Impact of HLA Alleles on Outcomes of Allogeneic Transplantation for B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas: A Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Analysis

Even in the modern era of targeted therapies, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) can offer a chance of extended survival in B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) patients who relapse after or are deemed ineligible for autologous transplantation. A better understanding of the factors influencing the graft-versus-lymphoma (GVL) response would be useful in identifying B-NHL patients who may benefit from allo-HCT. Based on prior single-center reports, we hypothesized that certain HLA alleles, or haplotypes, may be associated with superior GVL compared with others after allo-HCT. To test this possibility we retrospectively evaluated whether the presence of HLA-A2, HLA-C1C1, HLA-DRB1*01:01, or HLA-DRB1*13 alleles or the presence of HLA-A1+, HLA-A2-, and HLA-B44- haplotypes is associated with outcomes in a cohort of 1314 HLA-8/8 matched sibling or unrelated donor HCT for relapsed/refractory B-NHL. We observed no significant association between any HLA allele or haplotype and overall survival or any of the secondary endpoints. In conclusion, this study represents the largest reported series of allo-HCT outcomes of B-NHL patients based on HLA type. Identification of other variables will be required to delineate the immunologic impact of donor–host interactions on outcomes of allo-HCT for B-NHL.     

Risk factors for transient dysfunction of gas exchange after cardiac surgery

Objective

A retrospective cohort study was preformed aiming to verify the presence of transient dysfunction of gas exchange in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery and determine if this disorder is linked to cardiorespiratory events.

Methods

We included 942 consecutive patients undergoing cardiac surgery and cardiac procedures who were referred to the Intensive Care Unit between June 2007 and November 2011.

Results

Fifteen patients had acute respiratory distress syndrome (2%), 199 (27.75%) had mild transient dysfunction of gas exchange, 402 (56.1%) had moderate transient dysfunction of gas exchange, and 39 (5.4%) had severe transient dysfunction of gas exchange. Hypertension and cardiogenic shock were associated with the emergence of moderate transient dysfunction of gas exchange postoperatively (P=0.02 and P=0.019, respectively) and were risk factors for this dysfunction (P=0.0023 and P=0.0017, respectively). Diabetes mellitus was also a risk factor for transient dysfunction of gas exchange (P=0.03). Pneumonia was present in 8.9% of cases and correlated with the presence of moderate transient dysfunction of gas exchange (P=0.001). Severe transient dysfunction of gas exchange was associated with patients who had renal replacement therapy (P=0.0005), hemotherapy (P=0.0001), enteral nutrition (P=0.0012), or cardiac arrhythmia (P=0.0451).

Conclusion

Preoperative hypertension and cardiogenic shock were associated with the occurrence of postoperative transient dysfunction of gas exchange. The preoperative risk factors included hypertension, cardiogenic shock, and diabetes. Postoperatively, pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, renal replacement therapy, hemotherapy, and cardiac arrhythmia were associated with the appearance of some degree of transient dysfunction of gas exchange, which was a risk factor for reintubation, pneumonia, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and renal replacement therapy in the postoperative period of cardiac surgery and cardiac procedures.     

Stratification of complexity in congenital heart surgery: comparative study of the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery (RACHS-1) method, Aristotle basic score and Society of Thoracic Surgeons-European Association for Cardio- Thoracic Surgery (STS-EACTS) mortality score

Objective

To determine whether stratification of complexity models in congenital heart surgery (RACHS-1, Aristotle basic score and STS-EACTS mortality score) fit to our center and determine the best method of discriminating hospital mortality.

Methods

Surgical procedures in congenital heart diseases in patients under 18 years of age were allocated to the categories proposed by the stratification of complexity methods currently available. The outcome hospital mortality was calculated for each category from the three models. Statistical analysis was performed to verify whether the categories presented different mortalities. The discriminatory ability of the models was determined by calculating the area under the ROC curve and a comparison between the curves of the three models was performed.

Results

360 patients were allocated according to the three methods. There was a statistically significant difference between the mortality categories: RACHS-1 (1) - 1.3%, (2) - 11.4%, (3)-27.3%, (4) - 50 %, (P<0.001); Aristotle basic score (1) - 1.1%, (2) - 12.2%, (3) - 34%, (4) - 64.7%, (P<0.001); and STS-EACTS mortality score (1) - 5.5 %, (2) - 13.6%, (3) - 18.7%, (4) - 35.8%, (P<0.001). The three models had similar accuracy by calculating the area under the ROC curve: RACHS-1- 0.738; STS-EACTS-0.739; Aristotle- 0.766.

Conclusion

The three models of stratification of complexity currently available in the literature are useful with different mortalities between the proposed categories with similar discriminatory capacity for hospital mortality.     

Anti–Trypanosoma cruzi effect of the photodynamic antiparasitic chemotherapy using phenothiazine derivatives as photosensitizers

Lasers in Medical Science - Chagas disease is endemic in Latin America and increasingly found in non-endemic countries. Its treatment is limited due to the variable efficacy and several side...