Doripenem versus meropenem as first-line empiric therapy of febrile neutropenia in patients with acute leukemia: a prospective, randomized study.

Febrile neutropenia is often observed in patients with hematologic malignancies, especially in those with acute leukemia. Meropenem has potent and broad antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, and is recommended as first-line empiric therapy for febrile neutropenia. In contrast, the safety and efficacy of doripenem in patients with febrile neutropenia and hematologic malignancies is limited.

Clinical significance of high-Km 5'-nucleotidase (cN-II) mRNA expression in high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome.

We analyzed cytosolic high-Km 5'-nucleotidase (cN-II) and deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) mRNA expression in bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMNC) of patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR). At diagnosis, the cN-II mRNA expression of patients was higher than that of healthy volunteers, but the dCK mRNA expression showed no significant difference. Patients with ara-C-containing chemotherapies whose BMMNC showed a high level of cN-II expression (greater than the median value) had shorter median overall survival (15 months versus 22 months, p<0.

Distinguishing between proliferating nodal lymphoid blasts in chronic myelogenous leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: report of three cases and detection of a bcr/abl fusion signal by single-cell analysis.

Lymph node biopsies were analyzed from three patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) showing nodal blast proliferation. Immunohistochemically, the blasts from all three patients had an immature marker profile with a T-blast population (cCD3+, CD4-, CD7+, CD8-, CD99+, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase +) and a hematopoietic progenitor cell marker (CD34). In two patients, the blasts also expressed myeloid lineage specificity (naphthol AS-D chloroacetate esterase activity and myeloperoxidase positivity).

Clinical and biological significance of CD56 antigen expression in acute promyelocytic leukemia.

The biological significance of CD56 antigen expression in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been under investigation. We investigated the clinical and biologic features of CD56+APL. In our series, CD56 antigen was positive in 4 of 28 (14%) APL patients.