97 (Figs 1,2). Many researchers Dabrafenib solubility dmso are attempting to determine whether anatomical lesions are functionally significant using MRI, MD-CTA (multi detector system) and DU. The most widely used ultrasonographic parameter to assess the functional significance of RAS is the resistive index (RI). The RI can be calculated from a spectral Doppler and is defined as 1 – (minimum diastolic velocity divided by maximum systolic velocity) × 100. Radermacher et al.21 have shown that in patients

with at least 50% stenosis in at least one renal artery RI values above 80 are highly sensitive and specific to identifying patients in whom angioplasty or surgery will not improve renal function, blood pressure or kidney survival. However, a potential source of bias in this study is that revascularization was considered only in patients with ≥50% stenosis on duplex ultrasound. In clinical practice, the assessment of the functional significance of RAS with CT is performed by measuring morphological parameters such as cortical thickness and area, medullary length and area22,23 and by analysis of renal time

attenuation curves after contrast injection as a measure of renal perfusion. Monier-Vehier et al.23 found a mean cortical thickness of 6.6 mm in post-stenotic kidneys and 7.9 mm in normal contralateral kidneys. A cortical thickness threshold of 8 mm identified significant RAS with a sensitivity of 73% and specificity of 93%. Further work by the same group demonstrated that renal length and cortical Glycogen branching enzyme thickness FK228 research buy increased 6 months after angioplasty for atherosclerotic RAS.24 The drawback of CT assessment is the additional contrast and radiation dose. There are several functional parameters such as renal perfusion, glomerular filtration rate, tubular concentration and transit, diffusion and oxygenation that can be assessed using MRI.25,26 Prince et al.27 have demonstrated that the defacing artefact due to turbulent flow distal to RAS as measured with 3D phase contrast MRA is correlated

with the presence of haemodynamically significant stenosis. Haemodynamic significance was defined as a decrease in serum creatinine level of 30 µmol/L or a reduction in the number of medications required for blood pressure control after renal artery PTA or surgery. In addition, the study showed that the ischaemic kidney length and mean parenchymal thickness were reduced in unilateral haemodynamically significant lesions. Schoenberg et al.28,29 demonstrated that the post-gadolinium two-dimensional cine phase contrast flow measurements profile had a sensitivity of 90% and specificity of 94% for the presence of haemodynamically significant stenosis. Characteristic changes in significant RAS include delay and complete loss of the early systolic peak. Binkert et al.

0, 0.5 and 0.375, respectively. These results clearly indicate that the metabolite

of endophytic fungus C. gloeosporioides is a potential source of new antibiotics. Because of the development and spread of drug-resistant pathogens, infectious diseases remain a global problem (Pillay & Zambon, 1998; Espinel et al., 2001). Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains cause a wide range of human diseases, from minor skin infections to life-threatening deep infections such as pneumonia, endocarditis, meningitis, postoperative infections, septicaemia and toxic shock syndrome. The high prevalence of MRSA strains around the world represents a serious public health problem, as this Gram-positive pathogen has become multidrug resistant (Witte, 1999; Kaatz et al., 2000; Archer & Bosilevac, GS1101 2001; Hiramatsu et al., 2001; Isnansetyo et al., 2001). Natural products still remain the most important resource for the discovery of new and potential

drug molecules (Strobel & Daisy, 2003). Fungi are a diverse and valuable source with an enormous chemical potential. New approaches need to be devised to efficiently access chemical diversity for the development of new medicines (Schulz et al., 2002) to overcome the difficulties related to the treatment Maraviroc molecular weight of infections caused by resistant bacterial pathogens. Over the last few years, there has been increasing interest in the investigation of endophytic fungi producing antimicrobial substances (Corrado & Rodrigues, 2004; Ezra et al., 2004; PD184352 (CI-1040) Kim

