Article
Infectious Diseases
Caterina Sagnelli, Antonello Sica, Monica Gallo, Gaia Peluso, Filippo Varlese, Vincenzo D'Alessandro, Massimo Ciccozzi, Felice Crocetto, Carlo Garofalo, Alfonso Fiorelli, Gabriella Iannuzzo, Alfonso Reginelli, Fabrizo Schonauer, Michele Santangelo, Evangelista Sagnelli, Massimiliano Creta, Armando Calogero
Summary: Kidney transplant recipients and patients on the waiting list face serious risks of developing severe COVID-19 if infected with SARS-CoV-2 due to their immunosuppressive state. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced kidney transplants globally, as transplant centers struggle to maintain full activity amidst the focus on COVID-19 patients.
Article
Immunology
Pierluigi Toniutto, Annarosa Cussigh, Sara Cmet, Martina Fabris, Francesco Curcio, Davide Bitetto, Ezio Fornasiere, Elisa Fumolo, Edmondo Falleti
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate whether temporary MMF interruption might improve the immunogenicity of the fourth anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT16b2 vaccine dose in nonresponsive LT recipients. The results showed that suspending MMF prior to the fourth dose could restore vaccine-induced immunogenicity in a large portion of previously nonresponsive LT recipients.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Anna Regalia, Matteo Benedetti, Silvia Malvica, Carlo Alfieri, Mariarosaria Campise, Donata Cresseri, Maria Teresa Gandolfo, Federica Tripodi, Giuseppe Castellano, Piergiorgio Messa
Summary: In kidney transplanted patients, those with SARS-CoV-2 infection had lower levels of 25(OH)D compared to controls, but there was no significant association between vitamin D status and severity or outcomes of the infection.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Cumali Efe, Craig Lammert, Koray Tascilar, Renumathy Dhanasekaran, Berat Ebik, Fatima Higuera-de la Tijera, Ali R. Caliskan, Mirta Peralta, Alessio Gerussi, Hatef Massoumi, Andreea M. Catana, Tugrul Purnak, Cristina Rigamonti, Andres J. G. Aldana, Nidah Khakoo, Leyla Nazal, Shalom Frager, Nurhan Demir, Kader Irak, Zeynep Melekoglu-Ellik, Huseyin Kacmaz, Yasemin Balaban, Kadri Atay, Fatih Eren, Mario R. Alvares-da-Silva, Laura Cristoferi, Alvaro Urzua, Tugce Eskazan, Bianca Magro, Romee Snijders, Sezgin Barutcu, Ellina Lytvyak, Godolfino M. Zazueta, Aylin Demirezer-Bolat, Mesut Aydin, Alexandra Heurgue-Berlot, Eleonora De Martin, Nazim Ekin, Sumeyra Yildirim, Ahmet Yavuz, Murat Biyik, Graciela C. Narro, Murat Kiyici, Murat Akyildiz, Evrim Kahramanoglu-Aksoy, Maria Vincent, Rotonya M. Carr, Fulya Gunsar, Eira C. Reyes, Murat Harputluoglu, Costica Aloman, Nikolaos K. Gatselis, Yucel Ustundag, Javier Brahm, Nataly C. E. Vargas, Fatih Guzelbulut, Sandro R. Garcia, Jonathan Aguirre, Margarita Anders, Natalia Ratusnu, Ibrahim Hatemi, Manuel Mendizabal, Annarosa Floreani, Stefano Fagiuoli, Marcelo Silva, Ramazan Idilman, Sanjaya K. Satapathy, Marina Silveira, Joost P. H. Drenth, George N. Dalekos, David N. Assis, Einar Bjornsson, James L. Boyer, Eric M. Yoshida, Pietro Invernizzi, Cynthia Levy, Aldo J. Montano-Loza, Thomas D. Schiano, Ezequiel Ridruejo, Staffan Wahlin
Summary: The study found that AIH patients who were on systemic glucocorticoids or thiopurines before the onset of COVID-19 had significantly worse severity of the disease, while those on baseline treatment with mycophenolate mofetil or tacrolimus also experienced more severe COVID-19 courses in a smaller subset of treated patients.
