Both obesity and malnutrition are considered risk factors for complications after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). To elucidate the impact of pretransplantation body mass index (BMI) on clinical outcome, we performed a retrospective cohort study with registration data from the Japan Marrow Donor Program (JMDP). Between January 1998 and December 2005, a total of 3935 patients received unrelated BMT through the JMDP; of these, 3827 patients for whom pretransplantation height and weight data were available were included in the study. Patients were stratified according to pretransplantation BMI values (low BMI: BMI < 18 kg/m(2), n = 295; normal BMI: 18 < or = BMI < 25 kg/m(2), n = 2906; overweight: 25 < or = BMI <30 kg/m(2), n = 565; obese: 30 kg/m(2) < or = BMI, n = 61). In a univariate analysis, pretransplantation BMI was associated with a significantly greater risk of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; P = .03). Multivariate analysis showed that pretransplantation BMI tended to be associated with an increased risk of grade II-IV acute GVHD (P = .07). Obesity was associated with an increased risk of infection compared with normal BMI (odds ratio = 1.9; 95% confidence interval = 1.1 to 3.2; P = .02). Our findings demonstrate a correlation between pretransplantation BMI and posttransplantation complications. Although BMI depends strongly on multiple factors, the effect of obesity on clinical outcome should be evaluated in a prospective study.

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Patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) who did not respond to the initial IVIG are known to have higher risk for developing coronary arterial lesions (CALs). Our aim is to clarify whether patients with initial IVIG resistant KD may benefit from methylprednisolone pulse therapy (MPT) in comparison with re- treatment of IVIG (2nd IVIG). A total of 237 patients (median age: 2 years 2 months; range 1 months-10 years) with KD were initially treated with IVIG (2 g/kg). Among them, 41 patients (22 %) were assessed as IVIG resistance: these patients were allocated to either group A receiving MPT (n = 14) or group B receiving the 2nd IVIG (n = 27). Patients with resistant to the additional therapy (MPT or 2nd IVIG) were received second IVIG (group A) or MPT (group B). Changes in leukocyte count, C-reactive protein and albumin before and after an additional therapy were significantly greater in group A than those in group B. However, the prevalence of CALs did not differ between the groups (36 % in group A and 26 % in group B, p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the medical cost between the groups (median cost: 92,032 JPY in group A and 97,331 JPY in group B). MPT does not reduce the risk of development to CAL and does not seem to be beneficial as single agent therapy for IVIG resistant KD.

Salmonella Typhimurium DT12, isolated from a 35-day-old infant with diarrhea, was highly resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, gentamycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, nalidixic acid, and fluoroquinolones. The patient responded to antibiotic therapy with fosfomycin. Multidrug-resistance may become prevalent in Salmonella infections in Japan, as shown in this first case of a patient infected with fluoroquinolone-resistant Salmonella.

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