Predictors and Outcomes of Postcontrast Acute Kidney Injury after Endovascular Renal Artery Intervention

Purpose

To determine incidence, predictors, and clinical outcomes of postcontrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) following renal artery stent placement for atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis.

Elevated serum receptor activator of NFκB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)3, and ProMMP1 in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

We studied the serum levels of receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), osteoprotegerin (OPG), pro-matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) 1, MMP3, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP) 1 in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) and correlated these with different disease variables. Sera of 70 patients with JIA (ILAR 2001 criteria) and 33 age- and sex-matched controls were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Nonparametric tests were used for analysis of data. The subtype distribution of the JIA patients was: enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) 24, polyarticular 22, systemic onset 13, oligoarticular 8, and others 3. The median level of RANKL, OPG, pro-MMP1, MMP3, and TIMP-1 were elevated in JIA patients as compared to controls (p < 0.001). There was no difference in levels among different types of JIA. RANKL/OPG ratio was elevated in all subtypes of JIA. MMP3/TIMP-1 ratio correlated with measures of disease activity including swollen and tender joint count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and disease activity score (rS 0.28, p < 0.05). Ours is the first study to show elevated RANKL in serum of patients with JIA. Further, our data suggest that patients with ERA have similar levels to other forms of JIA. Association of the MMP3/TIMP-1 ratio with disease activity suggests that it may be a useful biomarker for follow-up.     

Timing and Selection for Renal Revascularization in an Era of Negative Trials: What to Do?

Management of atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis has become more complex with advances in both medical therapy and endovascular procedures. Results from recent trials fail to demonstrate major benefits of endovascular stenting in addition to optimal medical therapy. The general applicability of these results to many patients is limited by short-term follow-up and selection biases in recruitment. Many patients at highest risk were excluded from these studies and some were included with trivial lesions. Identification of patients with hemodynamically significant lesions remains a challenge and has led to more stringent criteria for Doppler ultrasound, measurement of translesional gradients and quantitative angiography. Although many patients can now be managed with medical therapy, it should be recognized that long-term reduction in antihypertensive drug requirements and recovery of kidney function are limited to those undergoing renal revascularization. As with any major vascular lesion, follow-up for disease stability and/or progression is essential. The ambiguity of present trial data may lead some to overlook selected subgroups that would benefit from restoring renal blood supply through revascularization. Further studies to more precisely identify kidneys that can recover function and/or are beyond meaningful recovery are essential. Considering the comorbid risks for the atherosclerotic population, it will remain imperative for clinicians to consider the hazards, costs and benefits carefully for each patient to determine the role and timing for both medical therapy and revascularization.     

Overview: Japanese encephalitis

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is one of the most important endemic encephalitis in the world especially in Eastern and Southeastern Asia. JE affects over 50,000 patients and results in 15,000 deaths annually. JE virus is a single stranded positive sense RNA virus belonging to family flaviviridae. JE virus is transmitted through a zoonotic cycle between mosquitoes, pigs and water birds. Humans are accidentally infected and are a dead end host because of low level and transient viremia. In the northern region, large epidemics occur during summers whereas in the southern region JE tends to be endemic: cases occur throughout the year with a peak in the rainy season. Occurrence of JE is more closely related to temperature than to humidity. JE is regarded as a disease of children in the endemic areas but in the newly invaded areas, it affects both the adults and children because of the absence of protective antibodies. For every patient of JE, there are large numbers of subclinical cases (25–1000). Symptomatic JEV infection manifests with nonspecific febrile illness, aseptic meningitis or encephalitis. Encephalitis manifests with altered sensorium, seizures and focal neurological deficit. Acute flaccid paralysis may occur due to anterior horn cell involvement. A wide variety of movement disorders especially transient Parkinsonian features and dystonia (limb, axial, orofacial) are reported in 20–60% patients. JE mainly affects thalamus, corpus striatum, brainstem and spinal cord as revealed by MRI and on autopsy studies. Coinfection of JE and cysticercosis occurs because of the important role of pigs in the life cycle of both JEV and cysticercosis.     

