Kukla, Aleksandra

AbstractRegenerative, cell-based therapy is a promising treatment option for diabetic kidney disease (DKD), which has no cure. To prepare for clinical translation, this systematic review and meta-analysis summarized the effect of cell-based interventions in DKD animal models and treatment-related factors modifying outcomes. Electronic databases were searched for original investigations applying cell-based therapy in diabetic animals with kidney endpoints (January 1998-May 2019). Weighted or standardized mean differences were estimated for kidney outcomes and pooled using random-effects models. Subgroup analyses tested treatment-related factor effects for outcomes (creatinine, urea, urine protein, fibrosis, and inflammation). In 40 studies (992 diabetic rodents), therapy included mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC; 61%), umbilical cord/amniotic fluid cells (UC/AF; 15%), non-MSC (15%), and cell-derived products (13%). Tissue sources included bone marrow (BM; 65%), UC/AF (15%), adipose (9%), and others (11%). Cell-based therapy significantly improved kidney function while reducing injury markers (proteinuria, histology, fibrosis, inflammation, apoptosis, epithelial-mesenchymal-transition, oxidative stress). Preconditioning, xenotransplantation, and disease-source approaches were effective. MSC and UC/AF cells had greater effect on kidney function while cell products improved fibrosis. BM and UC/AF tissue sources more effectively improved kidney function and proteinuria vs adipose or other tissues. Cell dose, frequency, and administration route also imparted different benefits. In conclusion, cell-based interventions in diabetic animals improved kidney function and reduced injury with treatment-related factors modifying these effects. These findings may aid in development of optimal repair strategies through selective use of cells/products, tissue sources, and dose administrations to allow for successful adaptation of this novel therapeutic in human DKD.

Abstract Introduction: Pancreas Transplantation (PT) improves quality of life in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) patients but limited longitudinal data are available regarding comprehensive metabolic assessment and lifestyle. Our objective was to comprehensively assess T1D patients who underwent PT (PTA and SPK) ≥ 1 year prior on two separate visits 1 year apart. Methodology: We studied 12 PT recipients ≥1 year post PT. Two assessments 1 year apart included comprehensive assessment of graft function using standard mixed meal tolerance test (MMTT), Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) for 1 week, body composition using DEXA scan, physical activity using ActiGraph for 1 week and dietary assessment by VIOCARE®. Results: PT recipients (9F) were 55.5± 9.7 years old, 91.7 % Caucasian with 34.9 ± 12.3 years of diabetes, 6.7 ± 5.2 years (range-1.3–17.6 years) after PT. Ten participants underwent Pancreas Transplantation alone and two received Simultaneous Pancreas Kidney transplantation. Visit 1(V1) showed HbA1c 5.5 ± 0.7%, Fructosamine 238.4 ± 25.6 mcmol/L, BMI 31.2 ± 6.7 kg/m2, fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 95.2 ± 19.4mg/dL and C-peptide 2.6 ± 1.0 ng/ml and visit 2 (V2) HbA1c 5.5 ± 0.6%, Fructosamine 244.4 ± 41.3 mcmol/L, BMI 29.9 ± 5.1kg/m2, FPG 95.4 ± 27.7mg/dL, and C-peptide 2.5 ± 0.8 ng/ml (p-value not significant). One week CGM (n=9) showed excellent glucose control at both visits with mean glucose 117.8 ± 7.0 vs.112 ± 6.2 mg/dl and 96.3 ± 3.6 vs. 96.9±2.8 % time in target range (70-180mg/dl). Time >180mg/dl and >250mg/dl were 2.7 ± 3.0 vs. 1.3±1.7 % (p=0.0413) and 0.2 ± 0.6 vs. 0.1 ± 0.1 % respectively. Mild CGM hypoglycemia (<70 mg/dl) was observed during both visits (1.0 ± 1.0 vs. 1.7± 2 %). CV was 21.1 ± 5.5 and 20.1 ± 4.8 %. Eight recipients underwent MMTT and showed excellent response to Boost® with no significant difference between visits with exception of insulin concentrations at 60 mins (increased from V1) and 90 mins (decreased from V1) (p=0.0424 and 0.0235). DEXA (n=10) revealed similar total % mean fat, and fat distribution in arms, legs and trunk. ActiGraph (n=10) showed similar physical activity during both visits with 16761 ± 5176 and 14499 ± 4192 average steps/day respectively. Mean MET score was 1.6 ± 0.4 and 1.6 ± 0.2 indicating light intensity activity during both periods. Total mean sedentary bouts increased over 1 year (49.6 ± 39.1 vs. 60.8 ± 43.7, p=0.0038). Dietary assessment in 11 recipients showed no significant difference in dietary intake with calories intake 1.3± 0.4 vs. 1.2±0.5 daily Harris-Benedict and macronutrient intake with fat of 36.7 ± 4.3 % and 36.5 ± 5.7 %, CHO of 45.7 ± 5.5 % and 45.7 ± 5.5 % and Omega-3 of 0.1 ± 0.1 g and 0.05 ± 0.1 g respectively. Conclusion: PT recipients have excellent glucose control and pancreas graft function 1 or more years after PT when assessed over successive 2 years with suboptimal body composition and dietary intake and above average physical activity.

