title: Association of Donor and Recipient Telomere Length with Clinical Outcomes following Lung Transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients with short telomere syndromes and pulmonary fibrosis have increased complications after lung transplant. However, the more general impact of donor and recipient telomere length in lung transplant has not been well characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was an observational cohort study of patients who received lung transplant at a single center between January 1st 2012 and January 31st 2015. Relative donor lymphocyte telomere length was measured and classified into long (third tertile) and short (other tertiles). Relative recipient lung telomere length was measured and classified into short (first tertile) and long (other tertiles). Outcome data included survival, need for modification of immunosuppression, liver or kidney injury, cytomegalovirus reactivation, and acute rejection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Recipient lung tissue telomere lengths were measured for 54 of the 79 patients (68.3%) who underwent transplant during the study period. Donor lymphocyte telomeres were measured for 45 (83.3%) of these recipients. Neither long donor telomere length (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.58, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12-2.85, p = 0.50) nor short recipient telomere length (HR = 1.01, 95% CI = 0.50-2.05, p = 0.96) were associated with adjusted survival following lung transplant. Recipients with short telomeres were less likely to have acute cellular rejection (23.5% vs. 58.8%, p = 0.02) but were not more likely to have other organ dysfunction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this small cohort, neither long donor lymphocyte telomeres nor short recipient lung tissue telomeres were associated with adjusted survival after lung transplantation. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Andrew M
authors: AM
authors: Courtwright
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Sabrina
authors: S
authors: Fried
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Julian A
authors: JA
authors: Villalba
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Moniodis
authors: Tissue Typing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Indira
authors: I
authors: Guleria
authors: Tissue Typing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Isabelle
authors: I
authors: Wood
authors: Tissue Typing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Edgar
authors: E
authors: Milford
authors: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Hari H
authors: HH
authors: Mallidi
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Gary M
authors: GM
authors: Hunninghake
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.|Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Benjamin A
authors: BA
authors: Raby
authors: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Suneet
authors: S
authors: Agarwal
authors: Division of Thoracic Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Philip C
authors: PC
authors: Camp
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Ivan O
authors: IO
authors: Rosas
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Hilary J
authors: HJ
authors: Goldberg
authors: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
authors: Souheil
authors: S
authors: El-Chemaly
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016040:Lung Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016615:Telomere; D059506:Telomere Shortening / Q000235:genetics; D014019:Tissue Donors; D066027:Transplant Recipients; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult