Os penis in a hemodialysis patient

A case of os penis in a patient on chronic hemodialysis is described for the first time. Bilateral involvement of the corpora cavernosa was present, covered by an ossification plate.     

Low‐dose alemtuzumab in refractory/relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Genetic profile and long‐term outcome from a single center experience

Relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) represents a clinical challenge, in particular when high risk gene mutations occur. In this setting, alemtuzumab was recognized to be effective. This retrospective study evaluates long‐term efficacy and tolerability of low‐dose alemtuzumab in relapsed/refractory CLL and correlates clinical outcome with biological feature. Sixty‐two consecutive patients (median age 68 years) were evaluated; alemtuzumab was administered 30 mg weekly for up to 18 weeks. Among the patients included in the analysis, 37% were fludarabine‐refractory, 33.3% carried a TP53 disruption, 14.8% a NOTCH1 mutation and 9% a SF3B1 mutation. Overall response rate (ORR) was 61.3% (complete remission 25.8%). After a median follow‐up of 43 months, overall survival (OS) and progression free survival (PFS) were 43.1 and 15 months, respectively; while ORR was 77.8% for patients carrying TP53 disruptions (OS 33.8 months) and 43.5% for fludarabine‐refractory patients (OS 30 months). Noteworthy, long‐term survivors (OS ≥ 36 months) were 54.8%. None of the biological poor risk factors negatively impacted on ORR, PFS and OS. Grade ≥3 cytopenia occurred in 24.2% patients, 6.5% experienced a grade ≥3 non‐CMV infection and no grade ≥3 CMV‐event occurred. In conclusion, low dose‐alemtuzumab is safe and effective in relapsed/refractory CLL, also in a long‐term follow‐up and high‐risk genetic subgroups. Am. J. Hematol. 90:970–974, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

No influence of chromosome Y haplogroup variation in acute graft-versus-host disease in sardinia

The donor-recipient sex-related mismatch has been reported as a risk factor for acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). However, the results obtained in previous studies appear to be contradictory. Here we evaluate the impact of donor-recipient sex-related mismatch in a series of 204 Sardinian individuals (92.1% of them affected by Beta- Thalassemia major) who underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from human leukocyte antigen (HLA) identical siblings. In all, 78 of these patients had acute GVHD (aGVHD). We found that also in this homogenous group of patients from a homogenous population, the donor-female/recipient-male pair provided an increased risk for aGVHD when compared with a reference donor-male/recipient-male pair (POR=2.3, P=0.042). This data could be consistent with a role of variation in the male-specific portion of the Y chromosome in aGVHD. To assess this, we compared the distribution of the main Y-chromosome haplogroups in 28 male patients, who had aGVHD and underwent BMT from HLA-identical sisters, and 366 ethnically-matched controls. No significant differences were observed. These findings do not support the presence of Y chromosome founder variants contributing significantly to aGVHD in the Sardinian population.     

Laryngeal tuberculosis in renal allograft patients

Laryngeal tuberculosis, although the most common granulomatous disease of the larynx, is a rare form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, never reported in immunosuppressed allograft recipients. We present two cases of laryngeal tuberculosis in renal transplant patients and a review of the literature. Two women, a 29-year-old and a 60-year-old, each more than 9 years after their cadaveric renal allograft, presented with a 2-week febrile illness with hoarseness and dysphagia, and both were found to have laryngeal tuberculosis by direct laryngoscopy. Although both radiographs were unremarkable, both patients had sputum positive for acid-fast bacilli that subsequently grew Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clinical response promptly followed institution of isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide in each case, although both required threefold increases in daily cyclosporin A dosage to maintain therapeutic levels.