Higher cut-off values of non-invasive methods might be needed to detect moderate-to-severe steatosis in morbid obese patients: a pilot study.

To evaluate the diagnostic value of described thresholds of controlled attenuation parameter (CAP) and biomarker scores for liver steatosis and to evaluate new cut-offs to detect moderate-to-severe steatosis (S2-3) in patients with morbid obesity. In this prospective study, 32 patients with morbid obesity with indications for bariatric surgery (15 women and 17 men, mean age = 36 years, median BMI = 40.2 kg/m2) underwent CAP, magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), three biomarker scores (Steato-ELSA, Fatty Liver Index (FLI), and Hepatic Steatosis Index (HSI)), and liver biopsy. Subjects were divided into an exploratory cohort (reliable CAP and liver biopsy) and a confirmatory cohort (reliable CAP and MRS) to evaluate new thresholds for CAP and biomarker scores to detect S2-3. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves analyses were performed and the optimal cut-off points were identified using the maximal Youden index. A total of 22 patients had CAP measure and liver biopsy (exploratory cohort) and 24 patients had CAP measure with MRS (confirmatory cohort). New cut-offs were identified for detection of S2-3 by the non-invasive tests using liver biopsy as the reference standard (exploratory cohort). Considering the new proposed cut-offs for detection of S2-3 for CAP (≥ 314 dB/m), Steato-ELSA (≥ 0.832), FLI (≥ 96), and HSI (≥ 53), for the exploratory and confirmatory cohorts sensitivities were: 71-75%, 86-81%, 85-81%, and 71-69% and specificities were: 94-89%, 75-63%, 63-63%, and 75-88%, respectively. Higher cut-offs for CAP and biomarker scores may be better to diagnose moderate-to-severe steatosis in patients with morbid obesity.

Evidence of the Primary Afferent Tracts Undergoing Neurodegeneration in Horses With Equine Degenerative Myeloencephalopathy Based on Calretinin Immunohistochemical Localization.

Equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (EDM) is characterized by a symmetric general proprioceptive ataxia in young horses, and is likely underdiagnosed for 2 reasons: first, clinical signs overlap those of cervical vertebral compressive myelopathy; second, histologic lesions--including axonal spheroids in specific tracts of the somatosensory and motor systems--may be subtle. The purpose of this study was (1) to utilize immunohistochemical (IHC) markers to trace axons in the spinocuneocerebellar, dorsal column-medial lemniscal, and dorsospinocerebellar tracts in healthy horses and (2) to determine the IHC staining characteristics of the neurons and degenerated axons along the somatosensory tracts in EDM-affected horses. Examination of brain, spinal cord, and nerves was performed on 2 age-matched control horses, 3 EDM-affected horses, and 2 age-matched disease-control horses via IHC for calbindin, vesicular glutamate transporter 2, parvalbumin, calretinin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, and glial fibrillary acidic protein. Primary afferent axons of the spinocuneocerebellar, dorsal column-medial lemniscal, and dorsospinocerebellar tracts were successfully traced with calretinin. Calretinin-positive cell bodies were identified in a subset of neurons in the dorsal root ganglia, suggesting that calretinin IHC could be used to trace axonal projections from these cell bodies. Calretinin-immunoreactive spheroids were present in EDM-affected horses within the nuclei cuneatus medialis, cuneatus lateralis, and thoracicus. Neurons within those nuclei were calretinin negative. Cell bodies of degenerated axons in EDM-affected horses are likely located in the dorsal root ganglia. These findings support the role of sensory axonal degeneration in the pathogenesis of EDM and provide a method to highlight tracts with axonal spheroids to aid in the diagnosis of this neurodegenerative disease.

Diabetes myonecrosis - A rare complication.

We report a patient with very rare complication of poorly controlled diabetes. Diabetes myonecrosis is a self-limiting condition with unclear pathogenesis and it most commonly affects the quadriceps muscle. Physicians should consider this diagnosis in diabetic patients presenting with sudden onset, non-traumatic muscular pain.

Drenagem percutânea de abscesso hepático piogênico multiloculado: relato de caso / Percutaneous drainage of a multiloculated pyogenic liver abscess: a case report

Os grandes abscessos hepáticos freqüentemen¡te necessitam de tratamento imediato pela asso¡ciação da antibioticoterapia com a drenagem da lesão. Existem duas principais alternativas de dre¡nagem: a percutânea e a cirúrgica aberta. A lite¡ratura estudada não estabelece um consenso em relação à terapêutica mais adequada. No entan¡to, há relatos de que grandes abscessos, espe¡cialmente se multiloculados ou os que contêm secreção purulenta espessa, estão inclinados ao insucesso quando tratados pela via percutânea. Neste relato de caso, os autores apresentam pa¡ciente com sinais de sepse, com volumoso abs¡cesso hepático piogênico, multisseptado, trata¡da com drenagem por via percutânea associada à antibioticoterapia sistêmica e com evolução favorável. O artigo foi submetido e aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa da Rede Labs D'Or.