LIVER INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Satoshi Takai, Hayato Nishida, Hiromi Ito, Hiroki Fukuhara, Takaaki Nawano, Takafumi Narisawa, Hidenori Kanno, Mayu Yagi, Atsushi Yamagishi, Toshihiko Sakurai, Sei Naito, Tomoyuki Kato, Keita Morikane, Norihiko Tsuchiya
Summary: The third dose of the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, administered with a longer interval after the second vaccination, improved the humoral and cellular immune responses in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) without severe adverse effects.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Mariana Seija, Florencia Rammauro, Jose Santiago, Natalia Orihuela, Catherine Zulberti, Danilo Machado, Cecilia Recalde, Javier Noboa, Victoria Frantchez, Rossana Astesiano, Federico Yandian, Ana Guerisoli, Alvaro Morra, Daniela Cassinelli, Cecilia Coelho, Belen de Aramburu, Paulina Gonzalez-Severgnini, Romina Moreno, Aldana Pippolo, Gabriela Lopez, Monica Lemos, Lorena Somariva, Eliana Lopez, Soledad Fumero, Carla Orihuela, Rosalia Rodriguez, Gonzalo Acuna, Victoria Rabaza, Nancy Perg, Rossana Cordero, Cristina Reisfeld, Paula Olivera, Paola Montero, Cecilia Nogueira, Catheryn Nalerio, Sergio Orihuela, Lilian Curi, Ema Burgstaller, Oscar Noboa, Otto Pritsch, Marcelo Nin, Sergio Bianchi
Summary: The antibody response against SARS-CoV-2 after vaccination is weak in kidney transplant patients, especially those who received inactivated virus-based vaccines. Strategies are needed to improve the immunogenicity in this population.
CLINICAL KIDNEY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Rheumatology
Percival Degrava Sampaio-Barros, Ana Cristina Medeiros-Ribeiro, Ana Paula Luppino-Assad, Renata Miossi, Henrique Carrico da Silva, Emily F. V. N. Yuki, Sandra G. Pasoto, Carla G. S. Saad, Clovis A. Silva, Leonard V. K. Kupa, Giordano B. H. Deveza, Tatiana N. Pedrosa, Nadia E. Aikawa, Eloisa Bonfa
Summary: This study analyzed the safety and immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in SSc patients. The results showed that the vaccine had a moderate response in terms of antibody production, but was generally safe. Disease subtype did not affect the vaccine's antibody response, but the immunosuppressive drug MMF had a significant impact.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Sophie C. Froelke, Pim Bouwmans, A. Lianne Messchendorp, Johanna P. M. Vervoort, Alferso C. Abrahams, Aiko P. J. de Vries, Pythia T. Nieuwkerk, Marc H. Hemmelder, Ron T. Gansevoort, Luuk B. Hilbrands, Marlies E. J. Reinders, Jan-Stephan F. Sanders, Frederike J. Bemelman, Suzanne E. Geerlings, RECOVAC Collaborators
Summary: This study aimed to analyze the change in adherence to preventive measures after vaccination and awareness of antibody response in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The findings showed that adherence decreased after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and in KTRs who were aware of a subsequent antibody response. However, preventive measures were effective in this vulnerable group, regardless of vaccination status.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Zeguo Sun, Zhongyang Zhang, Khadija Banu, Yorg Al Azzi, Anand Reghuvaran, Samuel Fredericks, Marina Planoutene, Susan Hartzell, Yesl Kim, John Pell, Gregory Tietjen, William Asch, Sanjay Kulkarni, Richard Formica, Meenakshi Rana, Jonathan S. S. Maltzman, Weijia Zhang, Enver Akalin, Peter S. S. Heeger, Paolo Cravedi, Madhav C. C. Menon
Summary: The study found that during acute COVID-19, the blood transcriptome of KTRs showed a decrease in T cell and adaptive immune activation pathways, despite reduced use of immunosuppressants. These pathways recovered after acute illness. The findings provide an explanation for immune insufficiency in KTRs during acute COVID-19.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Simon Ronicke, Bilgin Osmanodja, Klemens Budde, Annika Jens, Charlotte Hammett, Nadine Koch, Bianca Zukunft, Friederike Bachmann, Mira Choi, Ulrike Weber, Bettina Eberspaecher, Joerg Hofmann, Fritz Grunow, Michael Mikhailov, Fabian Halleck, Eva Schrezenmeier
Summary: The immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in kidney transplant recipients is limited, and repeated vaccinations show a decrease in antibody levels over time with high interindividual variability. Different assays may produce divergent results, suggesting the need for repeated sampling and shorter vaccination intervals in these patients.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Kumar Jayant, Isabella Reccia, Piotr J. Bachul, Yaser Al-Salmay, Jordan S. Pyda, Mauro Podda, Angelica Perez-Gutierrez, Frank J. M. F. Dor, Yolanda Becker, Diego di Sabato, John LaMattina, Rolf Barth, John Fung, Piotr Witkowski
