The skin is constantly subjected to environmental insults (microb

The skin is constantly subjected to environmental insults (microbial, chemical and physical) that may trigger immune responses 20. It has been proposed that the presence of NLRP3 in the skin (keratinocytes and tissue resident dendritic cells) provides a first line of defence by enabling the rapid sensing of invading pathogens, thereby triggering an innate immune response via NLRP3 inflammasome activation 21, 22. Sensitising allergens that penetrate the skin surface induce a delayed type hypersensitivity reaction, called contact hypersensitivity (CHS) 23, 24. Evidence has been presented for the involvement of NOD-like receptors (NLR) as well as IL-1β,

IL-18 and caspase-1 in the mouse CHS

model 25, 26. Recent work has also suggested that IL-18 plays an important role by distinguishing the presence find more of contact allergens from irritants 27 (Table 1). The outcome of skin immune responses with respect to tolerance or immunity is dependent on skin NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and secreted IL-1β and IL-18 may regulate the quality of an allergen-specific Dabrafenib T-cell response in CHS 25. Furthermore, mice deficient in IL-1β have impaired CHS to trinitrochlorobenzone 28. These discoveries suggest that modulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome may offer a therapeutic strategy to modulate T-cell responses in patients suffering from allergic CHS. Excitingly, manipulation of the NLRP3 inflammasome may also offer a perspective to induce tolerance towards a given contact allergen. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) occurs when beta cells in the pancreas fail to produce sufficient insulin to overcome insulin resistance. Several lines of evidence support the role of IL-1β in the pathogenesis of T2D; expression of the IL-1Ra is reduced in the pancreatic islets of these patients, with IL-1β being produced in response to high glucose concentrations,

leading to decreased cell proliferation and apoptosis 29. Larsen et al. have reported that anakinra treatment results in decreased glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels and increased insulin production in T2D patients 30. An IL-1β antibody, Xoma 052, was shown to restore glycemic control in T2D patients else in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-escalation study 31. In this regard, it is also relevant that glyburide, a sulphonylurea drug used to treat T2D, inhibits the NLRP3 inflammasome 32. T2D is a burgeoning global health problem and this advance in understanding the pathogenesis will offer novel therapeutic avenues in the future. Inflammation appears to provide a local environment in which many tumours flourish and IL-1β has a key role in this process 33. Inflammasome-mediated pathogen recognition 34 provides a potential, but as yet unproven, link between infection-induced inflammation and cancer.

5 mm thickness,

NA = 8, experimental time = 16 min Three

5 mm thickness,

NA = 8, experimental time = 16 min. Three measures were used to estimate the morphological change of the brain, the first one Line 1 going from the Pituitary gland to Sylvius aqueduct, the second one Median line crossing the medial cerebellar nucleus and the third one Medium line stemming from the cerebellar obex. Measurements of vascular cerebral blood flow was performed by MRA using a Fast Low Angle Shot sequence, with the following parameters: FOV = 18 × 18 mm2, matrix = 256 × 256, TR/TE = 16/5 ms, 55 axial slices 0.2 mm thickness, NA = 4, experimental time = 11 min. Angiograms were produced by generating maximum intensity projections after interpolating raw data to obtain an isotropic resolution (72 μm3). Image analysis and processing were performed with the public domain software Image J (NIH, click here http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij) Total RNA was isolated from homogenized mouse brain using TRI-Reagent (Sigma), purified by RNeasy Mini Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA), and quantified by NanoDrop (Nd-1000). Reverse transcription was performed in with SuperScript®III Kit according to manufacturers’ instructions (Invitrogen). cDNA was subjected selleck compound to quantitative real-time PCR using primers for CD3, CD8α, Granzyme B, IFN-γ, IL-12Rβ2, CXCL9, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CXCR3 (Qiagen) and GoTaq® qPCR-Master Mix (Promega). GAPDH and 18S expression was used for normalization. Raw data were

analyzed using the Relative Expression Software Tool (REST, http://www.rest.de.com/). Mice were euthanized and Pyruvate dehydrogenase perfused with intracardiac PBS/2 mM-EDTA. Brain leukocytes were isolated as described [41]. Briefly, brains were gently homogenized in RPMI 1640 medium containing 2% FCS. The mononuclear cells were then separated over a 35% Percoll gradient (Amersham Biosciences AB, Uppsala, Sweden) and analyzed by flow cytometry with hamster antibodies anti-mouse CD3ε-PerCP (BD Pharmingen, clone 145-2C11), anti-mouse CD69-PE-Cy-7 (BD Pharmingen, clone H1.2F3), anti-mouse CXCR3/CD183-FITC (eBioscience, clone CXCR3-173), and with rat antibodies anti-mouse CD8α-allophycocyanin (BD Pharmingen, clone 53-6.7),