et al., 2004; Liu et al., 2004; Atmosukarto et al., 2005). In the present study, the endophytic fungus Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was isolated from the medicinal plant Vitex negundo L. and its extracts were screened for their antibacterial activity against methicillin-, penicillin- and vancomycin-resistant clinical strains of S. aureus. Healthy leaves of the medicinal plant V. negundo L. were collected from the Botanical Garden, Department of Botany, V.H.N.S.N. College, Virudhunagar, Tamilnadu, India. The collected samples were washed thoroughly under running tap water and air dried before they were processed. An endophytic fungus was isolated according to the reported protocol (Petrini, 1986), which was modified slightly based on preliminary testing. All the leaf samples were washed twice in distilled water and then surface sterilized by immersion for 1 min in 70% v/v ethanol, 4 min in sodium hypochlorite (3% v/v available chlorine) and 30 s in 70% v/v ethanol, and further washed three times in sterilized distilled water for 1 min each time. After surface sterilization, the samples were cut into 5–7-mm pieces and aseptically transferred to Petri plates containing potato dextrose agar (PDA) with 50 μg mL−1 of streptomycin to suppress bacterial growth. The Petri plates were incubated at 30 °C with normal daily light and dark periods. The plates were examined daily for up to 1 month for the development of fungal colonies growing on the leaf segments.

The majority of the primary immune defects lead to loss of antibody; this is not only the hallmark feature of the pure B cell defects, but also includes most of those with profound T cells defects (Fig. 1).

While for patients with agammaglobulinaemia or otherwise very find more low serum Ig, severe combined immune deficiency or hyper-IgM syndromes can be considered as having no functional serum IgG antibody, other subjects with more modest degrees of immune deficiency, leading to hypogammaglobulinaemia or IgG subclass defects, can have varying degrees of retained antibody production [4]. This is especially true for subjects with modestly reduced serum IgG and normal or nearly normal IgA and IgM. For these patients, a thorough evaluation of immune function before deciding on Ig replacement is important. This is also true for subjects with a significant degree of reactive airway disease who have been given steroids; here the reduced serum IgG may not imply significant antibody deficiency and Ig therapy would probably not prove a useful therapy [5]. The loss of

antibody is demonstrated commonly by lack of protective IgG responses to two or more protein vaccines such as tetanus or diphtheria toxoids, Haemophilus conjugate, measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, and also by lack of response to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines [6,7]. Other options for protein antigens include hepatitis A or B vaccines or varicella, either after vaccination or disease Pembrolizumab purchase exposure. Examining blood for pertinent isohaemagglutinins can be used to test for (mainly) IgM anti-carbohydrate antibody production in older children and adults. Subjects who have retained antibody production

in these studies are less likely to benefit by Ig therapy. If replacement Ig therapy is initiated without a compete evaluation and the use of this therapy is questioned later for insurance or other reasons, it must be stopped for about 5 months before such an evaluation can be performed. A number of Ig products are available and deciding which one to use, and in what dose and what treatment location, are the next points to consider. In most cases, Ig is prescribed Org 27569 by brand name and not on a generic basis. In addition, as the product chosen initially is used for years, knowledge of the differences between products can be important. Numerous resources list the Ig concentrations, salt, sugar, IgA content and other components present; based on these considerations, the most suitable choices can be made. Treatment has been achieved by either intravenous (i.v.) or subcutaneous (s.c.) routes of Ig, usually in doses of 300–600 mg/kg body weight per month [8]. This dose is divided usually into once or twice a week, or every 2 weeks (for s.c.) or every 3 or 4 weeks (i.v.).

