[Central diabetes insipidus in adult patients--the first sign of Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Erdheim-Chester disease. Three case studies and literature review].

Central diabetes insipidus with an onset in adulthood is very rare. Unlike in children, central diabetes insipidus in adults is more frequently caused by inflammatory processes and neoplastic infiltrations that do not originate from the neuronal tissue than primary neuronal tissue tumours. Rare histiocytic neoplasias (Langerhans cell histiocytosis, xanthogranulomatosis and Erdheim-Chester disease) have a specific affinity to hypothalamus and the pituitary stalk not only in paediatric patients but also when occurring in adults.

[A patient with AL amyloidosis and severe factor X deficiency has been in complete haematological remission with normal factor X activity for 7 years following high-dose chemotherapy. A case study and literature review].

Disturbance of haemostasis and bleeding are rather frequent complications of AL amyloidosis. These are frequently caused by increased fragility of capillaries, thrombocyte function disorders and coagulation cascade defects. The most frequent coagulation disorder is decreased factor X activity.

Negative prognostic significance of two or more cytogenetic abnormalities in multiple myeloma patients treated with autologous stem cell transplantation.

Malignant plasma cells in multiple myeloma (MM) are frequently characterized by complex karyotypes and chromosome instability. These cytogenetic changes are considered important prognostic indicators in MM patients. We have studied samples from 68 patients with newly diagnosed MM who were treated with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation.

The thylakoid protease Deg1 is involved in photosystem-II assembly in Arabidopsis thaliana.

DegP proteases have been shown to possess both chaperone and protease activities. The proteolytic activities of chloroplast DegP-like proteases have been well documented. However, whether chloroplast Deg proteases also have chaperone activities has remained unknown.

[Diabetes insipidus followed, after 4 years, with dysarthria and mild right-sided hemiparesis--the first clinical signs of Erdheim-Chester disease. Description and depiction of a case with a review of information on the disease].

In 2004, diabetes insipidus was the first clinical sign of Erdheim-Chester disease in our patient. Following introduction of substitution therapy with adiuretin, the patient had no further health complaints for four years until 2008 when he gradually developed dysarthria and, consequently, movement disorder in the form of mild right hemiparesis. The first CNS CT scan (2004) did not reveal any pathology.

[Complete remission of nephrotic syndrome and improvement of renal function in a patient with light chain deposition disease following high dose chemotherapy with transplantation of autologous haematopoietic stem cells. A case study and review of literature].

Light chain deposition disease (LCDD) damages most frequently kidneys, and less frequently other organs. The incidence of LCDD is lower than the incidence of AL-amyloidosis. Symmetric swelling of both legs was the first sign of nephrotic syndrome with renal insufficiency in our female patient.

Gain of 1q21 is an unfavorable genetic prognostic factor for multiple myeloma patients treated with high-dose chemotherapy.

The prognostic significance of 1q21 gain, del(13)(q14), del(17)(p13), t(4;14)(p16.3;q32), and t(11;14)(q13;q32) detected by interphase fluorescein in situ hybridization (FISH) was studied in a cohort of 91 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM). 1q21 gain was detected in 37 of 91 patients (40.

Long-term outcomes of autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma: significant survival benefit of novel drugs in post-transplantation relapse.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT) has an important role in the treatment of patients with symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM). Treatment options for myeloma have expanded in the past decade, and it seems that patients who are treated with novel drugs such as thalidomide and bortezomib for relapse after autoSCT have longer overall survival (OS).

Patients And Methods: Herein, we describe the long-term outcome of a cohort of 185 patients with newly diagnosed MM treated with autoSCT.

[IgA pemphigus accompanying multiple myeloma has disappeared following the treatment with bortezomib (Velcade), cyclophosphamide and dexamethasone. Case study and literature review].

IgA pemphigus, resembling subcorneal pustulous dermatosis, represents a rare complication of IgA type monoclonal gammopathy. The patient dates the onset of initial symptoms of vesicular-bullous disease to 1990. She was first examined at our clinic in 2001 with the following conclusion "type IgA monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance".

Salvage treatment with upfront melphalan 100 mg/m(2) and consolidation with novel drugs for fulminant progression of multiple myeloma.

Patients (pts) with fulminant progression (FPG) of multiple myeloma (MM) after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) have poor prognosis. Pancytopenia, extramedullary disease, and/or renal impairment are often present, and treatment options are limited. We have retrospectively evaluated 31 pts with FPG of MM after ASCT who were treated upfront salvage therapy with melphalan 100 mg/m(2) (MEL 100) followed by PBSC support and consolidation therapy using regimens containing thalidomide (n = 16) or bortezomib (n = 15).

Pretreatment hepatocyte growth factor and thrombospondin-1 levels predict response to high-dose chemotherapy for multiple myeloma.