Invasive amebiasis: challenges in diagnosis in a non-endemic country (Kuwait).

Invasive zymodemes of the enteric protozoan Entamoeba histolytica infect the large intestine and cause extra-intestinal lesions such as amebic liver abscess (ALA). The clinical manifestations of ALA are protean, particularly in patients presenting in a non-endemic, desert country such as Kuwait, and diagnosis becomes problematic. In this study, we present cases of ALA to illustrate the clinical and diagnostic challenges. For serodiagnosis of ALA, we compared the sensitivity and specificity of the indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA) with the ImmunoTab assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for this geographic region. We tested sera of 110 patients with ALA, 1,224 patients suspected of having invasive amebic infection, and 50 Europeans with no travel history to an amebic-endemic area. The IHA was simple, rapid, easy to perform, and reliable (sensitivity = 99%, specificity > 95%). The performance of the IHA in detecting ALA in suspected cases was significantly better than that of the ELISA and the ImmunoTab test. Compared with the IHA, both the ELISA and ImmunoTab assay detected relatively higher numbers of false-positive cases (4.7% and 3.6%, respectively). With the availability of ultrasound and computed tomography scans, the serology correlates excellently with the clinical presentation. In chronic cases where fibrosis may be present around the abscess, the IHA has limitations, as in the follow-up of treated patients. Pitfalls in diagnosis are highlighted by discussing the differential diagnosis of ALA from bacterial hepatic abscesses and infected hydatid cysts. Most importantly, the IHA in such cases was invariably at a titer that is considered not significant.

Tomografia computadorizada de alta resolução das bronquiectasias - resultados parciais / High resolution computed tomogrphy of bronchiectasis - partial results

O objetivo deste trabalho é demonstrar os aspectos tomográficos das bronquiectasias, correlacionando-os com outros achados radiológicos associados, dados clínicos e de espirometria. Analisamos os achados tomográficos de 34 pacientes do ambulatório de bronquiectasias. Todos os exames foram realizado num tomógrafo Hitachi modelo W450, com protocolo de alta resolução do tórax. Os resultados parciais deste trabalho demonstraram que a TC é um bom método, não só na complementação diagnóstica dos pacientes com suspeita de bronquiectasia, mas também um instrumento de diagnóstico útil na demonstração de outros achados tomográficos que são comuns em doenças pulmonares crônicas.

Five years experience of haemodialysis at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital--November 1981 to November 1986.

The Dialysis Centre at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital became operational in November 1981 and caters for acute haemodialysis, chronic maintenance haemodialysis and continuous arteriovenous haemofiltration. In the past 5 years, over 600 patients had presented out of whom 245 could be accommodated within the realities of available facilities and patients' financial status. Of the 245 patients, 25 were discharged against medical advice and five were transferred to hospitals abroad but did not survive. There were 117 patients in end-stage renal failure (ESRF), 75 males, 42 females, ratio M:F 1.8:1, age range 13-69 years, mean 37.5. There were 51 males and 47 females in acute renal failure (ARF), ratio 1.1:1, age range 13-76 years, mean age 32.3 (Table 1). All patients in ESRF had moderate to severe hypertension (diastolic pressure of greater than or equal to 120 mmHg or 22.1 kPa) and a creatinine clearance of less than or equal to 5 ml/min and about 75% had established cardiac decompensation. Full pertinent investigations were precluded or contra-indicated in most patients in ESRF because of late presentation. In only 13 patients was renal biopsy performed and the pathohistologies were end stage renal disease (8), chronic glomerulonephritis (4) and glomerulosclerosis (1). In ARF the cause of the renal damage was multifactorial in 66.7%, with sepsis being the direct cause of death in 60.0%. The commonest conditions were septicaemia (61.4%), nephrotoxin (17.2%), trauma (31.3%), septic abortion (33.3%) and toxaemia of pregnancy (29.0%) (Table 2). The dialysis associated complications which were encountered included shunt infection (7%), burst membrane (9%), suspected pyrogen reaction (5.6%) and femoral vein perforation (0.9%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Supra-normal creatinine clearance in black mild hypertensive patients in Nigeria.

Glomerular filtration rates, as assessed by creatinine clearances were studied in 35 mild hypertensive, 104 moderate hypertensive and 167 severe hypertensive patients. The ages ranged from 16 to 65 years and the duration of hypertension varied between 0.5 and five years. The cause of hypertension was presumed idiopathic in all but 13 severe hypertensives in whom renal biopsies were performed. The mean creatinine clearances in mild, moderate and severe hypertensives were 154.5 +/- 15.0, 83.0 +/- 26.0, 15.0 +/- 14.0 (male) and 147.0 +/- 20.0, 78.0 +/- 15.0 and 14.3 +/- 13.0 (female) respectively. A creatinine clearance of greater than 125 ml per minute was recorded in all patients with mild hypertension. This finding might be a feature of early structural and functional renal damage in mild hypertension.