Long-term follow-up of patients with persistent/recurrent,isolated haematuria: A Hungarian multicentre study

A retrospective multicentre study of 341 children with persistent/recurrent, isolated haematuria is described. The haematuria was isolated for at least 6 months at the beginning of observation. The duration of follow-up was 2–5 years in 201, 5–10 years in 119, 10–15 years in 19, and over 15 years in 2 cases. Of these patients 47.8% became symptom-free. In 18.4% the haematuria remained isolated; in 13.8% it was combined with proteinuria over 250 mg/day more than 2 years later. The occurrence of associated proteinuria increased progressively with time. It was 8.6% between the 3rd and 5th years, and 37.0% after the 5th year. Renal biopsy was performed because of the symptoms of glomerular disease in 47 cases at an average time of 12 months following the appearance of proteinuria. Proteinuria appeared after a 2–5, 5–10, 10–15 and more than 15 years follow-up period in 16, 23, 6, and 2 patients respectively; 14 of them had Alport's nephropathy. The percentage of more serious azotaemia was 1.7 (creatinine clearance: 10–50 ml/min per 1.73 m²) and 0.3 (creatinine clearance: < 10 ml/min per 1.73 m²). Mortality was 0.58%. Most of the patients who developed severe azotaemia had persistent microscopic haematuria at the beginning. The prevalence of hypertension was only 1.2%. The time of its appearance was above 5 years in 2 and below 5 years in 2 cases. All these patients had chronic glomerulonephritis. The haematuria was associated with hypercalciuria in 19.9%. In 14.3% of the overall group of patients urolithiasis developed 2–15 years after onset. All of these had hypercalciuria. Our findings suggest that symptoms of isolated haematuria may last for a longterm period and need systematic control. When proteinuria and/or hypertension is associated with haematuria a worse prognosis can be expected.Participating paediatric hospitals and university departments: Second Department of Paediatrics, I. Semmelweis Medical University of Budapest (M. Visy); Department of Paediatrics, University Medical School of Pécs (V. Jászai); Department of Paediatrics, A. Szent-Györgyi Medical University of Szeged (I. Haszon, S. Túri); County Children's Hospital, Miskolc (Á. Vissy); P. Heim Children's Hospital, Budapest (Z. Czirbesz); County Children's Hospital, Györ (Zs. Szelid); Buda-Children's Hospital, Budapest (I. Ferkis); I. Apáthy Hospital, Budapest (J. Kisbán); János Hospital, Budapest (I. Marosváry); Hospital of Hungarian State Railway, Budapest (J. Fehér); L. Madarász Hospital, Budapest (F. Kalmár); South Pest Hospital, Budapest (G. Halász); County Children's Hospital, Pécs (E. Kolman); County Children's Hospital, Gyula (P. Sipos); County Children's Hospital, Szolnok (I. Jaksics); County Children's Hospital, Debrecen (Á. Miskolczi); County Children's Hospital, Tatabánya (I. Kiss); County Children's Hospital, Eger (M. Frank, E. Ladányi); County Children's Hospital, Nyíregyháza (E. Bujdosó); County Children's Hospital, Szombathely (M. Andics); Kerepestarcsa Hospital, Budapest (M. Marcell); Komárom Hospital, Komárom (J. Kecskés)     

The usefulness of CEA as an indicator for early detection and a guide to the treatment of recurrent gastric cancer

The usefulness of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as an indicator for recurrence and a guide to the treatment was evaluated from a retrospective analysis of 88 patients with recurrent gastric cancer. Sixty-two of these patients (70.5 per cent), 25 of whom had a preoperative positive assay, and 37 a negative assay, had elevated levels of CEA after disease progression. Averaged CEA level in patients with liver metastasis was significantly higher (872 ng/ml) than in those with peritoneal metastasis (68 ng/ml), with lymph node metastasis (103 ng/ml) or with local metastasis (93 ng/ml) (p<0.01). An elevation of CEA was found prior to the clinical manifestation of recurrence, and the average lead time was 4 months. In 25 patients with a lead time of more than 4 months, survival time after CEA elevation was 13.3 months, which was longer than the 6.5 months of 28 patients with less than 4 months. Thirty-seven of the 88 patients were treated after recurrence. The average survival period after the detection of recurrence was 9.4 months in patients with surgical treatments followed by chemotherapy, 5.9 months in those with chemotherapy alone and 3.8 months in those with surgery alone. The average survival period of 26 patients with positive CEA assays in recurrence was 5.1 months longer than of patients with negative assays. This fact suggested that early detection of recurrence followed by various treatments, in the elevated CEA group, contributes to favorable results.     

Evaluation of CHIP (iproplatin) in recurrent pediatric malignant solid tumors

CHIP (325 mg/M²), a second generation cisplatin derivative, was administered intravenously every 3 weeks to 85 pediatric patients with recurrent sarcomas (19), osteosarcomas (20), neuroblastoma (23), germ cell tumors (10), and other malignant tumors (7). Thirty-eight of them had been previously exposed to cisplatin. Partial remissions were only observed in 3 of 23 (13% SE=7%) patients having neuroblastoma. Severe thrombocytopenia (65%) and neutropenia (35%) were the dose limiting factors.     

