Saving the red baby: Successful allogeneic cord blood transplantation in Omenn syndrome

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the treatment of choice for severe primary immunodeficiencies, but only has moderate prognosis in Omenn syndrome as it is complicated by highly activated Omenn T-cells resulting in delayed T-cell engraftment and a high rate of graft failure. A 6 1/2 months old patient with a previously unknown compound heterozygous defect within the RAG1 gene (R474C; R975W) underwent 8/10 HLA-matched cord blood transplantation after myeloablative conditioning. Immune reconstitution was impressive with T-, B- and NK-cells reaching the median of age-dependent reference values within twelve, four and two months respectively. With a continuous decrease of activated Omenn T-cells there was a steady increase of naive, probably thymus-derived T-cells. Polyclonal B-cell activation and hypergammaglobulinaemia disappeared with B-cell engraftment. This case emphasizes that, despite their naive status and HLA-barriers, cord blood T-cells were apparently able to achieve T-effector function resulting in the elimination of all activated Omenn T-cells.     

Do thymidylate synthase gene promoter polymorphism and the C/G single nucleotide polymorphism predict effectiveness of adjuvant 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy in stage III colonic adenocarcinoma?

Since 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy has become standard adjuvant treatment for patients with node-positive colonic adenocarcinoma, there has arisen the need for predictive factors. Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a major target of 5-FU's action, and high TS expression in carcinoma cells could reduce its cytostatic effect. Both, a 28-base pair repeat polymorphism and a cytosine vs. guanine single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the TS gene are known to modulate its expression. All patients with a single, non-metachronous node-positive colonic adenocarcinoma who underwent a potentially curative resection at this institution in the years 1994-2002, and who received adjuvant 5-FU (n=95) were included in this study. Ninety-four of the 95 patients were successfully genotyped: 70 patients were classified as TS gene low-expressors (2R-2R, 2R-3C and 3C-3C), and 24 patients were classified as high-expressors (2R-3G, 3C-3G and 3G-3G). Contrary to the hypothesis, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis did not reveal any differences between the groups (power of 0.8 to detect an absolute survival difference >30%). In a Cox model, venous angioinvasion and the infiltrative pattern of tumour invasion were strong adverse factors. These results argue against a practical role for the TS gene repeat polymorphism or the C/G single nucleotide polymorphism as a predictive factor. However, by careful histopathological examination a high-risk group of node-positive patients can be defined that could be candidates for studies of alternative (more aggressive) adjuvant treatment.     

Induction of Bim and Bid gene expression during accelerated apoptosis in severe sepsis

Introduction  

In transgenic animal models of sepsis, members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins regulate lymphocyte apoptosis and survival of sepsis. This study investigates the gene regulation of pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family of proteins in patients with early stage severe sepsis.     

Schwannoma of the intermediate nerve

The intermediate nerve is seldom identified as the site of tumor origin in cerebellopontine angle schwannomas. A 29-year-old man presented with a 6-month history of slowly progressive hearing loss and dizziness; facial nerve weakness was not observed clinically. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor in the left cerebellopontine angle region extending up to the geniculate ganglion and along the course of the superficial petrosal nerve. A CT scan showed enlargement of the facial nerve canal. Microsurgery was performed via an extended retrosigmoid approach. Intraoperative and electrophysiological findings identified the intermediate nerve as the site of tumor origin.     

Long-Term Results of Surgery for Temporal Bone Paraganglioma

The only way to resolve the dispute about the effectiveness of surgery versus radiation therapy for glomus tympanicum and jugulare tumors is adequate long-term studies. In a retrospective study with an average follow-up period of 15 years (range 11 to 23 years) we reassessed 11 patients with glomus tympanicum tumors and 11 patients with glomus jugulare tumors. Ten of 11 patients with glomus tympanicum tumor were tumor-free after surgery. A temporary facial palsy and an external meatal wall defect were the only surgical complications. The air-bone gap postoperatively closed to within 10 dB in three patients, to within 20 dB in six patients, and to more than 30 dB in one patient. Nine of 10 patients with glomus jugulare tumor receiving complete resection were tumor-free. Less than half the patients experienced new-onset cranial nerve function loss, and all made satisfactory recovery, eliminating the need for tracheostomy or gastrostomy. In two patients, the hearing could be preserved on the preoperative level, but the majority already presented with deafness. In the long-term, surgery remains a treatment of choice for glomus tympanicum tumors. It is also an extremely effective treatment with low morbidity for glomus jugulare tumors, including those with intracranial extension.