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Palmisano A, D'Angelo M, Gandolfini I, Delsante M, Rossi GM, Gentile M, Fiaccadori E, Cravedi P, Maggiore U. Borderline rejection: To treat or not to treat? Transpl Immunol 2024; 84:102047. [PMID: 38641147 DOI: 10.1016/j.trim.2024.102047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 04/16/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/21/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION It is unclear whether kidney transplant recipients with a biopsy diagnosis as a "borderline" acute T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR) requires the treatment with intravenous (iv) steroids pulse plus/minus intensification of the maintenance therapy (TRT) in comparison with the simple clinical follow-up (F-UP). METHODS We retrospectively followed a consecutive series of kidney transplant recipients diagnosed with a borderline acute TCMR at biopsy by surveillance or clinical indication for 12 months and compared TRT and F-UP groups. We evaluated trends in renal function by measuring estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using multiple regression models. Repeated eGFR measures (REML) were adjusted for potential confounding factors for 12 months. The difference in 12-month eGFR values were observed in the TRT vs F-UP groups, type of biopsy, as well as the surveillance vs. clinical outcomes. RESULTS Out of 59 included patients, 37% of them were in the TRT group and remaining 63% in the F-UP group. As expected, the TRT group had, at the time of biopsy, lower eGFR value of 39.0 ml/min/m2 [16.5] in comparison to 49.6 [19.6] ml/min/m2 in the F-UP group (P = 0.043), Similarly, the TRT group required more frequent clinical biopsies vs. F-UP group (68% vs. 32%; P = 0.014). However, the TRT group recovered kidney function reaching the eGFR values of the F-UP group at 12 months; the increase being significant only in patients who received indication biopsies (P < 0.001). The estimated adjusted TRT effect on 12-month eGFR change after indication biopsy was improved by +15.8 ml/min/1.73m2 (95%CI: +0.1 to +31.4 ml/min/1.73 m2; P = 0.048 by three-way interaction term) compared to the F-UP group. CONCLUSION Our preliminary study supports the indication for the treatment of acute borderline TCMR only in cases with biopsies performed by clinical indication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Palmisano
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marta D'Angelo
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Ilaria Gandolfini
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Marco Delsante
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maria Rossi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Micaela Gentile
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Enrico Fiaccadori
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Paolo Cravedi
- Translational Transplant Research Center and Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Umberto Maggiore
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; Nephrology Unit, University Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy.
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Hirt-Minkowski P, Handschin J, Stampf S, Hopfer H, Menter T, Senn L, Hönger G, Wehmeier C, Amico P, Steiger J, Koller M, Dickenmann M, Schaub S. Randomized Trial to Assess the Clinical Utility of Renal Allograft Monitoring by Urine CXCL10 Chemokine. J Am Soc Nephrol 2023; 34:1456-1469. [PMID: 37228005 PMCID: PMC10400101 DOI: 10.1681/asn.0000000000000160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT This study is the first randomized controlled trial to investigate the clinical utility of a noninvasive monitoring biomarker in renal transplantation. Although urine CXCL10 monitoring could not demonstrate a beneficial effect on 1-year outcomes, the study is a rich source for future design of trials aiming to explore the clinical utility of noninvasive biomarkers. In addition, the study supports the use of urine CXCL10 to assess the inflammatory status of the renal allograft. BACKGROUND Urine CXCL10 is a promising noninvasive biomarker for detection of renal allograft rejection. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical utility of renal allograft monitoring by urine CXCL10 in a randomized trial. METHODS We stratified 241 patients, 120 into an intervention and 121 into a control arm. In both arms, urine CXCL10 levels were monitored at three specific time points (1, 3, and 6 months post-transplant). In the intervention arm, elevated values triggered performance of an allograft biopsy with therapeutic adaptations according to the result. In the control arm, urine CXCL10 was measured, but the results concealed. The primary outcome was a combined end point at 1-year post-transplant (death-censored graft loss, clinical rejection between month 1 and 1-year, acute rejection in 1-year surveillance biopsy, chronic active T-cell-mediated rejection in 1-year surveillance biopsy, development of de novo donor-specific HLA antibodies, or eGFR <25 ml/min). RESULTS The incidence of the primary outcome was not different between the intervention and the control arm (51% versus 49%; relative risk (RR), 1.04 [95% confidence interval, 0.81 to 1.34]; P = 0.80). When including 175 of 241 (73%) patients in a per-protocol analysis, the incidence of the primary outcome was also not different (55% versus 49%; RR, 1.11 [95% confidence interval, 0.84 to 1.47]; P = 0.54). The incidence of the individual end points was not different as well. CONCLUSIONS This study could not demonstrate a beneficial effect of urine CXCL10 monitoring on 1-year outcomes (ClinicalTrials.gov_ NCT03140514 ).
