Posttransplantation prophylaxis with primary high‐dose hepatitis B immunoglobulin monotherapy and complementary preemptive antiviral add‐on

Shin Hwang, Chul‐Soo Ahn, Gi‐Won Song, Ki‐Hun Kim, Deok‐Bog Moon, Heung‐Bum Oh, Young‐Suk Lim, Han Chu Lee, Tae‐Yong Ha, Dong‐Hwan Jung, Young‐Hwa Chung, Sung‐Gyu Lee – 3 December 2010 – A considerable proportion of liver transplantation recipients who receive hepatitis B immunoglobulin (HBIG) monotherapy for hepatitis B virus (HBV) prophylaxis develop resistance to HBIG. We retrospectively assessed the efficacy of HBV prophylaxis in 1524 patients who received primary high‐dose HBIG monotherapy (n = 1463) or with a preemptive antiviral add‐on as secondary combination therapy (n = 61).

The interaction among donor characteristics, severity of liver disease, and the cost of liver transplantation

Paolo R. Salvalaggio, Nino Dzebisashvili, Kara E. MacLeod, Krista L. Lentine, Adrian Gheorghian, Mark A. Schnitzler, Samuel Hohmann, Dorry L. Segev, Sommer E. Gentry, David A. Axelrod – 3 December 2010 – Accurate assessment of the impact of donor quality on liver transplant (LT) costs has been limited by the lack of a large, multicenter study of detailed clinical and economic data.

Pretransplant depression, antidepressant use, and outcomes of orthotopic liver transplantation

Shari S. Rogal, Douglas Landsittel, Owen Surman, Raymond T. Chung, Anna Rutherford – 3 December 2010 – Depression is a common problem among patients awaiting organ transplantation, but little is known about the impact of depression and its treatment on the outcomes of liver transplantation. In this retrospective cohort analysis, we studied all patients over 18 years of age who underwent liver transplantation during a 5‐year period (2004‐2008) at a single center. Among 179 recipients, 65 patients had depression, as defined by a health care provider assessment, before transplantation.

Severe rhabdomyolysis due to rosuvastatin in a liver transplant subject with human immunodeficiency virus and immunosuppressive therapy–related dyslipidemia

Ana Moreno, Jesús Fortún, Javier Graus, Miguel A. Rodriguez‐Gandía, Carmen Quereda, María J. Pérez‐Elías, Javier Nuño, Philip Wikman, Santiago Moreno, Rafael Bárcena – 3 December 2010 – Statins are relatively safe first‐line agents to use in the setting of dyslipidemia associated with immunosuppressive therapy in subjects undergoing liver transplantation, and also in HIV‐infected patients with dyslipidemia due to antiretroviral drugs, especially ritonavir‐boosted protease inhibitors.

Release of cytokines and hemodynamic instability during the reperfusion of a liver graft

Dmitri Bezinover, Zakiyah Kadry, Paul McCullough, Patrick M. McQuillan, Todahiro Uemura, Kelli Welker, Andrea M. Mastro, Piotr K. Janicki – 3 December 2010 – The objectives of this prospective, observational study were (1) to determine whether a transplanted liver graft releases proinflammatory cytokines into the systemic circulation upon reperfusion and (2) to determine whether they contribute to any subsequent hemodynamic instability observed after graft reperfusion (if this release occurs).

CD28 expression by peripheral blood lymphocytes as a potential predictor of the development of de novo malignancies in long‐term survivors after liver transplantation

Emmanuel Boleslawski, Samia Ben Othman, Lynda Aoudjehane, Sandrine Chouzenoux, Olivier Scatton, Olivier Soubrane, Yvon Calmus, Nadira Delhem, Filomena Conti – 3 December 2010 – At present, no method is available for accurately monitoring the degree of immunosuppression induced by antirejection therapies. The aim of this study was to determine whether CD28 and CD38 expression by peripheral blood mononuclear cells could be useful in predicting the development of de novo malignancies after liver transplantation.

The model for end‐stage liver disease allocation system for liver transplantation saves lives, but increases morbidity and cost: a prospective outcome analysis

Philipp Dutkowski, Christian E. Oberkofler, Markus Béchir, Beat Müllhaupt, Andreas Geier, Dimitri A. Raptis, Pierre‐Alain Clavien – 3 December 2010 – We analyzed the first 100 patients who underwent liver transplantation by Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (MELD) allocation, and compared the outcome of patients on the waiting list and after orthotopic liver transplantation with the last 100 patients who underwent transplantation prior to the introduction of the MELD system in July 2007.

Liver allograft antibody‐mediated rejection with demonstration of sinusoidal C4d staining and circulating donor‐specific antibodies

Tomasz Kozlowski, Tara Rubinas, Volker Nickeleit, John Woosley, John Schmitz, Dana Collins, Paul Hayashi, Anthony Passannante, Kenneth Andreoni – 3 December 2010 – The importance of antibody‐mediated rejection (AMR) in ABO‐compatible liver transplantation is controversial. Here we report a prospective series of liver recipients with a preoperative positive crossmatch. To establish the diagnosis of AMR in liver recipients, the criteria described for kidney allografts were adopted.

Feasibility of using a liver infected with Clonorchis sinensis for liver transplantation: Fourteen cases

Zhi‐Jun Zhu, Zhong‐Yang Shen, Wei Gao, Hong Zheng, Yong‐Lin Deng, Cheng Pan, Li‐Ying Sun, Zhi‐Gui Zeng, Ji‐San Sun – 29 November 2010 – Use of livers infected with Clonorchis sinensis as donor organs for transplantation is controversial because of the potential associated risks. The low availability of donor livers at Tianjin First Center Hospital since 2003 prompted us to undertake cadaveric liver transplantation in 14 patients using donor livers infected with C. sinensis.

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