The predictive value of vascular risk factors and gender for the development of thrombotic complications in essential thrombocythemia.

The impact of the cardiovascular risk factors smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus on the risk of thrombotic complications was evaluated retrospectively in 132 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). The median age at diagnosis was 51 years, and the median follow-up time was 65 months. Sixty-three out of 132 patients (48%) had one or more vascular risk factors, whereas 69 patients (52%) had no risk factors.

Thromboprophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (dalteparin) in pregnancy.

Venous thromboembolism remains an important cause of maternal mortality. For women at risk during pregnancy, the recommended venous thromboembolismprophylaxis is unfractionated heparin. Low molecular weight heparins, such as dalteparin, also may be suitable, but randomised trials have not been performed.

Development of erythrocytosis in the course of essential thrombocythemia.

Erythrocytosis is not a feature of essential thrombocythemia (ET); this is the most important difference between ET and polycythemia vera (PV). Transformation of ET to PV has only rarely been described. We have reviewed the blood cell counts of 170 ET patients with a median follow-up of 63 months (range 11-313).

Von Willebrand disease in Finland.

The Finnish Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service has served as the national reference laboratory for haemostasis for more than 40 years and remains still the only one in the country to diagnose inherited coagulation factor deficiencies. By September 1997, 1076 patients with von Willebrand disease (vWD) were registered. The severity of bleeding symptoms leading to diagnosis varied according to the type of vWD.

Essential thrombocythemia at diagnosis: causes of diagnostic evaluation and presence of positive diagnostic findings.

The reasons for diagnostic evaluation and the clinical and laboratory data at diagnosis of 170 patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) were studied retrospectively. The age distribution was 19-88 years (median 52 years), and 52 patients were under the age of 45 years. In 111 patients (65%) thrombocytosis was a chance finding, but the past history of 37 of these patients revealed symptoms known to be related to ET.

Clinical significance of hepatitis C antibodies in blood donors.

The clinical significance of hepatitis C antibodies (anti-HCV) in a healthy population was studied by liver function tests and liver biopsies. The patient population consisted of 195 (96.1%) of the 203 blood donors found to be either anti-HCV positive or indeterminate by a recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) during the first year of anti-HCV screening of 307,606 donors in Finland using a first generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Megakaryocyte and erythroid colony formation in essential thrombocythaemia and reactive thrombocytosis: diagnostic value and correlation to complications.

Megakaryocyte and erythroid colony formation in vitro by progenitors from the bone marrow and/or blood was studied in 61 patients with essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and 22 patients with reactive thrombocytosis (RT) using the methyl cellulose assay. 47 (77%) of the patients with ET showed megakaryocyte and/or erythroid spontaneous colony formation while 14 (23%) patients did not have any kind of spontaneous colonies. Spontaneous megakaryocyte colony formation was seen in 42 (69%) of the patients and 36 (59%) ET patients showed spontaneous erythroid growth.

Familial erythrocytosis genetically linked to erythropoietin receptor gene.

Familial erythrocytosis is heterogeneous with diverse causes. Using a highly informative, simple sequence repeat polymorphism in the 5' region of the erythropoietin receptor gene (EPOR), we did linkage analysis in a large family whose clinical and genealogical features were known. There were no recombinations between the disease phenotype and the polymorphism, the logarithm of odds score for linkage at zero recombination being 6.

Autosomal dominant erythrocytosis caused by increased sensitivity to erythropoietin.

We describe here a family with autosomal dominant erythrocytosis. In in vitro cultures, performed using the methyl cellulose assay, the number of erythroid colonies was normal or marginally increased when a standard concentration of erythropoietin (Epo) was used, but at lower Epo concentrations, the investigated persons formed more colonies than the controls. The difference was generally greater the lower the Epo concentration became.

Low prevalence of antibodies against human immunodeficiency virus in Finnish haemophiliacs.

National yearly surveys were carried out between 1985 and 1989 to determine the prevalence of antibodies for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Finnish patients with bleeding disorders. From 192 out of the 214 haemophiliacs (90%) tested, 2 patients were positive for anti-HIV. No seropositivities were found after 1985.

Transmission of hepatitis C virus to sexual partners of seropositive patients with bleeding disorders: a rare event.

Sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was studied in 30 partners to anti-HCV positive multitransfused patients with a bleeding disorder. Anti-HCV ELISA C-100 was used as a screening test. Positive results were confirmed with the first generation RIBA test.

Haemophiliacs with factor VIII inhibitors in Finland: prevalence, incidence and outcome.

Twenty-five of the 139 Finnish patients (18.0%) with severe haemophilia A alive in 1960 or born later have or have had an inhibitor against factor VIII. 19 of the 110 patients alive have an inhibitor and the current prevalence is 17.

Dietary intervention as adjuvant therapy in breast cancer patients--a feasibility study.

To evaluate the feasibility of using a low-fat diet (i.e. 20-25% of energy (E%) as fat) as a component of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer patients, 240 females aged 50-65 years and operated for a stage I-II breast cancer were entered into a randomized study.

Dietary intervention in breast cancer patients: effects on dietary habits and nutrient intake.

Effects of dietary intervention on dietary habits and nutrient levels were studied in 240 women aged 50-65 years who had been operated for a stage I-II breast cancer. Following surgery the women who had participated in a dietary history interview were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention group (n = 121) received individual dietary counselling aimed at reducing dietary fat intake to 20-25 per cent of energy (E per cent) while increasing intake of carbohydrates.

Splenic dynamics of indium-111 labeled platelets in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Splenic dynamics of 111In-labeled platelets and platelet-associated IgG in 33 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) were studied. Two half-lives were calculated for the biexponential splenic time-activity curve after i.v.

Spontaneous erythroid colony formation in the differential diagnosis of erythrocytosis.

Erythroid colony formation in vitro was studied in 80 patients with erythrocytosis. 43 of the patients had polycythaemia vera (PV), 18 patients had secondary erythrocytosis, 6 had normal red cell mass, and 13 patients were regarded as unclassified. Spontaneous erythroid colony formation, in the absence of exogenous erythropoietin in the cultures, was discovered in all patients with PV, whereas no patient with secondary erythrocytosis or with normal red cell mass showed this phenomenon.

Megakaryocytic colony formation in polycythaemia vera and secondary erythrocytosis.

Megakaryocytic colony formation by progenitor cells of 18 patients with polycythaemia vera, seven with secondary erythrocytosis and four with erythrocytosis of unexplained origin was studied in vitro by the methyl cellulose culture assay. Fourteen of the 18 patients with polycythaemia vera showed spontaneous megakaryocytic colony formation, i.e.

Platelet associated IgG, platelet mean life span and treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

The clinical significance of platelet associated IgG in ITP detected by direct platelet suspension immunofluorescence test (PSIFT) was studied. The platelet mean life span (MLS) was measured with 111In-labelled platelets in 17 adult patients. All the patients had shortened platelet MLS.