Autologous Myoblasts for the Treatment of Fecal Incontinence: Results of a Phase 2 Randomized Placebo-controlled Study (MIAS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of intrasphincteric injections of autologous myoblasts (AMs) in fecal incontinence (FI) in a controlled study.

Summary Of Background Data: Adult stem cell therapy is expected to definitively cure FI by regenerating damaged sphincter. Preclinical data and results of open-label trials suggest that myoblast therapy may represent a noninvasive treatment option.

[Advantages and difficulties of an erythrocytapheresis program for sickle-cell patients: a pediatric experience].

Transfusion programs are sometimes necessary to take care of severe sickle-cell patients. Treatment of cerebrovascular disease in sickle-cell disease is the most common indication. Periodic automated red blood cell exchange (erythrocytapheresis) is an alternative treatment.

Mycoplasma hominis wound infection after a vascular allograft.

Cases of Mycoplasma hominis infections after allograft are rare. We report a case of M. hominis wound infection after a vascular allograft.

[Transfusions of rhesus-incompatible platelet concentrates in Rouen University Hospital: procedures and consequences].

Introduction: Guidelines for distribution and use of blood products have been established for both blood transfusion institution and hospitals, in particular for the use of Rh (D)-incompatible platelet concentrates. The aim of this study was to evaluate: 1) the rate of attribution for the Rh (D)-incompatible platelets concentrates, 2) the immunisation prophylaxis practices, 3) the immunological consequences using short and medium term follow-up of transfused patients.

Methods: Patients with Rh (D)-incompatible platelets concentrate administered during the year 2003 at Rouen University Hospital were retrospectively selected.

Transient anti rhesus alloantibody produced by graft after non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant.

Background: We report the case of a patient who received an allogeneic transplant with peripheral blood compatible ABO, Rhesus mismatched progenitor cells and who developed an asymptomatic transient anti Rhesus alloimmunisation.

Case Report: A 56-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma received a non-myeloablative allogeneic PBPC ABO compatible graft from his HLA-identical brother. Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine alone.

Impact of frontline fludarabine and cyclophosphamide combined treatment on peripheral blood stem cell mobilization in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Ongoing studies in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia are evaluating autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation in first remission following fludarabine therapy. However, fludarabine could impair PBSC harvest. In 38 patients after frontline oral fludarabine and cyclophosphamide (FDR-CY) therapy, we prospectively evaluated steady state filgrastim- or lenograstim-primed PBSC mobilization to collect 2.

Bacterial resistance of refrigerated and cryopreserved aortic allografts in an experimental virulent infection model.

Purpose: The bacterial resistance of refrigerated and cryopreserved aortic allografts in a highly virulent infection in a dog model was studied.

Methods: The infrarenal aorta of 12 dogs was replaced with either a cryopreserved aortic allograft (group I, n = 6) or a refrigerated aortic allograft (group II, n = 6) in infected sites. Allografts were harvested from dogs and stored for 1 week, either by cryopreservation (-140 degrees C) or refrigerated method (4 degrees C), in a preservation medium.

[A rare cause of intra-alveolar hemorrhage: a transfusion-related incident with leukoagglutination due to antigranulocyte antibodies (Trali syndrome)].

Introduction: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is an infrequent but life-threatening complication of hemotherapy, usually secondary to passive transfer of antibody from the donor's plasma to the recipient. TRALI is a diagnosis of exclusion often masked by underlying factors.

Exegesis: We report a new case of TRALI in a patient with severe multinevritis associated with Sjögren's syndrome and cryoglobulinemia, who had received intravenous immunoglobulins.

[Hemolysis can conceal another hemolysis].

We report a delayed haemolytic reaction during the course of a severe HELLP syndrome, which required red blood cell transfusions. Haemolysis was mainly ascribed to the erythrocyte alloantibody anti-Fy a. The fact that this antibody was undetectable before transfusions (despite cross-matching and anti-erythrocyte antibody screening test) emphasizes the limits of these tests for low antibody concentrations.

Peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for relapsed or refractory aggressive lymphoma in patients over 60 years of age.

Intensive chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation is now considered the treatment of choice for young patients with sensitive relapse of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) but results of this procedure in older patients remain unknown. We evaluated the feasibility of two cycles of salvage therapy followed by an autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation in 13 patients aged more than 60 years (median age: 62; range 61-72) suffering from relapsed (n = 10) or refractory (n = 3) aggressive NHL. All patients had previously received first-line treatment containing doxorubicin.

Ifosfamide, etoposide, cytarabine, and methotrexate as salvage chemotherapy in relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background: Patients with relapsed or resistant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) have a poor prognosis and are rarely cured with usual salvage chemotherapy. Intensive treatment with the support of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) may be an effective therapy for these patients. We used a combination of ifosfamide, etoposide, cytarabine, and methotrexate (IVAM) with the intention both to reduce tumor burden and collect PBSC prior to transplantation.

Treatment of Crohn's disease by lymphocyte apheresis: a randomized controlled trial. Groupe d'Etudes Thérapeutiques des Affections Inflammatoires Digestives.

Background/aims: Several uncontrolled trials suggest that lymphapheresis improves the clinical course of patients with Crohn's disease; this study was designed to assess the efficacy of lymphapheresis in preventing early relapses of Crohn's disease in patients in clinical remission after steroid treatment for an acute attack.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients in clinical remission at the end of 3-7 weeks of steroid therapy were included in this randomized multicenter prospective trial. Before starting steroid tapering, patients were randomly assigned either to the lymphapheresis group (9 procedures within 4-5 weeks) or to the control group.

[Refractory thrombocytopenia by HLA alloimmunization in a multitransfused patient].

A case is reported of 60-year-old woman who developed transfusion refractoriness after having been transfused several times. This patient who had been transfused with 4 standard packed red cell packs (PRC) for a surgical repair of a hiatal hernia, required three further operations within two months for postoperative complications. After the first operation, she had developed anti-JK1 and anti-CW alloantibodies.

Immunological evaluation of harvested stem cells obtained by leukapheresis after chemotherapy.

Some patients suffering from malignancies may benefit of myeloablative chemotherapy followed by hematological reconstitution with autologous peripheral blood reinfusion. A quick evaluation of the number of hematopoietic progenitors present in leukapheresis blood samples is necessary to ensure the collection of a sufficient number of these cells. A study was performed on a series of 25 leukapheresis following initial chemotherapy.

Cyclosporin for treatment of life-threatening alloimmunization.

We describe a 16-year-old girl with aplastic anemia who, 1 year after initial diagnosis developed a refractory state to platelet transfusions due to alloimmunization and resulting in severe bleeding. Treatment with cyclosporin, initially prescribed as treatment of the bone marrow failure, resulted in prompt decrease in lymphocytotoxic antibodies, which paralleled a marked improvement in platelet recovery. To our knowledge, such a dramatic effect of cyclosporin on alloimmunization has not been previously reported and merits further attention.

[Preventive treatment of infection caused by gram-negative bacteria using anti-lipopolysaccharide antibodies. Evaluation in patients with aplasia].

The prophylaxis of severe Gram-negative infections with human antiserum to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was evaluated in a randomised study of 60 patients with therapeutic aplasia for leukaemia. The antiserum was found to be ineffective in preventing Gram-negative infections. The levels of anti-LPS antibodies showed that passive immunization was obtained in only one half of the patients.

Peripheral blood stem cells collected before and after leukapheresis in the very early remission phase of hematopoietic malignancies.

Human peripheral blood obtained after chemotherapy-induced remission in hemopoietic malignancies has been suggested to be a potential substitute for autologous bone marrow as regards autologous hematopoietic reconstitution. The schedule and consequences of early leukapheresis are, however, still imprecise. We report a study performed in two series of, respectively, 10 and 14 patients where sequential leukapheresis (total number = 84) was evaluated with regard to colony-forming unit (CFU) potency.

Daily evaluation of circulating granulocyte-monocyte progenitors during bone marrow recovery from induction therapy in acute leukemia.

The notable increase of the circulating granulocyte-monocyte progenitors (PB CFU-GM) during bone marrow recovery following chemotherapy is a well known phenomenon. It has led to consider harvesting a large number of autologous stem cells by cytapheresis. Daily assessments have been conducted on the PB CFU-GM level in 9 patients with acute leukemia at the time of bone marrow regeneration after the first induction course in order to identify the circumstances of this rise.

[Anti-Gram-negative bacterial antibodies in alcoholic cirrhosis. Study of 58 patients].

Gram-negative bacterial infections are frequent and severe in cirrhotic patients. Existence of endotoxemia in cirrhosis is controversial. The demonstration of Gram-negative bacterial antibodies could be an alternative approach to the pathogenic role of these bacteria.