Extragonadal germ cell tumor presenting in a woman with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case report.

Introduction: Germ cell tumor of the pituitary gland is a very rare occurrence.

Case Presentation: We describe the case of a 28-year-old Malaysian Malay woman with lupus nephritis who complained of a three month headache and blurring of vision. She was found to have a pituitary mass, which was later proven to be a germ cell tumor.

Intravenous calcitriol versus paricalcitol in haemodialysis patients with severe secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Aim: Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is common among haemodialysis patients. Intensive treatment with calcitriol is often complicated by hypercalcaemia, hyperphosphataemia and elevated calcium phosphorus (Ca X PO(4)) product. Paricalcitol is a vitamin D analogue developed to overcome some of the limitations of calcitriol therapy.

A comparison of calcium, calcitriol, and alendronate in corticosteroid-treated premenopausal patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Objective: To assess bone mineral density (BMD) changes in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) undergoing longterm therapy with corticosteroids (CS) while taking calcium, calcitriol, or alendronate. The primary endpoint was BMD changes at 2 years.

Methods: Premenopausal SLE patients were randomized into 3 groups according to medication: calcium carbonate 500 mg bd (calcium alone), calcitriol 0.

Serum IL-6 and IL-1-ra with sequential organ failure assessment scores in septic patients receiving high-volume haemofiltration and continuous venovenous haemofiltration.

Aim: Sepsis is characterized by an uncontrolled release of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators leading to immunoparalysis, cellular and humoral dysfunction, multiorgan dysfunction and death. This study evaluated the efficacy of high-volume haemofiltration (HVHF) compared with continuous venovenous haemofiltration (CVVH) in removing these inflammatory mediators. Clinical responses were assessed with the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score.