The degree of bone marrow fibrosis in chronic myelogenous leukemia is not a prognostic factor with imatinib mesylate therapy

One hundred and ten patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) post-interferon-a failure treated with imatinib mesylate therapy were analyzed for the prognostic significance of marrow reticulin stain-measured fibrosis. The median time from diagnosis was 31 months. Severe reticulin (grade 3 - 4) fibrosis was observed in 67 patients (61%). Patients with severe marrow fibrosis had similar complete cytogenetic response rates with imatinib (67 vs. 58%; P = 0.45) compared with those with mild?-?moderate fibrosis. The estimated 4 year survival rates (80 vs. 88%; P = 0.27) and failure-free survival rates (69 vs. 77%; P = 0.34) were also not different. We conclude that the previously established poor prognostic significance of marrow fibrosis in CML is less relevant with imatinib therapy.     

Successful management of concomitant omphalocele, accessory hepatic lobe, and biliary atresia in a 44-day-old boy

We report the second case in literature of a boy with the association of large omphalocele, accessory hepatic lobe, and biliary atresia, and the first successful treatment. The patient was submitted to a surgical treatment at 44 days of life, including Kasai procedure, correction of the remnant abdominal wall defect, and removal of a hepatic accessory lobe. The boy evolved with normalization of hepatic function tests. After 15 years of follow-up, the patient is completely healthy, weights 45 kg, and is 1.64 m tall.     

Systemic protection by antioxidants against UVL-induced erythema

An antioxidant supplemented diet provided marked systemic protection against ultraviolet light mediated erythema in hairless mice. Among the individual constituents of the diet, butylated hydroxytoluene was most effective whereas glutathione and vitamins C and E afforded negligible protection. The mixture of antioxidants, and butylated hydroxytoluene individually, demonstrated diminished, but significant, protection when applied topically. The safety of this systemic photoprotectant and its clinical relevance at present is unknown.