Nephrotic syndrome in a mother and her infant: relationship with cytomegalovirus infection.

This case report describes infantile nephrotic syndrome (NS) in a baby girl with a clinically severe cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Culture of the baby's urine was positive for CMV and IgM anti-CMV antibodies were detected. After an unsuccessful course of corticosteroids, gancyclovir treatment was started and a remission of cutaneous, pulmonary, and renal symptoms was achieved.

[Detection of herpes virus-like DNA in various forms of Kaposi's sarcoma but not in other mesenchymal tumors or inflammatory changes in skin].

Recently, herpes-virus like DNA sequences defining a new herpes virus termed human herpes virus 8 (HHV8), were detected in Kaposi's sarcoma of AIDS and non-AIDS patients. We describe the successful detection of HHV8 DNA in archival skin biopsies of the various forms of Kaposi's sarcoma. DNA was extracted from archival skin biopsies of Kaposi's sarcoma, other mesenchymal skin tumors and various inflammatory skin lesion of HIV seropositive and negative patients.

Immunotactoid-like glomerulopathy with massive fibrillary deposits in liver and bone marrow in monoclonal gammopathy.

At autopsy, massive nonamyloid fibrillar deposits, immunoreactive to IgG and kappa light chain, were found in glomeruli, liver, and bone marrow of a 72-year-old woman. The patient suffered from severe nephrotic syndrome, hepatomegaly and cholestasis, normochromic anemia, and IgG kappa monoclonal gammopathy. Fibrillary glomerulopathies, most often denoted as fibrillary glomerulonephritis or immunotactoid glomerulopathy, are generally considered to have deposits restricted to the glomeruli.

Longterm low dose cyclosporine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: renal function loss without structural nephropathy.

Objective: To investigate whether administration of low dose cyclosporine for 2 years induces structural changes in the kidneys of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: Renal biopsies were performed in 11 patients with RA who had been treated with cyclosporine [mean dose 3.3 mg/kg/day; mean maximum dose 4.

Nuclear p53 overexpression is an independent prognostic parameter in node-negative non-small cell lung carcinoma.

The prognosis of operated patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is poor despite thorough pre-operative staging. An improved preselection is needed of patients likely to profit from surgery. This study was undertaken to evaluate the prognostic significance of nuclear p53 overexpression in a cohort of 247 surgically treated patients with NSCLC.

Genetic aberrations detected by comparative genomic hybridization are associated with clinical outcome in renal cell carcinoma.

The clinical behavior of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cannot be predicted by histological and other markers. In this study, comparative genomic hybridization was used to evaluate whether the number of genomic aberrations has prognostic significance in 41 nonmetastatic clear cell RCC extending beyond the renal capsule. Losses were most prevalent at 3p (56%) and 9p and 13q (24% each).

Long-term ciclosporine A treatment in adults with minimal change nephrotic syndrome or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term ciclosporine A (CSA) treatment in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, we prospectively followed immunosuppressive therapy in 22 nephrotic adults for a median of 32 months (range 7-91 months) and obtained repeat renal biopsies. CSA induced complete remission in 60.0% and 14.

Heterogeneity of chromosome 17 and erbB-2 gene copy number in primary and metastatic bladder cancer.

To study the relationship of tumor genomic heterogeneity with bladder cancer phenotype and p53 gene alterations, 138 primary bladder tumors were examined by dual labeling fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using probes for chromosome 17 centromere (p17H8) and p53 (17p13.1). The number of different aneusomic populations > 5% (and monosomic populations > 20%) of cells served as a marker for heterogeneity.

Patterns of p53, erbB-2, and EGF-r expression in premalignant lesions of the urinary bladder.

Frequent recurrences and multicentricity of bladder cancer suggest that alterations of the urothelium distant from the tumor may be relevant to prognosis. In this study immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to examine expression of p53, erbB-2, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-r), genomic aberrations, and tumor cell proliferation (Ki67 LI) in normal and dysplastic urothelium. Biopsy specimens examined included normal urothelium (n = 40), mild dysplasia (n = 34), moderate dysplasia (n = 18) and carcinoma in situ (CIS; n = 20).

Cyclosporine associated lesions in native kidneys of diabetic pancreas transplant recipients.

Five years of normoglycemia following pancreas transplantation (PT) does not ameliorate glomerular lesions in patients with their own kidneys and with long-term insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) (Lancet 342:1193, 1993). All these patients received cyclosporine (CsA) as part of their immunosuppression. Here we examined the relationship of CsA dose and blood levels to the presence and severity of CsA-associated renal lesions and changes in renal function in these PT patients.

Y chromosome loss detected by FISH in bladder cancer.

