Overcoming limits with deceased donors: successful renal transplantations from a donor with serum creatinine of 13.1 mg/dL

Non-expanded deceased donors with acute kidney failure can be a safe option to increase the number of kidneys for transplantation. Histological evaluation is fundamental to establish the functional prognosis of those grafts. Two kidney transplantations were performed from a young deceased donor with severe acute kidney failure and no structural change in the renal parenchyma. Both patients had postoperative delayed graft function, but one of them, who had good initial urinary volume, required no dialysis. Adequate renal function was present at day 30 after transplantation. Severe acute kidney failure in deceased donors is not an independent risk factor for short-term outcome of renal graft and should not be considered an absolute contraindication for transplantation.Doadores falecidos não limítrofes com insuficiência renal aguda podem ser uma opção segura para aumentar a oferta de rins para transplante. A avaliação histológica é fundamental para o estabelecimento do prognóstico funcional desses enxertos. Dois transplantes renais foram realizados com rins provenientes de um doador falecido jovem com insuficiência renal aguda severa sem comprometimento estrutural do parênquima renal. Ambos os enxertos apresentaram atraso de funcionamento no período pós-operatório, embora um deles com boa diurese inicial não tenha necessitado diálise. Função renal adequada foi observada a partir do 30º dia após o transplante. A insuficiência renal aguda severa no doador falecido não é fator de risco independente para a evolução em curto prazo do enxerto renal e não deve ser considerada contra-indicação absoluta para a realização do transplante.Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de MedicinaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de PatologiaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) Departamento de CirurgiaUNIFESP, Depto. de MedicinaUNIFESP, Depto. de PatologiaUNIFESP, Depto. de CirurgiaSciEL

Characterisation of microbial attack on archaeological bone

As part of an EU funded project to investigate the factors influencing bone preservation in the archaeological record, more than 250 bones from 41 archaeological sites in five countries spanning four climatic regions were studied for diagenetic alteration. Sites were selected to cover a range of environmental conditions and archaeological contexts. Microscopic and physical (mercury intrusion porosimetry) analyses of these bones revealed that the majority (68%) had suffered microbial attack. Furthermore, significant differences were found between animal and human bone in both the state of preservation and the type of microbial attack present. These differences in preservation might result from differences in early taphonomy of the bones. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved