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J C Madsen

Publications and source records attributed to J C Madsen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Chronic cardiac transplant arteriopathy in mice: relationship of alloantibody, C4d deposition and neointimal fibrosis.

Murine heterotopic cardiac allografts were used to reveal some of the fundamental interrelationships between donor-specific alloantibodies (DSA), chronic transplant arteriopathy (CTA) and capillary C4d deposition. B10.BR recipients of B10.A hearts developed transient DSA and C4d deposition that peaked on day 7 and became undetectable at day 56 while CTA developed progressively. Male cardiac grafts in female recipients showed similar degrees of CTA at day 56 but never developed DSA or C4d deposition, indicating that T cell-mediated mechanisms are sufficient to produce CTA. Passive transfer of monoclonal IgG2a anti-H-2K(k) into B6.RAG1 KO recipients of B10.BR hearts over 14-28 days led to progressive CTA. If treatment was stopped on day 14, lesions showed little progression and had no C4d deposition or detectable DSA on day 42. If treatment was stopped on day 28 when the lesions were fully developed, no regression occurred over the next 28 days, even though C4d deposition and circulating antibody became undetectable. Therefore, a minimum threshold of antibody exposure is needed to cause CTA. Once the CTA develops, C4d may become negative after DSA disappears. Thus, serial samples are needed in clinical studies to ascertain the relevance of alloantibody to the lesions of chronic graft rejection.

Animals↗

The role of indirect recognition of MHC class I and II allopeptides in a fully mismatched miniature swine model of lung transplantation.

UNLABELLED: Considerable evidence suggests that indirect recognition of MHC allopeptides plays an important role in solid-organ rejection. Here, we examine whether immunization with class I or class II allopeptides accelerates rejection in a fully MHC-mismatched lung transplant model in miniature swine. METHODS: Recipients were immunized with either donor-derived class I or class II peptides. Sensitization to the peptides was confirmed by DTH testing and in vitro proliferation assays. Nonimmunized control (n = 6), class I peptide-immunized (n = 3), and class II peptide-immunized (n = 3) swine were transplanted with fully mismatched lungs using only a 12-day course of tacrolimus. RESULTS: One control animal rejected its graft on postoperative day 103, while the others maintained their grafts for over 1 year. In the class I peptide-immunized group, two recipients rejected their grafts (days 14 and 52). The third animal has not rejected the graft (day 120, experiment is ongoing). In contrast, in the class II-peptide immunized group, only one animal rejected its graft on day 52, while the others maintained their grafts over 1 year. Both anti-donor IgM and IgG antibodies were detectable in all acute rejectors, although no alloantibody was detectable in long-term acceptors. Regardless of the fate of the graft, all animals have maintained their proliferative responses to the peptides. However, only acceptors maintained donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in cell-mediated lymphocytotoxity and mixed lymphocyte reaction assays. CONCLUSIONS: Pretransplant sensitization of lung allograft recipients to donor allopeptides accelerates graft rejection. This appears particularly true for class I-derived allopeptides, suggesting that class II molecules may be less antigenic when presented indirectly.

Animals↗

Thymectomy does not abrogate long-term acceptance of MHC class I-disparate lung allografts in miniature Swine.

UNLABELLED: We have previously reported that tolerance to class I disparate lung allografts in miniature swine could be induced using an intensive 12-day course of tacrolimus and that pretransplant sensitization with immunogenic MHC class I allopeptides failed to block the induction of tolerance. We also have previously reported the importance of the presence of the thymus in the induction of tolerance to isolated heart, kidney, and combined heart-kidney transplants. In this study, we examined the impact of thymectomy on tolerance induction in lung transplantation. METHODS: Orthotopic left lung transplantation was performed using MHC class I-disparate donors. The recipients received a 12-day course of high-dose tacrolimus (n = 6). Total thymectomies were performed in three of the swine 21 days prior to transplantation. Lung grafts were monitored by chest radiography and serial open lung biopsy. RESULTS: All euthymic recipients maintained their grafts for over 1 year. None of the thymectomized recipients has experienced graft loss in the 6 to 10 months following transplantation. Although isolated lesions of obliterative bronchiolitis were occasionally seen in one thymectomized animal on biopsy, donor-specific unresponsiveness has been observed on assays of cell-mediated lymphocytotoxicity in all recipients. Moreover, co-culture assays have shown that recipient lymphocytes can strongly inhibit the normally robust response of naïve recipient-matched lymphocytes to donor antigen. This inhibition was not seen when using stimulators primed with third-party antigens against appropriate targets. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that thymus-independent peripheral regulatory mechanisms may be sufficient to induce and maintain long-term acceptance of the lung allografts.

