The use of chemotherapy regimens carrying a moderate or high risk of febrile neutropenia and the corresponding management of febrile neutropenia: an expert survey in breast cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The use of chemotherapy regimens with moderate or high risk of febrile neutropenia (defined as having a FN incidence of 10% or more) and the respective incidence and clinical management of FN in breast cancer and NHL has not been studied in Belgium. The existence of a medical need for G-CSF primary and secondary prophylaxis with these regimens was investigated in a real-life setting.Journal ArticleMulticenter StudyResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Application of humic substances results in consistent increases in crop yield and nutrient uptake

The effect of humic substances on yield and nutrient uptake of grass, maize, potato and spinach was investigated in six field experiments and two pot experiments in a high input cropping system. The humic substances originating from leonardite formations in Canada were applied as liquid solution to the soil (Humifirst liquid) or as a solid incorporated in mineral fertilizers (Humifirst incorporated). Formal meta-analysis of the results of all executed experiments showed that the application of humic substances had an overall positive effect on dry matter yield of the crops and this effect was statistically significant for Humifirst incorporated. In the case of permanent grassland, humic substances promoted mainly the production of the first grass cut, which has the highest grass quality among all cuts during the growing season. Tuber production on the potato field trial showed a high response on the application of humic substances. Total potato yield increased with 13 and 17% for Humifirst liquid and Humifirst incorporated, respectively. The effect of humic substances on maize yield was limited, probably due to the rather high nutrient status of both soils. Finally, the formal meta-analysis showed a consequent increase in nitrogen and phosphorus uptake of all studied crops as well. The effect on potassium and magnesium uptake was also mainly positive, while sodium and calcium uptake were not affected in most of the experiments

Iron status and treatment modalities in transfusion-dependent patients with myelodysplastic syndromes.

Transfusion dependency and iron overload are common among patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) treated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. Transfusion dependency is associated with leukemic progression and shorter survival. Guidelines recommend iron chelation therapy to manage iron overload, however little is known about the chelation patterns in daily clinical practice. The objective of this multicenter, retrospective, cross-sectional, observational study was to evaluate iron status and its management in transfusion-dependent MDS patients. A total of 193 patient records from 29 centers were eligible for inclusion. Median patient age was 76, and median age at diagnosis of MDS was 74. Patients had received an average of 13.4 ± 7.6 RBC units in the past 4 months; 44% had received more than 50 units since their MDS diagnosis. Medium serum ferritin was 1,550 μg/L. Ninety patients (46.6%) received iron chelation therapy with either deferoxamine (41%), deferasirox (36%), and deferoxamine followed by deferasirox (23%). There were no statistically significant differences between chelated and nonchelated patients in terms of International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS), French-American-British (FAB), and/or World Health Organization (WHO) status, though chelated patients had received more RBC transfusions (p = 0.014). Iron chelation therapy may be underutilized in transfusion-dependent patients. Undertreatment can be reduced by complementing sound clinical judgment with the generally accepted guidelines of a serum ferritin level >1,000 μg/L and/or two or more RBC transfusions per month for the past year; considering patients on the basis of their IPSS, FAB, and/or WHO status; and individually tailored treatment regimens. Prospective randomized trials are necessary to establish causally the efficacy of iron chelation therapy in MDS