Objective:To summarize the incidence of acute rejection (AR) after pediatric kidney transplantation (KT) at a single center and examine its impact on graft/patient survival and risk factors for AR.Methods:This is a retrospective cohort study including pediatric recipients who underwent kidney transplantation in past 8 years.After excluding recipients of graft thrombosis within a week post-transplant and lost to follow-ups, a total of 143 cases were ultimately recruited and assigned into two groups of AR (n=29) and non-AR (n=114).Basic profiles of both donors and recipients and graft/patient survival rate were compared between two groups.Relative risk factors for AR episodes were also examined by Logistic regression.Results:Renal grafts for 130/143 cases (90.9%) were harvested from deceased donors and 120(83.9%) cases from children.Twenty-seven transplants (18.9%) were performed in infants and young recipients aged < 3 years.During a median follow-up of 33 months, 34 AR episodes occurred in 29(20.3%) patients.Rate of re-transplantation (27.6% vs. 7.9%), pediatric donor (96.5% vs. 80.7%) and rabbit anti-human thymocyte globulin (rATG) induction (79.3% vs. 36%) were significantly higher in AR group than non-AR group ( P=0.007, P=0.046, P<0.001).Multivariate regression analysis indicated that basiliximab induction caused a significant reduction in the risk of AR incidence as compared with rATG induction (odds ratio 0.13, 95% confidence interval 0.04-0.43, P<0.001).The median time of AR incidence was 1.3 months post-transplantation and 23 episodes (67.6%) were confirmed by biopsy.After anti-rejection treatment, 52.9%(n=18) of the cases achieved a full recovery and 38.3% (n=13) had improved graft function.However, 3 cases (8.8%) developed irreversible graft failure.The 1/3-year graft survival rates were significantly lower in AR group than those in non-AR group (75.3% vs. 95.2%, 68.4% vs. 90.4%, P=0.01), and there was no significant difference in 1-and 3-year patient survival rates between two groups. Conclusions:The incidence of AR is relatively high in pediatric renal transplantation, which has an impact on graft survival.Basiliximab induction can effectively reduce the risk of AR.

In recent years, although the quantity of organ donation after citizen's death has been constantly increased, a large number of patients with end-stage renal diseases are waiting for kidney transplantation every year. The imbalance between donor and recipient is still one of the main problems affecting kidney transplantation in clinical practice. Therefore, it is of clinical significance to accurately evaluate the quality of donor kidney and fully utilize the expanded criteria donor kidney. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound has been gradually applied in the detection of multiple solid organs due to its safety, portability, real-time detection, quantification and other characteristics, and it also has promising application prospect in the evaluation of donor kidney quality. In this article, the advantages and limitations of current evaluation methods for donor kidney and current status and advantages of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in donor kidney evaluation were reviewed, and the application prospect of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the evaluation of donor kidney quality was discussed, aiming to increase the methods and enhance the accuracy for donor kidney evaluation, and provide reference for rational use of expanded criteria donor kidney.

Objective:To explore the safety and feasibility of optimized pathological evaluation system of donor's kidney and modified surgery during adult dual kidney transplantation(DKT)and evaluate its effectiveness to provide more alternative protocols for kidney transplantation from extended criteria donors.Methods:DKT was performed in 10 recipients using the same protocol from June 2019 to May 2021.And retrospective reviewing was performed for clinical data, including characteristics of donors and recipients, optimized pathological evaluation system, modified surgery, treatment regimens, complications and follow-ups.Results:There were 8 male and 2 female donors with an age of(57.9±12.8)years and BMI(24.1±4.1)kg/m 2.The percentage of DCD was 70% and DBD 30%.The serum creatinine before procurement was 107.6(93.3-163.5)μmol/l.Zero-point puncture biopsy was performed for both kidneys and optimized pathological evaluation system was implemented(Banff criteria & Remuzzi score). The pathological results indicated that glomerular sclerosis for left and right kidneys were 2.0(1.5-2.0)and 1.5(1.0-2.0). And Remuzzi score for left and right kidneys were(4.4±1.2)and(3.6±1.5)points respectively.All recipients were male with an age of(43.1±9.0)years and BMI(22.2±1.9)kg/m 2.All PRAs were negative pre-operation.Modified surgery was performed in all recipients(two kidneys were implanted outside iliac vessels without patch and artery of superior kidney was anastomosed to internal iliac artery). Operative duration was(195±54.3)min and serum creatinine before discharge 125.0(102.0-199.0)μmol/L.Renal dynamic scintigraphy indicated that glomerular filtration rate was(30.0±8.2)ml/min for left kidney and(29.2±13.9)ml/min for right kidney.MRA results indicated that morphologies of renal arteries and veins were regular.The time between operation and discharge was(22.4±4.7)days.Compared with SKT, serum creatinine before discharge of DKT was lower and DGF incidence of DKT was higher without statistical significance.The time between operation and discharge was longer for DKT than that for SKT( P<0.05). The complications consisted of 20% donor derived infection(DDI)and 50% DGF.And there was no surgical complication associated with vessels and ureter.Renal function remained stable during 6-month follow-ups. Conclusions:Optimized pathological evaluation system of donor's kidney and modified surgery during adult dual kidney transplantation are both safe and feasible.The postoperative function of transplanted dual kidney is successfully restored.However, long-term follow-ups are required for evaluating its effectiveness.

