Commentary: Iron metabolism in hepatitis C infection.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have started to decline, but up to 10,000 deaths each year are the consequence of chronic liver disease, following the infection. Laboratory testing identifies HCV-infected individuals using positive recombinant immunoblot assays to detect the presence of the antibody; the diagnosis is confirmed by detecting HCV RNA in serum. HCV-infected patients who have large accumulations of hepatic iron have not responded well to interferon therapy, compared to patients with normal hepatic iron stores.

Long-term maintenance of immunity in patients with common variable immune deficiency by plasma transfusion.

The AIDS crisis and the fear of blood product contamination stimulated the development of a designated plasma collection and transfusion for patients with common variable immune deficiency. Four patients have been maintained over 1 year; 5 years and 10 months; 8 years and 7 months; and 12 years. A new crisis affecting commercial IgG manufacturing, owing to recalls, has made the life saving product scarce, threatening patients' health maintenance.

Understanding iron absorption and metabolism, aided by studies of hemochromatosis.

Duodenal iron absorption from food is selectively blocked to prevent iron intoxication. The prime example of pathologic increase in intestinal iron absorption is seen in patients with hemochromatosis. They suffer iron damage to the heart, liver, and other tissues resulting in premature death if the iron is not removed by vigorous phlebotomy.

Past and future of providing matched, unrelated donors for marrow transplantation.

Prior to 1979, bone marrow transplants were only performed with histocompatible sibling donors. Once it was established that histocompatible, unrelated donors could donate marrow for transplantation, the recruitment of such donors needed to be standardized. Blood donor centers had already identified the histocompatibility locus antigen (HLA) typing for donors who could be recruited to donate bone marrow.