Value of infliximab (Remicade®) in patients with low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: final results of a randomized phase II trial (EORTC trial 06023) of the EORTC Leukemia Group.

Tumor-necrosis factor alpha activity has been correlated to ineffective erythropoiesis in lower risk myelodysplastic syndromes. Infliximab (Remicade(®)) is an anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha chimeric antibody that is used in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or Crohn's disease. Forty-six patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and a relatively low risk of developing acute leukemia were included in a randomized phase II study assessing the therapeutic activity of two dosages of infliximab administration (3 mg/kg vs.

Mesenchymal stromal cells: a new tool against graft-versus-host disease?

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a heterogeneous subset of multipotent cells that can be isolated from several tissues including bone marrow and fat. MSCs exhibit immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties that prompted their clinical use as prevention and/or treatment for severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Although a number of phase I-II studies have suggested that MSC infusion was safe and might be effective for preventing or treating acute GVHD, definitive proof of their efficacy remains lacking thus far.

Long-exposure filtering of turbulence-degraded wavefronts.

The quasi-static aberrations of optical telescopes are often determined using light from a star as the reference wavefront. We calculate the exposure time necessary to determine the amplitude of the phase aberrations for a given telescope to a given accuracy in the presence of atmospheric seeing. We implement a computational simulation of the atmosphere and present the root mean square of the generated wavefront Zernike amplitudes for a given exposure time.

Hemodynamic effects of a right lumbar-pelvic wedge during spinal anesthesia for cesarean section.

Background: Aortocaval compression is a major cause of maternal hypotension. A randomized controlled trial was designed to determine the effectiveness of a mechanical intervention using a right lumbar-pelvic wedge in preventing hypotension after spinal anesthesia for cesarean delivery.

Methods: Eighty healthy women undergoing elective cesarean section were randomly allocated immediately after spinal blockade to either a lumbar-pelvic wedge positioned under the right posterior-superior iliac crest (Wedge group, n=40) or the complete supine position (Supine group, n=40).

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after reduced intensity conditioning.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) following myeloablative (conventional) conditioning regimen is associated with a high incidence of transplant-related morbidity and mortality, limiting its use to younger patients without medical co-morbidities. Over the past few years, it has become more evident that the alloreactivity of transplanted donor immunocompetent cells against host tumor cells (graft-versus-tumor effects, GVT effects) plays a major role in eradicating malignancies after allogeneic HSCT. Based on these observations, several groups of investigators have developed reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens allowing patients who are ineligible for conventional HSCT to benefit from the potentially curative GVT effects of allogeneic transplantation.

The effect of melatonin on the quality of extended boar semen after long-term storage at 17 °C.

Melatonin (MLT) is an efficient antioxidant that protects cells and tissues and initiates a host of receptor-mediated effects. In order to enhance the life span of refrigerated boar semen, our aim was to evaluate the effects of addition of 1 μM MLT to commercially produced pig semen (33 seminal doses from 14 boars) that had been preserved at 17 °C for 7 days. Samples without MLT served as controls.

Biodiversity of psychrotrophic bacteria of the Bacillus cereus group collected on farm and in egg product industry.

The aim of the present study was (i) to type, by genotypic and phenotypic methods, a collection of psychrotrophic bacteria belonging to the Bacillus cereus group collected in a farm and in 6 egg breaking industries during a period covering a warm and a cold season, and (ii) to characterize the egg product spoilage (growth in liquid whole egg) and the sanitary risk potential (cytotoxic activity on Caco-2 cells and adhesion on stainless steel) of each isolate of the collection. The investigation of specific psychrotrophic and mesophilic signatures together with the study of ability to grow at 6 °C and/or at 43 °C on optimal agar medium allowed highlighting twelve profiles, the major one corresponding to the species Bacillus weihenstephanensis (46.2% of the collection).

Role of incubation conditions and protein fraction on the antimicrobial activity of egg white against Salmonella Enteritidis and Escherichia coli.

The mechanism of egg white antimicrobial activity involves specific molecules and environmental factors. However, it is difficult to compare the data from the literature because of the use of various bacterial strains and incubation conditions. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of temperature, pH, inoculum size, and egg white protein concentration on egg white antimicrobial activity and to investigate the putative interactions among these factors by conducting a complete factorial design analysis.

[Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell treatment after non-myeloablation (minigraft)].

Allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the best treatment option for many patients suffering from severe haematologic diseases. Allogeneic transplantation is generally preceded, by a myeloablative conditioning regimen consisting of high doses of chemo/radiotherapy. The use of those high dose conditionings is restricted to young patients (< 55 years of age) without significant comorbidities.

School teachers' vocal use, risk factors, and voice disorder prevalence: guidelines to detect teachers with current voice problems.

Unlabelled: Teachers' voice problems are widely recognized as a consequence of their work. The measurement of vocal demands and risk factors is essential for adjusting occupational safety and health services to this population's needs.

Objectives: To correlate vocal behavior and symptomatology with risk factors and voice disorders, and to further analyze gender influence on these variables.

Thymic recovery after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with non-myeloablative conditioning is limited to patients younger than 60 years of age.

Background: Long-term immune recovery in older patients given hematopoietic cell transplantation after non-myeloablative conditioning remains poorly understood. This prompted us to investigate long-term lymphocyte reconstitution and thymic function in 80 patients given allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells after non-myeloablative conditioning.

Design And Methods: Median age at transplant was 57 years (range 10-71).