Objective:To explore the efficacy of sirolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol on tumor recurrence and tumor-free survival after liver transplantation(LT)in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)patients.Methods:From January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2018, a total of 114 HCC patients undergoing LT were recruited and divided into two groups of sirolimus(SRL)and tacrolimus. Univariate and multivariant analyses were performed for evaluating the risk factors of recurrence after LT. Tumor-free survival were compared using Cox logistic regression analysis.Results:Tumor recurrence and/or metastasis occurred in 45 patients. Univariate and multivariate regression analysis indicated that sirolimus was an independent protective factor for preventing tumor recurrence( P=0.005, HR=0.38, 95% CI 0.193~0.748). The median tumor-free survival time was 5(4~19)months in tacrolimus group and 23(13~31)months in sirolimus group. No inter-group statistical difference existed in incidence of infection or rejection complications( P>0.05). Conclusions:HCC patients benefit from sirolimus-based immunosuppressive protocol after LT. And sirolimus may reduce tumor recurrence rate and prolong tumor-free survival time.

Objective:To explore the advantages and disadvantages of frozen section versus rapid paraffin section in the evaluations of donor organ.Methods:Five cases of donor liver and 8 cases of discarded donor kidney were collected from 2017 to 2021.Tissues were harvested and prepared by frozen section, rapid paraffin section and normal paraffin section.After hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, the specimens of donor kidney/liver were evaluated by differential histopathological structures and donor quality scoring system.Results:Rapid paraffin section was similar to normal paraffin section in reflecting the proportion of glomerulosclerosis (18.6%±22.3%), arteriolar hyaline degeneration (43.7%±23.8%) and arteriolar stenosis (47.9%±29%). The proportion of glomerulosclerosis (0.8%±2.2%), arteriolar hyaline degeneration (4.9%±7.4%) and arteriolar stenosis (5.3%±7.5%) were lower in frozen sections than those in rapid paraffin sections.The diagnoses of hydropic degeneration and necrosis in donor liver were more accurate in rapid paraffin section.Conclusions:Rapid paraffin section is superior to frozen section in observing histopathological changes under microscope.Scoring of donor organ is more precise according to rapid paraffin section.

Objective:To summarize the transplant outcomes of pediatric kidney transplantation at a single center and discuss probable measures of improving the outcomes.Methods:A total of 111 pediatric renal transplantation were performed from September 2002 to September 2019. They were divided into adult-donor group ( n=41) and pediatric-donor group ( n=70). Adult-donor group consisted of two subgroups based upon donor sources: living-donor group ( n=19) and deceased-donor group ( n=22). Pediatric-donor group consisted of two subgroups based upon surgical types: single kidney group ( n=48) and en bloc kidney group ( n=22). Clinical data and outcomes of grafts and recipients were retrospectively analyzed. Results:The average age of recipients was (15.6±1.9) years in adult-donor group. None developed delayed graft function (DGF) in living-donor group whereas 6 patients (27.3%) had DGF in deceased-donor group ( P<0.05). During a follow-up period of 22-181 months, 1-year and 5-year graft survivals were 100% vs 94.1% and 93.8% vs 94.1% in living-donor and deceased-donor groups respectively. There were no statistical differences. In pediatric-donor group, the age of donors was significantly lower in en bloc subgroup than that in single kidney subgroup (median: 0.5 vs 6 months, P<0.05). The age of recipients was similar between two subgroups: (9.5±5.3) years in single kidney group vs. 11.5± 1.8 years in en bloc kidney group. In addition, 7 cases of single kidney were transplanted for infant recipients aged under 1 year. Vascular thrombosis occurred in 3 patients (6.3%) of single kidney group, less than that in 5 patients (22.7%) of en bloc kidney group ( P=0.06). During a follow-up period of 4-54 months, 1-year and 2-year graft survivals were 85% and 80% in single kidney group whereas 75% and 70% in en bloc kidney group. However, there was no statistically significant difference. One-year survival was 98% in single kidney group and 95% in en bloc kidney group. Conclusions:For elder pediatric recipients, excellent kidney transplant outcomes may be achieved with grafts from adult donors. For pediatric kidney recipients, transplant outcomes can be further improved with careful assessments and cautious usage of small grafts, particularly those form neonatal donors.

Objective To summarize the effect of professional organ procurement team at Tongji Hospital in Chinese donation after citizen's death.Methods A retrospective analysis was done on the clinical data of 335 cases of organ acquisition by the professional organ procurement team of Tongji Hospital,including 27 infant donors and the efficiency of the team was assessed.Results Retrospective analysis on the clinical data of 335 cases of organ acquisition by the professional organ procurement team of Tongji Hospital,including cases of 27 infant donors and assessment on the efficiency of the team.Conclusion The establishment of a professional organ procurement team is to standardize the procurement procedure and shorten the time in pre-surgical preparation and operation,decreasing the errors and deviations caused by human factors in the procurement process.

