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J Infect Chemother 2019 Jan 22. Epub 2019 Jan 22.

Division of Infection Control and Prevention, Osaka University Hospital, Osaka, Japan.

Exophiala dermatitidis is a dematiaceous fungus that is increasingly becoming the cause of fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. However, the risk factors and optimal treatment modality for E. dermatitidis infection are unknown to date. Read More

Ann Transplant 2018 Dec 27;23:879-887. Epub 2018 Dec 27.

Institute of Urology, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (mainland).

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of laparoscopic combined para-orthotopic pancreas and orthotopic kidney transplantation in a pig model. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twelve white female pigs, (4-5 months old, weight range 40-45 kg) were used as donors and recipients, and 6 laparoscopic-combined pancreas and kidney transplantations were performed. After bilateral nephrectomy, the pancreatic artery and vein were anastomosed to the right renal artery and vein, respectively, and the pancreatic fluid was diverted to the duodenum or jejunum. Read More

Transplant Proc 2018 Dec 7;50(10):3783-3788. Epub 2018 Sep 7.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. Electronic address:

Pulmonary complications following solid organ transplantation are common and often infectious in nature. Articles describing noninfectious pulmonary complications overwhelmingly rely on clinical and radiographic data. There are a limited number of studies with companion histology delineating the clinical diagnoses of pulmonary complications. Read More

Virchows Arch 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Ave. N, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA.

Reconstitution of hepatocytes by hematopoietic stem cells-a phenomenon which occurs in rodents under highly selective conditions-results from infrequent fusion between incoming myelomonocytes and host hepatocytes, with subsequent proliferation. Human hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients have been little studied, with some support for transdifferentiation (direct differentiation). We studied routinely obtained autopsy liver tissue of four female hematopoietic cell transplant recipients with male donors, using a highly specific conjoint immunohistochemistry in situ hybridization light microscopic technique. Read More

Pediatr Transplant 2019 02 25;23(1):e13311. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Department of Surgery, Hospital Nacional de Pediatría Dr. Prof. JP Garrahan, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Cancer is a major adverse outcome of solid organ transplantation, and risks are especially high for malignancies caused by viral infections. HHV-8 is the etiologic agent of Kaposi´s sarcoma (KS). We report a case of visceral KS occurring in a 15-year-old patient after lung transplantation. Read More

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2018 Nov;77(11):1001-1004

Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Granulomatous amebic encephalitis is a rare necrotizing infection of the CNS that occurs most commonly in immunocompromised individuals and is usually fatal. It is difficult to diagnose as the clinical symptoms and radiographic findings are often mistaken for other bacterial, viral, fungal, or protozoan infections. Herein, we present the case of a 69-year-old heart transplant recipient who suffered fulminant neurological decline ∼5 months after transplant. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2018 Sep 9;24(9):1861-1865. Epub 2018 Jun 9.

Division of Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina.

Autopsy may confirm clinical diagnoses or identify conditions that were not suspected prior to a patient's death. Previous studies evaluating the utility of autopsy in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients yielded conflicting results. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (<18 years of age) undergoing allogeneic HSCT at Duke University who died of any cause between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2016. Read More

Autops Case Rep 2017 Oct-Dec;7(4):37-41. Epub 2017 Dec 8.

St. John Hospital and Medical Center, Department of Pathology. Detroit, MI, USA.

Disseminated toxoplasmosis is a life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. Infection is contracted from handling contaminated soil, cat litter, or through the consumption of contaminated water or food. It is the third most common lethal foodborne infection in the United States. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2018 03 16;24(3):571-580. Epub 2017 Nov 16.

Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Electronic address:

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an increasingly used treatment for hematologic malignancies as well as for nonmalignant diseases. Kidney impairment remains an important early and late post-transplantation complication. Although numerous histopathological changes have been reported, the pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. Read More

Mycopathologia 2018 Apr 11;183(2):423-429. Epub 2017 Nov 11.

Department of Medical Microbiology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and Motol University Hospital, V Uvalu 84, 15006, Prague 5, Czech Republic.

