Living donor liver transplantation with noninvasive ventilation for exertional heat stroke and severe rhabdomyolysis. (73/365)

A 16-year-old male with exertional heat stroke (EHS) had extensive hepatocellular damage, severe rhabdomyolysis, renal failure, and coma. Hemodiafiltration was started on day 2 and living donor liver transplantation was performed on day 3. He received continuous mechanical ventilation with intubation before and after the surgery. As his mental status improved, he could not tolerate intubation, and he was extubated on postoperative day (POD) 26. He received facial noninvasive positive pressure ventilation until POD 50. Hemodiafiltration was discontinued on POD 52. He was discharged on POD 67 and is currently well more than a year after transplantation. A literature search indicates that this patient is the first long-term survivor (>1 year) after liver transplantation for exertional heat stroke.  (+info)

Bezafibrate induced rhabdomyolysis. (74/365)

The case is presented of a 70 year old woman with mild hypercholesterolaemia and hypertension who was readmitted to hospital six months after a previous admission for angina pectoris. The patient was treated with verapamil, nifedipine, and aspirin, and had been receiving bezafibrate (400 mg every 12 hours) for the previous 40 days. Twenty four hours after admission she developed podagra, which was treated with indomethacin (100 mg daily). Eight days after admission myocardial infarction was suspected, and the next day she presented with symptoms of rhabdomyolysis, which was confirmed by laboratory tests. Bezafibrate was withdrawn and the patient became asymptomatic after seven days. It is recommended that doctors should be aware of the possibility of patients, especially those with impaired renal function, developing rhabdomyolysis while being treated with bezafibrate.  (+info)

Severe hypokalaemic paralysis and rhabdomyolysis due to ingestion of liquorice. (75/365)

Chronic ingestion of liquorice induces a syndrome with findings similar to those in primary hyperaldosteronism. We describe a patient who, with a plasma K+ of 1.8 mmol/l, showed a paralysis and severe rhabdomyolysis after the habitual consumption of natural liquorice. Liquorice has become widely available as a flavouring agent in foods and drugs. It is important for physicians to keep liquorice consumption in mind as a cause for hypokalaemic paralysis and rhabdomyolysis.  (+info)

Mast cell protease 5 mediates ischemia-reperfusion injury of mouse skeletal muscle. (76/365)

Ischemia with subsequent reperfusion (IR) injury is a significant clinical problem that occurs after physical and surgical trauma, myocardial infarction, and organ transplantation. IR injury of mouse skeletal muscle depends on the presence of both natural IgM and an intact C pathway. Disruption of the skeletal muscle architecture and permeability also requires mast cell (MC) participation, as revealed by the fact that IR injury is markedly reduced in c-kit defective, MC-deficient mouse strains. In this study, we sought to identify the pathobiologic MC products expressed in IR injury using transgenic mouse strains with normal MC development, except for the lack of a particular MC-derived mediator. Histologic analysis of skeletal muscle from BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice revealed a strong positive correlation (R(2) = 0.85) between the extent of IR injury and the level of MC degranulation. Linkage between C activation and MC degranulation was demonstrated in mice lacking C4, in which only limited MC degranulation and muscle injury were apparent. No reduction in injury was observed in transgenic mice lacking leukotriene C(4) synthase, hemopoietic PGD(2) synthase, N-deacetylase/N-sulfotransferase-2 (enzyme involved in heparin biosynthesis), or mouse MC protease (mMCP) 1. In contrast, muscle injury was significantly attenuated in mMCP-5-null mice. The MCs that reside in skeletal muscle contain abundant amounts of mMCP-5 which is the serine protease that is most similar in sequence to human MC chymase. We now report a cytotoxic activity associated with a MC-specific protease and demonstrate that mMCP-5 is critical for irreversible IR injury of skeletal muscle.  (+info)

The safety of rosuvastatin as used in common clinical practice: a postmarketing analysis. (77/365)