Objective To investigate the diagnosis and treatment of graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD) after solid organ transplant (SOT) and the possible mechanism.Methods In this study,we retrospectively reported a rare case of GHVD after kidney transplantation and performed a literature review.This 51 year old male patient presented with over 10-day history of sporadic skin rash on postoperative day 50.Skin biopsy examination revealed GVHD.For further clear diagnosis,patient's peripheral blood was collected immediately for short tandem repeats (STR) enriched for CD3+ cells and we also performed immunofluorescent staining for patient's skin with specific HLA-A11 antibody,one of donor specific HLA sites.Meanwhile,the decreased immunosuppression was used for treatment.Results In our report,chimerism analysis by STR revealed no chimerism in patient's peripheral blood.However,immunofluorescent staining of patient's skin demonstrated abundant donor-derived lymphocytic infiltration existed.GVHD was definitely made in this case.After treatment with decreased immunosuppression and a low dose of methylprednisolone (MP),his clinical symptom was quickly alleviated.Now the patient was discharged and the renal function was normal.Conclusion Combined with literature review and our case report,we thought that chimerism analysis by STR and immunofluorescent staining by donor-specific HLA antibody were very useful for diagnosis of GVHD after SOT.Furthermore,GVHD referred to over-immunosuppression and prognosis of GVHD after kidney transplantation is usually satisfactory.

Objective To investigate the value of different biopsy methods for quality evaluation of the donated kidney organ after citizen death.Methods Six cases (6 pairs) of discard donor kidneys were collected from October 2016 to May 2017,respectively,and grouped by wedge biopsy and core needle biopsy.After being fixed and processed for routine paraffin embedding and hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining,the specimens were evaluated by the qualified rate of sample,the number of glomerulus,sclerotic glomerulus and small arteries.Results The comparison of two different biopsy methods showed that the number of samples obtained by wedge biopsy was 30.There were 29 samples which were qualified and the qualification rate was 96.7％.The number of samples obtained by core needle biopsy was 30,and only 21 samples were qualified and the qualification rate was 70％.In the wedge biopsy samples,the average number of glomeruli was 22.1 and 6.9 of them were sclerotic glomeruli.The ratio of sclerotic glomeruli was 31.3％.The average number of glomeruli in core needle biopsy samples was 9.5 and 2.1 of them were sclerotic glomeruli.The ratio of sclerotic glomeruli was 22.1 ％.The average number of arteries in wedge biopsy samples was 5.4,and that in core needle biopsy samples was 3.9.The results indicated that the qualification rate of wedge biopsy was significantly higher than that of core needle biopsy (P＜0.01).The number of glomeruli,sclerotic glomeruli and small arteries in wedge biopsy samples was significantly greater than than in core needle biopsy (P＜0.05).Conclusion Wedge biopsy was superior to core needle biopsy for the quality evaluation of specimens and identifying clinically significantly histopathological findings.Thus it is potential for wedge biopsy to become the main method in pre-implantation histopathological evaluation.

Objective To investigate the clinical outcome of single kidney transplantation from pediatric donors and to explore the application criteria.Methods The clinical data of 14 recipients undergoing renal transplantation from October 2006 to October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed.All the recipients received primary kidney transplantation from pediatric donor and the renal artery was anastomosed with external iliac artery.Based on the length of the kidney donor,the recipients were divided into two groups as group A (length beyond 6 cm) and group B (length 5-6 cm).The clinical effect and complications of the 14 recipients,the survival of the recipients and grafts,the recovery of renal function,the change of the renal length and the postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.Results The renal length in group A (n =7) was (7.5 ± 1.2) cm,and (5.7 ± 0.1) cm in group B (n =7).During the follow up period,all renal grafts and recipients survived.No significant difference was observed between two groups in renal graft function evaluated by serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at 7th day,14th day,1st,2nd,3rd and 6th month postoperatively,P＞0.05.The length of transplanted kidney increased after operation in both groups,with results of 9.9 ± 0.6 cm in group A and 10.4 ± 1.5 cm in group B (P＞0.05),respectively,at 2nd month post-transplantation.Delayed graft function (DGF) occurred in 2 cases of group A and 1 case of group B.Seven cases developed proteinuria (50.0％),including 2 cases in group A (28.6％) and 5 cases in group B (71.4％).Four cases suffered hematuria (28.6％),including 2 cases in group A (28.6％) and 2 cases in group B (28.6％).One recipient in group B suffered acute rejection.No vascular embolization,urine leakage,pulmonary infection and other complications were observed in all the recipients.Conclusion The length beyond 5 cm is acceptable for single pediatric kidney donor for adult recipients with a promising clinical outcome in short-term.However,the high incidence of proteinuria and hematuria remains obstacle,and the long-term outcome needs further exploration.