Preclinical Assessment of Efficacy and Safety Analysis of CAR-T Cells (ISIKOK-19) Targeting CD19-Expressing B-Cells for the First Turkish Academic Clinical Trial with Relapsed/Refractory ALL and NHL Patients.

Objective: Relapsed and refractory CD19-positive B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are the focus of studies on hematological cancers. Treatment of these malignancies has undergone recent transformation with the development of new gene therapy and molecular biology techniques, which are safer and well-tolerated therapeutic approaches. The CD19 antigen is the most studied therapeutic target in these hematological cancers.

A Multi-Center Study on the Efficacy of Eltrombopag in Management of Refractory Chronic Immune Thrombocytopenia: A Real-Life Experience.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of eltrombopag, an oral thrombopoietin receptor agonist, in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).

Materials And Methods: A total of 285 chronic ITP patients (187 women, 65.6%; 98 men, 34.

Comparison of two minimal invasive techniques of splenectomy: Standard laparoscopy versus transumbilical multiport single-site laparoscopy with conventional instruments.

Background: Laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) splenectomy which is performed on small number of patients, has been introduced with better cosmetic outcome, less postoperative pain, greater patient satisfaction and faster recovery compared to standard laparoscopy.

Materials And Methods: Thirty six patients were included in the study comparing standard laparoscopic splenectomy (LS, 17 patients) transumbilical multiport splenectomy performed with conventional laparoscopic instruments (TUMP-LS, 19 patients). Two groups of patients were compared retrospectively by means of operation time, intra- and postoperative blood loss, perioperative complications, packed red cell and platelet requirements, lenght of hospitalization, pain scores and patient satisfaction.

Thrombocytosis and small bowel perforation: unusual presentation of abdominopelvic actinomycosis.

Intrauterine devices (IUD) are frequently used as a family planning procedure in developing countries because they are easy to administer and governmental policies support their use in many countries. It is recommended that IUDs be removed or replaced after 10 years, but longer use is common, especially in developing countries. In some cases, rare infections such as pelvic inflammatory diseases, pelvic tuberculosis, or abdominopelvic actinomycosis related to IUD can develop.

Incidence of congenital hemolytic anemias in young cholelithiasis patients.

Aim: To clarify the incidence of congenital hemolytic anemias (CHA) in young cholelithiasis patients and to determine a possible screening test based on the results.

Methods: Young cholelithiasis patients (< 35 years) were invited to our outpatient clinic. Participants were asked for comorbidities and family history.

Cranial involvement in sickle cell disease.

Purpose: To evaluate cranial findings in patients with neurologically symptomatic sickle cell disease (SCD).

Materials And Methods: We studied 50 consecutive patients with SCD and neurologic symptoms. All patients underwent brain MR examinations: all 50 underwent classic MR imaging; 42, diffusion-weighted MR imaging; 10, MR angiography; four, MR venography; and three patients, digital subtraction angiography.

Fluorescent in situ hybridization studies in multiple myeloma.

Conventional cytogenetic analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results of bone marrow samples of 36 multiple myeloma (MM) patients at the time of diagnosis have been evaluated. Three probes for chromosome 13q (RB1, D13S319, D13S25), one for 14q32 (IgH) and one for 17p13 (p53) have been used for hybridization with fixed cells. Twenty patients (55.

Platelet P-selectin expression in patients with sickle cell disease who undergo apheresis.

Activated platelets have been identified in patients with sickle cell disease. However, the association of platelet P-selectin expression and automated red cell exchange procedures in these patients is not well known. We hypothesized that altered whole platelet P-selectin expression is associated with automated red cell exchange.

Automated red cell exchange procedures in patients with sickle cell disease.

In automated red cell exchange, about 60% of the patient's red blood cells are exchanged via apheresis for those of the donor. We report the outcome of 83 patients with sickle cell anemia (48 women and 35 men; age range, 17-49 years) who underwent a total of 196 apheresis procedures between December 2003 and October 2006 at our institution. We found that automated red cell exchange involving a reduced citrate infusion rate may provide benefit in the prevention or treatment of vaso-occlusive complications in patients with sickle cell disease and may be associated with protean effects on biochemical dynamics.

A case of disseminated intravascular coagulation caused by Brucella melitensis.

Objective: Although the haematological abnormalities were common accompaniments of brucellosis, overt disseminated intravascular coagulopathy was reported only in a case at the literature. We report here a case of Brucella melitensis sepsis which showed an acute onset with clinical and hematological findings disseminated intravascular coagulopathy

Methods: The patient had a physical examination, coagulation screening tests, tests of thrombin generation and fibrinolysis, bone marrow aspirate, serum Brucella agglutination test and blood culture. A case of Brucella infection presenting at the onset as a disseminated intravascular coagulation with gingival bleeding and echimotic lesions on abdomen is reported.

A dramatic response to rituximab in a patient with resistant thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) who developed acute stroke.

Background: Refractory condition can occur in 10-30% of all cases of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura despite increased frequency of total plasma exchange. Rituximab can affect the clinical outcome of the refractory cases. However, little is known about usefulness of rituximab on central nervous system involvement mimicking acute ischemic stroke.

The apoptosis of blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes in sickle cell disease.

Background: The apoptosis of human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) is not well understood. The goal of this study was to examine the apoptosis of PMNs in patients with SCD and in controls.

Methods: Flow cytometric quantitation of PMN apoptosis was performed in 17 patients during and after sickle cell vasoocclusive crisis and in 17 healthy volunteers.

Bone marrow necrosis: a rare complication of herbal treatment with Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort).

A 22-year-old man presented with fever and ulceration of the oral mucosa. The patient had pharyngeal and esophageal candidiasis. For the 3 weeks prior to presentation, he had been taking approximately 1000 mg/day of flowering herbs (Hypericum perforatum L, known as St.

Aplastic anemia in a professional musician exposed to instrument polish.

Chemicals are known to cause toxin-induced aplastic anemia. However, some chemicals documented in only a few cases to possess only a possibility of toxic potential may also be responsible for the development of aplastic anemia. This report presents a case of a string musician with bone marrow failure.

Partial splenic embolization in myelodysplastic syndrome associated with immune thrombocytopenia.

Background: Currently, all treatments for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) are still experimental. Supportive care, including treatment of infection and transfusion of blood and blood-related products, remains the most important aspect of therapy in these cases. This article discusses the results of partial splenic embolization in a patient who had MDS with refractory anemia.