A similar phenotype is observed in mice lacking both the IκB kinase α (IKKα) and IKKβ subunits in intestinal epithelial cells (IKKα\βΔIEC), and mice lacking the NF-κB subunit RelA in intestinal epithelial cells are hypersensitive to DSS-induced colitis [4, 10]. Toll-like receptors (TLRs)

are the key sensors of microbial products in innate immunity and appear to be critical in initiating NF-κB activation in intestinal epithelial cells. Thus, mice lacking myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88), a key component downstream of a number of TLRs, are also hyper-responsive to DSS-induced colitis [11, 12]. Together, these studies indicate that while NF-κB activity this website is critical for inflammation in IBD, NF-κB activity in the epithelium is critical for tissue homeostasis and its inhibition can have severe consequences, including the development of IBD. Thus, a further understanding of the regulation of NF-κB during inflammation in the intestine and the contribution of components of the NF-κB pathway

to inflammation and epithelial proliferation in the mucosa are critical for the development of effective therapies for IBD. Bcl-3 is a member of the IκB family of proteins, as determined by sequence homology and the presence of ankyrin repeat domains which mediate interaction with NF-κB dimers [13-15]. Bcl-3 is largely a nuclear protein, and binds only homodimers of the CHIR-99021 order p50 or p52 NF-κB subunits [14]. Interestingly, these two subunits lack a transactivation domain and thus have been regarded generally as repressors of NF-κB transcription when present in the homodimeric form. Bcl-3 is an essential negative regulator of TLR-induced responses. Bcl-3−/− macrophages and mice are hyper-responsive

to TLR stimulation, and are defective in lipopolysaccharide tolerance [16]. Recently, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) associated with reduced Bcl-3 gene expression has been identified as a potential risk factor for Crohn’s disease (CD) [17]. However, the role of Bcl-3 in IBD has not been investigated to date. In this study we report that our measurements of Bcl-3 mRNA in patient groups with CD, ulcerative colitis (UC) and healthy individuals reveal elevated Bcl-3 expression associated with IBD, in contrast to the predictions of Metformin price the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis [17]. To explore further the potential role of Bcl-3 in IBD we used the DSS-induced model of colitis in Bcl-3−/− mice. Considering the previously described anti-inflammatory role of Bcl-3, we were surprised to find that Bcl-3−/− mice were less sensitive to DSS-induced colitis. Measurement of the inflammatory response in the colon by analysis of the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines and the recruitment of T cells, neutrophils, macrophage and dendritic cells revealed no significant differences between DSS-treated Bcl-3−/− and wild-type mice.

1% BSA and incubated with equal volume of 1.25 μM CFSE (Molecular Probes Europe, Leiden, The Netherlands) for 10 min at room temperature. Unbound dye was quenched by the addition of equal volume of RPMI+10% FBS and 15 min incubation at 37°C. CFSE-labeled CbT cells were washed twice in RPMI+10% FBS and plated at 5×104 cells/well in 96-well round-bottom plate (Corning, Corning, NY, USA). mDC incubated for 24 h with isotype-matched control mAb (MOPC-21), anti-CD300e (UP-H2) mAb or stimulated with LPS at 100 ng/mL were collected and plated over the CbT at ratios

(CbT:mDC) 10:1; 20:1; 40:1; 80:1 and 160:1. After 4 days samples were examined by flow cytometry for sequential dilution of CFSE fluorescence and analyzed using FlowJo software find more (Three Star). FlowJo Proliferation Platform was used to analyzed CbT-cell proliferation expressing FK506 concentration the results as “% divided” that is defined as the percentage of CbT cells in the starting population that divided (assuming that no cells died in culture). Statistical analysis was performed using either the Student’s t-test or the non-parametric Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. This work was supported

by a grant from Plan Nacional de I+D (SAF2007-61814) and Red Heracles, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN). TB is supported by a fellowship from MICINN. BPC is supported by grant FI 07/00054 and FEB by contract CES 07/015 both from Instituto de Salud Carlos III. The authors thank Marta Donini (University of Verona, Verona, Italy) for technical advice in monocyte manipulation and Dr. Oscar Fornas (University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) for advice in flow cytometry analysis. They are very grateful to Marco A. Fernández (Germans Trias and Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, Badalona, Spain) for the support in mDC isolation.

