Switch From Twice-daily Tacrolimus to Once-daily,Prolonged-release Tacrolimus in Kidney Transplantation: Long-term Outcome

Background

One daily dose of tacrolimus (QDT) improves adherence in kidney transplant (KT) recipients. A switch from twice-daily tacrolimus (BDT) to QDT showed similar efficacy and safety.

Idiopathic transient osteoporosis of the knee: five cases and revision of literature

Five patients with idiopathic transient osteoporosis were examined. Bone scanning and MRI was helpful in the diagnosis to differentiate of necrosis and all patients recovered completely with conservative and symptomatic treatment. There was no history of trauma in all patients. MRI was realized previously in all cases to confirm the diagnosis and after the resolution of symptomathology.     

结肠非低张双重造影的应用

本文应用结肠非低张双重对比灌肠造影诊断结肠病变,这是一种简单的方法。本文根据150例的实践径验介绍了技术、病人的准备、有关造影剂的问题和正常所见,并通过具体的病例阐述了结肠非低张双重对比检查的临床应用价值,并指出了本法的不足之处。     

Laboratory diagnosis of catheter-related bacteremia.

Semiquantitative culture of the external surface of catheter tips has become the currently most used method to detect catheter colonisation and catheter-related bacteremia; however, this method may fail to detect significant colonisation of the internal lumen of catheters, and several quantitative methods have been described for this purpose. Although 15 and 1000 CFU are used to define positive catheters, the sensitivity and specificity are not yet well known, and the definitive cut-off level for a positive result remains to be established. We studied prospectively 91 intravascular catheter tips removed because a catheter-related infection was suspected. The result of external and internal cultures with different cut-off levels, alone or combined, were correlated with clinical data in 22 bacteremic episodes which occurred in these patients, 12 of which were catheter-related. The semiquantitative culture of the external surface alone with a cut-off level of 25 CFU provided the best means of detecting catheter-related bacteremia. This method has 100% sensitivity and 81.1% specificity. We conclude that semiquantitative culture technique of the catheter tip alone is sufficient and this method should be employed for diagnosing catheter-related bacteremia in unselected populations.     

Discoid meniscus in children and adolescents. Our experience in the treatment and follow-up

The purpose of this study was to review the clinical results of partially external meniscectomy performed on 33 arthroscopies in paediatric patients with a minimum follow-up of 24 months. In this retrospective cases series, a partial meniscectomy was performed in all patients. Patients age ranged between 4 and 14 years with an average of 9 years. We used the Watanabe classification for the morphological study of the discoid menisci. Clinical results were determined according to a modified Ikeuchi scale. The results were 25 excellent, two good and one poor. Complications were presented in four patients who developed osteochondritis of the external condyle and external tibial plateau. The arthroscopy is considered a diagnostic and treatment method in symptomatic external discoid meniscus.     

Prospective epidemiological study of invasiveHaemophilus influenzae disease in adults

The incidence and characteristics of invasiveHaemophilus influenzae disease were studied in 43 adult patients admitted to the acute care hospitals in El Vallés County (Barcelona, Spain) between January 1987 and June 1992. The annual incidence ofHaemophilus influenzae disease was 1.2 per 100,000 inhabitants. Pneumonia occurred in 24 patients, meningitis in five, intraabdominal infections in three, obstetric infections in two, epiglottitis in two and cellulitis in one. In six patients the source of infection was unknown. Ten (23 %) of the infections were hospital acquired. Underlying conditions were diagnosed in 30 (70 %) patients. NontypeableHaemophilus influenzae strains predominated in all adult age groups. Sixty-one percent of type b and 34 % of nontypeable strains were ampicillin resistant (p=0.08). Multiple antibiotic resistance was also high among type b (53 %) and nontypeable (18 %) strains. The mortality rate was significantly higher in patients with pneumonia, bactaeremia from an unidentified focus or shock at presentation.