To examine the significance of Y chromosome losses in bladder cancer, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to determine its prevalence and associations with known parameters of malignancy. Cells were dissociated from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded bladder tumors from 68 male patients and from 11 post-mortem bladder washes of male patients with a negative bladder cancer history, and were examined by FISH using centromeric probes for chromosomes X, Y, 7, 9, and 17. Nullisomy for chromosome Y was seen in 23 of 68 tumors (34%), monosomy in 28 of 68 tumors (41%), and polysomy in 17 of 68 tumors (25%).

[Alveolocapillary microaneurysm in p-ANCA positive microvasculitis (microform of panarteritis nodosa)].

In contrast to the panarteriitis nodosa macroform, the lung is frequently involved in p-ANCA-positive microvasculitis. Alveolar capillaritis, which may improve under immunosuppressive therapy, is a characteristic feature of this microvasculitis. We report on an 82-year-old patient who was admitted to the hospital because of severe hemoptysis due to microvasculitis.

c-myc copy number gains in bladder cancer detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Amplification and overexpression of c-myc have been suggested as prognostic markers in human cancer. To assess the role of c-myc gene copy number alterations in bladder cancer, 87 bladder tumors were examined for c-myc aberrations by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Dual labeling hybridization with a repetitive pericentromeric probe specific for chromosome 8 and a probe for the c-myc locus (at 8q24) was performed to analyze c-myc copy number in relation to chromosome 8 copy number on a cell by cell basis.

Chromosome-9 loss detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization in bladder cancer.

A loss of chromosome-9 material is one of the most frequent genomic aberrations known in bladder cancer. In order to better understand the role of chromosome-9 losses in bladder cancer, 125 formalin-fixed and 37 unfixed bladder tumors were examined using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). A repetitive probe for a pericentromeric region on 9q12 (pHUR98) was applied for chromosome-9 copy-number enumeration.

Ciclosporin-associated arteriolopathy: the renin producing vascular smooth muscle cells are more sensitive to ciclosporin toxicity.

The pathogenesis of ciclosporin (Cs) induced renal vasoconstriction and CS-associated arteriolopathy (CAA) has not been fully explained. CAA affects the part of the afferent arteriole where renin is most abundant, and an effect by Cs on the renin producing smooth muscle cells leading to necrosis has been suggested. Forty transplant biopsies with CAA of different degrees were compared with 10 transplant biopsies from Cs treated patients without CAA, and with 10 "zero-hour" control biopsies (taken from the donor kidney at implantation).

Ocular pathology in light chain deposition disease.

Light-chain deposition disease (LCDD), a rare form of monoclonal gammopathy, is characterized by deposits of amorphous light-chain material, mainly in the kidneys but also in various other organs. Here we present the first report of a light-, electron microscopic and immunohistochemical study of the globes of a patient suffering from LCDD secondary to multiple myeloma. Massive deposits of kappa light chains similar to those typically present in the kidneys were found beneath the basement membrane of the ciliary pigment epithelium, on vessels of the ciliary body, within the collagenous zones of Bruch's membrane, and in the innermost part of the choroid.

A randomized prospective trial of prophylactic immunosuppression with ATG-fresenius versus OKT3 after renal transplantation.

We carried out a randomized prospective trial to compare OKT3 (5 mg/d, 51 patients) with ATG-Fresenius (ATG-F, 4 mg/kg/d, 53 patients) for induction therapy after renal transplantation, concerning side effects, rejection, and infection incidence within a one year follow-up period. Concomitant immunosuppression included azathioprine/steroids from day 0 and cyclosporine A from day 4. OKT3 patients experienced significantly more and more-severe side effects, particularly pyrexia, headache, and pulmonary fluid overload.

Renal structure and function effects after low dose cyclosporine in psoriasis patients: a preliminary report.

Our studies on the treatment of psoriasis with cyclosporine A (CSA) have demonstrated efficacy at doses < 5 mg/kg/day. However, the nephrotoxicity of CSA at these low doses is not known and is the focus of this current study. Twenty-nine patients prospectively had pretherapy assessment of renal function including serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Ureteral amyloid deposits of beta 2-microglobulin origin in both kidney recipients of 1 donor.

We report on 2 renal transplant recipients with ureteral amyloid deposits, each of whom received 1 kidney from the same donor. Ureteral stenosis developed in both cases. Immunohistochemistry revealed beta 2-microglobulin derived AB amyloid within the stenotic parts of the ureters, which to our knowledge has not been described previously at that site.

Podocytes loose their adhesive phenotype in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

Podocytes in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) show injury and focal detachment from the glomerular basement membrane (GBM). We studied by immunofluorescence and light microscopy the distribution of components involved in the integrin mediated adhesion of podocytes to the GBM in one case of recurrent idiopathic FSGS which developed in a renal transplant. Two major integrin and actin distribution patterns were observed in podocytes depending on the stage of the disease.