Emphysematous pyelonephritis and renal amoebiasis in a patient with diabetes mellitus

Emphysematous pyelonephritis is an uncommon and life-threatening infection of the kidney that is characterized by gas formation within or around the kidney and is associated with diabetes mellitus and urinary tract infection. Amoebiasis is a protozoal infection caused by Entamoeba histolytica. In its invasive forms, the disease is characterized by visceral abscess formations. We present a case of concomitant emphysematous pyelonephritis and renal amoebiasis in a 42-year-old female with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. The patient did not respond well to initial supportive treatment and antibiotherapy. Therefore, nephrectomy was performed. She did extremely well after the operation and was discharged with antidiabetics and antibiotics.     

Recurrent myocardial infarction. 1. Natural History of fatal and non-fatal events

1306 men below 68 years of age who survived a first myocardialinfarction (MI) during 1968–1977 were followed up between2 and 12 years after discharge from hospital. The mean follow-uptime was 6.5 years. The patients were unselected and paid regularvisits to a Post-MI Clinic where treatment was standardized. The diagnosis of a non-fatal reinfarction was based on conventionalclinical criteria, and the diagnosis of fatal reinfarction onautopsy findings of a recent myocardial injury and/or a freshcoronary thrombus. The autopsy rate was high and the follow-upof endpoints was complete. The total cumulative rate of endpoint free patients was 64%at 5 years and 50% at 10 years follow-up. The total mortalityrate was 19% at 5 years and 33% at 10 years follow-up. The totalcumulative rate of a first reinfarction was 28% at 5 years and37% at 10 years follow-up (80% non-fatal and 20% fatal). 63patients suffered more than one reinfarction. The mortalityrate was strongly associated with age. In contrast the rateof non-fatal reinfarctions was independent of age.     

Differential Effect of Adenosine on Anterograde and Retrograde Fast Pathway Conduction in Patients with Atrioventricular Nodal Reentrant Tachycardia

Adenosine and Retrograde Fast Pathway Conduction . Introduction : Several studies have shown that the fast pathway is more responsive to adenosine than the slow pathway in patients with AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. Little information is available regarding the effect of adenosine on anterograde and retrograde fast pathway conduction.
Methods and Results : The effects of adenosine on anterograde and retrograde fast pathway conduction were evaluated in 116 patients (mean age 47 ± 16 years) with typical AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. Each patient received 12 mg of adenosine during ventricular pacing at a cycle length 20 msec longer than the fast pathway VA block cycle length and during sinus rhythm or atrial pacing at 20 msec longer than the fast pathway AV block cycle length. Anterograde block occurred in 98% of patients compared with retrograde fast pathway block in 62% of patients ( P < 0.001). Unresponsiveness of the retrograde fast pathway to adenosine was associated with a shorter AV block cycle length (374 ± 78 vs 333 ± 74 msec, P < 0.01), a shorter VA block cycle length (383 ± 121 vs 307 ± 49 msec, P < 0.001), and a shorter VA interval during tachycardia (53 ± 23 vs 41 ± 17 msec, P < 0.01).
Conclusion : Although anterograde fast pathway conduction is almost always blocked by 12 mg of adenosine, retrograde fast pathway conduction is not blocked by adenosine in 38% of patients with typical AV nodal reentrant tachycardia. This indicates that the anterograde and retrograde fast pathways may be anatomically and/or functionally distinct. Unresponsiveness of VA conduction to adenosine is not a reliable indicator of an accessory pathway.     

Twenty-four-hour Variations in the Effect of Nitrodilators in Rat Aorta: Lack of Influence of the Endothelium

Time-dependent variations of the vasodilator effects of sodium nitroprusside and glyceryl trinitrate on isolated smooth muscle have been studied on rings of rat thoracic aorta, both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded. For most of the concentrations of sodium nitroprusside used the induced relaxations were significantly dependent on the time the tissues were obtained. However, significant temporal differences were obtained for glyceryl trinitrate-induced relaxations at lower concentrations only for both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded preparations. EC50 values of sodium nitroprusside and glyceryl trinitrate (i.e. the concentrations inducing half the maximum response) were also significantly different and they had quite similar rhythmic features both in endothelium-intact and in endothelium-denuded preparations. These results clearly show that the in-vitro sensitivity of rat thoracic aorta to nitrodilator agents varies over a 24-h period and thus depends on when the animals were killed; the presence of endothelium does not change the rhythm of nitrodilator activity. These variations might be a result of circadian rhythm in the guanylate cyclase-cGMP system which mediates responses to nitrodilator agents.     

GROWTH HORMONE AND SOMATOMEDIN A IN GIRLS WITH ADOLESCENT IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS

Abstract. Girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis are taller than nonscoliotic girls of the same age. This observation may be related to factors regulating longitudinal growth. Plasma growth hormone was determined in a group of scoliotic girls by double antibody radioimmunoassay under the following conditions: 1) Insulin induced hypoglycemia, 2) glucose tolerance test, 3) exercise. Somatomedin A was determined by a method based on the ability of serum to stimulate the incorporation of radioactive sulphate in embryonic chick cartilage. The results were compared with those obtained in a control group of healthy nonscoliotic girls of comparable age. After overnight fasting and after at least one hour's rest the basal growth hormone level was 9.8 ± 11.1 (±S.D.) ng/ml in the scoliotic girls ( n =48) and 2.2 ± 1.1 ng/ml in the controls ( n =15). This difference is significant. In the hypoglycemia test the peak growth hormone level tended to be higher in the scoliotic girls but the difference is not significant. In the exercise test the maximal value was reached at different times in the two groups: at 20 min after start of the exercise in the scoliotic girls ( n =14, 17.3±11.8 ng/ml) and at 40 min in the controls (n=9, 16.0±6.6 ng/ml). In the glucose tolerance test the growth hormone level was suppressed in both groups but the mean values tended to be higher during the first 120 min in the scoliotic girls. The serum somatomedin levels were higher in the group of scoliotic girls ( n =19, 1.13±0.17 U/ml) than in the controls ( n =14, 0.88±0.16 U/ml) and the difference is significant. The results obtained are difficult to interpret but suggest that growth hormone secretion is higher in girls with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis than in healthy girls of comparable age.     

Relationship Between Serum Potassium Concentration and Risk of Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia or Ventricular Fibrillation

INTRODUCTION: Electrolyte abnormalities are considered a correctable cause of a life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia according to American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Practice Guidelines, and ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation in the setting of an electrolyte abnormality is considered a class III indication for defibrillator implantation. However, there are little data to support this recommendation. The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of a recurrent sustained ventricular arrhythmia in patients with a low serum potassium concentration at the time of an initial episode of a sustained ventricular arrhythmia. METHODS AND RESULTS: One hundred sixty-nine consecutive patients who presented with a sustained ventricular arrhythmia and a serum potassium concentration determined on the day of the arrhythmia underwent defibrillator implantation. All patients had structural heart disease and left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.32+/-0.15. On the day of the index arrhythmia, 30% of the patients had a serum potassium concentration <3.5 or >5.0 mEq/L, including 7% who had a serum potassium concentration <3.0 or >6.0 mEq/L. For the entire cohort of patients, freedom from a recurrent sustained ventricular arrhythmia was 18% at 5 years and was not significantly different among patients with a serum potassium concentration <3.5 mEq/L (23%), between 3.5 and 5.0 mEq/L (16%), and >5.0 mEq/L (5%; P = 0.1). CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggest that patients with structural heart disease and an abnormal serum potassium concentration at the time of an initial episode of sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation are at high risk for a recurrent ventricular arrhythmia; therefore, implantable defibrillator therapy may be reasonable.     

Results of Short‐Term and Long‐Term Pulmonary Vein Isolation for Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation Using Duty‐Cycled Bipolar and Unipolar Radiofrequency Energy

PV Isolation Using Bipolar/Unipolar RF Energy . Background: Electrical disconnection of the pulmonary veins (PV) plays an important role in the ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Antral ablation using a conventional steerable ablation catheter often is technically challenging and time consuming. Methods: Eighty‐eight patients (mean age 58 ± 11 years) with symptomatic paroxysmal AF underwent ablation with a circular mapping/ablation decapolar catheter (PVAC). Ablation was performed in the antral region of the PVs with a power‐modulated bipolar/unipolar radiofrequency (RF) generator using 8–10 W delivered simultaneously through 2–10 electrodes, as selected by the operator. Seven‐day Holter monitor recordings were performed off antiarrhythmic drugs at 3‐, 6‐, and 12‐month follow‐up, and patients were requested to visit the hospital in the event of ongoing palpitations. All follow‐up patients were divided into 2 groups: Group 1 with a follow‐up of less than 1 year and group 2 patients completing a 1‐year follow‐up. Results: Overall, 338 of 339 targeted PVs (99%) were isolated with the PVAC with a mean of 24 ± 9 RF applications per patient, a mean total procedure time of 125 ± 28 minutes, and a mean fluoroscopy time of 21 ± 13 minutes. Freedom from AF off antiarrhythmic drugs was found in 82 and 79% of group 1 and group 2 patients, respectively. No procedure‐related complications were observed. Conclusion: PV isolation by duty‐cycled unipolar/bipolar RF ablation can be effectively and safely performed with a circular, decapolar catheter. Twelve‐month follow‐up data compare favorably with early postablation results, indicating stable effects over time. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 21, pp. 399–405, April 2010)     

Conformation—activity correlations for chemotactic tripeptide analogs incorporating dialkyl residues with linear and cyclic alkyl sidechains at position 2

Five stereochemically constrained analogs of the chemotactic tripeptide incorporating l-aminocycloalkane-l-carboxylic acid (Ac_nc) and α, α-dialkylglycines (Deg, diethylglycine; Dpg, N, N-dipropylglycine and Dbg, N, N-dibutylglycine) at position 2 have been synthesized. NMR studies of peptides For-Met-Xxx-Phe-OMe (Xxx = Ac₇c. I: Ac₈c. II: Deg, III; Dpg, IV and Dbg, V; For, formyl) establish that peptides with cycloalkyl residues, I and II, adopt folded β-turn conformations in CDCl₃, and (CD³)₂SO. In contrast, analogs with linear alkyl sidechains, III-V, favour fully extended (C₅) conformations in solution. Peptides I-V exhibit high activity in inducing β-glucosaminidase release from rabbit neutrophils, with ED₅₀ values ranging from 1.4–8.0 × 10–¹¹. M. In human neutrophils the Dxg peptides III-V have ED₅₀ values ranging from 2.3 × 10^?8 to 5.9 × 10^?10 M, with the activity order being V>IV>III. While peptides I-IV are less active than the parent. For-Met-Leu-Phe-OH, in stimulating histamine release from human basophils, the Dbg peptide V is appreciably more potent, suggesting its potential utility as a probe for formyl peptide receptors. © Munksgaard 1996.     

COURSE OF RENAL FUNCTION IN IgA GLOMERULONEPHRITIS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

ABSTRACT. The pathophysiology of IgA GN was investigated in different stages of the disease. Seventeen patients who were between 3.5 and 16.5 years of age at the onset were included in the study. Clearance studies were performed repeatedly in 6 patients (in 5 of them over a period extending from the onset to 5-9.5 years) and only once in 9 patients (10-23 years after the onset). Two patients (one with uremia) were only evaluated clinically. C_In, C_PAH and U_NaV were studied during hydropenia (HP) and 3% isotonic saline volume expansion (VE). Shortly after the onset C_In, C_PAH and U_NaV were depressed. Renal function was essentially normal 1 and 2 years after the onset in spite of signs of active disease. A supernormal GFR was found in 7 patients after they had had the condition between 5 and 17 years. After a duration of IgA GN for >9 years 3 of 12 patients had developed hypertension and uremia and 2 had hypertension or labile BP. Three of 10 patients had a normal GFR and BP, but had increased natriuresis during VE. Only 2 of 10 patients were normotensive and had normal renal function. Disturbancies in the renal function are thus frequent in all stages of IgA GN and the changes seem to be related to the duration of the disease. Exaggerated natriuresis may indicate progressive disease.