Objective We aimed to investigate the attitude and suggestion from doctors, pharmacists and civil servants concerning brain death and organ transplantation and the legislation. Methods A questionnaire with 10 sections and 44 questions was designed and distributed. The effective questionnaire data was then recorded and checked for descriptive analysis. Results In 1 400 questionnaires distributed, 1 063 were responded and 969 of them were valid and analyzed. The respondents showed an incomplete understanding of brain death and organ transplantation laws. Seventy-four percent of the respondents recognized and accepted the standard of brain death. They agreed that legislation should be involved in the removal of organs for transplantation, the future use of the organs, and insurance and compensation for the donor for possible health risks induced by organ removal. Of the 969 respondents, 92% considered it necessary to have legislation in brain death and organ transplantation, and 61% thought that it is time to legislate. Conclusion Legislation for brain death and organ transplantation is urgent and timely in China. The laws must include the respective rights and obligations of patients, close relatives, and medical institutions. Educating the public about brain death and organ transplantation should also be encouraged in a variety of ways.
ObjectiveTo compare tacrolumus (FK506) with cyclosporine A (CsA) in clinical application to organ transplantation.MethodsThe literature in recent years has been reviewed and compared. ResultsFK506 was a powerful immunosuppression with a mechanism of action similar to that of CsA, but significantly superiori to CsA in terms of prophylaxis and treatment of allograft acute rejection, delay of chronic rejection, and withdrawal of steroid in early period. The cardiovascular mortality and chronic graft nephropathy (CGN),such as hypertension and hyperlipidemia were less frequently seen in FK506treated patients and FK506 also had an acceptable safety profile, including a low incidence of hypertrichosis,gingival hyperplasia and infections.However, CsA had been showed a better result in prevention of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM ) and more economic agent than FK506. Pharmacokinetic studies showed CsA in the form of Sandimmun Neoral showed less inter an intrapatient variability than FK506.Meanwhile, the combination of MMF and FK506 or CsA has been proved effectively with excellent graft and patients survival. Conclusion FK506 and CsA are safe and effective long term maintenance immunosuppressive agents in organ transplantation with wonderful prospect.
肝脏移植、心脏移植及肾脏移植等已广泛开展，大批受者长期存活。本文现就这组特殊人群在移植术后患胆道结石病的机理及其处理原则介绍如下。1器官移植受体胆石病的发生机理肝移植术后胆管结石与胆泥形成并引起胆道梗阻可随时发生。除了明确的结石外，胆泥形成胆管铸形并广泛分布于肝内胆管也有报道。胆管粘膜损害、胆管梗阻、移植肝的冷、热缺血、感染及胆固醇过饱和等都在胆管结石形成过程中发挥作用，但胆管梗阻可能是肝移植术后胆管结石形成的最重要因素［1］。胆管结石和胆泥形成的患者，绝大多数都伴有胆管狭窄，这个狭窄可以发生在胆管胆管吻合口和胆管空肠吻合口，也可发生在非吻合口处的胆管。胆管内异物如T型管或内支撑管也可作为结石形成的核心。除了这些引起胆汁淤积的物理学原因外，环孢素A（CsA）在胆石发生中也起了作用［2］： 它可抑制胆汁分泌，促进胆汁淤积，而FK506（普乐可复）似乎没有这方面的副作用。此外，肝移植受者胆汁中胆固醇呈过饱和状态，且T管引流及胆酸池的减少还加重这种状态。目前还不清楚胆道重建方式对胆道结石形成有没有影响。但从理论上讲，胆肠吻合会增加肠源性细菌进入胆道的机会，从而导致胆红素去结合化，并进一步形成色素石。但到底是胆管对端吻合还是胆肠吻合后更易形成结石，目前尚无详尽研究。
Through analyzing the relevant regulations of organ transplantation in China, we identified the problems in the regulations of organ transplantation in China, including more strict limitation of the living organ donors resulting in a serious shortage of organ supply, difficulties in preventing the hidden organ trading, and opaque process of organ allocation resulting in unfair distribution. We also put forward the solutions to address above problems, including the improvement of organ transplantation regulations, establishment of the reimbursement mechanism for organ donation, rational mechanism of organ allocation and the brain death criteria, so as to promote more comprehensive sources of organ donation for the patients with end-stage organ failure.
Background and Objective Organ transplantation has become an essential and irreplaceable treatment for patients with organ failure. Although organ transplantation was introduced to China in the 1960s, it has witnessed rapid development in recent years. However, problems have been identified in the course of its development. We aim to present both medical and legal points of view on organ transplantation, to compare the current status of organ transplantation in China with that in developed countries, and discuss the challenges China faces in developing its own legislation for organ transplantation. Methods We searched the websites of WHO, NIH, AST, UNOS, and governments, as well as relevant conference proceedings and expert consensus documents. Articles or documents involving organ transplantation legislation were identified. Results We included 10 legal documents, 1 regulation, 9 government documents, and 4 expert consensus documents. Organ transplantation legislation started in the 1960s in the United Kingdom, and was soon followed by New Zealand and the United States. The first law on brain death was enacted in the United States in 1978. Since 1991, the World Health Assembly (WHA) and other non-governmental organizations have issued 7 consensus documents in order to regulate behaviors related to organ transplantation. China including Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese Taipei has not yet formulated any law on organ transplantation. Conclusion At least six challenges about organ transplantation and brain death legislation in China are identified: ① death definition and source of organ donors; ② prevention of organ transplant tourism; ③ risk assessment and insurance for living donors; ④ defining who has the right to choose about potential organ donation for an individual: whether spouses, parents, or children; ⑤ whether an organ donor should receive compensation; ⑥ whether brain death and organ transplant laws should be formulated separately.
