Proinsulinemia in Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney Transplant Recipients

First World Consensus Conference on pancreas transplantation: Part II - recommendations

The First World Consensus Conference on Pancreas Transplantation provided 49 jury deliberations regarding the impact of pancreas transplantation on the treatment of diabetic patients, and 110 experts' recommendations for the practice of pancreas transplantation. The main message from this consensus conference is that both simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation (SPK) and pancreas transplantation alone can improve long-term patient survival, and all types of pancreas transplantation dramatically improve the quality of life of recipients. Pancreas transplantation may also improve the course of chronic complications of diabetes, depending on their severity. Therefore, the advantages of pancreas transplantation appear to clearly surpass potential disadvantages. Pancreas after kidney transplantation increases the risk of mortality only in the early period after transplantation, but is associated with improved life expectancy thereafter. Additionally, preemptive SPK, when compared to SPK performed in patients undergoing dialysis, appears to be associated with improved outcomes. Time on dialysis has negative prognostic implications in SPK recipients. Increased long-term survival, improvement in the course of diabetic complications, and amelioration of quality of life justify preferential allocation of kidney grafts to SPK recipients. Audience discussions and live voting are available online at the following URL address: http://mediaeventi.unipi.it/category/1st-world-consensus-conference-of-pancreas-transplantation/246.

A comparison of long-term outcomes of portal versus systemic venous drainage in pancreatic transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pancreas transplantation venous effluent can be drained via the portal vein or the systemic circulation; however, no recommendation exists for the ideal technique. A systematic review of the literature from 1989 through 2014 using PubMed, CINHAL, and Cochrane Library for portal versus systemic venous drainage was undertaken. Only studies on humans and published in English were considered. Measures of glycemic control and total cholesterol were synthesized for meta-analysis utilizing random-effects models. Of 166 articles retrieved, 15 articles were included for meta-analysis. Patient and graft survival were comparable in a large database study as well as in the only randomized control study. No differences in complications were seen when exocrine drainage was enteric for the systemic venous group. Fasting insulin (-34.13 pmol/mL, p < 0.001) was significantly lower within the portal drained group; however, fasting blood glucose levels (-3.4 mg/dL, p = 0.32) and hemoglobin A1C levels (mean difference 0.124%, p = 0.25) were comparable. Total cholesterol levels (-3.62 mg/dL, p = 0.447), as well as other measures of lipids, showed no difference. Based on this systematic review and meta-analysis, there is no evidence of differences in outcomes or metabolic control in patients undergoing pancreatic transplant with portal venous drainage compared to the systemic venous drainage.

Evolution of β-Cell Replacement Therapy in Diabetes Mellitus: Pancreas Transplantation

Diabetes mellitus remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 23.6 million people in the United States are affected. Of these individuals, 5-10% have been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (TIDM), an autoimmune disease. Although it often appears in childhood, T1DM may manifest at any age. The effects of T1DM can be devastating, as the disease often leads to significant secondary complications, morbidity, and decreased quality of life. Since the late 1960s, surgical treatment for diabetes mellitus has continued to evolve and has become a viable alternative to chronic insulin administration. In this review, the historical evolution, current status, graft efficacy, benefits, and complications of pancreas transplantation are explored.

{beta}-Cell secretory capacity and demand in recipients of islet, pancreas, and kidney transplants

CONTEXT

beta-Cell secretory capacity, a measure of functional beta-cell mass, is often impaired in islet transplant recipients, likely because of a low engrafted beta-cell mass, although calcineurin inhibitor toxicity is often cited as the explanation.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to determine whether use of the calcineurin inhibitor tacrolimus was associated with reduced beta-cell secretory capacity or with increased beta-cell secretory demand independent of engrafted islet mass.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

We compared metabolic measures in five intraportal islet recipients vs. 10 normal controls and in seven portally-drained pancreas-kidney and eight nondiabetic kidney recipients vs. nine kidney donor controls. All transplant groups received comparable exposure to tacrolimus, and each transplant group was matched for kidney function to its respective control group.

INTERVENTION AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

All participants underwent glucose-potentiated arginine testing where acute insulin responses to arginine (5 g) were determined under fasting (AIR(arg)), 230 mg/dl (AIR(pot)), and 340 mg/dl (AIR(max)) clamp conditions, and AIR(max) gives the beta-cell secretory capacity. Insulin sensitivity (M/I) and proinsulin secretory ratios (PISRs) were assessed to determine whether tacrolimus increased beta-cell secretory demand.

RESULTS

Insulin responses were significantly lower than normal in the islet group for AIR(arg) (P < 0.05), AIR(pot) (P < 0.01), and AIR(max) (P < 0.01), whereas responses in the pancreas-kidney and kidney transplant groups were not different than in the kidney donor group. M/I and PISRs were not different in any of the transplant vs. control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Impaired beta-cell secretory capacity in islet transplantation is best explained by a low engrafted beta-cell mass and not by a deleterious effect of tacrolimus.

Effects of portal versus systemic venous drainage in pancreas and kidney-pancreas transplantation

We performed a retrospective analysis to compare pancreas transplantation with systemic-enteric drainage (SE) or portal-enteric drainage (PE).

METHODS

We reviewed 38 consecutive pancreas transplants including 31 simultaneous kidney-pancreas (SKP) and 7 pancreas after kidney (PAK), using either systemic (n = 18) or portal (n = 20) venous drainage. Demographic, clinical, and immunologic variables were similar for both groups.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in patient, kidney, or pancreas allograft survival rates after a mean follow-up of 23 months (range 1-60). The mean length of hospital stay within 3 months was 34 days among the SE group versus 20 days in the PE group (P = ns). The incidences of intraabdominal infection, early relaparotomy, and acute rejection episodes were not different between groups. The blood pressure levels were similar among the SE and PE groups. There was no significant difference in creatinine, or fasting glucose, C-peptide, cholesterol, or triglyceride levels or homeostatic model assessment (HOMA) beta cell, HOMA-S, and HOMA-IR index. HbA1c was lower at 6 and 12 months in the PE group (P < .05). Mean prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil doses as well as tacrolimus levels were identical for both groups.

CONCLUSION

The results suggested sustained long-term endocrine function in both groups, showing that in the short term, portal venous drainage did not offer major metabolic or immunologic advantages compared with systemic delivery of insulin.