Despite having a much higher likelihood of DGF, obese transplant recipients have only a slightly increased risk of graft loss and experience similar survival to recipients with normal BMI.

Dense deposit disease is a rare glomerulonephritis caused by uncontrolled stimulation of the alternative complement pathway. Allograft survival after kidney transplantation is significantly reduced by the high rate of disease recurrence. No therapeutic interventions have consistently improved outcomes for patients with primary or recurrent disease. This is the first reported case of recurrent dense deposit disease being managed with eculizumab. Within 4 weeks of renal transplantation, deteriorating graft function and increasing proteinuria were evident. A transplant biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of recurrent dense deposit disease. Eculizumab was considered after the failure of corticosteroid, rituximab and plasmapheresis to attenuate the rate of decline in allograft function. There was a marked clinical and biochemical response following the administration of eculizumab. This case provides the first evidence that eculizumab may have a place in the management of crescentic dense deposit disease. More information is necessary to clarify the effectiveness and role of eculizumab in dense deposit disease but the response in this patient was encouraging. The results of clinical trials of eculizumab in this condition are eagerly awaited. Key words: Dense deposit disease, eculizumab, kidney transplantAbbreviations: aHUS, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome; ACR, albumin:creatinine ratio; C3NF, complement factor 3 nephritic factor; C3, complement factor 3; C4, complement factor 4; C5, complement factor 5; DDD, dense deposit disease; ESRD, end stage renal disease; fB, complement factor B; fD, complement factor D; GBM, glomerular basement membrane; MAC, membrane attack complex; MPGN II, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II; PNH, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria; TMA, thrombotic microangiopathy; UNOS, United Network for Organ Sharing.

The development of de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies (dnDSA) after transplantation is associated with graft failure, mortality, and cost. There is no effective therapeutic intervention to prevent dnDSA or ameliorate associated injury. The aims of this study were to identify specific HLA factors associated with dnDSA development and to propose primary prevention strategies that could reduce the incidence of dnDSA without prohibitively limiting access to transplant. The investigation cohort included heart transplant recipients from 2008 to 2015 (n = 265). HLA typing was performed and HLA antibody testing was undertaken before and after transplantation. HLAMatchmaker analysis was performed for persistent dnDSA to identify potentially more immunogenic eplet differences. Validation was performed in recipients of lung transplants from 2008 to 2013 (n = 433). The majority of recipients with dnDSA had antibodies to identical eplet positions on DQ2 and DQ7. A high-risk epitope mismatch (found in DQA1*05 +  DQB1*02/DQB1*03:01(7)) was associated with a 4.2- and 4.9-fold increased risk of dnDSA in heart and lung recipients respectively. HLA electrostatic potential modeling provided a plausible explanation for this observed immunogenicity. A theoretical allocation algorithm avoiding high-risk epitope mismatches was generated and predicted to reduce dnDSA by up to 72% without additional testing, eplet analysis, or cost.

New-onset diabetes after transplantation is a common complication that reduces recipient survival. Research in renal transplant recipients has suggested that pancreatic b-cell dysfunction, as opposed to insulin resistance, may be the key pathologic process. In this study, clinical and genetic factors associated with new-onset diabetes after transplantation were identified in a white population. A joint analysis approach, with an initial genome-wide association study in a subset of cases followed by de novo genotyping in the complete case cohort, was implemented to identify single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the development of new-onset diabetes after transplantation. Clinical variables associated with the development of diabetes after renal transplantation included older recipient age, female sex, and percentage weight gain within 12 months of transplantation. The genome-wide association study identified 26 SNPs associated with new-onset diabetes after transplantation; this association was validated for eight SNPs (rs10484821, rs7533125, rs2861484, rs11580170, rs2020902, rs1836882, rs198372, and rs4394754) by de novo genotyping. These associations remained significant after multivariate adjustment for clinical variables. Seven of these SNPs are associated with genes implicated in b-cell apoptosis. These results corroborate recent clinical evidence implicating b-cell dysfunction in the pathophysiology of newonset diabetes after transplantation and support the pursuit of therapeutic strategies to protect b cells in the post-transplant period. One-year graft survival after renal transplantation is now excellent, exceeding 93% for organs donated after brain death and 96% for those from living donors. 1-3 Technical advancements in surgery, improved understanding of immunology, and innovative developments in pharmacology have altered the landscape of renal transplantation. The goal of preventing early graft loss has largely been achieved and arguably the greatest challenge now is the avoidance of late graft failure. Although there has been a considerable improvement in 1-year renal transplant survival, the rate of graft attrition after the first year remains frustratingly constant. 2,4 New-onset diabetes after transplantation (NODAT) is a common and serious disorder that curtails recipient survival. [5][6][7] NODAT is associated with cardiovascular complications [8][9][10][11] and develops in 2%-50% 12 of renal transplant recipients. Approximately 50% of recipients with NODAT require insulin therapy. [6][7][8][13][14][15] A number of clinical variables have been associated with NODAT, including black ethnicity, older recipient age, female sex, obesity, immunosuppression, and viral infections. 5,6,8,13,16,17 Until recently, the pathophysiology of NODAT was considered to be analogous to type 2 diabetes mellitus. Renal transplant recipients have increased insulin resistance compared with transplant-naïve persons with normal renal function. 18 In a nondiabetic renal transplant population, the m...

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