Primary renal lymphoma and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in childhood

Primary renal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very rare in childhood. A six-year-old boy presented with bilateral non-obstructive multinodular nephromegaly and renal failure. Percutaneous needle biopsy showed large-cell lymphoma. The patient was started on chemotherapy. A right nephrectomy was done when systemic hypertension developed in the presence of a non-functional right kidney. Histopathologic examination revealed focal lymphomatous infiltration and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis which is an atypical form of chronic renal infection. The case is discussed in relation to previons reports.     

The acute effects of sildenafil on tear functions

The acute effects of 50 mg of sildenafil on tear functions were evaluated in 12 impotent patients. Mean tear breakup time, cotton thread, and Schirmer I tests were 19.42±6.45 s, 13.92±6.63 mm, and 16.58±12.19 mm, respectively before sildenafil and 20.33±10.40 s, 10.92±6.14 mm, and 18.08±12.36 mm, respectively, 1 hour after sildenafil. The results suggest that sildenafil does not adversely affect tear functions. The authors have stated that they do not have a significant financial interest or other relationship with any product manufacturer or provider of services discussed in this article. The authors also do not discuss the use of off-label products, which includes unlabeled, unapproved, or investigative products or devices.     

High responders are not exempt from detrimental effects of prematurely rising progesterone levels in fresh embryo transfer cycles

Research question

Are high-responder IVF patients protected from the deleterious effect of prematurely elevated serum progesterone level on the probability of pregnancy?

The effects of selective nitric oxide synthase blocker on survival, mesenteric blood flow and multiple organ failure induced by zymosan

BACKGROUND: Circulatory failure in multiple organ dysfunction syndromes (MODS) is characterized with systemic vasodilation, diminished blood flow to various vascular beds. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of selective inhibition of nitric oxide on the mesenteric arterial blood flow (MABF), survival and organ injury of the liver, kidney, lung and spleen in zymosan-induced MODS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty Swiss albino mice (20-40 g), 7 to 9 weeks old, were obtained. Animals were randomly divided into four groups. The first group were treated intraperitoneally (i.p) with vehicle (saline) and served as a sham group for aminoguanidine (AG) (n=10). The second group was treated with zymosan (500 mg/kg, suspended in saline solution, i.p). The mice in the third and fourth group received AG (15 mg/kg) 1 h and 6 h after zymosan or saline administration, respectively. Eighteen hours after the administration of zymosan, animals were assessed for MODS described subsequently. The signals from the flowmeter were also recorded on mesenteric arterial blood flow values. RESULTS: In zymosan-treated animals, the MABF was significantly lower than that of solvent (saline)-treated controls (ml min(-1), controls: 4.6 +/- 0.6; zymosan: 1.6 +/- 0.9, P <0.05). When animals were treated with AG, there were no significant differences in MABF values between AG group and solvent (saline)-treated control group. However AG prevented zymosan-induced mesenteric MABF decrease. Treatment with aminoguanidine also decreased mortality. CONCLUSION: AG is capable of inhibiting both the induction and the activity of the already iNOS; it remains a potential therapeutic agent in patients with MODS.     

Is prematurity important in ultrasonographic hip typing?

The aim of this study was to determine whether prematurity is important with respect to hip typing and planning of treatment/follow-up in newborns assessed with the Graf's ultrasonography method. Between January 1998 and 2003, 1592 neonates; preterm (n=432) and term (n=1160), had their hips ultrasonographically evaluated with Graf typing. There were no statistical differences between the two groups with respect to the numbers of hips that required follow-up assessment, or treatment. The results suggest that prematurity is irrelevant and use of chronological age as opposed to corrected age for prematurity will further simplify diagnosis and planning of follow-up and treatment in the Graf system for neonatal hip assessment.     

Plasma and urine nitric oxide levels in healthy Turkish children

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important messenger molecule with a wide range of actions in virtually all cell systems and organs. In kidneys it participates in glomerular and medullary hemodynamics, tubuloglomerular feed-back, renin secretion, and extracellular fluid balance. Although the role of NO in regulating renal function in adults is well-established, it has recently been suggested that NO has a more critical role in maintaining basal renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in the developing kidney. NO is rapidly metabolized to the stable end products nitrite and nitrate, which are more slowly excreted into the urine. Thus these metabolites can be recommended as useful markers of endogenous NO synthase activity, despite limited data about age-related changes in in-vivo NO production. The aims of this study were to determine age-related normal reference values of serum and urinary NO metabolites and to assess the probable relationship between these metabolites and the GFR. Normal levels of NO end products in blood and urine of 296 healthy children (117 female, 179 male) between the ages of 0 and 16 were investigated, as was whether these values change with age. Serum and urinary nitrate levels did not differ according to sex. Serum nitrate levels are higher in younger children, especially in the newborn period, and decrease with age. Nitrate levels in urine are higher in younger children with a peak in infancy (1 month to 1 year) and decrease with age. It was demonstrated that this decrease in serum and urinary nitrate levels with age parallels the increase in GFR. In conclusion, urinary NO products may be an indirect marker of serum NO levels and NO might have an important regulatory function both in the maintenance of renal function and in the maturation of the developing kidneys.