A number of potentially modifiable risk factors independently increase the incidence of wound complications among renal transplant recipients receiving sirolimus-based immunosuppression de novo.

Diagnosis of a leak after a SG required a greater index of suspicion in order to perform an early diagnosis. Sepsis control and nutritional support are the cornerstones of this treatment. Evolution is characterized by longer periods of time that are necessary in order to wait until the leak closes. Management must be tailored to each patient.

Patients treated with SRL-based immunosuppression showed an incidence at the lower end of the range described with various other contemporaneous immunosuppressive regimens and with other cohorts not undergoing BK virus polymerase chain reaction surveillance. Exposure to rATG and SPK transplantation represented risk factors for the occurrence of PVAN, which showed a pernicious course despite withdrawal of calcineurin antagonists and/or mycophenolate mofetil.

We consider the electromagnetic field occurring in the background of a static, axially symmetric vacuum solution of Einstein's field equations immersed in an external magnetic field. The solution, known as the γ metric (or Zipoy-Voorhees), is related to the Schwarzschild spacetime through a real positive parameter γ that describes its departure from spherical symmetry. We study the motion of charged and uncharged particles in this spacetime and particle collision in the vicinity of the singular surface and compare with the corresponding result for Schwarzschild. We show that there is a sharp contrast with the black hole case; in particular, in the prolate case (γ < 1) particle collision can occur with an arbitrarily high center of mass energy. This mechanism could in principle allow one to distinguish such a source from a black hole.

The T-tube has been the alternative of choice for decompression following common bile duct (CBD) exploration. The development of laparoscopic surgery has suggested using a biliary stent as an alternative to the T-tube following choledochotomy. The purpose of this prospective randomized study was to compare clinical results obtained from patients who underwent open CBD exploration using a biliary stent versus those from patients with a T-tube for decompression. Between September 2000 and June 2002 a total of 81 patients were randomly assigned to a biliary stent or a T-tube as the decompression method following choledochotomy. An open CBD exploration was performed when CBD stones were suspected, in both elective and emergency settings. The length of the postoperative hospital stay was 6.8 +/- 4.7 days for patients with the T-tube and of 5.2 +/- 3.3 days for, patients with the biliary stent (p = 0.19). Postoperative complications were observed in 13 patients (30%) with the T-tube and in 4 patients (11%) with the biliary stent (p = 0.03). One patient with a biliary stent was reoperated because of an intraabdominal abscess, and another patient was reoperated because of biliary peritonitis following T-tube removal. Three patients (7%) with a biliary stent and one patient (3%) with a T-tube were rehospitalized. There were no deaths. The T-tube and biliary stent were removed 27.1 +/- 10.8 days and 34.9 +/- 12.9 days after surgery, respectively (p = 0.24). The biliary stent is a safe alternative to the T-tube as a biliary decompression method following an open CBD exploration.