Başkent Üniversitesi Makaleler

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11727/13096

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2008 - 20102

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Author: search.filters.author.Blancher, Antoine

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    Impact of Rituximab Therapy on Response to Tetanus Toxoid Vaccination in Kidney-Transplant Patients
    (Başkent Üniversitesi, 2010-03) Puissant-Lubrano, Benedicte; Blancher, Antoine; Fort, Marylise; Abbal, Michel; Kamar, Nassim; Rostaing, Lionel
    Objectives: Rituximab is used after kidney transplant to prevention or treat kidney-allograft rejection. However, the impact of rituximab on the ability of patients to respond to tetanus toxoid vaccination has not yet been studied. Materials and Methods: The response to tetanus toxoid vaccination was analyzed in 39 kidney-transplant recipients immunosuppressed by corticoids, antiproliferative agents, and/or calcineurin inhibitors. Thirteen patients had previously received rituximab (group 1), 26 patients had not (group 2). Response to control bacterial antigens and immunologic parameters (lymphocyte count, B-cell subsets, serum immunoglobulin level) were analyzed before and at 1 month after vaccination. Thirty healthy blood donors were used as controls for the before-vaccination immunologic parameters. Results: Before vaccination, neither patient group differed from controls in serum levels of immunoglobulins and antibodies against bacterial antigens, but they did display lower levels of CD4 T cells and B cells compared with controls. Responders to the tetanus toxoid vaccination were slightly fewer in group 1 (4/13) than in group 2 (16/26), but the intensity of the anti-tetanus toxoid response was not significantly different between these 2 groups. None of the parameters studied at the time of vaccination (anti-tetanus toxoid level, peripheral B or CD4 T-cell count, memory B-cell subsets, treatment with rituximab, time since transplant) were associated with an ability to respond to vaccination. The ability to respond to vaccination and graft outcomes were not correlated in each patient group. Conclusions: Rituximab impaired the secondary immune response after tetanus toxoid vaccination, but did not abolish it in all patients.
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    Prevalence of Cryoglobulinemia and Autoimmune Markers in Liver Transplant Patients
    (Başkent Üniversitesi, 2008-09) Garrouste, Cyril; Rostaing, Lionel; Blancher, Antoine; Durand, Dominique; Lavayssière, Laurence; Esposito, Laure; Boulestin, Anne; Kamar, Nassim
    Objectives: To examine the prevalence of cryoglobulinemia and autoimmune markers in stable liver transplant recipients and to determine risk factors and clinical impact. Materials and Methods: Ninety-two liver transplant recipients were tested for cryoglobulinemia, hepatitis B and C, complement C3, complement C4, CH50, antinuclear antibodies, anticytoplasmic neutrophil antibodies, anticardiolipid antibodies, rheumatoid factors, and lymphocyte subpopulations. Liver, renal, and hematology tests were done. Immuno­suppressive regimens were based on calcineurin inhibitors in 94.6% of the patients. Results: Cryoglobulinemia was present in 18 patients (19.5%) with characteristics of type II in 27.7%, type III in 61.3%, and indeterminate in 11%. Cryoglobulinemia was present in 55.5% of patients with positive hepatitis C virus serology compared with 35.86% of patients with negative hepatitis C virus serology (P = .06). Among those with hepatitis C virus markers, cryoglobulinemia was present in 30%. Anticytoplasmic neutrophil antibodies were positive in 23% of the patients with cryoglobulinemia, but in only 5.4% of the patients without cryoglobulinemia (P = .006). Albuminemia was significantly lower in patients with cryoglobulinemia (38 ± 4.2 g/L) than it was in patients without cryoglobulinemia (40.2 ± 3.4; P = .05). Cryoglobulinemia was symptomatic in 4 patients (22.2% of all patients). Independent factors associated with cryo­globulinemia were presence of anticytoplasmic neutrophil antibodies, more than 4 HLA incompatibilities, alanine aminotransferase level of 0.68 µkat/L or more, and an albuminemia level greater than 38 g/L. Conclusions: Cryoglobulinemia is frequent after liver transplant and is symptomatic in ap­proximately 20% of all patients.