High-dose immunoglobulin therapy for Guillain−Barré syndrome in Japanese children

BACKGROUND: Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an acute acquired demyelinating polyneuropathy, presumed to be immune-mediated. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has been used to treat GBS and was found to be effective. However, a well-controlled study of pediatric GBS has not been conducted in Japan. Therefore, to evaluate the efficacy of IVIg in the treatment of GBS, an open-labeled study was performed in pediatric patients. METHODS: Participants in the study were required to be younger than 15 years old, and diagnosed as having moderate or severe GBS. IVIg (400 mg/kg per day) was administered to patients for five consecutive days. Predefined outcome measures were defined on a seven-point scale of motor function (Hughes' functional grade [FG]). RESULTS: Eleven patients were treated with IVIg. The median time taken to improve by one grade on the FG scale was 10.0 days after initial treatment. Two weeks after initial treatment, 72.7% of patients treated with IVIg improved by one or more grades, and 36.4% improved by two or more grades, measured on the FG scale. After 4 weeks an improvement by one or more grades was observed in 81.8% of patients, and two or more grades in 63.6% of patients. These improvement rates were markedly greater than would occur with the natural course of GBS1. Adverse events (subjective symptoms or abnormal laboratory findings) were observed in four patients, although all were temporary and mild. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that IVIg is a safe and effective treatment for childhood GBS, which shortens the time to recovery.     

干预CD86协同刺激信号在诱导母胎界面Th2型免疫偏倚中的作用

目的 :探讨干预CD86协同刺激信号在诱导母胎界面局部形成Th2型免疫偏倚中的作用。方法 :将正常妊娠模型 (CBA×BALB/c)和自然流产模型 (CBA×DBA/ 2 )CBA孕鼠均分为两组 ,于孕第 4、6、8天 ,对照组腹腔注射大鼠IgG ,实验组腹腔注射大鼠抗小鼠CD86mAb ;孕第 9天 ,ELISA测定母胎界面组织培养上清中Th1型 (IFN γ、TNF α) /Th2型(IL 4、IL 10 )细胞因子表达水平 ,并计算IL 4 /IFN γ、IL 10 /IFN γ比值 ;孕第 12天比较两种模型各组的胚胎吸收率。结果 :正常妊娠模型中 ,干预CD86协同刺激信号对母胎界面原有的Th2型免疫偏离及妊娠预后均无显著影响。自然流产模型中 ,干预CD86协同刺激信号能够诱导母胎界面局部形成Th2型免疫偏倚并显著改善其妊娠预后。结论 :于孕早期 ,干预CD86协同刺激信号能够改善母胎界面局部细胞因子微环境 ,形成维持正常妊娠所需的Th2型免疫偏倚 ,诱导母胎免疫耐受     

Consensus statement on the live organ donor

The Authors for the Live Organ Donor Consensus Group

JAMA. 2000;284:2919-2926.

Objective  To recommend practice guidelines for transplant physicians, primary care providers, health care planners, and all those who are concerned about the well-being of the live organ donor.

Participants  An executive group representing the National Kidney Foundation, and the American Societies of Transplantation, Transplant Surgeons, and Nephrology formed a steering committee of 12 members to evaluate current practices of living donor transplantation of the kidney, pancreas, liver, intestine, and lung. The steering committee subsequently assembled more than 100 representatives of the transplant community (physicians, nurses, ethicists, psychologists, lawyers, scientists, social workers, transplant recipients, and living donors) at a national conference held June 1-2, 2000, in Kansas City, Mo.

Consensus Process  Attendees participated in 7 assigned work groups. Three were organ specific (lung, liver, and kidney) and 4 were focused on social and ethical concerns (informed consent, donor source, psychosocial issues, and live organ donor registry). Work groups' deliberations were structured by a series of questions developed by the steering committee. Each work group presented its deliberations to an open plenary session of all attendees. This information was stored and shaped into a statement circulated electronically to all attendees for their comments, and finally approved by the steering committee for publication. The term consensus is not meant to convey universal agreement of the participants. The statement identifies issues of controversy; however, the wording of the entire statement is a consensus by approval of all attendees.

Conclusion  The person who gives consent to be a live organ donor should be competent, willing to donate, free from coercion, medically and psychosocially suitable, fully informed of the risks and benefits as a donor, and fully informed of the risks, benefits, and alternative treatment available to the recipient. The benefits to both donor and recipient must outweigh the risks associated with the donation and transplantation of the living donor organ.

     

四种小儿动脉导管未闭堵闭术的临床应用:附127例报告

本文采用四种不同的介入治疗方法堵闭动脉导管共127例,成功率海绵塞法为92％(23/25例),双面伞器法为98.6％(66/67例),钮扣式补片法为100％(26/26例),弹簧圈器法为100％(9/9例)。海绵塞法和弹簧圈器无残余分流;术后6个月双面伞器法残余分流为7％(5/67例),钮扣式补片法为15％(4/26例)。钮扣式补片法和弹簧圈器法无并发症,海绵塞法为24％(6/25例),双面伞器法为4％(3/67例)。我们认为,钮扣式补片法及弹簧圈器法在小儿动脉导管未闭的介入治疗中具有较大的应用价值。     

PSA screening for prostate cancer: The current controversy - a viewpoint

Prostate cancer is an important health problem. Randomized trialshave not yet proven whether or not screening with prostate-specificantigen measurements reduces morbidity or mortality. The potentialfor overtreatment of prostate cancers not destined to causefuture mortality, the uncertainty about the benefits of aggressivetreatment of screen-detected cancers, and the relatively highcosts of prostate cancer screening programs are all areas ofconcern. A shared approach to decisions about screening individualpatients pending better evidence is one strategy for cliniciansto consider in dealing with this controversial problem. mass screening, prostatic neoplasia, prostate-specific antigen     

Guidelines for treatment of ulcerative colitis in children

This paper introduces the guidelines for treatment of ulcerative colitis in children, created by the working group of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (Chair: Yuichiro Yamashiro) and the Japanese Society for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (Chair: Akio Kobayashi). The ideas of the working group, with regard to the fundamental differences in medical treatment between children and adults, included: (1) for children, intensive medical treatment including appropriate systemic management is important during the acute phase of illness. (2) Treatment with steroids, which can cause growth disturbances, should not be continued for long periods of time. (3) Pulsed steroid therapy, selective removal of blood cells, and intravenous infusion of cyclosporin should be included in the therapeutic option for severe and fluminant cases.