Successful remission of ulcerative colitis flare-up during pregnancy with adsorptive granulomonocytapheresis plus tacrolimus

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is 1 of the 2 major phenotypes of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which afflicts millions of individuals throughout the world with debilitating symptoms that impair function and quality of life. Further, IBD often affects women during childbearing age. Indeed, UC activity frequently increases during pregnancy, and the medications used to induce remission may adversely affect the health of the mother and the unborn child. We report successful induction of a remission in a UC case who experienced a flare-up in the first trimester of pregnancy. Upon relapse, she was treated with steroids and adsorptive granulomonocytapheresis (GMA) with the Adacolumn plus tacrolimus. This combination therapy induced a stable remission that was maintained during her entire pregnancy. She gave birth to a healthy child at 36 weeks of pregnancy with no maternal or fetal complications. Our experience indicates that GMA, as a non-drug therapeutic intervention with a favorable safety profile, plus tacrolimus might be a relevant treatment option for patients with active IBD during pregnancy. A future study of a large cohort of pregnant patients should strengthen our findings.

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms of three early cancer lesions: a case report / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Multiple primary malignant neoplasms (MPMNs) are rarely reported and it is important to give early diagnosis and proper therapy for these patients. Here reported a case of 62-year-old man with concomitant three early stage cancer lesions in upper gastrointestinal tract, all of which were detected by endoscopy. The first one was an IIc-type lesion at angular part of stomach under endoscopy, which was histologically confirmed to be a mucosal well-differentiated adenocarcinoma. The patient underwent a standard radical gastrectomy for the lesion after the failure of endoscopic treatment. The other two neoplasms were observed during follow-up and were indicated as early stage lesions by synthesizing information from endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, computed tomography and biopsy. One displayed as a hyperemic patch (3 cm×4 cm in size) located at the part of esophagus 27 cm away from the incisor teeth and was proved to be moderately differentiated squamous cancer by histopathological examination. The other was an IIc-type lesion (3.0 cm×3.5 cm in size) located at the part of esophagus 36 cm away from the incisor teeth, and the biopsy result showed a poorly differentiated squamous carcinoma. Both the two lesions were treated with radical radiation because the patient refused surgery management. No recurrence of former lesions or occurrence of novel lesions were observed during post-treatment follow-up, suggesting radical radiation might be effective for this patient.

A Case Complicated with Collagen Disease Related with SLE during Hemodialysis / 日本農村医学会雑誌

A 60-year-old man who developed a nephrotic syndrome underwent a renal biopsy, and the case was diagnosed as membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN). Despite chemotherapy using steroid, immunosuppresive and anticoagulant drugs, the patient exhibited persistently high urinary protein levels (above 8 g/day), and the renal function deteriorated gradually.<BR>One and half years later, hemodialysis was started, but soon he had a high fever (above 38-40°C). Laboratory data revealed high levels of both antinuclear antibody titer and immune complex (IC) titer, and a low level of CH50.<BR>Considering an active collagen disease like SLE, steroid pulse therapy and plasma exchange were instituted. The therapy was very effective this time.<BR>It is well known that many patients with SLE and a long term history of hemodialysis develop a condition of so called “burn out” in which the activity of SLE declined to allow the withdrawal of steroid therapy. Also well known is the developement of hypocomplementemia in many patients with MPGN.<BR>In our case, it was difficult to clarify what caused the high fever and other clinical symptoms. We must carefully observe the clinical symptoms of SLE.