Pentoxifylline protects against loss of function and renal interstitial fibrosis in chronic experimental partial ureteral obstruction.

Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease resulting from diverse etiologies and predicts severity and progression of the kidney disease. To investigate the pathogenesis of TIF, complete unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) is the most widely used animal model. However, UUO precludes evaluation of renal function.

Primary Pulmonary Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review.

BACKGROUND Primary pulmonary diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is extremely rare neoplasm representing only 0.5-1% of primary pulmonary malignancies. These patients usually have non-specific clinical presentation and radiological findings.

Limited Fibrosis Progression but Significant Mortality in Patients Ineligible for Interferon-Based Hepatitis C Therapy.

Background: Individuals ineligible for interferon-based hepatitis C therapy may have a worse prognosis than patients who have failed or not received treatment.

Aims: To provide information about the limitations of medical treatment of hepatitis C in real-world patients.

Methods: We studied 969 treatment-ineligible patients and 403 treated patients enrolled between 1/1/01 and 6/30/06; data were collected until 3/31/13.

Impact of glycemic control on colonoscopy outcomes: bowel preparation and polyp detection.

Background: The negative effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on the colonoscopy preparation has been previously established. Metabolic syndrome has been shown to increase risk for malignancy and possibly for premalignant lesions. This study aimed to investigate the impact of DM control on colonoscopy outcomes including bowel preparation and adenoma detection rate (ADR).

Triad of iron deficiency anemia, severe thrombocytopenia and menorrhagia-a case report and literature review.

Introduction: Thrombocytosis is a common disorder in patients diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia. The decreased platelet counts commonly found iron deficiency anemia is rarely reported in clinical practice. The exact mechanism of the occurrence of thrombocytopenia in iron deficiency anemia remains unclear.

Toward a new definition of 'refugee': is the 1951 convention out of date?

Definitions, by necessity, may change or need to be changed to accommodate situations that arise. The United Nations recognized that the emergence of new refugee situations required changes in the Convention. These changes were codified in the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

Percutaneous microdiscectomy versus epidural injection for management of chronic spinal pain.

In this study we present the efficacy of aspiration of disc material employing the Stryker Disc Dekompressor during percutaneous microdiscectomy for the treatment of chronic spinal and radicular pain due to contained lumber disc herniation and compare the short-term outcome in such patients with those who received lumber epidural injection. A total of 50 patients with chronic lumber discogenic pain and radiculopathy were enrolled in this study and were randomized into two groups. Group 1 (n=26) underwent first time, single-level lumber discectomy at either L3-4, L4-5, or L5-S1 using the Stryker Disc Dekompressor for aspiration of disc material and Group 2 (n=24) received epidural steroid/local anesthetic injection.

Efficacy of postoperative continuous wound infiltration with local anesthetic after major abdominal surgery.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy, safety, opioid sparing effects and improvement of respiratory function when using 0.2% ropivacaine continuous wound infiltration after major intra-abdominal surgery. Forty patients undergoing major intra-abdominal surgery requiring a midline incision of > or = 20 cm were enrolled into this IRB-approved, randomized, prospective controlled study.

International Disaster Response Law: an introduction.

Objective: To review the current state of International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) and identify barriers to development and future directions.

Design: This study is an introduction to the current status of IDRL.

Conclusions: The data suggest that globally we will have increasing incidents and costs in responding to disasters, but the development of IDRL has not kept pace.

Multiagent induction and maintenance therapy for patients with refractory immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

Patients with severe immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) may require an acute increase in the platelet count for surgery or ongoing hemorrhage as well as long-term maintenance treatment. Certain of these patients may be refractory to steroids, intravenous anti-D, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and splenectomy. Therefore, acute platelet increases were studied in 35 patients completely unresponsive to IVIG or high-dose steroid treatment.

Roles of adipose tissue-derived factors in obesity.

Discoveries of factors involved in energy metabolism from "adipose tissue" have defined it as an "endocrine organ." Examples of adipose tissue-derived factors are listed and briefly described. Factors involved in obesity are described in detail.

Calcium-sensing receptor gene polymorphism Arg990Gly and its possible effect on response to cinacalcet HCl.

Cinacalcet, a novel calcimimetic compound, is effective in reducing parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in approximately 70% of patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism. However, interindividual variations in the dose required to achieve the treatment goal have been noted in clinical studies. Our investigation examined the genetic polymorphisms of the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) gene as one possible cause of the different responses to cinacalcet.

