Does rejection severity directly correlate with myocyte apoptosis in pig-to-baboon cardiac xenotransplantation?
Myocyte death in rejecting pig-to-baboon cardiac xenografts occurs through an apoptotic pathway and directly correlates with the severity of graft rejection. Further studies aimed at elucidating the apoptotic stimulus are therefore warranted. Moreover, our data suggest that antiapoptotic strategies may be of benefit in the treatment of xenograft rejection.
The bile duct anatomic variations are frequent, and the magnetic resonance cholangiography showed moderate accuracy (70%) in reproducing the surgical findings; the computed tomography reproduced the intraoperative findings of the hepatic artery in 100% of donors, and of the portal vein in 89.4% of the cases, thus demonstrating high accuracy (89%).