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Jeremy R Chapman

Publications and source records attributed to Jeremy R Chapman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cancer incidence before and after kidney transplantation.

CONTEXT: Immune suppression after organ transplantation is associated with a markedly increased risk of nonmelanoma skin cancer and a few virus-associated cancers. Although it is generally accepted that other cancers do not occur at increased rates, there have been few long-term population-based cohort studies performed. OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence of cancer in patients receiving immune suppression after kidney transplantation with incidence in the same population in 2 periods before receipt of immune suppression: during dialysis and during end-stage kidney disease before renal replacement therapy (RRT). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A population-based cohort study of 28,855 patients with end-stage kidney disease who received RRT, with 273,407 person-years of follow-up. Incident cancers (1982-2003) were ascertained by record linkage between the Australia and New Zealand Dialysis and Transplant Registry and the Australian National Cancer Statistics Clearing House. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) of cancer, using age-specific, sex-specific, calendar year-specific, and state/territory-specific population cancer incidence rates. RESULTS: The overall incidence of cancer, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancer and those cancers known to frequently cause end-stage kidney disease, was markedly increased after transplantation (n = 1236; SIR, 3.27; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.09-3.46). In contrast, cancer incidence was only slightly increased during dialysis (n = 870; SIR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.27-1.45) and before RRT (n = 689; SIR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.25). After transplantation, cancer occurred at significantly increased incidence at 25 sites, and risk exceeded 3-fold at 18 of these sites. Most of these cancers were of known or suspected viral etiology. CONCLUSIONS: Kidney transplantation is associated with a marked increase in cancer risk at a wide variety of sites. Because SIRs for most types of cancer were not increased before transplantation, immune suppression may be responsible for the increased risk. These data suggest a broader than previously appreciated role of the interaction between the immune system and common viral infections in the etiology of cancer.

Adolescent↗

Treatment of subclinical rejection diagnosed by protocol biopsy of kidney transplants.

BACKGROUND: Subclinical rejection (SCR) causes chronic allograft damage, which may be prevented by antirejection therapy. METHODS: A pilot study of the effect of routine treatment of SCR was performed in 88 recipients of either a kidney (n=59) or combined kidney-pancreas transplant (n=29) undergoing protocol biopsy (PBX) surveillance at 1 and 3 months, using calcineurin inhibitors, mycophenolate mofetil, and corticosteroid therapy. RESULTS: SCR was seen in 46.6% (41/88 patients), as 30 borderline and 11 acute SCR. From 279 transplant biopsies, the prevalence of SCR was 25% (22/88) at 1 month, 10.2% (9/88) at 3 months, and 8.3% (2/24) at 12 months PBX. Treatment included bolus intravenous or oral corticosteroids (n=20) and augmented immunosuppression, either by conversion to tacrolimus (n=6) or increased doses of maintenance therapy (n=14), whereas OKT3 was used in one case of subclinical vascular rejection. Borderline episodes were not treated in 12 patients. In biopsies taken to assess therapeutic response, persistent SCR was present in 46.1% (6/13). Treatment of SCR at 1 month was followed by lower acute Banff sum scores at 3 months PBX (P<0.01-0.0001). Early chronic damage was already present in the 1 month PBX, associated with SCR (P<0.0005 versus without SCR), although by 3 months these differences were lost. Rates of opportunistic infections and BK nephropathy were not increased by SCR treatment. CONCLUSION: Early chronic allograft damage was associated with SCR and therapy appeared to ameliorate further immune-mediated injury, although the efficacy of corticosteroids alone may be inadequate. A controlled trial of therapy for SCR is warranted.

Adult↗

Target of rapamycin inhibitors (sirolimus and everolimus) for primary immunosuppression of kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.

