Results of Questionnaire Survey of Current Immune Monitoring Practice of Transplant Clinicians and Clinical Pathologists in Korea: Basis for Establishment of Harmonized Immune Monitoring Guidelines / 대한이식학회지

Detection of significant alloimmune response, which affects graft function and survival by effective immune monitoring, is critical for treatment decision making. However, there is no consensus regarding immune monitoring (IM) for kidney transplantation (flow KT) in Korea. The IM protocol may be affected by the level of immunological risk, the methods of desensitization and the availabilities of resources such as laboratory support and cost of tests. Questionnaire surveys designed to identify the current practices regarding immune monitoring of KT among transplant clinicians and clinical pathologists in Korea and eventually provide a basis for the establishment of harmonized immune monitoring guidelines in KT were administered as part of a Korean Society for Transplantation Sponsored Research Project. The survey results revealed significant variations in IM protocols and interpretation of tests affecting treatment decisions between institutes. Moreover, the results revealed a need to expand the histocompatibility tests into high resolution HLA typing in multiple loci and non-HLA antibody tests that facilitate the epitope analysis and eventually virtual crossmatching. The results of the questionnaire survey from clinical pathologists are addressing the urgent need for the standardization of interpretation and harmonization of results reporting in single antigen bead based HLA antibody identification. Finally, communication between clinicians and clinical pathologists to meet the clinical expectations regarding various immune monitoring tests is needed.

Usefulness of anti-PF4/heparin antibody test for intensive care unit patients with thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: It is critical to differentiate heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) from disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in heparinized intensive care unit (ICU) patients with thrombocytopenia because the therapeutic approach differs based on the cause. We investigated the usefulness of PF4/heparin antibody tests in these patients. METHODS: A total of 127 heparinized ICU patients whose platelet counts were 50% after 5-10 days of heparin therapy were enrolled. PF4/heparin antibodies were measured using 2 immunoassays. We assessed the probability of HIT by using Warkentin's 4T's scoring system for antibody positive patients and compared routinely performed coagulation test results between patients with and without antibodies to evaluate the ability of these tests to discriminate between HIT and DIC. RESULTS: Positive results were obtained for 14 (11.0%) and 11 (8.7%) patients in the 2 assays. The analysis performed using the 4T's scoring system revealed that 11 of 20 (15.7%) patients with antibodies in at least 1 assay had intermediate or greater probability of HIT. Patients without antibodies had significantly higher levels of D-dimer than those with antibodies. However, there were no intergroup differences in platelet counts, PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, DIC score, and rate of overt DIC. CONCLUSION: Seropositivity for PF4/heparin antibody was 8.7-11.0% in the patients with thrombocytopenia, and more than a half of them had an increased probability of HIT. Among the routine coagulation tests, only D-dimer was informative for differentiating HIT from DIC. PF4/heparin antibody test is useful to ensure appropriate treatment for thrombocytopenic heparinized ICU patients.

Lupus Cystitis and Azathioprine-iIduced Pure Red Cell Aplasia in a Patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus / 대한신장학회지

We report a case of lupus cystitis as the manifestation of lupus flare, and pure red cell aplasia resulting from the use of azathioprine in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A 30-year-old female with a nine-year history of SLE was admitted to our hospital with complaint of anemia and azotemia. Eighteen and three months before, she had two episodes of lupus enteritis treated with high dose steroid. She had serologic evidence of an SLE flare at admission. Abdominal computed tomography revealed bilateral hydronephrosis and hydroureter with marked diffuse thickening of the urinary bladder wall, suggesting lupus cystitis. Treatment with corticosteroid led to prompt normalization of her renal function. Use of azathioprine may lead to severe anemia. The bone marrow examination revealed a decrease of erythropoiesis, suggesting pure red cell aplasia. Serologic tests for hepatitis B and parvovirus B19 were negative. There was immediate hemoglobin recovery after complete azathioprine discontinuation.

Effectiveness of Plasmapheresis as a Liver Support for Graft Dysfunction Following Adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation / 대한이식학회지

BACKGROUND: Severe graft dysfunction has been occasionally encountered following adult living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). This study intended to assess the effectiveness of plasmapheresis (PP) as a liver supportive measure in LDLT recipients showing severe graft dysfunction. METHODS: During 1 year of 2007, 276 adult LDLTs were performed in our institution. Of them 27 underwent PP therapy as a liver support. RESULTS: Seventeen underwent PP during the first month following LDLT and another 10 underwent PP after that period. The underlying causes of such liver support were acute and chronic rejections, ischemic damage, viral hepatitis recurrence and unknown causes. A total of 329 sessions of PP were performed for these 27 patients, indicating 12.2+/-9.9 times per patient for 28.1+/-32.2 days. Concurrent hemodiafiltration was done in 66.7%. Serum total bilirubin level was significantly reduced following PP therapy: 23.2+/-6.5 mg/dL before PP and 14.4+/-5.6 mg/dL at 1 week after completion of PP (P<0.001). Other biochemical parameters did not significantly affected by PP. Overall 1-year patient survival rate was 63.0%. Six-month graft survival rate after completion of PP was 82.6% in 17 patients undergoing PP during the first posttransplant month and 30% in 10 patients undergoing PP after 1 month (P= 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study implicate that PP has a beneficial effect on the recovery of liver graft function, especially during the early posttransplant period. We suggest to perform active application of PP therapy for liver recipients showing severe graft dysfunction of total bilirubin greater than 15~20 mg/dL.

Comparison of Anti-mutated Citrullinated Vimentin with Anti-cyclic Citrullinated Peptide and Rheumatoid Factors for the Diagnostic Value of Rheumatoid Arthritis / 대한류마티스학회지

OBJECTIVE: Serologic support is important for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) has relatively low sensitivity despite of high specificity for the diagnosis of RA. Anti-mutated citrullinated vimentin (anti-MCV) is an indirect solid phase enzyme immunoassay for the quantitative measeurement of IgG class autoantibodies against MCV, a novel serologic marker for an aid in the diagnosis of RA. We investigated a diagnostic value of anti-MCV in comparison with those of anti-CCP, and rheumatoid factors (IgM, IgG, and IgA RFs) in RA patients. METHODS: Cohorts of 48 patients with RA and 50 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) were enrolled. All patients underwent standard examinations, including anti-MCV, anti-CCP, IgM RF, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reactive protein (CRP). We measured IgG RF and IgA RF titers in 21 RA and 50 OA patients. The sensitivities and specificities of anti-MCV, anti-CCP, RFs were determined. Correlations with these markers, ESR and CRP were analyzed. RESULTS: The sensitivity of anti-MCV, anti-CCP, and IgM RF were 89.6%, 89.6%, and 77.1%, respectively. The specificities of them were 96.0%, 96.0%, and 88%, respectively. Combination of two tests such as anti-MCV or anti-CCP positivity increased the sensitivity up to 93.8%. None of these markers showed significant correlation with ESR and CRP. Anti-MCV correlated with anti-CCP (r=0.596, p<0.01) and IgM RF (r=0.301, p=0.038). CONCLUSION: Anti-MCV and anti-CCP showed high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of RA. Combination of these markers increased the sensitivity without significant decrease in the specificity, suggesting they may be promising serologic markers for RA.