The urine light chain/glomerular filtration rate (GFR) quotient shows a high sensitivity and specificity to detect cast nephropathy in monoclonal light chain disease.

Background: Cast nephropathy (CN) is associated with a unfavourable outcome in monoclonal light chain (mLC) disease, but also more possible LC-related renal diseases as well as non-LC-related disease can occur. Thus, it is crucial to understand the underlying renal disease. On the other hand, LC can interfere with coagulation preventing kidney biopsy as the gold standard.

Sequential high-dose cytarabine and mitoxantrone (S-HAM) versus standard double induction in acute myeloid leukemia-a phase 3 study.

Dose-dense induction with the S-HAM regimen was compared to standard double induction therapy in adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia. Patients were centrally randomized (1:1) between S-HAM (2nd chemotherapy cycle starting on day 8 = "dose-dense") and double induction with TAD-HAM or HAM(-HAM) (2nd cycle starting on day 21 = "standard"). 387 evaluable patients were randomly assigned to S-HAM (N = 203) and to standard double induction (N = 184).

Pretransplant NPM1 MRD levels predict outcome after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

The objective was to evaluate the prognostic impact of pre-transplant minimal residual disease (MRD) as determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 67 adult NPM1-mutated acute myeloid leukemia patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Twenty-eight of the 67 patients had a FLT3-ITD (42%). Median age at transplantation was 54.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound in coxitis.

Objectives: Hip involvement is common in rheumatological diseases but can be difficult to diagnose, especially in absence of MRI. B-mode ultrasound (US) detects joint capsule distention while distinguishing effusion from proliferative synovial tissue is strenuous since both appear hypoechoic. Power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS) often fails to detect vascularisation in the hip.

In arthritis the Doppler based degree of hypervascularisation shows a positive correlation with synovial leukocyte count and distinguishes joints with leukocytes greater and less than 5/nL.

Objectives: Power Doppler ultrasound is used to assess joint vascularity in acute arthritis. PDUS signals have been correlated with synovial histology and bone deterioration. Little is known about the correlation between power Doppler signals and synovial white blood count.