BACKGROUND: Target of rapamycin inhibitors (TOR-I) have a novel mode of action but uncertain clinical role. We performed a systematic review of randomized trials where immunosuppressive regimens containing TOR-I were compared with other regimens as initial therapy for kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: Databases (inception, June 2005) and conference proceedings (1996-2005) were searched. Two independent reviewers assessed trials for eligibility and quality. Results at 1 year, are expressed as relative risk (RR), where values<1 favor TOR-I, or lower dose of TOR-I, and for continuous outcomes are expressed as weighted mean difference (WMD), both expressed with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Thirty-three trials (142 reports) were included (27 trials of sirolimus, 5 of everolimus, and 1 of head-to-head comparison). When TOR-I replaced calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) (8 trials with 750 participants), there was no difference in acute rejection (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.74-1.44), but serum creatinine was lower (WMD, -18.31 micromol/L; 95% CI, -30.96 to -5.67) and bone marrow more suppressed (leukopenia: RR 2.02; 95% CI, 1.12-3.66; thrombocytopenia: RR, 6.97; 95% CI, 2.97-16.36; and anaemia: RR, 1.67; 95% CI, 1.27-2.20). When TOR-I replaced antimetabolites (11 trials with 3966 participants), acute rejection and cytomegalovirus infection (CMV) were reduced (RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.71-0.99; RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.37-0.65, respectively), but hypercholesterolemia was increased (RR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.32-2.06). When low- was compared with high-dose TOR-I, with equal CNI dose (10 trials with 3,175 participants), rejection was increased (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 1.06-1.43) but calculated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) higher (WMD, 4.27 mL/min; 95% CI, 1.12-7.41), and when lower-dose TOR-I and standard-dose CNI were compared with higher-dose TOR-I and reduced CNI, acute rejection was reduced (RR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.52-0.88), but calculated GFR was also reduced (WMD, -9.46 mL/min; 95% CI, -12.16 to -6.76). There was no significant difference in mortality, graft loss, or malignancy risk for TOR-I in any comparison. CONCLUSIONS: TOR-I have been evaluated in four different primary immunosuppressive algorithms: as replacement for CNI and antimetabolites, in combination with CNI at low and high doses, and with a variable dose of CNI. Generally, surrogate endpoints for graft survival favor TOR-I (lower risk of acute rejection and higher GFR), and surrogate endpoints for patient outcomes are worsened by TOR-I (bone marrow suppression and lipid disturbance). Long-term hard-endpoint data from methodologically robust randomized trials are still required.

Creatinine↗

Monoclonal and polyclonal antibody therapy for treating acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients: a systematic review of randomized trial data.

BACKGROUND: We performed a comprehensive systematic review to determine the relative benefits and harms of widely used interventions used to treat acute rejection in kidney transplant recipients: monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies (Ab). METHODS: Databases and conference proceedings were searched for eligible trials in all languages, and two reviewers, working independently, assessed trials for eligibility and quality, and extracted data. Results are expressed as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS: Twenty-one trials (49 reports) were identified. Most trials were small, incompletely reported, especially for potential harms, and did not define outcome measures adequately. Fourteen trials (965 patients) compared therapies for first rejection episodes (eight Ab versus steroid, two Ab versus another Ab, and four other comparisons) In treating first rejection, Ab was better than steroid in reversing rejection (RR 0.57; CI 0.38-0.87) and preventing graft loss (death-censored RR 0.74; CI 0.58-0.95) but there was no difference in preventing subsequent rejection (RR 0.67; CI 0.43-1.04) or death (RR 1.16; CI 0.57-2.33) at 1 year. Seven trials (422 patients) investigated Ab treatment of steroid-resistant rejection (four Ab vs. another Ab, one different doses Ab, one different formulation Ab, two other comparisons). There was no benefit of muromonab-CD3 over ATG or ALG in reversing rejection (RR 1.32; CI 0.33-5.28), preventing subsequent rejection (RR 0.99; CI 0.61-1.59) or preventing graft loss (RR 1.80; CI 0.29-11.23) or death (RR 0.39; CI 0.09-1.65). CONCLUSIONS: Given the clinical problem caused by acute rejection, comparable data are sparse, and clinically important differences in outcomes between widely used interventions have not been excluded. Standardized reproducible outcome criteria are needed.

Acute Disease↗

Chronic allograft nephropathy: current concepts and future directions.

