Başkent Üniversitesi Makaleler
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/11727/13096
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Item Hematologic Adverse Effects of 2 Different Polyclonal Antilymphocyte Preparations in De Novo Kidney Transplant Patients(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2010-06) Rostaing, Lionel; Kamar, Nassim; Lavayssière, LaurenceObjectives: To evaluate the hematologic adverse effects of polyclonal antilymphocyte globulins within the first month after surgery in kidney transplant recipients. Materials and Methods: In this prospective, randomized trial, we included 16 adult-sensitized (panel-reactive antibodies > 30%) recipients of a kidney from a deceased donor. Eight patients received therapy with Genzyme (Thymoglobulin: ATG-G; 6.2 ± 2.9 mg/kg for 7 days), and 8 patients received Fresenius (Lymphoglobulin: ATG-F; 22.6 ± 7.9 mg/kg for 6 days). Other immunosuppressants included mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus, and steroids. Results: Platelet counts were normal before transplant and significantly reduced after transplant; however, this was more pronounced in ATG-F patients, and had normalized by day 7 in the ATG-G and by day 10 in the ATG-F groups. Mean leukocyte/polymorphonuclear cell counts remained within the normal range in both groups through follow-up. Hemoglobin levels were similar at ~10 g/dL for both groups, up to day 10. However, erythropoietin-stimulating–agent therapy had been given to more patients in the ATG-F group than patients in the ATG-G group. Reticulocyte counts were significantly lower in ATG-F patients by days 3, 5, 7, and 10. From day 14 onwards, reticulocyte counts were similar in both groups. With regard to lymphocyte counts, these were normal in both groups before transplant and then significantly decreased afterward. No patient presented with acute rejection or serum-sickness disease. Conclusions: Reduced platelet and reticulocyte counts occur more frequently immediately after transplant when using ATG-F compared with ATG-G therapy. Consequently, erythropoietin-stimulating agent therapy was needed more often for ATG-F patients.Item 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, LionelObjectives: 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.Item Tamoxifen Therapy in Kidney-Transplant Patients Presenting With Severe Encapsulating Peritoneal Sclerosis After Treatment for Acute Humoral Rejection(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2009-09) Mohamed, Abdellatif Ould; Rostaing, Lionel; Duffas, Jean Pierre; Esposito, Laure; Nogier, Marie-Béatrice; Kamar, NassimObjectives: Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis is a rare but serious complication in patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis. Its mortality rate is approximately 30%, despite treatment with total parenteral nutrition, surgery, tamoxifen, or immunosuppressants. Materials and Methods: Of 991 kidney transplants performed at our institution over 9 years, 50 patients were treated for chronic peritoneal dialysis at the time of transplant. Results: Two cases of encapsulating, peritoneal sclerosis occurred in patients receiving pretransplant peritoneal dialysis. Both had received intensive posttransplant treatment for acute humoral rejection. Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis occurred at 3 months and 4 months after the transplant. Both presented with intestinal pain and gut obstruction. They were given total parenteral nutrition plus tamoxifen (20 mg/d) for 3 months. Outcomes were favorable for 1, though there was no improvement for the second patient, who was then also given sirolimus. He died later from multiorgan failure secondary to digestive-related sepsis, and encapsulating, peritoneal, sclerosis-related symptoms. Conclusions: When encapsulating, peritoneal sclerosis occurs after kidney transplant, tamoxifen therapy could be implemented.Item Unusual Presentation of Cytomegalovirus Infection in Patients After Organ Transplant(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2009-03) Guilbeau-Frugier, Céline; Rostaing, Lionel; Tiple, Aurélien; Kamar, Nassim; Esposito, Laure; Mengelle, Catherine; Combelles, Sophie; Otal, PhilippeObjectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has an enormous impact in solid-organ transplant patients. In immunocompromised patients, CMV is associated with well-known direct effects. We herein describe 3 unusual patterns occurring in the setting of tissue-invasive CMV associated with high viral load. Materials and Methods: Of our 3 cases, the first patient after kidney transplant presented with cholestasis related to radiological cholangitis; the second patient after heart transplant presented with erythema nodosum with CMV infection as the sole