Hyperlipidemia is a risk factor for osteonecrosis in children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

TesisLa intoxicación con plomo es un problema de trascendental importancia para la salud pública por sus efectos en la calidad de vida de las personas, particularmente de los niños expuestos. La presente investigación fue de tipo descriptivo transversal y se realizó con la finalidad de determinar los niveles de plomo sanguíneo en los habitantes del Centro Poblado de Taca, durante los meses de junio y julio de 2013. Participaron del estudio 42 personas voluntarias: 32 varones y 10 mujeres, cuya media de edad fue de 33,23 años (rango: 21-72 años). Se tomaron muestras de sangre mediante venopunción previo consentimiento informado, utilizando tubos al vacío con anticoagulante, se mantuvieron bajo refrigeración a 8 °C, se trataron con mezcla sulfonítrica - ácido nítrico concentrado a ebullición lenta en un equipo de digestión y luego leídas en un espectrofotómetro de absorción atómica Thermo Scientific ¡CE 3300 a 217 nm. Se obtuvieron los siguientes resultados: todos los sujetos estudiados presentan algún grado de contaminación con plomo, encontrándose un nivel de plumbemia medio de 26,62 ug/dl y los niveles de plomo en sangre de varones y mujeres de 18 a 72 años de edad, encontrándose medias de 33,96 y 3,16 ug/dl, respectivamente, existiendo relación entre el género y plumbemia (p<0,05). El nivel de plomo en sangre de los habitantes del Centro Poblado de Taca, Distrito Canaria, Provincia de Víctor Fajardo, se incrementa en función del tiempo de residencia, por lo que existe relación entre estas dos variables (P<0,05)

A three-dimensional point process model for the spatial distribution of disease occurrence in relation to an exposure source

We study methods for how to include the spatial distribution of tumours when investigating the relation between brain tumours and the exposure from radio frequency electromagnetic fields caused by mobile phone use. Our suggested point process model is adapted from studies investigating spatial aggregation of a disease around a source of potential hazard in environmental epidemiology, where now the source is the preferred ear of each phone user. In this context, the spatial distribution is a distribution over a sample of patients rather than over multiple disease cases within one geographical area. We show how the distance relation between tumour and phone can be modelled nonparametrically and, with various parametric functions, how covariates can be included in the model and how to test for the effect of distance. To illustrate the models, we apply them to a subset of the data from the Interphone Study, a large multinational case-control study on the association between brain tumours and mobile phone use

Methotrexate polyglutamate levels and co-distributions in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia maintenance therapy

PurposeMethotrexate polyglutamates (MTXpg) facilitate incorporation of thioguanine nucleotides into DNA (DNA-TG, the primary cytotoxic thiopurine metabolite and outcome determinant in MTX/6-mercaptopurine treatment of childhood ALL). We hypothesized that mapping erythrocyte levels of MTXpg with 1-6 glutamates and their associations with DNA-TG formation would facilitate future guidelines for maintenance therapy dosing.Methods and resultsSummed MTX with 1-6 glutamates resolved by LCMS [median (interquartile): 5.47 (3.58-7.69) nmol/mmol hemoglobin] was in agreement with total MTX by radio ligand assay. In 16,389 blood samples from 1426 ALL maintenance therapy patients, MTXpg3 21.0 (15.2-27.4)% was the predominant metabolite, and MTXpg1 (the maternal drug) constituted 38.6 (27.2-50.2)% of MTXpg1-6. All subsets correlated; the strongest associations were between metabolites with similar polyglutamate lengths. Correlations of MTXpg1 with MTXpg2 and MTXpg3,4,5,6 were r(s)=0.68 and r(s)=0.25-0.42, respectively. Intercorrelations of MTXpg3,4,5,6 were all r(s)0.51. MTXpg4 accounted for 29.8 (24.7-33.3)% of MTXpg3-6, yet explained 96% of the summed MTXpg3-6 variation. MTXpg1-4, MTXpg1-6, MTXpg2-6 and MTXpg3 were all associated with DNA-TG levels (pPeer reviewe

The Intracranial Distribution of Gliomas in Relation to Exposure From Mobile Phones: Analyses From the INTERPHONE Study

When investigating the association between brain tumors and use of mobile telephones, accurate data on tumor position are essential, due to the highly localized absorption of energy in the human brain from the radio-frequency fields emitted. We used a point process model to investigate this association using information that included tumor localization data from the INTERPHONE Study (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Our main analysis included 792 regular mobile phone users diagnosed with a glioma between 2000 and 2004. Similar to earlier results, we found a statistically significant association between the intracranial distribution of gliomas and the self reported location of the phone. When we accounted for the preferred side of the head not being exclusively used for all mobile phone calls, the results were similar. The association was independent of the cumulative call time and cumulative number of calls. However, our model used reported side of mobile phone use, which is potentially influenced by recall bias. The point process method provides an alternative to previously used epidemiologic research designs when one is including localization in the investigation of brain tumors and mobile phone use

National, clinical cohort study of late effects among survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia:The ALL-STAR study protocol

Introduction More than 90% of patients diagnosed with childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) today will survive. However, half of the survivors are expected to experience therapy-related chronic or late occurring adverse effects, reducing quality of life. Insight into underlying risk trajectories is warranted. The aim of this study is to establish a Nordic, national childhood ALL survivor cohort, to be investigated for the total somatic and psychosocial treatment-related burden as well as associated risk factors, allowing subsequent linkage to nation-wide public health registers.Methods and analysis This population-based observational cohort study includes clinical follow-up of a retrospective childhood ALL survivor cohort (n=475), treated according to a common Nordic ALL protocol during 2008–2018 in Denmark. The study includes matched controls. Primary endpoints are the cumulative incidence and cumulative burden of 197 health conditions, assessed through self-report and proxy-report questionnaires, medical chart validation, and clinical examinations. Secondary endpoints include organ-specific outcome, including cardiovascular and pulmonary function, physical performance, neuropathy, metabolic disturbances, hepatic and pancreatic function, bone health, oral and dental health, kidney function, puberty and fertility, fatigue, and psychosocial outcome. Therapy exposure, acute toxicities, and host genome variants are explored as risk factors.Ethics and dissemination The study is approved by the Regional Ethics Committee for the Capital Region in Denmark (H-18035090/H-20006359) and by the Danish Data Protection Agency (VD-2018–519). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals and are expected to guide interventions that will ameliorate the burden of therapy without compromising the chance of cure

Asparaginase-Associated Pancreatitis in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia : Results From the NOPHO ALL2008 Treatment of Patients 1-45 Years of Age

PURPOSE Asparaginase-associated pancreatitis (AAP) is common in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but risk differences across age groups both in relation to first-time AAP and after asparaginase re-exposure have not been explored. PATIENTS AND METHODS We prospectively registered AAP (n = 168) during treatment of 2,448 consecutive ALL patients aged 1.0-45.9 years diagnosed from July 2008 to October 2018 and treated according to the Nordic Society of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (NOPHO) ALL2008 protocol. RESULTS Compared with patients aged 1.0-9.9 years, adjusted AAP hazard ratios (HRa) were associated with higher age with almost identical HRa (1.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.3; P = .02) for adolescents (10.0-17.9 years) and adults (18.0-45.9 years). The day 280 cumulative incidences of AAP were 7.0% for children (1.0-9.9 years: 95% CI, 5.4 to 8.6), 10.1% for adolescents (10.0 to 17.9 years: 95% CI, 7.0 to 13.3), and 11.0% for adults (18.0-45.9 years: 95% CI, 7.1 to 14.9; P = .03). Adolescents had increased odds of both acute (odds ratio [OR], 5.2; 95% CI, 2.1 to 13.2; P = .0005) and persisting complications (OR, 6.7; 95% CI, 2.4 to 18.4; P = .0002) compared with children (1.0-9.9 years), whereas adults had increased odds of only persisting complications (OR, 4.1; 95% CI, 1.4 to 11.8; P = .01). Fifteen of 34 asparaginase-rechallenged patients developed a second AAP. Asparaginase was truncated in 17/21 patients with AAP who subsequently developed leukemic relapse, but neither AAP nor the asparaginase truncation was associated with increased risk of relapse. CONCLUSION Older children and adults had similar AAP risk, whereas morbidity was most pronounced among adolescents. Asparaginase re-exposure should be considered only for patients with an anticipated high risk of leukemic relapse, because multiple studies strongly indicate that reduction of asparaginase treatment intensity increases the risk of relapse. (C) 2019 by American Society of Clinical OncologyPeer reviewe