A digoxin-induced AV block usually improved (28 of 39) after withdrawal of the drug. Roughly half of the patients with drug-induced AV block underwent permanent PM implantation. Conclusion: Drug-induced AV block is a serious disease that requires a permanent PM for almost half of the patients. (PACE 2012;XX:17)”
“Coding variants in the apolipoprotein L1 gene (APOL1) are strongly associated with nephropathy in African Americans (AAs). The effect of transplanting kidneys from AA donors with two APOL1 nephropathy risk variants is unknown. APOL1 risk variants were genotyped in 106 AA deceased

organ donors and graft survival learn more assessed in 136 resultant kidney transplants. Cox-proportional hazard models tested for association between time to graft failure and donor APOL1 genotypes. The mean follow-up was 26.4 +/- 21.8 months. Twenty-two of 136 transplanted kidneys (16%) were from donors with two APOL1 nephropathy risk check details variants. Twenty-five grafts failed; eight (32%) had two APOL1 risk variants. A multivariate model accounting for donor APOL1 genotype, overall African ancestry, expanded criteria donation, recipient age and gender, HLA mismatch, CIT and PRA revealed that graft survival was significantly shorter in donor kidneys with two APOL1 risk variants (hazard ratio [HR] 3.84; p = 0.008) and higher HLA mismatch (HR 1.52; p = 0.03),

but not for overall African ancestry excluding APOL1. Kidneys B-Raf assay from AA deceased donors harboring two APOL1 risk variants failed more rapidly after renal transplantation than those with zero or one risk

variants. If replicated, APOL1 genotyping could improve the donor selection process and maximize long-term renal allograft survival.”
“Metastatic disease in the intradural compartment of the spine is a rare manifestation of cancer. We report the case of an 82-year-old patient with an intradural, extramedullary metastasis of renal cell carcinoma in the cervical spine. A literature search for intradural spinal metastases of renal cell carcinoma yielded a total of 26 further cases. 18 patients had sporadic renal cell carcinoma, and 9 patients had von Hippel-Lindau disease (VHL) in which the metastases of the renal cell carcinoma were embedded within spinal haemangioblastomas. Patients presented with paresis, back pain, altered sensation or, less frequently, bladder dysfunction. Intradural spinal metastases were diagnosed at an earlier age in VHL patients than in sporadic cases (mean 43 +/- 5 years vs. 60 +/- 14.5 years). The metastasis was surgically removed in 81% of patients. Pain improved in all patients, paresis in 90%, hypaesthesia in 38% and bladder dysfunction in 50%. Death occured as a result of systemic cancer progression. 93% of patients in the sporadic renal cell cancer group died within 1.5 years, whereas two thirds of the VHL patients were alive after 2 years.