Jean Crosnier

RANDOMISED PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGEN VACCINE IN FRENCH HAEMODIALYSIS UNITS: II, HAEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

A vaccine against hepatitis B surface antigen (Institut Pasteur Production) was assessed in 138 haemodialysis patients in a placebo-controlled randomised double-blind trial. In an interim analysis, hepatitis B infections were observed in 21% of the vaccine group and 45% of the placebo group (p less than 0.02). 2 of the infections in the vaccine group and 12 of the infections in the placebo group occurred after the third injection. 60% of the vaccine recipients had an immune response. 4 months after the first injection the mean titre of anti-HBs was 120 mlU/ml.

DETECTION OF HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS TYPE 5 DNA IN SKIN CANCERS OF AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSED RENAL ALLOGRAFT RECIPIENT

A renal allograft recipient with an epidermodysplasia-verruciformis-like syndrome was found to have human papillomavirus type 5 (HPV-5) in his benign warty lesions and HPV-5 DNA in two of his skin cancers. This finding points to a role for HPV-5 in skin oncogenesis in renal allograft recipients.

RANDOMISED PLACEBO-CONTROLLED TRIAL OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGEN VACCINE IN FRENCH HAEMODIALYSIS UNITS: I, MEDICAL STAFF

A vaccine against hepatitis B surface antigen (Institut Pasteur Production) was assessed in staff members from forty-eight French haemodialysis units where the risk of hepatitis B was high. Of 318 subjects who completed the protocol, 164 received three monthly injections of vaccine and 154 received corresponding injections of placebo. Hepatitis B infection was observed in 3.6% of the vaccine group and 12.3% of the placebo group (p less than 0.005). The 6 infections in the vaccine group all arose within 63 days from the first injections, whereas the 19 in the placebo group arose throughout the 12 months of follow-up. The rate of side-effects after injection did not differ in the two groups. 94% of the vaccine recipients had an immune response ( greater than 10 mIU/ml in at least 5 successive specimens). 4 months after the first injection the mean + or - 2 SE peak level of anti-HBs was 2433 + or - 1077 mIU/ml.

EFFECT OF PARATHYROIDECTOMY ON LEFT-VENTRICULAR FUNCTION IN HÆMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

The effect of parathyroidectomy on left-ventricular function was evaluated in chronic-haemodialysis patients with advanced hyperparathyroidism. Radionuclide angiocardiography (22 patients) and ultrasound echography (8 patients) revealed a significant increase in left-ventricular ejection fraction 1--2 weeks after parathyroidectomy. This improvement was associated with an augmented cardiac index (radionuclide method) and with an increase in mean velocity of circumferential myocardial fibre shortening (echocardiography). Circulating blood volume and erythrocyte space, as well as arterial blood-pressure, had changed little after parathyroidectomy, whereas plasma calcium, phosphate, and immunoreactive parathyroid hormone were significantly lower after surgery. Thus, correction of severe hyperparathyroidism led to a significant improvement in cardiac performance.

observations in patients with a well‐tolerated homotransplanted kidney: possibility of a new secondary disease

For the first time this year, a rather high number of bineprectomized patients living with a single homotransplanted kidney are available for long-term studies. In our group, we have 12 such cases, five being in good condition more than one year after the graft. In such instances of prolonged tolerance, new and unexpected facts have been found. The purpose of this paper is to present some of them. namely: (1) crises of the transplanted kidney; (2) glomerulonephritis of the transplanted kidney; and ( 3 ) extrarenal alterations in the recipient.

Congestive cardiomyopathy in uraemic patients on long term haemodialysis.

Five uraemic patients who developed progressive cardiac failure with clinical evidence of congestive cardiomyopathy at the start or during haemodialysis treatment were studied. The diagnosis of cardiomyopathy, for which there was no apparent cause, was confirmed by angiocardiographic and haemodynamic studies. These showed a significant increase in left ventricular end-diastolic volume over normal values obtained in 12 patients without uraemia. The mean velocity of myocardial fibre shortening was significantly decreased, as was the index of normalised rigidity. Three of the five patients presented the complete picture of the disease. The other two also had considerable ventricular dilatation and a decreased index of normalised rigidity but normal ejection fraction and only moderately decreased myocardial contractility indices. This suggests that there may be primary involvement of normalised heart muscle rigidity followed by secondary changes in myocardial contractility in uraemic patients with congestive cardiomyopathy.

Hepatitis B antigen-associated periarteritis nodosa in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis

Periarteritis nodosa was observed in three of 266 persistent hepatitis B antigen (HBsAg) carriers undergoing long-term hemodialysis; no cases of necrotizing vasculitis occurred among 384 other patients undergoing dialysis having either no or transient antigenemia. Circulating e antigen, but no e antibody, was found in two of these three patients. The serum level of the third component of complement (C3) was normal in two patients and low in the third. Circulating immune complexes were demonstrated in all three patients, using polyethylene-glycol (PEG) precipitation, PEG-C4, and solid phase C1q tests. HBsAg and anti-hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb) were identified in the PEG precipitates using radioimmunoassay and electron microscopy technics. Direct immunofluorescence performed on a muscle biopsy specimen from one patient was positive for HBsAg, but not for immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), C3 or C1q. These data support the hypothesis that circulating immune complexes involving HBsAg may be involved in the pathogenesis of periarteritis nodosa.

Porphyria cutanea tarda-like Syndrome in Hemodialyzed Patients

Among 500 patients on maintenance hemodialysis, 6 patients (5 young women and a 49-year-old man) developed bullous dermatosis, 2-54 months after initiating dialysis treatment. The skin lesions occurred mainly in sunlight-exposed areas, and 4 out of the 6 patients showed increased cutaneous fragility in response to trauma. Skin biopsy revealed subepidermal blisters for all of them, and skin immunofluorescence studies were negative for 2 patients. No increase in fecal or red cell coproporhyrin and protoporphyrin levels was found in any of the 6 patients. The syndrome was clinically and histologically indistinguishable from porphyria cutanea tarda.

Left Ventricular Function in Hemodialyzed Patients with Cardiomegaly

Left ventricular function was investigated in 21 chronic hemodialysis patients with cardiomegaly not due to major pericardial effusion. Angiographic and hemodynamic studies were performed in all, and

KIDNEY-GRAFT REJECTION: HAS THE NEED FOR STEROIDS TO BE RE-EVALUATED?

In a group of azathioprine-treated patients whose renal allografts functioned immediately, 53 received prophylactic steroid treatment while 54 were given steroids only at the onset of the first renal failure. Three types of renal failure were identified, and their distribution in the patient groups was different, but the incidence of both reversible and irreversible renal failure episodes was identical in the two groups, suggesting that steroid treatment of early rejection episodes may not be necessary.