0.05).The graft function of high dose group returned to normal within 3 to 7 days after operation.Delayed recovery of graft function occurred in 2 cases of routine dose group;in 1 case it returned to normal on the 21st day after operation, in the other the serum creatinine level fell down to 300 ?mol/L on the 45th day.There was no severe adverse event such as fever,chill,headache,heart-throb,dyspnea during ATG intravenous perfusion.And no serious infection occurred in the 2 groups during the first 3 months postoperatively.Hepatic function damage occurred in 1 case of high dose group.Follow-up ranged from 4 to 14 months.All recipients of high dose group survived with good graft function;5 of them could do housework. Only one graft lost its function in routine dose group. Conclusions On the basis of optimal selection of the donor and recipient,preoperative single-bolus high-dose ATG is effective and safe for the sensitive recipients as immune induction therapy, which may become one of the new induction treatments before transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Recent data suggested that Notch signal pathway plays important regulatory effects in peripheral transplantation immunological response, promotes differentiation of regulatory T cells, induces antigen specific immune tolerance. We proposed that Notch/Notch ligand may play important roles in MHC/TCR interface.OBJECTIVE: To construct the eukaryotic expression vector of rat Deltai gene (Notch ligand), and to examine its expression in dendritic cells.METHODS: The complete encoding cDNA of rat-Delta1 was isolated from bone marrow cells by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and this gene was recombined into pcDNA3.1(+) plasmid vector.pcDNA3.1/Delta1 plasmid was transfected into rat dendritic cells with lipofectamine gene transfection method.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Double enzyme digestion detection demonstrated that Delta 1 had been successfully constructed in Hindilll and xbal of pcDNA3.1. A positive clone pcDNA3.1/Delta1 was delivered to Shanghai Sangon Biological Engineering Technology & Services Co., Ltd. for sequencing. Sequencing results were identical to Delta1 gene sequence in Genebank, with correct reading frame. The Delta 1 gene-transfected dendritic cells showed similar morphology as their parent cells. Western blotting assay detected that Delta 1 expression was significantly increased in cells. The eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1/Delta1 was constructed, and significant increase of Delta 1 expression was detected after transfection.

BACKGROUND: Presently, the kidney source is limited. Urinary fistula-induced nephrectomy of transplanted kidney is regrettable. Reasonable diagnosis of urinary fistula should be paid great attention by workers of organ transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To study the diagnosis and treatment of the urinary fistula in kidney transplantation patients. METHODS: The clinical data of 16 patients with the urinary fistula following kidney transplantation, who was recruited from the Organ Transplantation Center, Fuzhou General Hospital of Nanjing Military Area Command of Chinese PLA, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The morbidity of the urinary fistula following kidney transplantation was 1.26%, the conservative treatment were used to 13 cases of simple urinary fistulas, 11 of 13 cases were successful (84.6%). 2 case failed (15.4%), pedicled omentum grafts were successful used to treat 3 cases of complex urinary fistulas after renal transplantation by one operation. Intensive care and active measures should be given to the urinary fistula patients after kidney transplantation. The key to the successful treatment involved with the diagnosis in early stage and the correct measures. With biological characteristics of omentum, applying pedicled omentum grafts to repair complex urinary fistulas and simple urinary fistulas which were failure of the conservative treatment after renal transplantation has advantages as followings, convenient to draw material, recovering tissue quickly and low recurrence rate. It is fit for clinic.

Objective To discuss the clinical features of primary epididymal rhabdomyosarcoma and review the diagnostic and therapeutic advances. Methods One 16-yesr-old male presented with right scro-turn swelling mass for 4 months. Physical examination revealed an ovoid and solid mass of 4.5×3.5×3.0 cn in right scrotum. The mass was hard and its surface was smooth without tenderness. Transillumination test was negative. There was no palpable inguinal lymph node. Pre-operative diagnosis was inflammatory nodule of right epididymis. Results Right epididymectomy was performed under caudal anesthesia une-ventfully. The pathological study showed that the neoplasm was composed of small round shape ceils with small and anachromasis nucleus. The immunohistochemical study showed that these cells were positive for myoglobin, aetin and desmin, but negative for smooth muscle actin. Electron microscopy showed that paral-leling thin filaments were found with no asrcomere-like structure in the intracytoplasm. The pathologic diag-nosis was right epydidymal rhabdomyosarcoma. The patient refused further therapy. A mass was found with rapid growth accompanied with pain in the right scrotum 2 months after the first operation and was clinically diagnosed as tumor recurrence. This patient had then undergone right radical orchiectomy. Frozen section analysis revealed negative surgical margin. The pathologic diagnosis was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma re-currence. Patient underwent subsequent chemotherapy with ifosfamide, etoposide and vincristine. After one year follow-up, he was generally well without evidence of recurrence. Conculsions Primary embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma is a rare tumor with aggressive growth patterns. The diagnosis depends on the pathologi-cal examination because the clinical presentation is not specific. Combination therapy with radical orchiecto-my, chemotherapy and radiotherapy provides patients an excellent long-term prognosis.

BACKGROUND: The number of living renal donation has increased in China and abroad, thus, it is important to guarantee the safety of donors. How to accurately diagnose potential renal disease and provide guidance plays an import role in protecting safety of living renal donors.OBJECTIVE: To establish an evaluation method for analyzing the correlation between histological abnormalities and clinical predonation parameters.METHODS: The related data on renal transplantation of Fuzhou general Hospital of Nanjing Military Area Command of Chinese PLA were retrospectively reviewed. Paracentesis were performed when the vessels of kidney were mutilated and perfusions were finished. Time-zero renal biopsy was evaluated for following pathological changes: interstitial fibrosis, tubularatrophy, arteriolar hyalinosis, mesangial proliferation, and glomerulosclerosis. Predonation data were demography, body weight, body mass index' systolic/diastolic blood pressure, serum creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, and proteinuria.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: There were no signs of kidney disease in preoperative examination of all the 62 patients, time-zero renal biopsy found there were 28 donors with histological changes, interstitial fibrosis with age and serum creatinine, tubularatrophy with diastolic blood pressure and protein excretion rate, arteriolar hyalinosis with serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate, mesangial proliferation only with body mass index, and finally the presence of glomerulosclerosis did not correlate with any variable.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab in renal transplant recipients treated with induction therapy. Methods Eighty-nine cadaveric renal transplant recipients in our department were randomly divided into experimental group (n = 43) treated with alemtuzumab induction, 15 mg i. v. and control group (n = 46). Main immunosuppressive therapy regimen consisted of steroids, tacrolimus or cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil in all recipients. Post-transplant kidney function, acute rejection,infection, DGF, graft survival, lymphocyte counts were recorded within 1 year. ATP values in CD4+ T cells after transplantation was determined by using Cylex ImmuKnow assay. Results There was significant difference in the incidence of biopsy-proven acute rejection, but no significant difference was found in ImmuKnow ATP values during 6 months after transplantation and lymphocyte counts during 3 months, graft survival and the incidence of infections between the two groups. Conclusion Induction therapy with alemtuzumab appeared to be effective in the prevention of acute rejection.

Objective To summarize the occurrence of malignant tumor following renal transplantation and investigate the measures of prevention and treatment.Methods The clinical data of 1 037 cases of renal transplantation in our centre between Dec. 1979 and May 2001 were retrospectively. Results Of the 1 037 cases of renal transplantation, 15 cases were diagnosed as having malignant tumor with the incidence being 1.4% . The most common types of tumor were liver cancer (6/15), followed by Kaposi's sarcoma (4/15), pulmonary cancer (2/15). The main treatments included surgical resection, reducing the dosage of immunosuppressants, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.Conclusion There is higher incidence of malignance in the renal transplantation recipient than general crowd. The effect of treatment depended on early diagnosis of cancer and early surgical operation. At the same time, the dosage of immunosuppressants was reduced to maintain normal function of the graft.

The effect of CYP3A4*18B and CYP3A5*3 on concentration/dosage x body surface area ratios (C/D'), adverse effects and acute rejection of tacrolimus in renal transplant patients were investigated. The CYP3A4*18B genotypes of 227 renal transplant patients were determined by PCR-RFLP method. The differences of C/D' ratios, adverse reactions and acute rejection were compared among all of the genotype groups treated with tacrolimus. The frequencies of CYP3A4*18 and CYP3A5*3 alleles in renal transplant patients were 30.8% and 74.2%, respectively. No significant association was found between the C/D's of tacrolimus and CYP3A4*18B genotypes when they were classified by two CYP3A5 genotypes (P > 0.05). While after the effects of CYP3A4*18B genotype were eliminated, the C/D' ratio of tacrolimus in patients with CYP3A5*1/*1 and *1/*3 genotype group was significantly lower than those with CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype groups (P < 0.01). There is no significant difference in adverse effects and acute rejection among different genotypes (P > 0.05).

Objective To evaluate the values of cell-mediated immune function in elderly renal allograft recipients.Method The levels of immuknowTM ATP was sequentially monitored by means of Cylex immuknowTM assay in 52 elderly renal allograft recipients including 11 with infection and 8 with acute rejection.Results No statistically significant difference was found between stable allograt function and uremia (P＞0.05).The levels of immuknowTM ATP during infection was significantly lower than those with stable allograft function with acute rejection (P ＜ 0.01).The levels of immuknowTM ATP during acute rejection was significantly higher than those with stable allograft function with infection (P＜0.01).Conclusion Sequential monitoring of immuknowTM ATP is helpful for elderly renal allograft recipients in individualized immunosuppression therapy.Cylex immuknowTM assay can be used as a potent tool for assessment of high risk in infection and rejection.

Objective To explore the significance of peritubular capillary C4d deposition in histopathological changes, renal function and prognosis of the patients with antibody-mediated chronic rejection (AMCR). Methods Deposition of C4d in the kidney was examined by irnmunohistochemistry on routine paraffin-embedded sections using anti-C4d polyclonal antibody. Seventy-seven patients were divided into C4d+ group (n = 35) and C4d- group (n = 42). The relationship of C4d and renal function,histopathological changes and prognoses of allografts were analyzed. Results The number of patients with tubular atrophy and glomerular basement membrane proliferation in C4d+ group was significantly more than that in C4d group (P＜0.05). Mean serum creatinine level was significantly higher in C4d+ group than in C4d- group 12 months after renal transplantation [(379.1 + 260.2)μmol/L vs (260.5 + 175.3) μmol/L, P＜0.05]. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the one-year graft survival rate was lower in the C4d+ group (62.9% ) than in the C4d- group (83.3% ) (logrank P＜0.05). Conclusion Patients with C4d deposition are associated with tubular atrophy and glomerular basement membrane proliferation. The serum creatinine level in C4d+ patients was significantly higher than in C4d- group at the 12th month after transplantation. More patients with C4d deposition lost their grafts during the study period.