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Pulmonary Langerhans'-cell histiocytosis belongs to a spectrum of diseases characterized by monoclonal proliferation and infiltration of organs by Langerhans' cells. It is an uncommon interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology occurring almost exclusively in cigarette smokers. It s course in adults is variable and unpredictable, ranging from benign self-limiting types with spontaneous regression to slowly progressive malignant disease that leads to respiratory failure and death. We report one patient diagnoses of pulmonary Langerhans' cell histiocytosis who experimented an objective radiographic improvement and disappearance of symptoms after smoking cessation.

Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) is one important pathway in T-cell proliferation and survival. In a previously reported microarray study, we found NF-kappaB pathway genes differentially expressed between peripheral (PTCL) and lymphoblastic lymphomas. Here, we investigated the expression of NF-kappaB pathway genes using cDNA microarrays in a group of 62 PTCL and in reactive lymph nodes. We found two different subgroups of PTCL based on the expression of NF-kappaB pathway genes. One-third of PTCL showed clearly reduced expression of NF-kappaB genes, while the other group was characterized by high expression of these genes. This distinction was found among all T-cell lymphoma categories analyzed (PTCL unspecified, angioimmunoblastic, cutaneous and natural killer/T lymphomas) with the exception of anaplastic lymphomas (ALCL), which were characterized by reduced NF-kappaB expression in anaplastic cells. Quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemical analysis of NF-kappaB-p65 protein confirmed these differences among PTCL subgroups. Importantly, we found that differentiation between NF-kappaB-positive and -negative PTCL could be of clinical interest. The expression profile associated to reduced expression of NF-kappaB genes was significantly associated with shorter survival of patients and seems to be an independent prognostic factor in a multivariate analysis.

Whipple's disease is a rare systemic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Tropheryma whippelii. Early diagnosis is essential. Whipple's disease is potentially fatal but responds dramatically to antibiotic treatment. The diagnosis is confirmed by means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. This analysis may be useful for monitoring the efficacy of therapy. The recommended treatment al present is administration of cotrimoxazole twice daily for one year. When CNS involvement occurs, it is recommended initial treatment with daily parenteral administration of streptomycin 1 g and 1.2 million units of benzyl penicillin (Penicillin G) over a period of 14 days.

Purpose: T-Cell lymphomas constitute heterogeneous and aggressive tumors in which pathogenic alterations remain largely unknown. Expression profiling has demonstrated to be a useful tool for molecular classification of tumors., Experimental Design: Using DNA microarrays (CNIO-OncoChip) containing 6386 cancer-related genes, we established the expression profiling of T-cell lymphomas and compared them to normal lymphocytes and lymph nodes., Results: We found significant differences between the peripheral and lymphoblastic T-cell lymphomas, which include a deregulation of nuclear factor-kappaB signaling pathway. We also identify differentially expressed genes between peripheral T-cell lymphoma tumors and normal T lymphocytes or reactive lymph nodes, which could represent candidate tumor markers of these lymphomas. Additionally, a close relationship between genes associated to survival and those that differentiate among the stages of disease and responses to therapy was found., Conclusions: Our results reflect the value of gene expression profiling to gain insight about the molecular alterations involved in the pathogenesis of T-cell lymphomas.

Objectives: To study the situation of the hypophyso-adrenal axis in patients with chronic alcoholism., Method: 24 patients with chronic alcoholism admitted in our Institution with acute delirium were studied. Cortisol am and pm und (ACTH levels, along with hemogram with Wintrobe indexes, patelets number, triglicerides, total and HDL cholesterol, transaminases, alkaline phosphatase and gammaglutamyltranspeptidase were measured in serum., Results: The mean values of ACTH am were 41.2 pcg/ml (normal values 10-80 pcg/ml), of plasma cortisol am 22 mcg/ml (normal values 10-24 mcg/ml) and plasmo cortisol pm 12.3 mcg/ml (normal values 5-12 mcg/ml)., Conclusions: The amount of alcohol consumed by alcoholic patients ist not comparable to that used in animal models, which induced adrenal hyperfunction. Blood ACTH and cortisol levels are not useful as indirect markers of alcoholism. The Wintrobe indexes and serum gammaglutamyltranspeptidase levels are more useful for that purpose.

We report a case of lung infection due to Mycobacterium simiae in an immunocompromised patient without acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The patient had multiple pulmonary nodules similar to those seen in cases of lung disease caused by Mycobacterium avium in elderly women. Appropriate therapy for M. simiae disease should be determined because, in some cases, the risk of adverse effects can outweigh the potential benefits of treatment.

