Circulating endothelial cells in pediatric renal transplant recipients

Background

An increase in the number of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) indicates endothelial damage and the risk of cardiovascular disease. The aim of our study was to investigate the association of CEC with various clinical parameters in pediatric renal transplant recipients.

Methods

CEC, defined as CD45^?CD146⁺, were enumerated by flow cytometry from the peripheral blood of 50 pediatric renal transplant recipients and 20 healthy controls. Clinical parameters, including renal function tests, fasting blood glucose, serum cholesterol and triglyceride, cyclosporine A (CsA) (trough and 2nd-hour) and tacrolimus (tac) trough blood levels and their association with CEC numbers were analyzed.

Results

CEC numbers of patients were higher than those of controls (respectively, 128?±?89 cells/ml (42–468 cells/ml), 82?±?33 cells/ml (32–137 cells/ml), p?=?0.024). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between CEC numbers and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (r?=??0.300, p?=?0.012). There was also a statistically positive association between CEC numbers and transplant duration as well as cyclosporine trough level (respectively, r?=?0.397, p?=?0.004, r?=?0.714, p?=?0.004). CEC numbers in patients on tac and CsA were similar (p?=?0.716).

Conclusions

Our results demonstrate that renal transplant recipients with high CsA trough blood level, longer transplant duration, and lower GFR, are at greater risk of developing endothelial damage.     

A systematic review and meta-analysis of biological treatments targeting tumour necrosis factor α for sciatica

Purpose

Systematic review comparing biological agents, targeting tumour necrosis factor α, for sciatica with placebo and alternative interventions.

Methods

We searched 21 electronic databases and bibliographies of included studies. We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs and controlled observational studies of adults who had sciatica treated by biological agents compared with placebo or alternative interventions.

Results

We pooled the results of six studies (five RCTs and one non-RCT) in meta-analyses. Compared with placebo biological agents had: better global effects in the short-term odds ratio (OR) 2.0 (95 % CI 0.7–6.0), medium-term OR 2.7 (95 % CI 1.0–7.1) and long-term OR 2.3 [95 % CI 0.5 to 9.7); improved leg pain intensity in the short-term weighted mean difference (WMD) −13.6 (95 % CI −26.8 to −0.4), medium-term WMD −7.0 (95 % CI −15.4 to 1.5), but not long-term WMD 0.2 (95 % CI −20.3 to 20.8); improved Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) in the short-term WMD −5.2 (95 % CI −14.1 to 3.7), medium-term WMD −8.2 (95 % CI −14.4 to −2.0), and long-term WMD −5.0 (95 % CI −11.8 to 1.8). There was heterogeneity in the leg pain intensity and ODI results and improvements were no longer statistically significant when studies were restricted to RCTs. There was a reduction in the need for discectomy, which was not statistically significant, and no difference in the number of adverse effects.

Conclusions

There was insufficient evidence to recommend these agents when treating sciatica, but sufficient evidence to suggest that larger RCTs are needed.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00586-013-2739-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

人工肝支持系统,肝移植联合治疗肝功能衰竭合并肝性脑病

肝功能衰竭合并肝性脑病，由于受病人全身情况的影响及供体来源等条件的限制，一般不宜行肝移植治疗。本文报道一例酒精性肝硬化，肝性脑病，术前经人工肝支持治疗，病人意识状况明显改善，黄疸减轻，腹水减少，行背驮式肝移植成功，提出：人工肝支持治疗可明显改善该类病人的全身状况，使之度过急性期，人工肝支持系统，肝移植联合治疗扩大了肝移植的适应症，为终末期肝病合肝性脑病病人带来了生机。     

原发性腹膜后肿瘤的影像学诊断

原发性腹膜后肿瘤来源复杂，周围脏器多。旨在探讨影像学检查的诊断价值。材料与方法：回顾性分析４６例病理证实的腹膜后肿瘤的Ｘ线、ＣＴ及超声表现，并与手术所见作对照分析。Ｂ超及ＣＴ具较高的定位诊断价值。ＣＴ可较好地显示肿瘤的境界及质地，对腹膜后肿瘤的定性诊断有一定的帮助。     

Targeting lymphotoxin beta receptor with tumor-specific T lymphocytes for tumor regression.

PURPOSE: One of the impediments of immunotherapy against cancer is the suppression of tumor-specific CTLs in the tumor microenvironment, partly due to the selective inhibition of the perforin pathway and the emergence of Fas-resistant tumors. Therefore, we sought to identify perforin- and Fas-independent cytotoxic pathways and explored the potential of targeting LTbetaR with tumor-specific CTLs to induce tumor rejection in vivo. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Fas-resistant tumors were examined for their susceptibility to perforin-deficient (pfp) CTLs via CTL adoptive transfer in mouse models of experimental lung metastasis. The specificity of LTbetaR, a cell surface death receptor, in causing tumor rejection by CTLs was analyzed by LTbetaR-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody in vitro. The specificity and efficacy of LTbetaR in the suppression of established tumors was further investigated by silencing LTbetaR in tumor cells in vivo. RESULTS: pfp CTLs exhibited significant cytotoxicity against Fas-resistant tumors in vivo. The perforin- and Fas-independent cytotoxicity was directly mediated, at least in part, by the adoptively transferred CTLs. It was observed that LTbetaR was expressed on the tumor cell surface, and LTalpha, LTbeta, and LIGHT, all of which are ligands for LTbetaR, were either constitutively expressed or activated in the tumor-specific CTLs and primary CD8(+) T cells. Blocking LTbetaR with LTbetaR-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibody decreased CTL cytotoxicity in vitro. Silencing LTbetaR using LTbetaR-specific short hairpin RNA reduced the ability of pfp CTLs to induce tumor rejection in vivo. CONCLUSION: LTbetaR directly mediates CTL-directed tumor rejection in vivo. Targeting LTbetaR with tumor-specific CTLs is a potential therapeutic approach.     

The effectiveness of an educational intervention in changing nursing practice and preventing catheter-related infection for patients receiving total parenteral nutrition

Catheter-related infections are one of the most serious complications of TPN therapy. Nurses have important responsibilities in the care of patients who are receiving TPN. This quasi-experimental study was conducted for the purpose of investigating the effectiveness of an educational intervention on changing nursing practice and preventing catheter-related infections in patients receiving total parenteral nutrition. The nurses' practice and the colonisation rate of control and comparative group patients in the surgical clinics of Hacettepe University Hospital (Turkey), and related variables were examined before and after an educational intervention. The findings of the study indicate that the intervention was successful in improving appropriate nursing practice, mean scores of nurses' practices were 45.7 before and 66.5 after the intervention (p<0.05). The rate of microorganism colonisation was also decreased but statistical analysis demonstrated no association between nursing practices and microorganism colonisation of catheter cultures.     

Prolactin levels in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with infantile spasms

Infantile spasms are an age-related epileptic syndrome of infancy and are characterized by the combination of clusters of epileptic spasms and specific electroencephalographic findings. The etiology and the pathogenesis of the disease is still unclear. Prolactin has been thought to be specifically related to epileptic seizures. To investigate the possible mechanism of prolactin secretion in infantile spasms cerebrospinal fluid prolactin levels were examined. Fifteen patients with infantile spasms (10 females and five males), 3-16 months of age, were evaluated and compared with age- and sex-matched control subject. Cerebrospinal fluid samples for prolactin were obtained before and after treatment. The mean prolactin levels in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patients before therapy (3.25 +/- 1.48 ng/mL) was higher than the control group (2.38 +/- 0.89 ng/mL), and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P < 0.001). The mean prolactin level in the cerebrospinal fluid of the patients after therapy (4.69 +/- 1.47 ng/mL) was demonstrated to be higher than the mean prolactin level before therapy (3.25 +/- 1.48 ng/mL) and the difference between the two groups was statistically significant (P = 0.037). Elevation of cerebrospinal fluid prolactin levels before and after treatment in patients with infantile spasms provided evidence that the cerebrospinal fluid prolactin level is related with neuronal injury.     

Avulsion fracture of the extensor carpi radialis longus in a rugby player: a case report

Avulsion fracture of the base of the second metacarpal is an unusual injury, and the cause in the few cases reported in the literature was a fall on a volarly flexed wrist. A case of this rare injury suffered in a sport related accident by a semiprofessional rugby player is reported. It was treated with open reduction and internal fixation after failure of conservative management.