Successful Treatment of Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura With Caplacizumab Combined With Plasma Exchanges and Immune Suppression in 3 Children.

Acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic (aTTP) purpura is a life-threatening condition that can lead to devastating thromboembolic events. Recently, caplacizumab has been shown to rapidly restore platelet numbers and reduce the risk of severe end-organ damage when added to plasma exchanges (PEXs) and immunosuppression (IST). Here, we report the outcomes in 3 children with aTTP who were treated with caplacizumab in combination with PEXs and IST.

Flow cytometry for comprehensive assessment of platelet functional activity in response to ADP stimulation.

Objectives: Flow cytometry with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) allows to characterize molecular changes of platelet function caused by this physiologically important activation, but the methodology has not been thoroughly investigated, standardized and characterized yet. We analyzed the influence of several major variables and chose optimal conditions for platelet function assessment.

Methods: For activation, 2.

Accelerated death of megakaryocytes from Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome patients.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked recessive disorder caused by WAS gene mutations resulting in haematopoietic/immune cell defects. Recent studies report accelerated death of WAS platelets and lymphocytes. Data on megakaryocyte (MK) maturation, viability and their possible role in thrombocytopenia development in WAS are limited.

Healthy pediatric platelets are moderately hyporeactive in comparison with adults' platelets.

Studies on platelet function in children older than neonatal period are few and their results are controversial. The pediatric platelets were alternatively reported to be more active or less active than adults' ones. We compared platelet function in the several age groups of children to adults and evaluated the age when platelet function reaches the adults' status.

Thrombopoietin receptor agonist switch in children with persistent and chronic severe immune thrombocytopenia: A retrospective analysis in a large tertiary center.

We retrospectively analyzed sequential therapy with romiplostim and eltrombopag in 23 children with immune thrombocytopenia: switching from romiplostim to eltrombopag (10 patients) or vice versa (13 patients). The median age of patients at enrollment in the study was 5.6 years (2-15 years).

Prospective Study of a Cohort of Russian Nijmegen Breakage Syndrome Patients Demonstrating Predictive Value of Low Kappa-Deleting Recombination Excision Circle (KREC) Numbers and Beneficial Effect of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT).

Background: Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS) is a combined primary immunodeficiency with DNA repair defect, microcephaly, and other phenotypical features. It predominantly occurs in Slavic populations that have a high frequency of carriers with the causative NBN gene c.657_661del5 mutation.

Eight-year follow-up in pediatric living donor kidney recipients receiving alemtuzumab induction.

Recipient lymphocytes are crucial for direct and indirect pathways of allorecognition. We proposed that the administration of alemtuzumab several weeks pretransplantation could eradicate peripheral lymphatic cells and promote donor-specific acceptance. This was a single-center, retrospective review of 101 consecutive living donor kidney transplantations in pediatric patients (age 7 months-18 years), performed between September 2006 and April 2010.

Clinical and genomic heterogeneity of Diamond Blackfan anemia in the Russian Federation.

Background: Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous ribosomopathy and inherited bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by anemia, reticulocytopenia, and decreased erythroid precursors in the bone marrow with an increased risk of malignancy and, in approximately 50%, physical abnormalities.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 77 patients with DBA born in the Russian Federation from 1993 to 2014. In 74 families there was one clinically affected individual; in only three instances a multiplex family was identified.

Therapy of advanced-stage mature B-cell lymphoma and leukemia in children and adolescents with rituximab and reduced intensity induction chemotherapy (B-NHL 2004M protocol): the results of a multicenter study.

Pediatric mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas (B-NHLs) are highly aggressive malignant tumors that are curable with chemotherapy (ChT). High-dose methotrexate (MTX) is considered indispensable for successful treatment, but this therapy frequently induces severe mucositis and infectious complications, especially in induction, which can cause treatment failure. A prospective multicenter trial of combined immunochemotherapy for advanced-stage B-NHL with rituximab and the modified NHL-BFM-90 protocol was conducted.

Alemtuzumab induction in pediatric kidney transplantation.

Recipient parenchymal lymphatic cells are crucial for direct and indirect pathways of allorecognition. We proposed that alemtuzumab, being infused several weeks pretransplant could eradicate peripheral lymphatic cells and promote donor-specific tolerance. We present here a single center, retrospective review of 101 consecutive living-donor kidney transplantations to pediatric patients aged from seven month to 18 yr, performed between September 2006 and April 2010.

Response of pure red cell aplasia to cyclophosphamide after failure of mycofenolate mofetil in a patient with polyglandular syndrome type I.

A 26-year-old female with the classic major and minor components of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 was diagnosed as having pure red cell aplasia. Treatment with 1.5 g/d mycofenolate mofetil for 3 months failed to restore erythroid production.

657del5 mutation in the gene for Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS1) in a cohort of Russian children with lymphoid tissue malignancies and controls.

Nijmegen breakage syndrome (NBS, OMIM 251260) is a rare hereditary disease, characterized by immune deficiency, microcephaly, and an extremely high incidence of lymphoid tissue malignancies. The gene mutated in NBS, NBS1, was recently cloned from its location on chromosome 8q21. The encoded protein, nibrin (p95), together with hMre11 and hRad50, is involved in the double-strand DNA break repair system.