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.
ObjectiveIn order to provide a data base for fund project applicants and funding priorities, we would summarize the basic situation and key points of basic research in liver transplantation by analyzing the projects funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in the field of liver transplantation.MethodsThrough the big data knowledge management and service platform of NSFC, internet-based science information system, and shared service network of NSFC, we searched the funding project information in the liver transplantation relevant field from 2010 to 2019, then analyzed the effectiveness of the Young Scientists Fund of NSFC in promoting young researchers and the research focus and development direction of funding projects.ResultsIn the latest 10 years, NSFC persistently and stably funded the basic research in the field of liver transplantation, with the total number of funding projects was 387, and the funding budget was 198.215 million yuan. The main types of funding projects were the General Program and the Youth Science Fund. There were 210 General Program project (54.3%) with an amount of 113.14 million yuan (57.1%), 127 Young Scientists Fund (32.8%) with an amount of 27.9 million yuan (14.1%), and 22 Fund for Less Developed Regions (5.7%) with an amount of 9.03 million yuan (4.6%). Sun Yat-sen University and Zhejiang University were far ahead of other supporting institutions in both the total number of projects undertaken and the amount of funds granted. The youth/surface ratio reached as high as 72.2% (13/18). The conversion rate of Young Scientists Fund to higher-level projects reached about 50%, which was significantly higher than the overall level of 24.7% (21/85) in the field of liver transplantation. The funding projects were mainly distributed in application code H0318 (liver regeneration, liver protection, liver failure, and artificial liver, 58, 15.0%), H0321 (organ transplantation of digestive system, 169, 43.7%), and H1006 (organ transplantation and transplantation immunity, 50, 12.9%). The main research fields were transplantation immunity and liver injury and liver protection. At the same time, projects such as graft function and complications of liver transplantation were also funded. There were few studies on the immune status of long-term survival in patients after liver transplantation and the mechanism on prevention of immunosuppressant-related diseases.ConclusionsThe NSFC has a great leading effect on the discipline development and talent cultivation of liver transplantation. However, there are still some problems in the discipline layout, such as the lack of attention to the mechanism of long-term graft function and chronic immune rejection.
Lung transplantation has developed in China for nearly half a century. The Wuxi lung transplant team completed our first lung transplantation on September 28, 2002. By the year of 2021, the total number of lung transplantation in China has been increased to 775, while 49 medical centers have been qualified to perform lung transplantation. During the past two decades, we vigorously promoted lung transplantation technique, cooperated and communicated with colleagues in relevant specialties. Thus, more and more patients with end-stage lung diseases could be evaluated and transplanted to save their lives, with the support of medical insurance and funds. The full-process monitoring and staged objective management, have been well established regarding to donor evaluation standards and acquisition procedures, the green channel for organ transportation, postoperative intensive care unit management, prevention of rejection and infection, as well as long-term follow-up of recipients. Based on the classical lung transplantation surgical techniques, technical breakthroughs have been made while the public’s acknowledgement of lung transplantation has been also enhanced. In the future, lung transplantation techniques will be increasingly challenged by new technologies and ethics, bringing diversified opportunities and challenges to the lung transplantation team collaboration.
Objective To summarize the application and progress of common autologous organ transplantation (AOT) techniques. Method A literature review and summary of previous and recent studies on common AOT was performed, including autologous liver transplantation, autologous kidney transplantation and intestinal autotransplantation techniques. Results AOT solved the issues of bleeding that cannot be controlled by in vivo resection of lesions, difficulties in vascular reconstruction, and the inability to radically resect lesions, and extended the indications for treatment of partially diseased conditions. Conclusions The AOT technique has an ameliorating effect on the tight donor situation in China, providing more potential donors. And the application of the AOT technique effectively avoids the usage of postoperative immunosuppressive drugs and the progression of lesions due to waiting for allogeneic organ transplantation. However, the clinical benefit in malignant tumors remains to be further investigated.
Heart transplantation remains the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage heart failure. Over the past decade, significant advancements have been made in the field of heart transplant surgery. However, the enormous demand from heart failure patients and the severe shortage of available donor hearts continue to be major obstacles to the widespread application of heart transplantation. With the development of donor heart recovery, preservation, and evaluation techniques, the use of extended criteria donors and donation after circulatory death has increased. These technological advancements have expanded the safe ischemic time and geographic range for donor heart procurement, significantly enlarging the donor pool and driving a rapid increase in heart transplant cases. Concurrently, many new techniques have emerged in heart transplant surgery and perioperative management, particularly the rapid advancements in mechanical circulatory support and artificial intelligence, which hold the potential to revolutionize the field. This article reviews and discusses the current status and major surgical advancements in adult heart transplantation in the United States, aiming to provide insights and stimulate ongoing exploration and innovation in this field.