Abnormal layering of muscularis propria as a cause of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction:A case report and literature review

Visceral myopathy is one of the causes of chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Most cases pathologically reveal degenerative changes of myocytes or muscularis propia atrophy and fibrosis. Abnormal layering of muscularis propria is extremely rare. We report a case of a 9-mo-old Thai male baby who presented with chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Histologic findings showed abnormal layering of small intestinal muscularis propria with an additional oblique layer and aberrant muscularization in serosa. The patient also had a short small bowel without malrotation, brachydactyly,and absence of the 2nd to 4th middle phalanges of both hands. The patient was treated with cisapride and combined parenteral and enteral nutritional support.He had gradual clinical improvement and gained body weight. Subsequently, the parenteral nutrition was discontinued. The previously reported cases are reviewed and discussed.     

Event free survival at 24 months is a strong surrogate prognostic endpoint of peripheral T cell lymphoma

Event free survival at 24 months (EFS24) has been described as a powerful predictor for outcome in several subtypes of B cell lymphoma. However, it was limitedly described in T cell lymphoma. We explored the implication of EFS24 as a predictor marker for peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). We reviewed 293 systemic PTCL patients at 13 nationwide major university hospitals in Thailand from 2007 to 2014. The median event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of PTCL patients in our cohort was 16.3 and 27.7 months with corresponding 2‐year EFS and 2‐year OS of 45.8% and 51.9%, respectively. A total of 118 patients achieved EFS24 (no events during the first 24 mo). Patients who achieved EFS24 had better OS than patients who did not (2‐y OS 92% vs 18.8%; HR, 0.1; P < .001). The standardized mortality ratio of patients achieving EFS24 was 18.7 (95% CI, 14.6‐22.8). Multivariable analysis demonstrated performance status, histologic subtype, remission status, and EFS24 achievement as independent predictors for OS. Our study affirmed the value of EFS24 as a powerful prognostic factor for PTCL. Further validation in prospective study setting is warranted.     

Discordance across Several Methods for Drug Susceptibility Testing of Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in a Single Laboratory

Given the increases in drug-resistant tuberculosis, laboratory capacities for drug susceptibility testing are being scaled up worldwide. A laboratory must decide among several endorsed methodologies. We evaluated 87 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates for concordance of susceptibility results across six methods: the L-J proportion method, MGIT 960 SIRE AST, Gene/Xpert MTB/RIF, GenoType MTBDRplus line probe assay, MycoTB MIC plate, and a laboratory-developed mycobacteriophage quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based method. Most (80%) isolates were multidrug resistant. Of the culture-based methods, the mycobacteriophage qPCR method was fastest, the L-J proportion method was the slowest, and the MGIT method required the most repeat testing (P < 0.05). For isoniazid (INH), 82% of isolates were susceptible by all methods or resistant by all methods, whereas for rifampin (RIF), ethambutol (EMB), and streptomycin (STR), such complete concordance was observed in 77%, 50%, and 51% of isolates, respectively (P < 0.05 for INH or RIF versus EMB or STR). The discrepancies of EMB and STR stemmed largely from diminished concordance of the MGIT EMB results (kappa coefficient range, 0.26 to 0.30) and the L-J STR result (kappa range, 0.35 to 0.45) versus other methods. Phage qPCR and the MycoTB MIC plate were the only methods that yielded second-line susceptibilities and revealed significant quantitative correlations for all drugs except cycloserine, as well as moderate to excellent kappa coefficients for all drugs except for para-aminosalicylic acid. In summary, the performance of M. tuberculosis susceptibility testing differs by platform and by drug. Laboratories should carefully consider these factors before choosing one methodology, particularly in settings where EMB and STR results are clinically important.     

Various initial presentations of Epstein‐Barr virus infection‐associated post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorder in pediatric liver transplantation recipients: Case series and literature review

PTLD is a rare but potentially life‐threatening condition, which shows a higher prevalence in children than in adults. From 129 children who underwent LT, we reported 5 cases with biopsy‐proven PTLD at a single teaching hospital. Four patients had shared clinical presentations including fever, lymphadenopathy, and splenomegaly. They were noted to be given a prolonged course of IS due to the management of comorbid complications such as acute cellular rejection or severe food allergy or eosinophilic gastrointestinal disease. The other one patient presented with upper gastrointestinal bleeding from gastric mass during an early post‐transplantation period. Notably, hypoalbuminemia was noted in all reported patients. Similar to previous studies, both EBV serology mismatch between the donor and recipient with high EBV viral load were noted in all except one case, whose EBV serology was unknown before LT. At least one episode of CMV reactivation was also observed in 3 of 5 patients prior to the PTLD diagnosis. The histopathology revealed 1 of 5 early PTLD, 1 of 5 polymorphic PTLD, and 3 of 5 monomorphic PTLD. The treatment included IS withdrawal, chemotherapy, and/or rituximab. One patient died of multiorgan dysfunction, one remains in complete remission, and three patients are either still on treatment or await response evaluation. Even though most of our reported PTLD cases had shared manifestations with fever, lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, EBV serology mismatch, and high EBV viral load, various initial presentations such as respiratory symptoms, hypoalbuminemia, and prolonged use of IS from other causes such as significant food allergy were noted.     

