A British woman has undergone a life-saving kidney transplant after having her blood plasma frozen and filtered to ensure that the organ was not rejected. She is the first person in the world to have the groundbreaking operation, which allowed her to receive an "incompatible" donor kidney from her sister despite having dangerously low blood pressure.

The woman, who had been on dialysis for 15 years after kidney failure, waited a decade for a kidney that would not trigger tissue rejection by her body. Doctors feared that she had only months to live after developing blood pressure problems over the past year.

 

The operation involved the use of a cryofiltration system to remove plasma from the blood and chill it, turning proteins and antibodies into a gel-like substance. This allowed the antibodies, which can prevent a transplanted organ from being accepted, to be filtered away before the plasma was warmed up and returned to the patient. Rob Higgins, a renal consultant, stated it was the first time the technique had been used in a tissue incompatible transplant.

According to new data, substance abuse by renal transplant recipients does not significantly affect graft and patient outcomes. The study is the first to examine the impact of prior substance abuse on outcomes in renal transplant recipients.
The study compared 79 prior substance abusers and 52 non-abusers and found no significant difference in either the rates of acute rejection or delayed graft function.

 
Most kidney transplant center programs in the United States consider current or recent substance use as possible barriers to transplantation. Centers typically require current substance users to stop all use for a pre-determined period.  Some programs may require patients to enter rehab before they get transplanted. It is thought addictive behavior may affect cooperation or sticking to the treatment plan after transplantation. However, as a result of study findings researchers believe "there is no reason to stop past substance abusers from transplantation because their outcomes were similar to those who did not have any strong history of substance abuse." 

With AAKP's 2010 Annual Convention coming up, it's important to make plans to attend this spectacular 3-day event as soon as possible. This year, the AAKP Convention takes place Sept. 2 - 4, in Tampa, Florida, and features the latest research on kidney disease and its treatment options, exciting social events and an exhibit hall filled with renal-related companies and products.

• The Great Debate - Compensation for Organ Donation: How Much Is Too Much?
• Guided Imaginary: Visualizing Good Health
• Living Life to the Fullest: A Survivorship Panel
• and much more!

 

According to Dr. Mohanram Narayanan, "Current drugs are quite toxic when it comes to long-term survival. There are side effects, and organs suffer because of the drugs." Existing drugs aim at the immune system's T-cells which, by attacking or not attacking a new organ, can make or break the transplant. T-cells are controlled by two pathways that can activate or stop the release of the cells. Current immunosuppressive drugs target both pathways, meaning that T cells can't do their regular job of clearing legitimate threats to the system, making organ recipients vulnerable to infection. The drug could translate into a new treatment to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients.

Measuring certain types of immune cells may predict the high risk of skin cancer after kidney transplantation. The high risk of skin cancers after kidney transplantation is related to the use of immunosuppressive drugs to prevent rejection. Differences in the immune system can be associated with the development of skin cancer after transplantation.

Researchers measured levels of key immune cells in 116 kidney transplant recipients, 65 of whom developed squamous cell skin cancers. The results showed that patients with high levels of an immune cell type called T-regulatory cells, or "Tregs" together with low levels of another type of immune cell, called Natural Killer cells, had risk more than five times higher for developing skin cancer. The study appears in the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

AAKP is calling on patients, family members, health care professionals and friends of the kidney community to apply to be a part of the AAKP National Board of Directors. The AAKP Board of Directors is responsible for establishing goals and policies for the Association. In addition, Board members are responsible for attending three meetings per year, participation in conference calls and committee membership. In keeping with the bylaws of the Association, more than 50 percent of the National Board of Directors must be comprised of kidney disease patients