The paradigm that chronic rejection causes all progressive late allograft failure has been replaced by a hypothesis of cumulative damage, where a series of time-dependent immune and nonimmune mechanisms injure the kidney and lead to chronic interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy, representing a final common pathway of injury and its consequent fibrotic healing response. Allograft damage is common, progressive, time-dependent, clinically important and modified by immunosuppression. Early after transplantation, tubulointerstitial damage is predominantly related to ischemia reperfusion injury, acute tubular necrosis, acute and subclinical rejection and/or calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, superimposed on preexisting donor disease. Later, cellular inflammation lessens and is replaced by microvascular and glomerular injury from calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, hypertension, immune-mediated fibrointimal vascular hyperplasia, transplant glomerulopathy and capillary injury, polyoma virus and/or recurrent glomerulonephritis. Additional mechanisms of injury include internal architectural disruption of the kidney, cortical ischemia, persistent chronic inflammation, replicative senescence, cytokine excess and fibrosis induced by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Current understanding of the etiology, pathophysiology and evolution of pathological changes are detailed. An approach to histological assessment of the individual failing graft are presented and a series of postulates are defined for future studies of chronic allograft nephropathy.

Forecasting↗

Clinical islet transplantation in type 1 diabetes mellitus: results of Australia's first trial.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether pancreatic islet transplantation can control diabetes and prevent severe life-threatening hypoglycaemia. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A single-arm observation study of six patients undergoing islet transplantation. All patients had had type 1 diabetes mellitus for over 5 years and documented episodes of repeated severe hypoglycaemia. Islets were isolated from donor pancreases digested by Liberase. Separated islets were infused into the recipient's liver via the portal vein. Patients were immunosuppressed with daclizumab, sirolimus and tacrolimus. The transplants were performed at Westmead Hospital, NSW, between October 2002 and February 2005. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Normal blood glucose control without administration of exogenous insulin; demonstration of islet function and abolition of hypoglycaemia. RESULTS: Five of the patients received two islet infusions, and the sixth was withdrawn after one infusion following a portal vein thrombosis. Three patients became insulin-independent, with excellent glycaemic control. Two had islet function with circulating C-peptide, improved glycaemic control, reduced insulin requirement and abolition of severe hypoglycaemia. However, over a 2-year period, graft function deteriorated. Recipients who were initially insulin free remained C-peptide positive but required supplemental insulin. Complications included one postoperative bleed, two portal vein thromboses (which resolved completely), presumed recurrence of tuberculosis in one patient, and deterioration in renal function in one patient. CONCLUSIONS: Islet transplantation is effective at improving glycaemic control and hypoglycaemia unawareness in the short to medium term. However, problems with long-term safety of immunosuppression, islet-induced thrombosis and early detection of loss of islet function remain to be addressed.

Adult↗

Tacrolimus versus ciclosporin as primary immunosuppression for kidney transplant recipients: meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised trial data.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the positive and negative effects of tacrolimus and ciclosporin as initial treatment for renal transplant recipients. DESIGN: Systematic review. DATA SOURCES AND STUDY SELECTION: Reports of comparative randomised trials of tacrolimus and ciclosporin identified by searches of Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials, the Cochrane Renal Group Specialist Register, and conference proceedings. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Two reviewers assessed trials for eligibility and quality and extracted data independently. Data were synthesised (random effects model) and results expressed as relative risk (RR), with values < 1 favouring tacrolimus. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were used to examine potential effect modification by differences in trial design and immunosuppressive co-interventions. RESULTS: 123 reports from 30 trials (4102 patients) were included. At six months, graft loss was significantly reduced in tacrolimus treated recipients (RR = 0.56, 95% confidence interval 0.36 to 0.86), and this effect persisted up to three years. The relative reduction in graft loss with tacrolimus diminished with higher concentrations of tacrolimus (P = 0.04) but did not vary with ciclosporin formulation (P = 0.97) or ciclosporin concentration (P = 0.38). At one year, tacrolimus treated patients had less acute rejection (RR = 0.69, 0.60 to 0.79) and less steroid resistant rejection (RR = 0.49, 0.37 to 0.64) but more diabetes mellitus requiring insulin (RR = 1.86, 1.11 to 3.09), tremor, headache, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, and vomiting. The relative excess of diabetes increased with higher concentrations of tacrolimus (P = 0.003). Ciclosporin treated recipients had significantly more constipation and cosmetic side effects. No differences were seen in infection or malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: Treating 100 recipients with tacrolimus instead of ciclosporin for the first year after transplantation avoids 12 patients having acute rejection and two losing their graft but causes an extra five patients to develop insulin dependent diabetes. Optimal drug choice may vary between patients.

Cyclosporine↗

Chronic renal allograft dysfunction.

The major causes of renal transplant loss are death from vascular, malignant or infectious disease, and loss of the allograft from chronic renal dysfunction associated with the development of graft fibrosis and glomerulosclerosis. Chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) is the histologic description of the fibrosis, vascular and glomerular damage occurring in renal allografts. Clinical programs rely on monitoring change in serum creatinine for identification of patients at risk of CAN, but this change occurs late in the course of the disease, and underestimates the severity of pathologic change. CAN has several causes: ischemia-reperfusion injury, ineffectively or untreated clinical and subclinical rejection, and superimposed calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity, exacerbating pre-existing donor disease. Once established, interstitial fibrosis and arteriolar hyalinosis lead to progressive glomerulosclerosis over the subsequent years. There have been a number of approaches to treatment aimed at reducing the impact of CAN, mostly centered around avoidance of calcineurin inhibitors through their elimination in all, or just selected, patients. These immunosuppression strategies combine corticosteroids with azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil, and/or sirolimus and everolimus. Late identification of CAN in individual patients has meant that strategies for intervening to prevent chronic renal allograft dysfunction and subsequent graft loss tend to be "too little and far too late."

Chronic Disease↗

Genetic and functional evaluation of the level of inbreeding of the Westran pig: a herd with potential for use in xenotransplantation.

BACKGROUND: The Westran pig has been purposely inbred for use in xenotransplantation. The herd originated in the wild from a limited gene pool and has been inbred by repeated full-sib matings for nine generations. METHODS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of inbreeding by functional assays, such as bi-directional MLR and reciprocal skin grafts between herd members, and by genetic analysis using highly polymorphic genetic markers to calculate the level of inbreeding. RESULTS: The MLR between herd members were non-reactive whereas there was a prompt response to third party pig lymphocytes, indicative of a normal immune responsiveness in Westran pigs but isogenicity of the major histocompatibility complex. Skin grafts between male siblings or female sibling skin grafts on male recipients showed prolonged survival but with few exceptions did not survive beyond 100 days suggesting that by the fifth generation the Westran herd was still mismatched at minor histocompatibility antigens. This level of functional inbreeding was confirmed by microsatellite analysis of highly polymorphic markers, which showed that 52 of 53 chromosomally dispersed markers were fixed by the ninth generation. This level of fixation was consistent with 19 to 20 generations of full-sibling inbreeding. The calculated inbreeding coefficient at generation 10 was 0.98159. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis confirms that the Westran pig is highly inbred and we propose that analysis of chromosomally dispersed highly polymorphic markers is an accurate and reproducible method for assessing the level of inbreeding of a pig herd.

Aging↗

Sirolimus: its role in nephrology.

Sirolimus (Rapamycin, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Ltd, Baulkham Hills, NSW, Australia) (SRL) has received increasing attention as an immunosuppressant in renal and other solid organ transplantation. Sirolimus is the first marketed agent in a new class of drugs with a novel mechanism of action. Sirolimus binds, like tacrolimus, to a member of the FK binding protein (FKBP) family. The SRL/FKBP complex binds to the protein kinase mTOR. Binding to mTOR blocks activation of signal transduction pathways causing arrest of the cell cycle in the G1 phase. It is now known that mTOR is a central regulator of cell growth and proliferation. The immunosuppressive properties of SRL are due primarily to blockade of interleukin-2 (IL-2)-induced proliferation of T cells. There is still much to be learnt about how best to use the drug. The key advantage over the current choice of immunosuppressive agents is the ability to preserve renal function and pathology while producing excellent rejection-free, graft survival rates. Thus, SRL may find its pivotal role as a calcineurin inhibitors replacement in patients whose grafts are affected by chronic allograft nephropathy. A second major driver for use may prove to be the impact of SRL on cancer incidence and prognosis. Studies still need to be performed to evaluate the best timing for commencement of SRL and the optimal dosage to minimize side-effects.

Animals↗

Longitudinal analysis of chronic allograft nephropathy: clinicopathologic correlations.

