Satoshi Takata

A new treatment for dialysis-related amyloidosis with beta 2-microglobulin adsorbent column.

Dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA) is characterized by the presence of β 2-microglobulin (β 2-m) in the plasma. In order to eliminate β 2-m from the circulating blood, the β 2-m selective adsorbent for direct hemoperfusion (DHP) was developed. A DHP column (BM-01), containing 350 ml of the adsorbent, was subjected to clinical trials. The column was connected with a PAN (AN69) membrane dialyzer in series and used 3 times a week for 1 week (11 patients), 4 weeks (5 patients), 6 months (1 patient) and 12 months (2 patients). The percent reduction (%) of β 2-m was for 16 patients (for 1 or 4 weeks), more than 65, and for 3 patients (for more than 6 months), 76.5 ± 4.9, 73.5 ± 5.7, 72.2 ± 6.2. At the end of each session, β 2-m plasma levels were found to be below 10 mg/L, with 3.4 mg/L being the lowest. The total amounts of β 2-m removed were 172.5 ± 22.3, 257.0 ± 75.6, 157.6 ± 32.2 and 429.8 mg/session at max. Two out of these three patients had a favorable effect on joint symptoms and ocular fundus. It can be concluded that this selective adsorption therapy may delay the progression of DRA, and is worth considering for wide application.

Anti-DNA antibody kinetics following selective removal by adsorption using dextran sulphate cellulose columns in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The aim of this study is to determine by mathematical analysis which of two models, the one‐ or the two‐compartment model, more closely approximates the kinetics of anti‐dsDNA following immunoadsorption procedures in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Titers of anti‐dsDNA were measured at specified intervals after apheresis to each model by nonlinear least‐squares methods, and Akaikes Information Criterion (AIC) was calculated to determine which model most approximately described the kinetics.