Animals↗

Effects of tolerance induction on the actions of interferon-gamma on porcine cardiac allografts.

It is well known that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) not only plays a critical role in antigen-dependent but also in antigen-independent tissue injury; however, it is not clear how tolerance induction affects the actions of IFN-gamma in the transplant setting. To address this question, we compared the effects of IFN-gamma on porcine recipients of near-syngeneic, rejecting, and tolerant heart transplants. IFN-gamma was infused continuously into the left anterior descending artery of hearts transplanted into 3 groups of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) inbred miniature swine, each treated with a 12-day course of cyclosporine A (CyA). Group 1 recipients received a MHC class I disparate heart, group 2 recipients received a near-syngeneic heart, and group 3 recipients were cotransplanted with a MHC class I disparate heart and kidney, which uniformly induces tolerance to both grafts. An additional group of animals was not transplanted but received intracoronary IFN-gamma infusion into their native hearts. IFN-gamma perfusion not only accelerated the acute rejection of MHC class I disparate hearts (mean survival time = 19 +/- 7.21 vs 38 +/- 8.19 days, P = .025), but caused near-syngeneic heart transplants, which otherwise survive indefinitely, to reject within 35 days (n = 3). In contrast, IFN-gamma perfusion had no demonstrable effects on interstitial rejection, the development of vascular lesions, or graft survival in tolerant heart plus kidney allograft recipients (n = 4) or in autologous hearts (n = 2). These results suggest that tolerance induction mitigates the damaging effects of IFN-gamma itself and that the beneficial effects of tolerance induction on acute and chronic rejection may extend to antigen-independent factors like ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Animals↗

T-cell depletion eliminates the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy in mice rendered tolerant by the induction of mixed chimerism.

We previously demonstrated that cardiac allografts to fully tolerant chimeric mice developed cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Here we begin to examine which components of the immune system are responsible for the pathogenesis of CAV in such tolerant recipients. B10.A/B6 mixed chimeric mice were created by receiving injections of bone marrow cells from B10.A (H-2k) mice given to C57BL/6 (B6; H-2b) mice with some preparations. B10.A skin grafts were first placed onto B10.A/B6 mixed chimeric recipients. When the donor strain skin grafts had survived perfectly for at least 56 days, B10.A hearts were transplanted heterotopically into B10.A/B6 mixed chimeric recipients. Hearts were examined for the presence of CAV 56 days later. To determine the effector cells that contribute to the development of CAV, they were treated weekly with a combination of anti-CD4/CD8 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) or anti-NK1.1 mAb continuing until 56 days. 14 B10.A cardiac transplants of 18 otherwise untreated B10.A/B6 chimeric recipients developed CAV; concurrent B6 isografts were unaffected (0/7). In chimeric recipients treated with anti-CD4/8 mAbs, the prevalence of CAV was greatly reduced (0/6, P < .01 compared to the untreated group). Anti-NK1.1 mAb was not effective in the prevention of CAV (4/5). These data suggest that T cells may contribute in some way to the development of CAV that occurs in those fully tolerant recipients. Host T cells that may still be responsive to non-major histocompatability complex antigens, including tissue-specific antigens presented not on skin but on heart, may also be responsible for the development of CAV in tolerant animals.

Animals↗

An MHC class II disparity raises the threshold for tolerance induction in pulmonary allografts in miniature swine.

OBJECTIVES: The mechanisms and treatment of chronic rejection in pulmonary allotransplantation remain elusive. We have induced robust tolerance to class I-disparate lung allografts in miniature swine using an intensive 12-day course of tacrolimus. Here, we tested whether a tolerant state can be induced in swine receiving fully mismatched lung allografts. METHODS: Orthotopic left lung allografts were performed using MHC class I-disparate (group 1: n = 3) or fully disparate (group 2: n = 6) donors. The recipients received a 12-day postoperative course of tacrolimus (continuous intravenous infusion; target level = 35-50 ng/mL) as their only immunosuppression. RESULTS: All swine in group 1 maintained their grafts long term without developing any lesions of chronic rejection (>497, >432, >451 days). These recipients exhibited donor-specific hyporesponsiveness in cell-mediated lymphocytotoxity (CML) and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assays. In group 2, five of the six recipients maintained their grafts long term (sacrificed on postoperative days 515, 389, 429, 481, and 438 with viable grafts). Isolated lesions of obliterative bronchiolitis were occasionally seen on biopsy, and donor-specific hyporesponsiveness on assays was consistently observed. The remaining recipient rejected its graft on day 103 with histologic findings of obliterative bronchiolitis. CONCLUSIONS: We report long-term graft acceptance without chronic immunosuppression in five of six recipients across a full MHC disparity, albeit with some evidence of obliterative bronchiolitis. These data suggest that the class II disparity inherent in a fully mismatched transplant increases the requirement for tolerance induction.