and anti-mouse CD4-V450 (BD Pharmingen, clone RM4-5). Data were analyzed using a BD CANTO II flow cytometer and FlowJO software. Statistical significance was determined with GraphPad Prism (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA). Differences were analyzed by mean of nonparametric tests (Kruskal–Wallis followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison) or Logrank test for survival. p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. The authors are grateful to Prof. U. Kalinke (Paul-Ehrlich Institut, Langen, Germany) for the kind gift of IFNAR1-deficient mice and to Prof. F. Erard for helpful discussions. The authors acknowledge the support from University of Orleans and CNRS through International Associated Laboratory TB IMMUNITY (LIA N°236) between CNRS INEM and UCT IIDMM.


“Interleukin (IL)-21 and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-


“Interleukin (IL)-21 and protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22) regulate lymphocyte

function and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes. We sequenced the proximal promoter of the IL-21 gene for the first time and analysed the PTPN22 1858T polymorphism in type 1A diabetes (T1AD) Selleck BMS907351 patients and healthy controls (HC). We correlated the frequencies of islet and extra-pancreatic autoantibodies with genotypes from both loci. The case series comprised 612 T1AD patients and 792 HC. Genotyping of PTPN22 C1858T was performed on 434 T1AD patients and 689 HC. The −448 to +83 base pairs (bp) region of the IL-21 gene was sequenced in 309 Brazilian T1AD and 189 HC subjects. We also evaluated

human leucocyte antigen (HLA) DR3/DR4 alleles. The Afatinib in vivo frequencies of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), tyrosine phosphatase-like protein (IA)-2, anti-nuclear antibody (ANA), thyroid peroxidase (TPO), thyroglobulin (TG), thyrotrophin receptor autoantibody (TRAb), anti-smooth muscle (ASM) and 21-hydroxylase (21-OH) autoantibodies were higher in T1AD patients than in HC. The PTPN22 1858T allele was associated with an increased risk for developing T1AD [odds ratio (OR) = 1·94; P < 0·001], particularly in patients of European ancestry, and with a higher frequency of GAD65 and TG autoantibodies. HLA-DR3/DR4 alleles predominated in T1AD patients. A heterozygous allelic IL-21 gene variant (g.-241 T > A) was found in only one patient. In conclusion, only PTPN22 C1858T polymorphism and HLA-DR3 Adenosine and/or DR4 alleles, but not allelic variants in the 5′-proximal region of the IL-21 gene were associated with T1AD risk. Patients with T1AD had increased frequencies

of anti-islet-cell, anti-thyroid, anti-nuclear, anti-smooth muscle and anti-21-OH autoantibodies. The C1858T PTPN22 polymorphism was also associated with a higher frequency of GAD65 and TG autoantibodies. Type 1A diabetes (T1AD), characterized by T cell-mediated autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells, is believed to result from a complex interplay between genetic predisposition, the immune system and environmental factors [1-3]. The major determinant of T1AD genetic susceptibility is conferred by the human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DR and HLA-DQ alleles [4, 5]. Another important non-HLA gene, the protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor 22 (PTPN22), regulates T cell receptor signalling. The PTPN22 C1858T variant, which corresponds to the lymphoid protein tyrosine phosphatase-LYP-Arg620Trp variant associated with pathogenic T cell responses [6-9], has emerged recently as an important risk factor for type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases [10, 11]. Cytokines also play an important role in T1AD pathogenesis. They are the central mediators of inflammation and control innate and adaptive immune responses as well as tissue damage, defence, repair and remodelling [12].

Restricting the analyses to patients who fulfilled the ACR criter

Restricting the analyses to patients who fulfilled the ACR criteria, the results were practically unchanged. Examining individually the profiles of KIR genes in the entire sample of patients

and controls, 33 different combinations of KIR genes were observed. Only one of these profiles (which contained the combination 2DS2+/2DL2+) was more frequent in controls than in patients (OR: 0·11, 95% CI: 0·012–0·48, P < 0·001). Other profiles were not associated with SSc. Analysing specifically the KIR2DS2 gene, it was not related significantly to risk for SSc (Table 2). However, after performing stratified analysis according to the KIR2DL2 status, KIR2DS2 was a significant risk factor for systemic sclerosis, particularly in the absence of KIR2DL2 (Table 4). Furthermore, we observed linkage disequilibrium between absence of KIR 2DL2 and the presence of 2DS2 Galunisertib nmr (P < 0·0001),

