Long-Term Outcomes of Alemtuzumab-Based Reduced-Intensity Conditioned Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Acute Myelogenous Leukemia Secondary to Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) with reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) offers a potential cure for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who are ineligible for standard-intensity regimens. Previously published data from our institution suggest excellent outcomes at 1 yr using a uniform fludarabine, busulfan, and alemtuzumab-based regimen. Here we report long-term follow-up of 192 patients with MDS and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) secondary to MDS (MDS-AML) transplanted with this protocol, using sibling (n = 45) or matched unrelated (n = 147) donors. The median age of the cohort was 57 yr (range, 21 to 72 yr), and median follow-up was 4.5 yr (range, 0.1 to 10.6 yr). The 5-yr overall survival (OS), event-free survival, and nonrelapse mortality were 44%, 33%, and 26% respectively. The incidence of de novo chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was low at 19%, illustrating the efficacy of alemtuzumab for GVHD prophylaxis. Conversely, the 5-yr relapse rate was 51%. For younger patients (age <50 yr), the 5-yr OS and relapse rates were 58% and 39%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, advanced age predicted significantly worse outcomes, with patients age >60 yr having a 5-yr OS of 15% and relapse rate of 66%. Patients receiving preemptive donor lymphocyte infusions had an impressive 5-yr OS of 67%, suggesting that this protocol may lend itself to the incorporation of immunotherapeutic strategies. Overall, these data demonstrate good 5-yr OS for patients with MDS and MDS-AML undergoing alemtuzumab-based RIC-HSCT. The low rate of chronic GVHD is encouraging, and comparative studies with other RIC protocols are warranted.     

Diagnosis of Gallbladder Perforation—a Puzzle!

Gallstone disease is common and complications frequently encountered include acute cholecystitis, acute pancreatitis, and cholangitis, but gallbladder perforation (GBP) is rare. A definitive diagnosis is uncommon before surgery and morbidity and mortality associated with this condition are high. Reported incidence ranges between 2 and 10.6 % in patients with acute cholecystitis but is higher in patients managed conservatively. We report here five patients with GBP to show the difficulty in making an early diagnosis.     

液囊空肠管预防急性脑卒中患者卒中相关性肺炎的观察

目的探讨液囊鼻肠管对急性脑卒中患者卒中相关性肺炎(SAP)的预防作用。方法以2014年5月-2015年4月符合条件的80例急性脑卒中患者为研究对象,随机分为对照组(留置胃管)和观察组(留置液囊空肠管)。记录一般临床资料,观察至置管后2周,比较两组的白蛋白水平和SAP发生情况。结果两组之间的白蛋白水平差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。观察组发生SAP 5例(20.0%),对照组发生SAP 13例(32.5%),两组SAP发生率差异有统计学意义(χ~2=4.588,P=0.032)。结论液囊空肠管能够减少需要肠内营养的急性脑卒中患者SAP的发生,值得在临床中进一步推广。     

Prophylactic antidepressant treatment following acute coronary syndrome: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Major depressive disorder is significantly increased in patients following acute coronary syndrome resulting in twofold increased mortality compared with patients without depression. The depression diagnosis is often missed leading to considerable undertreatment. This systematic review assesses the current evidence of primary prophylactic treatment of depression in patients after acute coronary syndrome. The study protocol was prospectively registered at PROSPERO (registration number CRD42015025587). A systematic review were conducted and reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Cochran Library was searched. Two independent reviewers screened the records. The inclusion criteria were randomized controlled trials on adult patients with acute coronary syndrome treated prophylactically with an antidepressant intervention of any kind. A validated assessment tool should measure depression and depressive symptoms. Languages were limited to articles written in English. Six articles were included. Four studies utilized different components of case and disease management, health coaching, or relaxational audiotapes as intervention compared with usual care or with no formal program of rehabilitation. None of the studies showed any significant prophylactic effect against depression. One study with a program of health education and counselling and another study with a pharmacological antidepressant showed significant prophylactic effect on depression and depressive symptoms. All six included studies were associated with high risk of bias. There is not strong evidence of the effects of any type of routine antidepressant prophylaxis in patients following acute coronary syndrome. Further high quality studies are warranted.     

Validation of 5 prediction models for acute kidney injury and its outcome after cardiac surgery procedures in Chinese patients

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical usefulness and value of the 5 models for the prediction of acute kidney injury (AKI), severe AKI which renal replacement treatment was needed (RRT-AKI) and death after cardiac surgery procedures in Chinese patients. Methods One thousand and sixty - seven patients who underwent cardiac surgery procedures in the department of cardiac surgery in the Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University between May 2010 and January 2011 were involved in this research. The predicting value for AKI (AKICS), RRT-AKI (Cleveland, SRI and Mehta score) and death (EURO score) after cardiac surgery procedures was evaluated by Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test for the calibration and area under receiver operation characteristic curve (AUROC) for the discrimination. ResultsThe incidence of AKI was 20.34%(217/1067), and 63.13% of their renal function recovered completely. The incidence of RRT-AKI was 3.56%(38/1067) and the mortality of AKI and RRT - AKI was 9.68%(21/217) and 44.73%(17/38) respectively. The total mortality was 3.28%（35/1067）. The discrimination and calibration for the prediction of AKI of AKICS were low. For the prediction of RRT-AKI, the discrimination and calibration of Cleveland score were high enough, but the predicated value was lower than the real value (1.70% vs 3.86%). The discrimination of Mehta score and the calibration of SRI were low. The discrimination and calibration for the prediction of death of EURO score was low. ConclusionAccording to the 2012 KDIGO AKI definition, none of the 5 models above is good at predicting AKI after cardiac surgery procedures. Cleveland score has been validated to have a proper impact on predicting RRT-AKI after cardiac surgery procedures, but the predicting value is still in doubt. EURO score has been validated to have an inaccurate predicting value for death after cardiac surgery procedures.     

Acute Necrotising Pancreatitis Associated with Leptospirosis—A Case Report

Acute Necrotizing Pancreatitis is a rare complication of leptospirosis and this association carries a high mortality rate. Only few cases have been reported in literature. We hereby report one such case we encountered.     

Left Main Coronary Artery Thrombosis With Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Management Dilemma

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) thrombosis with acute myocardial infarction is a rare condition with very high mortality. The low incidence of this condition and exclusion of patients with LMCA thrombosis from clinical trials prevent the development of optimal management strategy in these patients. Therefore, there are no clear-cut guidelines describing an evidence-based approach for this condition. We describe a patient with LMCA thrombosis presenting with acute myocardial infarction, who was found to have hypercoagulable state related to homocysteinemia on further work-up. This case highlights the challenges faced during the management of this rare condition due to lack of clear-cut guidelines describing an evidence-based approach.