Seasonal increase in nest defense,but not egg rejection,in a cuckoo host

The interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide an informative and easy-to-handle system for studying coevolution.Avian brood parasitism reduces the reproductive success of hosts,and thus,hosts have evolved anti-parasitic strategies,such as rejecting parasitic eggs and adopting aggressive nest defense strategies,to avoid the cost brought on by brood parasitism.To test whether host anti-parasitic strategies are adjusted with the risk of being parasitized when the breeding seasons of brood parasites and hosts are not synchronous,we conducted a field experiment assessing nest defense and egg recognition behaviors of the Isabelline Shrike(Lanius isabellinus),a host of the Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus).In the local area,the host Isabelline Shrike begins to breed in April,whereas the summer migratory Common Cuckoo migrates to the local area in May and begins to lay parasitic eggs.Results showed that nest defense behaviors of the Isabelline Shrike increases significantly after cuckoo arrival,showing higher aggressiveness to cuckoo dummies,with no significant difference in attack rates among cuckoo,sparrowhawk and dove dummies,but their egg rejection did not change significantly.These results imply that Isabelline Shrikes may adjust their nest defense behavior,but not egg rejection behavior,with seasonality.

Recognition and rejection of foreign eggs of different colors in Barn Swallows

Brood parasitic birds lay eggs in the nests of other birds,and the parasitized hosts can reduce the cost of raising unrelated offspring through the recognition of parasitic eggs.Hosts can adopt vision-based cognitive mechanisms to recognize foreign eggs by comparing the colors of foreign and host eggs.However,there is currently no uniform conclusion as to whether this comparison involves the single or multiple threshold decision rules.In this study,we tested both hypotheses by adding model eggs of different colors to the nests of Barn Swallows(Hirundo rustica)of two geographical populations breeding in Hainan and Heilongjiang Provinces in China.Results showed that Barn Swallows rejected more white model eggs(moderate mimetic to their own eggs)and blue model eggs(highly non-mimetic eggs with shorter reflectance spectrum)than red model eggs(highly nonmimetic eggs with longer reflectance spectrum).There was no difference in the rejection rate of model eggs between the two populations of Barn Swallows,and clutch size was not a factor affecting egg recognition.Our results are consistent with the single rejection threshold model.This study provides strong experimental evidence that the color of model eggs can has an important effect on egg recognition in Barn Swallows,opening up new avenues to uncover the evolution of cuckoo egg mimicry and explore the cognitive mechanisms underlying the visual recognition of foreign eggs by hosts.

To analyze the differentially expressed genes in chronic rejection after renal transplantation by bioinformatics

Objective: To use bioinformatics technology to analyse differentially expressed genes in chronic rejection after renal transplantation, we can screen out potential pathogenic targets associated with the development of this disease, providing a theoretical basis for finding new therapeutic targets. Methods: Gene microarray data were downloaded from the Gene Expression Profiling Integrated Database (GEO) and cross-calculated to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with gene ontology (GO) is a method used to study the differences in gene expression under different conditions as well as their functions and interrelationships, while Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis is a tool used to explore the functions and pathways of genes in specific biological processes. By calculating the distribution of immune cell infiltration, the result of immune infiltration in the rejection group can be analysed as a trait in Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis (WGCNA) for genes associated with rejection. Then, protein-protein interaction networks (PPI) were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software to identify hub gene markers. Results: A total of 60 integrated DEGs were obtained from 3 datasets (GSE7392, GSE181757, GSE222889). By GO and KEGG analysis, the GEDs were mainly concentrated in the regulation of immune response, defence response, regulation of immune system processes, and stimulation response. The pathways were mainly enriched in antigen processing and presentation, EBV infection, graft-versus-host, allograft rejection, and natural killer cell-mediated cytotoxicity. After further screening using WGCNA and PPI networks, HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-F, and TYROBP were identified as hub genes (Hub genes). The data GSE21374 with clinical information was selected to construct the diagnostic efficacy and risk prediction model plots of the four hub genes, and the results concluded that all four Hub genes had good diagnostic value (area under the curve in the range of 0.794-0.819). From the inference, it can be concluded that the four genes, HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-F and TYROBP, may have an important role in the development and progression of chronic rejection after renal transplantation. Conclusion: DEGs play an important role in the study of the pathogenesis of chronic rejection after renal transplantation, and can provide theoretical support for further research on the pathogenesis of chronic rejection after renal transplantation and the discovery of new therapeutic targets through enrichment analysis and pivotal gene screening, as well as inferential analyses of related diagnostic efficacy and disease risk prediction.