We describe two cases of hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis related to cocaine and/or ecstasy consumption. The clinical and laboratory findings are characteristic of hyperthermia syndrome in both cases. The first patient consumed cocaine, ecstasy and alcohol and afterwards suffers from hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis associated with decreased conscious level, labile blood pressure, severe renal insufficiency (needing hemodialysis) and important liver failure. The second patient consumed ecstasy and alcohol with intense physical activity and shows the same but moderate clinical picture rapidly responding to intravenous fluid therapy. The incidence of this drug-induced hyperthermia is low compared to the important use of these illicit drugs. Nevertheless its increasing consumption will lead physicians to attend more patients with this syndrome and other related complications. For this reason we have reviewed and up-dated this problematic subject.

Objective: Pseudomonas aeruginosa meningitis is a rare condition which is usually associated with pathology in the ORL field, neurosurgery or local neurologic manipulations. The characteristics, epidemiology, and course of this entity were determined., Methods: Fifteen episodes of nosocomial postsurgical Pseudomonas aeruginosa meningitis occurred between 1989 and 1996 were retrospectively analyzed., Results: A previous cranioencephalic trauma was recorded in 46.6% of patients. The portals of entry included: intraventricular catheter (IC) (12 cases), CSF fistula (2 cases), and craniotomy (1 case). In five occasions (41.6%) the microorganism was also recovered from the intraventricular catheter. Once culture results were available, therapy with active drugs against Pseudomonas was instituted and in 7 occasions was accompanied by the removal of IC. Eight patients eventually cured and two patients relapsed. The absence of cure was significantly associated with non-removal of the IC (p < 0.01). The infection resulted in death in 26.6% of patients., Conclusions: Postsurgical Pseudomonas aeruginosa meningitis is an entity of growing relevance. It is associated with relevant morbi-mortality. Catheter removal is essential to obtain a favorable outcome.

Patients with Hodgkin's disease and nodal non-Hodgkin's lymphomas seem to have an excess risk for other cancers. A high incidence of other cancers has also been found in some series of patients with gastric MALT lymphomas. In a series of 136 patients with gastric MALT lymphomas the occurrence and features of other cancers have been described. In order to evaluate their occurrence statistically (excluding skin cancers) standard incidence ratios (SRI) have been calculated, using the incidence rates of a Cancer Registry in Spain as a reference. A Cox's multivariate proportional hazard model was fitted in order to evaluate the influence of age, sex, histological grade and treatment with chemotherapy or chemotherapy plus radiotherapy in the development of other non-skin cancers occurring after the diagnosis of MALT lymphoma. Other cancers were detected in 16 of the 136 patients (11.7%); the other cancer was detected prior to MALT gastric lymphoma in 6 patients (4.41%), concomitantly in 4 (2.9%) and after diagnosis of the lymphoma in 6 (4.41%). Other cancers occurred in 14.4% of the male and in 8.3% of the female patients; in 12% of the patients with low grade and in 11% of the patients with high grade lymphomas. Of the 6 cancers that occurred after diagnosis of the gastric lymphoma, 3 did in the 80 patients (3.7%) that had been treated with chemotherapy, 1 in the 3 cases (33%) treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy and 2 in the 53 patients (3.7%) who had not received chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The most frequent other cancers were lymphoid neoplasms and gastric carcinoma. There was not an excess of other cancers in the whole cohort or in the sex or histological grade strata. There was an excess close to significance (SIR =2.59; 95% CI:0.98-6.88) in the patients under 50 years of age. In the Cox's analysis, age, sex, histological grade and treatment did not influence the occurrence of other cancers after the diagnosis of lymphoma. In conclusion, in patients with gastric MALT lymphoma other cancers also occur. An excess incidence was not demonstrated, although it may exist in patients under 50 years. Of special importance is the occurrence of gastric cancer that appears concomitantly or after gastric lymphoma.

