Levofloxacin-induced acute fulminant hepatic failure in a patient with chronic hepatitis B infection

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of possible levofloxacin-induced acute fulminant hepatic failure. CASE SUMMARY: An unconscious 55-year-old woman was hospitalized with the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy. The patient had received levofloxacin 500 mg daily for 10 days because of an upper respiratory infection. Her past medical history revealed hepatitis B surface antigen positivity as an asymptomatic hepatitis B virus carrier for 10 years. After hospitalization, treatment included plasmapheresis and supportive care. The patient's consciousness improved on the second day of treatment. Other etiologies of fulminant hepatic failure were ruled out, suggesting levofloxacin-induced fulminant hepatic failure. Although the patient received supportive treatment, her condition gradually deteriorated and she died 12 weeks after admission to our hospital. An objective causality assessment revealed that the adverse event was possibly related to levofloxacin. DISCUSSION: Levofloxacin is widely used because of its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity. As of August 9, 2005, to our knowledge, only one case of fulminant hepatic failure in relation to levofloxacin has previously been published. We believe that, in our patient, the relationship between levofloxacin and her illness is clear because of the negative results in the etiological studies, the short time between the drug's administration and the development of disease, and the pathologic findings suggestive of drug-induced hepatitis. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of severe hepatic injury associated with levofloxacin when prescribing this drug.     

Hypoxic hepatitis in children after cardiac surgery

<正>To the Editor: Hypoxic hepatitis(HH), also known as ischemic hepatitis or shock liver, is a liver injury characterized by necrosis of centrilobular hepatocytes with a rapid increase in serum aminotransferase levels. The incidence rate of HH among patients in the intensive care unit(ICU) was found to be 0.9%-11.9% [1]. Occurrence of HH appears to have a significant impact on the clinical outcome.     

Boron attenuates malathion-induced oxidative stress and acetylcholinesterase inhibition in rats

Organophosphorus compounds cause oxidative stress and lead to alterations in antioxidant status in organisms. In this study, the effects of subchronic exposure to malathion and the protective effects of boron (B) were evaluated in 48 Wistar rats, which were divided equally into six groups. For 28?d, the control group received a normal diet and tap water, the corn oil group received a normal diet and 0.5?mL of corn oil by gastric gavage and the malathion group received a normal diet and malathion (100?mg/kg/d) by gastric gavage. During the same period, each of the three other groups received a different dosage of B (5, 10 and 20?mg/kg/d, respectively) and malathion (100?mg/kg/d) by gastric gavage. Malathion administration during the period increased malondialdehyde, nitric oxide and 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels, as well as markers of liver function, yet decreased acetylcholinesterase, reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities in blood, liver, kidney and brain tissues. Administration of B in a dose-dependent manner also reversed malathion-induced oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation (LPO) and antioxidant enzyme activity. Moreover, B exhibited protective action against malathion-induced histopathological changes in liver, kidney and brain tissues. These results demonstrate that, if used in a dose-dependent manner, B decreases malathion-induced oxidative stress, enhances the antioxidant defense mechanism and regenerates tissues in rats.     

Spontaneous Acroangiodermatitis

Acroangiodermatitis is a rare self-limited angioproliferative lesion which can be associated with congenital vascular malformations or acquired venous insufficiency. Despite of its benign character, differential diagnosis of this lesion is very important because it closely resembles Kaposi sarcoma. Here we present a 26-year-old male patient with unilateral, purplish-red colored papules on his right ankle which diagnosed as acroangiodermatitis and discuss histopathological features, differential diagnosis and treatment of this unusual condition.     

Protective effect of resveratrol against oxidative stress in cholestasis

BACKGROUND: We investigated the protective role of resveratrol in rat liver injuries induced by chronic biliary obstruction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Secondary biliary cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation for 28 days. Swiss albino rats were divided into the three following groups: group 1: sham (n = 7); group 2: bile duct ligation (n = 7); group 3: bile duct ligation plus resveratrol (n = 7). Bile duct ligation plus resveratrol group received 10 mg/kg dose of resveratrol intraperitoneally daily for 28 days. Liver damage and cholestasis were determined by the biochemical and the pathologic examination. RESULTS: The present data showed a decrease in both plasma bilirubin levels and aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels in the resveratrol-treated rats, when compared with bile duct ligation group (P < 0.05). In the resveratrol-treated rats, tissue levels of malondialdehyde and nitric oxide were significantly lower than that of the bile duct ligation (P < 0.002). The levels of glutathione in resveratrol-treated rats were significantly higher than that in bile duct ligation group (P < 0.004). The levels of interleukin-1alpha, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in resveratrol group were significantly lower than that in bile duct ligation group (P < 0.004, P < 0.001, P < 0.001, respectively). Administration of resveratrol in the rats with biliary obstruction resulted in inhibition of ductular proliferation and lymphocytic inflammation. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates that intraperitoneal administration of resveratrol in bile duct ligated rats maintained antioxidant defenses and reduces liver oxidative damage and ductular proliferation. This effect of resveratrol may be useful in the preservation of liver function in cholestasis.     

