Renal Allograft Biopsies with Borderline Changes: Predictive Factors of Clinical Outcome

The clinical outcome and appropriate management for patients showing 'borderline changes' on allograft biopsy after renal transplantation is still controversial. In an attempt to identify predictive factors of clinical outcome of patients with such lesions, we reviewed the clinical course of 91 patients with borderline changes. Multivariate analysis revealed significant and independent effects of histological stage (i + t < or = or > 2) and time to borderline changes (< or = or > 3 months after transplant) on serum creatinine levels at 1 year from borderline changes episodes (respectively, p = 0.04 and p = 0.02) and only a significant effect of time to borderline changes on serum creatinine levels at 2 years (p = 0.005). Renal function at 1 year and 2 years as 5- and 8-year graft survival were not significantly different in the group of patients treated with antirejection therapy (T group, n = 49) compared with the untreated group (UT group, n = 42). This study strongly suggests that borderline changes with histological score (i + t) > 2 and late episodes of borderline changes should be considered to be of poor prognosis.     

Spinal fluid dynamics during thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aortic surgery.

AIM: The intention was to investigate cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) and volume of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drained during and after thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair. The findings were related to the occurrence of postoperative neurologic deficits. METHODS: Twenty-nine patients (12 with thoracic and 17 with thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm) were operated without shunting or extracorporeal circulation. For monitoring of CSFP an intrathecal catheter was placed in all patients. The volume of CSF withdrawn intraoperatively, on the day of operation as well as on the 1st and 2nd postoperative day was recorded. RESULTS: Twenty-six patients had no postoperative neurologic sequelae. One patient had postoperative paraplegia while 2 had paraparesis. The three patients with neurologic sequelae had higher CSFP intraoperatively than those without neurologic symptoms (P=0.04). Median CSFP during aortic cross-clamping was 19 mmHg and 10 mmHg and the median volumes of CSF drained on the day of operation 210 and 85 mL in the two groups, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between CSFP and central venous pressure. CONCLUSIONS: A higher intraoperative CSFP was observed in patients with neurologic sequelae following thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair. Further, there was a tendency of higher volumes of CSF drained in this group of patients. Although, the series is too small to allow firm conclusions, it supports the view that CSFP monitoring and drainage is beneficial during thoracic- and thoracoabdominal aneurysm repair.     

p53 expression and disease outcome of breast cancer patients undergoing primary chemotherapy with anthracycline-containing regimens

Primary chemotherapy administered to breast cancer patientsis the best model to identify baseline features able to predictwhich patients may be most likely to benefit or not from a cytotoxicregimen. In the March issue of Annals of Oncology two papersevaluated the predictive role of immunohistochemical p53 expressionon     

Pseudoathetosis: report of three patients.

We report on 3 patients with pseudoathetosis, which are involuntary, slow, writhing movements due to loss of proprioception.     

Oxcarbazepine reduces seizure frequency in a high proportion of patients with both newly diagnosed and refractory partial seizures in clinical practice.

The antiepileptic efficacy and tolerability of oxcarbazepine, used both as monotherapy and adjunctive therapy, were observed for 1 year in 202 adult patients, aged 17-83 years, with newly diagnosed or refractory partial epilepsy in clinical practice in Italy. At first observation, the seizure free rate was 72.2% in newly diagnosed patients given monotherapy, 40% in patients in whom oxcarbazepine replaced another monotherapy and 10.3% in patients given oxcarbazepine as adjunctive therapy. At least 50% reduction in seizure frequency was achieved in 90.7, 72 and 57%, respectively. Efficacy increased with the duration of treatment (p < 0.0001). In the 160 completers the seizure free rate was 61.3% with monotherapy and 28% with adjunctive therapy. 16.3% of patients reported adverse effects, mainly sedation and sleepiness; 5% discontinued oxcarbazepine because of adverse events. OXC is an effective and well-tolerated antiepileptic agent for the long-term treatment of partial epilepsy in adults.     

Computed tomography and pulmonary function abnormalities in sickle cell disease.

The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) in steady state had pulmonary abnormalities seen on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and whether any abnormalities correlated with contemporaneously diagnosed lung function abnormalities. A subsidiary question was whether the results of a noninvasive measure of haemolysis (end-tidal carbon monoxide (ETCO) levels) correlated with pulmonary function abnormalities. Thirty three patients with SCD, median (range) age 36 yrs (17-67 yrs) were examined. The degree of lobar volume loss and ground-glass opacification and prominence of central vessels on HRCT were quantitatively assessed. Pulmonary function was assessed by measurements of lung volumes, spirometry, gas transfer and oxygen saturation. ETCO levels were measured using an end-tidal CO monitor. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity and total lung capacity significantly correlated with HRCT findings, particularly lobar volume loss. ETCO levels significantly negatively correlated with FEV1, vital capacity measured using a plethysmograph, specific airway conductance and arterial oxygen saturation measured by pulse oxymetry. In conclusion, the present results suggest that high-resolution computed tomography noninvasive assessment of haemolysis might be useful to identify sickle cell disease patients with respiratory function impairment.