Targeted-dose of busulfan: Higher risk of sinusoidal obstructive syndrome observed with systemic exposure dose above 5000 µMol⸱min. A historically controlled clinical trial.

Busulfan is given in the conditioning regimens preceding hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), and plasma levels can be monitored. A targeted, individualized systemic exposure (SE) dose can be achieved by calculating the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC). The objective of this study was to determine a cutoff value for safety for the AUC for busulfan plasma levels in patients undergoing HSCT.

Development of a 3D printed quality control tool for evaluation of x-ray beam alignment and collimation.

The aim of this work was to develop a low-cost, 3D printed tool to evaluate X-ray beam alignment and collimation. The study was divided into two phases: 1) the development of 3D printed prototypes; and 2) a comparison with a commercial test object. A 3D printer was used to develop two objects that utilized 40% infill and were each printed with a different filament: PLA (polylactic acid) and ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene).

Is it feasible to use granulocyte-colony stimulating factor alone to mobilize progenitor cells in multiple myeloma patients induced with a cyclophosphamide, thalidomide and dexamethasone regimen?

Background: Cyclophosphamide plus thalidomide as induction for multiple myeloma patients eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation may be a limiting factor for cell mobilization. The minimum acceptable mobilized peripheral blood stem cell count to prevent deleterious effects during transplantation is 2.0×10 CD34 cells/kg.

Evaluation of pulmonary function and respiratory symptoms in pyrochlore mine workers.

Objective:: To identify respiratory symptoms and evaluate lung function in mine workers.

Methods:: This was a cross-sectional observational study involving production sector workers of a pyrochlore mining company. The subjects completed the British Medical Research Council questionnaire, which is designed to evaluate respiratory symptoms, occupational exposure factors, and smoking status.

Myocardial tissue remodeling after orthotopic heart transplantation: a pilot cardiac magnetic resonance study.

After orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT), the allograft undergoes characteristic alterations in myocardial structure, including hypertrophy, increased ventricular stiffness, ischemia, and inflammation, all of which may decrease overall graft survival. Methods to quantify these phenotypes may clarify the pathophysiology of progressive graft dysfunction post-OHT. We performed cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) with T1 mapping in 26 OHT recipients (mean age 47 ± 7 years, 30 % female, median follow-up post-OHT 6 months) and 30 age-matched healthy volunteers (mean age 50.

Survival and graft-versus-host disease in patients receiving peripheral stem cell compared to bone marrow transplantation from HLA-matched related donor: retrospective analysis of 334 consecutive patients.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to compare the major transplant outcomes between patients receiving hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from bone marrow (BM) or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC).

Methods: All consecutive HSCT patients using BM or PBSC from an HLA-matched related donors for haematological malignancies after high intensity conditioning at seven Brazilian transplant centres between January 2008 and December 2009 were retrospectively evaluated.

Results: In the study period, 334 patients were treated in the centres and included in the evaluation.

Histopathologic diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease of the oral mucosa according to the National Institutes of Health Consensus.

Objective: To validate the minimal criteria of the histopathologic diagnosis of oral chronic graft-versus-host disease, based on the histopathologic classification of the National Institutes of Health and correlate them with clinical features.

Methods: Forty-one specimens containing both oral mucosa and salivary glands were analyzed in slides stained with hematoxylin-eosin. The histological specimens were blindly examined by two trained pathologists using criteria recommended for the histopathologic diagnosis of chronic graft-versus-host disease proposed by the National Institutes of Health Consensus.

Outcomes of autologous transplantation for multiple myeloma according to different induction regimens.

Background: Induction therapy followed by high-dose chemotherapy and autologous transplantation is the standard treatment for suitable patients with multiple myeloma.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether induction therapy with thalidomidecontaining regimens was associated with improved results compared to vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone, and whether cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone were associated with better results than thalidomide and dexamethasone.

Methods: The records of 152 patients who underwent autologous transplantation at this institution from August of 2004 to January of 2012 were reviewed, selecting those with at least partial response to a maximum of eight cycles of induction therapy and sufficient follow-up information for analysis.

Assessment of labile plasma iron in patients who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Body iron disorders have been reported after myeloablative conditioning in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). There is a concern that labile plasma iron (LPI), the redox-active form of iron, can be involved in the occurrence of toxicity and other complications commonly observed in the early post-HSCT period. In order to better understand the LPI kinetics and its determinants and implications, we undertook sequential LPI determinations before and after conditioning until engraftment in 25 auto-HSCT patients.

Peripheral blood stem cell yield calculated using preapheresis absolute CD34+ cell count, peripheral blood volume processed, and donor body weight accurately predicts actual yield at multiple centers.

Background: Accurate prediction of stem cell yield is important for planning leukapheresis procedures. A formula has been published (Pierelli et al., Vox Sang 2006;91:126-34) to estimate the CD34+ dose collected on the first day of leukapheresis that was based on the preapheresis peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ counts, the blood volume processed, and the donor's weight.

The effect of stocking density on the growth of apple snails native Pomacea bridgesii and exotic Pomacea lineata (Mollusca, Gastropoda).

The demand for alternative food sources is currently in evidence in the world and, therefore, the culture of animal species considered not conventional makes this theme relevant and appropriate. In the present study, the species Pomacea lineata and Pomacea bridgesii, each with three stowage densities (0.5 [T1], 1 [T2], and 1.

Thalidomide plus dexamethasone as a maintenance therapy after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation improves progression-free survival in multiple myeloma.

Despite the good response of stem cell transplant (SCT) in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), most patients relapse or do not achieve complete remission, suggesting that additional treatment is needed. We assessed the impact of thalidomide in maintenance after SCT in untreated patients with MM. A hundred and eight patients (<70 years old) were randomized to receive maintenance with dexamethasone (arm A; n = 52) or dexamethasone with thalidomide (arm B; n = 56; 200 mg daily) for 12 months or until disease progression.

Autologous stem cell transplantation improves quality of life in economically challenged, Brazilian multiple myeloma patients.

Objectives: 1) To characterize the impact of multiple myeloma on the quality of life of patients treated in two public institutions in São Paulo State, Brazil, using a generic Short Form 36 Health Survey and a questionnaire specific for oncologic patients (QLQ-C30) upon diagnosis, after the clinical treatment, and at day +100 after autologous stem cell transplantation; 2) to evaluate whether autologous stem cell transplantation can improve the quality of life of our economically challenged population aside from providing a clinical benefit and disease control.

Methods: We evaluated 49 patients with multiple myeloma (a total of 70 interviews) using the two questionnaires. The scores upon diagnosis, post-treatment/pre-autologous stem cell transplantation, and at D+100 were compared using ANOVA (a comparison of the three groups), post hoc tests (two-by-two comparisons of the three groups), and paired t-tests (the same case at two different times).

Quantitative structure-activity relationship of Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts with leishmanicidal activity.

A quantitative structure-activity relationship model for Morita-Baylis-Hillman adducts with leishmanicidal activities was developed which correlates molecular orbital energy and dipole with percentage in the promastigote stage.

Impact of oral care prior to HSCT on the severity and clinical outcomes of oral mucositis.

Patients who undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) frequently experience gastrointestinal toxicity as a result of their preparative regimen. The most frequent manifestation is oral mucositis (OM) and diarrhea. We studied the effects of oral care prior to HSCT on the severity of OM.

Solvent free, microwave assisted conversion of aldehydes into nitriles and oximes in the presence of NH2OH x HCl and TiO2.

Aromatic aldehydes bearing electron-donating groups are easily converted into their respective nitriles using NH(2)OH.HCl and TiO(2) under microwave irradiation, while those bearing an electron-withdrawing group give the corresponding oximes.

Apoptosis induced by metal complexes and interaction with dexamethasone.

Apoptosis induced by rhodium II amidate, rhodium II propionate, cisplatin and interactions with dexamethaxone were studied on some human leukemia cell lines Raji, Jurkat and U937. Apoptosis was studied by flow cytometry, agarose gel electrophoresis and morphological analysis. Rhodium II propionate induced apoptosis in all the three cell lines, Rhodium II amidate, in the lymphoid cell lines Jurkat and Raji, and cisplatin, only in the Jurkat, a T lymphoid cell line.

Liposomal daunorubicin and dexamethasone as a treatment for multiple myeloma--the DD Protocol.

Context And Objective: Liposomal daunorubicin has been used to treat hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). The goal was to evaluate efficacy, side-effects and toxicity of liposomal daunorubicin and dexamethasone ("DD Protocol").

Design And Setting: Prospective study at Sírio-Libanês, São Camilo, Brasil and Alemão Oswaldo Cruz hospitals.

Distinct patterns of regeneration of central memory, effector memory and effector TCD8+ cell subsets after different hematopoietic cell transplant types: possible influence in the recovery of anti-cytomegalovirus immune response and risk for its reactivation.

TCD8+ cells may be divided into subsets with different phenotypes and functions: naive, central memory, effector memory and effector. Aiming to better understand the differences in early reconstitution of these TCD8+ cell subsets and their relationship with post-transplant anti-cytomegalovirus (CMV) immune responses recovery, we prospectively analyzed the transfer and expansion of these subsets in different transplant types. We found that graft cells from donor's peripheral blood, either allogeneic or autologous, were enriched for central memory, effector memory and effector phenotypes compared to allogeneic bone marrow grafts, as assessed by surface markers phenotyping and granzyme B expression.