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Hirt-Minkowski
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Joelle Handschin
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Susanne Stampf
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Helmut Hopfer
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Menter
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lisa Senn
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Gideon Hönger
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- HLA-Diagnostics and Immunogenetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Wehmeier
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Patrizia Amico
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Jürg Steiger
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Koller
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Michael Dickenmann
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Schaub
- Clinic for Transplantation Immunology and Nephrology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Molecular Immune Regulation, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- HLA-Diagnostics and Immunogenetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Cherukuri A, Abou-Daya KI, Chowdhury R, Mehta RB, Hariharan S, Randhawa P, Rothstein DM. Transitional B cell cytokines risk stratify early borderline rejection after renal transplantation. Kidney Int 2023; 103:749-761. [PMID: 36436679 PMCID: PMC10038876 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.10.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Borderline rejection (BL) in renal transplantation is associated with decreased allograft survival, yet many patients with BL maintain stable graft function. Identifying patients with early BL at risk for shortened allograft survival would allow for timely targeted therapeutic intervention aimed at improving outcomes. 851/1187 patients transplanted between 2013-18 underwent early biopsy (0-4 mos). 217/851 (25%) had BL and were compared to 387/851 without significant inflammation (NI). Serial surveillance and for-cause biopsies and seven-year follow-up were used to evaluate histological and clinical progression. To identify high-risk patients, we examined clinical/histological parameters using regression and non-linear dimensionality reduction (tSNE) and a biomarker based on peripheral blood transitional-1 B cell (T1B) IL-10/TNFα ratio. Compared to NI, early BL was associated with increased progression to late acute rejection (AR; 5-12 mos), premature interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) and decreased seven-year graft survival. However, decreased graft survival was limited to BL patients who progressed to late AR or IFTA, and was not influenced by treatment. Although tSNE clustered patients into groups based on clinical factors, the ability of these factors to risk stratify BL patients was modest. In contrast, a low T1B IL-10/TNFα ratio at 3 months identified BL patients at high risk for progression to AR (ROC AUC 0.87) and poor 7-yr graft survival (52% vs. 92%, p=0.003), while BL patients with a high ratio had similar graft survival to patients with NI (91%, p=NS). Thus, progressive early allograft inflammation manifested as BL that progresses to late AR in the first post-transplant year represents a high-risk clinical state for poor allograft outcomes. Such high-risk status can be predicted by the T1B IL-10/TNFα ratio before irreversible scarring sets in, thus allowing timely risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravind Cherukuri
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Renal and Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
| | - Khodor I Abou-Daya
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Raad Chowdhury
- Renal and Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Rajil B Mehta
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Renal and Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Sundaram Hariharan
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Renal and Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Parmjeet Randhawa
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Division of Transplantation Pathology, Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David M Rothstein
- Thomas E. Starzl Transplantation Institute, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Renal and Electrolyte Division, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Department of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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Hernández D, Vázquez-Sánchez T, Sola E, Lopez V, Ruiz-Esteban P, Caballero A, Salido E, Leon M, Rodriguez A, Serra N, Rodriguez C, Facundo C, Perello M, Silva I, Marrero-Miranda D, Cidraque I, Moreso F, Guirado L, Serón D, Torres A. Treatment of early borderline lesions in low immunological risk kidney transplant patients: a Spanish multicenter, randomized, controlled parallel-group study protocol: the TRAINING study. BMC Nephrol 2022; 23:357. [PMCID: PMC9639260 DOI: 10.1186/s12882-022-02989-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Subclinical inflammation, including borderline lesions (BL), is very common (30–40%) after kidney transplantation (KT), even in low immunological risk patients, and can lead to interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IFTA) and worsening of renal function with graft loss. Few controlled studies have analyzed the therapeutic benefit of treating these BL on renal function and graft histology. Furthermore, these studies have only used bolus steroids, which may be insufficient to slow the progression of these lesions. Klotho, a transmembrane protein produced mainly in the kidney with antifibrotic properties, plays a crucial role in the senescence-inflammation binomial of kidney tissue. Systemic and local inflammation decrease renal tissue expression and soluble levels of α-klotho. It is therefore important to determine whether treatment of BL prevents a decrease in α-klotho levels, progression of IFTA, and loss of kidney function.
Methods
The TRAINING study will randomize 80 patients with low immunological risk who will receive their first KT. The aim of the study is to determine whether the treatment of early BL (3rd month post-KT) with polyclonal rabbit antithymocyte globulin (Grafalon®) (6 mg/kg/day) prevents or decreases the progression of IFTA and the worsening of graft function compared to conventional therapy after two years post-KT, as well as to analyze whether treatment of BL with Grafalon® can modify the expression and levels of klotho, as well as the pro-inflammatory cytokines that regulate its expression.
Discussion
This phase IV investigator-driven, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial will examine the efficacy and safety of Grafalon® treatment in low-immunological-risk KT patients with early BL.
Trial registration
clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04936282. Registered June 23, 2021, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04936282?term=NCT04936282&draw=2&rank=1. Protocol Version 2 of 21 January 2022. Sponsor: Canary Isles Institute for Health Research Foundation, Canary Isles (FIISC). mgomez@fciisc.org.
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