Others Are to Blame (Displacement in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy).

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the defense mechanisms (DM) in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy and, to determine whether displacement is associated with seizures. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Following an examination, 50 patients were diagnosed in accordance with the 2005 proposal of the International League Against Epilepsy and the definition of drug-resistant epilepsy from 2010. The neuropsychological examination used the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ-40). We measured the intensity of individual DMs. Mature DMs: sublimation, humor, suppression and anticipation; neurotic DMs: undoing, pseudo-altruism, idealization and reactive formation; and immature DMs: projections, passive aggression, acting out, isolation, devaluation, autistic fantasies, denial, displacement, dissociation, splitting, rationalization and somatization. The values were compared with 50 subjects without epilepsy. RESULTS: Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy use immature defensive styles significantly more (p=0.0010). Displacement have a positive correlation with frequency of seizure (p=0.0412). CONCLUSION: Blaming others is a characteristic of the behavior of patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, especially if they have seizures. As such, they may be less adaptable in a micro social environment.

Consensus statement on screening, diagnosis, classification and treatment of endemic (Balkan) nephropathy.

Currently used diagnostic criteria in different endemic (Balkan) nephropathy (EN) centers involve different combinations of parameters, various cut-off values and many of them are not in agreement with proposed international guidelines. Leaders of EN centers began to address these problems at scientific meetings, and this paper is the outgrowth of those discussions. The main aim is to provide recommendations for clinical work on current knowledge and expertise. This document is developed for use by general physicians, nephrologists, urologist, public health experts and epidemiologist, and it is hoped that it will be adopted by responsible institutions in countries harboring EN. National medical providers should cover costs of screening and diagnostic procedures and treatment of EN patients with or without upper urothelial cancers.

Prognostic value of acute fluid collections diagnosed by ultrasound in the early assessment of severity of acute pancreatitis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prognostic value of acute fluid collections (AFC) diagnosed by conventional transabdominal ultrasound in the early assessment of severity acute pancreatitis (AP). METHODS: We studied 128 consecutive patients with AP between March 2006 and March 2011. The predictor was the number of AFC. Outcome measure was the occurrence of complications. Abdominal sonogram, contrast-enhanced CT, and pancreatitis-specific clinical and laboratory findings were performed. RESULTS: AFC were associated with complications (p < 0.0001), Balthazar grade (p = 0.004), Ranson score (p < 0.0001), and the majority of clinical, radiologic, and biochemical parameters for predicting complications of AP (p < 0.05). Univariate logistic regression also revealed significant association between the number of AFC and the occurrence of complications (OR 4.4; 95% CI 2.5-7.6). After the adjustment for covariates, AFC remained prognostic for complications and a cutoff point of >1 AFC was prognostic of their occurrence with 88% sensitivity and 82% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: AFC are related to the clinical course of AP and can predict its severity

Comparison of the effects of Puumala and Dobrava viruses on early and long-term renal outcomes in patients with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome.

AIM: The clinical course and outcome of patients with haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by Puumala (PUUV) and Dobrava viruses (DOBV) were analyzed and whether it left long-term consequences on kidney function after 10 years was evaluated. METHODS: Cross-sectional studies were conducted to test the kidney function and blood pressure of HFRS-affected patients and to follow them up 10 years after. Eighty-two PUUV- and 53 DOBV-induced HFRS patients and 14 and 31 participants 10 years after having contracted PUUV- and DOBV-related diseases, respectively were evaluated. RESULTS: Serum creatinine concentrations were 279.5 and 410 mcmol/L in PUUV and DOBV groups, respectively (P = 0.005). There were six and 13 anuric (P < 0.05), none and seven dialysis-dependant (P < 0.05), and nine and 18 hypotensive patients (P < 0.05) in PUUV and DOBV groups, respectively. After 10 years, glomerular filtration rates were 122.1 + or - 11.1 and 104.7 + or - 20.2 mL/min (P < 0.05) in PUUV and DOBV groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: During the acute phase, DOBV causes more severe renal impairment than PUUV infection. After 10 years follow up, renal function was found within normal limits, although after DOBV infection glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was significantly lower than after PUUV infection.

[The ultrasound characteristics of kidneys in children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus type 1]. / Ultrazvucne karakteristike bubrega u djece i adolescenata s dijabetesom melitusom tipa 1.

