Long-term Results of Living Donors in Simultaneous Kidney and Liver Transplantations.

Introduction: Because of the shortage of organs available for transplantation, living related sequential transplantation with the use of liver and a kidney from the same donor has emerged as a reasonable therapeutic alternative. However, there is insufficient literature about the complications that living donors experience after simultaneous kidney and liver transplantations.

Methods: From December 2001 to October 2009, 5 living donors provided simultaneous donation of livers and kidneys and 1 living donor donated first her kidney and then her liver.

The relationship between neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and calcific aortic stenosis.

Background: The role of inflammation in fibrotic and calcific processes of atherosclerosis and aortic stenosis (AS) is similar. Furthermore, a relationship between systemic inflammation and heart failure has been well demonstrated. Recently, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed as a predictive marker of systemic inflammation.

Bimonthly regimen of high-dose leucovorin, infusional 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cisplatin (modified ECF) as adjuvant chemotherapy in resected gastric adenocarcinoma.

Background: The administration of the de Gramont regimen in combination with cisplatin and epirubicin (modified ECF) has previously been reported as a treatment for advanced gastric cancer, but here we report this regimen combination in an adjuvant setting for the first time.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with curatively resected gastric cancer were treated. Each 2-week cycle consisted of epirubicin (50 mg/m(2)), cisplatin (50 mg/m(2)), 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) IV bolus (400 mg/m(2)) and 5-FU IV (2,400 mg/m(2)) over 46 h plus leucovorin IV (400 mg/m(2)) over 2 h.

Ectopic pancreas presenting with intractable diarrhea: case report.

Ectopic pancreas is an uncommon congenital anomaly, which is usually found incidentally in clinical practice. It presents with nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms like epigastric pain and dyspepsia and rarely with the clinical findings of obstructive jaundice or intestinal obstruction, or it may mimic gastrointestinal system cancer. Herein, we describe a case of ectopic pancreas in the duodenum, which was the cause of the intractable diarrhea.

Incidence of thyroid dysfunction and thyroid cancer in renal transplant recipients: a single center experience.

Background: The prevalence of thyroid cancer in renal transplant population has not been widely studied, and there is no consensus on the management of thyroid cancer in transplant patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in thyroid hormone levels and investigate the incidence of the thyroid cancer after renal transplantation.

Materials And Methods: From October 1989 to April 2007, 122 renal allograft recipients that were being followed underwent thyroid ultrasonography to determine nodules together with thyroid hormone levels.

Evaluation of telomerase activity in gingival fibroblasts of cyclosporine-treated patients.

Gingival overgrowth (GO) is a common side effect following administration of cyclosporin A (CsA). Various case reports have shown that squamous cell carcinomas could arise in GO induced by CsA and phenytoin. It is also known that human telomerase activated in about 90% of cancers is mainly composed of hTR, hTERT, and TPI.

Subtemporal approach for a P2-P3 junction aneurysm of the posterior cerebral artery.

Aneurysms are seen rarely at the P2-P3 junction of the posterior cerebral artery (PCA). P2-P3 junction aneurysm surgery is challenging. Here, a successful clipping of a large P2-P3 junction aneurysm via a subtemporal approach is reported.

Prehypertension and risk of cardiovascular disease.

Epidemiologic data have established a continuous relationship between vascular risk and blood pressure that extends down to levels as low as 115/75 mmHg, emphasizing the lack of a critical threshold value that defines 'high' blood pressure. Acknowledging the graded and continuous nature of the relations of blood pressure to vascular risk, the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC VII) introduced the new category 'prehypertension' to describe people with a systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. It is estimated that 31% of the US population (70 million) has prehypertension.

Effects of hepatectomy and arginine enriched diet on colonic mucosa originated inflammatory cytokines.

Aim: To assess the effects of arginine-enriched diet and partial hepatectomy in rats on gut-originated inflammatory cytokines.

Methods: Of 24 rats, Group 1 and 2 animals were fasted 24 hours before surgery, Group 3 and 4 animals received regular plus arginine-enriched diet(AED). Group 2 and 4 animals had undergone 30% hepatic resection.