Pegfilgrastim in children with severe congenital neutropenia.

Two pediatric patients affected by severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) were treated with 100 mcg/L/dose every 9-12 days within a pilot study (Observatory of the Italian Ministry of Health, Eudract Code 2005-003096-20) on the use of pegfilgrastim in patients with chronic neutropenia. Both children increased their absolute neutrophil count, reduced their infectious load, and improved their quality of life. Serum concentrations of G-CSF observed in pegfilgrastim mirrored those seen in filgrastim.

Etanercept as a salvage treatment for refractory aplastic anemia.

About 10-15% of patients with acquired aplastic anemia (AAA) have resistant/recurrent disease not eligible for standard treatment like hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and/or combined immunosuppression. We report a 17-year-old male with an 11 years history of AAA who, after two courses of immunosuppression, was red cell transfusion-dependent, severely thrombocytopenic, refractory to platelet transfusion, had iron overload and post-transfusion HCV infection. This patient achieved transfusion independence from platelets and normalized Hb after treatment with the anti-TNF agent Etanercept.

Recombinant human TNF-binding protein-1 (rhTBP-1) treatment delays both symptoms progression and motor neuron loss in the wobbler mouse.

TNF-alpha overexpression may contribute to motor neuron death in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We investigated the intracellular pathway associated with TNF-alpha in the wobbler mouse, a murine model of ALS, at the onset of symptoms. TNF-alpha and TNFR1 overexpression and JNK/p38MAPK phosphorylation occurred in neurons and microglia in early symptomatic mice, suggesting that this activation may contribute to motor neuron damage.

Regulation of redox-sensitive exofacial protein thiols in CHO cells.

Thiols affect a variety of cell functions, an effect known as redox regulation, largely attributed to modification of transcription factors and intracellular signaling mechanisms. Since exofacial protein thiols are more exposed to redox-acting molecules used in cell culture and may represent sensors of the redox state of the environment, we investigated their susceptibility to redox regulation. Exofacial protein thiols were measured using cell-impermeable Ellman's reagent [5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), DTNB].

Redox regulation of cyclophilin A by glutathionylation.

Using redox proteomics techniques to characterize the thiol status of proteins in human T lymphocytes, we identified cyclophilin A (CypA) as a specifically oxidized protein early after mitogen activation. CypA is an abundantly expressed cytosolic protein, target of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA), for which a variety of functions has been described. In this study, we could identify CypA as a protein undergoing glutathionylation in vivo.

Gene expression profiling reveals a signaling role of glutathione in redox regulation.

Proteins can form reversible mixed disulfides with glutathione (GSH). It has been hypothesized that protein glutathionylation may represent a mechanism of redox regulation, in a fashion similar to that mediated by protein phosphorylation. We investigated whether GSH has a signaling role in the response of HL60 cells to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), in addition to its obvious antioxidant role.

A nonerythropoietic derivative of erythropoietin protects the myocardium from ischemia-reperfusion injury.

The cytokine erythropoietin (EPO) protects the heart from ischemic injury, in part by preventing apoptosis. However, EPO administration can also raise the hemoglobin concentration, which, by increasing oxygen delivery, confounds assignment of cause and effect. The availability of EPO analogs that do not bind to the dimeric EPO receptor and lack erythropoietic activity, e.