They thank Gemma Heredia (University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain) for technical support in checking the specificity of UP-H mAb on CD300 transfectants. They also thank blood donors for their contribution. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no financial or commercial conflict of interest. “
“The obligate intracellular bacterium Methamphetamine Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is a potential human pathogen, but the host range of the bacteria remains unknown. Hence, the growth of P. acanthamoebae Bn9 in protozoa (Tetrahymena, Acanthamoeba, Dictyostelium) and mammalian cells (HEp-2, Vero, THP-1, PMA-stimulated THP-1, Jurkat) was assessed using an AIU assay which had been previously established by the current authors. P. acanthamoebae grew in Acanthamoeba but not in the other cell types. The growth was also confirmed using DAPI staining, FISH and TEM. These results indicate that the host range of P. acanthamoebae is limited. Parachlamydia acanthamoebae is an environmental chlamydia of the order Chlamydiales. It is an obligate intracellular bacterium that is widely distributed in the natural environment, including in rivers and soil (1).

Primer extension was carried out with the oligonucleotide primer PE-VMHR (5′-AACCGTGTCAATTGATGCCG-3′), which had been 5′-labeled with Texas Red. The labeled primer annealed to total RNA of 5 μg was extended with PrimeScript reverse transcriptase for 1 hr at 50oC. The extension products were separated with a SQ5500 DNA sequencer (Hitachi, Tokyo, Japan) on a sequencing gel together with the DNA sequence ladder of the control region as described previously (10). To construct deletion mutant strains, the following oligonucleotide primers were used: for the iucD deletion, D1 (5′-GGTTAACGCTCGAGGCTTGGCTCAGCAAACTG-3′),

D2 (5′-ccatggctatagtttggcgtTGTTAGTGTG-3′), D3 (5′-acgccaaactatagccatggTATTGCCGAG-3′), and D4 (5′-GATTCAAACTCGAGCTCTTGGCTTGTCG-3′); for the mhuA deletion, A1 (5′-GCCTCGTTTCTAGATAAGCTTACCTGCCTCG-3′), Dorsomorphin selleckchem A2 (5′-agtagagtcgtgttatcgatGTCTTGAGCG-3′), A3 (5′-atcgataacacgactctactATTAGATACC-3′), and A4 (5′-TGGGTGAATCTAGAGTTACCGACTCACTGAG-3′); and for the mhuB deletion, B1 (5′-AAACCTCCTCGAGCGTCAGAACCGTAAAGG-3′), B2 (5′-caagacaatttaactcaaggAGCTAGGAGC-3′), B3 (5′-ccttgagttaaattgtcttgGCTTGGCGAC-3′), and B4 (5′-AAAACCGTCTAGATATCCGACCTTATCCAACCG-3′) (the underlined sequences in primers D1, D4 and B1, and primers A1, A4 and B4 are XhoI, and XbaI sites, respectively, and the small letter sequences in primers

D2 and D3, A2 and A3, and B2 and B3 are

each complementary to the corresponding gene sequences). To prepare a deletion fragment of iucD, two DNA fragments were amplified by PCR with V. mimicus 7PT chromosomal DNA as a template using primer pairs D1 and D2 (for amplification of the Farnesyltransferase upstream region of iucD), and D3 and D4 (for amplification of the downstream region of iucD). The two amplicons were used as the templates in a second PCR using the primer pair D1 and D4, and a PCR fragment with a 1124-bp deletion in iucD was obtained. The deletion fragment was digested with XhoI, and the digested fragment was then ligated into the SalI site of an R6K-ori suicide vector, pXAC623 (18). The resulting hybrid plasmid, pXACΔiucD, was transformed into E. coliβ2155, crossed with V. mimicus 7PT, and the resulting merodiploids selected on LB agar plates with chloramphenicol at 10 μg/ml and without DAP. The merodiploids were then plated on LB agar plates containing 10% sucrose without NaCl and chloramphenicol, and grown at 25oC for 30 hr. Sucrose-resistant and chloramphenicol-sensitive colonies were selected, and the iucD deletion mutant, ΔiucD, was confirmed by PCR analysis using the primer pair D5 (5′-CTTCCTATCAGCTTGGACTC-3′) and D6 (5′-GTCGTCAGTGATGTCGTAAC-3′). Both the ΔiucDΔmhuA and ΔiucDΔmhuB deletion mutants were constructed in a similar manner to that described for the construction of the ΔiucD strain.

