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Saving lives through transplantation: A truly bipartisan issue
AST
AST held its Congressional Leadership Awards ceremony on March 18, 2015, honoring the efforts of two U.S. Senators and seventeen members of the House of Representatives for advocating and supporting key legislation and appropriations related to transplantation. Read more about AST's advocacy work here. To view photos from the event, click here.
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AST comments on OPTN/UNOS policy proposals
AST
Twice a year, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) releases proposed new policy for public comment. The current public comment periods ends Friday, March 27, and members of the transplant community and the interested public are encouraged to provide feedback on the proposals.
As part of its larger advocacy goals, the AST reviews the policies and provides feedback, where appropriate. The AST’s comments on each of the policies can be found here. Members are encouraged to visit the UNOS public comment website to endorse the society’s comments.
Free March Webinar
AST
Monitoring the Alloresponse Before and After Transplantation:Tuesday, March 31, 2 p.m. EST.
Register today at www.myAST.org/T3 - free for AST members.
Review the available data on pre- and post-transplant immune monitoring and how incorporating specific tests may help us diagnose, predict, and better treat our transplant recipients.
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today.
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QAPI Webinar: Objective Measures – Monitoring & Evaluating Services
AST
Join us and ASTS on Wednesday, April 8 at Noon ET for the third installment of a monthly webinar series designed and presented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
This webinar will offer an insightful look into developing objective measures that allows monitoring and evaluations of transplantation activities in order to improve outcomes. Register today!
Communities of Practice (COP) 2015 Election - closes April 10
AST
AST COP Members: Be sure to vote for members of your COP executive committee! Simply click on the link to one or more of your communities of practice; you will be prompted to enter your username and password if you are not logged in to the AST website.
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
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The UCLA Immunogenetics Center (UIC) provides comprehensive testing for organ and tissue transplantation. Transplant testing has a long history at UCLA. HLA typing was pioneered here in the 1960's. The development of the microcytoxicity test in 1964 marked the beginning of international testing and standardization of HLA typing. The UCLA Immunogenetics Center has retained its leadership position in HLA research, and in the development of accompanying diagnostic testing. MORE
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UPCOMING EVENTS IN TRANSPLANTATION
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Mark your calendar! AST Town Hall and Excellence in Transplantation Reception at ATC
AST
We invite all AST members to attend the AST Town Hall meeting at ATC on Monday, May 4, at 5:45 p.m. This meeting provides a forum for open discussion between AST membership and leadership about key issues impacting our society and field of transplantation.
Immediately following the Town Hall meeting, join friends and colleagues for the Excellence in Transplantation Reception.
The Yale-Cambridge Course on Transplantation: A Clinical & Translational Science Symposium
AST
Friday - Sunday, Oct. 2-4, 2015
Fifteen years ago, Cambridge's John Bradley, Ph.D. and Yale's Jordan Pober M.D., Ph.D. developed a scientific exchange to enhance collaboration in Immunobiology. The scientific meeting has resulted in numerous collaborations between Yale and Cambridge, while providing an environment that enhances social and intellectual interaction.
Based on this concept, the transplant programs at Yale and Cambridge have established an international course on Organ Transplantation, emphasizing cutting edge information in clinical and translational transplantation science. We welcome you to the first meeting at the prestigious Yale Club in New York City in 2015 and also the Cambridge venue in 2016.
Our host hotel is The Yale Club of New York City, NY. This activity is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. For more information please visit the Symposium website, here.
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To find out how to feature your company in the AST eNewsletter and other advertising opportunities, Contact Tom Crist at 972-402-7724.
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Live donor liver transplantation: A valid alternative for critically ill patients suffering from acute liver failure
American Journal of Transplantation
We report the outcome of live donor liver transplantation (LDLT) for patients suffering from acute liver failure (ALF). From 2006 to 2013, all patients with ALF who received a LDLT (n = 7) at our institution were compared to all ALF patients receiving a deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT = 26). Groups were comparable regarding pretransplant ICU stay (DDLT: 1 [0–7] vs. LDLT: 1 days [0–10]; p = 0.38), mechanical ventilation support (DDLT: 69 percent vs. LDLT: 57 percent; p = 0.66), inotropic drug requirement (DDLT: 27 percent vs. LDLT: 43 percent; p = 0.64) and dialysis (DDLT: 2 vs. LDLT: 0 patients; p = 1).
Prognostic implications of serial risk score assessments in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: A Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-Term Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Disease Management (REVEAL) analysis
The Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
Data from the Registry to Evaluate Early and Long-Term Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Disease Management (REVEAL) were used previously to develop a risk score calculator to predict 1-year survival. We evaluated prognostic implications of changes in the risk score and individual risk-score parameters over 12 months. Patients were grouped by decreased, unchanged, or increased risk score from enrollment to 12 months. Kaplan-Meier estimates of subsequent 1-year survival were made based on change in the risk score during the initial 12 months of follow-up. Cox regression was used for multivariable analysis.
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is the second leading etiology of liver disease among adults awaiting liver transplantation in the United States
Gastroenterology
Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) has been predicted to become the leading indication for liver transplantation (LT) in the United States. However, few studies have evaluated changes in the etiology of liver diseases among patients awaiting LT, and none have focused on the effects of NASH on liver transplant waitlists in the United States.
The end is in sight: Targeting sensitization in hematopoietic cell transplantation
American Journal of Transplantation
This editorial provides commentary on Blazar et al's article demonstrating that humoral allosensitization can be effectively inhibited by concomitant depletion of B cells and blocking lymphotoxin beta receptor interactions with successful survival of a subsequent hematopoietic stem cell transplant in sensitized murine recipients.
Commercially available immunoglobulins contain virus neutralizing antibodies against all major genotypes of polyomavirus BK
American Journal of Transplantation
Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) form the basis of immunotherapeutic strategies against many important human viral infections. Accordingly, we studied the prevalence, titer, genotype-specificity, and mechanism of action of anti-polyomavirus BK (BKV) NAbs in commercially available human immune globulin (IG) preparations designed for intravenous (IV) use. Pseudovirions (PsV) of genotypes Ia, Ib2, Ic, II, III, and IV were generated by co-transfecting a reporter plasmid encoding luciferase and expression plasmids containing synthetic codon-modified VP1, VP2, and VP3 capsid protein genes into 293TT cells.
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