Breast Cancer Beliefs and Behaviors at the San Francisco General Hospital

This study compared an ethnically mixed population of lower socioeconomic status women regarding their breast cancer beliefs, surgical decision making, sources of information, reactions to the diagnosis, and use of support groups. A 20-item oral survey was administered to a convenience sample recruited at the San Francisco General Hospital breast clinic during 1997. Data were analyzed by chi-square analysis with stratification according to age, ethnicity, education, and language. Corrections were made for small frequencies. P values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. The mean age (n = 30) was 56 years (range 39-72 years). Ten participants were African American, 7 Caucasian, 6 Filipino, 4 Chinese, and 3 Latina. Education averaged 12 years. Ten were non-English speakers. Breast cancer beliefs varied by ethnicity, age, and education. Surgical decision making showed that less formally educated women tended to include the doctor in decision making more often. Sources of information varied by English language capacity. Reactions to the diagnosis and use of support groups showed no difference among the categories. Some results of this study corroborate reports of breast cancer beliefs and decision-making styles published in the literature. Differences noted in the study may be explained in part by socioeconomic and ethnic differences between our population and those commonly sampled in the literature. These results suggest the need for further research in multiethnic and low-income populations with breast cancer. They also suggest some important implications for understanding community educational needs.     

Increasing incidence of human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy at San Francisco General Hospital

A survey of consultations to the Division of Nephrology at San Francisco General Hospital from 1982 to 1988 found only seven cases of proven or possible renal disease matching that described for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated nephropathy (nephrotic proteinuria, rapidly progressive renal insufficiency, and focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis [FSGS] histologically). In the period from April 1, 1988 (the conclusion of the original survey) through December 31, 1990, a roughly 11-fold increase in the incidence of such cases among referrals of HIV-infected patients to the Division occurred compared with the initial experience. The patients were nearly exclusively black men, only about half of whom had intravenous drug abuse (IVDA) as an HIV risk factor. This striking increase was associated with a progressive increase in the number of black patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in San Francisco, and in the percentage of patients with an AIDS diagnosis discharged from San Francisco General Hospital (SFGH) who were black. These data support other evidence indicating a particular vulnerability of blacks to this form of renal disease and help to reconcile data from our division with the experience reported from other centers.     

Osteosarcoma of the spine: experience in 26 patients treated at the Massachusetts General Hospital

Background contextBecause of the low incidence, treatment recommendations for spinal osteosarcoma are guided by the results of small series and case reports. Many include patients who presented for treatment over the course of three to four decades.PurposeThe goal of this investigation was to report the treatments, results, and overall survivorship of 26 patients treated for osteosarcoma of the spine at a single institution.Study designRetrospective prognostic series (Level III evidence).Patient sampleTwenty-six patients treated at a single center for osteosarcoma of the spine over a 26-year period.Outcome measuresEstimation of patient survival, local recurrence, and the presence of metastatic disease.MethodsWe performed a retrospective review of cases of osteosarcoma involving the spine treated at our institution between 1982 and 2008. Medical charts, radiology reports, pathology reports, and operative notes were reviewed for all patients. Available imaging studies were also reviewed. The log-rank test was used to compare baseline differences between groups. Survivorship analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier methodology. The effect of Paget osteosarcoma, type of resection, presence of local recurrence, tumor size, surgical margins, and metastases on overall survival were also investigated using the log-rank test.ResultsTwenty-six patients were included for review in this study. Twenty individuals were treated surgically, and 24 were treated with radiation with a mean dose of 62.2 Gy (range 20–84.7 Gy). Twenty-five patients received chemotherapy. Of those treated surgically, seven received en bloc resection. The median overall survival for all patients in our series was 29.5 months (standard error 14.7, 95% confidence interval 0.6–58). Local recurrence developed in 7 patients (27%), and metastasis occurred in 16 individuals (62%). Patients with Paget osteosarcoma had worse overall survival (p<.001).ConclusionsResults presented here confirm a poor prognosis for patients with spinal osteosarcoma. Although combination therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and high-dose radiation, achieve adequate short-term survival, the 5-year mortality rate remains high.     

Heart transplantation at Cheng Hsin General Hospital in Taiwan: 15-year experience

Heart transplantation (HTx) in Taiwan, which started in 1987, now includes more than 500 cases. From July 1988 to September 2003, we performed 215 cases of orthotopic HTx in 164 male and 51 female recipients of mean age of 47.3 +/- 14.3 years, (range 2.7 to 74.9 years). The leading etiologies were dilated cardiomyopathy (CMP), 68.5%; ischemic CMP, 20.2%; and valvular CMP, 4.2%. The actuarial survival rates at 1, 5, and 10 years are 88.3%, 77.1%, and 57.2%, respectively. We performed the first case of HTx in Asia after bridging for 14 days with an indigenous total artificial heart (TAH; the Phoenix-7 model); we performed the first case of infant HTx without blood transfusion and also the first case of autotransplantation of heart for repair of a left ventricular rupture after a mitral valve replacement. These cases were all successful with the longest surviving HTx recipient in Asia. We have used the biatrial anastomosis technique in all cases. We discovered familial CMP due to mitochondrial defects in two pediatric cases. Because of the scarcity of donor hearts, we have used size-mismatched hearts as well as suboptimal and hepatitis-positive donor hearts, all with satisfactory outcomes. Our experience has shown comparable results to Western programs, with efficacy and cost-effectiveness. We find the technique of biatrial anastomosis for orthotopic HTx to result in a low incidence of tricuspid regurgitation and conduction anomalies. The use of suboptimal and size-mismatched donor hearts is also promising.     

Renal involvement in patients with systemic sclerosis

Scleroderma renal crisis is characterized by malignant hypertension and oligo-anuric acute renal failure. Scleroderma renal crisis occurs in 2 to 5% of patients with systemic sclerosis, particularly those with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis in the first years of disease evolution. High-dose corticosteroid therapy (> 15 mg/d) is associated with an increased risk of scleroderma renal crisis. Patients present with prominent left heart failure and hypertensive encephalopathy. Renal failure can be associated with moderate proteinuria, without hematuria. Thrombotic microangiopathy is detected in 43% of the cases. Anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies are present in one third of patients with scleroderma renal crisis. In case of renal failure, iatrogenic or functional origin must be investigated, as well as crescentic glomerulonephritis associated with antineutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA) or thrombotic microangiopathy. Renal biopsy is not necessary to establish the diagnosis in typical forms of scleroderma renal crisis. However, it can help to evaluate the prognosis and it is recommended when clinical presentation of scleroderma renal crisis is unusual. The prognosis of scleroderma renal crisis dramatically improved with the use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. However, 5-year survival of patients who developed a scleroderma renal crisis is only 65%. The treatment relies on the early control of blood pressure with increasing doses of ACE inhibitors, in association with calcium channel blockers if necessary. In case of severe renal failure and/or hypertension, dialysis can help to quickly control the vascular overload and the blood pressure. Dialysis can be stopped in about half of cases. After 2 years on dialysis, eligible patients should be considered for renal transplantation. The prevention of scleroderma renal crisis lacks consensus. Corticosteroids and/or nephrotoxic drugs should be avoided in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis.     

Renal involvement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA) kidney is commonly affected organ with clinical presentation characterised by proteinuria (often nephrotic range) and microhematuria followed by chronic renal failure. This condition is well recognized as a rheumatoid nephropathy (rheumatoid glomerulonephritis), which is mediated by an immunological inflammation and by nephrotoxic effects of numerous drugs usually used in rheumatoid arthiritis treatment, such as NSAID, DMARD. In the patohistological examination various kinds of associated renal lesions could be seen. The most often are amyloidosis, glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis. In this study, we presented 15 patients, 10 women and 5 men, mean age of 60.2 with average rheumatoid arthritis duration of 19.4 years and signs of rheumatoid nephropathy. In all patients renal biopsy was performed with frequency of histopathological findings as follows: amyloidosis in 5 patients, IgA nephropathy in 3 patients, FSGS in 3 patients, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in 3 patients, minimal change disease, pauci-immune glomerulonephritis and thin membrane disease in 1 patient. In all patients (except patient with thin membrane nephropathy) we started immunossuppresive therapy with glucocorticoids in combination with cyclophosphamide or cyclosporin or azatioprine. In conclusion, in all patients with rheumatoid arthritis, parameters of renal function should be monitored and in the case of patologic results, renal biopsy should be be performed. In the treatment of RA patients with related renal disorder, suspected causal drug should be removed from the treatment and specific immunosuppressive therapy initiated.     

Carcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts. The University of California at San Francisco experience.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the combined experience of a single institution in treating bile duct carcinoma during the modern era. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Bile duct carcinomas are notoriously difficult to cure, with locoregional recurrence the rule, even after radical resection. Adjuvant efforts have included various radiation modalities, with limited success. Recently, charged-particle radiotherapy has also been used in these patients. METHODS: The authors performed a retrospective chart analysis of 129 patients with bile duct adenocarcinomas treated between 1977 and 1987 through the University of California at San Francisco, including 22 patients treated at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory with the charged particles helium and neon. The minimum follow-up was 5 years. Survival, outcome, and complication results were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixty-two patients were treated with surgery alone (S), 45 patients received conventional adjuvant x-ray radiotherapy (S + X), and 22 were treated with charged particles (S + CP). The median survival times were 6.5, 11, and 14 months, respectively, for the entire group, and 16, 16, and 23 months in patients treated with curative intent. There was a survival difference in patients undergoing total resection compared with debulking (p = 0.05) and minor resections (p = 0.0001). Patients with microscopic residual disease had increased median survival times when they were treated with adjuvant irradiation, most markedly after CP (p = 0.0005) but also with conventional X (p = 0.0109). Patients with gross residual disease had a less marked but still statistically significant extended survival (p = 0.05 for S + X and p = 0.0423 for S + CP) after irradiatio CONCLUSIONS: The mainstay of bile duct carcinoma management was maximal surgical resection in these patients. Postoperative radiotherapy gave patients with positive microscopic margins a significant survival advantage and may be of value in selected patients with gross disease.     

