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Background: Platelet transfusion carries risk of transfusion‐transmitted infection (TTI). Pathogen reduction of platelet components (PRPC) is designed to reduce TTI. Pulmonary adverse events (AEs), including transfusion‐related acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occur with platelet transfusion. Study design: An open label, sequential cohort study of transfusion‐dependent hematology‐oncology patients was conducted to compare pulmonary safety of PRPC with conventional PC (CPC). The primary outcome was the incidence of treatment‐emergent assisted mechanical ventilation (TEAMV) by non‐inferiority. Secondary outcomes included: time to TEAMV, ARDS, pulmonary AEs, peri‐transfusion AE, hemorrhagic AE, transfusion reactions (TRs), PC and red blood cell (RBC) use, and mortality. Results: By modified intent‐to‐treat (mITT), 1068 patients received 5277 PRPC and 1223 patients received 5487 CPC. The cohorts had similar demographics, primary disease, and primary therapy. PRPC were non‐inferior to CPC for TEAMV (treatment difference −1.7%, 95% CI: (−3.3% to −0.1%); odds ratio = 0.53, 95% CI: (0.30, 0.94). The cumulative incidence of TEAMV for PRPC (2.9%) was significantly less than CPC (4.6%, p =.039). The incidence of ARDS was less, but not significantly different, for PRPC (1.0% vs. 1.8%, p =.151; odds ratio = 0.57, 95% CI: (0.27, 1.18). AE, pulmonary AE, and mortality were not different between cohorts. TRs were similar for PRPC and CPC (8.3% vs. 9.7%, p =.256); and allergic TR were significantly less with PRPC (p =.006). PC and RBC use were not increased with PRPC. Discussion: PRPC demonstrated reduced TEAMV with no excess treatment‐related pulmonary morbidity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored the relationship between structural neuroimaging-based indices of cerebral integrity and executive control function (ECF) in two groups of healthy subjects: A maturing group (33 subjects; 19-29 years) and a senescing group (38 adults; 30-90 years). ECF was assessed using the Executive Interview (EXIT) battery. Cortical indices of cerebral integrity included GM thickness, intergyral span, and sulcal span, each measured for five cortical regions per hemisphere. Subcortical indices included fractional anisotropy (FA), measured using track-based-spatial-statistics (TBSS), and the volume of T2-hyperintense WM (HWM). In the maturing group, no significant relationships between neuroanatomical changes and ECF were found; however, there were hints that late-term maturation of cerebral WM influenced variability in ECF. In the senescing group, the decline in ECF corresponded to atrophic changes in cerebral WM (sulcal and intergyral span) primarily in the superior frontal and anterior cingulate regions. A large fraction of the variability in ECF (62%) can be explained by variability in the structural indices from these two regions. Hum Brain Mapp 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Sensitive measures of brain aging show great promise for gauging factors that affect aging and degenerative processes, such as risk genes or therapy. Here we examined age-related trends for three indices of cerebral health: gyral gray matter (GM) thickness, dilation of sulcal spaces with CSF, and the volume of T2-hyperintense white matter (HWM) lesions. The study involved 31 healthy adults age 57-82 years old. Measurements of average GM thickness, average sulcal span and HWM volume were performed using high-resolution 3D T1- and T2-weighted brain MR images. Age-related trends for the three cerebral health indices were consistent with previously published work though the analysis of their covariance led to a previously unreported relationship. Simultaneous multiple regression found that dilation of cortical sulci were primarily ( t = 2.59, P < 0.01) related to the increases in HWM volume and secondarily related ( t = −2.51, P < 0.01) to the reductions of the cortical GM thickness. The are-corrected correlation between reduction in GM thickness and increases in HWM volume, was not significant ( P = 0.34). These findings are of interest in designing quantitative measures of brain aging for monitoring individual patients and in large-scale clinical trials. Hum Brain Mapp 2008. