Impact of Hemoglobin Drop, Bleeding Events, and Red Blood Cell Transfusions on Long-term Mortality in Patients Undergoing Transaortic Valve Implantation.

Background: Despite the minimally invasive nature of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), the procedure is associated with several complications. We aimed to analyze the individual impact of bleeding events, hemoglobin (Hb) drop, and red blood cell (RBC) transfusions on prognosis and to evaluate the temporal trends in bleeding and RBC transfusions since the initiation of the TAVI program in our centre and onward.

Methods: Consecutive patients (n = 597) undergoing transfemoral TAVI were prospectively enrolled.

Prevalence of blood type A and risk of vascular complications following transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of blood type A among patients referred for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and whether it is related to vascular complications.

Backgrounds: Vascular complications following TAVI are associated with adverse outcomes. Various blood types, particularly type A, have been shown to be more prevalent in cardiovascular diseases and to be related to prognosis.

Increased Incidence of Red Blood Cell Alloantibodies in Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Background: Approximately 80% of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) receive multiple red blood cells (RBC), often multiple transfusions, and are therefore prone to develop alloantibodies against RBC. Because of increasing evidence for the role of immune dysregulation in the pathobiology of MDS, we hypothesized that in patients with MDS there is an increase in alloantibody formation beyond that expected from multiple transfusions.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence rates of alloantibodies in patients with MDS who are transfusion dependent and compare them to rates of non-MDS patients matched for number of RBC units they received.

Relaparotomies after cesarean sections: risk factors, indications, and management.

Objective: To establish the frequency of post-cesarean relaparotomy, identify its risk factors, indications, and operative management.

Methods: This study was a retrospective matched case control study. Records of all women who underwent a cesarean section (CS) from July 2006 to March 2012 were reviewed.

Usage of blood products in multiple-casualty incidents: the experience of a level I trauma center in Israel.

Objective: To predict how much blood will be needed based on the number of injured patients arriving after a multiple-casualty incident.

Design: A retrospective study evaluating data collected in 18 consecutive terrorist attacks in the city of Tel Aviv between January 1997 and February 2005.

Setting: A large, urban trauma center.

Vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors and fibrinogen levels in FFP remain stable upon repeated freezing and thawing.

Background: FFP is considered adequate for transfusion up to 24 hours after thawing and is currently used most often to replace deficient clotting factors, such as in warfarin overdose. We set to examine the levels of vitamin K-dependent factors (i.e.

Opsonization of apoptotic cells by autologous iC3b facilitates clearance by immature dendritic cells, down-regulates DR and CD86, and up-regulates CC chemokine receptor 7.

Immature dendritic cells (iDCs) do not mature after uptake of apoptotic cells and may play a role in the induction of peripheral tolerance to self antigens derived from apoptotic material. The integrins, alphavbeta3, alphavbeta5, and the scavenger receptor, CD36, have been shown to mediate uptake of apoptotic cells by iDCs. However, it is not known whether the complement system, also takes part in this process.

Donor anti-Jk(a) causing hemolysis in a liver transplant recipient.

Background: Hemolytic transfusion reactions have been observed in recipients of ABO- and/or D-mismatched marrow, peripheral blood, and solid organs. Passenger lymphocyte syndrome occurs when immunocompetent donor lymphocytes transferred during transplantation produce alloantibodies against host antigens.

Case Report: The first case of a delayed, anti-Jk(a)-mediated hemolytic reaction in a liver transplant recipient, caused by passenger donor lymphocytes, is reported here.

The ratio between carcinoma antigen-125 levels in the seminal plasma and serum may be a marker for fertilization in intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

Objective: To assess the relationship between tumor marker carcinoma antigen-125 levels in seminal plasma and serum and fertilization rates in an IVF program, using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Design: A prospective study.

Setting: IVF Unit, Lis Maternity Hospital, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Tamoxifen for disease-negative but MCA-positive breast cancer patients.

Increased levels of mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) in breast cancer patients with no evidence of disease following the treatment of the primary disease created a dilemma of 'to treat' or 'wait and see'. One might assume that early treatment of clinically undetectable disease on the basis of an elevated serum level of a sensitive and reliable tumor marker, may improve the treatment results, and even prolong the patient's survival. 'Wait and see' on acceptance of the notion that even early metastatic disease, still manifested only by uprising MCA levels, is incurable, and treatment should be kept in reserve for palliation of symptomatic disease.

Elevated breast cancer serum markers in otherwise healthy women.

A high value of mucin-like carcinoma associated antigen (MCA), CA-15.3 or H23, in a woman known to have a diagnosis of breast cancer, may reflect presence of disease. A low level in a breast cancer patient may be accepted for remission, but a false negative result cannot be excluded.

Effect of elective prolonged urethral catheterization on serum prostate-specific antigen concentration.

Objectives: To determine the effect of an indwelling catheter on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. PSA is an organ (prostate)-specific marker, and its level can be elevated in various pathologies as well as following urologic manipulations. An elevated marker may indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

Treatment of disease-negative but mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen-positive breast cancer patients with tamoxifen: preliminary results of a prospective controlled randomized trial.

