Mutations in the p53 and retinoblastoma (pRb) pathways associated with the use of tobacco and alcohol are common in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. Cell cycle proteins are also affected by human papillomavirus (HPV), which may also have an aetiological role in cancers at particular sites, most notably the tonsil. Attempts to identify prognostic molecular markers in head and neck cancers have met with conflicting results, but few studies have been undertaken with tumours of known HPV status at a single anatomic site. In our study 86 tonsil cancers were analysed for HPV status by sequence analysis of polymerase chain reaction products and for the expression of cell cycle proteins (p53, p21^CIP1/WAF1, pRb, p16^INK4A, cyclin D1 and p27^KIP1) by immunohistochemistry. The HPV status could be established in 67 of the tumours. Thirty‐one (46%) of these were HPV‐positive, predominantly (28/31) for HPV16. Findings were related to tumour recurrence and patient survival. None of the cell cycle proteins independently predicted recurrence or survival. Patients with HPV‐positive tumours, however, were significantly less likely (p< 0.05) to have recurrence or to die of disease than those with HPV‐negative tumours, after adjusting for the effects of the cell cycle proteins, clinical stage, pathological node status, tumour grade, age, gender and treatment. These findings support the concept that HPV‐positive tonsil cancers may be a distinct biological group with less aggressive characteristics. Screening of tonsil cancers for HPV DNA may help optimise treatment and provide more accurate prognostic information.

The role of Acinetobacter nosocomialis and Acinetobacter pittii , which belong to the A. calcoaceticus - A. baumannii complex, in hospital-acquired infections is increasingly recognized. Here we describe a retrospective cohort study of hospital-acquired A. calcoaceticus - A. baumannii complex infections at a university hospital in Thailand. A total of 222 unique cases were identified between January 2010 and December 2011. The genomospecies of the A. calcoaceticus - A. baumannii complex isolates were classified as follows: A. baumannii , 197 (89%); A. nosocomialis , 18 (8%); and A. pittii , 7 (3%). All A. nosocomialis and A. pittii isolates were susceptible to imipenem and meropenem. The patients infected with A. nosocomialis and A. pittii had lower 30-day mortality than those infected with carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii ( P = 0.025) and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii ( P = 0.013). The factors influencing 30-day mortality were infection with non- baumannii A. calcoaceticus - A. baumannii complex (hazard ratio [HR], 0.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03 to 0.51; P = 0.004), infection with carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.89 to 2.79; P = 0.105), appropriate empirical antimicrobial therapy (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.61; P < 0.001), and higher acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) score (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.19; P < 0.001). In Galleria mellonella assays, the survival rates were significantly higher for the larvae infected with A. nosocomialis or A. pittii than for those infected with either carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii or carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii , but no differences in survival rates were observed between carbapenem-susceptible A. baumannii and carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii . These findings suggest intrinsic differences in virulence between non- baumannii A. calcoaceticus - A. baumannii complex species and A. baumannii but not between carbapenem-susceptible and resistant A. baumannii .

OBJECTIVES. The objectives of this study were to review the prevalence, cause, and morbidity and mortality rates of acute renal failure in a large tertiary care institution in southern Thailand, to examine any differences in acute renal failure cases diagnosed during a 22-year period, and to determine the risk factors indicating death. METHODS. The case records for children 1 month to 17 years of age who were diagnosed as having acute renal failure between February 1982 and December 2004, in the Department of Pediatrics, Songklanagarind Hospital, in southern Thailand, were reviewed. RESULTS. A total of 311 children with 318 episodes of acute renal failure were included, that is, 177 boys (55.7%) and 141 girls (44.3%), 1 month to 16.7 years of age (mean age: 7.6 ± 5.1 years; median age: 7.8 years). The causes of acute renal failure in each age group were significantly different. Overall, sepsis was the major cause of acute renal failure, accounting for 68 episodes (21.4%), followed by hypovolemia, poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and infectious diseases. Renal replacement therapy was performed in 55 cases (17.3%). The overall mortality rate was 41.5%. Logistic regression analysis showed that disease groups and creatinine levels were significant independent predictors of outcomes. CONCLUSIONS. The incidence of acute renal failure in Songklanagarind Hospital was 0.5 to 9.9 cases per 1000 pediatric patients, with a mortality rate of 41.5%. Sepsis was a major cause of acute renal failure and death. Causes of acute renal failure and serum creatinine levels were significant independent predictors of death.