Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with reduced toxicity conditioning regimen in mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalopathy syndrome

Background Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder due to mutations in the TYMP gene. Clinical findings are characterized by neurologic manifestations and severe gastrointestinal dysfunction. The syndrome is usually fatal, the most effective treatment appears to be hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Procedure In this retrospective study, we evaluated HSCT that was performed using a reduced toxicity myeloablative conditioning regimen in patients with MNGIE at our center. Results A total of six allogeneic transplant procedures were performed in four patients. Three patients had fully matched donors, and one patient had a haploidentical donor. Treosulfan-based myeloablative conditioning regimen was applied in five of six transplants. Bone marrow was used as a stem cell source. One patient is being followed up in the 4th year of posttransplant with full chimeric and without graft versus host disease (GVHD). One patient died of acute stage IV gastrointestinal system GVHD. Two patients underwent second transplantation due to engraftment failure, one of which was the patient who had a haploidentical transplant. Conclusions Treosulfan-based regimen is well tolerated, although engraftment failure with this conditioning regimen can be a significant problem. We share our haploidentical transplant experience, which will be the first reported case in the literature

Transient simulation of internal separated flows using an intelligent higher-order spatial discretization scheme

This paper summarizes the method-of-lines (MOL) solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for an impulsively started incompressible laminar flow in a circular pipe with a sudden expansion. An intelligent higher-order spatial discretization scheme, which chooses upwind or downwind discretization in a zone-of-dependence manner when flow reversal occurs, was developed for separated flows. Stability characteristics of a linear advective-diffusive equation were examined to depict the necessity of such a scheme in the case of flow reversals. The proposed code was applied to predict the time development of an impulsively started flow in a pipe with a sudden expansion. Predictions were found to show the expected trends for both unsteady and steady states. This paper demonstrates the ease with which the Navier-Stokes equations can be solved in an accurate manner using sophisticated numerical algorithms for the solution of ordinary differential equations (ODEs). Solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations in primitive variables formulation by using the MOL and intelligent higher-order spatial discretization scheme are not available to date. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Evaluation of an improved code for the performance of AFBCs

In a previously developed system model, bed and freeboard models were coupled for the continuous combustion of lignite particles of widely varied size distributions, burning in their own ash in a fluidised combustor. This was modified to incorporate a) a procedure for faster computation of particle-size distributions (PSDs) without any sacrifice of accuracy; b) an energy balance on char particles, for determining temperature variation with particle size; and c) assumption of plug flow for the interstitial gas. The improved computer code was evaluated by being applied to prediction of the behaviour of a pilot-scale fluidised-bed combustor, followed by comparison of its predictions with measurements and also with the results predicted by the previous code. The computer code replaces the conventional numerical integration of the analytical solution of population balance with direct integration in ODE form, by using a powerful integrator LSODE; this results in a reduction of CPU time by two orders of magnitude. For the prediction of physically expected variation of char hold-up with excess air, an energy balance on char particles must be incorporated into the system model. Comparison of the predicted and measured temperature and concentration profiles shows that the present code produces better agreement than the previous one in bed-concentration profiles

THE SIMULATION OF ATMOSPHERIC FLUIDIZED-BED COMBUSTORS WITH IN-SITU DESULFURIZATION

A previously developed and tested mathematical model for the simulation of both the bed and freeboard of atmospheric fluidised-bed combustors (AFBCs) burning high- and low-quality coals was modified to incorporate calcination of limestone and subsequent sulphation taking place in the emulsion phase, in accordance with a deactivation model similar to those for catalysts. The new model was then used to investigate the effect of excess air and Ca:S molar ratio on the behaviour of a pilot-scale AFBC, for which full-scale experimental data are available. The coal used in the experiments was a typical low-calorific-value (HHV = 3386 cal g(-1)), high-ash (44%) and high-sulphur (4.1%) lignite burning in its own ash. The sorbent was limestone containing 97% CaCO3. Predicted concentration and temperature profiles, particle-size distributions in the bed and carryover, combustion and sulphur-retention efficiencies were compared with measured data and found to be in reasonable agreement. A simulator of this type, for the combustion of low-quality lignite with in-situ desulphurisation and its testing with measured data, is not yet available

Basic requirement for modelling fluidized beds: Fast computation of particle size distributions (PSDs)

A fast computation of PSDs in fluidized beds is a basic requirement for the mathematical modelling of the behaviour of fluidized beds as it is the most time consuming step in the complete prediction procedures. In an attempt to remove this bottleneck, a computationally efficient approach for the solution of population balance of Kunii and Levenspiel is developed. This new approach replaces the conventional numerical integration of the analytical solution of the population balance with direct integration in ordinary differential equation (ODE) form by using a powerful integrator, LSODE (Livermore Solver for Ordinary Differential Equations). The input data required for the prediction of PSDs were taken from a pilot size fluidized bed combustor burning low calorific value lignite with wide size distribution. The results obtained by direct solution of the ODE were found to be as accurate as the analytical solution. Comparison of the CPU times shows that the time required for the new solution is at least two orders of magnitude smaller than that required by the analytical solution for the same number of intervals in particle size and that the CPU time increases from 280 to 17 112 s when the number of intervals in particle size changes from 100 to 400 for the analytical solution while it remains almost constant at 4 s for the direct integration on an IBM RISC/6000 computer

The Treatment Outcomes of Patients with Cervical Esophageal Carcinoma Undergoing Definitive Chemoradiotherapy: A Multi-Institutional Analysis TROD 01-005

Annual Meeting of the American-Society-for-Radiation-Oncology (ASTRO) -- OCT 23-26, 2022 -- ELECTR NETWORK[No Abstract Available]Amer Soc Radiat Onco