Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42606109›Full record

ArticlePediatric transplantation2026

Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA in Stable Pediatric Kidney Transplant Recipients: Influence of Donor Obesity and Recipient Size.

Julia Steinke, Lyndsay Harshman, Kelly Kirshner, Arundhati Kale, Erica Winnicki, Daniel Ranch, Jayanthi Chandar, Helen Pizzo, Arshdeep Kaur, Paul Hanson and 3 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric transplantation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Julia SteinkeHelen DeVos Children's Hospital, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8601-9479
Lyndsay HarshmanUniversity of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4952-8132
Kelly KirshnerCedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Arundhati KaleUniversity of California, Davis, Davis, California, USA.
Erica WinnickiUniversity of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
Daniel RanchUniversity of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Jayanthi ChandarMiller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
Helen PizzoCedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2997-7483
Arshdeep KaurUniversity of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Paul HansonMedical Affairs, CareDx, Brisbane, California, USA.
Zunqiu ChenBiostatistics Core, CareDx, Brisbane, California, USA.
Ling ShenBiostatistics Core, CareDx, Brisbane, California, USA.
Dechu PuliyandaCedars-Sinai Guerin Children's, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDonor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) is increasingly used as a noninvasive marker of kidney allograft injury, but adult-derived cutoffs may not be applicable to pediatric recipients, particularly in the setting of donor-recipient size mismatch. We evaluated dd-cfDNA levels in stable pediatric kidney transplant (KT) recipients and assessed variation by recipient weight and donor body mass index (BMI).

methodsRetrospective data were collected from seven U.S. pediatric KT centers. Clinically stable recipients < 18 years of age (no de novo donor specific antibody, biopsy-proven rejection or BK viremia/nephropathy), with ≥ 2 dd-cfDNA measurements per year were included. Recipients were stratified by weight at dd-cfDNA collection (< 20 kg, 20-50 kg, > 50 kg). Donor BMI was categorized as underweight (≤ 18.5), normal (18.6-24.9), overweight (25-29.9), or obese (≥ 30). Comparisons were performed using linear mixed-effects models.

resultsAmong 178 recipients, mean dd-cfDNA did not differ by recipient weight (< 20 kg: 0.51 ± 0.44; 20-50 kg: 0.65 ± 1.28; > 50 kg: 0.49 ± 0.70). Median dd-cfDNA was similar across donor BMI categories. However, among obese donors, recipients < 20 kg had 1.3-fold higher dd-cfDNA (p = 0.044). Donor-recipient body surface area mismatch > 1.5 was associated with 1.083-fold higher dd-cfDNA up to 5 years post-transplant (p = 0.016).

conclusionsIn stable pediatric KT recipients, dd-cfDNA levels were well below the adult-derived 1% cutoff, reinforcing the generalizability of this cutoff to the pediatric population. Recipients < 20 kg with donor BMI > 30 kg/m

Indexed as

Cell-Free Nucleic AcidsKidney TransplantationObesityTissue DonorsAdolescentBiomarkersBody Mass IndexBody WeightChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMaleRetrospective StudiesTransplant RecipientsBiomarkersCell-Free Nucleic Acidsdonor‐derived cell‐free DNAdonor size mismatchkidney transplantpediatrics

Identifiers

PMID42606109
PMCPMC13479775

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.