surgeons Perform First Penile Transplant in the US
The 15-hour surgery took place in early May.

Weekend Effect Observed for Donor Kidney Discard
Deceased donor kidneys obtained on Friday or Saturday were 16% more likely to be discarded than transplanted, compared with organs gathered other days of the week.

Oral Nicotinamide Safe for Renal Transplant Recipients
Oral nicotinamide has been linked to nonsignificant reductions in new, non-melanoma skin cancers in renal transplant patients.

Weekend Transplant Outcomes Not Worse
Nearly 28% of deceased-donor kidney transplants in the US were performed on the weekends.

Renal Transplant Patients At Higher Risk of Papillary RCC
Only this histologic variant occurs at a significantly higher incidence in renal allograft recipients than the non-transplant population.

No Routine Antimicrobial Use for Post-Transplant Asymptomatic Bacteriuria
At 24 months follow up, no difference was found in primary outcomes in those treated for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Some Live Kidney Donors Uninsured
Uninsured live kidney donors are more likely to have multiple health risk factors.

Live-Donor Kidney Transplant Outcomes Worse with Longer CIT
Increased likelihood of delayed graft function and graft loss observed in recipients of kidneys from donors older than 50 years.

Paying Donors May Encourage Kidney Donation
Nearly 70% of survey respondents indicated that, if compensated, they would donate a kidney to anyone in need.

Kidneys from Incompatible Live Donors Offer a Survival Advantage
Survival rates are lower among patients who receive a deceased-donor kidney or remain on the transplant waiting list.

Hepatitis E Infection From Plasma Exchange
Transmission of HEV through plasma exchange for acute humoral rejection after kidney transplant.

Belatacept Improves Kidney Transplant Outcomes
At 7 years after kidney transplantation, belatacept recipients had lower risks of death and graft loss than those treated with cyclosporine.

Risk of Cancer Death Up for Organ Recipients
Cancer second leading cause of death in solid-organ transplant recipients.

Any Renal Function Decline in Living Kidney Donors a Cardiac Risk
Increased left ventricular mass found in donors with even mild decreases in renal function.

PSA Screening May Harm ESRD Patients Awaiting Transplant
Screening not linked to improved patient survival after transplant; may delay time to listing, transplant.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Home Dialysis Outcomes Identified
Blacks undergoing PD or home HD and Hispanics undergoing PD are less likely than their white counterparts to receive a kidney transplant.

Small Prostates Predict More Severe BOO Symptoms
The risk of bladder outlet obstruction increased 34% per unit increase in serum PSA and decreased 23% per unit increase in maximal flow rate.

Some Discarded Higher-Risk Kidneys May Be Transplantable
Just over half of kidneys from deceased ECD/DCD donors are not used, study finds.

ACE Inhibitors May Not Benefit Transplant Patients With Proteinuria
In a study, ramipril was not significantly better than placebo in preserving renal function in kidney transplant recipients.

ESRD and Treatments May Raise Cancer Risk
Dialysis, organ transplant may increase odds for certain types of cancer.

Hepatitis, CMV More Common in Commercial Transplants
Overall one- and ten-year survival rates of the transplanted organs in commercial recipients compared with controls were 91% and 22% vs. 98% and 44%.

Peritoneal Dialysis Patients May Have Better Post-Transplant Survival
Meta-analysis suggests a 9% decreased 5-year mortality risk associated with pre-transplant peritoneal dialysis versus hemodialysis.

Iron Deficiency Ups Mortality in Renal Transplant Recipients
The association is independent of anemia, according to researchers.
Renal and Urology News Articles
Sign Up for Free e-newsletters
NEPHROLOGY & UROLOGY NEWS
- Acute Kidney Injury (AKI)
- Anemia
- Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)
- Contrast Nephropathy
- Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
- Diabetes
- Diabetic Nephropathy
- End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
- Hemodialysis
- Hyperphosphatemia
- Hypertension
- Hyperuricemia
- Lupus Nephritis
- Peritoneal Dialysis
- Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (SHPT)
- Transplantation