Platelet activation in patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever

Increased platelet activation and aggregation are central processes in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis. Increased platelet activity is associated with increased platelet volume. Mean platelet volume (MPV), a determinant of platelet function, is a newly emerging risk factor for atherothrombosis. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by recurrent inflammatory febrile attacks of serosal and synovial membranes. Recently few studies have shown that FMF is associated with increased atherosclerosis risk. The present study was designed to evaluate levels of MPV in FMF patients compared with healthy subjects. We selected 35 FMF patients and 35 healthy control subjects matched for age, gender, and body mass index. Metabolic parameters and MPV levels were measured in all groups. Metabolic parameters were not different among the study groups (p > 0.05). The levels of MPV were significantly higher in the FMF group than in the control group (8.6 ± 0.9 fl vs 7.8 ± 0.5 fl, p = 0.001). The MPV levels were negatively correlated with duration of colchicine treatment (r = ?0.40, p = 0.017). Also MPV levels showed positive correlation with delay of diagnosis (r = 0.58, p = 0.001). In conclusion, our results suggest that patients with FMF tend to have an increased platelet activation. Increased platelet activity could contribute to increasing the atherosclerotic risk in FMF patients.     

心肌梗死后不同时间移植骨髓间充质干细胞对心脏功能修复的作用

目的:观察心肌梗死后不同时间点移植骨髓间充质干细胞对梗死心肌修复的影响,寻找细胞治疗的有效移植时间窗。方法:实验于2006-04/10在郑州大学基础医学院完成。①实验动物:清洁级6周龄雄性SD大鼠81只,1只用于获取骨髓间充质干细胞,剩余80只随机数字表法分为细胞移植组、培养液对照组,再按心肌梗死后1d及1,2,3周进行移植的时间各分为4个亚组,10只/组。②实验方法:获取、培养大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞,培养至第3代接近70%融合时,加入5-溴脱氧尿嘧啶体外标记,调整细胞密度为4×1010L-1备用。两组大鼠均结扎左冠状动脉前降支建立心肌梗死模型。细胞移植组各亚组按对应时间点在心肌梗死中央及四周移植骨髓间充质干细胞悬液50μL/点(2×106个),培养液对照组各亚组于相同部位移植L-DMEM培养液,50μL/点。③实验评估:移植前和移植3周后检测心功能;苏木精-伊红、免疫组织化学染色观察心肌梗死区组织及细胞变化。结果:共79只大鼠进入结果分析。①骨髓间充质干细胞的生长特点:刚分离的细胞为圆形。5d后有集落形成,细胞呈梭形、纺锤形或多角形,胞核较大。传代后细胞体积较原代细胞增大,生长速度加快。②心肌梗死后不同时间移植骨髓间充质干细胞的心功能比较:与移植前比较,移植3周后细胞移植组各亚组左室射血分数、短轴缩短率均有所改善(P<0.05),以心肌梗死后2周细胞移植组最为明显(P<0.01);培养液对照组各亚组左室射血分数、短轴缩短率均下降(P<0.05)。③梗死心肌组织学观察:细胞移植组心肌梗死区及周边可见核蓝色深染的细胞,排列整齐,梗死区瘢痕化减轻。④骨髓间充质干细胞在心肌组织中的分化:细胞移植组梗死心肌内可见大量BrdU标记阳性的骨髓间充质干细胞,胞核呈棕黄色,对心肌特异性肌钙蛋白T呈阳性表达。结论:心肌梗死后早期移植骨髓间充质干细胞能够改善心功能,以2周内进行细胞移植的效果较佳。     

Psoriasis vulgaris and Poland's syndrome in the same patient

Most common anomalies associated with Poland's syndrome are in the chest wall. This type of anomaly causes important psychological distress, especially in adolescent girls. A 19-year-old female with Poland's syndrome having psoriatic plaques on her trunk, knees, and elbows is reported in this paper. Such an association of Poland's syndrome with psoriasis has not been described previously.