Stenosis or hyperperfusion in sickle cell disease--ultrasound assessment of cerebral blood flow volume.

Increased blood flow velocity (BFV) in basal cerebral arteries measured by transcranial color-coded sonography (TCCS) is a stroke risk factor in sickle cell disease (SCD). Raised BFV may be caused by vessel narrowing or by hyperperfusion. In 44 SCD patients and 14 controls, intracranial arterial BFVs and global cerebral blood flow (CBF) were analyzed by TCCS and extracranial duplex ultrasound, respectively.

Salvage therapy for relapsed posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) with a second progression of PTLD after Upfront chemotherapy: the role of single-agent rituximab.

Currently no standard treatment exists for patients with posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders relapsed or refractory to chemotherapy after failure of reduction in immunosuppression. We have analyzed the effects of single-agent rituximab treatment in eight patients (seven adult, one pediatric) in this setting. Three patients had been salvaged with rituximab several times.

Interaction of bone marrow stromal cells with lymphoblasts and effects of predinsolone on cytokine expression.

Cytokines play a key role in the differentiation, growth and survival of hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow (BM) stroma microenvironment. The mechanisms by which stromal derangements may contribute to the evolution of hematopoietic neoplasias are largely unknown. Here, we characterized BM stromal cells isolated from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and determined the effect of the interaction between stromal cells and lymphoblasts on cytokine expression as well as the effect of prednisolone using mono- and co-culture models.

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography in neurologically asymptomatic children and young adults with sickle cell disease.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate transcranial Doppler ultrasonography for identifying cerebrovascular disease in neurologically asymptomatic children and young adults with sickle cell disease. A total of 47 consecutive patients with sickle cell disease (28 females, 19 males; age range 8 months to 29 years, mean age 9 years 6 months) were evaluated by transcranial color and duplex Doppler ultrasonography via transtemporal and occipital (2-MHz probe) as well as by transocular (5-MHz probe) approach. Eleven vessels (middle, posterior, anterior cerebral artery, vertebral artery, ophthalmic artery on each side and basilar artery) were analyzed in each patient.

Unusual mesoblastic nephroma in a young child.

We report a 1-year 11-month-old girl demonstrating a large renal mass with a unique presentation on imaging (US, CT and plain radiography), pathology and histology. The imaging features did not correspond with a Wilms' tumour, the most commonly found renal tumour in the child of this age. The US and CT findings resembled a benign lesion with an unusually high fat content.