Successful kidney re-transplantation in a patient with previous allograft kidney tuberculosis.

Opportunistic infections, and in particular tuberculosis (TB), carry substantial morbidity and mortality in solid organ transplant recipients. We report a 39-year-old man who underwent a cadaveric renal transplant. Three months postoperatively, he was diagnosed to have tuberculous infection of his graft kidney manifested as fever and renal impairment. The diagnosis was confirmed by renal biopsy, which showed granuloma formation and positive stain for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). His systemic symptoms responded well to a complete course of anti-tuberculous therapy, but his renal function continued to deteriorate. Graft nephrectomy was performed and the patient underwent a second kidney transplant 1 year later. He remained well and asymptomatic thereafter. No signs of recurrence of tuberculous infection were noted up until the present time. This case illustrates that TB remains an important threat to transplant recipients. Although reactivation of dormant TB is the usual mode of infection, acquisition from the donor graft is also possible. The latter may account for the infection in our case, as our patient had a negative tuberculin skin test and normal chest radiograph prior to transplant. The identification of AFB in the kidney graft less than 3 months postoperatively also suggested that causal relationship. While diagnosing TB in post-transplant recipients is difficult and may require renal biopsy, as in our case, treatment on the other hand is no different from the standard protocols. However, no consensus has been reached on the safety of re-transplantation. Also, the need for graft nephrectomy and chemoprophylaxis remains unclear.

Strongyloidiasis as a possible cause of nephrotic syndrome.

Chronic strongyloidiasis is a mild disease and has never been reported to be associated with nephrotic syndrome. Disseminated strongyloidiasis is known to have high mortality, but it frequently is not diagnosed until autopsy. We report a patient with nephrotic syndrome developing disseminated strongyloidiasis after steroid therapy. The findings in renal biopsy, the time course of the development, and resolution of nephrotic syndrome after thiabendazole treatment suggested a possible causal relationship between chronic strongyloidiasis and nephrotic syndrome. The case also demonstrated the importance of early diagnosis in disseminated strongyloidiasis and the good clinical outcome of early treatment before the development of organ failure.

[Serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA 19-9) values in patients with pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis].

For evaluating the diagnostic rate of serum CA19-9 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in pancreatic malignancies and pancreatitis, 22 patients with pancreatic malignancy, 27 patients with acute pancreatitis and 7 patients with chronic pancreatitis were included in this prospective study. The normal values of CEA and CA19-9 were 2.0 ng/ml and 36 U/ml respectively in 10 healthy males and 11 healthy females. The positive rates of CEA (greater than 2.5 ng/ml) in pancreatic malignancy, acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis were 50%, 47% and 38%, respectively. On the other hand, the positive rates of CA19-9 (greater than 37U/ml) in pancreatic malignancy, acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis were 82%, 26% and 23%, respectively. In diagnosis of pancreatic malignancy, the positive rate of CA19-9 is higher than that of CEA (82% vs 50%), and CA19-9 has a sensitivity significantly higher in differentiating from pancreatitis than CEA. In 7 cases of pancreatic malignancy with metastasis (liver or peritoneum), all had abnormally high serum CA19-9 (greater than 195 U/ml), 6 of 7 had CA19-9 levels over 1000 U/ml. In the view of CEA, 6 of 7 had serum CEA over 5 ng/ml, one patient with peritoneal metastasis had normal CEA level. In this study, we conclude that the diagnostic rate of CA19-9 in pancreatic malignancies is better than that of CEA.

Kinetic characterization and radiation-target sizing of the glucose transporter in cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles.

Stereospecific glucose transport was assayed and characterized in bovine cardiac sarcolemmal vesicles. Sarcolemmal vesicles were incubated with D-[3H]glucose or L-[3H]glucose at 25 degrees C. The reaction was terminated by rapid addition of 4 mM HgCl2 and vesicles were immediately collected on glass fiber filters for quantification of accumulated [3H]glucose. Non-specific diffusion of L-[3H]glucose was never more than 11% of total D-[3H]glucose transport into the vesicles. Stereospecific uptake of D-[3H]glucose reached a maximum level by 20 s. Cytochalasin B (50 microM) inhibited specific transport of D-[3H]glucose to the level of that for non-specific diffusion. The vesicles exhibited saturable transport (Km = 9.3 mM; Vmax = 2.6 nmol/mg per s) and the transporter turnover number was 197 glucose molecules per transporter per s. The molecular sizes of the cytochalasin B binding protein and the D-glucose transport protein in sarcolemmal vesicles were estimated by radiation inactivation. These values were 77 and 101 kDa, respectively, and by the Wilcoxen Rank Sum Test were not significantly different from each other.

A synopsis on metals in medicine and psychiatry.

A total of 40 metals are reviewed and summarized to give a general perspective on the metal's two major effects, relevant to medicine and psychiatry in man. These two effects are metal excess (poisoning) and deficiency. These metals are grouped arbitrarily into six categories; (a) The heavy metals, (b) the essential and questionable essential trace elements, (c) the macrominerals, (d) the alkali metals, (e) elements used as therapeutic agents, and (f) miscellaneous elements. The heavy metals are invariably toxic and could be lethal, and no deficiency state has yet been described in man, although arsenic has been postulated to be essential. The essential trace elements are vital to a number of vital physiological and biochemical functions, and newer essential trace elements are to be identified in the future. The recent findings suggest vanadium excess may aggravate the affective symptoms in bipolar affective disorder; selenium may inhibit certain carcinogenesis such as oesophageal cancer; and silicon may inhibit atheromatous formation in the aorta. There is also some suggestion that certain allergic syndromes may be correlated with very low levels of iron, copper, manganese. The study of elements will undoubtedly expand the understanding of disease processes in medicine and psychiatry.

A review of clinical trials of lithium in medicine.

Since the approval of lithium use in treatment of acute mania, there have been numerous clinical trials of lithium in medical and psychiatric disorders. This paper gives a brief review of the literature on lithium trials in approximately fourteen medical conditions. These are: hyperthyroidism, metabolizing thyroid cancer, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormone, premenstrual tension syndrome, anorexia nervosa, Felty's syndrome, chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, aplastic anemia, seborrheic dermatitis, eczematoid dermatitis, cyclic vomiting, diabetes mellitus and asthma. Most of the case reports cited showed the efficacy of the side effects from lithium salt in the management of the symptoms and signs of these disorders, however, well-designed and controlled studies give negative results. The positive results are reported in the group of disorders having an underlying subdromal affective syndrome such as premenstrual tension syndrome and anorexia nervosa. Other encouraging reports include the effect of lithium to induce leucocytosis in Felty's syndrome and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations of alkali metal deficiency and excess.

The alkali metals from the Group IA of the periodic table (lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium and francium) are reviewed. The neuropsychiatric aspects of alkali metal deficiencies and excesses (intoxications) are described. Emphasis was placed on lithium due to its clinical uses. The signs and symptoms of these conditions are characterized by features of an organic brain syndrome with delirium and encephalopathy prevailing. There are no clinically distinctive features that could be reliably used for diagnoses. Sodium and potassium are two essential alkali metals in man. Lithium is used as therapeutic agent in bipolar affective disorders. Rubidium has been investigated for its antidepressant effect in a group of psychiatric disorders. Cesium is under laboratory investigation for its role in carcinogenesis and in depressive illness. Very little is known of francium due to its great instability for experimental study.