Background: Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) account for about 10% of all lymphomas in Western countries. The aim of the present study is to analyze the initial characteristics and prognostic factors in a large series of PTCL patients., Patients and Methods: 174 patients (105 male/69 female; median age 61 years) were diagnosed with PTCL according to the R.E.A.L. Classification in nine Spanish institutions between 1985 and 1996. Cutaneous lymphomas and T-cell chronic lymphocytic/prolymphocytic leukemia were excluded from the study. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to assess the prognostic value of the main initial variables., Results: The distribution according to histology subgroup was: PTCL unspecified, 95 cases (54.4%); anaplastic large-cell Ki-l-positive (ALCL), 30 cases (17%); angioimmunoblastic T cell, 22 cases (13%); angiocentric, 14 cases (8%); intestinal T cell, 12 cases (7%), and hepatosplenic gamma delta T cell, one case (0.6%). As compared to the other types, ALCL presented more frequently in ambulatory performance status, without extranodal involvement, in early stage, normal serum beta 2-microglobulin (B2M) level and low-risk international prognostic index (IPI). Most patients were treated with adriamycin-containing regimens. The overall CR rate was 49% (69% for ALCL vs. 45% for other PTCL; P < 0.02). The risk of relapse was 48% at four years. Median survival of the series was 22 months (65 months for ALCL vs. 20 months for other PTCL; P = 0.03), with a four-year probability of survival of 38% (95% confidence intervals (95% CI): 28-48). In the univariate analysis, in addition to the histology, older age, poor performance status, presence of B-symptoms, extranodal involvement, bone marrow infiltration, advanced Ann Arbor stage, high serum LDH, high serum B2M, and intermediate- or high-risk IPI were related to poor survival. In the multivariate analysis the histologic subgroup (ALCL vs. other PTCL) (P = 0.02; response rate (RR): 4.3), the presence of B-symptoms (P = 0.02, RR: 2.2), and the IPI (low vs. high) (P = 0.04, RR: 2) maintained independent predictive value. When the analysis was restricted to the unspecified subtype, only IPI had independent prognostic value (P = 0.003; RR: 3.5)., Conclusions: PTCL have adverse prognostic features at diagnosis, respond poorly to therapy and have short survival, with no sustained remission. ALCL constitutes a subgroup which responds better to therapy and has a longer survival.

Objectives: To study the different etiopathogenic, microbiological, clinical, evolutive, and therapeutic aspects in patients with pyogenic liver abscesses, with a special emphasis in the usefulness of imipenem-cilastatin therapy., Materials and Methods: The clinical records of 59 patients with liver abscesses (45 single abscess and 14 multiple abscesses) diagnosed at our institution in the last eleven years were studied., Results: The most common predisposing conditions included biliary (35.6%) and colon (15.3%) diseases, and abdominal trauma (15.3%). The microorganisms responsible for these abscesses included E. coli, Bacteroides spp., and different streptococci. CT and/or abdominal echography were the diagnostic techniques most commonly used. Twenty-three patients were treated with percutaneous drainage and antibiotics, 22 with surgical drainage and antibiotics, 6 with both types of drainage and antibiotics, and 8 exclusively with antibiotics. Twenty-three patients received imipenem (1 g/IV/8 h) and 29 other antibiotics. Twelve patients died and 9 required admission at the ICU. With regard to patients treated with imipenem, 17 (73.9%) cured, 3 of them (one single abscess and two multiple abscesses) without drainage. Two patients treated with imipenem (8.7%) and 4 treated with other antibiotics (13.8%) relapsed., Conclusions: Imipenem can be a useful antibiotic in association with percutaneous or surgical drainage for the treatment of pyogenic liver abscesses.

The International Prognostic Index identifies four risk groups with different survival rates in aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We have studied whether a slight modification of this index has prognostic significance in high grade gastric B-cell MALT lymphoma. In 53 patients with high grade gastric B-cell MALT lymphoma the following survival factors were investigated: age over or under 60 years, sex, B symptoms, more than one extranodal site of involvement other than the stomach, serum LDH levels, performance status, stage I/IIE1/IIE2 v.s. stage III/IV, treatment with surgery, chemotherapy or both modalities together and the four risk groups as defined by the Modified International Prognostic Index (MIPI). A multivariate Cox's test was used to evaluate the independent prognostic significance on survival of all the above variables. Advanced stage (III/IV) and involvement of more than one extranodal site not including stomach were the only variables influencing survival. The MIPI was not sufficient to separate groups with significant differences in survival or to stratify prognostic groups. In this series, the MIPI did not show prognostic significance in high grade gastric B-cell MALT lymphoma.

Background: Gastric MALT lymphoma can be histologically classified into two groups, low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG); however, their natural history is poorly understood. We have studied a large retrospective series aiming to confirm whether the histological groups confer different clinical features and behavior and to analyze the prognostic factors in these patients., Patients and Methods: A series of 143 gastric B-cell MALT lymphomas is reported. Eighty-four were low-grade lymphomas (LG) and 59 were high-grade lymphomas (HG). Median follow-up was 36 months. The clinical and analytical parameters of the 84 LG patients were compared with those of the 59 HG patients. In the patients who had been operated on, the pathological features (macroscopical patterns, tumor size, involvement of resection margins, degree of parietal invasion and involvement of abdominal lymph nodes and adjacent viscera) of the LG patients were compared with those of the HG patients. The sites of relapses were studied. In the 132 treated and followed-up patients the influence of the treatment and that of clinical, analytical and pathological features on survival were investigated with the Kaplan and Meier and log-rank tests. To identify the factors with independent influence on survival, a Cox model was fitted for the whole series and separately for 53 HG patients., Results: HG group differed from the LG group by a significantly higher frequency of weight loss at presentation, palpable abdominal mass, hepatomegaly, peripheral lymphadenopathy, elevated serum LDH, higher incidence of stage III-IV and tumor/mass patterns in the endoscopy and in the gastrectomy specimen. The tumor was significantly larger in the HG group than in the LG and the deeper invasion of the gastric wall, the higher frequency of infiltration of the abdominal lymph nodes and the visceral extension were also significant in the HG group. Complete remission (CR) was achieved in 91% of the patients of the LG group, but was significantly lower, 70%, in the HG group. Relapses occurred in the stomach and also in non-MALT sites. In 132 treated and followed-up patients, elevated serum LDH, absence of CR, HG group and stage III-IV were associated with a worse survival. In the Cox multivariate model, stage was the only variable influencing survival, although stage was related to the histological grade. In the HG group, stage was also an independent significant risk factor, whereas treatment with surgery, chemotherapy or both was not. In the 103 patients treated with surgery, a worse survival was associated with the involvement of the resection borders, depth of the infiltration of the gastric wall, dissemination to distant abdominal nodes and adjacent organs, but not with the addition of chemotherapy., Conclusions: Histological classification into LG and HG separates distinctive groups of gastric MALT lymphoma that show striking clinical and prognostic differences. Besides histological grade, stage is the most important prognostic feature.

Seventy cases of follicular B-cell lymphomas were studied: 37 cases derived from the follicular centre [27 centroblastic-centrocytic (CB-CC) and 10 centroblastic (CB)] and 33 from the mantle zone [mantle-cell lymphoma (ML)]. Presenting features as well as response to therapy, time free of symptoms and survival were reviewed. All the cases were diagnosed and classified with routine and immunohistochemistry methods. In 61 cases tumors were studied with specific markers in a CAS-200 Image Analyser. Flow cytometry (FCM) was also done and correlated with proliferative-values and survival. A minor aggressive course of CB-CC and ML was demonstrated, with ML being the most benign form (lower proliferation rate and longest survival). Ploidy did not correlate with histological subtypes, survival or response to therapy. These results confirm the utility of biodynamic studies in lymphoid neoplasias.

Background: The aim of the present was to study the biologic behavior of the lymphomas of the follicular mantle by analysis of different indexes of neoplastic cell proliferation and their relation with the clinical symptoms, prognosis and survival of the patients., Methods: Light microscope, ultrastructural, and frozen and paraffin immunohistochemical studies were performed including the proliferative markers Ki-67 and PC10, flow cytometry and analysis of cell cycle in biopsy samples. Clinical data of 11 patients were collected in addition to therapeutic response and survival., Results: Lymphoma of the follicular mantle is constituted by small sized cell elements with a variable pattern of tumoral growth in the lymph nodes. In normal lymphocytes of the follicular mantle the immunophenotype shows expression of IgM + IgD and a light chain in the cell surface. From a clinical point of view, massive splenomegaly and disseminated stage are the most outstanding characteristics. One third of the cases analyzed presented an aneuploid neoplastic population. According to the PC10 marker, the proliferative index ranged from 2.9 to 14.7% of neoplastic cellularity (mean 7.0). The percentage of cells in the phases S, G2 and M of the cell cycle by flow cytometry varied from 14 to 35 (mean 23%). Neither the cell ploidy nor the tumoral proliferative index were related with the survival of the patients (53 +/- 51 months)., Conclusions: Lymphoma of the follicular mantle is a clinical pathological entity of low biologic aggressivity. Cell aneuploidy or ploidy and the tumoral proliferative index did not establish differences in prognosis or survival in this series.