meaning that this combination occurs more frequently in disease than would be expected from a random formation of haplotypes. The associations of activating and inhibitory KIR genes with SSc were click here analysed additionally in the context of their respective HLA-C ligands using stratified analysis. The odds ratios of KIR2DL2, KIR2DS2, KIR2DS2+/KIR2DL2-, KIR2DS2-/KIR2DL2+ and KIR2DS2+/KIR2DL2+ for SSc were virtually unchanged after stratification for HLA-C1 status, and no significant interactions were observed. For example, in HLA-C1-negative individuals the odds ratio of KIR2DL2 for SSc was 0·20 (95% CI: 0·05–0·71), while in HLA-C1-positive individuals it was 0·23 (0·11–0·46). In the same N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase way, the tests for associations of KIR2DS1, KIR2DL1 and its combinations with SSc were changed minimally and non-significantly after stratification for HLA-C2, and there were no significant interactions. When clinical and laboratory data of the SSc patients were compared, no significant differences in the KIR gene frequencies

were found with regard to the severity of skin disease, disease subtype, pulmonary interstitial and vascular involvement and autoantibody profile. The results of the present study, investigating a sample of patients and controls from south Brazil, suggests that the KIR allele 2DL2+ is protective for SSc, while the combination KIR 2DS2+/2DL2- is related to increased risk for the disease. Two previous studies have investigated the frequencies of KIR genes in SSc patients, reporting discrepant results. Momot et al.[10], studying 102 cases and 100 controls, found an association of the combination KIR 2DS2+/2DL2- with increased risk for SSc in a sample of German SSc patients. This result is confirmed by our study. However, they have not found a significant independent protective role for the KIR2DL2. Pellet et al.

16,31,32 The up-regulation of β-tubulin-specific IL-10 production

16,31,32 The up-regulation of β-tubulin-specific IL-10 production by splenocytes suggests the possibility that hASCs may induce IL-10-producing Treg cells31,33 in EAHL mice. We therefore examined the possibility that this suppression was mediated by the production of Treg cells in vivo. We found a significantly elevated percentage of CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ cells from EAHL mice exposed to hASCs compared with the PBS control groups. Also, these hASC-induced Treg cells potently inhibited the proliferative response of autoreactive T cells in vitro, and these effects were significantly abrogated

by anti-IL-10 antibodies. Therefore, hASC treatment might induce IL-10-secreting selleck β-tubulin-specific CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Treg cells in mice with EAHL that mediate T-cell tolerance. In summary, the present study demonstrated that hASCs display a therapeutic potential and suggests that hASCs may provide a novel therapeutic approach for AIED. Mechanistically, our results indicate that the hASCs inhibit the Th1/Th17 cell responses through the generation of IL-10-secreting Treg cells with the capacity to suppress autoreactive T-cell responses, thereby maintaining self-tolerance. We thank RNL-bio (Korea) for providing

the funding for this research project. The authors declare no financial conflicts of interest. “
“Because regulatory T (Treg) cells play an important role in modulating the immune system response against Selleck CP868596 Tau-protein kinase both endogenous and exogenous antigens, their control is critical to establish immunotherapy against autoimmune disorders, chronic viral infections and tumours. Ribavirin (RBV), an antiviral reagent used with interferon, is known to polarize the T helper (Th) 1/2 cell balance toward Th1 cells. Although the immunoregulatory mechanisms of RBV are not fully understood, it has been expected that RBV would affect T reg cells to modulate the Th1/2 cell balance. To confirm this hypothesis, we investigated whether RBV

modulates the inhibitory activity of human peripheral CD4+ CD25+ CD127− T cells in vitro. CD4+ CD25+ CD127− T cells pre-incubated with RBV lose their ability to inhibit the proliferation of CD4+ CD25− T cells. Expression of Forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) in CD4+ CD25− T cells was down-modulated when they were incubated with CD4+ CD25+ CD127− T cells pre-incubated with RBV without down-modulating CD45RO on their surface. In addition, transwell assays and cytokine-neutralizing assays revealed that this effect depended mainly on the inhibition of interleukin-10 (IL-10) produced from CD4+ CD25+ CD127− T cells. These results indicated that RBV might inhibit the conversion of CD4+ CD25− FOXP3− naive T cells into CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ adaptive Treg cells by down-modulating the IL-10-producing Treg 1 cells to prevent these effector T cells from entering anergy and to maintain Th1 cell activity.