Disturbances rejection optimization based on improved two-degree-of-freedom LADRC for permanent magnet synchronous motor systems

Permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM)speed control systems with conventional linear active disturbance rejection control(CLADRC)strategy encounter issues regarding the coupling between dynamic response and disturbance suppression and have poor performance in suppressing complex nonlinear disturbances.In order to address these issues,this paper proposes an improved two-degree-of-freedom LADRC(TDOF-LADRC)strategy,which can enhance the disturbance rejection performance of the system while decoupling entirely the system's dynamic and anti-disturbance performance to boost the system robustness and simplify controller parameter tuning.PMSM models that consider total disturbances are developed to design the TDOF-LADRC speed controller accurately.Moreover,to evaluate the control performance of the TDOF-LADRC strategy,its stability is proven,and the influence of each controller parameter on the system control performance is analyzed.Based on it,a comparison is made between the disturbance observation ability and anti-disturbance performance of TDOF-LADRC and CLADRC to prove the superiority of TDOF-LADRC in rejecting disturbances.Finally,experiments are performed on a 750 W PMSM experimental platform,and the results demonstrate that the proposed TDOF-LADRC exhibits the properties of two degrees of freedom and improves the disturbance rejection performance of the PMSM system.

Impact of COVID-19 on liver transplant recipients: A nationwide cohort study evaluating hospitalization, transplant rejection, and inpatient mortality

BACKGROUND The coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has posed a major public health concern worldwide.Patients with comorbid conditions are at risk of adverse outcomes following COVID-19.Solid organ transplant recipients with concurrent immunosuppression and comorbidities are more susceptible to a severe COVID-19 infection.It could lead to higher rates of inpatient complications and mortality in this patient population.However,studies on COVID-19 outcomes in liver transplant(LT)recipients have yielded inconsistent findings.AIM To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital-related outcomes among LT recipients in the United States.METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the 2019–2020 National Inpatient Sample database.Patients with primary LT hospitalizations and a secondary COVID-19 diagnosis were identified using the International Classi-fication of Diseases,Tenth Revision coding system.The primary outcomes included trends in LT hospitalizations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Secondary outcomes included comparative trends in inpatient mortality and transplant rejection in LT recipients.RESULTS A total of 15720 hospitalized LT recipients were included.Approximately 0.8% of patients had a secondary diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.In both cohorts,the median admission age was 57 years.The linear trends for LT hospitalizations did not differ significantly before and during the pandemic(P=0.84).The frequency of in-hospital mortality for LT recipients increased from 1.7% to 4.4% between January 2019 and December 2020.Compared to the pre-pandemic period,a higher association was noted between LT recipients and in-hospital mortality during the pandemic,with an odds ratio(OR)of 1.69[95% confidence interval(CI):1.55-1.84),P<0.001].The frequency of transplant rejections among hospitalized LT recipients increased from 0.2%to 3.6% between January 2019 and December 2020.LT hospitalizations during the COVID-19 pandemic had a higher association with transplant rejection than before the pandemic[OR:1.53(95%CI:1.26-1.85),P<0.001].CONCLUSION The hospitalization rates for LT recipients were comparable before and during the pandemic.Inpatient mortality and transplant rejection rates for hospitalized LT recipients were increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temperature Control of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Based on Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control

The performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells is very sensitive to temperature. The electrochemical reaction results directly in temperature variations in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Ensuring effective temperature control is crucial to ensure fuel cell reliability and durability. This paper uses active disturbance rejection control in the thermal management system to maintain the operating temperature and the stack inlet and outlet temperature difference at the set value. First, key cooling system modules such as expansion tanks, coolant circulation pumps and radiators based on Simulink were built. Then, physical modeling and simulation of the fuel cell cooling system was carried out. In order to ensure the effectiveness of the control strategy and reduce the parameter tuning workload, an active disturbance rejection control parameter optimization method using an elite genetic algorithm was proposed. When the optimized control strategy responds to input disturbances, the maximum overshoot of the system is only 1.23% and can reach stability again in 30 s, so the fuel cell temperature can be controlled effectively. Simulation results show that the optimized control strategy can effectively control the stack temperature and coolant temperature difference under the influence of stepped charging current without interference or with interference, and has strong robustness and anti-interference capability.

Robust Consensus Tracking Control of Uncertain Multi-Agent Systems With Local Disturbance Rejection

In this paper,a new distributed consensus tracking protocol incorporating local disturbance rejection is devised for a multi-agent system with heterogeneous dynamic uncertainties and disturbances over a directed graph.It is of two-degree-of-freedom nature.Specifically,a robust distributed controller is designed for consensus tracking,while a local disturbance estimator is designed for each agent without requiring the input channel information of disturbances.The condition for asymptotic disturbance rejection is derived.Moreover,even when the disturbance model is not exactly known,the developed method also provides good disturbance-rejection performance.Then,a robust stabilization condition with less conservativeness is derived for the whole multi-agent system.Further,a design algorithm is given.Finally,comparisons with the conventional one-degree-of-freedombased distributed disturbance-rejection method for mismatched disturbances and the distributed extended-state observer for matched disturbances validate the developed method.

Egg rejection and egg recognition mechanism in a Chinese Azure-winged Magpie(Cyanopica cyanus)population

Recognition and rejection of foreign eggs are effective defense of hosts against brood parasitism.However,brood parasitism can impose various selection pressures on different geographic populations of the same host species.In a multiple cuckoo system in China,Azure-winged Magpies(Cyanopica cyanus)are parasitized by both Indian Cuckoos(Cuculus micropterus)and Asian Koels(Eudynamys scolopaceus).In this study,egg recognition ability and recognition mechanism of the Azure-winged Magpie were investigated using a population in Fusong,southeastern Jilin,China.The results showed that 55.6%(20/36)of the Azure-winged Magpies correctly rejected quail(Coturnix japonica)eggs in their nests,while 13.9%(5/36)of the individuals experienced rejection costs by wrongly rejecting their own eggs.Azure-winged Magpies could accurately reject the experimental eggs when the number of such eggs in the nests was the same as that of the magpie eggs.However,Azure-winged Magpies do not recognize and reject conspecific eggs(0/28).The present study indicates that the Azure-winged Magpie has moderate egg recognition ability toward non-mimetic quail eggs and shows a true recognition mechanism with rejecting foreign eggs by accurately recognizing their own eggs.However,they cannot recognize conspecific eggs.

Metronomic capecitabine inhibits liver transplant rejection in rats by triggering recipients’T cell ferroptosis

BACKGROUND Capecitabine(CAP)is a classic antimetabolic drug and has shown potential antirejection effects after liver transplantation(LT)in clinical studies.Our previous study showed that metronomic CAP can cause the programmed death of T cells by inducing oxidative stress in healthy mice.Ferroptosis,a newly defined non-apoptotic cell death that occurs in response to iron overload and lethal levels of lipid peroxidation,is an important mechanism by which CAP induces cell death.Therefore,ferroptosis may also play an important role in CAP-induced T cell death and play an immunosuppressive role in acute rejection after transplantation.AIM To investigate the functions and underlying mechanisms of antirejection effects of metronomic CAP.METHODS A rat LT model of acute rejection was established,and the effect of metronomic CAP on splenic hematopoietic function and acute graft rejection was evaluated 7 d after LT.In vitro,primary CD3+T cells were sorted from rat spleens and human peripheral blood,and co-cultured with or without 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)(active agent of CAP).The levels of ferroptosis-related proteins,ferrous ion concentration,and oxidative stress-related indicators were observed.The changes in mitochondrial structure were observed using electron microscopy.RESULTS With no significant myelotoxicity,metronomic CAP alleviated graft injury(Banff score 9 vs 7.333,P<0.001),prolonged the survival time of the recipient rats(11.5 d vs 16 d,P<0.01),and reduced the infiltration rate of CD3+T cells in peripheral blood(6.859 vs 3.735,P<0.001),liver graft(7.459 vs 3.432,P<0.001),and spleen(26.92 vs 12.9,P<0.001),thereby inhibiting acute rejection after LT.In vitro,5-FU,an end product of CAP metabolism,induced the degradation of the ferritin heavy chain by upregulating nuclear receptor coactivator 4,which caused the accumulation of ferrous ions.It also inhibited nuclear erythroid 2 p45-related factor 2,heme oxygenase-1,and glutathione peroxidase 4,eventually leading to oxidative damage and ferroptosis of T cells.CONCLUSION Metronomic CAP can suppress acute allograft rejection in rats by triggering CD3+T cell ferroptosis,which makes it an effective immunosuppressive agent after LT.

Chemokine Receptors CCR1, CCR3, CCR7 and Chemokines CX3CL1 and CCL5 are Significantly Up-Regulated and Very Reliable for Acute Rejection Diagnosis of Kidney Transplants

Background: The allo-immune response following organ transplantation constitutes one of the main determinants concerning both short- and long- term outcomes in renal graft recipients. Chemokines and their receptors play a diversified and important role, either homeostatic or inflammatory and direct different immune-competent cell types to the allograft. While deeply studied in the last two decades, controversy persists as a result of chemokines’ pleiotropic actions. We report our analysis of CCR1, CCR3, CCR7, CCL5 and CX3CL1 expression or synthesis by graft-infiltrating cells in human kidney transplants (KTx). At the same time, we tested their robustness in diagnosing acute rejection. Methods: Fine-needle aspiration biopsies (Fnab) were performed either on days 7 or 14 post-transplantation among stable KTx and on the day of acute rejection (AR) diagnosis. Fnab cytopreparations were studied by the enzymatic avidin-biotin complex staining for CCR1, CCR3, CCR7 and CX3CL1. From another subgroup of cases, Fnab samples were cultured for 48 hours and the supernatants were analysed for CCL5 by ELISA. Results: The group of AR cases showed a significantly up-regulated expression of CCR1, CCR3, CCR7 and CX3CL1 and a significantly higher synthesis of CCL5. The positive predictive values were respectively 92%, 97%, 85%, 76% and 78% and negative predictive values were by the same order, 100%, 73%, 100%, 98% and 83%. Conclusions: Our study permits us to advance that CCR1 and CCR3 play a significant and non-redundant role in acute rejection, and it is the first report of CCR3 association with rejection, probably related to CCL5. The presence inside the graft of significant up-regulation for CCR7 surmises that part of antigen presentation may be performed there without being restricted to secondary lymphoid sites. Our results with CX3CL1 confirm other reports.

Anti-thymocyte globulin for treatment of T-cell-mediated allograft rejection

Anti-thymocyte globulin(ATG)is a pivotal immunosuppressive therapy utilized in the management of T-cell-mediated rejection and steroid-resistant rejection among renal transplant recipients.Commercially available as Thymoglobulin(rabbit-derived,Sanofi,United States),ATG-Fresenius S(rabbit-derived),and ATGAM(equine-derived,Pfizer,United States),these formulations share a common mechanism of action centered on their interaction with cell surface markers of immune cells,imparting immunosuppressive effects.Although the prevailing mechanism predominantly involves T-cell depletion via the complement-mediated pathway,alternate mechanisms have been elucidated.Optimal dosing and treatment duration of ATG have exhibited variance across randomised trials and clinical reports,rendering the establishment of standardized guidelines a challenge.The spectrum of risks associated with ATG administration spans from transient adverse effects such as fever,chills,and skin rash in the acute phase to long-term concerns related to immunosuppression,including susceptibility to infections and malignancies.This comprehensive review aims to provide a thorough exploration of the current understanding of ATG,encompassing its mechanism of action,clinical utility in the treatment of acute renal graft rejections,specifically steroid-resistant cases,efficacy in rejection episode reversal,and a synthesis of findings from different eras of maintenance immunosuppression.Additionally,it delves into the adverse effects associated with ATG therapy and its impact on long-term graft function.Furthermore,the review underscores the existing gaps in evidence,particularly in the context of the Banff classification of rejections,and highlights the challenges faced by clinicians when navigating the available literature to strike the optimal balance between the risks and benefits of ATG utilization in renal transplantation.

Design and analysis of active disturbance rejection control for time-delay systems using frequency-sweeping

For the typical first-order systems with time-delay,this paper explors the control capability of linear active disturbance rejection control(LADRC).Firstly,the critical time-delay of LADRC is analyzed using the frequency-sweeping method and the Routh criterion,and the stable time-delay interval starting from zero is accurately obtained,which reveals the limitations of general LADRC on large time-delay.Then in view of the large time-delay,an LADRC controller is developed and verified to be effective,along with the robustness analysis.Finally,numerical simulations show the accuracy of critical time-delay,and demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller compared with other modified LADRCs.

Ineffective esophageal motility is associated with acute rejection after lung transplantation independent of gastroesophageal reflux

BACKGROUND Gastroesophageal reflux is associated with poorer outcomes after lung transplant,likely through recurrent aspiration and allograft injury.Although prior studies have demonstrated a relationship between impedance-pH results and transplant outcomes,the role of esophageal manometry in the assessment of lung transplant patients remains debated,and the impact of esophageal dysmotility on transplant outcomes is unclear.Of particular interest is ineffective esophageal motility(IEM)and its associated impact on esophageal clearance.AIM To assess the relationship between pre-transplant IEM diagnosis and acute rejection after lung transplantation.METHODS This was a retrospective cohort study of lung transplant recipients at a tertiary care center between 2007 and 2018.Patients with pre-transplant anti-reflux surgery were excluded.Manometric and reflux diagnoses were recorded from pre-transplant esophageal function testing.Time-to-event analysis using Cox proportional hazards model was applied to evaluate outcome of first episode of acute cellular rejection,defined histologically per International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation guidelines.Subjects not meeting this endpoint were censored at time of post-transplant anti-reflux surgery,last clinic visit,or death.Fisher’s exact test for binary variables and student’s t-test for continuous variables were performed to assess for differences between groups.RESULTS Of 184 subjects(54%men,mean age:58,follow-up:443 person-years)met criteria for inclusion.Interstitial pulmonary fibrosis represented the predominant pulmonary diagnosis(41%).During the follow-up period,60 subjects(33.5%)developed acute rejection.The all-cause mortality was 16.3%.Time-to-event univariate analyses demonstrated significant association between IEM and acute rejection[hazard ratio(HR):1.984,95%CI:1.03-3.30,P=0.04],confirmed on Kaplan-Meier curve.On multivariable analysis,IEM remained independently associated with acute rejection,even after controlling for potential confounders such as the presence of acid and nonacid reflux(HR:2.20,95%CI:1.18-4.11,P=0.01).Nonacid reflux was also independently associated with acute rejection on both univariate(HR:2.16,95%CI:1.26-3.72,P=0.005)and multivariable analyses(HR:2.10,95%CI:1.21-3.64,P=0.009),adjusting for the presence of IEM.CONCLUSION Pre-transplant IEM was associated with acute rejection after transplantation,even after controlling for acid and nonacid reflux.Esophageal motility testing may be considered in lung transplant to predict outcomes.

AC-DC Fuzzy Linear Active Disturbance Rejection Control Strategy of Front Stage of Bidirectional Converter Based on V2G

Aiming at the problems of output voltage fluctuation and current total harmonic distortion(THD)in the front stage totem-pole bridgeless PFC of two-stage V2G(Vehicle to Grid)vehicle-mounted bi-directional converter,a fuzzy linear active disturbance rejection control strategy for V2G front-stage AC-DC power conversion system is proposed.Firstly,the topologicalworkingmode of the totem-pole bridgeless PFC is analyzed,and themathematical model is established.Combined with the system model and the linear active disturbance rejection theory,a double closed-loop controller is designed with the second-order linear active disturbance rejection control as the voltage outer loop and PI control as the current inner loop.The controller can realize self-adaptive tuning of the proportional gain coefficient of the active disturbance rejection controller through fuzzy reasoning and realize self-adaptive control.Simulation and experimental results show that this method can better solve the problems of slow system response and high total harmonic distortion rate of input current and effectively improve the system’s robustness.

Statistical Analysis and Countermeasures for Specimen Rejection in the Emergency Department

The rejected specimens from the Emergency Department of the Center of Clinical Laboratory from January 1,2022 to January 1,2023 were analyzed to reduce the specimen rejection rates and to improve the quality of inspection.The results showed that there were 1488 samples of rejected specimens and the non-conforming rate was 0.58%.The departments involved were mainly the Emergency Department,the Hematology Department,the Cardiology Department,the Intensive Care Department,and the Brain Surgery Department.Among the reasons for rejection,blood hemolysis accounted for 43.15%,blood coagulation accounted for 26.61%,and the rate of insufficient specimens was 17.14%.Among them,the sample rejection rate for arterial blood gas analysis was the highest,which accounted for 1.74%;followed by specimens for coagulation test,which was 1.18%.These results indicate the main reason for producing rejected specimens is mainly due to not following the standard operating procedure.Specimen rejection can largely be avoided if the standards for specimen collection are strictly followed.

W-band sharp-rejection bandpass filter with notch cavities

High-Q notch cavities combined with a low-order E-plane fin-line filter are used for designing a sharp-rejection band-pass filter （BPF） at W-band. Based on the conventional E-plane fin-line structure, an E-plane extended cavity is implemented to enhance the suppression at unwanted frequency points near the passband. The passband performance is not disturbed and the whole structure remains simple to be assembled. To extend the suppression bandwidth, two separated notch cavities are designed and arranged at the input and output ends of the fin-line filter, respectively. A prototype BPF is fabricated and measured. Experimental results show that the minimum insertion loss is 2.7 dB over a passband of 1 GHz. The suppression is about 85 dB near 91.7 GHz, which is 2.2 GHz lower than the center frequency. Experimental results agree well with simulation.

Recurrence and rejection in liver transplantation for primary sclerosing cholangitis

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease affecting the bile ducts, leading to f ibrosis and eventually cirrhosis in most patients. Its etiology is unknown and so far no effective medical therapy is available. Liver transplantation (LTX) is the only curative treatment and at present PSC is the main indication for LTX in the Scandinavian countries. Close to half of the PSC patients experience one or more episodes of acute cellular rejection (ACR) following transplantation and approximately 1/5 of the transplanted patients develop recurrent disease in the graft. In addition, some reports indicate that ACR early after LTX for PSC can infl uence the risk for recurrent disease. For these important post-transplantation entities affecting PSC patients, we have reviewed the current literature on epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment and the possible infl uence of rejection on the risk of recurrent disease in the allograft.

Active disturbance rejection control on first-order plant

Conventional PI control encounters some problems when dealing with large lag process in the presence of parameter uncertainties.For the typical first-order process,an observerbased linear active disturbance rejection control（LADRC） scheme is presented to cope with the difficulties,and a reduced-order observer scheme is proposed further.Some quantitative dynamic results with regard to non-overshoot characteristics are obtained.Finally,the performance boundaries of LADRC and PI control are explicitly compared with each other,which shows that the former is more superior in most cases.

Markers of acute rejection and graft acceptance in liver transplantation

The evaluation of the immunosuppression state in liver transplanted patients is crucial for a correct posttransplant management and a major step towards the personalisation of the immunosuppressive therapy. However, current immunological monitoring after liver transplantation relies mainly on clinical judgment and on immunosuppressive drug levels, without a proper assessment of the real suppression of theimmunological system. Various markers have been studied in an attempt to identify a specific indicator of graft rejection and graft acceptance after liver transplantation. Considering acute rejection, the most studied markers are pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory cytokines and other proteins related to inflammation. However there is considerable overlap with other conditions, and only few of them have been validated. Standard liver tests cannot be used as markers of graft rejection due to their low sensitivity and specificity and the weak correlation with the severity of histopathological findings. Several studies have been performed to identify biomarkers of tolerance in liver transplanted patients. Most of them are based on the analysis of peripheral blood samples and on the use of transcriptional profiling techniques. Amongst these, NK cell-related molecules seem to be the most valid marker of graft acceptance, whereas the role CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells has still to be properly defined.