The optimal therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in patients with AIDS is unknown. We describe herein three patients with advanced AIDS and disseminated leishmaniasis who were treated with meglumine antimoniate plus interferon-gamma. The conditions of the three patients rapidly improved, and the therapeutic combination drastically reduced the parasite burden; after administration of antiprotozoal therapy for 4 weeks, cultures of bone marrow were negative for two of the three patients. Interferon-gamma was well tolerated. Because the patients died of other AIDS-related diseases in the months following therapy, the efficacy of the combination of meglumine antimoniate and interferon-gamma for preventing relapses remains unknown.

A total of 41 non-cutaneous peripheral T-cell lymphomas were classified following the updated Kiel classification. Of these, 20 cases belonged to the low-grade group (T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, 3; lymphoepithelioid, 5; angioimmunoblastic, 4; pleomorphic small cell, 8) and 21 to the high grade group (pleomorphic medium and large cell, 11; immunoblastic, 3; large-cell anaplastic Ki-1 positive, 7). Seventy per cent showed a CD4+/CD8-phenotype, 39% a defective phenotype and 88% an activation phenotype. Eighty per cent had B-symptoms, 63% hepatomegaly, 48% splenomegaly and 26% had involvement of more than three lymphoid areas. Bone marrow was infiltrated in 34%, central nervous system in 4%, lung in 12% and skin in 14.6%. Seventeen per cent presented with extranodal disease and 82.8% had stage III/IV disease. Hypergammaglobulinaemia was found in 29%, hypercalcaemia in 7%, raised LDH serum levels in 58% and HTLV-I antibodies in only one case. Of the 37 treated patients 18 (48%) achieved a complete remission, but 33% relapsed. Mortality was 59% and actuarial overall survival at 38 months was 0.32. In the comparison of the clinical, analytical and immunophenotypic variables and outcome between low and high grade groups, only the average of bone marrow infiltration in the low grade and stage I-II, presence of defective phenotypes and higher Ki-67 positivity in the high grade group were significantly different.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

We have studied several aspects of cellular and humoral immunity in 19 patients with chronic osteomyelitis (CO) compared with 11 healthy controls of similar characteristics. Patients with CO showed significantly higher values of GSR, reactive protein C (RPC), IgG and lymphocytes CD3+ and lower values of the CD4+/CD3+ ratio, as well as an hypoergic response to 7 antigens in the different cutaneous hypersensibility tests, compared with healthy controls. The rate of "in vitro" blastic stimulation by different lectins was significantly lower in the group of patients, compared with controls. These changes in the cellular immunity are not correlated with the extent, chronicity and prognosis of the disease, although we did not performed sequential studies of the immunitary condition. None of these immunological markers seem to be a better predictor of the bone infectious activity than the traditional GSR or RPC.

Clinico-pathological features of 56 patients with primary gastric lymphoma were evaluated retrospectively. All cases were regraded according to a classification of Isaacson et al into high grade and low grade B-cell mucosa associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. A third group of mixed grade was recognised in 11 patients with low grade who also had occasional areas of high grade. Low grade and mixed grade patients had a 100% actuarial survival at 156 months, which was significantly better (p < 0.01) than that of 52% for patients with high grade disease. Different treatment methods--surgery, chemotherapy, or a combination of both--did not significantly affect survival. Low grade tumours occurred mainly in men with a history of several years, and who presented with non-specific gastric symptoms without remarkable exploratory or laboratory findings: most patients were in stage IE-IIE and achieved remission and cure. High grade can have a shorter history, systemic symptoms, abnormal exploratory and laboratory findings, gastric tumour masses, stage IV disease, and a worse outcome. The only significant prognostic factors for survival were the type of lymphoma and stage IV disease. These findings support the Isaacson classification system which separates two extreme groups of gastric lymphomas with different morphology, behaviour, and outcome. The presence of limited areas of high grade in a specimen showing low grade does not change the outcome but suggests that primary gastric lymphoma forms a continuum between these extreme types.

