Urinary tract infections are an important risk factor for the onset of chronic rejection, and early and intense treatment is critical.

Urinary tract infections are an important risk factor for the onset of chronic rejection, and early and intense treatment is critical.

Sera from 505 patients awaiting renal transplantation with known panel-reactive cytotoxic antibody (PRA) status were tested for HLA-DP antibodies of the IgG class by means of the monoclonal antibody immobilization of leukocyte antigens (MAILA) technique. The overall incidence of HLA-DP antibodies was 7.3%. A positive HLA-DP antibody status correlated only weakly (r = 0.23) with a positive cytotoxic antibody status. After retrospective analysis, patients with HLA-DP antibodies prior to retransplantation revealed a significantly (P < 0.025) higher graft function rate than HLA-DP-negative patients. One patient was found to possess IgG HLA-DP autoantibodies prior to transplantation; thus far, his graft has been functioning for more than 2 years.

Sera from 505 patients awaiting renal transplantation with known panel-reactive cytotoxic antibody (PRA) status were tested for HLA-DP antibodies of the IgG class by means of the monoclonal antibody immobilization of leukocyte antigens (MAILA) technique. The overall incidence of HLA-DP antibodies was 7.3%. A positive HLA-DP antibody status correlated only weakly (r = 0.23) with a positive cytotoxic antibody status. After retrospective analysis, patients with HLA-DP antibodies prior to retransplantation revealed a significantly (P < 0.025) higher graft function rate than HLA-DP-negative patients. One patient was found to possess IgG HLA-DP autoantibodies prior to transplantation; thus far, his graft has been functioning for more than 2 years.

Embolia cutis medicamentosa (ECM) is a rare complication after intramuscular injection of certain drugs, resulting in local necrosis of skin and muscle at the injection site. The pathogenesis is still not clear. Drugs and their effective substances, from which an ECM recently was described (depot penicilline, antirheumatic drug combinations), were injected intraarterially, periarterially, and intramuscularly into the hind legs of rats. The legs were examined macroscopically and histologically. Complete skin and muscle necrosis of the hind leg was only found after intraarterial injection of the incriminated drugs. The most important single effective substance was phenylbutazone. From the experiments it is concluded that the intraarterial injection mode is the most likely pathomechanism of lokal skin and muscle necrosis in the ECM arising from the incriminated drugs.