Summary: This study analyzed clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in hospitalized kidney transplant recipients, finding that common symptoms on admission included fever, cough, dyspnea, and gastrointestinal symptoms. The most prevalent comorbidities were hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cardiac disease. Mortality rate was high at 21% overall and increased to over 50% for patients in ICU or requiring invasive ventilation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Isabel Perez-Flores, Ignacio Juarez, Arianne S. Aiffil Meneses, Ana Lopez-Gomez, Natividad Calvo Romero, Beatriz Rodriguez-Cubillo, Maria Angeles Moreno de la Higuera, Belen Peix-Jimenez, Raquel Gonzalez-Garcia, Elvira Baos-Munoz, Ana Arribi Vilela, Manuel Gomez Del Moral, Eduardo Martinez-Naves, Ana Isabel Sanchez-Fructuoso
Summary: This study evaluated the specific cellular and humoral immune responses of kidney transplant recipients after receiving 3 doses of mRNA-1273 vaccine, and identified the main factors involved. The results showed that kidney transplant recipients had poor immune responses, and the degree of immunosuppression and kidney function were important factors affecting the immune response, with mTOR inhibitors in immunosuppressive therapy having a significant impact on humoral immune response.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Paulina Nazaruk, Marta Monticolo, Anna Maria Jedrzejczak, Natalia Krata, Barbara Moszczuk, Joanna Sanko-Resmer, Tomasz Pilecki, Arkadiusz Urbanowicz, Michal Florczak, Leszek Paczek, Bartosz Foroncewicz, Krzysztof Mucha
Summary: The study showed that transplant recipients had a higher humoral response to the BNT162b2 vaccine, with protective antibody levels of 57.1% in kidney transplant recipients and 88.9% in liver transplant recipients after the second dose. The antibody response post-vaccination was significantly associated with sex, age, and history of COVID-19.
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Nayara Panizo, Eliseo Albert, Elena Gimenez-Civera, Maria Jesus Puchades, Luis D'Marco, Lorena Gandia-Salmeron, Estela Gimenez, Ignacio Torre, Asuncion Sancho, Eva Gavela, Miguel Gonzalez-Rico, Marco Montomoli, Carmen Maria Perez-Baylach, Begona Bonilla, Camila Solano, Ma Fernanda Alvarado, Isidro Torregrosa, Maria Jesus Alcaraz, Jose Luis Gorriz, David Navarro
Summary: Most HD, PD, and ACKD patients develop SARS-CoV-2-S antibody responses comparable to that of healthy controls, unlike KT recipients. Antibody levels decline faster at 3 months in HD, PD, and ACKD patients. No differences in SARS-CoV-2 T-cell immunity responses were observed across study groups.
CLINICAL KIDNEY JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Manuela Rizzi, Stelvio Tonello, Cristiana Brinno, Erika Zecca, Erica Matino, Micol Cittone, Eleonora Rizzi, Giuseppe Francesco Casciaro, Davide D'Onghia, Donato Colangelo, Rosalba Minisini, Mattia Bellan, Luigi Mario Castello, Annalisa Chiocchetti, Mario Pirisi, Cristina Rigamonti, Daniele Lilleri, Federica Zavaglio, Federica Bergami, Daniele Sola, Pier Paolo Sainaghi
Summary: A significant number of immunocompromised patients did not develop detectable antibodies after receiving a full course of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The impact of various immunosuppressants on their risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection remains largely unknown.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Virology
Hanna Liimatainen, Lukas Weseslindtner, Robert Strassl, Stephan W. Aberle, Gregor Bond, Eeva Auvinen
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Konstantin Doberer, Johannes Klaeger, Guido A. Gualdoni, Katharina A. Mayer, Farsad Eskandary, Evan A. Farkash, Hermine Agis, Thomas Reiter, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Markus Wahrmann, Gerald Cohen, Helmuth Haslacher, Gregor Bond, Ingrid Simonitsch-Klupp, Philip F. Halloran, Georg A. Boehmig
Summary: The study highlights the potential of targeting CD38 for plasma cell and NK cell depletion in treating AMR. The use of daratumumab in a kidney allograft recipient with chronic active AMR led to significant improvements in immune cell counts, donor-specific antibody levels, and rejection-related gene expression patterns. This innovative treatment concept shows promise for future trials in organ transplantation research.
