Cardiorenal biomarkers in acute heart failure

Managing patients with heart failure （HF） is a challenging task within itself, but the presence of associated worsening renal function can greatly increase mortality and morbidity. Early diagnosis and treatment is the key to prevent re-hospitalizations and reduce healthcare costs. Biomarkers have long been established as highly sensitive and specific tools in diagnosing and prognosticating patients with HF. Reflecting distinct pathophysiological events and ongoing cellular insult, biomarkers have been proven superior to conventional laboratory tests. Availability of better assays and rapid analysis has allowed the use of biomarkers as point-of-care tests in the emergency department and at the patient＇s bed-side. Acute HF patients often go on to develop worsening renal function, termed as acute cardiorenal syndrome. The growing breadth of studies has shown the implications of combining multiple biomarkers to better chart outcomes and produce desirable results in such patients.

Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome Complicated by Orchitis

Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a disease caused by viruses of the family Bunyaviridae,genus Hantavirus.HFRS from Dobrava virus (DOBV) is a seldom reported disease in Albania.Clinically HFRS is manifested as mild,moderate,or severe.Therefore,the number of cases of Hantavirus' infection may be underestimated,and should be included in the differential diagnosis of many acute infections,hematologic diseases,acute abdominal diseases and renal diseases complicated by acute renal failure.We report here an atypical presentation of HFRS from Dobrava virus complicated by orchitis with a positive outcome.

Sorafenib induced tumor lysis syndrome in an advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patient

A 55-year-old male patient with hepatitis B-related liver cirrhosis was found to have advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.His AFP was initially 9828μg/L and rapidly dropped to 5597μg/L in ten days after oral sorafenib treatment.However,he developed acute renal failure, hyperkalemia,and hyperuricemia 30 d after receiving the sorafenib treatment.Tumor lysis syndrome was suspected and intensive hemodialysis was performed. Despite intensive hemodialysis and other supportive therapy,he developed multiple organ failure(liver, renal,and respiratory failure)and metabolic acidosis. The patient expired 13 d after admission.

Hepatorenal syndrome

Hepatorenal syndrome(HRS) is defined as a functional renal failure in patients with liver disease with portal hypertension and it constitutes the climax of systemic circulatory changes associated with portal hypertension.This term refers to a precisely specified syndrome featuring in particular morphologically intact kidneys,where regulatory mechanisms have minimised glomerular filtration and maximised tubular resorption and urine concentration,which ultimately results in uraemia.The syndrome occurs almost exclusively in patients with ascites.Type 1 HRS develops as a consequence of a severe reduction of effective circulating volume due to both an extreme splanchnic arterial vasodilatation and a reduction of cardiac output.Type 2 HRS is characterised by a stable or slowly progressive renal failure so that its main clinical consequence is not acute renal failure,but refractory ascites,and its impact on prognosis is less negative.Liver transplantation is the most appropriate therapeutic method,nevertheless,only a few patients can receive it.The most suitable "bridge treatments" or treatment for patients ineligible for a liver transplant include terlipressin plus albumin.Terlipressin is at an initial dose of 0.5-1 mg every 4 h by intravenous bolus to 3 mg every 4 h in cases when there is no response.Renal function recovery can be achieved in less than 50% of patients and a considerable decrease in renal function may reoccur even in patients who have been responding to therapy over the short term.Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt plays only a marginal role in the treatment of HRS.

Prediction of nephrotoxicity induced by cisplatin combination chemotherapy in gastric cancer patients

AIM:To evaluate the treatment options for nephrotoxicity due to cisplatin combination chemotherapy.METHODS:We retrospectively reviewed patients who had received cisplatin combination chemotherapy for gastric cancer between January 2002 and December 2008.We investigated patients who had shown acute renal failure(ARF),and examined their clinical characteristics,laboratory data,use of preventive measures,treatment cycles,the amount of cisplatin administered,recovery period,subsequent treatments,and renal status between the recovered and unrecovered groups.RESULTS:Forty-one of the 552 patients had serum creatinine(SCR)levels greater than 1.5 mg/dL.We found that pre-ARF SCR,ARF SCR,and ARF glomerular filtration rates were significantly associated with renal status postARF between the two groups(P=0.008,0.026,0.026,respectively).On the receiver operating characteristic curve of these values,a 1.75 mg/dL ARF SCR value had 87.5%sensitivity and 84.8%specificity(P=0.011).CONCLUSION:Cessation or reduction of chemotherapy should be considered for patients who have an elevation of SCR levels during cisplatin combination chemotherapy.

Hepatic failure caused by plasma cell infiltration in multiple myeloma

Although plasma cell infiltration is not rare in autopsy of patients with multiple myeloma （MM）, it is very rarely detected in living patients. This is because MM rarely causes significant liver dysfunction that requires further evaluation. A 49-year-old man presented with acute renal failure and was diagnosed with kappa light chain MM stageⅡB. Thalidomide and dexamethasone were initiated. The patient developed a continuous increase in bilirubin that led to severe cholestasis. A liver biopsy revealed plasma cell infiltration. He then rapidly progressed to liver failure and died. Treatment options are limited in MM with significant liver dysfunction. Despite new drug therapies in MM, those patients with rapidly progressive liver failure appear to have a dismal outcome.

