Efficacy of Octocog Alfa (Advate) in a Child with Type 3 von Willebrand Disease and Alloantibodies.

Von Willebrand disease (VWD) is the most frequent inherited bleeding disorder and is caused by either a quantitative and/or qualitative defect of the multimeric glycoprotein vonWillebrand factor (VWF).[..

Extracorporeal photopheresis, a therapeutic option for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and immunological diseases: state of the art.

Introduction: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) has been extensively used for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases for over 20 years and has a consistent and predictable safety profile with long-term use. Documenting the efficacy of ECP as therapeutic treatment has long been a matter of importance for physicians.

Areas Covered: The authors reviewed publications in this field with the goal of providing an overview of this therapeutic approach.

Long-term safety of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in normal donors: is it all clear?

Introduction: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor that stimulates the proliferation and differentiation of neutrophil precursor cells. G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood (PB) hematopoietic progenitor stem cells (HPSCs) collected by apheresis are being increasingly employed for allogeneic transplantation in patients with malignancies as an alternative to bone marrow (BM) transplant. Documenting the safety of G-CSF as a mobilizing agent for HPSC donation has long been a matter of importance for physicians, particularly when volunteer, unrelated adult donors are involved.

The impact of early CD4+ lymphocyte recovery on the outcome of patients who undergo allogeneic bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Background: Different factors influence the clinical outcome of allogeneic transplants, the foremost being good immune recovery.

Materials And Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of different factors, such as stem cell source, type of donor, conditioning regimen and acute graft-versus-host disease, on early lymphocyte recovery after transplantation. We then analyzed the impact of early CD4+ cell count on overall survival, transplant-related mortality and disease-related mortality.

Utility of the clinical practice of administering thrombophilic screening and antithrombotic prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin to healthy donors treated with G-CSF for mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells.

The aim of the study was to verify the utility of the clinical practice of administering thrombophilic screening and antithrombotic prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin to healthy donors receiving granulocyte colony-stimulating factor to mobilize peripheral blood stem cells. Thrombophilia screening comprised of testing for factor V Leiden G1691A, prothrombin G20210A, the thermolabile variant (C677T) of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene, protein C, protein S, factor VIII and homocysteine plasmatic levels, antithrombin III activity, and acquired activated protein C resistance. We investigated prospectively 72 white Italian healthy donors, 39 men and 33 women, with a median age of 42 years (range, 18-65).

Low tolerance and high toxicity of thalidomide as maintenance therapy after double autologous stem cell transplant in multiple myeloma patients.

Although a double autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplant (APBSCT) is an effective therapy for patients (pts) with multiple myeloma and extends progression-free survival and overall survival, pts show a continued pattern of recurrent disease. The feasibility and tolerability of thalidomide (Thal) administered in the post-transplantation period as maintenance therapy was tested in 17 pts at a dose of 100 mg/d starting between 3 and 5 months after the second transplantation and continuing either until toxicity precluded further therapy or until pts had disease progression. After a median administration of 13 months (range: 3-26), 76.

Pegfilgrastim compared with filgrastim after high-dose melphalan and autologous hematopoietic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in multiple myeloma patients.

We undertook a comparative study of Pegfilgrastim vs. Filgrastim after high-dose melphalan and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (APBSCT) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. Thirty-seven consecutive patients were randomly assigned to receive a single 6 mg dose of Pegfilgrastim on day 1 post-transplant (n = 18 patients) vs.

Levels of soluble angiogenin in chronic myeloid malignancies: clinical implications.

Angiogenesis is critical for the clinical progression of haematopoietic malignancies and depends on angiogenic factors. Angiogenin is a powerful factor produced by neoplastic cells and host microenvironment. High levels of soluble angiogenin (sAng) correlate with a poor prognosis in patients affected by acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, but no data are available on sAng in chronic myeloproliferative disorders (CMD).