Therapeutic plasma exchange for the treatment of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura: a retrospective multicenter study.

Background: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare disease that is fatal if it is not treated. Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) has resulted in excellent remission and survival rates in TTP patients.

Material And Methods: We describe our experience with 52 TTP patients treated with TPE during the past eight years (65% of the patients were females; patient median age=34 years, range: 17-73).

The effect of moxonidine on endothelial dysfunction in metabolic syndrome.

Background: Endothelial dysfunction has been reported in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and even in healthy obese individuals with a normal metabolic profile. Sympathetic activity commonly is increased in obese hypertensive patients, and moxonidine is effective in lowering BP and improving insulin sensitivity.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of moxonidine on endothelial dysfunction in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Hypopituitarism in older adults. The report of five cases with different presentations.

Patients with hypopituitarism may present with myriad signs and symptoms which result from reduced secretion of one or more pituitary hormones. Severe hyponatremia and hypoglycemia are rare, but potentially life threatening presenting clinical features of hypopituitarism. As these abnormalities are completely restored with replacement therapy and patients are often undiagnosed until admission, a high clinical suspicion is necessary to diagnose a patient with hypopituitarism.

Serum proinflammatory mediators at different periods of therapy in patients with multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignant disease characterized by the clonal proliferation of plasma cells within the bone marrow. Several cytokines have been demonstrated to be involved in the control of growth, progression, and dissemination of MM. We determined serum levels of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in 14 newly diagnosed MM patients.

Evaluation of endothelial function in subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism.

Subclinical hypothyroidism and subclinical hyperthyroidism are two frequently occurring conditions for which exact therapeutic approaches have not yet been established. The aim of this study was to compare the endothelial function and carotid artery intimae-media thickness (IMT) of these two groups of patients to euthyroid subjects and to assess the effects of these conditions on endothelial function. Study groups comprised of 25 subclinical hypothyroid patients (mean age, 32.