Animals↗

Skin-specific alloantigens in miniature swine.

BACKGROUND: The acceptance of skin allografts has historically been among the most challenging problems in the field of transplantation, attributed, at least in part, to the existence of antigens expressed by skin but not by other tissues. Many studies have suggested the existence of skin-specific antigens in rodents, but data in large-animal models are more limited. METHODS: We have recently developed protocols for attaining stable mixed hematopoietic chimerism in miniature swine, using MHC-matched donors and recipients. We have now assessed tolerance to donor-derived skin and cardiac allografts in these chimeric animals. RESULTS: Skin-graft rejection was seen in four of six animals receiving skin grafts taken from the respective hematopoietic donors. In the other two animals, donor-derived skin grafts survived indefinitely. No cardiac-allograft rejection was observed in mixed-chimeric animals that received heart transplants from their hematopoietic donors, even in animals that had already rejected skin allografts from the same donors. In all animals assessed, in vitro hyporesponsiveness to donor hematopoietic cells persisted. CONCLUSION: These findings support the concept that skin expresses immunogenic alloantigens that either are not expressed or are not immunogenic in cardiac or hematopoietic tissue.

Animals↗

Tolerance and chronic rejection.

The most common cause of chronic allograft loss is an incompletely understood clinicopathological entity called chronic rejection (CR). Recent reports suggest an improvement in long-term renal allograft survival, although it is not clear from these data whether a true reduction of biopsy-proven CR has occurred. Although newer immunosuppressive medications have greatly reduced the incidence of acute rejection (AR) in the early post-transplantation period, the ideal therapy for both AR and CR would be to achieve a state of tolerance. By definition, such a state should allow for indefinite allograft survival, with no histopathological evidence of CR, despite immunocompetence in the host (i.e. without the need for chronic immunosuppression). Although several experimental studies are able to achieve tolerance, with clear improvement in allograft survival, detailed studies on graft function and morphology are often not included. This review will discuss possible ways that tolerance induction could lead to a CR-free state. General mechanisms of CR and transplantation tolerance induction are discussed as well as the difficulties in translating small animals studies into large animals and humans.

Animals↗

Indirect recognition of allopeptides promotes the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Graft loss from chronic rejection has become the major obstacle to the long-term success of whole organ transplantation. In cardiac allografts, chronic rejection is manifested as a diffuse and accelerated form of arteriosclerosis, termed cardiac allograft vasculopathy. It has been suggested that T-cell recognition of processed alloantigens (allopeptides) presented by recipient antigen-presenting cells through the indirect pathway of allorecognition plays a critical role in the development and progression of chronic rejection. However, definitive preclinical evidence to support this hypothesis is lacking. To examine the role of indirect allorecognition in a clinically relevant large animal model of cardiac allograft vasculopathy, we immunized MHC inbred miniature swine with synthetic polymorphic peptides spanning the alpha(1) domain of an allogeneic donor-derived swine leukocyte antigen class I gene. Pigs immunized with swine leukocyte antigen class I allopeptides showed in vitro proliferative responses and in vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity responses to the allogeneic peptides. Donor MHC class I disparate hearts transplanted into peptide-immunized cyclosporine-treated pigs not only rejected faster than unimmunized cyclosporine-treated controls (mean survival time = 5.5 +/-1.7 vs. 54.7 +/-3.8 days, P < 0.001), but they also developed obstructive fibroproliferative coronary artery lesions much earlier than unimmunized controls (<9 vs. >30 days). These results definitively link indirect allorecognition and cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

Animals↗

CTLA4Ig-induced linked regulation of allogeneic T cell responses.

