Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is a rare cause of acute nephritis. Six children (2 girls) aged 5-10 years, admitted for nephritis, had serological tests showing recent Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. The diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was based on the presence of serum IgM, detected either by immunofluorescence (IF) (n = 1) or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (n = 5). Four children had a renal biopsy, with analysis of parenchymal Mycoplasma pneumoniae components by indirect IF and polymerase chain reaction. Extrarenal symptoms were: respiratory (n = 3), ear, nose and throat (n = 2), gastrointestinal (n = 3), hepatic (n = 1), neurological (n = 1), articular (n = 1), and hematological (n = 3). The patients presented with acute nephritis (1 had a nephrotic syndrome) or with acute renal failure and proteinuria. Pathological findings included type 1 membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN, n = 1), proliferative endocapillary glomerulonephritis (n = 2) and minimal change disease (n = 1). The patient with type 1 MPGN progressed rapidly towards end-stage renal failure because of a congenital solitary kidney. Among the patients with endocapillary glomerulonephritis, 1 relapsed 6 months later and remained proteinuric, while the other recovered, as did the child with minimal change disease. The search for Mycoplasma pneumoniae antigens and nucleic acids in renal tissue was negative. However, the absence of the microorganism in the kidney is a common feature of post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. We conclude that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a rare yet potential cause of acute glomerulonephritis.

The present study compares the outcome of 40 children (39%) transplanted without prior dialysis, i.e., preemptive transplantation (PET), with 63 children (61%) transplanted after a variable duration of dialysis, i.e., pretransplantation dialysis (PTD). The two groups were matched for recipient and donor age and for immunological risk factors. There was no statistical difference in the time to first acute rejection episode nor in the number of acute rejection episodes during the 1st year after renal transplantation. In the PET group, 78% of the recipients received blood transfusion versus 92.5% in the PTD group (P < 0.05), and the average number of blood units per patient was 3.2 and 7.8, respectively (P < 0.05). Arterial hypertension was found in 55% of the patients in the PET group versus 73% in the PTD group (P < 0.05). The number of functioning grafts at the end of the study period was 87.5% in the PET group and 73% in the PTD group (NS). The major cause of graft failure was vascular thrombosis in the PET group (3/5) and chronic allograft rejection in the PTD group (10/17). In the PET group, the actuarial graft survival rate was 100%, 84%, 81%, and 76% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, which was not statistically different from the PTD group at 1, 3, and 5 years (98%, 91%, and 73%, respectively) but there was a significantly lower graft survival (59%) after 7 years in the PTD (P < 0.05). The 7-year actuarial patient survival rate was 97% in the PET group and 90% in the PTD group (NS). In the PTD group, children on dialysis for less than 1 year (group 1, n = 25) were compared with those on dialysis for more than 1 year (group 2, n = 38). Arterial hypertension was noted in 40% of patients from group 1 and 65% from group 2 (P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in graft loss rate. In conclusion, these results confirm PET as the preferred approach rather than PTD in children who need renal replacement therapy.

Alterations in peripheral nerves are well documented in overt myxedema but not in subclinical hypothyroidism. We performed electrophysiologic studies to investigate such abnormalities in patients with normal serum total T4 and hyperresponsiveness of TSH to TRH, either with normal or high levels of basal circulating TSH. Subjects were divided in three groups: (i) Hypothyroidism Stage I (group () (n = 17, mean age = 39 +/- 34 years), T4 = 9 +/- 0.7 micrograms/dL, TSH = 4.3 +/- 0.4 microU/mL, sTSH post-TRH (peak value) = 37.6 +/- 1.6 microU/mL; (ii) Hypothyroidism Stage II (group II) (n = 10, mean age: 43 +/- 6 years), T4 = 7.7 +/- 0.8 microgram/dL, TSH = 20 +/- 5 microU/mL, TSH post-TRH > 50 microU/mL; (iii) Control Group (n = 20, mean age 41 +/- 5 years), healthy subjects. All patients and controls were women. TRH test consisted in the i.v. injection of 200 micrograms TRH (normal peak value up to 25 microU/mL, normal basal TSH < 5.5 microU/mL. None of the patients had carpal tunnel syndrome or any other neurological or metabolic disturbances. We studied the distal motor latencies, motor and sensory amplitudes, and nerve conduction velocities. The motor parameters were measured in the median and external sciatic popliteal (ESP) nerves, and the sensory parameters in the median and sural nerves. In most cases values were obtained from both right and left nerves. Motor parameters: no differences were found between all groups for conduction velocities (CV).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)