We carried out a prospective study of the clinical, laboratory and radiological features of 180 patients with psoriatic arthritis. We initially classified our patients into five groups as described in the publications of Moll and Wright. Thirty-seven per cent had oligoarthritis, 36% polyarthritis, 23% spondarthritis (sacroiliitis and/or spondylitis) and 4% had the mutilans form. The distal joint arthritis type did not exist as an entity and the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints were affected in all groups. The spondarthritis form includes patients with exclusively axial manifestations and also those who in addition have peripheral arthritis (oligoarthritis, polyarthritis, DIP arthritis). Only 53% of our patients had nail involvement. We found an increase of IgA levels in patients with axial disease. This suggests a relationship between ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic spondylitis. The HLA-B17/Cw6 association increased in the oligoarticular form. The increase of antigen B17 correlated with the spondarthritic and oligoarthritis forms whereas Cw6 was more important in the oligoarthritis form. An increase of the HLA-B27/Cw1 association and the spondarthritic form was also found. Moreover, we detected a greater incidence of the HLA-B27 antigen in patients with bilateral sacroiliitis (85%) than in patients with unilateral sacroiliitis (22%). Our work revealed that PA is not a harmless disease; 57% of our patients had erosive arthritis while 19% had ARA class III or IV functional impairment.

Bone sarcoidosis preferentially localizes in skull bones with long lasting skin lesions, (its manifestation in skull are rare and there are only 12 or 13 published cases) and the bone involvement of the cranial basis has been referred, until now, as extensive lesions of granulomas localized in neighbouring structures. We present a case of cranial basis granulomatosis, in a patient diagnosed of multiple sarcoidosis by repetitive biopsies of lymph nodes, liver, and skin with chronic skin lesions, the rare localization of which in the orbital vertex with an original bone procedence, is discussed in the neuroradiologic findings. Such rareness has been found in a carrier of a form of common variable immunodeficiency, a disease which is also rare.

A case of gastroenteritis due to Giardia lamblia with severe dehydration and complicated with arterial thrombosis, accompanied by eosinophilia and increased serum IgE levels, is presented. The relationship between Giardia and eosinophilia and allergic manifestations is discussed as well as its pathogenesis.

A 66 year old patient with multiple myeloma and monoclonal cryoglobulinaemia who developed a severe haemolytic anaemia following a cytomegalovirus infection is reported. The presence of a high titre of anti-'i' cold antibody of IgM subclass is demonstrated. Anti-'i' antibody disappeared when complement-fixation antibody titres against cytomegalovirus decreased. Various pathogenetic mechanisms involved in the development of haemolytic anaemia associated with cytomegalovirus infection are discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first case described in the English language publications associating severe haemolytic anaemia with an anti-'i' antibody after a cytomegalovirus infection in an immunocompromised patient.

An analysis was made of the prognosis over a one-year follow-up period of a consecutive series of 86 out patients with irritable bowel syndrome (SII) who were treated randomly with an antispasmodic (otilonium) or a tranquilizer (clobazam), and the existence of factors, mainly psychological, that could worsen it was determined with the Zung anxiety test and the Hamilton depression scale. We confirmed that irritable intestine syndrome is a chronic disease, with a mean course of 13 +/- 12.5 years at the time of consultation. A large proportion of patients had permanent problems (58.1%) and did not experience important changes in the intensity of symptoms throughout evolution (68.6%). Although most improved initially with the treatment instated (76.7%), the improvement was rarely complete (11.8%). A year after beginning treatment, 61.6% were the same or worse than before the index consultation. In the group of patients with a good course, the proportion of those that correctly followed medical treatment and of those who had experienced more or less lengthy asymptomatic periods before consultation was significantly larger. In the group of patients with poor evolution, the scores on the Zung anxiety test and Hamilton depression scale were significantly higher than in those who evolved favorably. Neither consultation of a specialist nor the treatment used in this study seem to have contributed to an evident improvement in the prognosis.

Seventy-seven patients with nephrocalcinosis as revealed by X-ray studies over a 10-year period are reviewed. A programmed clinical and metabolic study was performed on each case; the author's criteria included the different pathogenic factors considered in the etiologic definition of the disease. There were 22 cases with primary hyperparathyroidism, 19 with spongy kidney, nine with tubulointerstitial nephropathy, five with hyperoxaluria, five with distal renal tubular acidosis, four with esential hypomagnesemia, and three cases of miscellaneous etiology (vitamin D intoxication, Fanconi's syndrome, Bartter's disease). Ten other cases were classified as idiopathic nephrocalcinosis since no definite cause could be found. The clinical characteristics (symptoms, associated diseases, diet and medication intake, family history) and the biochemical findings are analysed for each group. The physiopathologic mechanisms, comparisons between each etiologic group, treatment, clinical course, and prognosis are commented on. The conclusion drawn is that nephrocalcinosis is a clinical syndrome of various etiologies which in most cases arises from an underlying metabolic disease.