Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Few prospective studies, however, have examined metabolic syndrome as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in an Asian population. We studied the occurrence of CKD in 6,371 subjects without CKD or diabetes mellitus at base-

The present results suggest that there was an inverse relationship between DeltaBMI and CKD incidence among screened subjects. The reasons for this observation are not clear, but careful follow-up for DeltaBMI is necessary, particularly in obese men with proteinuria.

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Wedescribe two cases of lung abscess caused by Legionella pneumophila in immunocompromisedpatients.The first case had been treated initially with 60 mg prednisolone for ulcerative colitis, and L. pneumophilaserogroup 1 was isolated from sputum samples after cavitation of the lung lesion. The second case was diagnosed as plasma cell lymphomaat post-mortem examination. L. pneumophila serogroup 5 was isolated from the contents of lung abscess, together with Enterococcus faecium and Prevotella intermedia in the post-mortem examination. Lung abscess caused by Legionella is unusual. Here, we discuss the difficulty of diagnosis of legionellosis in patients with unusual chest radiographic findings. (Internal Medicine 41 : 133-137, 2002)

The findings of the present study suggest that a DeltaBMI is an independent risk factor for the incidence of ESRD, especially for those with proteinuria. The reasons for the BMI change were not recorded in this study. Unintentional weight loss, however, might warrant evaluation for the presence or progression of chronic kidney disease.