Beating-heart coronary artery bypass graft surgery at San Raffaele Hospital: four years of experience

OBJECTIVE: To review the database of 1,902 consecutive patients who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery in the period 1998 through 2001 at this institution, and to compare the preoperative status, anesthetic management, and postoperative outcome of 364 patients with the beating-heart technique with 1,538 patients who underwent the operation on cardiopulmonary bypass. DESIGN: Observational study. SETTING: University hospital. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients (n = 1,902) who underwent CABG surgery in the period 1998 through 2001. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Comparison (chi-square test) of the preoperative status shows that surgeons' choice for the beating-heart technique was based on the presence of severe preoperative comorbidities: renal impairment (p < 0.0001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (p < 0.04), and low ejection fraction (p < 0.0001). On a multivariate analysis, the beating-heart technique was associated with reduced transfusion needs and duration of mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSION: Beating-heart surgery is gaining popularity as a safe method for myocardial revascularization. Excellent results have been achieved with this technique in this center.     

How to recognize patients at risk or infected with HIV.

This monthly series was developed from the AOA Task Force on AIDS Writers' Workshop, held August 16 to 18, 1991, in New York. The workshop was sponsored by an educational grant from Burroughs Wellcome. It will provide brief clinical updates and perspectives on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Readers may request tear sheets from the AOA editorial offices.     

Anterior urethral injuries: four years of experience at the Detroit General Hospital

Among 19 patients with trauma of the anterior urethra 16 were treated by urinary diversion without primary repair of the injured area. Of these patients 15 recovered with excellent results. Since most traumatic injuries to the anterior urethra are partial disruptions we believe that urinary diversion may be the only treatment needed.     

Management of patients infected with HIV

HIV-VIRAL HEPATITIS CO-INFECTIONS: Several characteristics reveal an HIV-HBV co-infection: high B viral replication, high percentage of patients exhibiting chronic B virus, high risk of cirrhosis, and possibility of B reactivation in severely immunodeficient patients. Regarding HIV-HCV co-infections, there is a greater risk of progression towards cirrhosis. However, anti-retroviral treatment appear to stall the progression of the C-virus hepatic disease. METABOLIC COMPLICATIONS WITH ANTI-RETROVIRAL TREATMENTS: Among the morphological lipodystrophic syndromes, the lipohypertrophic forms must be distinguished from the lipoatrophic forms. Substitution of some antiretroviral molecules is the first measure to be taken, but the results are difficult to assess; other current drug alternatives are unconvincing. The management of hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia observed during treatment with antiretrovirals is debatable, and efficacy is not always clearly demonstrated. Regarding hyperlactatemia, potentially the most severe complication of mitochondrial toxicity of antiretroviral treatment, which requires suspension of the nucleoside analogs in severe or moderate symptomatic forms, and simple surveillance and continuation of the treatment in the mild or moderate asymptomatic forms. VIROLOGICAL FAILURE: There are three options possible: continue the same treatment, change it or stop it. Efficacy should be assessed on CD4 and the variations in viral load, rather than on the absolute value of the viral load. IN POOR RESSOURCE SETTINGS: Only a minority of patients has access to antiretroviral treatments. Efforts must be made to continue to search for other forms of management: community measures for prevention and early screening, psychological and nutritional support, prophylactic and treatment strategies for infections or opportunist diseases.     

Renal involvement in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

A retrospective review of the records of 15 patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) was performed to determine the spectrum of renal involvement that occurs in this disease. All cases exhibited some evidence of renal involvement, the most common manifestation of which was an abnormal urinalysis. Twelve cases (80%) had some degree of elevation of the serum urea nitrogen (SUN) or creatinine level at some time during the course of their disease. Renal involvement could be categorized into three types depending on the severity of TTP. In those cases presenting as an acute devastating illness, renal insufficiency, when present, was severe and a dominant component of the disease. In those that pursued a more protracted course, with subsequent acute exacerbations of TTP, renal insufficiency was variable and less severe than in the first group. In those presenting with a mild form of TTP, renal involvement consisted primarily of an abnormal urine sediment and azotemia that corrected rapidly following fluid replacement. A review of the literature beginning with 1966, when renal disease was established as part of the features that characterize TTP, provided 216 cases in whom sufficient data on renal involvement were recorded. Of the 168 cases where urinalysis was reported, hematuria was noted in 78% of the cases, proteinuria in 75, pyuria in 31, and cylindriuria in 24%. Of the 181 cases where the admission SUN was reported, it was higher than 20 mg/dl in 69% and greater than 60 mg/dl in 17% of the cases. The level of SUN was a significant determinant of the final prognosis of these patients.