Tacrolimus as the first-line agent in adult-onset minimal change disease: A randomized controlled study.

Steroids have been the cornerstone of first-line therapy in adult-onset minimal change disease (MCD). The period of exposure to high dose steroids may be longer in adult MCD patients and would result in higher rates of steroid-related side effects. Although tacrolimus (TAC) is known to be effective in steroid-dependent/resistant MCD as well as in nephrotic syndrome due to other causes, there are minimal data available for assessing the effectiveness of TAC as the first-line agent in adult MCD. This is a prospective, open-label, randomized controlled study conducted from April 2014 to March 2016. Patients were randomized into two groups A and B which received TAC for 12 months and oral steroids for six months, respectively. Primary outcomes were remission rates, drug resistance was measured at 6, 12,and 18 months in each group and secondary outcomes were relapse rates, sustained remission rates, dependency, and adverse effects were measured at 18 months in both groups. At six months, total response (TR, i.e., complete and partial remission) was achieved in 80% in the TAC group and 78.26% in the steroid group (P = 1.000). At 12 months, TR was 60% in the TAC group and 43.48% in the steroid group (P = 0.386). At 18 months, TR rate was 44% in the TAC group and 43.48% in the steroid group (P = 1.000). About 32% in the TAC group and 39.13% in steroid group had relapsed by 18 months. Serious adverse effects were similar in the two groups, but overall adverse effects were more in the steroid group. TAC as a primary agent is not inferior to steroids in inducing remission. TAC may be considered as an alternative agent to steroid in high-risk groups such as elderly patients, uncontrolled diabetes and young females as a primary agent in the management of adult MCD.

Spectrum of renal allograft biopsy: A five-year experience at a tertiary care center of Eastern India.

Renal allograft dysfunction (RAD) can have myriad causes and presentations. Allograft biopsy remains the gold standard for optimum management. This is a retrospective study carried out at a tertiary care institute from August 2011 to March 2016. Details of the renal allograft biopsy requisitions were recorded and analyzed. Two hundred and two patients had undergone kidney transplantation (KT) during the study period. One hundred and twenty-six had undergone renal biopsy for RAD. The acute asymptomatic rise of serum creatinine was the most common clinical presentation (47.61%) followed by chronic RAD (CRAD) (19.84%), proteinuria (15.87%), immediate graft dysfunction (10.31%), and persistent active urinary sediments (6.34%) in that order. The incidence of delayed graft function was 1.98%. The overall incidence of biopsy-proven rejection was 8.41% within oneyear and 8.91% beyond oneyear of transplant. Acute cellular rejection (ACR) [with or without antibody-mediated rejection (AMR)] was found in 65%; AMR was found in 40% and 15% had both ACR and AMR. Borderline acute cell-mediated rejection was found in 22.5% of biopsies. CRAD was due to chronic rejection and chronic calcineurin inhibitor toxicity in only about one-fourth of the cases. Incidence of glomerulo-nephritis was 10.89% and most of these occurred two years after KT. Renal allograft biopsy was associated with minor complications in 3.17% of cases. Clinical presentations do not reliably distinguish the various causes of RAD. Allograft biopsy is a mainstay in the diagnosis of RAD and is safe. Results of live donor first transplantation using complement-dependent cytotoxi-city crossmatch are comparable to those programs using newer methods like solid-phase assays. However, the direct comparison of these results with other studies may not be completely applicable.

Post renal transplant pure red cell aplasia-is tacrolimus a culprit?

Anemia is not uncommon in the post-renal transplant period and has been reported in up to 40% of renal transplant recipients. It is commonly due to drugs and infections. While post-transplantation anemia is usually due to graft dysfunction and drugs such as mycophenolate and cotrimoxazole, tacrolimus is an uncommon cause. Tacrolimus is usually not believed to be significantly myelosuppressive, but it can cause anemia due to thrombotic microangiopathy. A literature review shows a very small number of reported cases of pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) where tacrolimus seemed to be a causative agent. We report a case series of three renal transplant recipients who were on tacrolimus and presented with chronic transfusion requiring anemia due to PRCA.

Association of carotid plaque echogenicity with recurrence of ischemic stroke.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis is related to various cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events like cerebral infarction. Recurrence of ischemic stroke is specifically related to atherosclerotic load as determined by the presence of carotid atheromatous plaques and its echogenicity. AIM: This study was to evaluate the association of recurrence of stroke with echogenic characteristics of carotid plaque in ischemic stroke patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Carotid sonography using high-resolution 7.5 MHz along with gray-scale technique was done in each ischemic stroke patient to find the occurrence of plaque and its echogenicity according to Mannheim Carotid Intima-Media Thickness Consensus (2004-2006). Followup of patient done to know the recurrence of stroke during 6-month duration and its association with plaque echogenicity. RESULTS: A significant association found between the presence of plaque and known cerebrovascular risk factors. Also significant association found between recurrence of stroke and echolucent character of carotid plaque in bivariate analysis (P = 0.0028). CONCLUSIONS: Recurrence of stroke is related to advanced stage of atherosclerosis that is specified by carotid plaque and its characteristics. It will help us to identify groups of patients at different risk for stroke and planning better strategies to prevent such events.