Multinational comparative clinical evaluation of two long-acting injectable contraceptive steroids: Norethisterone oenanthate and medroxyprogesterone acetate: 2. Bleeding patterns and side effects

The present paper reports the bleeding patterns and side effects experienced by women using norethisterone oenanthate (NET-OEN) and depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in a WHO-sponsored comparative trial.Only a small minority of women had consistently normal cycles: the vast majority experienced some menstrual abnormality, with 47% of NET-OEN and 70.6% of DMPA users not having any normal cycles.Amenorrhoea was significantly more frequent with DMPA than with NET-OEN and its incidence increased with time. At the end of one year 35% of DMPA and 8.6% of NET-OEN users had total amenorrhoea.There were only minor differences between the two drugs with respect to the frequency or duration of bleeding episodes, but DMPA caused significantly more spotting than NET-OEN. With both treatments there were large individual variations and the bleeding pattern was totally unpredictable.Headache, the most important nonmenstrual side effect, was reported by 6.9% of the NET-OEN and 10.7% of the DMPA users. In the case of DMPA its incidence increased with time. Other complaints such as abdominal discomfort and nervousness were reported with similar frequency on both drugs. There was, with both treatments, a slight increase in body weight and a decrease in blood pressure.     

Pharmacokinetic study of different doses of Depo Provera

Doses of DepoProvera of 25, 50, 100 and 150 mg were administered to four groups of women. The mean time for the return of follicular and luteal activity increased with increasing dose of DepoProvera. Luteal activity was suppressed for a longer period than follicular activity. None of the women receiving the two higher doses of DepoProvera showed a return of luteal function within 100 days of injection. The period for which medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) was detectable in serum increased with increasing dose but the values for the 100 and 150 mg doses were not significantly different. There was a significant correlation between the concentration of MPA in blood and the return of follicular and luteal function. It is suggested that in the population studied, 100 mg DepoProvera would be as effective as the usual 150 mg dose and that injection of 50 mg DepoProvera would provide a contraceptive effect for two months. The dose of MPA in the monthly injectable CycloProvera could be substantially reduced without loss of effectiveness.     

Effects of hormonal contraceptives on milk volume and infant growth: WHO Special Programme of Research and Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction

WHO conducted a three-centre study in Hungary and Thailand to evaluate the effects of hormonal contraception on lactation and infant growth. Women choosing oral contraceptives were randomly assigned to a combined oral contraceptive containing 30ug ethinyl estradiol and 150ug levonorgestrel (N=86) or a progestin-only preparation containing 75ug dl-norgestrel (N=85). Identical packaging and treatment schedules allowed double-blind observation. One-hundred-and-eleven women using no contraception or non-hormonal methods acted as controls. In the two Thai centres 59 women using depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate formed an additional comparison group. All subjects were healthy women with normal deliveries, whose infants had normal birth weights and satisfactory growth in the neonatal period.Breast milk volume was determined by pump expression using standardized procedures. Information was obtained on nursing frequency and supplementation, infant growth and morbidity. Pretreatment observations at 6 weeks post-partum were used as a baseline, and subjects were followed-up at 9, 12, 16, 20 and 24 weeks post-partum.Women using combined oral contraceptives had a decline in milk volume within 6 weeks of initiating treatment, whereas no significant decrease was observed in the other treatment groups. After 18 weeks of treatment, combined oral contraceptive users experienced a 41.9% decline in milk volume, compared to 12.0% with progestin-only minipills and 6.1% in the non-hormonal controls. The prevalence of complementary feeding and withdrawals due to inadequate milk supply were comparable in the four treatment groups. However, data were not available on the daily amounts of complementary feeds. There were no significant differences in growth of infants between treatment groups. Thus, women may have compensated for declines in milk volume by more supplementary feeding or by more prolonged and intense suckling episodes.We conclude that 30 ug estrogen-containing combined oral contraceptives impair milk secretion, but in the selected healthy group of mothers and children studied with the prevailing level of supplementary feeding, this did not adversely affect infant growth.     

Henoch-Sch&ouml;nlein purpura from vasculitis to intestinal perforation: A case report and literature review

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) is generally a self-limited vasculitis disease and has a good prognosis. We report a 4-year-old Thai boy who presented with palpable purpura, abdominal colicky pain, seizure, and eventually developed intestinal ischemia and perforation despite adequate treatment, including corticosteroid and intravenous immunoglobulin therapy. Imaging modalities, including ultrasonography and contrast-enhanced computed tomography, could not detect intestinal ischemia prior to perforation. In this patient, we also postulated that vasculitis-induced mucosal ischemia was a cause of the ulcer, leading to intestinal perforation, and high-dose corticosteroid could have been a contributing factor since the histopathology revealed depletion of lymphoid follicles. Intestinal perforation in HSP is rare, but life-threatening. Close monitoring and thorough clinical evaluation are essential to detect bowel ischemia before perforation, particularly in HSP patients who have hematochezia, persistent localized abdominal tenderness and guarding. In highly suspicious cases, exploratory laparotomy may be needed for the definite diagnosis and prevention of further complications.