Irrespective of the exact mechanism, the targeting of TIR adaptor

Irrespective of the exact mechanism, the targeting of TIR adaptor proteins may represent Maraviroc datasheet a further mechanism underlying the inhibitory effects of

viral Pellino on TLR signalling. Viruses have evolved a wide range of immunoevasive strategies, including the targeting of key innate immune signalling pathways. Vaccinia virus A52R has been shown to inhibit TLR-mediated activation of NF-κB by disrupting signalling complexes containing TRAF6 and IRAK2 28. Furthermore, in a manner similar to the actions of viral Pellino on IRAK-1, MCMV M45 was found to bind RIP1, blocking its ubiquitination and thereby activation of NF-κB by TNF-α and TLR3 signalling 29. Here, we reveal the immunoevasive

properties of a poxviral Pellino homolog. This identifies the ability of an entomopoxvirus protein this website to combat insect immunity. The ability of viral Pellino to also interfere with TLR signalling highlights the amazing conservation across the evolutionary divide of Toll and TLR signalling. An increased understanding of the mechanistic basis to the regulatory effects of viral Pellino may also provide a greater appreciation of the precise role of mammalian Pellinos in IL-1/TLR signalling. Viral Pellino was initially discovered based on the sequence identity with members of the mammalian Pellino family. However, the sequence identity was quite low and given that the X-ray structure of part of the Pellino2 protein had been recently resolved, we employed homology modelling to evaluate if the limited sequence identity has the potential to translate into shared structural properties. An intriguing picture emerges in which viral Pellino shares some of the structural characteristics of mammalian proteins but differs in other respects. Like some of Rucaparib molecular weight its mammalian counterparts, it has a cytoplasmic localisation. This is hardly surprising since bioinformatic analysis failed to predict any

transmembrane domain or nuclear localisation sequences. Mammalian Pellinos possess two distinct domains; a N-terminal FHA domain that facilitates binding to phosphorylated IRAK-1 18 and a C-terminal RING-like domain that catalyses polyubiquitination of IRAK-1. Viral Pellino lacks the latter but appears to have the potential to form a FHA domain based on two sets of findings. First, homology modelling in conjunction with molecular dynamics indicates the potential for viral Pellino to form a stable 11-stranded β-sandwich that is characteristic of a canonical FHA domain. Second, viral Pellino shows conservation of the four signature amino acid residues in FHA domain-containing proteins that mediate direct binding to phosphorylated threonine residues on partner proteins.

The morning of the second day of the conference saw another wonde

The morning of the second day of the conference saw another wonderful series of master lectures, Pirfenidone in vitro this time delivered by Rafi Ahmed (USA) and Stefan Kaufmann (Germany). Rafi Ahmed described the human B-cell response to influenza virus in people infected with the 2009 H1N1

pandemic strain and discussed the novel vaccination approaches for this virus which has been extensively discussed during the past decade. Stefan Kaufmann focused his lecture on host-pathogen interactions in tuberculosis. He described the novel vaccination strategies based on the improved rBCG strain which expresses listeriolysin but is devoid of urease. He showed that this candidate vaccine induces better protection and has proven to be safer than the wild type parental BCG. This vaccine has already successfully entered a phase II clinical trial. He highlighted the importance of biomarkers that could help to (i) discriminate

latently infected individuals and patients with active TB, (ii) monitor clinical vaccine and drug trial, (iii) define mechanisms of disease pathogenesis, resistance and susceptibility and (iv) finally predict the risk of disease development. The close of the second day saw two more master lectures. One was given by Narinder Mehra (India) who highlighted the clinical relevance of antibodies in transplantation, the range of technologies for their detection and the importance of defining donor-specific and anti-HLA antibodies both in pre- as well as post-transplant stages. Narinder Mehra new particularly stressed the potential

role of antibodies to ICG-001 price MICA, the molecule expressed primarily on endothelial cells, in transplantation. The other master lecture was given by Shigeo Koyasu (Japan) who presented studies on the type 2 innate immune response as predicted by natural helper (NH) cells. He described the role of these cells in lymphoid clusters in adipose tissues, termed fat associated lymphoid clusters (FACCs). The NH cells produce Th2 cytokines constitutively and support self renewal of B1 cells and IgA production by B cells. The concluding day of the Congress started with the master lectures by GP Talwar and Vijay Kuchroo. GP Talwar gave an overview of immunological approaches for the control of fertility through vaccination against human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), which prevents unwanted pregnancy without impairment of ovulation and derangement of menstrual regularity. Recent studies by the Talwar group suggest that this vaccine is likely to have therapeutic applications in the treatment of hormone dependant cancers. Vijay Kuchroo (USA) highlighted T-cell subsets, particularly the IL-17-producing Th17 cells and their reciprocal relationship for the generation and induction of autoimmunity and FoxP3 Treg cells that inhibit autoimmune tissue injury.