One microliter of EZ-Tn5 Tnp was mixed with 50 μL of the competent cells of YS-11. The mixture was placed in an ice-cold 2 mm-gapped cuvette (BioRad Laboratories Inc., Hercules, CA). The cells were transformed by electroporation

using Gene Pulser II (BioRad) at 2.5 kV, 25 μF, and 200 Ω. After electroporation, 1 mL of SOC medium (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) was immediately added to the cell suspension, and the culture was incubated at 37 °C for 1 h. One hundred microliters of the cell suspension was plated on TSAY containing 50 μg mL−1 of kanamycin (Nacarai Tesque, Kyoto, Japan). Four hundred and eighty-six colonies grown on selection plates were transferred into TSBY containing 50 μg mL−1 of kanamycin click here for screening mutants deficient in exopolysaccharide production. The viscosity of spent culture media of 486 mutants was measured using a rotary viscometer (Tokimec Inc.) as described above. Mutants showing lower viscosity than that of the parent strain YS-11 were further investigated by means of SEM to observe Inhibitor Library concentration cell surface-associated structures as described previously. Mutants that had completely lost the meshwork-like structures around cells were selected as putative knockout mutants

for genes involved in the formation of biofilm-like structures. Southern hybridization was carried out to confirm a single insertion of transposon on genomic DNA. The genomic DNA from a mutant strain without exopolysaccharide production was purified using the GNOME Kit (Qbiogene Inc., Morgan Irvine, CA) and digested with a restriction enzyme PstI (Takara Bio, Ohtsu, Japan). The DNA fragments

Alanine-glyoxylate transaminase were electrophoresed on a 0.8% SeaKem agarose gel (Takara Bio), transferred to a positively charged nylon membrane (Hybond-N+, Amersham Biosciences Corp., Piscataway, NJ), and fixed on the membrane by UV light irradiation (HL-2000 HybriLinker, UVP Inc., Upland, CA). To detect an insertion of EZ-Tn5 Tnp, a digoxigenin (DIG)-labeled probe designed from the sequence of EZ-Tn5 Tnp was generated using the PCR DIG probe synthesis Kit (Roche Applied Science, Mannheim, Germany) with a primer pair (Table 1) to amplify a kanamycin-resistant gene in EZ-Tn5 Tnp (EZ-Tn5 Tnp sequence is available at http://www.epibio.com/pdftechlit/techlit_eztn.asp). The membrane was prehybridized (30 min, 65 °C) in a hybridization solution (DIG Easy Hyb Granules, Roche Applied Science) and subsequently hybridized overnight at 65 °C with 2 μL mL−1 of DIG-labeled probe in a hybridization solution. The detection of DIG-labeled probes was carried out according to the manufacturer’s instruction in a DIG Luminescent Detection Kit (Roche Applied Science). Alignments of flanking regions of the inserted EZ-Tn5 Tnp were analyzed using a DNA Walking SpeedUp Premix Kit (Seegene Inc., Seoul, Korea) according to the instruction of the kit.