Unlabelled: Our aim was to establish whether the pretreatment levels of angiogenesis activators and inhibitors can be used to predict clinical responses to treatment that included high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral stem cell support.
We analyzed samples and treatment outcomes of 96 patients with MM enrolled in the CMG 2002 randomized clinical trial and treated with induction chemotherapy and high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell support. Concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocytar growth factor (HGF), basic fibroblastic growth factor (bFGF), thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), endostatin, and angiostatin were measured in the peripheral blood plasma and in the bone marrow plasma at diagnosis.

[The importance of autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma].

Several randomized clinical trials in multiple myeloma (MM) completed in the last two decades have clearly shown that high-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic stem cell support significantly increases the number of complete remissions and median overall survival in comparison to conventional chemotherapy. The median survival of MM patients treated with conventional chemotherapy is approximately 4 years in contrast to 5 to 6 years with autologous transplantation. Although high-dose chemotherapy with autologous transplantation is not curative and most patients will eventually relapse, more than 20% of patients treated using this strategy experience survival longer than 10 years.

[B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and the similar states].

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and the similar diseases are seen predominantly in patients above the age 50 years, i.e. at the age when the patients also have other co-morbidities.

[Transplantation of haematopoietic cells].

Autologous and allogeneic transplantations of haematopoietic cells form an important part of treatment of, particularly haematological, malignancies but have their place in the treatment of other diseases as well. Transplantation brings permanent remission in a number of patients. However, transplantation, and the allogeneic one in particular, is associated with a range of complications.

Levels of angiogenic factors in patients with multiple myeloma correlate with treatment response.

Angiogenesis plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma (MM). We have measured concentrations of angiogenesis activators, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor, and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and inhibitors, including endostatin, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), and angiostatin in the peripheral and bone marrow blood of MM patients at diagnosis and after high-dose chemotherapy. We have analyzed 96 patients with secretory MM.

[Localized tracheobronchial amyloidosis, type AA, and its differentiation from the systemic form of amyloidosis in clinical practice].

67-year-old patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic pansinusitis suffered from attacks of dyspnea, cough and common cold repeatedly. The chest X-ray was without clear pathology. Because of repeated difficulties, a bronchoscopic examination was made and a diagnosis of amyloidosis was made twice (bronchial biopsy, excision).

[The treatment of renal failure in multiple myeloma].

While in some patients, renal failure is the only, isolated sign of multiple myeloma, other patients have further simultaneous symptoms (signs of bone destruction, hypercalcaemia, cytopenia). Therefore, differential diagnosis of renal failure should always include monoclonal gametopathy-associated nephropathy. Renal damage is caused dominantly by free light chains.

Primary percutaneous coronary intervention for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: changing patterns of vascular access, radial versus femoral artery.

Objective: To examine the safety and efficacy of emergency transradial primary percutaneous coronary intervention for ST-elevation myocardial infarction.

Design: Single-centre observational study with prospective data collection.

Setting: A regional cardiac centre, United Kingdom.

Generalized gene adjacencies, graph bandwidth, and clusters in yeast evolution.

We present a parameterized definition of gene clusters that allows us to control the emphasis placed on conserved order within a cluster. Though motivated by biological rather than mathematical considerations, this parameter turns out to be closely related to the bandwidth parameter of a graph. Our focus will be on how this parameter affects the characteristics of clusters: how numerous they are, how large they are, how rearranged they are, and to what extent they are preserved from ancestor to descendant in a phylogenetic tree.

Varicella-zoster virus prophylaxis with low-dose acyclovir in patients with multiple myeloma treated with bortezomib.

Background: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation is a common complication in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) treated with bortezomib, with an incidence rate of 10%-60%. The aim of our study was to analyze the effect of acyclovir prophylaxis in this patient population.

Patients And Methods: We studied 98 consecutive patients with relapsed MM treated with bortezomib.

Resuscitation after cardiac surgery: results of an international survey.

Objective: A survey was conducted on CTSNet, the cardiothoracic network website in order to ascertain an international viewpoint on a range of issues in resuscitation after cardiac surgery.

Methods: From 40 questions, 19 were selected by the EACTS clinical guidelines committee. Respondents were anonymous but their location was determined by their Internet protocol (IP) address.

[Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma of lower extremities resistant to high dose chemotherapy BEAM with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation].

Interdigitating dendritic cell sarcoma is a rare neoplasm forming part of the group of malignancies derived from histocytic cell line. This nosological unit can be detected only by special immunohistochemical exams. A young man aged 25 found a tumorous swelling in the proximal part of his left crus.

[Treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia--the experience of one centre].

Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM) is a disease the incidence of which is approximately 10 times lower than that of multiple myeloma. The incidence of WM is reported to be respectively 0.34 per 100,000 men and 0.