Hematopoiesis and cytokines. Relevance to cancer and aging.

Impaired hematopoiesis and dysregulated cytokine expression have important implications for cancer in the elderly. In aged people, hematopoiesis is dysregulated and becomes paradoxically down-modulated under periods of increased hematopoietic demand. This down-modulation may explain, at least in part, the increased incidence of anemia in the elderly, although the cause of anemia can usually be identified in these patients and frequently reversed with targeted therapy.

Complications of endomyocardial biopsy in heart transplant patients.

Despite the increasing use of alternative techniques, endomyocardial biopsy remains the primary method for diagnosing cardiac allograft rejection. Improved patient longevity and an increasing number of transplantation centers are resulting in an increase in the number of biopsies performed. Although endomyocardial biopsy is usually considered a safe procedure, no large studies of the risks of endomyocardial biopsy specifically in the transplant population have been undertaken.