A clinical, radiological and outcome study of status epilepticus from India

The objective of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiological characteristics and the outcome of status epilepticus (SE). 117 consecutive patients with SE were evaluated including their demographics, history of epilepsy, antiepileptic drug (AED) default, comorbidities, SE type and duration. The study included 22 children, 77 adults and 18 elderly patients with SE. Blood counts, serum chemistry, ECG, cranial MRI, cerebrospinal fluid and EEG were done. Patients were treated with IV phenytoin, valproate, lorazepam or diazepam as per a fixed protocol and responses to first and second drugs were noted. Death during hospital was recorded. The etiology of SE was infection in 53.8%, drug default in 7.9%, metabolic in 14.5%, stroke in 12.8% and miscellaneous in 11% of patients. 92.3% of patients had convulsive and 7.7% nonconvulsive SE. Cranial MRI was abnormal in 62%. Infection as an etiology was more common in children, drug default and metabolic causes in adults and stroke in adults and elderly. Following first AED, SE was controlled in 50%. 30% of patients remained refractory to second AED which was related to duration of SE and mortality. 29% patients died and death was higher in elderly (44%) compared to children (14%). Acute symptomatic SE is more common in developing countries. Refractory SE is associated with SE duration and mortality.     

Non-Linear and Gender-Specific Relationships Among Placental Growth Measures and The Fetoplacental Weight Ratio

GoalsFetal growth depends on placental growth; the fetoplacental weight ratio (FPR) is a common proxy for the balance between fetal and placental growth. Male and female infants are known to have differing vulnerabilities in fetal life, during parturition and in infancy. We hypothesized that these differences may be paralleled by differences in how birth weight (BW) and the fetoplacental weight ratio (FPR) are affected by changes in placental proportions.Materials and MethodsPlacental proportion measures (disk shape, larger and smaller chorionic diameters, chorionic plate area calculated as the area of an ellipse with the 2 given diameters, disk thickness, cord eccentricity and cord length) were available for 24,601 participants in the Collaborative Perinatal Project delivered between >34 and <43 completed weeks. The variables were standardized and entered into multiple automated regression splines (MARS 2.0, Salford Systems, Vista CA) to identify nonlinearities in the relationships of placental growth measures to BW and FPR with results compared for male and female infants.ResultsChanges in chorionic plate growth in female compared to male infants resulted in a greater change in BW and FPR. The positive effects of umbilical cord length on BW reversed at the mean umbilical cord length in females and at +0.08 SD in male infants.ConclusionsFemale infants' BW and FPR are each more responsive to changes in placental chorionic plate growth dimensions than males; this may account for greater female resilience (and greater male vulnerability) to gestational stressors. The effect of umbilical cord length on FPR may be due to longer cords carrying greater fetal vascular resistance. Again male fetuses show a higher “threshold” to the negative effects of longer cords on FPR.     

Frequency and Factors Associated with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Patients with Cirrhosis of the Liver and Extra Hepatic Portal Venous Obstruction

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), a common complication of cirrhosis of liver, might result from translocation of bacteria from the small bowel. However, there is scanty data on frequency of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. There are no data on SIBO in patients with extra-hepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) in the literature. A total of 174 patients with cirrhosis of the liver, 28 with EHPVO and 51 healthy controls were studied for SIBO using glucose hydrogen breath test (GHBT). Persistent rise in breath hydrogen 12 ppm above basal (at least two readings) was considered diagnostic of SIBO. Of 174 patients (age 47.2 ± 11.9 years, 80.5% male) with cirrhosis due to various causes, 67 (38.5%) were in Child’s class A, 70 (40.2%) class B and 37 (21.7%) class C. Of the 174 patients with cirrhosis, 42 (24.14%) had SIBO as compared to 1 of 51 (1.9%) healthy controls (P < 0.0001). Patients with EHPVO had similar frequency of SIBO compared to healthy controls [2/28 (7.14%) vs 1/51 (1.97%), P = ns]. Frequency of SIBO in Child’s A, B and C was comparable [13 (18.6%) vs 16 (23.9%) and 13 (35.1%), respectively; P = ns]. Presence of SIBO were not related to ascites, etiology of cirrhosis, and degree of liver dysfunction. SIBO is common in patients with cirrhosis of the liver. Patients with EHPVO do not have higher frequency of SIBO than healthy subjects. SIBO in cirrhosis is not related to the degree of derangement in liver function or of portal hypertension.