Electrochemical Studies of Stainless Steel and Stainless Steel-TiO Composite in Reference to Molten Aluminum Alloy Using a Solid-State BaCO Electrolyte.

The influence of TiO addition on the high-temperature electrochemical characteristics of stainless-steel-based materials was investigated by means of differential potential measurement, electrochemical polarization and impedance spectroscopy. A new three-electrode approach was utilized which incorporated a liquid aluminum alloy AlSi7Mg0.3 as the reference electrode, barium carbonate BaCO as the solid-state electrolyte, and stainless steel or a stainless steel-TiO composite as the working electrode.

Corrosion-Resistant Steel-MgO Composites as Refractory Materials for Molten Aluminum Alloys.

In this study, a novel metal matrix composite based on 60 vol% 316L stainless steel and 40 vol% MgO manufactured by powder metallurgy technology was developed. The corrosion resistance of the developed steel-MgO composite material against molten aluminum alloy AlSi7Mg0.3 was investigated by means of wettability tests and long-term crucible corrosion tests.

Natalizumab and impedance of the homing of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitors.

Background: Treatment with natalizumab, an antibody blocking the α4-integrin, is associated with increased numbers of circulating CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Objective: To determine whether natalizumab mobilizes CD34+ cells from or inhibits homing to the bone marrow (BM).

Design: Fifty-two patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis treated with natalizumab were included.

Upfront allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation for patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome or secondary acute myeloid leukemia using a FLAMSA-based high-dose sequential conditioning regimen.

Patients suffering from high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) secondary to MDS (sAML) are characterized by poor response to conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy. The purpose of our prospective single-center study was to examine the safety and efficacy of an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) following a sequential conditioning regimen as first-line therapy for previously untreated patients with high-risk MDS or sAML. Between November 2003 and June 2010, 30 patients (20 high-risk MDS, 10 sAML) received fludarabine (4 × 30 mg/m(2)), amsacrine (4 × 100 mg/m(2)), and Ara-C (4 × 2 g/m(2), FLAMSA).

Pharmacokinetic evaluation of palifermin for mucosal protection from chemotherapy and radiation.

Introduction: Oral mucositis, one of the major side effects of chemotherapy and irradiation, is still a burden of modern oncology. The keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) palifermin has been approved as a new, targeted therapy for the prevention of severe oral mucositis.

Areas Covered: The authors review the literature on pharmacokintetics and clinical use of palifermin in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors for the prevention of chemo- and radiation-induced mucositis by using the PubMed database and additional literature where applicable.

Plerixafor enables successful hematopoietic stem cell collection in an extensively pretreated patient with testicular cancer.

Plerixafor is a reversible CXCR4 antagonist that leads to a rapid release of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPSCs) from the bone marrow into the peripheral blood by interfering with the CXCL12-CXCR4 interaction. Based on two multicenter phase III studies, plerixafor in combination with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for autologous HPSC mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. We report the case of a 26-year-old man with testicular cancer who was extensively pretreated and failed to mobilize a sufficient number of HPSCs after cytotoxic chemotherapy and the administration of G-CSF and pegylated G-CSF (PEG-G-CSF).

Immune mediators in patients with acute diabetic foot syndrome.

OBJECTIVE Subclinical inflammation is an important risk factor for type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications. However, data on the association between inflammation and acute diabetic foot syndrome are scarce. The aim of this study was to compare systemic immune mediators in diabetic patients with and without an ulcer and to identify modulating factors.