Institutional insights into engraftment syndrome: A cohort study on allogeneic transplantation outcomes.

Background: Engraftment syndrome (ES) is a clinical condition that may occur during neutrophil recovery after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Diagnosis is challenging because of the varying diagnostic criteria and the controversial relationship between ES and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).

Objective: To investigate the incidence of ES and its relationship with GVHD in patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT at our institution.

Consecutive Liver and Bone Marrow Transplantation for Erythropoietic Protoporphyria: Case Report and Literature Review.

Background: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare inherited disease of heme biosynthesis resulting in the accumulation of protoporphyrin, characterized by liver failure in a minority of cases. Although liver transplant (LT) is the therapeutic strategy for advanced hepatic disease, it does not correct the primary defect, which leads to recurrence in liver graft. Thus, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an approach for treating EPP.

Aspects of laboratory characteristics, analysis of alloimmunization, and searching for predictors related to survival in patients with Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.

Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is characterized by hemolysis caused by autoantibodies. However, many patients do not respond to therapies and may have an unfavorable outcome. It has been hypothesized that patients with AIHA and alloantibodies have a lower survival compared to patients with this disease and without alloimmunization.

Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure Grades 2 and 3: A Phase I-II Randomized Clinical Trial.

Introduction: Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is an acute liver decompensation in cirrhotic patients, which leads to organ failures and high short-term mortality. The treatment is based on the management of complications and, in severe cases, liver transplantation. Since specific treatment is unavailable, we aimed to evaluate the safety and initial efficacy of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSC) in patients with ACLF Grades 2 and 3, a population excluded from previous clinical trials.

An Experimental Study Comparing the Expansion of Peripheral Blood Natural Killer (NK) Cells Cultured with Artificial Antigen-Presenting Cells, in the Presence or Absence of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs).

NK cells have been seen as potential agents in adoptive immunotherapy for cancer. The main challenge for the success of this approach is to obtain a great quantity of activated NK cells for adoptive transfer. The present study had aimed to evaluate the effect of a feeder layer of irradiated MSCs in the in vitro expansion of NK cells.

What happens to intolerant, relapsed or refractory chronic myeloid leukemia patients without access to clinical trials?

Objective: To assess clinical outcomes of intolerant, relapsed or refractory patients who could not be treated with new tyrosine kinase inhibitors or experimental therapies.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of 90 chronic myeloid leukemia patients in all phases of the disease treated with imatinib mesylate as their first TKI therapy, and with dasatinib or nilotinib as the next line of therapy. We evaluated clinical outcomes of these patients, with special focus on the group that needed more than two therapy lines.

A simple protocol for transfecting human mesenchymal stem cells.

Objectives And Results: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are potential targets for cell and gene therapy-based approaches against a variety of different diseases. The MSCs from bone marrow are a promising target population as they are capable of differentiating along multiple lineages and have significant expansion capability. These characteristics make them strong candidates for delivering genes and restoring organ systems function.

The role of BCL11A and HMIP-2 polymorphisms on endogenous and hydroxyurea induced levels of fetal hemoglobin in sickle cell anemia patients from southern Brazil.

High levels of fetal hemoglobin (HbF) reduce sickle cell anemia (SCA) morbidity and mortality. HbF levels vary considerably and there is a strong genetic component that influences HbF production. Genetic polymorphisms at three quantitative trait loci (QTL): Xmn1-HBG2, HMIP-2 and BCL11A, have been shown to influence HbF levels and disease severity in SCA.

Natural killer cell adoptive immunotherapy: Coming of age.

Cell therapy is a promising alternative to harsh chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer. Natural killer (NK) cells in particular have great potential for direct use in adoptive immunotherapy (AI) for cancer and to improve the graft-vs-leukemia (GVL) effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCTs). NK cell number and function are associated with a strong GVL effect without inducing graft-versus-host disease in most settings.

High prevalence of anemia in children and adult women in an urban population in southern Brazil.

This population-based study was designed to detect the prevalence of anemia in a healthy population of children (18 months to 7 years) and women (14 to 30 years) tested in 2006-2007 in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil as part of an effort to tackle this massive problem that still affects so many people in the XXI century. Anemia was defined according to the WHO. Capillary blood was measured and socioeconomic status was determined according to the Brazilian Association of Market Research Agencies.

Paecilomyces variotii as an Emergent Pathogenic Agent of Pneumonia.

Paecilomyces variotii is a commonly occurring species in air and food, and it is also associated with many types of human infections. Pneumonia due to Paecilomyces variotii has been rarely reported in the medical literature. The authors report a 48-year-old patient with refractory lymphoma who underwent allogenic hematopoietic cell transplantation and developed pneumonia due to Paecilomyces variotii.

Clinical impact of systematic nutritional care in adults submitted to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Background: The development of nutrition care programs for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is necessity in view of the rapid and aggressive consequences frequently seen with this procedure. Patients require constant care to reduce complications and to contribute to the success of therapy.

Methods: In an attempt to ascertain the impact of systematic nutritional care on patients submitted to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the present study assessed the nutritional and clinical status, use of parenteral nutrition, and complication and mortality rates in two groups of patients, who were submitted to transplantation between April 2003 and December 2004 (Non-intervention Group - NIG; n = 57) and between March 2006 and January 2008 (Intervention Group - IG; n = 34).

Effectiveness of a Protective Environment implementation for cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced neutropenia on fever and mortality incidence.

In a quasiexperimental study conducted to evaluate the impact of a Protective Environment implementation, febrile neutropenia (P = .009), overall mortality (P = .001), and 30-day adjusted mortality (P = .

DNA damage in blood leukocytes of individuals with sickle cell disease treated with hydroxyurea.

Hydroxyurea (HU) plays an important role in the treatment of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). Although HU has been associated with an increased risk of leukemia in some patients with myeloproliferative disorders, the mutagenic and carcinogenic potential of HU has not been established. This study investigated levels of DNA damage using the alkaline (pH>13) comet assay to analyze peripheral blood leukocytes sampled from 28 patients with SCD treated with HU (SCHU) and from 28 normal individuals.

Association between plasma levels of D-dimer and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) for exclusion of thromboembolic disorders.

Background: D-dimer and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) levels are elevated in subjects with thromboembolic disorders, and the assays for detection of D-dimer and FDP are used in many laboratories for the investigation of these disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the plasma levels of D-dimer and FDP in the investigation of thromboembolic disorders.

Methods: D-dimer and FDP immunoassays were performed in 217 consecutive blood samples from subjects with suspected of thromboembolic disorders by use of Liatest D-dimer and Plasma FDP.

Lack of association between cardiac troponin T and D-dimer in the evaluation of myocardial damage.

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) disrupts cardiac cell membranes, releasing intracellular cardiac proteins into the vascular system. Some of these proteins, including the cardiac troponin subunits T and I, have proven useful for diagnosing myocardial damage. Intracoronary thrombosis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of AMI, and the formation of an occlusive thrombus usually precedes the development of myocardial damage.

[Screening for hemoglobinopathies in blood donors from Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: prevalence in an Italian colony].

The high prevalence of beta thalassemia among Italians and their participation in the ethnic formation of Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil, and neighboring cities prompted us to investigate hemoglobinopathies in 608 blood donors at the Caxias do Sul Regional Blood Center. Despite the ethnic influence, abnormal hemoglobin levels were found in only 1.81% of the donors (0.

Interaction between normal and CML hematopoietic progenitors and stroma influences abnormal hematopoietic development.

Several studies have shown defective progenitor-stromal interactions in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), and adhesive defects induced by BCR/ABL have been described. However, controversial results have been reported, and the role of the stroma in abnormal development of the hematopoietic system is not clear. In this study, CML hematopoietic and irradiated stromal cells were co-cultured in different combinations for 10 or 21 days.

[Neonatal screening for hemoglobinopathies: a pilot study in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil].

This study was conducted to establish the frequency of hemoglobinopathies among newborns undergoing screening tests for metabolic diseases at the University Hospital (Hospital de Clínicas) in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Testing for abnormal hemoglobins was performed by isoelectric focusing electrophoresis on agarose gel with blood obtained by heel stick and applied to filter paper. For confirmatory testing of abnormal neonatal screening, a venopuncture blood sample was obtained from the infant and parents and then submitted to hemoglobin electrophoresis on cellulose acetate at pH 8.