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermally sprayed ceramic coatings deposited from nanostructured feedstock powder have often demonstrated improved properties relative to coatings produced from conventional powders. This type of coating has been reported to exhibit better wear resistance and higher adhesion strength compared with conventional deposits. Powder consisting of hollow spherical particles has been reported to produce coating with lower unmelted particles and lower thermal conductivity. In this study, the thermo-mechanical properties of plasma-sprayed yttria-stabilized zirconia coatings deposited using each of these types of powder were investigated. Creep strain and creep rate were measured using free-standing thick coatings loaded in a four-point bend configuration at temperatures ranging from 800° to 1200°C in air under a range of loads. The creep exponent and activation energy were determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The age-related trends of the width and the depth of major cortical sulci were studied in normal adults. Ninety healthy subjects (47 males, 43 females) age 20-82 years were evaluated. Measurements of average sulcal width and depth in 14 prominent sulcal structures per hemisphere were performed with high-resolution anatomical MRI. The average sulcal width increased at a rate of about 0.7 mm/decade, while the average sulcal depth decreased at a rate of about 0.4 mm/decade. Sulcal age-related trends were found to be highly influenced by gender in the superior temporal, collateral, and cingulate sulci ( P < 0.05), with males showing more pronounced age-related change in sulcal width than females. Sulcal structures located in multimodal cortical areas showed more profound age-related changes than sulcal structures in unimodal cortical areas ( P < 0.05). Hum Brain Mapp, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Bleeding risk because of thrombocytopenia in patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) often causes concern during placement of the central venous catheter for plasma exchange. This perceived risk of bleeding often triggers prophylactic platelet transfusion; however, the risk of platelet transfusion is unknown. Methods Single institution review of bleeding episodes after catheter insertion in patients with suspected TTP. Results Fifty-five thrombocytopenic patients with presumed TTP underwent a total of 57 catheter insertion attempts. There were no major bleeding complications and no bleeding that required invasive intervention. Fourteen patients with a median platelet count of 12,000/µL were transfused with platelets prior to catheter placement. Five (35%) of the transfused patients had minor bleeding complications that did not require intervention. In the nontransfused group, 12 (28%) patients had minor bleeding that did not require invasive intervention and three patients experienced bleeding episodes that resolved after applying direct pressure. Eight (15%) patients died during admission. Mortality in the transfused group was 43% versus 5% in the nontransfused group. In general, patients receiving platelet transfusion prior to catheter insertion were more acutely ill. Conclusion There were no major bleeding complications associated with plasma exchange catheter insertion in thrombocytopenic patients with presumed TTP. In light of the uncertain risk of platelet transfusion in patients with TTP, it may be reasonable to forgo prophylactic platelet transfusion prior to catheter placement. J. Clin. Apheresis 28:356-358, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message We report a case of incidentally diagnosed chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( CLL) in a patient with glioblastoma, which responded completely following standard treatment of the glioblastoma with temozolomide and cranial irradiation. The patient remained without an evidence of CLL until his death from recurrent glioblastoma. Further study of temozolomide for the treatment of CLL is indicated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Valproic acid has been previously associated with hematologic toxicity, including a reversible myelodysplasia-like syndrome without chromosomal abnormalities. We now report three cases of acute leukemia with features of secondary leukemia associated with valproic acid therapy: two cases of acute myelogenous leukemia with multilineage dysplasia, one with trisomy 8 and one with monosomy 7, and one case of secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia with del (7) (q22q34), del (9) (q21.11q22), del (11) (q12q23). One patient had a previous myelodysplastic syndrome while on valproic acid. Valproic acid has been previously shown to be a histone deacetylase inhibitor. Inhibition of histone deacetylase causes a relaxation of chromatin structure and thus increases susceptibility to DNA damage and sensitizes cells to radiation. We propose that valproic acid therapy may lead to secondary leukemia by increasing DNA damage through chronic inhibition of histone deacetylase.