Visceral leishmaniasis in the early post-transplant period after kidney transplantation: clinical features and therapeutic management.

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a rare complication of kidney transplantation, with <100 cases reported in the literature. It is a life-threatening condition and usually occurs as a late complication after transplantation, with a median delay of 18 months between transplantation and onset of disease. We report the clinical features and management of 5 kidney transplant recipients who presented with VL in the early post-transplant period. All patients were successfully treated with liposomal amphotericin B (L-AMB), but 2 patients experienced graft loss. VL should be considered in the differential diagnosis in kidney transplant recipients living in endemic areas, who present with unexplained fever and pancytopenia in the early post-transplant period. Leishmania serology should be included in the screening of all transplant recipients, in order to identify a group of patients who could benefit from preemptive anti-Leishmania therapy. Therapy with L-AMB is highly effective and well tolerated in kidney transplant recipients with VL.

Acute renal failure due to ureteral obstruction in a kidney transplant recipient with Candida albicans contamination of preservation fluid.

Reported rates of positive preservation fluid cultures range from 5% to 23%, with fungi accounting for 2-10% of all positive cultures. We report the case of a kidney transplant recipient who received a graft with preservation fluid contaminated by Candida albicans, who developed acute renal failure due to ureteral obstruction by fungus balls. The patient was treated with voriconazole with complete restoration of graft function. This rare clinical entity demonstrates the usefulness of pre-transplant cultures of preservation fluid, in order to identify a group of patients who could benefit from antifungal prophylaxis therapy and thereby prevent the need for graft nephrectomy.

[Skin metastasis from renal carcinoma: epidemiologic and clinical features]. / Metastasi cutanee da carcinoma renale: aspetti epidemiologici e clinici.

The Authors present an additional case of a 70-years old male patient with skin metastasis from renal cell carcinoma, 15 months after nephrectomy. The patient died ten months later for advanced neoplastic disease. Skin metastasis affect 3-6% of patients with renal cell carcinoma. The surgical treatment is mandatory for single nodule. Chemotherapy is often ineffectual. The prognosis is poor, with a 0-8% 5-years survival for patients with multiple nodules.

[A questionable surgical problem: the right treatment of occult thyroid carcinoma]. / Su una amletica questione chirurgica: la terapia del carcinoma occulto della tiroide.

INTRODUCTION: The authors review their experience about treatment of occult thyroid carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 24 patients with papillary occult carcinoma of the thyroid were observed in the period 1999-2001. All carcinoma was 10 mm in diameter. In seventeen patients (71%) was performed a total thyroidectomy, while in seven (29%) a lobectomy; in four of seven patients treated with lobectomy was subsequently performed a total thyroidectomy. Total thyroidectomy wasn't performed in three female patients aged < 35 years, with a 5 mm diameter carcinoma. In two patients (8.3%) with nodal metastasis a lymph node excision was performed. All patients were alive and free of disease at last control. CONCLUSIONS: The incidental finding of occult thyroid carcinoma in a patient treated with a lobectomy does not entail a subsequent total thyroidectomy, because of this surgical procedure may be oncologically correct; therefore the authors believe that total thyroidectomy may be the treatment of choice of occult carcinoma, because it allows a correct oncological follow-up.

[Hürthle-cell thyroid neoplasms: a clinical enigma]. / Le neoplasie tiroidee a cellule di Hürthle: un enigma clinico.

Hürthle cell neoplasms represent a pathological entity whose diagnosis and therapy are still not defined. These neoplasms constitute from 1.5% to 10% of all thyroid tumors. Hürthle cell nodule is clinically indistinguishable from other nodular thyroid diseases and histologic features of the tumors do not always allow us to distinguish benign nodules from malignant ones. The authors, analyzing a segment of their own experience (335 surgical thyroid diseases), observed nine cases of Hürthle cell adenomas (0.03%). Because of concomitant presence of heterolobar thyroid disease, seven cases were treated with a total thyroidectomy, and two cases were treated with a lobo-isthmectomy. In a long-term follow-up study, there were not signs of Hürthle cells neoplastic disease. The authors suggest that the treatment of choice for patients with "surely benign" Hürthle cell nodule is lobo-isthmectomy. For malignant Hürthle cell tumors, total thyroidectomy is the most rational treatment associated with cervical lymphadenectomy in presence of metastatic nodes. In all cases, a long-term periodical check-up proves to be the best solution, also for patients treated for benign pathological Hürthle cell.

[Carcinoma of the male breast: reconstructive technique]. / II carcinoma della mammella maschile: tecnica ricostruttiva.

