Pre-aortic left renal vein compression syndrome (Magoss and Walshe syndrome).

A case of a pre-aortic left renal vein compression by the aorta is reported. The clinical presentation was characterized by the left flank pain varying with body body position. Renal venography was crucial for the diagnosis of this lesion. The left renal vein was successfully decompressed by ovarian vein-vena cava shunt surgery. The patient's left flank pain subsided after the surgery. This is the first reported case of a left renal vein compression syndrome by the aorta following the nephrotic syndrome.

Circulating immune complexes after kidney transplantation.

Sera from patients who had received renal allografts were studied for the presence of circulating immune complexes by using platelet aggregation technique combined with density gradient centrifugation. A simple and highly reproducible modification of the platelet aggregation technique, employing the use of relatively small amounts of blood from pretested donors as the source for platelets, is described. Immune complexes were detected in post-transplantation sera from 3 out of 16 patients. The development of a persistent immune complex state as a consequence of grafting was concluded in one patient.

Studies on heterophile antibodies in transplantation sera.

By means of double diffusion in gel reactions, "heterophile" antibodies were demonstrated in human renal transplantation sera. Of thirty-two recipients of renal allografts, 12 (37 per cent) had antibodies to extract of bovine erythrocyte stromata, and 5 (19 per cent) of 26 recipients produced antibodies to extract of sheep erythrocyte stromata. These antibodies became detectable 1-6 months after transplantation and persisted for several months or years. However, the strength of reactions given by individual serum samples from the same recipient varied considerably. Sera from the same recipient gave a reaction of identify, while sera from two different recipients frequently gave reactions of partial identity or nonidentity. The antibodies reacting with bovine stroma extract were distinct from those reacting with sheep stroma extract. Evidence was also presented that the heterophile antibodies in transplantation sera are different from Paul-Bunnell antibodies in infectious mononucleosis sera. Some of the HL-A typing sera were shown to contain antibodies against bovine stroma extract. The antigen recognized by these sera in the bovine stroma extract was not related to any HL-A specificity. Three of eight rabbits which received skin and renal allografts formed antibodies against bovine stroma extract. Absorption studies clearly demonstrated that these antibodies are directed against antigens present in the donor's, but not in the recipient's tissues.