Human cells were allowed to engraft and to generate an immune sys

Human cells were allowed to engraft and to generate an immune system in recipient mice for at least 12 weeks, at which time human haematolymphoid engraftment was validated by flow cytometry on peripheral blood as described previously.6,10 Successfully engrafted mice were then randomized check details based on engraftment levels for use in experiments. Dengue virus serotype-2 strain New Guinea C (DENV-2 NGC) was propagated in C6/36 Aedes albopictus cells cultured in RPMI-1640 (Invitrogen, Grand Island, NY) containing 5% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum (Gibco, Grand

Island, NY) at 28° as previously described.14 Dengue virus serotype-2 strain S16803 was kindly provided by Dr Robert

Putnak at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Virus titres were determined by focus-forming assay on Vero cells. Groups of BLT-NSG mice were inoculated by the subcutaneous route with approximately 106 plaque-forming units (PFU) DENV-2 NGC or increasing doses of DENV-2 S16803 (106−108 PFU). Clinical assessments (weight loss and signs of illness including ruffling and hunching) were monitored for 30 days. Organs (spleen, liver and bone marrow) Alectinib ic50 were surgically removed from mice killed at different times post-infection. Aliquots of the sera, liver, bone marrow and spleen cells were immediately frozen at −80° for RNA analysis. A piece of the spleen, was depleted of red blood cells using an RBC lysis buffer (Sigma, St Louis, MO) and processed to make single-cell suspensions for T-cell and B-cell assays. Sera and bone marrow were tested for the presence of DENV-2 RNA by reverse transcription (RT-) PCR. Serum

viral RNA was extracted and purified using the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA). RNA from bone marrow cells was isolated using the Qiagen RNeasy mini kit (Qiagen) and subjected to reverse-transcription and amplification using a Qiagen One-Step RT-PCR Kit (Qiagen) with DENV-2-specific primers D1 and TS2 as described by Lanciotti et al.21 Viral RNA copy numbers in sera were measured by using a quantitative real-time RT-PCR-based TaqMan system (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA). The RNA was subjected to reverse transcription and amplification N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate transferase using a TaqMan One-Step RT-PCR Master Mix Reagents Kit (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA) with DENV-2 consensus primers (forward, 5′AAGGTGAGATGAAGCTGTAGTCTC-3′, and reverse, 5′CATTCCATTTTCTGGCGTTCT-3′) and DENV-2 consensus TaqMan probe (6FAM-5′CTGTCTCCTCAGCATCATTCCAGGCA-3′-TAMRA). Probed products were quantitatively monitored by their fluorescence intensity with the ABI 7300 Real-Time PCR system (Applied Biosystems). DENV-2 viral RNA was used as control RNA for quantification. Viral RNA in sera was calculated based on the standard curve of control RNA.

PARK JI HYEON, PARK KYUNG SUN, JANG HYE RYOUN, LEE JUNG EUN, HUH

PARK JI HYEON, PARK KYUNG SUN, JANG HYE RYOUN, LEE JUNG EUN, HUH WOOSEONG, KIM YOON-GOO, OH HA YOUNG, KIM DAE JOONG Division of Nephrology, Department of Internal Medicine, Samsung Medical center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea Introduction: Living-unrelated donors (LURD) have been widely C646 cost used for kidney transplantation (KT). We compared clinical outcomes of

KT from LURD and from concurrent living-related donors (LRD), and identified risk factors associated with acute rejection, graft and patient survival in living KT. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 779 patients who underwent living donor KT (264 from LURD, 515 from LRD) at Samsung Medical Center from January 2000 to December 2012. Results: Median follow-up was 67 months. Mean age (43.2 vs. Microtubule Associated inhibitor 38.4 years, P < 0.001), mean number of total HLA mismatches (4.1 vs. 2.5, P < 0.001) and HLA-DR mismatches (1.2 vs. 0.8, P < 0.001) were higher, and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was lower (87.6 vs. 90.9 ml/min, P = 0.007) in LURD. Acute rejection-free survival (64.9% vs. 72.7% at 5 years, P = 0.018) and graft survival (92.9% vs. 96.5% at 5 years, P = 0.025) were lower for LURD than LRD whereas patient survival rate was comparable (97.9% vs. 98.7% at 5 years, P = 0.957). Cox-regression analysis showed that HLA-DR mismatches (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.20–2.62, P = 0.004