A population-based case-crossover study of polyethylene glycol use and acute renal failure risk in the elderly

AIM:To evaluate the possibility of an association between polyethylene glycol(PEG) and acute renal failure(ARF) in elderly patients using a health insurance claims database.METHODS:We conducted a population-based casecrossover study using information obtained from Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service(HIRA) claims from January 1,2005 to December 31,2005(Seoul,Korea).The study population consisted of elderly patients who received PEG prior to experiencing their first ARF-related hospitalization from April 1,2005 to December 31,2005.For each patient,one case and two control periods were matched.PEG use in a 2-or 4-wk window period prior to hospitalization for ARF was compared with PEG use in two earlier 2-or 4-wk control window periods.Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to estimate odds ratios(ORs) and 95% CI,adjusting for concomitant uses of diuretics,angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors,non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,antibiotics,anti-cancer drugs,and contrast media.RESULTS:Within the HIRA database which contained 1 093 262 elderly patients,1156 hospitalized ARF cases were identified.Among these cases,PEG was prescribed to 17(1.5%) patients before hospitalization.The adjusted ORs when applying the 2-and 4-wk window periods were 0.4(95% CI:0.03-5.24) and 2.1(95% CI:0.16-27.78),respectively.CONCLUSION:No increased risk of ARF was found in elderly PEG users.However,based on the limited number of study subjects,further analysis should be performed to confirm these results.

A retrospective study of continuous renal replacement therapy versus intermittent hemodialysis in severe acute renal failure

Objective To investigate the efficacy of continuous renal replacement therapy(CRRT)versus intermittent hemodialysis(IHD)in patients with severe acute renal failure(ARF).Methods One hundred and ninety -three severe ARF patients who received renal support between December 1978 and December 1998 were involved in this study.Of them,101(52.3%)were treated with CRRT(CRRT group),and 92(47.7%)with IHD(IHD group).Results Sixty(59.4%)patients in the CRRT group got through the acute phase of disease and 41 (40.6%)patients did not survive while in the IHD group 59(64.1%)patients survived and 33(35.9%)patients did not.No significant difference in survival rate was found between the two groups.24 of 64 patients(37.5%)in the CRRT group with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome(MODS)survived,while in the IHD group,8 out of 44(27.3%)survived,their survival rate was much lower than that in the CRRT group.Patients in CRRT group were more severely iii,as manifested by lower mean arterial pressure,higher APACHE Ⅱ score,more dysfunctioned organs and requiring mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support as compared with patients in the IHD group,CRRT was found to improve hemodynamic stability with a better fluid balance and control of biochemical status,increased nutritional intake and a shorter duration of acute renal failure(P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion CRRT perhaps may be the best choice in the treatment of severe ARF patients,for it can offer several distinct advantages compared to IHD.These may contribute to improving the survival rate of ARF patients,particularly those that are critically ill patients.

中国首例输入性裂谷热危重症病例的救治及随访

目的探讨我国首例输入性裂谷热危重症病例的救治。方法对本院收治的我国首例输入性裂谷热危重症病例的临床资料、诊疗经过及预后进行回顾性分析。结果本例裂谷热危重症患者为45岁男性,在非洲务工两年回国,当地无裂谷热疾病流行。主要临床表现为发热、头痛、周身肌肉酸痛,进行性尿量减少。实验室检查提示肝、肾功能重度损伤。入院第3天,经中国疾病预防控制中心报裂谷热病毒核酸阳性,其他病原核酸均为阴性,确诊为裂谷热。经持续血液净化、保肝、稳定细胞膜以及对症支持治疗后,患者尿量逐渐增加,肝肾功能逐渐恢复正常,痊愈出院。门诊随访半年,肝肾功能均正常,视力无异常。结论裂谷热作为一种人畜共患病,传入我国的风险逐渐增加。急性肾功能衰竭、急性肝功能损伤是危重症裂谷热的主要表现,经过积极治疗,病情可有效控制。

Postoperative mortality and morbidity in octogenarians and nonagenarians with hip fracture： an analysis of perioperative risk factors

Objective： To evaluate the role of high risk factors in octogenarians and nonagenarians with hip trauma, which may lead to excessive mortality and morbidity postoperatively. Methods： Fifty-four octogenarians and nonagenarians patients were enrolled in the study, receiving surgical repair of hip fracture in our hospital from January 2006 to January 2010. High risk factors were recorded preoperatively in detail. Complications and survival state were followed up by telephone for 2 years postoperatively. All the data were analyzed by Chi-square test with SPSS 13.0. Results： Twenty-six males （48.1%）, aged from 80 to 94 years with a mean age of 84.2 years, and twenty-eight females （51.9%）, aged from 80 to 95 years with a mean age of 83.4 years, were presented in the cohort study. The hip traumas were caused by daily slight injuries （52 cases） and car accidents （2 cases）, respectively. Twenty-eight patients （51.9%） with femoral neck fracture while 26 patients （48.1%） with intertrochanteric fracture were diagnosed through an anterior-posterior pelvic radiophotograph. In this series, 39 patients （72.2%） suffered from one or more comorbidities preoperatively. The morbidity was 48.1% and the major cause was urinary tract infection, while a significant difference was noted between females and males. The mortality was 20.4% with a predominant cause of acute renal failure. Conclusions： The gender should be considered as a critical high risk factor in octogenarians and nonagenarians with hip trauma postoperatively. Females are more likely to suffer complications postoperatively, which is especially obvious in senile patients over 80 years （P〈0.05）. Urinary tract infection is the most frequent complication after hip surgery, followed by low limb embolism and malnutrition. The mortality is dramatically greater in patients over 80 years old than those below, and major causes are acute renal failure, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome and mental deterioration. Multidisciplinary consultations and mental assessment are encouraged in patients over 80 years old after hip trauma and surgery. Hip fractures in octogenarians and nonagenarians deserve special attention because of their advanced age and comorbidities.