Article
Pediatrics
Phoebe Uhl, Andreas Heilos, Gregor Bond, Elias Meyer, Michael Boehm, Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Klaus Arbeiter, Thomas Mueller-Sacherer, Dagmar Csaicsich, Christoph Aufricht, Krisztina Rusai
Summary: TTV viral load is associated with the strength of immunosuppression in kidney-transplanted patients, making it a potential tool for monitoring IS in order to evaluate clinical outcomes.
PEDIATRIC NEPHROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Michael Eder, Nicolas Kozakowskiz, Haris Omic, Christof Aigner, Johannes Klager, Brian Perschl, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Gregor Bond, Georg A. Bohmig, Zeljko Kikic
Summary: Through studying patients with post-transplant IgAN, it was found that the deposition of C4d in glomeruli is an independent risk factor for decreased allograft survival. Assessment of glomerular C4d may provide a valuable prognostic risk assessment tool to identify high-risk patients in post-transplant IgAN.
JOURNAL OF NEPHROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Urology & Nephrology
Konstantin Doberer, Michael Duerr, Philip F. Halloran, Farsad Eskandary, Klemens Budde, Heinz Regele, Jeff Reeve, Anita Borski, Nicolas Kozakowski, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Johannes Waiser, Nils Lachmann, Sabine Schranz, Christa Firbas, Jakob Muehlbacher, Georg Gelbenegger, Thomas Perkmann, Markus Wahrmann, Alexander Kainz, Robin Ristl, Fabian Halleck, Gregor Bond, Edward Chong, Bernd Jilma, Georg A. Boehmig
Summary: This study was a phase 2 randomized trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of the anti-IL-6 antibody clazakizumab in late antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) post-transplantation. Results showed that patients receiving clazakizumab had decreased donor-specific antibodies and modulated rejection-related gene-expression patterns.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NEPHROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Konstantin Doberer, Frederik Haupenthal, Maja Nackenhorst, Florian Bauernfeind, Florentina Dermuth, Michael Eigenschink, Martin Schiemann, Johannes Klaeger, Irene Goerzer, Farsad Eskandary, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Zeljko Kikic, Georg Boehmig, Robert Strassl, Heinz Regele, Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Gregor Bond
Summary: This study demonstrates an association between TTV and subclinical graft rejection in kidney transplant recipients, with a TTV load <1 x 10(6) copies/mL suggesting suboptimal immunosuppression.
Article
Rheumatology
Paul Studenic, Gregor Bond, Andreas Kerschbaumer, Manuel Becede, Karel Pavelka, Dmitry Karateev, Jutta Stieger, Rudolf Puchner, Ruediger B. Mueller, Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Martina Durechova, Michaela Loiskandl, Thomas Perkmann, Martina Olejarova, Elena Luchikhina, Carl-Walter Steiner, Michael Bonelli, Josef S. Smolen, Daniel Aletaha
Summary: The study found that TTV levels increase and are associated with clinical response in RA patients who fail to respond to MTX and receive bDMARDs treatment.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Andreas Heinzel, Manuel Mayrdorfer, Rhea Jabbour, Thomas M. Hofbauer, Anne Merrelaar, Michael Eder, Florina Regele, Konstantin Doberer, Paul Spechtl, Constantin Aschauer, Maximilian Koblischke, Christopher Paschen, Farsad Eskandary, Karin Hu, Barbara Ohler, Arshdeep Bhandal, Sabine Kleibenbock, Rahel Jagoditsch, Bianca Reiskopf, Florian Heger, Gregor Bond, Georg A. Bohmig, Robert Strassl, Lukas Weseslindtner, Alexander Indra, Judith H. Aberle, Michael Binder, Rainer Oberbauer
Summary: Less than 50% of kidney transplant recipients developed antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein after 2 doses of an mRNA vaccine. A third dose of either mRNA or vector vaccine increased antibody response in 39% of KTRs without prior immune response, but neutralizing antibodies and T-cell response remained low. Triple immunosuppression, longer time after transplant, and torque teno virus plasma levels were associated with vaccine response. Local pain was higher with mRNA vaccine, but systemic symptoms were similar between groups.
JAMA INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Haris Omic, Johannes Phillip Klaeger, Harald Herkner, Stephan W. Aberle, Heinz Regele, Lukas Weseslindtner, Tarek Arno Schrag, Gregor Bond, Katharina Hohenstein, Bruno Watschinger, Johannes Werzowa, Robert Strassl, Michael Eder, Zeljko Kikic
Summary: This study shows that the decrease in absolute BK viral load is an independent risk factor for graft loss, indicating its importance in predicting short-term graft survival.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Frederik Haupenthal, Johannes Klaeger, Florian Bauernfeind, Andreas Heinzel, Konstantin Doberer, Katharina Mayer, Luis Naar, Michael Eigenschink, Karin Hu, Heinz Regele, Thomas Szekeres, Gabriela Berlakovich, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Gregor Bond
Summary: This study examined the association between pretransplant kidney biopsy results and donor urinary protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR). The findings suggest that donor UPCR is positively correlated with chronic lesions in the transplanted kidney, indicating a potential relationship between donor proteinuria and organ quality.
Review
Immunology
Peter Jaksch, Irene Goerzer, Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Gregor Bond
Summary: Potent immunosuppressive drugs are important in clinical care for organ transplant recipients. It is now necessary to optimize their efficacy through individual-level guidance. Recent advancements in tools for assessing immune function have led to the proposal of using the plasma load of a non-pathogenic virus, torque teno virus (TTV), as a measure of immune function. Although this approach has not been widely implemented, ongoing trials are testing the safety and efficacy of TTV-guided immunosuppression.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Anita Borski, Alexander Kainz, Nicolas Kozakowski, Heinz Regele, Johannes Klaeger, Robert Strassl, Gottfried Fischer, Ingrid Fae, Sabine Wenda, Zeljko Kikic, Gregor Bond, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Katharina A. Mayer, Michael Eder, Markus Wahrmann, Susanne Haindl, Konstantin Doberer, Georg A. Boehmig, Farsad Eskandary
Summary: Late antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) after kidney transplantation is a major cause of long-term allograft loss. This study evaluated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) slope as a surrogate marker for future allograft loss in clinical trials addressing late ABMR. It found that a decline in eGFR over time significantly increased the risk of allograft failure.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Virology
Irene Goerzer, Frederik Haupenthal, Fabrizio Maggi, Fanny Gelas, Dorian Kulifaj, Ludovic Brossault, Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stoeckl, Gregor Bond
Summary: This study demonstrates that quantification of TTV load using a commercial PCR can be used to predict the risk of graft rejection and infection post kidney transplantation. The commercial PCR showed a high correlation with the in-house PCR, but there was a slight difference in results. The results showed that for every 1 log10 increase in TTV load, the risk of graft rejection decreased by 25% and the risk of infection increased by 6%. Therefore, quantification of TTV load using a commercial PCR is of significant value for risk stratification of graft rejection and infection in the first year post kidney transplantation.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL VIROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Transplantation
Blanka Mezo, Roman Reindl-Schwaighofer, Farsad Eskandary, Andreas Heinzel, Markus Wahrmann, Konstantin Doberer, Andreas Heilos, Gregor Bond, Johannes Klaeger, Nicolas Kozakowski, Helmuth Haslacher, Rainer Oberbauer, Ondrej Viklicky, Petra Hruba, Philip F. Halloran, Krisztina Rusai, Zoltan Prohaszka, Georg A. Boehmig
TRANSPLANTATION DIRECT
(2020)