Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia with Two Immunophenotypically Distinct B and T Blasts Populations, Double Ph (+) Chromosome and Complex Karyotype: Report of an Unusual Case.

Mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL) is considered as a rare type of leukemia with an incidence of less than 4% of all acute leukemia based on the most recent 2008 WHO classification. Common subtypes are the B/myeloid and T/myeloid; B/T and trilineage MPAL being extremely rare. We present a case of a male in his 20s, whose peripheral blood smears showed 34% blast cells and bone marrow with 70% blasts.

Rare aggressive natural killer cell leukemia presented with bone marrow fibrosis - a diagnostic challenge.

Aggressive natural killer cell leukemia is an extraordinary rare aggressive malignant neoplasm of natural killer cells. Although its first recognition as a specific entity was approximately 20 years ago, this leukemia has not yet been satisfactorily characterized as fewer than 200 cases have been reported in the literature and up to our knowledge, this is the first case report in Qatar. Reaching a diagnosis of aggressive natural killer leukemia was a challenging experience, because in addition to being a rare entity, the relative scarcity of circulating neoplastic cells, failure to obtain an adequate aspirate sample sufficient to perform flow cytometric analysis, together with the absence of applicable method to prove NK clonality (as it lack specific clonal marker); our case had atypical confusing presentation of striking increase in bone marrow fibrosis that was misleading and complicated the case further.

Metalloproteinases 2 and 9 and their tissue inhibitors 1 and 2 are increased in vulvar lichen sclerosus.

Objectives: To evaluate the expression of different matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS), a chronic dermatosis in women, histologically characterized by a zone of collagen remodeling in the superior dermis.

Study Design: Analysis of the expression of different MMPs (MMP-1, -2, -9 and -13) and TIMPs (TIMP-1 and -2) by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in vulvar biopsies from patients with LS (n=11), classified according to Hewitt histological criteria and compared with clinically normal vulvar tissue (n=5), and the immunohistochemistry of MMP-2 and -9 and TIMP-1 and -2 distribution in the remodeling zone of LS (n=31) and in clinically normal vulvar tissue (n=28).

Results: Although no statistically significant difference between LS and normal skin groups at the mRNA level of MMP and TIMP transcripts was shown, an increase in the immunodistribution of MMP-2 and -9 and TIMP-1 and -2 in LS compared to normal vulvar skin was observed.

Identification of periodontal pathogens in healthy periimplant sites.

Purpose: : The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of periodontopathogens in subgingival periimplant sites in partially edentulous patients using polymerase chain reaction procedures, with regard to areas with clinical and radiographic signs of health and areas presenting periimplant disease.

Materials And Methods: : Thirty nonsmoking, partially edentulous patients, aged 30 to 76 years, were included in this study and divided in 3 groups according their clinical and radiographic characteristics. Group A (n = 10) presented periimplant health, group B (n = 10) presented periimplant mucositis, and group C (n = 10) were patients with periimplantitis.

Dissecting coronary angiogenesis: 3D co-culture of cardiomyocytes with endothelial or mesenchymal cells.

In embryogenesis, coronary blood vessels are formed by vasculogenesis from epicardium-derived progenitors. Subsequently, growing or regenerating myocardium increases its vasculature by angiogenesis, forming new vessels from the pre-existing ones. Recently, cell therapies for myocardium ischemia that used different protocols have given promising results, using either extra-cardiac blood vessel cell progenitors or stimulating the cardiac angiogenesis.

A child with Philadelphia positive (Ph+)-acute leukemia with myeloid morphology: one case of stem cell origin.

Philadelphia positive (Ph+) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare and heterogeneous condition, mainly reported in adults, associated to poor prognosis and unfavorable response to therapy. Here we report clinical and laboratory findings in an 8-year-old patient diagnosed with Ph+ acute leukemia with myeloid (FAB M4) morphology. The patient consistently expressed variable levels of m-bcr, e1a2 transcripts during a 42-month follow-up after two different stem cell transplantation protocols.

A rare, in-frame BCR-ABL fusion (e13a3) in a patient with an aggressive chronic myeloid leukaemia.

We have identified a rare BCR-ABL chimaeric gene with multiplex and nested RT-PCR in a patient with an unusually aggressive chronic myeloid leukaemia. cDNA sequencing showed an in-frame rearrangement with a breakpoint in BCR exon e13 (b2) and fusion with ABL exon 3 following skipping of the entire ABL exon a2. These data confirm the heterogeneity of breakpoints in BCR-ABL rearrangements.

Estimations of BCR-ABL/ABL transcripts by quantitative PCR in chronic myeloid leukaemia after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and donor lymphocyte infusion.

Serial assays of qualitative (multiplex and nested) and quantitative PCR were carried out for detecting and estimating the level of BCR-ABL transcripts in 39 CML patients following bone marrow transplantation. Seven of these patients, who received donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) following to relapse, were also monitored. Quantitative estimates of BCR-ABL transcripts were obtained by co-amplification with a competitor sequence.