[Cytogenetics of myelodysplastic syndromes and its impact as prognostic factor].

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of disorders of the hematopoietic stem cell. They are characterized by cytopenia(s), dysplasia of one or more cell lines, ineffective hematopoiesis, and an increased risk for developing acute myelogenous leukemia. The classification of MDS has been complicated due to the great heterogeneity in clinical phenotype as well as in the morphological and cytogenetic characteristics.

1,2:3,4-Diepoxybutane Induces Multipolar Mitosis in Cultured Human Lymphocytes.

1,3-Butadiene, a colorless gas regularly used in the production of plastics, thermoplastic resins, and styrene-butadiene rubber, poses an increased leukemia mortality risk to workers in this field. 1,3-Butadiene is also produced by incomplete combustion of motor fuels or by tobacco smoking. It is absorbed principally through the respiratory system and metabolized by several enzymes rendering 1,2:3,4-diepoxybutane (DEB), which has the highest genotoxic potency of all metabolites of 1,3-butadiene.

Are submicroscopic chromosomal inversions predisposing factors for the t(9;22)(q34;q11.2) translocation in chronic myeloid leukemia?

A complex chromosomal rearrangement observed in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia was explained as the consequence of a multistep process. The explanation involved an initial t(9;22) translocation with breakpoints distant from the BCR and ABL1 genes followed by genomic deletions that produced the BCR-ABL1 hybrid gene. We present an alternative model that fits the origin of the patient's rearrangement better.