Outcome for patients who relapse after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for chronic myeloid leukemia. Chronic Leukemia Working Party. European Bone Marrow Transplantation Group

We studied the clinical course of 130 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients (89 males and 41 females) in the European Bone Marrow Transplantation Group (EBMT) registry who received transplants before January 1, 1988 and who subsequently had evidence of recurrent leukemia. All patients had received a pretransplant conditioning regimen including total body irradiation (TBI). The first evidence of relapse was cytogenetic only in 74 (57%) patients and hematologic in 56 (43%). The overall actuarial survival from relapse was 36% at 6 years, with a significantly higher proportion of survivors among female patients (53% v 30%; P < .002). In univariate analysis, the 6-year probability of survival was 52% for patients with cytogenetic relapse and 30% for patients relapsing in chronic phase (CP), while no patient who relapsed in advanced phase (AP or BC) survived more than 3.5 years from relapse (P < .0001). The actuarial survival of patients relapsing before 6 months, between 6 and 12 months, and later than 12 months after transplant was 27%, 26%, and 45%, respectively (P < .002). Among patients with cytogenetic relapse, partial or complete disappearance of Ph-positive cells occurred in 40% of untreated patients and in 42% of those treated with interferon (IFN). However, IFN therapy significantly delayed progression toward hematologic disease. Cytogenetic responses were observed in 25% of patients who received IFN for relapse into CP, while only one minor cytogenetic response was reported in patients on conventional chemotherapy. For patients presenting with cytogenetic relapse as well as for those in hematologic relapse, IFN therapy significantly improved the 2-year probability of survival. However, long-term survival for IFN-treated patients in either group was not different from long-term survival in comparable patients not receiving IFN therapy. Twenty-nine patients of this series underwent a second bone marrow transplant (BMT) and the projected survival at 4 years after the second transplant is 28%. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, four factors remained significantly associated with survival: disease phase at relapse (P < .0001), duration of time interval from BMT to relapse (P = .0001), interferon therapy at relapse (P = .0024), and patient sex (P = .0032). This retrospective study provides evidence that some patients who relapse after BMT may benefit from treatment with IFN; a second BMT may offer the chance of cure. Data from this analysis may be useful in designing future prospective trials on posttransplant CML relapse.     

Bronchial artery embolization: monitoring with somatosensory evoked potentials. Work in progress

Surgery remains the treatment of choice for massive and recurrent hemoptysis. In some instances, however, immediate surgical intervention is contraindicated. In these situations, bronchial artery embolization (BAE) has proved to be a successful definitive treatment for non-surgical candidates and a palliative therapy in patients requiring hemodynamic stabilization prior to surgery. The most serious complication of BAE is spinal cord ischemia. This relates directly to the potential anastomotic connections between the bronchial circulation and the anterior spinal artery. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) have been used in the past to monitor spinal cord ischemia during procedures that threaten the vascularity of the spinal cord. The authors report two cases in which SSEPs were employed to monitor spinal cord ischemia during bronchial artery embolization.     

The prospects for renal xenotransplantation

Summary: Xenotransplantation of non-human organs into human recipients has long been proposed as a possible strategy to overcome the acute shortage of donor organs. However, vascular organ transplants to humans from phylogenetically disparate species such as the pig are not currently possible due to a rapid rejection process termed hyperacute rejection. This process is initiated by the binding of host pre-formed 'natural antibodies' to the donor vascular endothelium, activation of the host complement system and activation or injury of the donor endothelial cells, leading to intravascular coagulation and loss of the graft due to ischaemic necrosis within minutes to hours of engraftment. Prevention of natural antibody binding and complement activation is viewed as paramount to preventing hyperacute rejection. Even if hyperacute rejection can be prevented, further barriers to successful discordant xenografts such as delayed xenograft rejection and a donor-directed cell-mediated rejection process will still represent major obstacles. This review examines recent advances being made in the various areas of xenograft research and the potential clinical application of pig-to-human xenografts that these strategies may bring.     

The inferior alveolar artery in its bony course

Based on the dissection of 30 hemi-mandibles, the authors report a study of the inferior alveolar artery in its intraosseous course. On morphologic considerations they propose a classification of the collaterals into two groups: the principal collaterals destined for the teeth and the bony alveolar tissue and the secondary collaterals destined for the sheath and the nerve as well as the bony tissue around the canal. Loss of the teeth and absorption of the alveolar bone modify the caliber of the inferior alveolar arterial axis, the distribution of its collaterals and possibly its mode of termination. These facts suggest a consideration of the vascularization of the mandible in terms of four sectors. They arrive at practical conclusions that may be drawn from this study in stomatology.     

Dural infolding during C1-2 myelography

Inward buckling of the dura at C1-2 may occasionally occur with hyperextension of the neck and can result in a difficult or unsuccessful puncture when the posterior lateral C1-2 approach is used for cervical myelography. In this circumstance, placement of the head in a neutral or slightly flexed position may widen the posterior subarachnoid space and facilitate the needle puncture.     

