Case report: Successful treatment with daratumumab for pure red cell aplasia in a patient with mixed lymphoid chimerism after ABO-mismatched stem cell transplant for sickle cell disease

Pure red cell aplasia (PRCA) is a serious complication after ABO-mismatched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Following HSCT, persistent anti-donor isohemagglutinins against donor ABO antigens are considered the immunological cause of PRCA. Patients with post-transplant PRCA are at risk for graft rejection and prolonged red blood cell transfusion dependency. No standard treatment exists. Recently however, the anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody daratumumab has been reported to be an effective treatment for post-transplant PRCA in patients with complete donor chimerism. Here, we describe the first case of PRCA in a patient with mixed lymphoid patient/donor chimerism that was successfully treated with daratumumab. This is also the first report of a transplant recipient with sickle cell disease who was treated with this relatively new approach. Fourteen months post-transplantation and twelve months after treatment with daratumumab, our patient has a normal complete blood count and the anti-donor isohemagglutinins remain undetectable despite mixed lymphoid chimerism. Mixed chimerism is a common manifestation in adult patients with sickle cell disease transplanted with non-myeloablative conditioning and a matched sibling donor. The application of non-myeloablative HSCT for patients with sickle cell disease is steadily increasing. Therefore, the incidence of PRCA in this setting might also increase. As the risk of graft rejection due to PRCA can be especially high in patients with mixed chimerism, clinicians should be aware that daratumumab can be an effective treatment in the setting of mixed chimerism

Is time-variant information stickiness state-dependent?

This paper estimates information stickiness with regard to inflation expectations in the United States and the Eurozone for the 1981/06–2015/12 and 1998/Q4–2015/Q2 periods, respectively, and further investigates whether such information stickiness is state- dependent. Based on a bootstrap sub-sample rolling-window estimation, we find that information stickiness varies over time, which contradicts the strict time dependency implied under sticky-information theory. We provide evidence that information stickiness depends on inflation volatility, which indicates that information stickiness is state-dependent and that it has a time trend. Using a threshold model, we estimate structural changes in the state- dependence and time-trend of information stickiness. The results show that information stickiness has been more dependent on inflation volatility and has had a higher time-trend in both regions following the 2008 financial crisis.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Three dimensions of central bank credibility and inferential expectations: The Euro zone

We use the behavior of inflation among Eurozone countries to provide information about the degree of credibility of the European Central Bank (ECB) since 2008. We define credibility along three dimensions–official target credibility, cohesion credibility and anchoring credibility–and show in a new econometric framework that the latter has deteriorated in recent history; that is, price setters are less likely to rely on the ECB target when forming inflation expectations

Development of a Nanocrystalline Paclitaxel Formulation for Hipec Treatment

To develop a nanocrystalline paclitaxel formulation with a high paclitaxel-to-stabilizer ratio which can be used for hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). Paclitaxel (PTX) nanocrystals were prepared via wet milling using Pluronic F127(A (R)) as stabilizer. The suitability of paclitaxel nanosuspensions for HIPEC treatment was evaluated by analyzing the cytotoxicity of both stabilizer and formulation, and by determining the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and bioavailability. The effect on tumor growth was evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at day 7 and 14 after HIPEC treatment in rats with peritoneal carcinomatosis of ovarian origin. Monodisperse nanosuspensions (+/- 400 nm) were developed using Pluronic F127(A (R)) as single additive. The cytotoxicity and MTD of this nanocrystalline formulation was similar compared to Taxol(A (R)), while its bioavailability was higher. MRI data after HIPEC treatment with a PTX nanocrystalline suspension showed a significant reduction of tumor volume compared to the non-treated group. Although no significant differences on tumor volume were observed between Taxol(A (R)) and the nanosuspension, the rats treated with the nanosuspension recovered faster following the HIPEC procedure. Nanosuspensions with a high paclitaxel-to-stabilizer ratio are of interest for the treatment of peritoneal carcinomatosis of ovarian origin via HIPEC