Outcomes within 100 days of hematopoietic cell transplantation in pediatric patients: insights from an intensive care unit in Colombia.

Introduction: Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has become an essential therapeutic modality for pediatric patients with malignant and non-malignant conditions. Despite its effectiveness, many patients experience post-transplant complications often leading into life-threatening conditions requiring specialized care in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). This study aims to describe clinical characteristics associated with mortality in pediatric HCT patients who needed PICU care within 100 days post-transplant in a resource-limited country.

Loss of p53 cooperates with K-ras activation to induce glioma formation in a region-independent manner.

Gliomas are recognized as a heterogeneous group of neoplasms differing in their location and morphological features. These differences, between and within varying grades of gliomas, have not been explained solely on the grounds of an oncogenic stimulus. Interactions with the tumor microenvironment as well as inherent characteristics of the cell of origin are likely a source of this heterogeneity.

Differential transformation capacity of neuro-glial progenitors during development.

Gliomas represent the most common type of brain tumor, but show considerable variability in histologic appearance and clinical outcome. The phenotypic differences between types and grades of gliomas have not been explained solely on the grounds of differing oncogenic stimuli. Several studies have demonstrated that some phenotypic differences may be attributed to regional differences in the neural stem cells from which tumors arise.

In situ analysis of mutant EGFRs prevalent in glioblastoma multiforme reveals aberrant dimerization, activation, and differential response to anti-EGFR targeted therapy.

Aberrations in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1) are the most common oncogenic alterations in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common primary brain tumor. Interactions between wild-type (wt) and mutant EGFRs and their subsequent activation are of biologic and potential therapeutic importance in GBMs. We recently showed that in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) allows for quantitative evaluation of EGFR dimerization and activation in intact cells.

Mouse models to interrogate the implications of the differentiation status in the ontogeny of gliomas.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and lethal of human primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors, with a median survival of 14-16 months despite optimal surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. A reason for this dismal prognosis is insufficient understanding of the ontogeny of GBMs, which are highly heterogeneous at a pathological level. This pathological diversity, between and within GBMs as well as varying grades of gliomas, has not been fully explained solely on the grounds of oncogenic stimulus.

Direct effects of leptin on size and extracellular matrix components of human pediatric ventricular myocytes.

Objective: There is a well-documented association between obesity and heart failure although the mechanistic basis for this correlation is unclear. Both extracellular matrix remodeling and left ventricular hypertrophy are well-defined components of remodeling in heart failure, and here we further investigate the role of leptin, the obese gene product, on these parameters.

Methods: We used primary human pediatric ventricular cardiomyocytes combined with gelatin zymography, quantitative PCR analysis, proline and leucine incorporation assays, and investigation of kinase activation by Western blotting.