Systemic antitumor effect by regional hyperthermia combined with low-dose chemotherapy and immunologic correlates in an adolescent patient with rhabdomyosarcoma - a case report.

An abscopal effect is a clinical observation whereby a local treatment is associated with regression of metastatic cancer at a site distant from the primary location of treatment. Here, we describe the clinical systemic effect induced by regional hyperthermia combined with low-dose chemotherapy and provide immunologic correlates. A 15-year-old patient had been diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS).

[Counting reticulocytes: new importance of an old method].

In clinical practice, the reticulocyte count is the most useful method to estimate red cell life span and red cell production. However, experience of hematologists as well as surveys have shown that counting of reticulocytes is often neglected in the diagnostic work-up of unclassified anemias, and many physicians have difficulties in interpreting the results. Formerly, this was partly due to the low precision of manual counts.

Peripheral dendritic cell chimerism in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell recipients.

Background: Relapse and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) represent major causes of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although leukocyte and T-cell chimerism analyses are performed routinely suggesting a predictive value on the patients outcome, little is known about chimerism of dendritic cells (DC) representing strong initiators of immune responses.

Methods: In this prospective study, peripheral DC1 (CD11c+) and DC2 (CD123+) chimerism was determined in hematopoetic stem cell recipients.

Platelet activation markers in patients with heart assist device.

Clinical use of heart assist devices is often associated with thromboembolic complications. We hypothesized that platelets may be activated in patients receiving assist devices and examined expression of the platelet activation markers CD62, CD63, and thrombospondin using flow cytometry in eight patients with Novacor left ventricular assist system (LVAS) or Berlin Heart. Patients with end-stage heart failure had elevated expression of platelet activation markers before insertion of the assist device.