As acute rejection rates continue to fall, causes of late allograft loss, such as transplant glomerulopathy (TG), become increasingly important. TG should spring to mind when you encounter a renal transplant recipient who develops heavy proteinuria and progressive…
In my experience, it’s unusual to perform a transplant nephrectomy in a patient who has returned to dialysis in the absence of a ‘hard’ indication such as macroscopic hematuria or severe symptoms suggestive of rejection or infarction. There…
Final results of last week’s Poll of the Week: only 13% of individuals said they outright disapproved of the proposed Kidney Allocation Score, the scoring system which has been proposed to replace the current system of determining kidney…
The ability to adequately suppress the immune system and prevent allograft rejection has been a true success story over the past several decades. With the advent of drugs such as calcineurin inhibitors, induction agents such as thymoglobulin, azathioprine…
The term “T-regs” is shorthand for “regulatory T-cells”–a subpopulation of T-cells which act to suppress immune system activation and promote tolerance towards self-antigens. Although the existence of T-regs was felt to be controversial up until relatively recently, the…
We all know that there is a drastic shortage of donor kidneys available: in the state of Massachusetts, for instance, the average time on the kidney transplant waiting list we’re quoting to patients is about 5 years…which for…
While the ACGME regulates the vast majority of post-graduate residencies/fellowships, there are a few exceptions. One of the notable ones is the rapidly evolving Kidney Transplant fellowship. Previously, nephrologists were certified as members of the kidney transplant community…
BK Nephropathy refers to damage suffered to a renal allograft as a result of the polyomavirus BK virus. It is named based on the fact that it was originally isolated in the urine of a kidney transplant…
Basic Clinical Immunology: there are four types of hypersensitivity reactions. Below is a listing of all four types and, since this is a Nephrology Blog, renal examples for each one. Type I Immune Reaction (anaphylactic): Type I hypersensitivity…
Here’s a cool little feature from the folks at CBS News describing the use of the “Lifeport Kidney Transporter”–a new hypothermia-perfusion device which functions as a significant upgrade from the standard cooler in which donor kidneys are transported…
