title: Evaluation of vascular lesions using circulating endothelial cells in renal transplant patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the correlation between circulating endothelial cells (CECs) and vascular lesions in renal allografts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two renal transplant patients were divided into four groups according to biopsy data. CECs were isolated from peripheral blood with anti-CD136-coated immunomagnetic Dynabeads and counted by microscopy during biopsy. CEC numbers were compared in each group, as well as the correlation between CECs and C4d and vascular changes in different groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CECs counts were higher in the acute rejection (AR) with endarteritis group than in the normal group (p < 0.01), acute tubular necrosis (ATN) group (p < 0.01) and chronic allograft nephropathy (CAN) group (p < 0.01), there were no difference among ATN, normal and CAN) group (p = 0.587). There was no difference among the normal group without hyaline, normal group with hyaline and CAN with hyaline group. An increasing CECs count was related to C4d-positive AR (p = 0.008; κ score = 0.519) and infiltration of inflammatory cells (p = 0.002, κ score = 0.573) in proximal tubule cells (PTCs). The CECs count decreased after intensive therapy in five patients (p = 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevation of the CEC count in blood was related to endarteritis. Elevation of CEC count was related to C4d deposition and infiltration of inflammatory cells in PTCs.
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Nephrology, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University School of Medicine, Nanjing, China.
authors.forename: Jiqiu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Jisong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Shu-Ming
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: Dongrui
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Zhi-hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D018189:Immunomagnetic Separation; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous