All-trans retinoic acid in association with low dose cytosine arabinoside in the treatment of acute myeoid leukemia in elderly patients.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has shown a synergistic activity in combination with cytosine arabinoside in vitro in the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In this paper we report the results of treatment with low dose cytosine arabinoside (LDAC) with or without ATRA in 28 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia aged over 60 years: 14 patients received only LDAC and the other 14 LDAC + ATRA. The patients of the 2 groups showed similar clinical features: in 10 patients AML developed after a myelodysplastic form and 4 patients presented a previous malignancy.

Hepatocyte growth factor favors monocyte differentiation into regulatory interleukin (IL)-10++IL-12low/neg accessory cells with dendritic-cell features.

Several hematopoietic growth factors, including interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), promote the differentiation of tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs). Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine whose effects on human DC differentiation and function have not been investigated. Monocytes cultured with HGF (HGFMo) differentiated into accessory cells with DC-like morphology, released low amounts of IL-12p70 and up-regulated IL-10 both at the mRNA and at the protein level.

Glutathione S-transferase P1 genotype and prognosis in Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Purpose: Glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) is a member of the GST enzyme superfamily that is important for the detoxification of several cytotoxic drugs and their by-products. A single nucleotide polymorphism results in the substitution of isoleucine (Ile) to valine (Val) at codon 105, causing a metabolically less active variant of the enzyme. We assessed the impact of the GSTP1 codon 105 genotype on treatment outcome in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Efficacy of a modified Stanford V regimen in patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma.

We report treatment results obtained with a modified Stanford V regimen in 32 patients with advanced Hodgkin's lymphoma (stage II bulky disease, III, IV). Treatment results were not superior to those achieved with conventional treatment (ABVD) in terms of complete remission and survival rates (progression-free survival and overall survival at 3 years: 66% and 91%, respectively).

The expression pattern of c-mpl in megakaryocytes correlates with thrombotic risk in essential thrombocythemia.

Using immunohistochemistry, we investigated the expression of c-mpl in bone marrow megakaryocytes of 88 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET), 6 patients with secondary thrombocytosis (ST), and 20 patients with lymphoma (controls). Considering both the pattern of expression and the staining intensity, we identified a uniform and a heterogeneous pattern of c-mpl expression. The uniform pattern was found in all the controls, all the patients with ST, and 28 of the patients with ET, with a strong staining intensity observed in most megakaryocytes (> 80%).