Development and clinical validation of an in situ biopsy-based multimarker assay for risk stratification in prostate cancer.

Purpose: Prostate cancer aggressiveness and appropriate therapy are routinely determined following biopsy sampling. Current clinical and pathologic parameters are insufficient for accurate risk prediction leading primarily to overtreatment and also missed opportunities for curative therapy.

Experimental Design: An 8-biomarker proteomic assay for intact tissue biopsies predictive of prostate pathology was defined in a study of 381 patient biopsies with matched prostatectomy specimens.

Automated quantitative multiplex immunofluorescence in situ imaging identifies phospho-S6 and phospho-PRAS40 as predictive protein biomarkers for prostate cancer lethality.

Background: We have witnessed significant progress in gene-based approaches to cancer prognostication, promising early intervention for high-risk patients and avoidance of overtreatment for low-risk patients. However, there has been less advancement in protein-based approaches, even though perturbed protein levels and post-translational modifications are more directly linked with phenotype. Most current, gene expression-based platforms require tissue lysis resulting in loss of structural and molecular information, and hence are blind to tumor heterogeneity and morphological features.

Chronic in vivo testing of the Penn State infant ventricular assist device.

The Penn State Infant Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) is a 12-14 ml stroke volume pneumatically actuated pump, with custom Björk-Shiley monostrut valves, developed under the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Pediatric Circulatory Support program. In this report, we describe the seven most recent chronic animal studies of the Infant VAD in the juvenile ovine model, with a mean body weight of 23.5 ± 4.

The effect of catheter to vein ratio on blood flow rates in a simulated model of peripherally inserted central venous catheters.

Background: Catheter-related thrombosis is a common complication in all anatomic sites, especially when smaller veins of the upper extremity are considered. It is presumed that the presence of a catheter within the lumen of a vein will decrease flow and potentially create stasis, and clinical data suggest that the size of the catheter impacts thrombosis rates. We sought to determine, both mathematically and experimentally, the impact of catheters on fluid flow rates.

Composite EBV negative peripheral T-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involving the ileum: a case report and a systematic review of the literature.

We report a case of an intestinal peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with a concurrent diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBL) involving the ileum and a regional lymph node. The patient presented with an abdominal mass. The terminal ileum showed a diffuse and monotonous population of small CD3-positive T cells.

Favorable outcome after infusion of coagulase-negative staphylococci-contaminated peripheral blood hematopoietic cells for autologous transplantation.

Bacterial contamination of peripheral blood hematopoietic cells collected for autologous bone marrow transplantation occurs sporadically. Although transfusion of contaminated hematopoietic cells without adverse clinical sequelae has been reported, detailed guidelines for transfusing cells with contamination are not available. We report a case of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation that necessitated using multiple aliquots of peripheral blood hematopoietic cells known to be contaminated with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus bacteria.

Coagulant stability and sterility of thawed S/D-treated plasma.

Background: Units of frozen S/D-treated plasma (SDP) must be transfused within 24 hours after thawing. To avoid waste, an attempt was made to determine how long SDP could be therapeutically effective after thawing and storing it at 20 degrees C.

Study Design And Methods: The microbiologic safety and the activity of labile coagulation factors were evaluated in units stored at 20 degrees C of thawed SDP units and FFP within 24 hours of collection (FFP24).

Separation of IgG and IgM from albumin in citrated human plasma using electrodialysis and metal ion affinity precipitation.

Plasmapheresis is the process by which plasma is separated from whole blood for therapeutic purposes. The primary reason to perform plasmapheresis is to remove immunoglobulins and not to necessarily remove the remainder of the plasma proteins. Nevertheless, most plasmapheresis is performed by centrifugal separation to remove bulk plasma.

Durable response to combination therapy including staphylococcal protein A immunoadsorption in life-threatening refractory autoimmune hemolysis.

Background: Few therapeutic options are available for severe, life-threatening, refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia.

Case Report: A 53-year-old 110-kg man was seen with acute onset of symptomatic severe anemia with syncope, unstable angina, and jaundice. His nadir Hct was 8.

Oxygen saturation and hemoglobin A content in patients with sickle cell disease undergoing erythrocytapheresis.

Severe hypoxia occurs in patients with acute chest syndrome, and erythrocytapheresis has been shown to improve oxygenation. Patients with sickle cell anemia also have decreased baseline oxygen saturation values, but the effect of erythrocytapheresis on steady-state oxygenation has not been well studied. We investigated the changes in oxygen saturation versus hematocrit, fraction of hemoglobin A, and transfusion volume during 71 prophylactic erythrocytapheresis procedures performed in 5 stable patients with sickle cell anemia.