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We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 26 patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in the first CR (CR1) or second CR (CR2), who underwent autologous PBSCT (auto-PBSCT) between 1992 and 2008. All patients received all-trans retinoic acid-based induction therapy. After two courses of consolidation chemotherapy, upfront auto-PBSCT was performed in 20 patients in the CR1. Five patients had a high WBC count of more than 10 × 109/L (high risk), while 15 patients had a count of less than 10 × 109/L (low risk) at initial presentation. In addition, six patients, who were considered as low-risk patients at presentation, had a relapse after three cycles of consolidation and 2 years of maintenance therapy, but gained the molecular remission after re-induction and consolidation, and underwent auto-PBSCT in the CR2. In 26 recipients, engraftment was rapid and no TRM was documented. All 20 patients autotransplanted in CR1 were still in CR at a median of 133 months (73-193 months), and six patients who underwent auto-PBSCT in CR2 were also still in CR at a median of 41 months (2-187 months) without maintenance therapy. PML/RARα chimeric mRNA was undetectable in PBSC or BM samples examined before auto-PBSCT. Despite a small number of cases studied, our retrospective observations suggest that auto-PBSCT may be an effective treatment option to continue durable CR in the treatment of high-risk APL. We review previous reports and discuss the role of autotransplantation in the treatment of APL patients in CR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a method for selective removal of DNA from various cellular products using columns packed with cross-linked poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) beads or cross-linked N, N-dimethylaminopropylacrylamide (DMAPAA) beads. Each bead type showed a high DNA-adsorbing activity under experimental conditions of pH 5.0–9.0 and ionic strength of μ = 0.05–0.4. When γ-globulin was present in solution with DNA under physiological conditions (pH 7.2, μ = 0.17), DNA-removing activity of PEI columns was unsatisfactory because both the DNA and the γ-globulin were adsorbed onto the column. In contrast, DMAPAA columns allowed removal of DNA from various protein solutions contaminated with DNA. DNA concentration in each treated protein solution was below 10 ng mL−1, and high recovery of proteins was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have performed low-temperature heat capacity measurements on pellet samples of (DMe-DCNQI)2M ( M=Li, Ag) which is known to show spin-Peierls transitions at 51 and 86 K, respectively. A linearly temperature-dependent term in the low-temperature heat capacity has been observed for both the samples: It is attributable to the spin-wave excitations induced by the inhomogeneous pressure effects produced in the pellet forming process. Although the temperature dependences of the magnetic susceptibility in both materials are almost the same, the coefficient of T-linear term of the Ag salt becomes three times larger that that of the Li salt. The peculiar electronic state originating from the competition of the spin-Peierls mechanism and the Coulomb repulsion is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neoplastic CD34+ cells from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients proliferate in vitro in the absence of serum or defined growth factors due to an autocrine mechanism involving IL-3 and G-CSF (Jiang et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1999; 96: 12804). Detailed examination of the various cell types produced in such cultures has now demonstrated the rapid, factor-independent, generation of clonogenic progenitors for all lineages (granulocyte-macrophage, megakaryocyte and erythroid) with the additional appearance within 10 days of large numbers of mature granulocytes, macrophages, and megakaryocytes, as well as occasional erythroid cells. Inclusion of flt3-ligand, Steel factor, IL-3, IL-6, and G-CSF +/- erythropoietin (EPO) in the cultures enhanced only slightly the output of mature cells (except for the erythroid population which was much larger when EPO was added). Analogous subpopulations of normal CD34+ cells produced similar numbers and types of cells but, as expected, only when growth factors were added. Thus primitive CD34+ CML cells proliferating autonomously in vitro recapitulate the full spectrum of differentiation responses of normal CD34+ cells stimulated by IL-3 and G-CSF. These findings point to a role of autocrine IL-3 and G-CSF in the similar multi-lineage expansion of differentiating CD34+ CML cells that occurs in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five patients were admitted to our hospital because of classical heat stroke during the heat waves which attacked our country in the summers 1994 and 1995. The clinical and laboratory findings of all patients suggested the rapid progress of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Blood purification (BP) therapy, in addition to conventional treatment, was performed in three of the patients. Despite their disastrous general condition, all completely recovered or recovered sufficiently to be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. Two additional patients were treated with conventional treatment only and both died in 1-3 days after admission. Clinical characteristics and laboratory findings on admission showed no differences between the cases receiving BP therapy and those not receiving BP therapy. These findings suggest that, in heat stroke patients, additional BP therapy may provide a better prognosis than conventional therapy only. These beneficial effects of BP may have been due mainly to the removal of proinflammatory cytokines related to heat stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The safety and efficacy of myeloablative therapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (ABSCT) for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) were evaluated in 60 patients. Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) were collected during recovery after consolidation chemotherapy. High-dose chemotherapy consisting of busulfan (16 mg/kg), etoposide (40 mg/kg), and cytosine arabinoside (3 g/m2 × 4) (BEA regimen) was used for pretransplant conditioning in 13 patients. For the remaining 47 patients, granulocyte colony- stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered concurrently with the BEA regimen during conditioning. Unpurged, cryopreserved PBSC containing a median number of 5.4 × 108 MNC/kg or 12 × 104 CFU-GM/kg were reinfused at transplantation. The median number of days to granulocytes exceeding 500/μ l and last platelet transfusion were 15 (8–44) and 24 (0–>180), respectively. The 3-year probabilities of disease-free survival (DFS) and relapse were 78.6 and 21.4% for patients transplanted in first remission, 29.6 and 64.4% for those in second or third remission, and 11.1 and 77.8% for those in relapse, respectively. There were no transplant-related deaths within 100 days of transplantation. Age, disease status at transplantation, and number of induction chemotherapies to first complete remission were risk factors affecting the outcome of ABSCT. These results of ABSCT for AML in first remission warrant a prospective study of ABSCT as post-remission therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and CMV-associated disease were monitored using the CMV antigenemia assay in 72 patients who received allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), and their incidences were compared between related and unrelated donor transplant patients. The incidence of CMV infection after BMT was significantly higher in patients who received transplants from HLA-matched unrelated donors than from HLA-matched sibling donors (87% vs 53%, P < 0.05). cmv-associated disease developed in 73% of unrelated and in 14% of sibling donor transplant patients (P < 0.01). the peak levels of cmv antigenemia were significantly higher in unrelated donors than in sibling donor transplant patients (16 vs 1 CMV antigen-positive cells per 50 000 WBCs, P < 0.01). the median number of cmv antigen-positive cells on first detection was also significantly higher in unrelated donor transplant patients (15 vs 1, P < 0.01). the detection of cmv antigen-positive cells preceded the development of cmv-associated disease in 18% of unrelated donor transplant patients, suggesting a lower predictive value of cmv antigenemia for subsequent cmv- associated disease in unrelated donor bmt. careful monitoring and further studies are needed for the early diagnosis and prevention of cmv-associated disease in unrelated donor bmt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simplified method for cryopreservation at -80°C of peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) has been increasingly used for autologous PBSC transplantation in Japan. Although this method, using 6% hydroxyethyl starch (HES) and 5% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a cryoprotectant without rate-controlled freezing, has several advantages over the conventional method using 10% DMSO with rate-controlled freezing, little is known about effects of long-term cryopreservation for years and thawing process on hematopoietic progenitors. We examined the recovery rates of BFU-E and CFU-GM in sample tubes cryopreserved by the simplified method under various conditions as follows: (1) long-term storage for 1–5 years; (2) DMSO exposure for 1 h after rapid thawing; and (3) thawing at a lower temperature other than 37°C. In our study, we found that the recovery rates of BFU-E and CFU-GM were not affected by the length of cryopreservation period; they remained at more than 70% on average for 16–61 months. In our hands, a 1-h exposure to DMSO after rapid thawing was not toxic for hematopoietic progenitors. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the recovery rates of BFU-E and CFU-GM between thawing at 37°C and 20°C. These observations indicate that PBSC cryopreserved for at least 5 years by the simplified method can be used clinically without losing hematopoietic activity, and suggest that hematopoietic activity of the thawed PBSC may be unaffected when PBSC are infused slowly within 60 min or even when PBSC are thawed gradually at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study of the mechanism of oxidation of elemental mercury to mercuric mercury by sulfhydryl (SH) compounds. The study uses reduction vaporization method to measure ionized mercuric mercury and flameless atomic adsorption mercury analyzer MV-253R to detect mercury. It suggests that the mechanism of elemental mercury by glutathione or L-cysteine remains unclear.