[Refractory anemia showing excess of blasts (BAEB) that transformed into acute myelogenous leukemia (AML-M2) with a t (?8;20) chromosomal abnormality].

In April, 1985, a 60-year-old Japanese male was diagnosed as having refractory anemia with an excess of blasts (RAEB). He thus was treated solely with blood transfusions until June, 1986, when a new diagnosis revealed that his illness had been transformed into acute myelogenous leukemia (M2). Chromosome analysis at the initial diagnosis had revealed a normal male karyotype.

Chromosome abnormalities and karyotypic evolution in 83 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and predictive value for prognosis.

In a chromosome study of 83 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 50 showed a clonally abnormal karyotype. The most frequent abnormalities were the whole or a partial loss of the long arm of chromosome 7 (-7 or 7q-) (14 patients) and a partial loss of the long arm of chromosome 5 (5q-) (11 patients). Twenty patients with 5q- and/or -7 or 7q- had a shorter survival (median, 5 months) than those with other abnormal karyotypes (22 months) or those with a normal karyotype (28 months).

[Clinical evaluation of a combination treatment with cefmenoxime and cefsulodin of severe infections in leukemia and related disorders].

A combination of cefmenoxime (CMX) and cefsulodin (CFS) which has a broad spectrum on various bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated for severe infections associated with hematological malignancies. Seventy one patients were treated with the combination therapy. Among them, 57 patients were evaluable for the effectiveness.

Detection of karyotypic abnormalities in most patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia by adding ethidium bromide to short-term cultures.

A modified short-term culture method, in which cultured bone marrow cells were treated with ethidium bromide to prevent chromosome condensation was used to study the chromosomes of 70 patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia. Clonal karyotypic abnormalities were detected in 60 patients. Among these, 35 patients showed one of recurrent type specific alterations.

[Evaluation of oral amphotericin B with serial measurement of the serum concentration in patients with leukemia and related disorders].

A total of 10 episodes in 7 patients with leukemia or related disorders was treated with oral amphotericin B (AMPH). In 8 episodes AMPH were used prophylactically for severe neutropenia, and in the remaining 2 it was given when the patients were feverish. A daily dose of 2,400 mg of AMPH was given orally once a day and serum concentrations of AMPH were determined serially with bioassay.

Cytogenetic studies in 32 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome: insights to specific chromosomal abnormalities and prognosis.

Cytogenetic studies were performed on a group of 32 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Five patients had refractory anemia (RA), four RA with ring sideroblasts (RARS), nine RA with excess blasts (RAEB), eight RAEB 'in transformation' (RAEB-T), three chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and three secondary MDS (SMDS). Two patients in the SMDS group had been treated with alkylating agents for lung cancer and polycythemia vera, respectively.

[Improved quality of life in a patient with Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer treated with combination chemotherapy].

A 49-year-old nursery school teacher noticed epigastric discomfort and loss of appetite, and was hospitalized for diagnosis and treatment on Dec. 19, 1984. She was diagnosed to have Borrmann type 4 gastric cancer with Schnitzler's metastasis.

Karyotypic evolution in acute myelomonocytic leukemia with pericentric inversion of chromosome 16.

A 37-year-old Japanese male patient with acute myelomonocytic leukemia subtype M4 (according to FAB classification) associated with bone marrow eosinophilia and specific chromosome abnormalities: a pericentric inversion of chromosome 16, inv(16)(p13q22); a long arm deletion of chromosome #7, del(7)(q22q34); and a gain of chromosomes #8 and #22 is reported. In addition to the modal karyotype, 47,XY,7q-,inv(16),+22, there were three other clones whose karyotypes were 46,XY,inv(16); 47,XY,inv(16),+22; and 48,XY,+8,inv(16),+22. As these karyotypes were related to each other, the presence of multiple clones indicated that karyotypic evolution had occurred.

[Clinical evaluation of cefmenoxime in severe infections in leukemia and related disorders].

Ninety nine patients with leukemia and/or related disorders were treated with cefmenoxime (CMX). Among them, 77 patients had severe infections, while other 22 patients did not suffer from infection, but it was expected that they would fall into serious conditions if they were infected. Sixty of the 77 patients who had severe infection were used in the evaluation of effectiveness.

[Acute myelogenous leukemia with only a 5q-chromosome abnormality].

A 68-year-old man with acute myelogenous leukemia (M2) was induced to complete remission by chemotherapy consisting of BH-AC and ACM-A on the 180th hospital day. Prior to therapy, chromosome analysis revealed 46, XY, del(5)(q22q33). No additional chromosome abnormalities were noted.

Prefixation treatment with ethidium bromide for high resolution banding analysis of chromosomes from cultured human bone marrow cells.

Prefixation treatment of cultured human bone marrow cells with a DNA intercalating agent, ethidium bromide (EBr), induced a dose- and time-related elongation of chromosomes. When compared with EBr-free cultures, a 2.9-fold increase in the yield of early mitotic cells with more than 400 bands per haploid set of chromosomes was achieved by simply adding 10 micrograms/ml of EBr during the last 2 hours of culture.