Tadashi Hirano

Successful Treatment of Six Patients with Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Associated with Myoglobulinemic Acute Renal Failure

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a rare but potentially lethal, rare reaction to neuroleptics which is characterized by altered levels of consciousness, extrapyramidal effects, autonomic instability, hyperthermia, and elevated serum creatine phosphokinase levels. The most serious complication of neuroleptic malignant syndrome is acute renal failure. We investigated six cases of neuroleptic malignant syndrome associated with myoglobulinemic acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis and effect of hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration. The patients were five males and one female with a mean age of 43.5 yr. All of the patients, who developed acute renal failure induced from rhabdomyolysis, had previously received butyrophenone (haloperidol), phenothiazine, benzamide, iminomide, benzisoxazole, antidepressants, and hypnotics (benzodiazepine and barbiturate) for the treatment of schizophrenia. The clinical manifestations of neuroleptic malignant syndrome were characterized by altered consciousness, muscle rigidity and weakness, fever, and excessive perspiration. The peak laboratory data were blood urea nitrogen 102 ± 26 (mean ± SD) mg/dL, serum creatinine 9.1 ± 2.1 mg/dL, serum creatine phosphokinase 229,720 ± 289,940 IU/L, and all of them developed oliguric acute renal failure. Dantrolene sodium administration was given to five cases and hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration was performed in all of them. The serum creatinine level after hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration was 1.4 ± 1.0 mg/dL. All patients were successfully cured of acute renal failure by hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration. As a result, myoglobulinemic acute renal failure associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome was successfully treated by hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration.

Infiltration of Canonical Vγ4/Vδ1 γδ T Cells in an Adriamycin-Induced Progressive Renal Failure Model

We have previously reported an infiltration of renal interstitial γδ T cells in Adriamycin-induced progressive glomerulosclerosis in the rat kidney. The TCR repertoire and sequences used by these γδ T cells have now been studied. Two injections of Adriamycin 14 days apart caused segmental glomerulosclerosis, massive interstitial infiltration of mononuclear cells, and end-stage renal failure. Flow cytometry of lymphocyte subpopulations with Abs to CD3, the γδ TCR, and the αβ TCR showed that γδ T cells as a proportion of CD3+ cells were increased in Adriamycin-treated kidneys (8.5 ± 5.4%), but not in lymph nodes (1.3 ± 0.4%). A semiquantitative score of glomerular damage (r = 0.65; p < 0.01) and creatinine (r = 0.62; p < 0.01) correlated significantly with the presence of γδ T cells. TCR Vγ repertoire analysis by RT-PCR and Southern blotting showed that Vγ2 was the dominant subfamily in lymph nodes, whereas Vγ4 became the predominant subfamily in advanced stages of the rat Adriamycin-treated kidney. Sequencing of the Vγ4-Jγ junctional region showed an invariant sequence. The amino acid sequence of the junctional region of the Vγ4 TCR was the same as the reported mouse canonical Vγ4 TCR sequence. Analysis of the kidney Vδ repertoire showed dominant expression of Vδ1, and sequencing again revealed the selective expression of a canonical Vδ1 gene. Semiquantitative RT-PCR for cytokine gene expression showed that γδ T cells from the kidneys expressed TGF-β, but not IL-4, IL-10, or IFN-γ. These results suggest that the predominant γδ T cells in the Adriamycin kidney use an invariant Vγ4/Vδ1 receptor.

LDL apheresis for cholesterol embolism following coronary artery bypass graft surgery--a case report.

A 76-year-old man without any prior history of abnormal urinalysis findings or renal insufficiency demonstrated mild renal dysfunction after coronary bypass graft surgery (CABG). Two months after CABG, pain and blueness in the toes (blue toe syndrome) appeared and, the serum creatinine level (S-Cr) increased from 1.2 to 2.0 mg/dL. On admission (3 months later), the urinary protein level was 0.5 g/day, white blood cell count 8,300/μL with eosinophils (Eo) 10.5%, S-Cr 2.1 mg/dL, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) 106 mg/dL. Acute renal failure and blue toe syndrome due to a cholesterol embolism (CE) were diagnosed. Alprostadil 40 μg/day orally for 2 weeks and alprostadil 40 μg/day intravenously were used for 5 weeks, and Eo were 250/μL, S-Cr 2.5 mg/dL; however, blue toe syndrome gradually developed. At 8 weeks after admission, limaprost alfadex 30 μg/day orally was used for 3 weeks. However, the Eo gradually rose to 1,520/μL, S-Cr to 3.0 mg/dL, and LDL to 135 mg/dL, and LDL apheresis was therefore performed 20 times for CE. The data just after LDL apheresis was performed 10 times were as follows: Eo 1,120/μL, S-Cr 4.0 mg/dL, and LDL 89 mg/dL, and blue toe syndrome had disappeared. At 10 months after the first LDL apheresis, the Eo were 630/μL, S-Cr 2.9 mg/dL, and LDL 109 mg/dL. As a result, LDL apheresis was found to be beneficial for the treatment of CE with acute renal failure and blue toe syndrome after CABG.

Effects of Thyroid Function on the Course of Experimental Chronic Renal Failure in Rats

Thyroid hormone has been reported to affect renal function. To investigate the effects of thyroid hormone on the progression of renal deterioration, thyroid hormone (dried thyroid) and an antithyroid drug (thiamazole) were administered to adriamycin (ADR)-induced renal failure rats. The rats were divided into four groups, including 1) ADR-DT, given dried thyroid and thiamazole; 2) ADR-T, given thiamazole; 3) ADR; and 4) control. The survival rate at the end of the study (22 weeks) was 62.5% in ADR-DT group and 100% in ADR-T, ADR, and control groups, respectively. There was a significant difference in the body weight and pulse rate between ADR-DT and ADR-T or ADR groups, except for the pulse rate at week 6 (P < 0.05). The creatinine clearance was greater in the ADR-T group than in the ADR or ADR-DT groups at week 22, and was significantly different between the ADR-T and the ADR-DT groups (P < 0.05). The fractional kidney weight and tubular changes were significantly greater in the ADR-DT group than in the ADR-T or ADR groups (P < 0.05). The interstitial volume was significantly greater in the ADR-DT group than in the ADR-T group (P < 0.05). We therefore conclude that a dried thyroid has an aggravative effect in the tubular changes and relative interstitial volume induced by ADR.