Kaposi's sarcoma in the course of juvenile myelodysplastic syndrome

PubMed ID: 7718268[No abstract available

Anti-HTLV-I/II Seroprevalence in healthy blood donors in Izmir, Turkey

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the first human retrovirus to be associated with malignant disease-namely, adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma. HTLV-I has also been associated with several diseases. HTLV-I has a worldwide distribution with major endemic foci in the Caribbean and Southern Japan. HTLV-II is a closely related retrovirus that shares considerable genomic homology with HTLV-I but has not been proven to be a pathogen. Major routes of transmission are blood transfusion, breast milk and sexual activity. In this study, we examined the seroprevalance of HTLV-I/II among healthy blood donors attended to Ege University Hospital in Izmir. 913 healthy blood donors were examined for the presence of anti-HTLV-l/ll antibody in their sera. Serum specimens were tested with an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (Organon Teknika, Vironostika HTLV-I/II Microelisa System, Holland). All of the 913 healthy blood donors were seronegative with EIA. These findings indicate that screening of blood donors for HTLV I/II is not necessary at present time

Comparison of the effects of enalapril and theophylline on polycythemia after renal transplantation

PubMed ID: 7778179Posttransplant erythrocytosis (PTE) is a potentially serious complication for which (apart from phlebotomy) two alternative treatments have been proposed: Theophylline (Theo) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. We investigated 28 patients with PTE, who were assigned to 3 matched groups. Group 1 (10 patients) received 10 mg of Enalapril (Ena)/day. After 2 months, mean hematocrit (Ht) had dropped from 0.57 (range 0.52-0.62) to 0.45 (0.34-0.49). Ena was stopped and, after a period of 3.8±0.3 months, Ht had risen again to baseline values (0.56, range 0.52-0.61) in 8 of them. These 8 patients were then given 5 mg/day Ena. Ht decreased more slowly, and after 3 months reached a mean of 0.49 (0.44-0.54). Group 2 (9 patients) received 600 mg/day Theo in 2 doses. After 2 months, Ht had decreased from 0.56 (0.52-0.61) to 0.52 (0.46-0.63), but in 5 patients, Ht remained above 0.51. After 1 month discontinuation of treatment, PTE persisted in 7 patients. These patients were given 10 mg/day Ena, whereupon Ht decreased from 0.55 (0.52-0.64) to 0.46 (0.40-0.53) after 2 months and to 0.41 (0.33-0.47) after 3 months. Group 3 did not receive medical treatment. After 3 months, PTE persisted in 8 out of the 9 patients and remained unchanged during the following 3 months. Mean values for Ht were: Baseline, 0.55 (0.52-0.58); after 3 months, 0.56 (0.53-0.59); and after 6 months, 0.55 (0.52-0.60). We conclude that Ena is superior to Theo in the treatment of PTE. There were no resistant patients, but individual sensitivity differs. Its effect is dose dependent, reversible, and reproducible. Excessive Ht decrease may occur; thus, doses should be titrated individually. © 1995 by Williams & Wilkins

Adult Onset Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis: Clinical Characteristics and Treatment Outcomes

Purpose: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare disease that can affect all tissues and organs. Our study evaluated the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of adult-onset LCH patients in a tertiary center. Materials and Methods: Adult patients diagnosed with LCH were retrospectively evaluated. Their initial symptoms, stratification according to disease involvement, treatment details, treatment responses, and overall and progression-free survival (PFS) were analyzed. Results: Thirty-three patients were included. There were 21 single system LCH, 10 multisystem LCH, and 2 pulmonary LCH patients. Patients with single system unifocal involvement were successfully treated with local therapies such as surgery and radiotherapy. Most of the multisystem LCH patients and patients with single system multifocal involvement were treated with systemic chemotherapy. Cladribine was the first choice in 10 out of 11 patients who received chemotherapy. Among all patients, the overall response rate (ORR) was 97%. Among those who had cladribine in the first-line the ORR was 81%. All these patients achieved a complete remission and were alive at the last visit. The median follow-up was 38 (range, 2–183) months. The median PFS has not yet been reached. Ten-year PFS was 90.9%. Conclusion: Besides successful local treatments with surgery and radiotherapy, our study provides information for front-line cladribine treatment. © 2023, The Author(s)

The role of pet/ct in the evaluation of bone marrow involvement in lymphoma patients at the initial staging [Lenfoma hastalarında tanı anında evreleme amaçlı çekilen PET/CT’nin kemik iliği infiltrasyonunu göstermedeki yeri]

Objective: Bone marrow (BM) involvement is one of the most important prognostic factors in lymphoma patients. Therefore, it is important to determine the presence of BM involvement in lymphoma patients at the time of diagnosis. Bone marrow biopsy (BMB) is still accepted as the gold standard for evaluating the marrow but it is painful and invasive. In this retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the role of positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography (PET/CT) in evaluating the BM involvement in lymphoma patients at the initial staging. Patients and Methods: The patients who were evaluated by PET/CT and bone marrow biopsy at time of diagnosis were enrolled in the study. Results: The overall sensitivity of PET/CT in demonstrating BM involvement was 65.8%, and the specificity was 89.4%. In the subgroup analysis of 176 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients, the sensitivity and specificity of the PET/CT were 81% and 84% respectively. Negative predictive value was 98%. In 201 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients, the sensitivity and specificity of the test were 91.3% and 94.3%, respectively. Negative predictive value was 98.8%. Conclusion: PET/CT is an accurate and complementary modality with high specificity and sensitivity in detecting BM infiltration in HL and DLBCL patients. © 2017, Marmara University. All rights reserved