The aim of the study was to compare ultrasound findings of morphometric measurements and registration of Doppler signs of kidneys between children and adolescents with diabetes mellitus type 1 (DMT1) with microalbuminuria, and metabolic control with duration of the disease. Retrospective-prospective study included 80 patients, who got DMT1 in the age from 2 to 16 years. In relation to the duration of the disease, all patients were divided into two groups: the first was whose illness had lasted less than 10 years, the second group was with duration of DMT1 more than 10 years. In patients with duration of DMT1 more than 10 years, the frequency of microalbuminuria, pathological findings of the volume of right kidney, and higher HbA1C were significantly greater. The significant difference was found in the frequency of pathological findings of the resistance index (RI) in the interlobar arteries in both kidneys. Alongside microalbuminuria, monitoring the dimension and volume of the kidneys may indicate the existence of the early phases of diabetic nephropathy.

Influence of donor age on renal graft function in first seven post transplant days.

Increasing gap between demand and availability of human kidneys for transplantation has forced a re-evaluation of the limits on donor age acceptability. The present study included 74 patients who underwent kidney transplantation in University Clinical Centre Tuzla. In an observational cohort study we assessed impact of donor age on post transplant renal function by analyzing following parameters: 24 hour urine output, creatinine clearance (Cr Cl) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Depending on donor age recipients were allocated in to two groups. Group I included patients who received renal graft from donors age up to 55 years, and Group II encountered recipients who received renal graft from donors older than 55 years. Our goal was to determine whether donor age over 55 years significantly diminishes renal graft function in first seven post transplant days. No statistically significant difference was found between Group I and II regarding 24 hour urine output. From second to fifth postoperative day creatinine clearance values were higher in the group of patients who received kidney from donors older than 55 years (47+/-19, 1 vs. 44, 4+/-20, 8). On the fifth, sixth and seventh post operative day GFR was significantly higher in patients who received renal graft from donors age up to 55 years (p<0, 0161). Our data showed no significant difference in observed variables between the two groups, thus indicating that utilization of renal grafts from donors' age > 55 years is acceptable and may considerably expand the donor pool.

[Functional status of patients after lumbar disc herniation surgery]. / Funkcionalni status bolesnika nakon operacije lumbalne diskus hernije.

The aim of this study was to determine whether early rehabilitation from the first postoperative day after lumbar disc herniation surgery improved functional status of patients compared to the rehabilitation that started 3 weeks after surgery. Oswestry index was used for functional status assessment before surgery and after rehabilitation in 60 patients divided in 2 groups, i.e., early and control group of rehabilitation strated 3 weeks after surgery, 30 in each. Oswestry index values before surgery and after rehabilitation in the early rehabilitation group were 78.4 +/- 17 and 19.6 +/- 9.9, respectively (p < 0.0001) and in the control group the values were 79 +/- 13 and 37 +/- 14, respectively (p < 0.0001). The difference of Oswestry index before operation and after rehabilitation in the early rehabilitation group was 58.7 +/- 18.9, and in the control group 41.6 +/- 13.2 (p = 0.0001). Onset of rehabilitation from the first post operative day lead to better functional recovery compared to delayed rehabilitation 3 weeks after lumbar disc herniation surgery.

Percutaneous drainage without sclerotherapy for benign ovarian cysts.

PURPOSE: To evaluate percutaneous short-term catheter drainage in the management of benign ovarian cysts in patients at increased surgical risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with simple ovarian cysts were treated with drainage of fluid content by catheters until output stopped. All patients were poor candidates for surgery. All procedures were performed under ultrasonographic (US) control and local anesthesia. Cytologic examination was performed in all cases. The patients were followed up monthly with color Doppler US for 12 months. Outcome measure was the recurrence of a cyst. RESULTS: During the 12-month follow-up period, 10 of 38 cysts recurred. Seven of the 10 cysts required further intervention, and three were followed up without intervention. Four of the seven patients who required further intervention underwent repeat transabdominal aspiration and three declined repeat aspiration and subsequently underwent surgery. After repeated aspirations, two of four cysts disappeared, one necessitated follow-up only, and one necessitated surgical intervention. Cyst volume (P = .009) and diameter (P = .001) were significantly larger in the cysts that recurred. No evidence of malignancy was reported in the cytologic examination in any patient. No patients developed malignancy during follow-up. No major complications were observed. The hospital stay was 1 day for all patients. The median duration of drainage in the groups with resolved and recurrent cysts was 1 day (interquartile range, 1-1) and 2 days (interquartile range, 1-3), respectively (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: In patients considered poor candidates for open surgery or laparoscopy, percutaneous treatment of ovarian cysts with short-term catheter drainage without sclerotherapy appears to be a safe and effective alternative, with low recurrence rates.

Randomized controlled trial on sterile fluid collections management in acute pancreatitis: should they be removed?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if percutaneous drainage of sterile fluid collections recurring after initial aspiration in acute pancreatitis yields better results than their conservative management. METHODS: Fifty-eight patients with fluid collections in acute pancreatitis were followed up prospectively. Forty of them with sterile fluid collections that recurred after initial aspiration were randomly assigned to two groups of 20 in each. One group was initially treated with conservative management and the other group with prolonged catheter drainage. Patients with unsuccessful initial treatment were converted to more aggressive procedure. Outcome measure was conversion rate to more aggressive procedure. RESULTS: Conversion to more aggressive procedure was done in 11 and 3 patients treated conservatively and with catheter drainage, respectively (p = 0.02). Four and 11 patients had bacterial colonization of their fluid collections in conservative management and drainage group, respectively (p = 0.048). Conservative treatment was successful in all six patients with sterile liquid collections < 30 ml. However, this treatment was unsuccessful in all seven patients with multiloculated and liquid collections >100 ml. CONCLUSIONS: Prolonged catheter drainage is more efficient for management of recurrent sterile fluid collections in acute pancreatitis than is conservative treatment. Conservative treatment is successful for patients with small fluid collections.

Anemia identified one month after renal transplantation is predictive of anemia identified after twelve months.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether anemia identified earlier than 3 months postengraftment in modern era could be predictive of anemia at 12 months. Cross-sectional and cohort studies based on retrospective analysis of existing clinical records were performed. Data on recipient's age at transplantation, follow-up serum creatinine (SCR) and hemoglobin (Hb) on day 7 (D7), at month 1 (M1) and at month 3 (M3) postengraftment were collected. Outcome was anemia identified at 12 months (M12) postengraftment. There were 75 patients on D7, 74 at M1 and 61 at M3. Multiple linear regression model that included recipient's age at transplantation, Hb and creatinine on D7 and tested the risk for anemia at M12 retained only the age in the model, with the coefficient of 0,84 (P=0,001). The same model at M1 retained Hb and age, with the coefficients of 0,26 (P=0,03) and 0,81 (P=0,0002), respectively and at M3 it retained Hb and age, with the coefficients of 0,41 (P=0,004) and 0,70 (P=0,003), respectively. Anemia identified at M1 after renal transplantation is predictive of anemia at M12.

The possible role of early post-transplant inflammation in later anemia in kidney transplant recipients.

UNLABELLED: Delayed kidney graft function and acute rejection in the early post-transplant period affect both short and long-term allograft survival. Allograft rejection, as an inflammatory state, results in increased erythropoietin resistance, which leads to decreased haemoglobin (Hb) level. We conducted this study to evaluate whether inflammation in the early post-transplant period could predict later anemia.This is a retrospective cohort study based on the analysis of 64 existing clinical records. PREDICTOR: White blood cells (WBC) count obtained by the end of the first week post-transplant (W1). Covariates: Donor's age, recipient's age and sex. OUTCOME: Anemia identified at 12 months (M12) post engraftment. Median WBC count at W1 was 9,5 x103/microL (5th - 95th percentile 5,2 x103/microL -17,8 x103/microL). Mean Hb values at M12 were 129,9 +/- 20,3 g/L, in males 136,2 +/- 20,1 g/L and in females 119,4 +/- 16,2 g/L. The significant correlation was found between WBC at W1 and Hb at M12. Pearson coefficient of correlation r was -0,26, and 95% confidence interval (CI) for r was -0,47 to -0,015 (p=0,03). Univariate logistic regression showed significant association between WBC at W1 and Hb at M12 (OR 1,20; 95% CI 1,04 to 1,39, p=0,01). After the adjustment for donor's and recipient's age by transplantation and recipient's sex, multiple regression showed that WBC count remained predictive of anemia at M12 (OR 1,17; 95% CI 1,01 to 1,36, p=0,03). Early post-transplant inflammatory response predicts later anemia in kidney transplant recipients. An increase in WBC count in the first week post-transplant by 109/L increases the risk for anemia after twelve months by 17%.

