SCIENTIFIC HUB

Follow the evidence.

SCIENTIFIC LITERATURE · MED

Transcranial sonography depicts a larger substantia nigra echogenic area in renal transplant patients on calcineurin inhibitors than on rapamycin.

BMC Nephrol · 2022-03-17

DOI: 10.1186/s12882-022-02741-7PMID: 35300603

Open accessresearch-article; Journal ArticleOriginal source ↗

Research overview

The text below is the source article’s original abstract under a verified reuse license. cc by

BackgroundAfter kidney transplantation neurologic manifestations may develop, including Parkinson's disease (PD). An enlarged substantia nigra (SN) by transcranial sonography has been recognized as a marker of PD.MethodsIn renal transplant recipients (RTRs = 95) and controls (n = 20), measurement of mesencephalon, SN, third ventricle, spleen and carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and middle cerebral artery (MCA), kidney and spleen arteries Doppler resistive index (RI) were performed.ResultsRTRs had larger SN, third ventricle and cIMT and higher renal RI than controls. The SN was larger in the CNIs group than in controls and rapamycin group, while the third ventricle was similar between patients but larger than in controls. In RTRs, SN showed a direct linear correlation with spleen and the third ventricle with age, cIMT and RI of the MCA, kidney and spleen. In CNIs group the SN correlated positively with age and cIMT, while the third ventricle reproduced RTRs correlations. Rapamycin group showed a direct linear relationship between the third ventricle and age and RI of the MCA, kidney and spleen; SN showed no correlations.ConclusionRTRs on CNIs present a larger SN area than on rapamycin, probably due to the antiproliferative effect of rapamycin. This finding might be relevant when interpreting TCS in RTRs.

Scientific assessment

01

Research question

Assess the question within the original study’s scope.

02

Methods & sample

Check the source article for study design and sample details.

03

Key findings

An editorially approved findings summary is not yet published for this record.

04

Limitations

Generalizability, bias and clinical meaning require separate assessment.

Methods, samples and clinical conclusions are not inferred from bibliographic metadata.