Baishideng's century goal: Editing and publishing high-quality articles

Baishideng's goal over the next few years is to edit and publish high-quality articles through the open-access model, to maximize the benefits to members of the editorial board, authors and readers, as well as achieving social and economic benefits.     

What we do and do not know about women and kidney diseases; questions unanswered and answers unquestioned: Reflection on World Kidney Day and International Woman's Day

Chronic kidney disease affects approximately 10% of the world's adult population: it is within the top 20 causes of death worldwide, and its impact on patients and their families can be devastating. World Kidney Day and International Women's Day in 2018 coincide, thus offering an opportunity to reflect on the importance of women's health and specifically their kidney health, on the community, and the next generations, as well as to strive to be more curious about the unique aspects of kidney disease in women so that we may apply those learnings more broadly.Girls and women, who make up approximately 50% of the world's population, are important contributors to society and their families. Gender differences continue to exist around the world in access to education, medical care, and participation in clinical studies. Pregnancy is a unique state for women, offering an opportunity for diagnosis of kidney disease, but also a state where acute and chronic kidney diseases may manifest, and which may impact future generations with respect to kidney health. There are various autoimmune and other conditions that are more likely to impact women with profound consequences for child bearing, and on the fetus. Women have different complications on dialysis than men, and are more likely to be donors than recipients of kidney transplants.In this editorial, we focus on what we do and do not know about women, kidney health, and kidney disease, and what we might learn in the future to improve outcomes worldwide.     

Hypothyroidism presenting as muscle stiffness and pseudohypertrophy: Hoffmann's syndrome

There is a spectrum of muscular abnormalities that occurs in patients with hypothyroidism. Alterations in deep tendon reflexes are commonly observed although more extensive muscle disease is less frequently seen. Two patients who demonstrated increased muscle mass, muscle stiffness with variable degrees of muscle weakness and low levels of serum thyroxine (Hoffmann's syndrome) are described. At the time of presentation, the serum creatinine phosphokinase level was more than 10 times greater than normal, and electromyography revealed repetitive positive waves. After therapy with thyroid hormone, there was complete resolution of the muscle abnormalities, and laboratory studies were performed. In this report, we review the clinical syndrome of muscle dysfunction that can be seen with the more severe forms of hypothyroid myopathy.     

Newham's early years nutrition programme: audit and qualitative analysis

Background

Childhood obesity is a rapidly-growing global concern, with huge impacts on health in childhood and later life. Within the London Borough of Newham, about 25% of children aged 4–5 years and 40% of those aged 10–11 years are overweight. Early intervention strategies are key to targeting childhood obesity. As part of their Childhood Obesity Action Plan, Newham Council, London, introduced an early years nutrition programme in May, 2017. We aimed to assess the implementation of this programme through an audit of Newham's children's centres.

Extralymphatic Hodgkin's disease: Prognosis and response to therapy

Three hundred eighteen patients with pathologic stage IA and IB, IIA and IIB, and IIIA Hodgkin's disease who entered into Stanford University Medical Center randomized trials comparing radiation therapy alone to radiation therapy plus six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy were evaluated. Of these, 54 patients had extralymphatic (E) lesions. There were five relapses among these patients (9 percent), not different from the 37 relapses among the remaining 264 patients (14 percent) with Hodgkin's disease confined to the lymphatic system. Actuarial survival and freedom from relapse were not significantly different for patients with or without extralymphatic disease. The survival of patients with extralymphatic disease was similar whether they received radiation therapy alone or radiation therapy plus chemotherapy.     

Behçet's syndrome: Report of a case associated with pericardial effusion and cryoglobulinemia treated with indomethacin

A patient with Behçet's syndrome manifested by optic atrophy, purulent conjunctivitis and orogenital ulcerations presented with a high fever and pericardial effusion. A mixed cryoglobulinemia (immunoglobulin A (IgA)-immunoglobulin G (IgG)) was observed. Treatment with indomethacin resulted in rapid defervescence, resolution of the pericardial effusion and the orogenital ulcerations, and disappearance of the cryoglobulinemia. Discontinuation of indomethacin therapy was followed by a recurrence of the oral and genital ulcerations that responded promptly to the reinstitution of indomethacin treatment.     

Staging laparotomy and splenectomy in early Hodgkin's disease: No therapeutic benefit

In a prospective randomized study of treatment for early-stage Hodgkin's disease presenting above the diaphragm, 76 patients had staging by laparotomy (Group I) and 28 had staging by closed techniques (Group II). Treatment consisted of involved-field radiotherapy alone (44 patients), involved-field radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy (38 patients), total nodal radiotherapy atone (15 patients), or total nodal radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy (seven patients). On presentation, both groups had similar clinical features and similar treatment distribution. With similar follow-up (87 months), no significant differences in remission or survival were observed between Groups I and II: remission 59 versus 68 percent; survival 74 versus 92 percent; p value 0.27 and 0.09, respectively. Multiple areas of relapse were more frequently observed in Group I (11 of 32 had relapse) as compared with Group II (none of nine had relapse, p < 0.082). In Group I, relapse in the abdomen was observed as an isolated event or as part of disseminated relapse in 12 percent of patients compared with 3 percent (one patient) in Group II with abdominal relapse alone. Seven patients in Group I and two patients in Group II died with Hodgkin's disease. Six other patients in Group I died with complete remission of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (one patient), leukoencephalopathy (one patient), sepsis during chemotherapy (two patients), myocardial infarction (one patient), and cerebrovascular accident (one patient). Three other patients in this group had other secondary malignancies successfully controlled (histiocytic lymphoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, and malignant schwannoma). No second primary lesions or death with complete remission were observed in Group II. Staging laparotomy with splenectomy in early-stage Hodgkin's disease did not improve the duration of remission or survival or decrease the number of abdominal relapses compared with closed staging.     

Influence of venous pressure on plasma-lymph transport in the dog's paw: Convective and dissipative mechanisms

Studies were carried out to evaluate convective and dissipative (diffusion and vesicular) components of blood-lymph transport of large molecules in the dog's paw. Steady-state lymph flow rates (L) and lymph/plasma concentration ratios (R) were measured for six plasma proteins and for exogenous Dextran (MW 110,000). Measurements were made under control conditions and at two to four elevated levels of venous pressure (PV). Below 45 mm Hg, L increased linearly with PV, and R fell progressively, but less than in proportion to flow: the product LR (clearance) increased. Above 45 mm Hg, there was a time-dependent increase in R at constant or increasing L, which was greater for larger molecules and indicated an alteration of permeability. From values of L and R obtained for the normal permeability state, solvent drag coefficients (σ_f) and permeability surface area products (PS) were calculated according to the principles of irreversible thermodynamics and hydrodynamics. Values obtained for σ_f ranged from 0.82 for serum albumin to 0.95 for Dextran 110. At control levels of lymph flow, convection (solvent drag) accounted for about 30% of the total flux of albumin into lymph. With elevation of venous pressure, the contribution of convective flux increased.