Expression and purification of functional recombinant epitopes for the platelet antigens, PlA1 and PlA2

The platelet antigens, PlA1 and PlA2, are responsible for most cases of posttransfusion purpura (PTP) and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT) in the caucasian population and are determined by two allelic forms of the platelet glycoprotein GPIIIa gene. To study the interaction between these antigens and their respective antibodies, we inserted the sequence that encodes the signal peptide and the N- terminal 66 amino acids of the PlA1 form of GPIIIa into the expression vector pGEX1. To express the PlA2 antigen, nucleotide 196 of the PlA1 coding sequence was mutated to the PlA2 allelic form. When transformed and induced in Escherichia coli, the two constructs produce glutathione S-transferase (GST)/N-terminal GPIIIa fusion proteins, one containing leucine at position 33 (PlA1), the other proline (PlA2). These proteins are easily purified in milligram quantities using glutathione-Sepharose and react specifically with their respective antibodies by immunoblot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Antigenicity of the PlA1 fusion protein in reduced glutathione increases with time; moreover, the addition of oxidized glutathione accelerates this process, presumably because of formation of the native disulfide bonds. Neutralization assays indicate that the PlA1 fusion protein competes for all of the anti-PlA1 antibody in the serum of patients with PTP and NAIT that is capable of interacting with the surface of intact platelets. This study shows that the GST/N-terminal GPIIIa fusion proteins contain conformational epitopes that mimic those involved in alloimmunization, and that regions other than the amino terminal 66 amino acids of GPIIIa are not likely to contain or be required for the development of functional PlA1 epitopes. Furthermore, these recombinant proteins can be used for the affinity-purification of clinical anti-PlA1 antibodies and specific antibody identification by western blotting, making them useful in the diagnosis of patients alloimmunized to PlA1 alloantigens.     

Analysis of the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) gene in Japanese patients with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia

Genomic DNA from 19 Japanese patients with congenital lipoid adrenal hyperplasia (lipoid CAH) representing 16 different families was examined to identify the genetic alterations of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR). Ten of 19 patients had a 46,XX karyotype and nine had a 46,XY karyotype. Six of the 46,XX patients have experienced spontaneous pubertal changes including breast development and irregular menstruation whereas none of the 46,XY subjects displayed pubertal changes. Eight different mutations were identified. Sixteen patients were either homozygotes or compound heterozygotes for the Q258X mutation. The seven other mutations identified were 189delG, 246insG, 564del13bp, 838delA, Q212X, A218V and M225T. The 189delG, 246insG, 546del13bp and Q212X mutants encode truncated proteins. COS-1 cells transfected with expression vectors encoding cDNAs for the mutant StAR proteins which affect the C-terminus, 838delA, A218V and Q258X, exhibited no steroidogenesis enhancing activity. However, the M225T mutant retained some steroidogenic activity. The patient with the M225T mutation had late onset of this disorder and some capacity to secrete testosterone in response to hCG. These findings suggest: (i) that the Q258X mutation can be used as a genetic marker for the screening of Japanese for lipoid CAH, (ii) that the C-terminus of StAR plays an important role in the protein's activity and (iii) that there are differences in the extent of functional impairment of the testis and ovaries in lipoid CAH.      

颈动脉血管重构特征在自发性高血压大鼠体内的表现

目的:血管重构是高血压的重要病理变化,是高血压导致器官损害的结构基础。实验观察自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉中层组织学的相关变化,以验证血管重构的特点。方法:实验于2006-06/2007-03在福建医科大学附属协和医院心血管内科实验室完成。①实验材料及分组:12周龄雄性自发性高血压大鼠10只,同性别周龄的WKY大鼠10只为对照,喂养18周后终止实验。②实验过程及评估:开始及每2周测鼠尾收缩压。实验结束后,麻醉后取颈动脉,行苏木精-伊红、苦味酸-天狼星红、弹力纤维和胶原纤维的双重染色(P/VB法),利用计算机辅助成像系统测算颈动脉中膜厚度、腔径、血管中膜厚/腔径、中膜横截面积、中膜细胞平均核面积及中膜的胶原面积百分比、弹性纤维面积百分比、弹性纤维面积与胶原面积的比值。SP免疫组织化学染色检测α-平滑肌肌动蛋白、增殖细胞核抗原、纤维粘连蛋白、层粘连蛋白等抗原在颈动脉壁的表达,并计算颈动脉中膜细胞增殖指数;以原位末端标记法标记血管壁的凋亡细胞,计算颈动脉中膜细胞凋亡指数。结果:20只大鼠全部进入结果分析。①自发性高血压大鼠实验开始和结束前的收缩压均>150mmHg,高于WKY大鼠(P<0.01)。②自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉中膜厚度、腔径、中膜厚度/腔径、中膜横截面积、中膜胶原面积百分比均高于WKY大鼠(P<0.01),而中膜弹性纤维面积百分比、弹性纤维面积与胶原面积比值均低于WKY大鼠(P<0.01)。③α-平滑肌肌动蛋白在两组大鼠颈动脉中膜均可表达,提示中膜细胞为血管平滑肌细胞。④自发性高血压大鼠中膜血管平滑肌细胞平均核面积大于WKY大鼠(P<0.01),中膜细胞增殖指数与WKY大鼠差异无显著性(P>0.05),中膜细胞凋亡指数显著低于WKY大鼠(P<0.01)。⑤自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉中膜纤维粘连蛋白、层粘连蛋白的光密度值(IA值)及染色阳性面积百分比高于WKY大鼠(P<0.01)。⑥颈动脉中膜血管平滑肌细胞凋亡指数与中膜横截面积呈显著负相关(r=-0.872,P<0.01);纤维连接蛋白表达的吸光度值与中膜横截面积呈显著正相关(r=0.954,P<0.01)。结论:自发性高血压大鼠颈动脉存在明显的重构,其特点为中膜肥厚、平滑肌细胞肥大、凋亡减少及胶原、纤维粘连蛋白、层粘连蛋白的过度沉积。