The islet mass is already marginal shortly after transplantation and thus susceptible to become insufficient when subsequently exposed to negative local influences. Recent estimates indicate that less than 30% of islets stably engraft, a result

that explains the requirement for infusing large numbers of islets and for repeat islet infusions to maintain insulin-free euglycemia 2. Mechanisms underlying early islet loss following transplantation remain poorly defined but apoptotic cell islet cell death associated with peri- and intra-islet graft inflammation have been described previously 3, 4. TLR are a family of pattern recognition receptors that bind to PAMP or to endogenous ligands released Y 27632 by damaged cells (damage-associated molecular patterns, DAMP). Among the latter group are HSPs, high-mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1), heparan sulfate, hyaluronan fragments, and fibronectin 5. Regardless MI-503 mouse of the source of the

specific ligand, TLR-transmitted signals activate innate immunity by inducing chemokine and cytokine release and through upregulating costimulatory molecule expression, among a multitude of other effects 6. Recent studies revealed the importance of islet-expressed TLR, particularly TLR2 and TLR4, participating in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes and allogeneic islet transplant rejection 7–9. Whether TLR transmitted signals in the islets impact early islet engraftment has not been studied. Our group, among others, showed that following physical manipulation, prolonged cell culture, ischemia/reperfusion injury, or virus-mediated

gene transduction, islets can produce cytokines and chemokines in patterns reminiscent Baricitinib of those induced by TLR stimulation 10–15. Upon transplantation, such manipulations amplify peri-islet inflammation and result in impaired islet graft function, further supporting the concept that early islet injury is in part mediated through TLR signals. To define the mechanisms of early graft dysfunction, we studied the impact of TLR stimulation on graft survival following transplantation. Our data provide the first direct evidence that islet-expressed TLR2 and TLR4 are relevant mediators of the post-transplant inflammation associated with early graft dysfunction. These effects require recipient T cells, occur in the absence of islet DC, and are fully reproduced by stimulation with HMGB1, an endogenous TLR2/4 ligand that is released by pancreatic tissue after sterile injury. In addition to providing insight into mechanisms underlying early graft loss, our findings indicate that TLR2 and TLR4 are potential targets for novel therapies aimed at preserving islet mass. Using RT-PCR, we found that RNA from a pancreatic β cell line and from purified C57BL/6 islets expressed message for TLR2 and TLR4 (Fig. 1A).

The PBMCs were stimulated with GPC-derived peptides or an irrelevant peptide (AFP364–373) at 1–60 μg/ml and incubated for 5 hr at 37° in AIM V containing 10% fetal calf serum. For intracellular cytokine staining, brefeldin A (10 μg/ml; Alomone Labs, Jerusalem, Israel) was added for the last 3 hr. Dead cells were excluded using 7-amino-actinomycin D (7-AAD; Sigma-Aldrich) staining. Human TLR1 to TLR9 ligands NSC 683864 (Autogen Bioclear, Calne, UK) were added to cell culture to mimic or modify peptide-induced cytokine production. The LAP (TGF-β1)-producing cells were detected upon peptide stimulation after 18 hr using

an ex vivo ELISPOT assay (R&D Systems, Abingdon, UK) as described previously.11 Cells were surface stained with different fluorochrome-linked antibodies to CD3, CD4, (both BD Pharmingen, Oxford, UK), LAP (TGF-β1) (clone 27232; R&D Systems) and Foxp3 (eBioscience, Hatfield, UK) or isotype controls (R&D Systems) and assessed by flow cytometry. An immunological responder was defined as a twofold increase in the frequency of cytokine-producing cells above control peptides or proteins. Apoptosis selleck chemicals and cell death were assessed using annexin V (BD Pharmingen) and 7-AAD staining. The PBMCs were cultured with or without peptides, including vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP; Bachem, St. Helens, UK; 1 μm), for 5 hr in the presence

or absence of mouse anti-human TGF-β1 IgG1 (50 μg/ml), mouse anti-human isotype control IgG1 (50 μg/ml), different concentrations of rTGF-β1 (R&D Systems) or PBS diluents (negative control). The cells were then stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 10 ng/ml) for a further 24 hr. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-6, regulated on activation, normal T-cell-expressed and secreted (RANTES) and TNF-α concentrations were determined using human FlowCytomix Simplex assays as described by the manufacturer (Bender Medsystem GmbH, Vienna, Austria). CD4 and CD8 T cells were depleted from PBMCs as described by the manufacturer (Dynal, Oslo, Norway). We screened overlapping peptides covering