Increasing levels of tumor markers such as carcinoembryonic antigen, mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA), CA 15.3, and monoclonal antibody H23 in breast cancer patients following the treatment of the primary disease and adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy reflect subclinical development of metastatic disease. Overt metastatic disease is usually incurable and prolongation of life at this stage is impossible, and the treatment is only palliative.

Vaccinia virus MUC1 immunization of mice: immune response and protection against the growth of murine tumors bearing the MUC1 antigen.

MUC1 is a mucin found on the apical surfaces of some normal mammalian mucin-secreting cells. It is characterized by heavy glycosylation and a 20-amino-acid tandem repeat segment. In most cases of human breast adenocarcinoma, this antigen is overexpressed.

Vaccinia recombinants expressing secreted and transmembrane forms of breast cancer-associated epithelial tumour antigen (ETA).

Monoclonal antibody H23 identifies a polymorphic epithelial tumour antigen (ETA) that is aberrantly expressed in breast cancer and which may afford a target for active immunotherapy. We recently reported the cloning of H23-ETA genomic and cDNA clones. H23-ETA contains a multiple internal tandem repetition of a 20 amino acid motif and sequence analysis predicted two mRNA species encoding different ETA proteins, one harbouring a C-terminal potentially transmembrane hydrophobic zone (T) and a second form (S) that lacks this zone.

Serial serum MCA measurements in the follow-up of breast cancer patients.

Mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) was serially assayed in 58 women with histologically proven breast cancer after their treatment for primary disease. MCA sensitivity and specificity were 87.5% and 76.

Vaccination against tumor cells expressing breast cancer epithelial tumor antigen.

Ninety-one percent of breast tumors aberrantly express an epithelial tumor antigen (ETA) identified by monoclonal antibody H23. Vaccinia virus recombinants expressing tumor antigens have considerable promise in the active immunotherapy of cancer, and we have evaluated the potential of vaccinia recombinants expressing the secreted (S) and cell-associated (transmembrane, T) forms of H23 ETA to elicit immunity to tumor cells expressing ETA. Tumorigenic ras-transformed Fischer rat fibroblast lines FR-S and FR-T, expressing the S or T form of H23 ETA, respectively, were constructed for use in challenge experiments.

Isolation and characterization of an expressed hypervariable gene coding for a breast-cancer-associated antigen.

A human gene and cDNA coding for a breast-cancer-associated antigen (H23Ag) were isolated and characterized. The gene contains two exons and one intron. Part of the second exon is a tandem repeat array (TRA) consisting of multiple 60-bp G + C-rich units.

Expression of genes coding for pS2, c-erbB2, estrogen receptor and the H23 breast tumor-associated antigen. A comparative analysis in breast cancer.

Expression of the gene coding for a new breast tumor-associated antigen, H23, was compared to expression of genes coding for pS2, c-erbB2 and estrogen receptor (ER). Comparison involved mRNA expression in normal and malignant breast tissues as well as in non-breast tumors. Results obtained by RNA dot blot and Northern hybridizations showed that expression of the H23 antigen coding gene is a discriminatory marker in human breast cancer.

Human epithelial tumor antigen cDNA sequences. Differential splicing may generate multiple protein forms.

The isolation and characterization of complementary DNAs (cDNAs) which code for an epithelial antigen aberrantly expressed in human breast tumor tissue are described here. The only information regarding the primary structure of this potentially important antigen has been a 20-amino-acid repeat motif. We now report the complete amino acid sequences of different forms of the human epithelial tumor antigen as deduced from the nucleotide sequence of isolated non-repeat cDNAs.

A transcribed gene, containing a variable number of tandem repeats, codes for a human epithelial tumor antigen. cDNA cloning, expression of the transfected gene and over-expression in breast cancer tissue.

A monoclonal antibody, H23, that specifically recognizes a breast-tumor-associated antigen, was used to isolate a cDNA insert that codes for the antigenic epitope. Nucleotide sequencing of this cDNA, as well as a longer 850-bp cDNA insert, shows that they are composed of 60-bp (G + C)-rich tandem repeating units. The coding strand was determined and codes for a proline-rich 20-amino-acid repeat motif.

hSP, the domain-duplicated homolog of pS2 protein, is co-expressed with pS2 in stomach but not in breast carcinoma.

Approximately 50% of human breast tumors secrete a small cysteine-rich protein, pS2, of unknown function. pS2 protein was recently found to be homologous to a porcine protein with hormonogastric activity, pancreatic spasmolytic polypeptide (PSP), in which the 5-cysteine domain present in pS2 is tandemly duplicated. We have characterized cDNA species encoding PSP and its human and mouse counterparts, hSP and mSP.

Vaccination against polyoma virus (PyV) tumors using vaccinia-PyV recombinants: a major tumor-specific transplantation antigen (TSTA) epitope resides within the C-terminal segment of middle-T protein.

We previously reported that inoculation of rats with live vaccinia virus (VV) recombinants VVpyMT, VVpyLT expressing either the middle-T (MT) or large-T (LT) proteins of polyomavirus (PyV) can elicit immunity to challenge with syngeneic PyV-tumor cells. We now report the results of cross-vaccination studies. VVpyMT was ineffective against cells expressing LT protein but prevented development of MT-expressing cells.