Invasive fungal disease represents one of the severe complications in haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. We describe a case of a patient treated for relapse of chronic lymphoblastic leukaemia 6 years after HSCT. The patient was treated for invasive pulmonary aspergillosis but died 3 months later from multiple organ failures consisting of haemorrhagic necrotizing fungal pneumonia, refractory chronic hepatic graft versus host disease and cytomegalovirus hepatitis. Read More

Transpl Immunol 2018 04 31;47:49-54. Epub 2017 Oct 31.

University of Pennsylvania, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, United States. Electronic address:

Accelerated rejection is uncommon after cardiac transplantation. The mechanism is hypothesized to be mediated by cytotoxic T cells and anti-HLA antibodies resulting from a memory response to the donor allograft in sensitized patients. A role for Natural Killer (NK) cell in cellular rejection has also been suggested. Read More

Autops Case Rep 2017 Jul-Sep;7(3):7-12. Epub 2017 Sep 30.

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Armed Forces Medical College, Department of Pathology. Pune, Maharashtra, India.

Miliary tuberculosis is a lethal form of disseminated tuberculosis (TB), deriving its name from the millet-seed-sized granulomas in multiple organs. As TB still remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in India, its disseminated forms need to be diagnosed early to ensure more aggressive treatment at the earliest possible time. However, a considerable number of cases are missed ante-mortem. Read More

J Heart Lung Transplant 2017 Dec 14;36(12):1329-1335. Epub 2017 Sep 14.

Department of Medicine, The University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Background: In the past decade, C4d has emerged as a potential marker for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR); however, evidence on its use as a prognostic tool has been controversial. Although the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation guideline recommends early routine surveillance of C4d in heart transplantation, there is no consensus on its value in the pathologic assessment of AMR. Herein we present a correlation analysis of C4d immunoreactivity in endomyocardial biopsies with clinical cardiac dysfunction, cellular rejection, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) status, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) and death. Read More

Indian Pediatr 2017 Sep;54(9):765-770

Departments of Pediatrics (Hematology-Oncology Division), *Histopathology and Radiodiagnosis; PGIMER, Chandigarh, India. Correspondence to: Dr Kirti Gupta, Professor, Department of Histopathology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. India.

Veno-occlusive disease of the liver is mostly encountered as a complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with myeloablative regimens with an incidence estimated to be 13.7%. It is clinically characterized by tender hepatomegaly, jaundice, weight gain and ascites. Read More

Transplant Proc 2017 Sep;49(7):1578-1582

Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA. Electronic address:

Kidney transplant recipients are at a high risk for developing malignancies with dermatologic cancers and lymphomas making up the bulk of these. Leukemia is rare in this cohort of patients. Kidney infiltration by leukemic cells is seen in about 34% of native kidneys based on autopsy studies. Read More

Surg Today 2018 Jan 8;48(1):101-109. Epub 2017 Jul 8.

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.

Purpose: Few studies have investigated pulmonary endothelial chimerism after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In the present study, we investigated pulmonary endothelial chimerism using the ABH histo-blood group antigen as an identifying marker in cases of ABO-incompatible hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Methods: Sixteen lung samples were analyzed. Read More

J Infect Chemother 2017 Aug 22;23(8):531-537. Epub 2017 Jun 22.

Department of Pathology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan.

Background: With the improvements in immunosuppressive agents and graft survival, infections such as mycoses have become major complications after solid organ transplantation (SOT).

Methods: Our group has continuously updated an epidemiological database of visceral mycoses (VM) among autopsy cases in Japan since 1989. Data on infectious agents and clinical information were complied using similar procedures. Read More

Case Rep Med 2017 4;2017:3919635. Epub 2017 May 4.

Department of Nephrology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.

Urachal carcinoma is an extremely rare malignant tumor arising from the urachus in the fetus. We report a patient who developed urachal carcinoma 18 years after kidney transplantation. A 59-year-old man was admitted because of abdominal pain and massive ascites. Read More

Pediatr Transplant 2017 Aug 14;21(5). Epub 2017 May 14.

Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.

Eosinophilia has been rarely reported in pediatric heart transplant recipients and has been suggested to play a role in graft rejection. We report a case of a young female patient with peripheral blood eosinophilia who died suddenly 2 years following ABO-incompatible heart transplantation. She was found at autopsy to have myocardial infiltration of not only T-lymphocytes and macrophages expected in acute cellular rejection but also of eosinophils, B-lymphocytes, and plasma cells indicating myocarditis. Read More

J Infect Dis 2017 03;215(6):896-901

Department of Immunopathology of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Warsaw Medical University, Warsaw, Poland.

Background: Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) infection has become a major health problem in Europe and is currently a common cause of viral brain infection in many countries. Encephalitis in transplant recipients, althrough rare, is becoming a recognized complication. Our study provides the first description of transmission of TBEV through transplantation of solid organs. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Aug 1;19(4). Epub 2017 Jun 1.

Section of Infectious Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.

Herpesvirus infections in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. We report a case of herpes zoster (HZ) in a kidney transplant recipient while receiving belatacept, a CTLA-4 inhibitor that prevents acute rejection. The patient presented with oropharyngolaryngeal mucosal lesions that subsequently disseminated resulting in pneumonitis and meningo-encephalitis. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2017 Jun 4;19(3). Epub 2017 May 4.

Division of Medical Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.

Alternaria species have been reported as a rare cause of fungal infection in organ and stem cell transplant recipients, but to date, no reports have been published of infection in humans caused by Alternaria rosae. Here, we report cutaneous A. rosae infection in a 66-year-old farmer with a history of primary myelofibrosis who had undergone allogeneic unrelated donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Read More

JAMA Neurol 2017 Mar;74(3):348-352

Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

A renal transplant recipient in her 60s presented with a history of chronic headaches and progressive encephalopathy. Serial cerebrospinal fluid examinations were consistent with chronic lymphocytic meningitis, but no definitive cause was identified. Imaging studies showed the development of an enhancing suprasellar mass lesion and hydrocephalus. Read More

J Clin Pathol 2017 Mar 15;70(3):270-273. Epub 2016 Nov 15.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.

Aims: To examine the need for minimal diagnostic criteria for post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) in children, we sought to determine the rate of incidental Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positivity in tissues from organ transplant recipients (OTR).

Methods: EBV in situ hybridisation (ISH) was done retrospectively on tissue from 34 paediatric autopsies of OTR and paediatric tonsillectomy specimens from non-OTR (96) and OTR (6). Patients with a history of PTLD were excluded from both data sets. Read More

Ann Transplant 2016 Nov 4;21:683-688. Epub 2016 Nov 4.

Department of Hepatology and Acquired Immunodeficiencies, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland.

BACKGROUND Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most frequent skin cancer in solid organ recipients, and also a typical malignancy in HIV-infected persons. CASE REPORT We describe here a rare case of primary nodal KS without mucocutaneous manifestations, diagnosed in a 20-year-old HIV/HBV co-infected patient 12 months after liver transplantation (LT), the first one performed in a HIV-positive patient in Poland. The course of the disease was very aggressive; the patient died four weeks after general lymphadenopathy appearance. Read More

Exp Clin Transplant 2016 11;14(Suppl 3):135-137

From the Department of Pathology, Başkent University Medical School, Ankara, Turkey.

Objectives: Our objective was to analyze the incidence of pulmonary disorders in solid-organ transplant recipients and report on outcomes in these patients.

Materials And Methods: Seventy liver and kidney transplant patients, who underwent lung biopsy because of pulmonary symptoms between January 2000 and December 2015, were enrolled in the study. We examined and evaluated histopathologic findings of these patients based on clinical data recorded in patients' files. Read More

World J Gastroenterol 2016 Sep;22(34):7851-6

Yukihiro Sanada, Takumi Katano, Yuta Hirata, Noriki Okada, Naoya Yamada, Yoshiyuki Ihara, Taizen Urahashi, Koichi Mizuta, Department of Transplant Surgery, Jichi Medical University, Shimotsuke City, Tochigi 329-0498, Japan.