GPC to identify a peptide ligand with the ability to stimulate LAP (TGF-β1) expression. In brief, PBMCs were stimulated with overlapping GPC-derived Rho peptides (58 fifteen-mer peptides in total) and the expression of membrane-bound LAP (TGF-β1) on CD4+ T cells was analysed using flow cytometry. In these experiments, dead cells were excluded from the assays using 7-AAD staining (data not shown). CD4+ T cells stimulated with GPC81–95 (YQLTARLNMEQLLQS), but not the other 57 GPC peptides, expressed membrane-bound LAP (TGF-β1) (Fig. 1a). The results demonstrate that GPC81–95 peptide, but not an irrelevant peptide (AFP365–373), stimulates LAP (TGF-β1) expression on CD4+ T cells in a dose-dependent manner (Fig. 1b). LAP (TGF-β1) could also be released from the cells by GPC81–95 treatment in a dose-dependent manner as detected by an ex vivo ELISPOT assay (Fig. 1c).

ABO-incompatible KT can be a valuable option for expanding donor pool. Spouses are an important source of living donors as kidney donors in a worldwide. This study was to compare the clinical outcomes of ABO-compatible (ABOc) and ABO-incompatible

(ABOic) KT from spousal donors. Methods: From January 2011 to August 2013, the recipients who underwent KT from spousal donors were enrolled. We investigated patient survival, graft survival, graft function, acute rejection, and complications. Results: Among 32 spousal donors KT, 21 cases were ABOc KTs and 11 were ABOic KTs. The mean recipient ages were 50.9 and 49.0 years, respectively. The mean donor ages were 49.3 and 47.6 years. The mean follow up durations were 15 ± 7.7 and 15 ± 8.0 months. During follow up duration, there was no patient and graft loss in both groups. There were no significant differences in the incidence of delayed graft function and acute rejection. Mean serum creatinine

at buy SCH772984 1 year after KT were 1.3 ± 1.31 mg/dL and 1.2 ± 0.42 mg/dL, respectively. The incidence of infection such as cytomegalovirus, other virus, bacteria and fungus between the two groups were no significant differences. Conclusion: The clinical outcomes of ABOic KTs were not inferior compare with ABOc KTs in KT from spousal donors. In ABOic KT, an emotionally motivated spousal donor KT may be a good alternative to solve the problem that is the absolute shortage of kidney donor. HUNG KUAN-YU1, HUANG JENQ-WEN1, LIN CHIA-KUEI2, CHIANG CHIH-KANG1 1Department of Nephrology,

National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH); 2Center for Quality Management, NTUH Introduction: Morbidity and mortality screening assay conference (MMC) Glycogen branching enzyme provides clinicians an opportunity to discuss disease, medical error and adverse events. However, there is less learning points or improvement actions implemented in traditional MMCs. To promote patient safety and educational effectiveness, we implemented a monthly multi-disciplinary MMC at our dialysis unit. Methods: An independent task force evaluate educational effectiveness of this new format of MMC. Two well-trained, quality and safety managers of this task force attended the MMCs for collecting data on case presentation, discussion between attendees, cause-and-effect of the event, and learning points or improvement actions to prevent its occurrence. We measured perceptions, learning feedbacks from participants by using anonymous questionnaires. Results: Eleven MMCs involving 20 participants and 84 cases were studied from February 2013 to December 2013. These events included unexpected deaths (8%), prolonged infection management (25%), PD technique failure (32%), and procedural complications (35%). The most common factors leading to these events were inadequate coordination in patient care (75%), and in almost (88%) all 84 cases, individual contributing factors can be retrospectively identified and can be transformed into improvement actions.