for 1 mismatches; OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.64–4.20, P. Conclusion: Our data suggest that HLA-DR mismatches and donor eGFR are independent risk

factors for clinical outcomes of living KT. In living KT, these factors should be considered to prevent acute rejection and improve graft survival. ADACHI HIROKI, MUKAI KIYOTAKA, OKUSHI YUKI, OKINO KAZUAKI, SHOJIMA KIYO, MATSUI YUKI, FUJIMOTO KEIJI, ATSUMI HIROKATSU, OKUYAMA HIROSHI, YAMAYA HIDEKI, YOKOYAMA HITOSHI Division of Nephrology, Kanazawa Medical University BCKDHA School of Medicine Introduction: Although the risk for morbidity and mortality is studied in subjects with renal transplantation, there are very limited data to access the reno-protective effects of lipid and adiponectin. Methods: We studied 105 adult subjects (age 19- to 72-year old; 66 males, 21 cadaveric donors) between January 2004 and December 2012, with at least three years of allograft survival in our hospital. We examined clinical backgrounds, donor types (living or cadaver), treated drugs, blood pressure (BP, mmHg), body mass index (BMI), blood chemistry including cholesterol (total, LDL-C, HDL-C), glucose, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and total, high- and low-molecular adiponectin (ADPN) levels. Results: The initial 4 years alteration of eGFR was at −2.2(−14.3∼7.0) ml/min/1.73 m2/year in 105 subjects. In single analyses, both LDL-C/HDL-C ratio below 2.0 and statin treatment also decreased the reduction rate of eGFR at −1.4 and −1.0 ml/min/1.73 m2/year (p = 0.01, p = 0.02), respectively, but not by total ADPN levels.

Background: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a novel reg

Background: Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is a novel regulator of the renin-angiotensin system that counteracts the adverse effects of angiotensin II. ACE2 activity predicts adverse events and myocardial Roxadustat dysfunction in non-transplant patients with heart failure however there is limited data on the role of ACE2 in kidney transplant recipients. Methods: This is an ongoing prospective cohort study of patients with end-stage kidney disease undergoing kidney transplantation. Blood

collection is performed weekly for 12 weeks and then monthly for 12 months. Serum is transported on ice and aliquots frozen at −70°C. ACE2 enzyme activity was measured using an ACE2-specific quenched fluorescent substrate assay. The rate of substrate cleavage is expressed as pmol of substrate cleaved per mL of plasma per minute. Values below are expressed as mean ACE2 enzyme activity ± Standard buy AZD6244 Deviation. Results: Analysis of pre-transplant ACE2 plasma activity (n = 12) demonstrated a baseline level of 18.4 ± 13.2 which increased significantly at week one (53.0 ± 27.9) (P < 0.05). ACE2 activity in

subsequent weeks gradually reduced towards the baseline level – Week 2 = 31.8 ± 11.5; Week 3 = 33.2 ± 21.1; Week 4 = 30.0 ± 15.2; Week 6 = 26.2 ± 15.7; and Week8 = 20.1 ± 8.5. Further analysis of

continuing samples are in progress. Conclusions: The present study demonstrates a significant surge in ACE2 during the critical early post-transplant period with physiological and immunological changes. The clinical implications of this early rise in ACE2 and compensatory regulatory role will be the focus of follow up studies. 258 THE PREFERENCES Ergoloid AND PERSPECTIVES OF NEPHROLOGISTS ON PATIENTS’ ACCESS TO KIDNEY TRANSPLANTATION: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW A TONG1,2, CS HANSON1,2, JR CHAPMAN3, F HALLECK4, K BUDDE4, C PAPACHRISTOU4, JC CRAIG1,2 1The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales; 2The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, New South Wales; 3Westmead Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; 4Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany Aim: To describe nephrologists’ attitudes to patients’ access to kidney transplantation. Background: While kidney transplantation can offer improved survival and quality of life outcomes, up to 70% of patients requiring renal replacement therapy remain on dialysis. Moreover disparities in access to kidney transplantation are apparent, in part attributable to differences in transplant education, screening, and patient eligibility for kidney transplantation. Methods: Electronic databases were searched to July 2013.