Utilizing the opened round ligament as venous grafts during liver transplantation is useful but controversial, and there are no pathological analyses of this procedure. Herein, we describe the first reported case of a pathological analysis of an opened round ligament used as a venous patch graft in a living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). A 13-year-old female patient with biliary atresia underwent LDLT using a posterior segment graft from her mother. Read More

Ophthalmology 2016 12 22;123(12):2489-2497. Epub 2016 Sep 22.

Melles Cornea Clinic, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Netherlands Institute for Innovative Ocular Surgery, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Amnitrans EyeBank, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address:

Purpose: To describe the histologic features of postmortem eyes after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) and their potential clinical implications.

Design: Histopathologic study.

Participants: Eleven postmortem DMEK corneas of 8 patients who underwent surgery for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, with an average postoperative time of 4±1. Read More

Am J Transplant 2017 01 18;17(1):246-254. Epub 2016 Aug 18.

Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is a transplant pathology, limiting graft survival after heart transplantation. CAV arteries are surrounded by ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) containing B cells and plasma cells. The aim of this study was to characterize the antigenic targets of antibodies produced in ELS. Read More

Mediterr J Hematol Infect Dis 2016 1;8(1):e2016035. Epub 2016 Jul 1.

Microbiology Department. Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain.

Parasitic infections are rarely documented in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. However they may be responsible for fatal complications that are only diagnosed at autopsy. Increased awareness of the possibility of parasitic diseases both in autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant patients is relevant not only for implementing preventive measures but also for performing an early diagnosis and starting appropriate therapy for these unrecognized but fatal infectious complications in hematopoietic transplant recipients. Read More

Am J Transplant 2016 12 29;16(12):3562-3567. Epub 2016 Jul 29.

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, PA.

Donor-derived coccidioidomycosis has caused unexpected morbidity and mortality in transplant recipients. All proven or probable reports of donor-derived coccidioidomycosis to the Disease Transmission Advisory Committee between 2005 and August 2012 were reviewed. Six reports of proven or probable coccidioidomycosis were discovered. Read More

Clin Infect Dis 2016 10 28;63(7):878-888. Epub 2016 Jun 28.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.

Background: During 2009 and 2010, 2 clusters of organ transplant-transmitted Balamuthia mandrillaris, a free-living ameba, were detected by recognition of severe unexpected illness in multiple recipients from the same donor.

Methods: We investigated all recipients and the 2 donors through interview, medical record review, and testing of available specimens retrospectively. Surviving recipients were tested and treated prospectively. Read More

Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2016 09 14;22(9):1684-1689. Epub 2016 Jun 14.

Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Invasive mold infections (IMIs) are major complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with high mortality. We retrospectively investigated incidence and risk factors for IMI after 797 HSCTs in a center with high autopsy frequency, trying to identify patient groups that would potentially benefit from mold-active prophylaxis. The cumulative 1-year incidence of IMI was 2. Read More

Mod Pathol 2016 06 25;29(6):637-52. Epub 2016 Mar 25.

Oregon Health & Science University, Department of Pathology, Portland, OR, USA.

Renal injury in hematopoietic cell transplant recipients may be related to a combination of factors including chemotherapy, radiation, infection, immunosuppressive agents, ischemia, and graft-versus-host disease, and can involve glomerular, tubulointerstitial, and vascular structures. We reviewed renal pathology from 67 patients at a single institution (2009-2014), including 14 patients with biopsy for clinical dysfunction, 6 patients with surgical kidney resection for other causes, and 47 autopsy patients. Kidney specimens frequently contained multiple histopathologic abnormalities. Read More

Transplantation 2016 10;100(10):e81-7

1 Division of Nephrology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 2 Division of Nephropathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. 3 Divsion of Oncology, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. 4 Division of Pathology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. 5 Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH. 6 Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Immune Deficiency, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH.