Symptomatic simple renal cyst: comparison of continuous negative-pressure catheter drainage and single-session alcohol sclerotherapy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether continuous percutaneous catheter drainage with negative pressure yields better results than single-session alcohol sclerotherapy in the management of symptomatic simple renal cysts. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eighty-five patients with 92 simple renal cysts were randomly assigned to two groups in a prospective controlled trial. One group was treated with sonographically guided continuous catheter drainage with negative pressure and the other group with single-session alcohol sclerotherapy. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment outcome, and complications were analyzed. RESULTS: The initial volume of the cysts did not differ significantly between the groups, but the final volume was significantly smaller in the continuous drainage group (p = 0.026). During the 24-month follow-up period, 37 (40%) of the cysts disappeared completely: 24 (52%) of the 46 cysts in the drainage group and 13 (28%) of the 46 cysts in the sclerotherapy group (p = 0.033). In the sclerotherapy group, the probability of disappearance of the cysts was highly dependent on cyst size, being less for giant cysts (p = 0.01). Cyst size was not a significant factor in probability of disappearance in the drainage group (p = 0.15). The probability of disappearance of giant cysts (volume > 500 mL) differed significantly between the groups (p = 0.009), but there was no difference in probability of disappearance of moderately large cysts (p = 0.16). Three of 14 patients with giant cysts in the drainage group and 10 of 13 such patients in the sclerotherapy group had recurrences that necessitated additional treatment (p = 0.007). They were successfully treated with continuous catheter drainage. CONCLUSION: Continuous catheter drainage with negative pressure is more efficient than single-session alcohol sclerotherapy in the management of giant cysts. For moderately large cysts, the two methods have similar results.

Microalbuminuria as a possible marker of risk of Balkan endemic nephropathy.

AIM: To evaluate whether microalbuminuria could be a marker of early tubular damage in individuals at risk of developing Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used to determine urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) in a test group of 61 participants from a BEN endemic region and control group of 64 participants from a nearby non-endemic region, both recruited from the general population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The correlation between UACR and urinary b2 microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio (UBCR) and the receiver operating characteristic curve for UACR were analyzed in the test groups of 58 participants. The correlation analysis was also performed in a subset of nine subjects with elevated UBCR. RESULTS: Medians, interquartile ranges and confidence intervals (CI) for medians of UACR in the test and control groups were 2 mg/mmol, 0.975-8.247 mg/mmol, 1.3472-3.2691 mg/mmol and 1 mg/mmol, 0.695-1.41 mg/mmol, 0.8466-1.2053 mg/mmol, respectively (P = 0.0001). Microalbuminuria was found in 30 of the 61 examinees in the test group, in contrast to six of the 64 examinees in the controls (P < 0.0001). Participants from the endemic region had 9.3 times the odds of having microalbuminuria in contrast to participants from the non-endemic region. Pearson's correlation coefficients r of the log-transformed ratios and Kendall-tau coefficients of rank correlation in the group of 58 and in a subset of nine subjects with elevated UBCR were: 0.55 (P < 0.0001); 0.317 (P = 0.0005) and 0.59 (P = 0.045); 0.48 (P = 0.037), respectively. The area under the curve for UACR was 0.882 (P = 0.0001), sensitivity 100% and specificity 67.3%. CONCLUSION: Microalbuminuria may be a useful marker of early tubular injury in individuals at risk of developing BEN.

Trend of Balkan endemic nephropathy patients on renal replacement therapy in Bosnia from 2003 through 2005.

The aim of this study is to evaluate epidemiological status of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN) patients on renal replacement therapy (RRT) in Bosnia from 2003 through 2005. Incidence and prevalence rates of BEN, diabetes mellitus (DM) and RRT population and proportion of BEN RRT population in total RRT population were tracked in renal units covering the entire BEN endemic region in Bosnia. BEN incidence and prevalence rates were 52; 34;48 and 262; 265, 292, respectively. DM incidence and prevalence rates were 7; 13; 8 and 20; 28; 33, respectively. Total RRT population incidence and prevalence rates were 89; 82; 79 and 424; 436; 473, respectively. Proportions of incident BEN RRT population in incident total RRT population and proportions of incident BEN RRT population in incident total RRT population when incident diabetics were subtracted from incident total RRT population were 0.58; 0.41; 0.61, and 0.63; 0.49; 0.67; respectively. Proportions of prevalent BEN RRT population in prevalent total RRT population and proportions of prevalent BEN RRT population in prevalent total RRT population when prevalent diabetics were subtracted from prevalent total RRT population were 0.62; 0.61; 0.62, and 0.65; 0.65; 0.66, respectively. Trend of BEN RRT population was stable in Bosnia from 2003 through 2005.