cause; and the third patient after kidney transplant presented with acute renal failure related to mild interstitial nephritis with acute tubular necrosis and tubulitis. Results: The first patient’s cholestasis resolved with antiviral therapy, as did the erythema nodosum and CMV infection of the heart transplant patient. The third patient’s acute renal failure resolved by increased steroid dosage, plasma exchanges, and ganciclovir therapy. Conclusions: These 3 unusual presentations of tissue-invasive CMV had favorable outcomes with antiviral therapy.Item A Monocentric Observational Study of Darbepoetin Alfa in Anemic Hepatitis-C-Virus Transplant Patients Treated With Ribavirin(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2008-12) Kamar, Nassim; Rostaing, Lionel; Esposito, Laure; Ribes, David; Guitard, JoëlleObjectives: Darbepoetin alfa is used to treat renal anemia; however, little information is available concerning its use during the posttransplant period, especially in HCV-positive patients treated with ribavirin for active hepatitis C. Materials and Methods: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of using darbepoetin alfa in this population during a 6-month treatment period. All anemic patients were HCV/RNA-positive, treated with ribavirin, and had impaired renal function. Patients (n=7) who had not been treated previously with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) were placed in “group no rHuEPO.” Patients previously with recombinant human erythropoietin (n=16; “group rHuEPO”) were switched to darbepoetin alfa according to the European summary of product characteristics. Results: Seventy-three percent of the patients were men. The mean creatinine clearance at baseline was 58.7 ± 21.5 mL/min. All patients received an immunosuppressive treatment. Although mean hemoglobin levels remained stable in group no rHuEPO and increased in group rHuEPO, the difference was not statistically significant. Also, the median darbepoetin-alfa–weighted dose in group no rHuEPO increased while it remained stable in group rHuEPO, as did the median daily dosage of ribavirin; however, these differences were not statistically significant. Creatinine levels and creatinine clearance levels remained stable throughout the study. No significant medical events related to the treatment were reported during the study. Conclusions: Darbepoetin alfa was found to be efficient and well tolerated in correcting renal anemia in transplant recipients treated with ribavirin for active hepatitis C.Item 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, NassimObjectives: 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.Item Alteration of Direct and Indirect Effects of Cytomegalovirus(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2007-12) Kamar, Nassim; Rostaing, Lionel; Mengelle, CatherineFor recipients of a solid organ transplant, cytomegalovirus infection causes many pathological conditions including direct and indirect effects, most notably owing to the potency of the immunosuppressive medications used. Effects attributed to cytomegalovirus infection include graft rejection, decreased graft and patient survival rates, predisposition to other opportunistic infections, virally mediated malignancies, and various injuries specific to the transplanted organs (eg, accelerated coronary atherosclerosis following heart transplant, bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome in lung transplants, and vanishing bile-duct syndrome in liver allografts). Other indirect effects include posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders, posttransplant new onset diabetes, and recurrence of hepatitis C virus infection. Direct effects are related to viral burden, whereas indirect effects may be observed even in the presence of low levels of cytomegalovirus replication. Being a function of the interaction between the virus and the host’s immune and inflammatory responses, the underlying indirect effects of viral infection are not completely understood. Whereas it has been shown that cytomegalovirus prophylaxis can decrease the direct and indirect effects of the virus, recent data indicate that pre-emptive therapy has no long-term impact upon the indirect effects. Prevention of cytomegalovirus-related indirect effects might be achieved only with prophylaxis.Item Syphilis-Related Hepatitis in a Liver Transplant Patient(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2007-12) Camara, Boubou; Rostaing, Lionel; Suc, Bertrand; Danjoux, Marie; Bonafe, Jean-Louis; Kamar, NassimWe herein describe a case of secondary syphilis hepatitis in a liver transplant patient. This homosexual man presented 15 years after an orthotopic liver transplant with nonsquamous papillomacular rash, mild cytolysis, and anicteric cholestasis. Laboratory