Effect of temperature and time of storage on protein stability and anti-salmonella activity of egg white.

Hen egg white contains numerous molecules of interest for human health, including antimicrobial proteins. Little information is available concerning changes in the antimicrobial activity of egg white during storage; therefore, we analyzed the potential of egg white to inhibit growth of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis following storage at 4, 20, or 37°C for 30 days prior to inoculation. Egg white displayed higher anti-Salmonella activity after a few days of storage at 20 and 37°C.

A multiparametric PCR-based tool for fast detection and identification of spore-forming bacteria in food.

The presence of psychrotrophic or highly thermoresistant spore-forming bacteria in food and feedstuff responsible for food poisoning and spoilage raises major safety and economical issues. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of a ready-to-use PCR assay (alternative method) in comparison with the standard microbiological plating method regarding spore-forming bacteria detection in food samples. An overnight sample enrichment was selected to increase sporeformer diversity recovery, spore germination, bacterial growth and favour DNA extraction.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms in MDR1 gen correlates with outcome in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patients treated with cisplatin plus vinorelbine.

Unlabelled: New therapeutic approaches are being developed based on the findings that several genetic abnormalities underlying NSCLC could influence chemosensitivity. In this study, we assessed whether the presence of polymorphisms in ERCC1, XPD, RRM1 and MDR1 genes can affect the efficacy and the tolerability of cisplatin and vinorelbine in NSCLC patients.

Material And Methods: Eligible patients had histological confirmed stage IV or IIIB (with malignant pleural effusion) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) previously untreated with chemotherapy; World Health Organization performance status (PS) 0-1.

[Mantle cell lymphoma].

Mantle cell lymphoma comprises 3 to 10% of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Cyclin D1 expression due to t(11 ;14) (q13 ;32) is considered as a hallmark of this lymphoma and plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of lymphoma transformation. Median age at diagnosis ranges from 60 to 70 years, and diagnosis is often made at an advanced stage with widespread lymphadenopathy and extranodular (particularly bone marrow and gastrointestinal) infiltration.

Additive effects of LPL, APOA5 and APOE variant combinations on triglyceride levels and hypertriglyceridemia: results of the ICARIA genetic sub-study.

Background: Hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is a well-established independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and the influence of several genetic variants in genes related with triglyceride (TG) metabolism has been described, including LPL, APOA5 and APOE. The combined analysis of these polymorphisms could produce clinically meaningful complementary information.

Methods: A subgroup of the ICARIA study comprising 1825 Spanish subjects (80% men, mean age 36 years) was genotyped for the LPL-HindIII (rs320), S447X (rs328), D9N (rs1801177) and N291S (rs268) polymorphisms, the APOA5-S19W (rs3135506) and -1131T/C (rs662799) variants, and the APOE polymorphism (rs429358; rs7412) using PCR and restriction analysis and TaqMan assays.

Infrared images of the transiting disk in the epsilon Aurigae system.

Epsilon Aurigae (epsilon Aur) is a visually bright, eclipsing binary star system with a period of 27.1 years. The cause of each 18-month-long eclipse has been a subject of controversy for nearly 190 years because the companion has hitherto been undetectable.

[Chronic graft-versus-host disease: a multidisciplinary approach].

Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease (GVHD) is a frequent complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. This review article describes recent advances in the classification and treatment of chronic GVHD.

Cotransplantation of mesenchymal stem cells might prevent death from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) without abrogating graft-versus-tumor effects after HLA-mismatched allogeneic transplantation following nonmyeloablative conditioning.

Recent studies have suggested that coinfusion of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) the day of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) might promote engraftment and prevent graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after myeloablative allogeneic HCT. This prompted us to investigate in a pilot study whether MSC infusion before HCT could allow nonmyeloablative (NMA) HCT (a transplant strategy based nearly exclusively on graft-versus-tumor effects for tumor eradication) from HLA-mismatched donors to be performed safely. Twenty patients with hematologic malignancies were given MSCs from third party unrelated donors 30-120 minutes before peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) from HLA-mismatched unrelated donors, after conditioning with 2 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) and fludarabine.

An interdisciplinary approach to teachers' voice disorders and psychosocial working conditions.

Objectives: The goals of this epidemiological paper are focused on studying teachers' vocal complaints, their voice pattern, and the impact of voice disorders on psychosocial working conditions.

Patients: A representative stratified random sample of 282 teachers from kindergartens and elementary schools was studied. Two types of self-report questionnaires were applied: an inquiry about teachers' occupational voice profile, and the adapted Spanish version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (ISTAS-21).

[Immune recovery following allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation].

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHCT) is frequently used as treatment for patients with hematological malignancies. Its efficacy depends in part on the destruction of recipient tumor cells by donor immune cells contained in the graft (graft-versus-tumor effects), underlying the interest of studying donor immune recovery after alloHCT. Further, donor immune cells play an important role in the prevention and treatment of infections after alloHCT, and are the cause of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Elevations of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 at day 7 and acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation with nonmyeloablative conditioning.

Acute GVHD has remained a significant cause of nonrelapse mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with nonmyeloablative conditioning. The role of TNF-alpha in the biology of acute GVHD after nonmyeloablative conditioning has not been studied thus far. Here, we measured TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) as a surrogate marker for TNF-alpha in 106 patients before the start of the conditioning regimen (baseline) and 7 days after allogeneic HCT with nonmyeloablative conditioning.

[Secondary malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation].

This article reviews the incidence, risk factors and prevention of secondary malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation.