Stauffer's syndrome as a prominent manifestation of renal cancer: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Renal cell carcinoma is associated with a wide spectrum of para-neoplastic syndromes, which may be precursors of primary or recurrent disease. Non-metastatic hepatic dysfunction in patients suffering from renal cell carcinoma is known as Stauffer's syndrome. It is associated with the production of cytokines by the tumour, and several biochemical abnormalities, including elevated serum alkaline phosphatase. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 36-year-old woman presenting with various non-specific, systemic disease manifestations, and elevated liver enzymes due to cholestasis as the main laboratory abnormality. Imaging studies showed a solid mass in the left kidney, which, after surgical excision, was identified as renal cell carcinoma. No metastasis was found. CONCLUSION: Stauffer syndrome may precede other manifestations of renal cell carcinoma. In case of unexplained abnormal liver function, particularly in presence of systemic symptoms, underlying renal cell carcinoma should be excluded by focused investigations.

The association between glycemia and endothelial function in nondiabetic individuals: the importance of body weight.

The aim of this study was to examine the association between glycemia and markers of early atherosclerosis in healthy nondiabetic individuals. In 309 individuals without diabetes or symptomatic cardiovascular disease, we assessed long-term glycemia by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and endothelial function by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) in the brachial artery. HbA1c was negatively associated with FMD (r = -0.162, P = 0.004). Multivariate linear regression analysis after adjusting for common risk factors of cardiovascular disease showed that BMI was an effect modifier of the association between HbA1c and FMD (P = 0.034 for the HbA1c x BMI interaction). We stratified the FMD outcome data into two groups separated by the median BMI (group 1: BMI < or = 26.1 kg/m(2) and group 2: BMI > 26.1 kg/m(2)). In the lower BMI group, HbA1c was an independent predictor of FMD even when adjusted for confounding factors associated with impaired glucose metabolism (r = -0.215, P = 0.009), but in the higher BMI group HbA1c was not associated with FMD (r = -0.051, P = 0.5). In a nondiabetic population, long-term glycemia was associated with endothelial dysfunction only in lean individuals. In the overweight individuals, this association was not apparent, possibly because some of the mechanisms that mediate the effect of glycemia on vascular function are shared by obesity.

Tuberculosis in patients with systemic rheumatic or pulmonary diseases treated with glucocorticosteroids and the preventive role of isoniazid: a review of the available evidence.

Development of tuberculosis (TB) is a concern in patients who receive glucocorticosteroids for the treatment of chronic rheumatic or pulmonary diseases. However, the incidence of development of TB in such patients and the prophylactic role of isoniazid (INH) are unclear. We evaluated the available evidence from 20 relevant prospective and retrospective cohort and case-control studies identified in the PubMed and Cochrane databases. The frequency of development of TB in the populations studied varied from 0% to 13.8%. This figure was low in studies performed in countries with a low incidence of TB (0% in the USA and Greece, 0.6% in France and 1.35% in Spain). In contrast, the frequency of development of TB in the studied cohorts was high in studies performed in countries with a moderate to high incidence of TB (from 2.5% in South Korea to 13.8% in The Philippines). Isoniazid prophylaxis (INHP) was found to decrease the incidence of development of TB in two of four studies that examined this intervention. The available evidence suggests that patients who receive steroids for the treatment of chronic rheumatic or pulmonary diseases and who live in countries with a high incidence of TB have a high risk of development of TB in contrast to patients who live in countries with a low incidence of the infection. However, the role of INHP even for patients living in countries where TB is endemic is unclear because the effectiveness of INH in preventing TB development in such patients is not well established and there are cost-effectiveness and safety issues.

Long-term prognostic role of flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery after acute coronary syndromes without ST elevation.

Coronary endothelial vasodilator dysfunction is associated with increased cardiac events; the close relation between coronary vasomotor dysfunction and brachial artery vasoreactivity has been previously described. This study assessed the prognostic value of noninvasively assessed brachial artery vasoreactivity in survivors of acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation. We examined 98 men (63.1 +/- 10.8 years) who were referred to our hospital for acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation. Brachial artery endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and endothelium-independent nitrate-mediated dilation were examined in all patients using high-resolution echocardiographic Doppler ultrasound within 24 hours of admission. Plasma malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, and left ventricular ejection fraction were also assessed. Twenty-seven patients underwent coronary revascularization. Patients were followed for 24.8 +/- 5.9 months. Cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and unstable angina were designated as cardiovascular events (CEs). Twenty CEs were recorded. Kaplan-Meyer analysis showed that patients with FMD <1.9% (tertile 1 of FMD values) were more likely to have CEs than those with FMD >1.9% (log rank 5.29, p = 0.021). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that FMD <1.9% predicted CEs with an adjusted hazard ratio of 3.035 (95% confidence interval 1.148 to 8.023, p = 0.025) after adjustment for age, risk factors, troponin T, ejection fraction, revascularization procedures, number of diseased vessels, and medication. In conclusion, endothelium-dependent dilation of the brachial artery is a strong independent predictor of adverse outcome in survivors of acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation.