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Biomedical subjects

Giuseppe Remuzzi

Publications and source records attributed to Giuseppe Remuzzi.

189 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

CTLA4Ig gene transfer prolongs survival and induces donor-specific tolerance in a rat renal allograft.

Organ transplantation requires lifelong antirejection therapy, which carries the risk of infection and cancer. A revolutionary approach is to transduce the organ graft with immunomodulatory genes to render them tolerated with no need of systemic immunosuppression. Prolonged allograft survival was achieved by adenovirus-mediated transduction of the cold-preserved kidney with sequences encoding CTLA4Ig, a recombinant fusion protein that blocks T cell activation. Organ expression of the transgene was achieved associated with mild infiltration of mononuclear cells in the transfected kidney. Mixed lymphocyte reaction as well as the production of both Thl and Th2 cytokines were reduced. Thus, the gene transfer technique to prolong graft survival is indeed effective and safe and can induce donor-specific unresponsiveness. Pending appropriate large animal testing, ex vivo genetic manipulation of the organ before surgery may hopefully represent a major step forward in human transplant medicine.

Abatacept↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mycophenolate mofetil versus azathioprine for prevention of acute rejection in renal transplantation (MYSS): a randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: Mycophenolate mofetil has replaced azathioprine in immunosuppression regimens worldwide to prevent graft rejection. However, evidence that its antirejection activity is better than that of azathioprine has been provided only by registration trials with an old formulation of ciclosporin and steroid. We aimed to compare the antirejection activity of these two drugs with a new formulation of ciclosporin. METHODS: The mycophenolate steroids sparing multicentre, prospective, randomised, parallel-group trial compared acute rejections and adverse events in recipients of cadaver-kidney transplants over 6-month treatment with mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprine along with ciclosporin microemulsion (Neoral) and steroids (phase A), and over 15 more months without steroids (phase B). The primary endpoint was occurrence of acute rejection episodes. Analysis was by intention to treat. FINDINGS: 168 patients per group entered phase A. 56 (34%) assigned mycophenolate mofetil and 58 (35%) assigned azathioprine had clinical rejections (risk reduction [RR] on mycophenolate mofetil compared with azathioprine 13.7% [95% CI -25.7% to 40.7%], p=0.44). 88 patients in the mycophenolate mofetil group and 89 in the azathioprine group entered phase B. 14 (16%) taking mycophenolate mofetil and 11 (12%) taking azathioprine had clinical rejections (RR -16.2%, [-157.5% to 47.5%], p=0.71). Average per-patient costs of mycophenolate mofetil treatment greatly exceeded those of azathioprine (phase A 2665 Euros [SD 586] vs Euros 184 [62]; phase B 5095 Euros [2658] vs 322 Euros [170], p<0.0001 for both). INTERPRETATION: In recipients of cadaver kidney-transplants given ciclosporin microemulsion, mycophenolate mofetil offers no advantages over azathioprine in preventing acute rejections and is about 15 times more expensive. Standard immunosuppression regimens for transplantation should perhaps include azathioprine rather than mycophenolate mofetil, at least for kidney grafts.

Acute Disease↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Delayed graft function in kidney transplantation.

Delayed graft function is a form of acute renal failure resulting in post-transplantation oliguria, increased allograft immunogenicity and risk of acute rejection episodes, and decreased long-term survival. Factors related to the donor and prerenal, renal, or postrenal transplant factors related to the recipient can contribute to this condition. From experimental studies, we have learnt that both ischaemia and reinstitution of blood flow in ischaemically damaged kidneys after hypothermic preservation activate a complex sequence of events that sustain renal injury and play a pivotal part in the development of delayed graft function. Elucidation of the pathophysiology of renal ischaemia and reperfusion injury has contributed to the development of strategies to decrease the rate of delayed graft function, focusing on donor management, organ procurement and preservation techniques, recipient fluid management, and pharmacological agents (vasodilators, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents). Several new drugs show promise in animal studies in preventing or ameliorating ischaemia-reperfusion injury and possibly delayed graft function, but definitive clinical trials are lacking. The goal of monotherapy for the prevention or treatment of is perhaps unattainable, and multidrug approaches or single drug targeting multiple signals will be the next step to reduce post-transplantation injury and delayed graft function.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood-pressure control for renoprotection in patients with non-diabetic chronic renal disease (REIN-2): multicentre, randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: In chronic nephropathies, inhibition of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) is renoprotective, but can further renoprotection be achieved by reduction of blood pressure to lower than usual targets? We aimed to assess the effect of intensified versus conventional blood-pressure control on progression to end-stage renal disease. METHODS: We undertook a multicentre, randomised controlled trial of patients with non-diabetic proteinuric nephropathies receiving background treatment with the ACE inhibitor ramipril (2.5-5 mg/day). We randomly assigned participants either conventional (diastolic <90 mm Hg; n=169) or intensified (systolic/diastolic <130/80 mm Hg; n=169) blood-pressure control. To achieve the intensified blood-pressure level, patients received add-on therapy with the dihydropyridine calcium-channel blocker felodipine (5-10 mg/day). The primary outcome measure was time to end-stage renal disease over 36 months' follow-up, and analysis was by intention to treat. FINDINGS: Of 338 patients who were randomised, three (two assigned intensified and one allocated conventional blood-pressure control) never took study drugs and they were excluded. Over a median follow-up of 19 months (IQR 12-35), 38/167 (23%) patients assigned to intensified blood-pressure control and 34/168 (20%) allocated conventional control progressed to end-stage renal disease (hazard ratio 1.00 [95% CI 0.61-1.64]; p=0.99). INTERPRETATION: In patients with non-diabetic proteinuric nephropathies receiving background ACE-inhibitor therapy, no additional benefit from further blood-pressure reduction by felodipine could be shown.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system reduce the rate of GFR decline and end-stage renal disease in patients with severe renal insufficiency.

Drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are of proven benefit in the treatment of hypertension, congestive heart failure, or acute myocardial infarction. In the last decade, several clinical trials have shown that RAS inhibitors also offer significant renoprotection in both diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy. However, patients with advanced renal insufficiency did not take part in these trials because of the risk of acute renal failure (ARF) and hyperkalemia, and, for the same reason, most physicians do not offer these drugs to patients with impaired renal function. Recently, a post-hoc analysis of the Ramipril Efficacy In Nephropathy (REIN) study which included patients with severe renal insufficiency, showed that RAS inhibition slows glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decline over time and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in a safe way in patients quite close to ESRD (basal GFR, 10 to 30 ml/min/1.73m2). These beneficial effects have also been shown in the Reduction of Endpoints in NIDDM with the All Antagonist Losartan (RENAAL) study, in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, clinical proteinuria, and renal insufficiency, where RAS inhibition therapy significantly reduced the risk of ESRD once doubling of baseline serum creatinine levels had been achieved as compared to non-RAS anti-hypertensive treatment. Thus, these data suggest that RAS inhibition therapy should be given to all patients with proteinuric chronic nephropathy, independently of the level of renal function.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Vascular access-related thrombotic complications: research hypotheses and therapeutic strategies.

The most common complication of permanent vascular access is thrombosis, which accounts for 80 to 85% of AV access loss. Treatment of venous stenosis by percutaneous angioplasty, endovascular stents and surgical revision is clinically important but many strategies to prevent thrombosis have been employed, such as antiplatelet agents, systemic anticoagulation, and experimental therapies as fish oils, heparinoids, clopidogrel, renin-angiotensin system antagonists, calcium channel blockers, alpha adrenergic antagonists, homocysteine-lowering agents and beta-hydroxybetamethyglutaryl coenzyme-A reductase inhibitors. Future but promising approaches are endovascular radiation and gene therapy.

Arteriovenous Shunt, Surgical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Incidence and clinical predictors of Kaposi's sarcoma among 1721 Italian solid organ transplant recipients: a multicenter study.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) can be a complication of solid organ transplantation, but with an important incidence rate variability in different geographical areas. Here we analyzed the incidence rate, timing and clinical correlates of KS, in a cohort of Italian solid organ transplant recipients from four distinct transplantation centers. A total of 1721 renal, heart and liver transplant recipients were recruited between 1997 and 2004. KS was diagnosed in 40 patients, after a median follow up of 1 year (range 0.8-5.1). Visceral involvement was detected in 7/40 patients. Incidence rate of KS in the whole population was 2.3 cases per 1000 individuals per year. The standardized incidence rate (SIR) for KS in renal transplant recipients was 149.9 (95% CI 103.0-212.0), with the excess risk greater among women (SIR 316.0) than among men (SIR 133.6). In a Cox proportional hazard regression model, age at transplantation equal or older than 30 years and only combined immunosuppressive therapy with mycophenolate mofetil + cyclosporine + prednisolone were independently associated with KS. Italian organ transplant recipients have an increased risk (about 100 times greater) for KS compared to the general population, especially during the first two years after transplantation. Age older than 30 years at transplantation and a more aggressive immunosuppressive regimen were both independent risk factors for the disease.

Adult↗