BACKGROUND: Loss of the allograft from chronic allograft nephropathy and death of the patient from vascular, malignant, or infective disease are the major problems in renal transplantation today. Protocol biopsy of the long-term kidney has provided new data with which to develop strategies for prevention and treatment of chronic allograft nephropathy. METHODS: Two series of long-term protocol biopsies are reviewed. In the first, renal biopsies were obtained at time 0, and at 3 months and 12 months, and the recipients of the renal allografts were followed up for up to 15 years. In the second, the kidneys of recipients of simultaneous pancreas kidney transplants were biopsied annually for 10 years, and the results correlated with clinical events. RESULTS: Chronic allograft nephropathy is caused by acute and chronic immune-mediated damage, as well as by chronic calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity. Both immune and nonimmune mechanisms exacerbate pre-existing donor disease and ischemia-reperfusion injury. Established interstitial fibrosis and arteriolar hyalinosis lead to progressive glomerular sclerosis and eventual loss of the graft. CONCLUSION: Protocol biopsies have shown that clinical parameters of renal function underestimate the severity of chronic graft damage. Strategies for preventing or treating chronic renal allograft dysfunction and subsequent graft loss must better control rejection and simultaneously avoid nephrotoxicity.

Biopsy↗

Association of Fc gamma receptor IIA polymorphisms with acute renal-allograft rejection.

Acute rejection is a leading cause of early renal-allograft failure. The human Fc gamma receptor IIA (FcgammaRIIA) forms an essential link between the humoral branch and the effector cells of the immune system. In this study, we examined FcgammaRIIA genotypes in renal-allograft recipients (rejectors) with acute graft rejection and in a number of control groups to investigate a possible association between FcgammaRIIA polymorphism and acute renal-allograft rejection. The distribution of the genotypes in the study patient group differed from the control groups. The frequency of homozygosity for FcagammaRIIA-R/R131 in the rejectors was significantly higher than that in the recipients (nonrejectors) with well-functioning renal allografts and in blood donors (P< 0.05). In comparison with the control groups, the rejectors displayed a higher R131 allele frequency (P< 0.05) and a lower H131 allele frequency (P< 0.05). These results reveal a significant association between FcgammaRIIA-R/R131 and acute renal-graft rejection, and it is likely that FcgammaRIIA polymorphisms could be useful markers for potential risk of rejection.

Adult↗

Calcineurin inhibitor nephrotoxicity: longitudinal assessment by protocol histology.

BACKGROUND: The role and burden of cyclosporine (CsA) nephrotoxicity in long-term progressive kidney graft dysfunction is poorly documented. METHODS: The authors evaluated 888 prospective protocol kidney biopsy specimens from 99 patients taken regularly until 10 years after transplantation for evidence of CsA nephrotoxicity. RESULTS: The most sensitive histologic marker of CsA nephrotoxicity was arteriolar hyalinosis, predicted by CsA dose and functional CsA nephrotoxicity. Striped fibrosis was associated with early initiation of CsA and the need for posttransplant dialysis (both P < 0.05). The 10-year cumulative Kaplan-Meier prevalence of arteriolar hyalinosis, striped fibrosis, and tubular microcalcification was 100%, 88.0%, and 79.2% of kidneys, respectively. Beyond 1 year, 53.9% had two or more lesions of CsA nephrotoxicity. Structural CsA nephrotoxicity occurred in two phases, with different clinical and histologic characteristics. The acute phase occurred with a median onset 6 months after transplantation, was usually reversible, and was associated with functional CsA nephrotoxicity (P < 0.05), high CsA levels (P < 0.05), and mild arteriolar hyalinosis (P < 0.001). The chronic phase of CsA nephrotoxicity persisted over several biopsies, occurred at a median onset of 3 years, and was associated with lower CsA doses and trough levels (both P < 0.05). It was largely irreversible and accompanied by severe arteriolar hyalinosis and progressive glomerulosclerosis (both P < 0.001). A threshold CsA dose of 5 mg/kg/day predicted worsening of arteriolar hyalinosis on sequential histology. CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic changes of CsA nephrotoxicity were virtually universal by 10 years and exacerbated chronic allograft nephropathy. CsA is unsuitable as a universal, long-term immunosuppressive agent for kidney transplantation. Strategies to ameliorate or avoid nephrotoxicity are thus urgently needed.

Adult↗