Objective We investigated the effectiveness of legislation in developed countries by analyzingtheir legislation, and produced ideas and strategies for organ transplantation and brain death legislation in China.Methods Official websites were searched as follows: UNOS, TCE, CLTR, ANZDATA, and SRTR through December6, 2008. We included statistical reports and data analysis of organ donations and transplants, and excluded literatureabout non-solid organs. The absolute transplantation numbers were standardized to per one million people. Results 1.The following data was retrieved: The number of eight kinds of organ transplants and organ donations in Britain, the United States, New Zealand, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, and Australia from 2003 to 2005; the number of deceased donors in the United States and Spain from 1988 to 2007; the total number of organ transplants in Australia from 2002 to 2006; the amount of organ transplants in the United States from 1993 to 2006; liver and kidney transplant totals in the United States from 1988 through March, 2008; liver transplants number of China from 1993 through March, 2008; and the number of kidney transplants in some provinces and cities in China. 2. Transplant totals were greatest in the United States; in Spain, after ONT was founded in 1990, the rate of donation from the deceased was the most in theworld. 3. Spain had the best rate of donation with 34.5 pmp, 10.9 pmp higher than in the United States with separate legislation from 2003 to 2005. There was a rate difference of 0.98 pmp between Germany and the United Kingdomwhich implemented separated legislation nine years earlier. 4. Southern Australia had a maximum rate of average kidneytransplant in the country from 2002 to 2006. 5. Live donor kidney transplants accounted for 31.2~44% compared to4.3% and 4.1% for liver transplants in 2006 and 2007 respectively in the United States. 6. The following have been appliedglobally to regulate organ transplantation and brain death: 1) International or multilateral treaties; 2) Regulation ofNGOs; 3) Self-discipline in the field of organ transplantation; 4) Expert consensus; 5) Establishment of patient’s alliance.Conclusion Countries that have implemented organ transplantation and brain death laws have developed successfulmeasures to improve and support insurance and follow-up information for donors and recipients, however, legislation isstill urgently needed in China. As long as brain death and organ transplant laws are reasonably developed and legislatorsresolve to deal with the difficult issues, then the legislation and its subsequent enforcement will reflect the interests of the people and improve health quality for all.
Objective Chronic graft dysfunction (CGD) has become the major factor that influences the long-term survival of grafts. It is unclear whether the different incidence of CGD has organ specificity. Methods We collected the graft survival rates (GSRs) of solid organ transplantations from the OPTN/SRTR (organ procurement and transplantation network/ scientific registry of transplant recipient). The solid organ transplantations were classified according to the cluster analyses of GSRs during two time periods. We defined the standard of lower survival rate and compared it to the 3-month GSRs (3mGSRs), 1-year GSRs (1y GSRs), 3y GSRs, and 5y GSRs of various solid organ transplantations. Results Deceased donor ECD kidney (DD-ECDK), pancreas transplantation alone (PTA), pancreas after kidney transplantation (PAK), Intestine (In), deceased donor lung (DD-Lu), and heart-lung (H-Lu) were classified into a category which was associated with lower graft survival rates based on the variables of GSRs during the time periods of 1991-1995 and 1996-2000. Compared with those of DD-ECDK, the lowest in the three types of kidney transplantation, the GSRs during the two time periods of the above organ transplantations of lower graft survival were lower [3mGSRs: OR 0.26-0.92, 95%CI (0.20, 0.35)-(0.61,1.39); 1y GSRs : OR 0.30-0.87, 95%CI (0.23,0.37)-(0.78,0.97); 3y GSRs: OR 0.39-0.77, 95%CI (0.30,0.51)-(0.61,0.98); 5y GSRs: OR 0.12-0.87, 95%CI (0.09,0.71)- (0.75,1.0)]. Conclusion The CGD had organ specificity. The grafts of DD-ECDK, PTA, PAK, In, DD-Lu, and H-Lu were identified as the organs with earlier onsets and higher incidence of CGD.
As more and more issues have emerged in organ transplantion cases, there is an increasing dispute about the definition of death: whether the criteria of cardiopulmonary death or brain death should be applied. The conflict between rights and obligations in brain death and organ transplantion is becoming ever evident, and there is a need for clarity on the issue of death and organ transplantion. This needs to come through legislation, which would be the most economical and effective intervention to provide this clarity. The authors believe that the National People’s Congress of China (NPC), the Standing Committee of NPC, the State Council of China and the Supreme People’s Court of China may get involved in the legislation for issues related to brain death and organ transplantion. As for the selection of decrees related to brain death and organ transplantion, all provinces, autonomous regions and centrally-governed municipalities can not exercise corresponding local legislative power except for special economic zones. After brain death and organ transplant related laws, administrative regulations, local decrees, autonomous decrees and special decrees have been settled, relevant executive legislation may be enacted. During such a legislative procedure, pilot programs can be adopted so as to enhance the applicability and success rate of the legislation of brain death and organ transplant.
Objective To review the research progress of Toll-like receptors （TLRs） signaling and its effects in organ transplantation. Methods The structural and functional features of TLRs and their ligands were summarized，the literatures in recent years about the research progress of TLRs signaling in animal experiment and clinical organ transplantation were reviewed. Results TRLs played an important role in the organ transplantation，the activation of TLRs could activate the specific immune system，and contribute to ischemic reperfusion injury，acute and chronic allograft rejections，and induce the immune tolerance. Early treatment intervention could reduce the activation of TRLs through ischemic reperfusion injury in the organ transplantation，and improve the allograft survival. The efficient immunosuppressive drugs which aimed at the related immunosuppressive target in immune and its signal transduction pathway could reduce ischemic reperfusion injury in the organ transplantation and immune rejection. Conclusions TRLs signaling plays an important role in ischemic reperfusion injury，immune rejection，and immune regulation.