Complete remission induced by tacrolimus and low-dose prednisolone in adult minimal change nephrotic syndrome: A pilot study

BACKGROUND: Few clinical trials have examined the replacement of steroids with other immunosuppressive drugs as a primary treatment modality for minimal change disease (MCD) in adults. We studied the efficacy of tacrolimus to induce complete remission (CR) in adults with MCD. METHODS: We enrolled 14 adults with MCD and nephrotic-range proteinuria. All patients were treated with oral tacrolimus 0.05mg/kg twice daily and prednisolone 0.5mg/kg/day. CR was defined as a urine protein to creatinine ratio of<0.2g protein/g creatinine (g/g cr). The primary outcome was cumulative percentage of CR during 16 weeks. RESULTS: The mean urine protein to creatinine ratio at enrollment was 10.9g/g cr (range: 4.2-18.1g/g cr). The trough tacrolimus level was maintained at 5.99+/-2.63ng/mL. CR was achieved by 13/14 (92.8%) patients within 8 weeks. The cumulative CR rate was 7.7% (1/14), 64.2% (9/14), 71.3% (10/14), and 92.9% (13/14) at 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks, respectively. The one remaining patient achieved CR at 20 weeks after treatment, who was followed up for a further 4 weeks. The mean time to achieve CR in the 14 patients was 4.64+/-5.11 (1-20) weeks. Three cases suffered adverse events of abdominal pain, diarrhea, or new-onset diabetes mellitus. CONCLUSION: Tacrolimus and low-dose prednisolone therapy induced CR rapidly (71.3% by 4 weeks and 100% by 20 weeks) and effectively in adult patients with MCD.

Biliary-duodenal Fistula Following Radiofrequency Ablation Therapy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma / 대한소화기학회지

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant neoplasms occuring worldwide. Surgical resection currently provides the best chance of long-term tumor free survival, but the most HCCs are not candidates for surgical excision due to poor liver function or poor medical background. Numerous noninvasive alternatives to surgical resection have been introduced to treat liver cancers. Radiofrequency thermal ablation has begun to receive much attention as an effective and minimally invasive technique for the local control of HCC. The biliary system related complications after radiofrequency ablation has rarely been reported. We report a case of biliary-duodenal fistula with liver abscess after radiofrequency ablation for HCC. The case was treated by abscess drainage and antibiotics.