Association of ATG16L1 rs2241880 and TP53 rs1042522 with characteristics and course of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represents the most frequent lymphoma in adults. Prognosis for DLBCL patients may be evaluated through the most prominent clinical/laboratory parameters or pattern of gene expression. In order to improve prognostic/prediction scores or provide new therapeutic targets, novel genetic markers are needed.

Outcomes of infection in adult cancer and non-cancer patients hospitalised in a tertiary hospital: a prospective cohort study.

Background: infection (CDI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated (HA) infections. Cancer patients, particularly haemato-oncological patients, have an increased risk for CDI due to more risk factors compared with non-cancer patients. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in outcomes associated with HA CDI in patients with solid and haematological malignancies compared with patients with no underlying malignant disease in a tertiary healthcare centre in Serbia.

Clinical implications of glutathione S-transferase genotyping in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Purpose: Polymorphic deletions in glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes are recognized as a risk factor for lymphoma, other hematological and non-hematological malignancies. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether deletions of GSTT1 and GSTM1 as well as GSTP1 Ile- 105Val single nucleotide polymorphism influence clinical presentation, response to therapy and outcome in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods: The study included a total of 82 DLBCL patients treated with rituximab-CHOP (R-CHOP) therapy (6-8 cycles).

Pleural empyema caused by Salmonella enteritidis in a patient with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Introduction: Extraintestinal manifestations of nontyphoidal salmonellosis are usually seen in patients with cellular immunodeficiency. Pleural empyema caused by nontyphoidal Salmonella is very rare clinical presentation of salmonellosis and there are just a few cases described in a literature. We presented a very rare case of pleural empyema caused by Salmonella enteritidis in a patient with non-Hodgkin limphoma.

Successful treatment with cladribine of Erdheim-Chester disease with orbital and central nervous system involvement developing after treatment of Langerhans cell histiocytosis.

Introduction: Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD) is a rare, systemic form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis of the juvenile xanthogranuloma family with characteristic bilateral symmetrical long bone osteosclerosis, associated with xanthogranulomatous extra skeletal organ involvement. In ECD, central nervous system (CNS) and orbital lesions are frequent, and more than half of ECD pa tients carry the V600E mutation of the protooncogene BRAF. The synchronous or metachronous development of ECD and Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in the same patients is rare, and the possible connection between them is still obscure.

JAK2V617F mutation and endogenous erythroid colony formation in patients with polycythaemia vera.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of JAK2V617F gene mutation in patients with polycythemia vera (PV) and to compare the results with the presence of endogenous erythroid colony (EEC) formation.

Methods: Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples of 28 patients with PV were analyzed. The diagnosis of PV was established according to the bone marrow criteria of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Hypermethylation of p15 gene in diffuse - large B-cell lymphoma: association with less aggressiveness of the disease.

In this study, methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the potential prognostic significance of the methylation status of p15, p16, MGMT, and DAPK genes in 51 specimens of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Hypermethylation of p15 gene was significantly more prevalent in patients without relapse (p = 0.001) and there was a trend toward more frequent presence of p15 methylation in patients without death outcome within 5-year follow-up period (p = 0.

Association of interleukin-10, tumor necrosis factor-α and transforming growth factor-β gene polymorphisms with the outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas.

Background: Published data indicate that common genetic variants in immune/inflammatory response genes can affect the outcome of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). This study investigated the association of interleukin (IL)-10 (-3575, -1082), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α -308 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β Leu10Pro gene polymorphisms with clinical characteristics and outcome of DLBCL patients treated with rituximab-CHOP therapy.

Methods: Between January 2004 and December 2007, a total of 84 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL entered into this study.

Allogeneic stem cell transplant for chronic myeloid leukemia as a still promising option in the era of the new target therapy.

Background/aim: Introducing tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) has essentially changed curative approach, to be precise, clearly improved treatment efficacy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Thus, the place and usage of allogeneic stem cell transplant (SCT) in CML treatment--as a former "nearly monopolistic" therapeutic manner--is nowadays controversial. The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the results obtained in the treatment of CML patients, with a particular attempt to define parameters critical for clinical benefit and superior overall outcome following allogeneic SCT.

Impact of stem cell source on allogeneic stem cell transplantation outcome in hematological malignancies.

Background/aim: Peripheral blood (PB) is used more frequently as a source of stem cells (SCs) for allogeneic transplantation. However, the influence of cell source on the clinical outcome of SC transplantation is not yet well established. The aim of this study was to compare the results of PBSC transplantation (PBSCT) with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on the basis of engraftment, frequency and severity of immediate (mucositis, acute Graft versus Host Disease--aGvHD) and delayed (chronic GvHD--cGvHD) complications, as well as transplant-related mortality (TRM), transfusion needs, relapses and overall survival (OS).

[Autologous stem cell transplantation in the treatment of multiple myeloma--single center experience].

Background/aim: In comparison to standard therapy autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) with high doses mel-phalane has improved treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the results of treatment of MM patients in our center with ASCTconditioning with melphalane or combining busulphane, cyclophosphamide and melphalane.

Methods: We performed 62 ASCT procedures in 47 patients from 1998 till 2008.

PCR-based clonality assessment in patients with lymphocytic leukaemias: a single-institution experience.

PCR-based clonality testing can be performed in all lymphoproliferations by analysing gene rearrangements of antigen receptors, rearrangements that are unique for each kind of lymphocyte. Reactive lymphoproliferations have polyclonally rearranged Ig/TCR genes, whereas malignant proliferations (leukaemias and lymphomas) show clonal rearrangements. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical benefits of clonality testing with previously evaluated consensus primers in leukaemia patients.

[Autologous stem cell transplantation in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease].

Background/aim: High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has shown to produce long-term disease-free survival in patients with chemotherapy-sensitive Hodgkin disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate efficacy of ASCT in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease.

Methods: Between May 1997 and September 2008, 34 patients with Hodgkin's disease in median age of 25 (range 16-60) years, underwent ASCT.

[Acquired factor V inhibitors in a polytraumatized patient].

Background: Factor V (FV) inhibitors are a rare disorder reported for the first time about fifty years ago, mostly with the unknown cause. The appearance of FV inhibitors is usually preceded by surgery, infections, administration of antibiotics or transfusions. Clinical manifestations of the presence of FV inhibitors vary from mild to severe and in some instances fatal hemorrhage.

Genetic alterations in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Background: Although the patients with diagnosed B-NHL are classified into the same disease stage on the basis of clinical, histopathological, and immunological parameters, they respond significantly different to the applied treatment. This points out the possibility that within the same group of lymphoma there are different diseases at molecular level. For that reason many studies deal with the detection of gene alterations in lymphomas to provide a better framework for diagnosis and treatment of these hematological malignancies.