A nationwide analysis of renal and patient outcomes for adults with lupus nephritis in Japan

Clinical and Experimental Nephrology - The prognosis of lupus nephritis (LN) has improved following the introduction of effective immunosuppressive therapy and progress in supportive care. This...     

Anal Canal Carcinoma in a Child With Disorders of Sex Development

Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal in children is rare. To date, the etiology and outcome of this condition have been not fully understood. Here, we report an 11‐year‐old child with anal canal cancer who had concomitant disorders of sex development. Radiotherapy followed by salvage surgery achieved disease‐free survival of 3 years. Since overexpression of cell cycle regulatory protein p16 was immunohistochemically evident in tumor tissue, human papillomavirus infection was considered as a causative factor in the carcinogenesis.     

Antibody‐mediated rejection after ABO‐incompatible pediatric living donor liver transplantation for propionic acidemia: A case report

We herein present the case of a four‐yr‐old boy with PA who developed AMR after ABO‐incompatible LDLT despite undergoing B cell desensitization using rituximab. Although the CD19+ lymphocyte count decreased to 0.1% nine days after the administration of rituximab, he developed a high fever which was accompanied by arthralgia due to a streptococcal infection 13 days after rituximab prophylaxis. After the clearance of the infection, he underwent ABO‐incompatible LDLT 36 days after the administration of rituximab. The CD19+ lymphocyte count just prior to LDLT was 1.2%. He developed AMR five days after LDLT, and the antidonor‐type IgM and IgG antibody titers increased to 1:1024 and 1:1024, respectively. He was treated by plasma exchange, IVIG, steroid pulse therapy, and rituximab re‐administration; however, his liver dysfunction continued. Despite intensive treatment, he died due to complicated abdominal hernia, acute renal failure, and ARDS. This case suggests that a streptococcal infection may induce the activation of innate immune responses; thus, additional desensitization therapy should be considered prior to ABO‐incompatible LDLT if B cell reactivation is suspected.     

PLXND1/SEMA3E Promotes Epithelial–Mesenchymal Transition Partly via the PI3K/AKT-Signaling Pathway and Induces Heterogenity in Colorectal Cancer

Annals of Surgical Oncology - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths. Metastasis is enhanced through epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process primarily induced...     

Serum heart-type fatty acid binding protein predicts cardiac events in elderly patients with chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is released into the circulation from the damaged myocardium of patients with severe chronic heart failure. Chronic heart failure is the most frequent cause of death and disability in the elderly. However, there are no data for the prognostic value of H-FABP in the elderly population. This study investigated whether H-FABP can effectively predict the prognosis in elderly patients (> or = 70 years) with chronic heart failure. METHODS: Serum H-FABP levels were measured in 90 chronic heart failure patients > or =70 years old (mean age 77 +/- 4 years, range 70-92 years), and patients were followed-up for 421 +/- 326 days. RESULTS: There were 35 cardiac events (38.9%) including cardiac deaths and readmissions for worsening chronic heart failure. Multivariate analysis with the Cox proportional hazard model showed that H-FABP was the only independent predictor of cardiac events (chi2 = 6.640, p = 0.0100). Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that H-FABP effectively risk stratified elderly patients with chronic heart failure for cardiac events. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that H-FABP is a reliable marker for prognosis in elderly patients with chronic heart failure.