Interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (IF/TA) contributes to the loss of kidney allografts, and treatment or preventive options are lacking. We conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to determine whether angiotensin II blockade prevents the expansion of the cortical interstitial compartment, the precursor of fibrosis. We randomly assigned 153 transplant recipients to receive losartan, 100 mg (n=77), or matching placebo (n=76) within 3 months of transplantation, continuing treatment for 5 years. The primary outcome was a composite of doubling of the fraction of renal cortical volume occupied by interstitium from baseline to 5 years or ESRD from IF/TA. In the intention-to-treat analysis, using only patients with adequate structural data, the primary endpoint occurred in 6 of 47 patients who received losartan and 12 of 44 who received placebo (odds ratio [OR], 0.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.13-1.15; P=0.08). We found no significant effect of losartan on time to a composite of ESRD, death, or doubling of creatinine level. In a secondary analysis, losartan seemed to reduce the risk of a composite of doubling of interstitial volume or all-cause ESRD (OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.13-0.99; P=0.05), but this finding requires validation. In conclusion, treatment with losartan did not lead to a statistically significant reduction in a composite of interstitial expansion or ESRD from IF/TA in kidney transplant recipients.

The mechanical, thermal, and gas permeation properties of polypropylene (PP)/oligopinene systems in the form of compression thin films 10 μm thick, which were prepared by quenching (with liquid nitrogen) and slow‐cooling (15°C/min) techniques, were examined. The addition of oligopinene to PP changed the stress–strain curve of the polyolefin. Both for quenching and slow‐cooling films, with a higher oligomer content, no more yielding was observed, and the elongation at break abruptly decreased with greater than 10% oligomer. The elastic modulus and stress at break changed according to the thermal conditions of the film preparation. Thermal analysis revealed that the blend system had two glass‐transition temperatures for both types of films. The values of permeation to CO2 were independent of the film preparation and were practically unchangeable with the oligomer content in the blends, indicating that the overall decrease in the crystallinity was counterbalanced by the rigidity of the two amorphous phases. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 2253–2260, 2003

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