Male breast cancer is a rare neoplasm. Adhesions in its deeper and superficial levels and axillary adenopathies (50-60%) are often found at the diagnosis time. Surgery is considered the main step in the treatment of the male breast cancer. Radical mastectomy often leads to a wide asportation of the skin consequently causing some problems in the management of the chest-wall defect. Otherwise inadequate resections can cause local recurrences. The Authors, after a brief analysis of the main aspects concerning the prognosis and the management of the male breast cancer, report the use of transverse thoracoepigastric skin flap in the reconstruction of surgical wound after mastectomy.

Outcome of infrainguinal endovascular revascularization procedures for limb-threatening ischemia.

This report describes the results of 96 infrainguinal endovascular revascularization procedures performed in 86 patients with limb-threatening ischemia over a 3-year period. There were 41 women and 45 men (mean age 72.9 +/- 11.9 years) including 47 patients (51.1%) with diabetes and 13 (15.1%) with renal insufficiency. All patients had severe ischemia characterized by rest pain (18.8%), ulceration (12.5%), or gangrene (68.8%). Twelve procedures were carried out in association with conventional surgical reconstruction and in eight patients with mixed ulcers a venous procedure was performed during the same session. A total of 143 arterial lesions were treated including 61 occlusions (mean length 5.9 +/- 3.5 cm) and 82 stenoses (mean length 4.6 +/- 3 cm). The following techniques were used: transluminal angioplasty in 99 cases, laser in five cases, Rotablator in 24 cases, and aspiration thrombectomy in 15 cases. Nine patients (10.5%) died in the hospital. Initial failure was observed in 32 patients, of whom 18 underwent subsequent surgical revascularization and 14 required amputation of the extremity within 2 months. Analysis of variance was used to assess the following 12 risk factors for initial failure of endovascular revascularization: sex, age, diabetes, renal insufficiency, associated surgery, treatment of multiple lesions, artery treated, type of lesion, length of lesion, quality of runoff, use of an atherotome, and stent placement. Results showed a significant correlation between initial failure and both quality of runoff (12.9% in patients with two or more patent leg arteries vs. 36.5% in patients with one or fewer patent leg arteries; p < 0.05) and type of lesion (14.5% for stenosis vs. 45.9% for occlusion). Mean follow-up was 9.98 +/- 9.9 months and 4.7% of patients were lost. Restenosis was observed during follow-up of 16 of the 74 initially successful procedures. ANOVA was used to assess the same 12 risk factors for restenosis. Results showed a significant correlation between restenosis and both sex (10.8% in women vs. 32.4% in men; p < 0.05) and age (8% for patients > 80 years of age vs. 28.6% for patients < 80 years; p < 0.05). Primary patency, secondary patency and limb salvage rates calculated according to the actuarial method were 65%, 75%, and 84%, respectively, at 6 months and 47%, 67%, and 81%, respectively, at 1 year. Limb salvage rates for the endoluminal techniques used in this study were satisfactory, especially in elderly patients with either segmental lesions or contraindications for distal bypass.

[Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid: long-term survival]. / Il carcinoma anaplastico della tiroide: sopravvivenza a distanza.

Anaplastic carcinoma of the thyroid is a highly aggressive neoplasm with quickly total course. It is characterized by an average survival of 4-12 months. It infiltrates precociously into the windpipe, oesophagus, vessels of the neck and gives distant metastases in 10-48% of cases. In 30.8 to 80% of cases, this carcinoma originates in an old multinodular goiter. The hypothesis has been also advanced that this neoplasm could derive from a pre-existent well-differentiated carcinoma. The improvement in diagnostic techniques (especially immunohistochemistry) allows a more correct definition of this neoplasm, permitting a differential diagnosis with other tumours (lymphoma, medullary carcinoma, hemangioblastoma) with which in the past it has been erroneously identified. The results reported in the literature are controversial as regards long-term survival, but usually it is less than one year. Longer survival must lead to the suspicion of wrong diagnosis. A relatively better prognosis is observable in intraglandular forms, "minimi" neoplastic focus and young patients. The presence of regional metastatic lymph nodes doesn't seem to modify the prognosis. Instead, a factor which can condition the prognosis is the type of therapy. Now a days the most efficacious curative treatment is the multinodal one (surgery, radio- and chemotherapy). The best results about survival and quality of life have been obtained using chemo-radiotherapy before operation and chemotherapy after it.

[Short-stay in patients surgically treated for thyroid disease]. / Sull'invio precoce a domicilio del paziente operato per tireopatia.

The improvement in anesthesiology and greater experience of medical staff have permitted short-stay surgery. The authors in this pages report their knowledge of thyroid short-stay surgery. Their series numbers twenty-two lobectomies for uninodular the thyroid disease and one enucleoresection for a nodule of pyramidal lobe. Short-stay surgery has been proposed to euthyroid patients, selected according to age, residence and health (lack of associated pathologies such as cardiopathy, bronchopathy, hepatopathy, nephropathy, allergy, calcemic disorders and dysphony) and confirmed in the presence of histological extemporary diagnosis of "adenoma" (21 cases). The histological extemporary diagnosis of "carcinoma" has lengthened hospital stay. Among the lobectomies, 21 were executed in general anaesthesia and 1 in acupuncture. The enucleoresection was executed in local anaesthesia. Only in eighteen cases was a "Penrose" deainage used, removed after 24 hours. The choice of thyroid short-stay surgery, particularly in day-hospital, must arise from a careful selection of patients. Besides, this surgery requires an administrative and sanitary structure which permits a constant patient's check at hare too.

[A case of breast metastasis in bladder urothelioma]. / Su di un caso di metastasi mammaria da urotelioma vescicale.

A case of isolated mammary metastasis from surgically untreated urothelial vesical carcinoma is discussed. An integrated chemo-radiotherapeutical treatment had been planned, due to bad general condition; after this, an optimal subjective benefit and good objective response (reduction in lesion diameter < 50%, MR) were obtained. An isolated breast lesion appeared ten months after; its metastatic nature was only indirectly suspected by mammographic and echographic features. Only immunohistochemical study, realized on percutaneous needle biopsy specimen, definitively confirmed the urothelial metastatic origin. In present work, biological and prognostic significance of mammary metastases and the needing of distinguishing them from primary breast neoplasm are analysed, basing on the literature review.

Phase I study of FUDR continuous infusion with circadian variability in advanced cancer patients.

A phase I study of floxuridine circadian infusion was performed in 14 patients with advanced solid tumors (9 colonic, 1 gastric, 4 renal). The starting dose was 0.15 mg/kg/day for 14 days followed by a 14-day therapy-free interval. Sixty-eight percent of the daily dose was infused between 3pm and 9pm. The dose was increased by 0.025 mg/kg/day for each successive course. Eighty-one cycles of therapy were given for a total of 1134 days of treatment. The mean dose intensity was 0.868 mg/kg/day for the entire group. The highest dose achieved (maximum tolerated dose) was 0.325 mg/kg/day. The most frequent toxicity was diarrhea (4.9% of all courses) and nausea-vomiting (3.7% of all courses). These side effects were of a low grade and all were resolved without hospitalization. Our results suggest the circadian modulation of floxuridine infusion.

[Neuroendocrine surgery in Parkinson's disease: comparative analytical evaluation of approaches to microsurgical adrenalectomy. Experimental studies]. / La terapia neuro-endocrino-chirurgica del morbo di Parkinson: valutazione analitica comparativa delle vie di accesso alla surrenectomia microchirurgica. Ricerche sperimentali.

In this experimental contribution to the study of neurobiological interactions between adrenal medullary graft and CNS, is presented a model to estimate the approaches to rat adrenalectomy using statistical inference techniques. Eighteen rats were divided into three samples. The members of every sample were left adrenalectomized using lombotomic, anterior transperitoneal and posterior approaches respectively. A score was attributed to every experimentally meaningful parameter, according a previously well established plan. Scores were tested by analysis of variance and by previously planned orthogonal comparisons. Mean, standard deviation of every sample score and confidence interval for mean difference were computed. Statistical analysis results show that, objectively, there is a meaningful difference between anterior approach and posterior or lateral approach, anterior approach being more difficult then posterior or lateral approach, while there is not meaningful difference between posterior and lateral approach. Subjectively, on the contrary, there are not meaningful differences between three approaches to left adrenalectomy statistically.

[Alizapride versus placebo in premedication for esophagogastroduodenoscopy. Double-blind clinical study. Experimental research in vitro]. / Alizapride vs. placebo nella premedicazione all'esofagogastroduodenoscopia. Studio clinico in doppio cieco. Ricerche sperimentali in vitro.

The pronounced antiemetic properties of Alizapride, one of the new azimidobenzamides suggested the assessment of its efficacy on 40 patients due for oesophagogastroduodenoscopy. The drug proved highly satisfactory as premedication for the examination, significantly inhibiting vomiting and stomach wall tone during the examination as was indicated by in vitro studies.