Background: After hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), polyoma-BK virus is associated with hemorrhagic cystitis and also with polyomavirus nephropathy (PVN). However, the true burden of post-HCT PVN is unknown because kidney biopsies are avoided due to their bleeding risk. The novel, noninvasive urinary PV-Haufen test detects PVN in kidney transplant recipients with greater than 95% positive/negative predictive values. Read More

Pediatr Cardiol 2016 Apr 27;37(4):656-62. Epub 2016 Jan 27.

Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA.

Transplant coronary artery vasculopathy (TCAV) is the primary cause of late graft loss in pediatric heart transplant recipients. TCAV is diagnosed using angiography or intravascular ultrasound; however, noninvasive methods remain elusive. We sought to define patterns of myocardial mechanics in patients with TCAV and to determine whether this can detect TCAV before invasive methods. Read More

Rev Esp Enferm Dig 2016 Jan;108(1):49-50

Unidad de Trasplante Hepático, Hospital Universitario Rio Hortega, España.

Unlabelled: The graft versus host disease after liver transplant is rare, with an incidence less than 1%, but with a high mortality (75-85%), especially due to infectious complications. It usually affects gastrointestinal tract, skin and blood system in the context of a normal liver graft function. There is no consensus on the most appropriate treatment: some articles support a reduction or even elimination of immunosuppressive drugs, while others published success with a dose increase. Read More

J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2015 Sep;74(9):862-6

From the Department of Neurology, National Hospital Organization Iou Hospital (KT); Departments of Neurology and Neurobiology of Aging (KT, YK, IN, MY) and Cellular Transplantation Biology (SM, HY), Kanazawa University Graduate School of Medical Science; and Department of Internal Medicine, Keijyu Kanazawa Hospital (SM), Kanazawa, Japan.

Recent studies have indicated that microglia originate from immature progenitors in the yolk sac. After birth, microglial populations are maintained under normal conditions via self-renewal without the need to recruit monocyte-derived microglial precursors. Peripheral cell invasion of the brain parenchyma can only occur with disruption of the blood-brain barrier. Read More

Transplantation 2016 Jan;100(1):134-40

1 Institute of Pathology, University Hospital (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland. 2 Institute of Microbiology, University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. 3 Infectious Diseases Service, University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland. 4 Transplantation Center, University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Kaposi sarcoma is the most common human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-related disease described after solid organ transplantation. Multicentric Castleman disease and hemophagocytic syndrome are other potential HHV-8-induced entities but are less frequently reported. We describe the case of a liver transplant recipient who presented with an acute febrile illness 1 year after transplantation with a rapidly fatal outcome. Read More

Transpl Infect Dis 2015 Apr 6;17(2):289-96. Epub 2015 Feb 6.

Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an important cause of healthcare-associated infections, and is particularly problematic among patients who undergo organ transplantation. We describe a case of fulminant sepsis caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii harboring the blaOXA-23 carbapenemase gene and belonging to international clone II. Read More

Ann Clin Transl Neurol 2014 Nov 22;1(11):900-8. Epub 2014 Oct 22.

Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia ; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine Atlanta, Georgia.

Objective: The first US Food and Drug Administration-approved clinical trial to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with neural stem cell-based therapy is in progress. The goal of the current study was to identify and assess the survival of human spinal cord-derived neural stem cells (HSSCs) transplanted into the spinal cord in patients with ALS.

Methods: Spinal cords transplanted with HSSCs were examined from six autopsy cases. Read More

Transplant Proc 2014 Dec;46(10):3523-35

Department of Gastroenterologic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan.

Veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (VOD/SOS) occurring after liver transplantation is a relatively rare complication but it often takes a life-threatening course. However, the detailed etiology and mechanism of VOD/SOS after liver transplantation (LT) remains unclear. We report two cases with rapidly progressive VOD/SOS after ABO-identical LT resistant to various therapies. Read More

Am J Transplant 2014 Dec 6;14(12):2893-7. Epub 2014 Nov 6.

Division of Allergy, Pulmonary, and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.

Seventeen days after double lung transplantation, a 56-year-old patient with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis developed respiratory distress. Imaging revealed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates with pleural effusions and physical examination demonstrated sternal instability. Broad-spectrum antibacterial and antifungal therapy was initiated and bilateral thoracotomy tubes were placed. Read More

J Cardiovasc Magn Reson 2014 Oct 1;16:74. Epub 2014 Oct 1.

Gerald McGinnis Cardiovascular Institute, Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Background: CMR is considered the 'gold standard' for non-invasive LV and RV mass quantitation. This information is solely based on gradient-recalled echo (GRE) sequences while contrast dependent on intrinsic T1/T2 characteristics potentially offers superior image contrast between blood and myocardium. This study aims, for the first time in humans, to validate the SSFP approach using explanted hearts obtained from heart transplant recipients. Read More

Transplant Proc 2014 Jul-Aug;46(6):1849-51

Thoracic Surgery Division, Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil.

Mucorales is a fungus that causes systemic, highly lethal infections in immunocompromised patients. The overall mortality of pulmonary mucormycosis can reach 95%. This work is a review of medical records of 200 lung transplant recipients between the years of 2003 and 2013, in order to identify the prevalence of Mucorales in the Lung Transplantation service of Heart Institute (InCor), Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil, by culture results from bronchoalveolar lavage and necropsy findings. Read More

N Engl J Med 2014 Jul;371(4):303-12

From INSERM Unité 1151, Institut Necker-Enfants Malades, Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité (G.C., F.B., F.T., G.F., L.H.-M., C.L., F.T.), Service de Néphrologie Transplantation Adultes (G.C., R.S., C.L.), Service de Physiologie-Explorations Fonctionnelles (F.B., G.F.), Service d'Anatomie et Cytologie Pathologiques (L.-H.N.), Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, Service d'Immunologie Biologique (M.-A.D.-D.), Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, and Laboratoire de Neuropathologie, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, AP-HP, Université Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris (G.B., D.S.) - all in Paris.

Background: Although thrombosis is considered the cardinal feature of the antiphospholipid syndrome, chronic vascular lesions are common, particularly in patients with life-threatening complications. In patients who require transplantation, vascular lesions often recur. The molecular pathways involved in the vasculopathy of the antiphospholipid syndrome are unknown, and adequate therapies are lacking. Read More

Epidemiol Mikrobiol Imunol 2014 Jun;63(2):121-4

We present case of a girl deceased due to Candida albicans breakthrough invasive infection during the echinocandin treatment after undergoing allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant for relaps of acute myeloid leukaemia. Candida albicans generally susceptible to all antifungal drugs wasn't considered for potential resistance and conventional blood culture positivity was too late to reveal the resistance to echinocandins. Due to severe organ toxicities (liver, kidneys) she received echinocandin as an antifungal prophylaxis, no change was made for the treatment of Candida albicans infection. Read More

Am J Transplant 2014 Jun 19;14(6):1417-24. Epub 2014 May 19.

University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL.

A liver, heart, iliac vessel and two kidneys were recovered from a 39-year-old man who died of traumatic head injury and were transplanted into five recipients. The liver recipient 18 days posttransplantation presented with headache, ataxia and fever, followed by rapid neurologic decline and death. Diagnosis of granulomatous amebic encephalitis was made on autopsy. Read More

Respiration 2014 10;87(6):504-7. Epub 2014 Apr 10.

Institute for Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent treatment. There are many different treatment-relevant causes of DAH, making the diagnostic approach to these patients complex and necessitating a multidisciplinary team. We report the case of a kidney transplant recipient in whom all diagnostic efforts did not reveal the cause of DAH, and only autopsy was able to establish an unexpected diagnosis. Read More

Ann Intern Med 2014 Feb;160(4):213-20

Background: Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a microsporidial species most commonly recognized as a cause of renal, respiratory, and central nervous system infections in immunosuppressed patients, was identified as the cause of a temporally associated cluster of febrile illness among 3 solid organ transplant recipients from a common donor.

Objective: To confirm the source of the illness, assess donor and recipient risk factors, and provide therapy recommendations for ill recipients.

Design: Public health investigation. Read More