Congenital adrenal hypoplasia and male pseudohermaphroditism due to DAX1 mutation, SF1 mutation or neither: a patient report.

A 15 year-old African American phenotypic female with congenital adrenal hypoplasia and intra-abdominal testes is described; she received cortisone acetate, 9alpha-Florinef, Premarin and Provera for maintenance therapy. Evaluation for DAX1, SF1 mutations using Southern blotting, PCR, PCR amplification, coding sequences, and splice site analyses have not detected any genetic abnormalities. While only 30% of the reported DAX1 mutation defects have been identified by a variety of genetic laboratory techniques, it remains probable that this unusual patient has either a DAX1 or SF1 mutation defect.

Monozygotic twins with congenital adrenal hyperplasia: long-term endocrine evaluation and gene analysis.

Monozygotic female twins with congenital adrenal hyperplasia due to 21-hydroxylase deficiency are described and evaluated over the first 6 years of life. Despite appropriate steroids, NaCl, and fludrocortisone therapies, there was significant fluctuation in the suppression of adrenal steroid secretion. Advanced bone maturation in both was noted.

Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty for sleep apnea in mentally retarded obese 14-year-old: an anaesthetic challenge.

Anaesthetic management of patients with obstructive sleep apnea for upper airway surgery has always been a challenging task. We report our anaesthetic approach for a young, mentally retarded obese patient with documented obstructive sleep apnea undergoing uvulopalatopharyngoplasty. The therapeutic intervention before, during and after operation is discussed.

Familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia: a rare example of albumin polymorphism and its rapid molecular diagnosis.

Familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia (FDH) is the most common cause of euthyroid hyperthyroxinemia, although a rare example of albumin polymorphism. FDH is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and is characterized by enhanced binding of thyroxine to a mutant form of albumin, probably at Site 1, subdomain 11A. Previous laboratory tests of FDH have been cumbersome, rarely available, and required demonstration of anti-albumin precipitable T4, isoelectric focusing of serum for albumin in presence of labeled T4 and, occasionally, comparison of the concentrations of metabolites of T4 that have different binding affinities to the abnormal albumin.

Transient neonatal diabetes mellitus, type 4, type 1 diabetes mellitus, or MODY: which disease is it, anyway?

A 30year-old Hispanic male who presented with transient neonatal diabetes mellitus at 4 months has been intensively studied with 12 islet-cell secretagogues from 4 months to 24 years. He was both ICA- and GAD-65-negative, but at 28 years was diagnosed with hypothyroidism due to positive thyroperoxidase antibodies. The course of his disease(s) and the various presentations of hyperglycemia are documented and illustrated by the responses in islet cell hormone secretion, namely, insulin, glucagon, and C-peptide.

Pheochromocytoma: clinical observations from a Brooklyn tertiary hospital.

Objective: To report eight cases of pheochromocytoma, diagnosed and treated at our tertiary hospital during a 42-month period.

Methods: We review clinical manifestations as well as historical and family data. Biochemical and radiologic methods for diagnosis and tumor localization at our institution were compared with methods at other teaching centers.

Human recombinant DNA insulin-induced lipoatrophy in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Objective: To present the first case of lipoatrophy occurring in a patient with type 2 diabetes mellitus who was treated with human recombinant DNA (rDNA)-derived insulin as her only exposure to exogenous insulin.

Methods: We describe the clinical findings in a 47-year-old woman with lipoatrophy after injection of human rDNA insulin for type 2 diabetes, and we review the related literature.

Results: Although a few case reports have documented lipoatrophy in patients with type 1 diabetes treated with human insulin, to our knowledge no previous reports have described patients with type 2 diabetes in whom lipoatrophy developed after injection of human rDNA insulin.

Continuous thoracic epidural anesthesia with 0.2% ropivacaine versus general anesthesia for perioperative management of modified radical mastectomy.

We evaluated in this prospective study the effectiveness of continuous thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) and postoperative analgesia with ropivacaine and compared it with general anesthesia (GA) and opioids for pain relief, side effects, postanesthesia recovery, and hospital discharge after modified radical mastectomy. Sixty ASA physical status II and III patients undergoing mastectomy were randomly assigned to two study groups of 30 patients each. In the TEA group, an epidural catheter was inserted at T6-7, and 5--10 mL of 0.