Mexican Biosimilar Filgrastim for Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Mobilization and Transplantation.

Background: Following the release of the initial presentation of filgrastim (granulocyte colony-stimulating factor), several biosimilars have been developed worldwide.

Objective: To study the efficacy of a Mexican biosimilar granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in a single transplant center.

Methods: In a group of 19 consecutive patients with multiple sclerosis given autografts, we employed granulocyte colony-stimulating factors to mobilize stem cells from the bone marrow to the peripheral blood, either the original granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (n = 10) or a Mexican granulocyte colony-stimulating factor biosimilar (n = 9).

Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in mexican patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: Prevalence and relationship with disease activity.

Objectives: To determine and compare the prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with and without disease activity.

Patients And Methods: We made a comparative, observational, cross-sectional, prospective study of 137 women with SLE according to American College of Rheumatology criteria. Patients with chronic kidney disease, cancer, hyperparathyroidism, pregnancy, and lactation were excluded.

Serum Antibodies to Melanocytes in Patients With Vitiligo Are Predictors of Disease Progression.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the amount of serum antibodies to melanocyte antigens could predict clinical activity or disease progression in patients with vitiligo. A solid-phase enzyme immunoassay was developed to semiquantitate serum antibodies to a human melanocyte extract and was used in 127 patients, 93 of whom showed clinical progression of the disease, while the remaining 34 were quiescent. Results showed different values for clinical sensitivity and specificity depending on the cutoff level for decision, but the overall performance of the test was adequate and supported statistical significance to predict clinical activity/progression or quietness of the disease process.

[Donor cell leukemia (DCL): A prospective study of its identification and treatment].

Donor-derived malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and after solid organ transplantation are considered as rare diseases. We have prospectively searched for donor cell leukemia in a 12-year period, in a single institution, in a group of 106 consecutive patients allografted because of leukemia. We have identified seven cases of donor cell leukemia; six were allografted because of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia and one because of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria/aplastic anemia.

Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplantation in 2015 and Beyond.

On the face of the lack of HLA-identical sibling stem cell donors for all individuals needing an allograft, the use of alternative donors is gaining popularity. Matched unrelated donors and cord bloods have become very expensive and unaffordable for most people living in developing countries. Grafting allogeneic haploidentical stem cells has become an option with a great future, mainly if the procedure is conducted in a way to cut down expenses, such as the use of reduced-intensity conditioning regimens, outpatient conduction of the procedures, and use of post-transplant cyclophosphamide.

Health-Related Quality of Life in leukemia Survivors of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Employing the Mexican Reduced-Intensity Conditioning.

Background: Quality of life (QOL) is an important consideration in the counseling, implementation, and post-treatment management of arduous treatments for life-threatening conditions such as allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT).

Objective: To analyze the QOL of leukemia patients allografted with the Mexican reduced-intensity conditioning regimen in two Mexican academic medical centers.

Material And Methods: By means of the quality metric short form 36 version 2 to measure generic health concepts, relevant QOL was analyzed in leukemia patients who underwent allo-HCT using reduced-intensity conditioning on an outpatient basis at either the Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla of the Clínica Ruiz or the Hematology Service of the Internal Medicine Department of the Hospital "Dr.

P-glycoprotein in autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is a transmembrane protein of 170 kD encoded by the multidrug resistance 1 (MDR-1) gene, localized on chromosome 7. More than 50 polymorphisms of the MDR-1 gene have been described; a subset of these has been shown to play a pathophysiological role in the development of inflammatory bowel disease, femoral head osteonecrosis induced by steroids, lung cancer and renal epithelial tumors. Polymorphisms that have a protective effect on the development of conditions such as Parkinson disease have also been identified.

The mutation profile of JAK2, MPL and CALR in Mexican patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Context And Objective: By using molecular markers, it is possible to gain information on both the classification and etiopathogenesis of chronic myeloproliferative neoplasias (MPN).

Methods: In a group of 27 Mexican mestizo patients with MPNs, we studied seven molecular markers: the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene, the JAK2 V617F mutation, the JAK2 exon 12 mutations, the MPL W515L mutation, the MPL W515K mutation, and the calreticulin (CALR) exon 9 deletion or insertion. Patients with the BCR/ABL1 fusion gene were excluded.

Lack of association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and cervical human papillomavirus infection in systemic lupus erythematosus.

Our objective was to evaluate whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with cervical human papilloma virus (HPV) infection in women with SLE. This is a cross-sectional study of 67 women with SLE. A structured questionnaire was administered to ascertain the possible risk factors associated with cervical HPV infection.

Primary thrombophilia in México X: a prospective study of the treatment of the sticky platelet syndrome.

Introduction: The sticky platelet syndrome (SPS) is a common cause of thrombosis. There are no prospective studies concerning treatment.

Objective: To analyze changes in platelet hyperaggregability of patients with SPS who were given antiplatelet drugs and to assess its association with rethrombosis.

Bone mineral density in systemic lupus erythematosus women one year after rituximab therapy.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of rituximab on bone mineral density (BMD) in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 1 year after treatment. Thirty active female SLE patients treated with rituximab were compared with 43 SLE women not treated with rituximab. BMD was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) before initiating biologic therapy and after 1 year.

Treatment of vitiligo with a chimeric monoclonal antibody to CD20: a pilot study.

Five patients with active disseminated vitiligo were given 1g of a chimeric (murine/human) monoclonal antibody to CD20 in a single intravenous infusion and followed-up for 6 months. Three of the patients showed an overt clinical and histological improvement of the disease, one presented slight improvement and the remaining patient showed no changes. Improvement was neither associated with changes in laboratory parameters nor to a specific human leucocyte antigen D-related (HLA-DR) phenotype.

Donor cell leukemia.

Minimal residual disease refers to the tumour cells that are still present in a given patient after completion of a therapeutic scheme. The demonstration and quantification of residual neoplastic cells has a crucial impact in clinical decision making, for it might prompt continuation of treatment, while the absence of such cells might serve as evidence to withdraw therapy. Therefore, both sensitivity and specificity of the methods used to unravel residual neoplastic cells must be highly reliable and robust.

Molecular biology strategies to detect residual disease.

The prognostic significance of minimal residual disease (MRD) has been demonstrated for a variety of hematologic malignancies. PCR based assays are among the most important methods for identifying MRD. They are aimed at detecting genetic abnormalities of residual leukemic cells with high specificity and sensitivity and represent an important diagnostic tool to assess the quality of therapeutic response, for clinical risk assessment, and for clinical management.

Romiplostin may revert the thrombocytopenia in graft-versus-host disease.

The thrombocytopenia ensuing during acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is multifactorial and may significantly compromise the prognosis of the patient; non-immune persistent thrombocytopenia has been considered as an adverse prognostic factor in GVHD. We describe here the case of a 10-year-old girl who developed steroid-refractory thrombocytopenia and who responded promptly to the subcutaneous delivery of romiplostin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first description of the usefulness of the peptibody in the setting of GVHD.

Dimethyl sulfoxide-induced toxicity in cord blood stem cell transplantation: report of three cases and review of the literature.

Umbilical cord blood transplantation using nonmyeloablative conditioning is currently considered by many as a valid potential alternative for any patient who requires an unrelated donor allograft and who is without a suitably matched and readily available volunteer. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been used for years as a cryoprotectant agent; it acts by penetrating the cell and binding water molecules and it has been described as harmless for the individual who receives it in limited amounts. In this paper, we describe 3 cases of DMSO-induced toxicities and briefly review the most common adverse reactions of the DMSO when used as a cryopreservation agent for the long-term storage of cord blood cells.

Primary thrombophilia in México VII: the V617F mutation of JAK2 is not a frequent cause of thrombosis.

The study of the V617F JAK2 gene mutation has been used to identify the presence of an underlying myeloproliferative disorder (MPD) as the cause of unexplained thrombosis. In a group of 77 consecutive Mexican patients with a clinical marker of a primary thrombophilic condition, we looked for this JAK2 mutation and did not find any individual displaying it. Given these results, we conclude that an undetected MPD is a very improbable cause of thromboses in Mexican mestizos, a population where the prevalence of these disorders has been found to be lower than that found in Caucasian populations.

Immunophenotypic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes.

This unit on basic phenotyping describes two basic and two alternate protocols for the immunophenotypic identification and classification of human peripheral blood lymphocytes. The presented protocols comply with consensus recommendations from professional organizations that regulate the clinical use of such assays. The authors discuss whole blood assay systems as well as enriched systems from several perspectives, including absolute number determination.

A single-institution, 20-year prospective experience with an affordable Fc-receptor blockade method to treat patients with chronic, refractory autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura.

In a 20-year period in a single institution, 34 patients with chronic, refractory autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura were prospectively treated with ex vivo anti-D opsonized autologous red blood cells. All patients had received previous treatment with steroids and/or immunosuppressive agents, and 11 had been splenectomized. Twenty one patients had an increase in the platelet count; in five cases, the increase was more than 50 x 10(9)/L platelets and in 16 the increase was more than 100 x 10(9)/L platelets.

Apoptosis of melanocytes in vitiligo results from antibody penetration.

Vitiligo is a rather common disease characterized by depigmentation of skin and mucosae due to the loss of melanocytes, most likely as a result of autoimmune phenomena. In this study we demonstrated apoptotic markers in residual melanocytes in skin biopsies of patients with vitiligo, as well as the presence of serum antibodies to melanocyte-specific antigens in the vast majority of patients. Moreover, we were able to prove that serum IgG antibodies from vitiligo patients, but not from healthy controls, were capable to penetrate into cultured melanocytes in vitro, and trigger them to engage in apoptosis.

Helicobacter pylori infection and thrombocytopenia: a single-institution experience in Mexico.

The association between gastrointestinal H. pylori infection and thrombocytopenia was studied in a single institution in Mexico, over a 5-year period. In 99 individuals with H.

The role of complement regulatory proteins (CD55 and CD59) in the pathogenesis of autoimmune hemocytopenias.

Mammalian cells are provided with surface-bound complement regulatory proteins that protect them from uncontrolled complement-mediated lysis. Two of these regulators in humans, CD55 and CD59, are glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored, type I cell surface proteins, which inhibit formation of the C3 convertases and prevent the terminal polymerization of the membrane attack complex, respectively. Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a genetic disorder due to the impaired conformation of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchor, that results in the deficient expression of CD55 and CD50 which leads to excessive destruction of red cells and leukocytes.