AbstractDeath with a functioning graft and death‐censored renal allograft failure remain major problems for which effective preventative protocols are lacking. The retrospective cohort study aimed to determine whether histologic changes on a 5‐year surveillance kidney biopsy predict adverse outcomes after transplantation in recipients who had: both Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) at the time of transplantation (T2DM/Obesity, n = 75); neither (No T2DM/No obesity, n = 78); No T2DM/Obesity (n = 41), and T2DM/No obesity (n = 47). On 5‐year biopsies, moderate‐to‐severe mesangial expansion was more common in the T2DM/Obesity group (Banff mm score ≥2 = 49.3%; Tervaert classification MS ≥ 2b = 26.7%) compared to the other groups (p < .001 for both scores). Risk factors included older age, higher BMI, HbA1C, and triglycerides at 1‐year post‐transplant. Moderate‐to‐severe mesangial expansion correlated with death with function (HR 1.74 (1.01, 2.98), p = .045 Banff and 1.89 (1.01, 3.51) p = .045 Tervaert) and with death‐censored graft loss (HR 3.2 (1.2, 8.8), p = .02 Banff and HR 3.8 (1.3, 11.5), p = .01 Tervaert) over a mean of 11.6 years of recipient follow‐up post‐transplant. These data suggest that mesangial expansion in recipients with T2DM and obesity may reflect systemic vascular injury and might be a novel biomarker to predict adverse outcomes post renal transplant.

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy, but to the authors' knowledge, limited data exist regarding the safety and efficacy of these agents in transplant recipients. Herein, the authors have reported their experience with 17 patients who were treated with ICIs for metastatic malignancies after undergoing solid organ transplantation. Methods Data were abstracted for solid organ transplant recipients who received ICIs for the treatment of malignancy between January 1, 2016, and September 30, 2019. The authors identified 7 kidney, 8 liver, and 2 heart transplant recipients. Outcomes of interest were adverse drug reactions, cancer progression, and patient survival. Results The most common malignancies treated with ICIs were metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (5 patients; 29%) and hepatocellular carcinoma (5 patients; 29%), which were noted exclusively among liver transplant recipients. The median duration on ICIs was 1.7 months (interquartile range, 0.4‐7.6 months). Five patients (29%) developed adverse reactions, including 4 patients (24%) with immune‐related adverse events(irAEs), 3 patients (18%) with acute allograft rejections, 1 patient (6%) with autoimmune colitis, and 1 patient (6%) with ICI‐induced cardiotoxicity (the patient was a heart transplant recipient). The cumulative incidence of cancer progression was 50% and 69%, respectively, at 6 months and 12 months. Eleven patients (65%) died over the median follow‐up period of 4.6 months (interquartile range, 1.5‐13.2 months) from the time of ICI initiation, with cancer progression being the most common cause of death. Conclusions ICIs can be used as individualized therapy in selected patients who have undergone solid organ transplantation but more studies are needed to determine how best to use these agents to improve outcomes further.

