A synopsis of current haemophilia care in Hong Kong.

Objective: To provide a synopsis of current haemophilia care in Hong Kong.

Design: Retrospective survey.

Setting: All haematology units of the Hospital Authority in Hong Kong.

Retracted: outcome and immune reconstitution of HBV-specific immunity in patients with reactivation of occult HBV infection after alemtuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimen.

Unlabelled: Whether preemptive anti- hepatitis B virus (HBV) therapy should be considered in all hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative patients with occult HBV infection receiving alemtuzumab containing chemotherapy is uncertain. We determined the outcome and effect on HBV-specific immunity of an alemtuzumab-containing chemotherapy regimen in occult HBV-infected patients. Twenty-one consecutive occult HBV-infected patients treated with an alemtuzumab containing chemotherapy regimen were studied.

High incidence of tuberculosis after alemtuzumab treatment in Hong Kong Chinese patients.

Twenty-seven patients received the anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab for hematologic malignancies and autoimmune cytopenias in a tuberculosis-endemic area. Seven patients developed mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) infections (median: 4, 1-24, months from alemtuzumab). The actuarial 1- and 2-year incidence of TB was 31% and 45%.

Regular virologic surveillance showed very frequent cytomegalovirus reactivation in patients treated with alemtuzumab.

Ten patients with refractory lymphomas or autoimmune cytopenias were treated with alemtuzumab, and monitored prospectively for cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation by antigenemia and polymerase chain reaction. All patients showed virologic CMV reactivation. Two patients developed pneumonitis and hepatitis respectively, necessitating alemtuzumab withdrawal.

Kinetics and risk of de novo hepatitis B infection in HBsAg-negative patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy.

Background & Aims: De novo hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatitis after chemotherapy results in high morbidity and mortality. We evaluate the clinical course of de novo HBV-related hepatitis after chemotherapy.

Methods: Two hundred forty-four consecutive hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative lymphoma patients treated with chemotherapy were followed up for a median of 12.

Alemtuzumab induced complete remission of autoimmune hemolytic anemia refractory to corticosteroids, splenectomy and rituximab.

A 58-year-old man with warm-antibody-mediated autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) refractory to prednisolone, azathioprine, splenectomy, rituximab and combination chemotherapy, and with unacceptably high transfusion requirement, was treated with alemtuzumab. After a cumulative dose of 883 mg of alemtuzumab, the AIHA remitted completely, with normalization of hemoglobin and transfusion-independence. The major side effect was reactivation of cytomegalovirus, which was controlled with intravenous and oral ganciclovir.

Effectiveness of prophylactic Anti-HBV therapy in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with HBsAg positive donors.

Use of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive donors for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) causes serious hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related liver morbidity and mortality in the recipient. We compared the effectiveness of anti-HBV therapy in 29 recipients who underwent HSCT using HBsAg positive marrow (group I) against a historical control group of 25 patients who received HBsAg positive marrow without pre-HSCT prophylaxis (group II). Anti-HBV therapy consisted of lamivudine for HBsAg-positive donors and all recipients (n = 29) as well as HBV vaccination to all HBsAg-negative recipients (n = 10) before HSCT.

A long-term follow-up study on hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

The long-term hepatic complications after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in hepatitis B virus (HBV) endemic area are unknown. We examined the serological and liver-related outcome of 803 consecutive patients who received allogeneic HSCTs, with a median follow-up period of 83 months (range, 0.5-155 months).

Outpatients undergoing therapeutic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: six-hour versus overnight observation.

Background And Aim: The purpose of the present retrospective study was to compare the proportion of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) complications detected with 6-h observation followed by same-day discharge (SDD) versus overnight observation (OO) after therapeutic ERCP.

Methods: There were 134 outpatients in the SDD group and 178 outpatients in the OO group. The SDD group was discharged after a 6-h observation while the OO group was discharged after overnight observation.