tests showed syphilis seroconversion with a VDRL test titer of 1/256, a Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay of 1/5120, and a positive immunoglobulin M fluorescent Treponemal antibody absorbance. A liver biopsy performed 13 months after the diagnosis showed low-grade hepatitis with a METAVIR score of A1F1; it also showed moderate, nonspecific portal inflammation consisting primarily of neutrophils, with no evidence of cholestasis. The patient was given benzathine-penicillin (2 400 000 IU) with a transient increase in prednisolone dosages. Cytolysis rapidly, and cholestasis progressively, disappeared. Results of an immunoglobulin M fluorescent Treponemal antibody absorbance test became negative, whereas the VDRL test and the Treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay titers decreased slightly over timeItem Perihepatitis and Perinephric Abscess Due to Mycoplasma hominis in a Kidney Transplant Patient(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2007-12) Camara, Boubou; Mouzin, Marc; Kamar, Nassim; Rostaing, Lionel; Durand, Dominique; Game, Xavier; Guitard, Joelle; Esposito, Laure; Ribes, DavidMycoplasma hominis has been incriminated in several genital and extragenital infections. Here, we report the first case of perihepatitis associated with a perinephric abscess in a woman who had received a kidney transplant. Four months after the transplant, the patient was admitted for perirenal allograft pain, fever, and elevated inflammatory parameters and liver enzyme levels. A renal ultrasonography found a collection of fluid. Results of blood and urine analyses were within normal limits. Fluid aspiration of the peritoneal cavity was performed, and the results of cultures for bacteria and fungi were negative. The patient was treated by surgical lavage of the peritoneal cavity. Her fever resolved 5 days later. Two months after surgical lavage of the peritoneal cavity, her liver enzyme levels returned to the normal range. Three months after surgical lavage, cultures of the perinephric fluid showed Mycoplasma hominis. We conclude that in patients who present with perinephric fluid suspected of being infected, bacteriologic analysis of the fluid (from surgical lavage of the peritoneal cavity) should be performed. Antibiotics active against intracellular bacteria should be administered.Item Monitoring Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in HCMV-Seropositive Orthotopic Liver-transplant Recipients by Means of Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction(Başkent Üniversitesi, 2006-12) Mengelle, Catherine; Abravanel-Legrand, Florence; Kamar, Nassim; Alain, Sophie; Basse, Grégoire; Pillet, Adèle; Lavayssière, Laurence; Suc, Bertrand; Izopet, Jacques; Rostaing, LionelObjective: Human Cytomegalovirus can be reactivated after orthotopic liver transplantation in patients who are seropositive for cytomegalovirus. Whether those cytomegalovirus-seropositive patients require immediate posttransplant (anti)cytomegalovirus prophylactic therapy or preemptive treatment as opposed to deferred treatment remains controversial. The aims of our study were to evaluate the relevance of cytomegalovirus monitoring with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in whole blood and to analyze the factors that determine the treatment of the first episode of cytomegalovirus infection with intravenous ganciclovir in seropositive liver-transplant patients. Patients and Methods: Forty-two cytomegalovirus-seropositive liver-transplant patients were assessed for cytomegalovirus DNAemia every 2 weeks until posttransplant day 90 and every 3 to 4 weeks until day 180. Biochemical and hematologic parameters were also prospectively monitored. Results: Cytomegalovirus DNAemia was detected at least once in 27 patients (64%). Treatment was initiated in 12 patients (group 1) but not in 15 others (group 2). Median HCMV viral loads of the first positive and the highest DNAemia were statistically higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P = 0.01). Univariate analysis of DNAemia showed that alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly higher in group 1 than in group 2 (P = .0011) and that hemoglobin levels were significantly lower in group 1 than in group 2 (P = .0443). The results of multivariate analysis showed that the only factor that predicted the treatment of the first episode of HCMV DNAemia was a level of alkaline phosphatase greater than 150 IU/L [odds ratio, 20; range, 1.97-203.32; P = .01]. Conclusions: A combination of criteria, including viral-load kinetics, clinical factors, alkaline phosphatase levels (in particular), and the patient’s immune condition, is required to efficiently monitor patients who are seropositive for cytomegalovirus after orthotopic liver transplantation.