Humoral response and safety of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccines in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: An observational study.

Background: The effectiveness of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines and the optimal timing of vaccine administration in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) recipients remains inadequately investigated. We examine the effectiveness and safety of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines in allo-HSCT recipients.

Method: This prospective observational study included 44 allo-HSCT recipients and 38 healthy volunteers.

Clinical Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis via Histopathological and Antibody Examination of Five Immunocompetent Patients at Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, 2008 to 2015.

Congenital toxoplasmosis, commonly known as TORCH, is a well-known syndrome, but even experienced obstetricians rarely encounter it. In Japan, there is good overall hygiene and raw or wild game meats are not eaten; therefore, the prevalence of infection and the antibody positivity rates have been low. This low prevalence rate also relates to the fact that infections are rarely observed in immunocompetent hosts.

[Successful treatment with lenalidomide-containing regimen of plasma cell leukemia accompanied by meningeal involvement].

The central nervous system (CNS) is rarely involved in plasma cell neoplasms (PCN), especially in patients with advanced disease, harboring poor prognostic chromosomal abnormalities. The prognosis after development of CNS is poor, with a median survival of 2-6 months. Here, we present a 56-year-old woman with isolated CNS relapse of plasma cell leukemia who was admitted to our hospital with back pain, thigh pain, and dysuria.

Impacts of thymoglobulin in patients with acute leukemia in remission undergoing allogeneic HSCT from different donors.

Antithymocyte globulin (ATG) is widely used to reduce acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) and chronic GVHD (cGVHD). To clarify the different impacts of ATG for conditioning across different donor types, we retrospectively analyzed patients with acute leukemia (n = 6617) who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation between 2008 and 2015 with ATG (n = 279) or without ATG (n = 6338). Because thymoglobulin is the only ATG drug approved for GVHD prophylaxis in Japan since September 2008, we included thymoglobulin alone in the present analysis.

Upfront allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) versus remission induction chemotherapy followed by allogeneic HCT for acute myeloid leukemia with multilineage dysplasia: A propensity score matched analysis.

The efficacy of induction chemotherapy before allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia with multilineage dysplasia (AML-MLD) is unclear. Some patients with AML-MLD have received upfront HCT without prior induction chemotherapy. To compare the transplant outcomes between patients who received upfront HCT and those who received induction chemotherapy followed by allogeneic HCT for AML-MLD, we retrospectively analyzed the Japanese registration data of 1445 adult patients who had received allogeneic HCT between 2007 and 2016.

Peripheral Blood Lymphocyte-to-Monocyte Ratio at Relapse Predicts Outcome for Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma in the Rituximab Era.

Background: Patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have a poor prognosis, even in the rituximab era. Several studies have reported the clinical importance of the peripheral blood lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) in various malignancies, including lymphoma. However, the prognostic value of the LMR in relapsed/refractory DLBCL has not been well evaluated.

Utility of a simple prognostic stratification based on platelet counts and serum albumin levels in elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Few studies have examined the prognostic impact of blood markers [other than the five factors in the enhanced International Prognostic Index (NCCN-IPI)] in elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We retrospectively analyzed 391 DLBCL patients receiving rituximab plus anthracycline-containing chemotherapy to examine the prognostic impact of simple blood markers. The NCCN-IPI was more accurate for discriminating prognoses than the original IPI.

The milk-derived peptides Val-Pro-Pro and Ile-Pro-Pro attenuate arterial dysfunction in L-NAME-treated rats.

Both endothelial dysfunction and arterial stiffness are surrogate markers of atherosclerosis and thus cardiovascular (CV) events. The milk-derived peptides Val-Pro-Pro (VPP) and Ile-Pro-Pro (IPP) inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme, dilate blood vessels ex vivo and stimulate nitric oxide (NO) production in cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of either VPP or IPP on arterial function and on target organ damage in vivo.

Serum IgA level, monocyte count, and international prognostic index are independently associated with overall survival in patients with HTLV-I-negative nodal peripheral T cell lymphoma.

Peripheral T cell lymphomas (PTCL) account for 10-15 % of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and are associated with poor prognosis. Although many prognostic factors for PTCL have been proposed, the heterogeneity of PTCL seems to be an obstacle in the establishment of clinically useful prognostic system, such as the International Prognostic Index (IPI) in diffuse large B cell lymphoma. PTCL with nodal manifestation include the HTLV-I-negative histologic subtypes of PTCL not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL), and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL).

Simultaneous thrombosis of the mesenteric artery and vein as a novel clinical manifestation of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma.

A 79-year-old man with a 2-month history of fever and weight loss was admitted to our hospital because of an acute abdomen. Abdominal CT scans showed marked sectional thickening and edema of the small intestine. On laparotomy, a 16-cm section of the small intestine was ischemic and necrotic; therefore, segmentectomy of the intestine was performed.

Successful allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with reduced-intensity conditioning for B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia in partial remission.

B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL) is a rare, chemotherapy-resistant lymphoid neoplasm. Although allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) represents a potentially curative treatment for B-PLL, the number of B-PLL patients who have been treated with allo-HSCT is small and its efficacy has not been established. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman with B-PLL in partial remission, who was successfully treated with allo-HSCT following reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC).

IP-10/CXCL10 and MIG/CXCL9 as novel markers for the diagnosis of lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome.

Lymphoma-associated hemophagocytic syndrome (LAHS) is a serious disorder, and its early diagnosis and treatment with appropriate chemotherapy are very important. However, reliable markers for early diagnosis of LAHS have not been identified. We screened serum cytokines using a newly introduced assay system, cytometric bead array (CBA), and identified interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10)/CXCL10 and monokine induced by interferon gamma (MIG)/CXCL9 as useful markers.

The prognostic impact of absolute lymphocyte and monocyte counts at diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the rituximab era.

Background: A recent report showed that the combination of the absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and the absolute monocyte count (AMC) at diagnosis gave a prognostic score in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, this model requires validation in other patient cohorts.

Methods: We retrospectively evaluated the prognostic impact of the combination of the ALC and the AMC at diagnosis in a cohort of 299 DLBCL patients who were treated in the rituximab era at a single institution.

The need for continuing chemotherapy for leukemic cell lysis pneumopathy in patients with acute myelomonocytic/monocytic leukemia.

Although fatal pulmonary complications frequently occur during the course of acute leukemia, a minor proportion of the complications are due to leukemia itself. Infections, drug reactions and concomitant medical conditions are the major causes of respiratory distress in leukemic patients. We treated four patients with acute myeloid leukemia complicated by leukemic cell lysis pneumopathy (LCLP).

Therapeutic effects of lenalidomide on hemorrhagic intestinal myeloma-associated AL amyloidosis.

A 74-year-old woman with refractory IgG-κ multiple myeloma developed massive melena caused by hemorrhagic submucosal tumors in the duodenum and middle jejunum. A biopsy revealed the tumor to be marked AL amyloid deposition. Treatment with bortezomib did not improve the melena or the underlying disease.

Impact of occult bone marrow involvement on the outcome of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

We assessed the prognostic impact of occult bone marrow involvement, determined by flow cytometry and/or polymerase chain reaction, in a population of 117 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP). Twenty-four (20.5%) had morphologically diagnosed and 16 (13.

Efficacy and tolerability of reduced-dose 21-day cycle rituximab and cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone therapy for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Rituximab combined with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP) is regarded as the first-line treatment for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but it is often necessary to reduce the dose or prolong the intervals between doses. In our center, dose reduction is performed with elderly patients with DLBCL on an individual basis: for patients in their 70s and 80s, the initial CHOP dose is reduced to 70% and 50%, respectively, and the subsequent doses are adjusted so that the patients receive, at 21-day intervals, the highest dose they can tolerate (reduced-dose R-CHOP21). To verify this practice, a retrospective analysis was performed.

Successful treatment of anti-erythropoietin antibody-mediated pure red cell aplasia with low-dose prednisolone.

The standard therapy for anti-erythropoietin (EPO) antibody-mediated pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is cyclosporine (CyA) or prednisolone (PSL) 0.5-1.0 mg/kg.

[Fatal hepatic failure due to AL amyloidosis in a patient with multiple myeloma].

Although about 10 to 15% of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) develop AL amyloidosis, liver-restricted fatal amyloidosis is rare. We encountered such an MM patient. A 73-year-old female without a history of carpal tunnel syndrome was diagnosed with IgG-κ MM (Stage I by Durie & Salmon) in January, 2005.

Leukemic manifestation of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm lacking skin lesion : a borderline case between acute monocytic leukemia.

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare hematologic malignancy with a poor prognosis. We encountered a unique case of BPDCN that was leukemic at presentation without skin lesion and expressed CD33 antigen. A 74-year-old man was admitted because of dyspnea.

Successful treatment of γ-heavy-chain disease with rituximab and fludarabine.

An 84-year-old Japanese man was admitted because of pancytopenia. The bone marrow was hypoplastic with a predominance of abnormal small lymphocytes and grape cells, which were positive for CD19 and CD20, and partially for the surface ĸ-light chain. Systemic CT scanning showed neither lymph node swelling nor hepatosplenomegaly.