Publications by authors named "Birgit Maria Helmchen"
Background And Hypothesis: Isolated Tubulitis, Borderline Changes, and Isolated Arteritis suspicious for histologic T cell-mediated rejection (hTCMR) remain findings of uncertain significance. Although the Molecular Microscope Diagnostics System (MMDx) has not been trained on those lesions, it was suggested that MMDx might reclassify a subgroup to molecular TCMR (mTCMR).
Methods: In this single-center cohort of 326 consecutive, unselected kidney allograft biopsies assessed by histology and MMDx, we analyzed 249 cases with Isolated Tubulitis (i0, t1-3, v0; n=101), Borderline Changes (according to Banff 2022, v0; n=9), Isolated Arteritis (no borderline, v1; n=37), No Inflammation (i0, t0, v0; n=67) and a Positive Control Cohort (hTCMR, n=27; Mixed histologic Rejection, n=8; both according to Banff 2022; total n=35).
We present a case of a 58-year-old man with a history of laryngo-pharyngectomy including bilateral thyroidectomy due to hypopharyngeal cancer presenting with lethargy, acute kidney failure, and hypercalcemia. Milk alkali syndrome was diagnosed given the history of high-dose calcium / vitamin D supplementation after ruling out other causes of hypercalcemia. After initial treatment with normal saline, furosemide and denosumab, the patient developed severe symptomatic hypocalcemia as a rare adverse effect of denosumab.
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- Patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMI BC) have an increased risk of developing upper-urinary-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), prompting a study on the effectiveness of routine imaging for surveillance.
- The study analyzed data from 315 patients at a tertiary academic center, primarily focusing on initial tumor stages and grades, including a median follow-up period of 48 months.
- Results showed that 1.2% of patients were diagnosed with UTUC, all of whom had high-grade disease, suggesting that routine upper-tract imaging may be most beneficial for patients with initial high-grade tumors.
We present the case of a 70-year-old woman with a history of seronegative arthritis, recurrent pleural effusion and weight loss. A prior lung biopsy had revealed non-caseating epithelioid cell granulomas without evidence for microbial organisms on special stains. Intestinal biopsy findings where suspicious for Whipple's disease, which was confirmed by PCR testing, both on the intestinal and retrospectively on the lung tissue.
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