A classification tree for the prediction of benign versus malignant disease in patients with small renal masses.

Introduction: To develop a classification tree for the preoperative prediction of benign versus malignant disease in patients with small renal masses.

Materials And Methods: This is a retrospective study including 395 consecutive patients who underwent surgical treatment for a renal mass < 5 cm in maximum diameter between July 1st 2001 and June 30th 2010. A classification tree to predict the risk of having a benign renal mass preoperatively was developed using recursive partitioning analysis for repeated measures outcomes.

Growth kinetics of renal masses: analysis of a prospective cohort of patients undergoing active surveillance.

Background: Active surveillance (AS) represents a treatment option for renal masses in patients who are not surgical candidates either because of existing comorbidities or patient choice. Among renal masses undergoing AS, some grow rapidly and require treatment or progress to metastatic disease. Patient and tumour characteristics related to this more aggressive behaviour have been poorly studied.

Multi-drug resistant E.coli urosepsis in physicians following transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsies--three cases including one death.

Three male physicians underwent transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsies for elevated prostate-specific antigen levels or irregular digital rectal exam findings. All three of these patients developed urosepsis secondary to multi-drug resistant organisms despite antibiotic prophylaxis. There are increasing reports of infectious complications following prostate biopsy caused by multi-drug resistant organisms.

Randomized double-blind study of immunoprophylaxis with basiliximab, a chimeric anti-interleukin-2 receptor monoclonal antibody, in combination with mycophenolate mofetil-containing triple therapy in renal transplantation.

Background: Acute rejection remains a major problem in renal transplantation. Immunoprophylaxis with basiliximab (Simulect) has achieved significant reductions in acute rejection episodes in renal allograft recipients receiving dual immunosuppression. This study explored the tolerability and cumulative benefit of combining basiliximab with triple-drug therapy-cyclosporine (USP Modified, Neoral), mycophenolate mofetil, and steroids.

T-cell/periodic acid-Schiff stain: a useful tool in the evaluation of tubulointerstitial infiltrates as a component of renal allograft rejection.

Distinguishing between tubulitis and tubulointerstitial mononuclear cell infiltrates and determining the severity of tubulitis are critical components of diagnosing and grading renal allograft rejection using the 1993 Banff schema, the revised 1997 Banff schema, or the Cooperative Clinical Trials in Transplantation grading system. We describe a novel staining method, the T-PAS stain (CD3 and periodic acid-Schiff), which removes some of the subjectivity in the evaluation of tubulointerstitial infiltrates in renal allograft biopsies. The method simply combines two routine stains, immunoperoxidase staining for T cells (CD3) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining for tubular basement membrane, on the same section.