Follow-Up of Offspring Born to Parents With a Solid Organ Transplantation:A Systematic Review

Pregnancy after solid organ transplantation (SOT) has potential risks for the offspring. Most existing research focused on short-term pregnancy outcomes. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate available data concerning longer term outcomes (>1 year) of these children. A systematic literature search, following PRISMA guidelines, of PubMed and Embase was performed from the earliest date of inception through to 6th April 2022. Publications on all types of (combined) SOT were eligible for inclusion. In total, 53 articles were included. The majority assessed offspring after kidney (78% of offspring) or liver transplantation (17% of offspring). 33 studies included offspring aged >4 years and five offspring aged >18 years. One study was included on fathers with SOT. The majority of the 1,664 included children after maternal SOT had normal intellectual, psychomotor, and behavioral development. Although prematurity and low birth weight were commonly present, regular growth after 1 year of age was described. No studies reported opportunistic or chronic infections or abnormal response to vaccinations. In general, pregnancy after SOT appears to have reassuring longer term outcomes for the offspring. However, existing information is predominantly limited to studies with young children. Longer prospective studies with follow-up into adulthood of these children are warranted

Comparison of pregnancy outcomes in Dutch kidney recipients with and without calcineurin inhibitor exposure:a retrospective study

Within pregnancies occurring between 1986 and 2017 in Dutch kidney transplant recipients (KTR), we retrospectively compared short-term maternal and foetal outcomes between patients on calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) based (CNI+) and CNI-free immunosuppression (CNI-). We identified 129 CNI+ and 125 CNI- pregnancies in 177 KTR. Demographics differed with CNI+ having higher body mass index (P = 0.045), shorter transplant-pregnancy interval (P < 0.01), later year of transplantation and -pregnancy (P < 0.01). Serum creatinine levels were numerically higher in CNI+ in all study phases, but only reached statistical significance in third trimester (127 vs. 105 mu m; P < 0.01), where the percentual changes from preconceptional level also differed (+3.1% vs. -2.2% in CNI-; P = 0.05). Postpartum both groups showed 11-12% serum creatinine rise from preconceptional level. Incidence of low birth weight (LBW) tended to be higher in CNI+ (52% vs. 46%; P = 0.07). Both groups showed equal high rates of preterm delivery. Using CNIs during pregnancy lead to a rise in creatinine in the third trimester but does not negatively influence the course of graft function in the first year postpartum or direct foetal outcomes. High rates of preterm delivery and LBW in KTR, irrespective of CNI use, classify all pregnancies as high risk

Pregnancy in Advanced Kidney Disease:Clinical Practice Considerations on a Challenging Combination

Background:Thanks to the advances in care, pregnancy is now attainable for the majority of young female CKD patients, although it is still a high-risk endeavor. Clinical decision-making in these cases is impacted by a myriad of factors, making (pre)pregnancy counseling a complex process. The complexities, further impacted by limited data and unknown risks regarding outcome, can cause discussions when deciding on the best care for a specific patient. Objectives:In this article, we provide an overview of the considerations and dilemmas we encounter in preconception counseling and offer our perspective on how to deal with them in daily clinical practice. Methods:The main topics we discuss in our counseling are (1) the high risk of pregnancy complications, (2) the risk of permanent CKD deterioration due to pregnancy and subsequent decreased life expectancy, (3) appropriate changes in renal medication, and (4) assisted reproduction, genetic testing, and prenatal or preimplantation genetic diagnostics. Results and Conclusions:In our clinic, we openly address moral dilemmas arising in clinical practice in pregnancy and CKD, both within the physician team and with the patient. We do this by ensuring an interpretive physician-patient interaction and shared decision-making, deliberating in a multidisciplinary setting and, if needed, with input from an expert committee

