T-cell lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia with chromosome 5 abnormality in a patient with Crohn's disease and lipoid nephrosis.

We describe a 17-year-old patient with a documented history of Crohn's disease (CD) and of minimal-change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) in whom a diagnosis of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) was made. The diagnosis of ALL was established by morphological examination of bone-marrow aspirates and confirmed by means of immunophenotypic analysis showing the involvement of T-cell lineage leukemic cells. The lymphoid clone showed a karyotypic abnormality involving the long arm of chromosome 5 in a translocation (5;6).

Clinical impact of rapid oxacillin susceptibility testing using a PCR assay in Staphylococcus aureus bactaeremia.

Objectives: The aim of this work was to establish the clinical impact of rapid oxacillin susceptibility testing in nosocomial Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia.

Methods: This study was performed in 145 critically ill patients infected by S. aureus.

Gram stain of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid in the early diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

To assess the usefulness of the Gram stain in the early diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), we performed 146 protected specimen brushings (PSB) and bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) in 118 patients suspected of having nosocomial pneumonia. Gram stain and counts of infected cells were performed in all samples from BAL fluid. A final diagnosis of pneumonia was established in 51 patients and there was no infection in 95 cases.

Pharmacokinetics of isepamicin during continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration.

The objective of this study was to analyze the pharmacokinetics of isepamicin during continuous venovenous hemodiafiltration. Six patients received 15 mg of isepamicin per kg of body weight. The mean isepamicin concentration peak in serum was 62.