BACKGROUND: Statins are currently the mainstay of dyslipidemia management for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Controversial concerns about the safety of the newly marketed statin rosuvastatin have been raised on the basis of premarketing studies and a few postmarketing reports. METHODS AND RESULTS: We reviewed rosuvastatin-associated adverse events reported to the US Food and Drug Administration over its first year of marketing. On the basis of prescription data obtained from IMS Health, rates of adverse event reports (AERs) per million prescriptions were calculated. Rates of rosuvastatin-associated AERs over its first year of marketing were compared with those seen with atorvastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin over the concurrent timeframe and during their respective first years of marketing. Comparison was also made to the first year of marketing of cerivastatin. The primary analysis examined the composite end point of AERs of rhabdomyolysis, proteinuria, nephropathy, or renal failure. With either timeframe comparison, rosuvastatin was significantly more likely to be associated with the composite end point of rhabdomyolysis, proteinuria, nephropathy, or renal failure AERs. Reported cases of rhabdomyolysis, proteinuria, or renal failure tended to occur early after the initiation of therapy and at relatively modest doses of rosuvastatin. The increased rate of rosuvastatin-associated AERs relative to other widely used statins was also observed in secondary analyses when other categories of AERs were examined, including adverse events with serious outcomes, liver toxicity, and muscle toxicity without rhabdomyolysis. CONCLUSIONS: The present analysis supports concerns about the relative safety of rosuvastatin at the range of doses used in common clinical practice in the general population.  (+info)

A case of rhabdomyolysis associated with thyrotoxicosis. (78/365)

Rhabdomyolysis is found to be associated with trauma; alcohol; drugs; viral infections, such as HIV, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus and influenza; metabolic disorders; dermatomyositis; polymyositis; and hypothyroidism. Few cases of rhabdomyolysis associated with thyrotoxicosis have been reported. A patient who presented with delirium to the emergency department and was diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis and rhabdomyolysis is hereby presented.  (+info)

Hypokalemic rhabdomyolysis due to WDHA syndrome caused by VIP-producing composite pheochromocytoma: a case in neurofibromatosis type 1. (79/365)

A 47-year-old woman with neurofibromatosis type 1 suffered from general muscle weakness and watery diarrhea. Laboratory findings showed elevated muscular enzymes, severe hypokalemia and excessive production of catecholamines and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). A computed tomography scan showed a 10 cm left adrenal mass, in which [(131)I]-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy showed high uptake. After she underwent surgical removal of the tumor, all the symptoms and signs subsided. A histological study revealed that the mass consisted of pheochromocytoma and ganglioneuroma, respectively producing catecholamines and VIP. In immunohistochemical staining of neurofibromin, pheochromocytoma and ganglion cells showed positive staining, whereas the staining was negative for nerve bundles and Schwann cells. We concluded that the patient had hypokalemic rhabdomyolysis due to watery diarrhea, hypokalemia and achlorhydria (WDHA) syndrome, which was induced by a VIP-producing composite pheochromocytoma. Composite pheochromocytoma is a neuroendocrine tumor that is composed of pheochromocytoma and ganglioneuroma, both derived from the neural crest. Deficiency of neurofibromin in Schwann cells might have played an important role in the development and the growth of the composite pheochromocytoma in this patient.  (+info)

An unusual presentation of baclofen overdose. (80/365)

Baclofen has become increasingly popular in the treatment of spasticity disorders. Its availability for misuse has also increased. We report a case of baclofen overdose in a 20-year-old man, who manifested atypical symptoms of baclofen overdose--that is, delirium and rhabdomyolysis. He was treated successfully with full supportive management, and was discharged from the hospital on the 12th day following admission. If a past medication history is not immediately available, baclofen overdose should be included in the differential diagnosis of an acutely confused patient complicated with rhabdomyolysis, as routine toxicology screening does not include baclofen.  (+info)