The mechanisms by which CTLA4Ig exerts its powerful immunomodulatory effects are not clear. We show here that CTLA4Ig can induce linked regulation of allogeneic porcine T cell responses in vitro. Naive miniature swine SLA(dd) T cells were rendered hyporesponsive to specific allogeneic Ag after coculturing with MHC-mismatched SLA(cc) stimulators in the presence of CTLA4Ig. These Ag-specific hyporesponsive T cells were subsequently able to actively inhibit the allogeneic responses of naive syngeneic T cells in an MHC-linked fashion, as the responses of naive SLA(dd) responders against specific SLA(cc) and (SLA(ac))F(1) stimulators were inhibited, but allogeneic responses against a 1:1 mixture of SLA(aa) (I(a), II(a)) and SLA(cc) (I(c), II(c)) were maintained. This inhibition could be generated against either class I or class II Ags, was radiosensitive, and required cell-cell contact. Furthermore, the mechanism of inhibition was not dependent upon a deletional, apoptotic pathway, but it was reversed by anti-IL-10 mAb. These data suggest that CTLA4Ig-induced inhibition of naive allogeneic T cell responses can be mediated through the generation of regulatory T cells via an IL-10-dependent mechanism.

Abatacept↗

Morphometric analysis of miniature swine hearts as potential human xenografts.

Miniature swine are considered to be potential donors for clinical cardiac transplantation. However, it is unclear how an appropriately sized porcine donor will be selected for a particular human recipient. To address this issue, we performed a morphometric study of the swine heart using transthoracic echocardiography (n = 26) to determine the diameters of the aortic annulus and root, pulmonary artery annulus, and mitral valve annulus. We also obtained direct ex vivo measurements of swine heart weight and linear dimensions (n = 71). Relationships between a swine's height, weight, length, chest circumference and these internal and external cardiac dimensions are described. The strongest correlations were found between a pig's body length and its aortic annulus and root diameters (r-values = 0.97). These relationships are accurately described by univariate linear regression models. By cross-relating our morphometric measurements of aortic annulus diameter in the miniature swine with normative human data, we were able to develop a nomogram, relating swine length and human height, which predicts which miniature swine would donate the best size-matched heart for a particular human recipient.

Animals↗

Serum levels of parathyroid hormone and markers of bone metabolism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Relationship to disease activity and glucocorticoid treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the influence of inflammatory activity and glucocorticoid (GC) treatment on serum parathyroid hormone (s-PTH) and bone metabolism in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Furthermore, in patients with active RA, to examine the PTH secretion and Ca2+ set point before and after treatment with GC. METHODS: A range of biochemical markers of bone metabolism and calcium homeostasis were measured in 95 patients with definite RA stratified into groups according to disease activity and GC treatment. In a subgroup of 12 patients with active disease, initiating slow-acting-anti-rheumatic-drugs (SAARDs) +/- GC, the PTH secretion and calcium set point were evaluated by use of the Cica clamp technique before and after 1 month of treatment. RESULTS: S-osteocalcin, s-total alkaline phosphatase (s-TAP) and s-carboxyterminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (s-ICTP) were elevated in all groups. The levels of urine pyridinoline (Pyr) and s-albumin-corrected calcium (s-AlbCorrCa2+) were elevated in patients with active disease and patients treated with GC. S-PTH and s-phosphate were within normal ranges. S-TAP, s-ICTP, Pyr and s-AlbCorrCa2+ correlated positively with indices of disease activity. In the subgroups undergoing the Cica clamp technique, no difference in PTH responsiveness of B-Ca2+ was unveiled. CONCLUSION: Neither active disease nor GC therapy appears to induce secondary hyperparathyroidism, nor is there an alteration in PTH responsiveness of B-Ca2+ in patients with RA. The increased levels of markers of type I collagen metabolism (s-ICTP, Pyr) and s-AlbCorrCa2+ in patients with active disease and patients treated with GC may be a result of increased degradation in synovium, cartilage and bone due to the inflammatory process.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

Long-term results and determinants of mortality after surgery for native and prosthetic valve endocarditis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The study aim was to describe the long-term results and determinants of mortality after operative treatment of native and prosthetic valve endocarditis at a single institution. METHODS: Between March 1985 and October 1999, 171 patients underwent surgery for native (NVE) or prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE). NVE was present in 98 patients (57%), and PVE in 73 patients (43%). Mean follow up was 5.6+/-3.9 years (range: 0 to 15 years). RESULTS: Overall hospital mortality was 9.9% (n = 17). Hospital mortality was higher among patients with PVE (15.1%) than those with NVE (6.1%; p = 0.05). Overall survival at 10 years was 46+/-5%. Patients with NVE had a higher 10-year survival rate (53+/-7%) than those with PVE (37+/-7%; p = 0.02). At 10 years, overall freedom from any late complication was 47+/-6% and from residual or recurrent endocarditis was 78+/-5%. Predictors of hospital death were emergency surgery (p <0.003) and preoperative renal insufficiency (p <0.008). Predictors of late death were age >70 years (p <0.002), renal failure (p <0.03) and fungal endocarditis (p <0.04). CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate the increased perioperative, as well as postoperative, risks associated with PVE versus NVE. Cardiac and extracardiac manifestations of the disease, as well as fungal organisms, but not the activity of the endocarditis, were significant adverse determinants of late outcome.

Endocarditis↗

Blockade of CD28-B7, but not CD40-CD154, prevents costimulation of allogeneic porcine and xenogeneic human anti-porcine T cell responses.

Despite increasing use of swine in transplantation research, the ability to block costimulation of allogeneic T cell responses has not been demonstrated in swine, and the effects of costimulatory blockade on xenogeneic human anti-porcine T cell responses are also not clear. We have compared the in vitro effects of anti-human CD154 mAb and human CTLA4IgG4 on allogeneic pig T cell responses and xenogeneic human anti-pig T cell responses. Both anti-CD154 mAb and CTLA4IgG4 cross-reacted on pig cells. While anti-CD154 mAb and CTLA4IgG4 both inhibited the primary allogeneic pig MLRs, CTLA4IgG4 (7.88 microg/ml) was considerably more inhibitory than anti-CD154 mAb (100 microg/ml) at optimal doses. Anti-CD154 mAb inhibited the production of IFN-gamma by 75%, but did not inhibit IL-10 production, while CTLA4IgG4 completely inhibited the production of both IFN-gamma and IL-10. In secondary allogeneic pig MLRs, CTLA4IgG4, but not anti-CD154 mAb, induced Ag-specific T cell anergy. CTLAIgG4 completely blocked the indirect pathway of allorecognition, while anti-CD154 mAb blocked the indirect response by approximately 50%. The generation of porcine CTLs was inhibited by CTLA4IgG4, but not by anti-CD154 mAb. Human anti-porcine xenogeneic MLRs were blocked by CTLA4IgG4, but only minimally by anti-CD154 mAb. Finally, CTLA4IgG4 prevented secondary xenogeneic human anti-porcine T cell responses. These data indicate that blockade of the B7-CD28 pathway was more effective than blockade of the CD40-CD154 pathway in inhibiting allogeneic pig T cell responses and xenogeneic human anti-pig T cell responses in vitro. These findings have implications for inhibiting cell-mediated immune responses in pig-to-human xenotransplantation.

Abatacept↗

Mixed hematopoietic chimerism induces long-term tolerance to cardiac allografts in miniature swine.

BACKGROUND: Tolerance to cardiac allografts has not been achieved in large animals using methods that are readily applicable to human recipients. We investigated the effects of mixed hematopoietic chimerism on cardiac allograft survival and chronic rejection in miniature swine METHODS: Recipients were T-cell depleted using a porcine CD3 immunotoxin, and each received either of two nonmyeloablative preparative regimens previously demonstrated to permit the establishment of stable mixed hematopoietic chimerism across MHC-matched, minor antigen-mismatched histocompatibility barriers. Five to 12 months after the chimerism was induced, hearts from the original cell donors were heterotopically transplanted into the stable mixed chimeras. RESULTS: Cardiac allografts transplanted into untreated recipients across similar minor antigen barriers were rejected within 44 days (within 21, 28, 35, 39, 44 days among individual study subjects). In contrast, hearts transplanted into the mixed chimeras were all accepted long term ( > 153, > 225, > 286, > 362 days) without immunosuppressive drugs and developed minimal vasculopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Mixed hematopoietic chimerism, established in miniature swine using clinically relevant, non-myeloablative conditioning regimens, permits long-term cardiac allograft survival without chronic immunosuppressive therapy, significant vasculopathy, or graft-versus-host disease.

Animals↗

Successful in situ treatment of an infected ascending aortic graft.

Infection of an ascending aortic prosthesis is a grave complication associated with a high mortality. In most cases, extraanatomic bypass and removal of the infected vascular graft are not possible. Furthermore, the standard approach to this problem, which includes excision and replacement or debridement and repair of infected thoracic aortic grafts, carries a high early mortality. We report the successful treatment of this life-threatening complication using a conservative strategy in which the aortic prosthesis was salvaged by in situ disinfection followed by coverage with tissue flaps.

Adult↗