Long-Term Kidney and Maternal Outcomes After Pregnancy in Living Kidney Donors

For counseling it is important to know if pregnancy after Living Kidney Donation (LKD) affects long-term outcomes of the mono-kidney and the mother. Therefore, we performed a retrospective multicenter study in women ≤45 years who donated their kidney between 1981 and 2017. Data was collected via questionnaires and medical records. eGFR of women with post-LKD pregnancies were compared to women with pre-LKD pregnancies or nulliparous. eGFR before and after pregnancy were compared in women with post-LKD pregnancies. Pregnancy outcomes post-LKD were compared with pre-LKD pregnancy outcomes. 234 women (499 pregnancies) were included, of which 20 with pre- and post-LKD pregnancies (68) and 26 with only post-LKD pregnancies (59). Multilevel analysis demonstrated that eGFR was not different between women with and without post-LKD pregnancies (p = 0.23). Furthermore, eGFR was not different before and after post-LKD pregnancy (p = 0.13). More hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) occurred in post-LKD pregnancies (p = 0.002). Adverse fetal outcomes did not differ. We conclude that, despite a higher incidence of HDP, eGFR was not affected by post-LKD pregnancy. In line with previous studies, we found an increased risk for HDP after LKD without affecting fetal outcome. Therefore, a pregnancy wish alone should not be a reason to exclude women for LKD.</p

Back to base pairs: what is the genetic risk for red bloodcell alloimmunization?

Red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization is a serious complication of blood transfusions, challenging selection of compatible units for future transfusions. Genetic characteristics may be associated with the risk of RBC alloimmunization and may therefore serve to identify high-risk patients. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the available evidence on genetic risk factors for RBC alloimmunization. Electronic databases were searched up to April 2020 for studies (Search terms included transfusion, alloimmunization and genetic). A total of 2581 alloimmunized cases and 26,558 controls were derived from 24 studies. The alleles that were most frequently studied and that demonstrated significant associations in a meta-analysis with alloimmunization to the Duffya antigen were HLA-DRB1*04 (Odds Ratio 7.80 (95%CI 4.57-13.33)), HLA-DRB1*15 (OR 3.76 (95%CI 2.14-6.59)), and HLA-DRB1*03 (OR 0.12 (95%CI 0.05-0.29)). Furthermore, significant associations with anti-K formation was found for the alleles HLA-DRB1*10 (OR 2.64 (95%CI 1.41-4.95)), HLA*DRB1*11 (OR 2.11, (95% CI 1.34-3.32)), and HLA-DRB1*13 (OR 1.71 (95%CI 1.26-2.33)). Overall, the available evidence was of moderate to low quality, hampering interpretation of reported results. There is an urgent need for high quality evidence on genetic risk factors for RBC alloimmunization

Prenatal and early postnatal measures of brain development and childhood sleep patterns

BackgroundBrain development underlies maturation of sleep patterns throughout childhood. Intrauterine head growth - marker of early neurodevelopment - has not been associated with childhood sleep characteristics. We explored associations between ultrasonographic measures of prenatal and early postnatal neurodevelopment and childhood sleep.MethodsA total of 6,808 children from a population-based birth cohort (Generation R) were included. Head circumference (HC) and lateral ventricles size were assessed with mid- and late-pregnancy fetal ultrasounds, and with cranial ultrasound 3-20 weeks postnatally. Mothers reported children's sleep duration at 2 and 3 years, and sleep problems at 1.5, 3, and 6 years.ResultsLarger ventricular size, but not HC, was related to longer sleep duration at 3 years (β=0.06 h, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.02; 0.10 in late-pregnancy and β=0.11 h, 95% CI: 0.02; 0.20 in early infancy, mid-pregnancy parameters were unrelated to sleep duration). Larger HC in mid-pregnancy was associated with a reduced risk for being a "problematic sleeper" up to the age of 6 years (odds ratio (OR): 0.94, 95% CI: 0.89; 0.99). Consistently, children with larger HC in early infancy were less likely to be "problematic sleepers" at 3 and 6 years.ConclusionsThis study shows that variations in fetal and neonatal brain size may underlie behavioral expression of sleep in childhood. Albeit small effect estimates, these associations provide evidence for neurodevelopmental origins of sleep

A Conceptual Framework for Optimizing Blood Matching Strategies : Balancing Patient Complications Against Total Costs Incurred

Alloimmunization is currently the most frequent adverse blood transfusion event. Whilst completely matched donor blood would nullify the alloimmunization risk, this is practically infeasible. Current matching strategies therefore aim at matching a limited number of blood groups only, and have evolved over time by systematically including matching strategies for those blood groups for which (serious) alloimmunization complications most frequently occurred. An optimal matching strategy for controlling the risk of alloimmunization however, would balance alloimmunization complications and costs within the entire blood supply chain, whilst fulfilling all practical requirements and limitations. In this article the outline of an integrated blood management model is described and various potential challenges and prospects foreseen with the development of such a model are discussed