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) patients have an increased risk for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE). Pancreas Transplantation Alone (PTA) in patients with T1D achieves near normal glucose control for a prolonged period but limited data are available to date regarding MACE during a 10 year follow up period after the procedure. OBJECTIVE: We studied incidence of MACE after PTA in T1D patients over a 10 year follow-up period. METHODS: Retrospectively, we studied 113 T1D recipients of PTA at Mayo Clinic, Rochester with the procedure performed between January 1998 and August 2018 and follow up of at least 1 year. Data were collected before transplantation and up to 10 year follow up after the first PTA. MACE data were gathered until primary non function, re-transplantation, or complete loss of c-peptide (&lt;0.01ng/ml). We report vascular risk factors including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, smoking and BMI along with MACE (defined as cardiac events as unstable angina, Myocardial Infarction (MI), need for re-vascularization, cardiac death, cerebral events as Transient ischemic attack (TIA), stroke, need for re-vascularization and peripheral arterial disease as need for re-vascularization, gangrene and amputation). RESULTS: Eighteen subjects had pre-transplant MACE. A total of 14 subjects had graft failure within 24 to 36 hours due to thrombosis, with 3 in pre-transplant MACE cohort and 11 in no MACE cohort. Thus, we followed 99 subjects for the development of post-transplant MACE for a period of 6.3 ± 3.6 years. T1D subjects with MACE (n=15) had baseline characteristics: Age 48± 7.8 years, gender F/M 9/6,, duration of diabetes 33 ± 12 years, BMI 26± 3.1(Kg/m2), HbA1c 9.3 ± 1.5% and C-peptide 0.09 ng/ml. 84 T1D patients without MACE were age 42 ± 10.6 years, gender F/M 55/29, duration of diabetes 26.5 ± 10.7 years, BMI 26 ± 5.2(Kg/m2), HbA1c 6.7 ± 2.5 and C-peptide 0.09 ng/ml. There are a total of 584 person-years of follow up to first MACE event and 632 person-years of graft failure, death or last follow-up. Nine patients developed 11 MACE events post-PTA. Therefore, the event rate is 1.5 MACE events per 100 person-years for first MACE event and the total event rate is 1.7 MACE events per 100 person-years of follow-up. Age, smoking (yes), gender, duration of diabetes, HTN and Hyperlipidemia presence did not show any significant impact on post-transplant MACE outcome based on univariate Cox regression but the pre-transplant BMI (HR = 1.14; CI = (1.04, 1.26); p = 0.008) and pre-transplant HbA1c (HR = 1.26; CI = (1.06, 1.51); p = 0.01) showed statistically significant impact. CONCLUSIONS: At our center, MACE is low in PTA recipients. There is no impact of presence of pre-transplant MACE on development of post-transplant MACE but pre-transplant BMI and HbA1c account for risk of MACE.

Background. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RA) have been shown to improve glucose control and diabetes-related comorbidities in patients without solid organ transplants. The effectiveness, safety, and tolerability of GLP1RA after kidney transplantation have not been adequately studied. Methods. We retrospectively reviewed data on kidney transplant recipients performed in our institution, who were initiated on GLP1RA either for the treatment of type 2 diabetes diagnosed before transplantation or posttransplant diabetes. We analyzed efficacy, safety, and the effect on kidney allograft function. Results. Seventeen kidney transplant recipients were initiated on GLP1RA therapy, 14 of which remained on the medication for at least 12 months. The use of GLP1RA had no significant impact on weight loss, but was associated with a significant reduction in the total daily insulin dose, from the median of 63 [interquartile range 43-113] IU to 44 [interquartile range 25-88] and reduction in the risk of hypoglycemia in patients who were on therapy for at least approximately 12 months. Kidney function remained stable and none of the recipients experienced acute rejection. Tacrolimus dose was not significantly changed. Five patients (29%) discontinued GLP1RA therapy—4 due to side effects and 1 due to uncontrolled hyperglycemia. Conclusions. GLP1RA may be a relatively safe and effective treatment for kidney transplant recipients with type 2 diabetes that allows for a reduction in insulin requirements. More studies are needed to determine whether the use of these agents will translate into an improvement in allograft and patient survival.