动脉韧带与左喉返神经的解剖研究

本文用30例成人尸体观察了动脉韧带和左喉返神经,动脉韧带长1.2.97±4.53mm,圆索状动脉韧带23例(77％),直径为3.92±1.12mm。动脉韧带的主动脉端附着于主动脉弓(80％)或降主动脉(20％),肺动脉端附着于左肺动脉,6例肺动脉端位于心包内。19例(63％)左喉返神经绕主动脉弓,11例(37％)绕动脉韧带的主动脉端。     

ENDOSCOPIC SUBMUCOSAL DISSECTION FOR RECURRENT GASTRIC TUMORS

Endoscopic resection has been accepted as the standard treatment for intramucosal gastric tumors of differentiated type. However, the indication was limited to small tumors to achieve en bloc resection and prevent local recurrence in cases of conventional endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) such as the strip biopsy and the cap technique. To avoid multi‐fragmental resection, we have developed endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) as a new endoscopic resection technique. ESD is a remarkable technique, because we make it possible to remove the lesions en bloc regardless of size, shape, coexisting ulcer, and location. However, it is difficult or impossible to resect recurrent tumors en bloc in conventional EMR owing to hard fibrosis, and some patients need laparotomy. Using ESD, we can dissect the submucosal layer as we directly look at the submucosa, and remove the lesion safely and reliably even in cases of hard fibrosis. The key to treatment of recurrent tumors in ESD are as follows: (i) using enough submucosal injection solution (we use a mixture of Glyceol and 1% 1900 kDa hyaluronic acid preparation); (ii) incising the mucosa without fibrosis; (iii) understanding characteristics of various cutting devices, and changing other devices in difficult situations. In these ways we can remove the majority of the recurrent tumors en bloc. Hence, we consider that ESD is a very effective treatment which achieves excellent en bloc and complete resection rates and enables patients with intramucosal gastric tumors to a recurrent‐free survival even in recurrent tumors.     

腰椎间盘突出症术后下腰痛及再突出的临床分析

[目的]探讨腰椎间盘摘除术后下腰痛以及腰椎间盘再突出的情况。[方法]在采用后路腰椎板开窗突出椎间盘摘除手术的患者中，随机选择200例，对其中获得5a以上随访的84例患者进行回顾性分析，对手术前后下腰痛JOA评分以及影像学结果进行统计处理。[结果]（1）79．8％的患者残留下腰痛，其中14．3％患者存在严重的下腰痛（JOA 1），75％的严重下腰痛患者在35岁以下；（2）13例患者行二次手术，其中12例为腰椎间盘再突出，1例为腰椎不稳，13例患者中主要是50岁以下的成年男性。[结论]年轻患者更易发生严重的下腰痛以及腰椎间盘再突出，在年轻患者首次手术时可以根据情况适当考虑脊柱融合。     

No difference in symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome between healthy subjects and patients with recurrent depression in remission

There is bidirectional comorbidity between anxiety/depression and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). To investigate the prevalence of IBS symptoms, and factors associated with gastrointestinal symptoms in patients with recurrent depressive disorder. Patients (n = 95) with recurrent type of major depression according to DSM-IV criteria and sex- and age-matched controls (n = 190) were sent questionnaires investigating symptoms of IBS [Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS)-IBS] and symptoms of anxiety and depression [Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)]. Medical records were checked over a 10-year period for chronic somatic symptoms or diseases. Seventy-three patients with unipolar disorder (mean age 63.6 years SD 13.8; range 23-86 years) and 156 controls (mean age 59.2 years SD 11.6, range 21-85 years) responded. Patients with recurrent depression had higher GSRS-IBS scores and showed a strong correlation between symptoms of IBS and anxiety-depression (r(s) = 0.54; P < 0.001). IBS symptoms were also associated with multiple pain symptoms, higher health-seeking behaviour and selective-serotonin-reuptake inhibitor intake. However, patients with recurrent depression (n = 46) in remission (HADS-Depression score <8) did not have more symptoms of IBS than controls (GSRS-IBS median score 6.0 vs 6.5; P = 0.46). There is a strong association between symptoms of IBS and symptoms of anxiety and depression, whereas depressive patients in remission do not have more IBS symptoms than controls.     

New Insights into the Pathogenesis and the Therapy of Recurrent Focal Glomerulosclerosis

Recurrent focal glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in renal allografts has remained a frustrating and enigmatic disease. Recent studies on gene mutations encoding podocin and other components of the slit-diaphragm in patients with native kidney nephrotic syndrome have underscored the heterogenecity of the idiopathic form of FSGS. While familial FSGS rarely recurs following transplantation, the sporadic variety of FSGS is associated with a 30% recurrence rate. The patients with the sporadic variety of FSGS who have homozygous or complex heterozygous podocin mutations have a low recurrence rate. In the other patients with sporadic FSGS, a more complex and likely multifactorial etiology accounts for the recurrence of FSGS. The role of CD80 expression on podocytes is intriguing but requires confirmation in kidney biopsies of patients with recurrent FSGS. Recent findings on podocin genomics, the permeability factor and CD80 expression may ultimately lead to a better understanding of recurrent FSGS as well as a more effective approach to its prevention and treatment.     

Post-traumatic spontaneous recurrent hypothermia: a variant of Shapiro's syndrome

A 49-year-old man presented with episodic hypothermia many years after sustaining a contusional brain injury. Brain magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated the destruction of the anterior parts of the corpus callosum without hypothalamic lesions. Nevertheless, delayed hypothalamic dysfunction at the neurotransmitter level is the probable pathophysiological key factor. Clomipramine treatment was beneficial. This case expands the spectrum of Shapiro's syndrome.