IT HAS been well proven that donor-specific antigens (DS-Ags) could induce immunologic tolerance of recipients and prolong allograft survival. But the detailed mechanisms are still unclear. The effect of the DS-Ags is influenced by some factors, particularly the species, the histocompatibility barries, the different sources of the DSAgs, the different pathways that the DS-Ags were given, the dose and timing of DS-Ags infusion, the immunoreactivity of the recipient to DS-Ags, etc. In this study, different DS-Ags and different pathways through which the DS-Ags were given were compared.

ONE OF the serious problems in allogenic clinical transplantation is the shortage of grafts. The pig is now widely accepted as the most appropriate candidate for xenotransplantation.1 It is very important to establish a large animal model to mimic pig-to-human xenotransplantation and to evaluate the donor-recipient interaction during the whole course in vivo. Our previous study showed that human bone marrow and spleen cells could survive in recipient pig for a long time after transplant. In this study, human spleen or spleen tissue was transplanted into pig to establish a higher level of chimerism. Therefore, it is possible to observe the interaction of human against pig, and it might be possible to develop xenogenic graft-versushost disease (xGVHD).

ORGAN transplantation has become a realistic treatment for patients with end-stage organ failure.1,2 However, despite improvements in diagnosis and treatment of acute rejection, the consequences of chronic rejection, namely transplant arteriosclerosis, remain major obstacles to long-term survival of most solid organ allografts.3,4 Several animal models have been developed to investigate the mechanisms of the chronic rejection.5-7 However, most of these models have the disadvantages of requiring difficult operative skills, ensuring high rates of postoperative complications and host mortality as well as requiring a long time of observation. The present study was designed to investigate the feasibility of using SD and Wistar rats to design a new rat model of transplant arteriosclerosis and to accelerate the process by enhancing the ishemia/reperfusion (IR) injury.

MYCOPHENOLIC acid (MPA) is the active metabolite of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). Because of its immunosuppressive properties, the drug has now been widely used in immunosuppressive protocols after solid organ transplantation and for autoimmune diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the pharmacokinetics of MPA after single and multiple oral administrations of the pro-drug of MPA (MMF), in Chinese renal transplant recipients.

MYCOPHENOLATE mofetil (MMF) is widely used in organ transplantation combined with other immunosuppressants to prevent acute rejection. 1-3 Because MMF can produce side effects, especially hematological and/or gastrointestinal toxicity, 1-5 therapeutic monitoring is becoming mandatory. Furthermore, there is no study to show the characteristics of MMF pharmacokinetics (PK) in Chinese patients. This study was designed to investigate the relationship between clinical events and the PK of mycophenolic acid (MPA) in Chinese kidney transplant recipients.