Iron deficiency among Japanese whole-blood donors measured by serum ferritin.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A more restrictive blood donation criterion has been applied in Japan, with a maximum volume of whole blood (WB) donation of 400 mL, allowing twice a year for female donors and thrice a year for male donors. However, iron deficiency was as high as 20.5% among female donors prior to donation, increasing to 37.7% after blood donation. More than 20 years have passed since then, so we set out to investigate the present situation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2659 (male/female: 1496/1163) donors of 400 mL WB who gave informed consent to join the study were enrolled. Serum ferritin (sFer) of first-time/reactivated (FT/RA) donors were compared with those of repeat donors, according to gender and age; those who returned for subsequent donations during the study period were also followed up. RESULTS: About one-third of FT/RA female donors had iron deficiency, possibly reflecting its high incidence among the general population. Interestingly, although sFer levels were low among pre-menopausal FT/RA female donors, these values were not much different in repeat donors, whereas significant differences were observed between FT/RA and repeat donors among post-menopausal females and in most age groups among males. As expected, donors with a normal initial sFer (≥26 ng/mL) recovered faster than those with a low initial sFer. CONCLUSION: Female donors, especially, have iron deficiency even before donation, and the rate increased compared to what was found previously. Measures to prevent iron deficiency of blood donors is required, and studies are going on in Japan.

Repeated apheresis donations cause important iron deficiency in male Japanese donors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In Japan, apheresis donation of plasma is allowed to a maximum of 24 times a year, and plateletpheresis are counted as two plasmapheresis donations. Diversion of the initial blood flow is conducted for all donations, and additionally, blood remaining in apheresis machine circuit is lost. Here, we aimed to investigate on the health impact of frequent apheresis donations, as measured by the serum ferritin (sFer). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 538 male apheresis donors and 538 age-matched whole blood (WB) donors, who gave informed consent to join the study, were enrolled. sFer were compared, according to age. Another group of 19 apheresis donors were followed during four consecutive donations. RESULTS: About half (48%) of repeat male apheresis donors had iron deficiency (sFer < 26 ng/mL), compared with lower rates (13.9%) among male WB donors. It was evident in all age groups, except for teenagers, possibly because of the lower number of donations. Follow-up of the 19 donors for 4 months revealed a progressive decrease in sFer. CONCLUSION: Blood remaining in the apheresis machine circuit and diversion of the initial blood flow have been implicated in iron deficiency for many years. Taking the present results, the manufacturer of apheresis equipment was requested to improve it to allow rinseback of the remaining blood, which was achieved only for plateletpheresis. Until further improvement, plasmapheresis frequency was reduced to 12 times a year. Additional measures, such as oral supplementation of iron, need to be considered.

Effects of universal vs bedside leukoreductions on the alloimmunization to platelets and the platelet transfusion refractoriness.

BACKGROUND: Multiple platelet exposure induces anti-HLA and/or anti-HPA antibody production, which may cause platelet transfusion refractoriness (PTR). In Japan, the universal pre-storage leukocyte reduction (ULR) was fully implemented since 2006, but prior to ULR, in our institution, leukocyte reduction filters were routinely used at the bedside (bedside leukoreduction, BSLR) for all onco-hematological patients receiving multiple platelet transfusions. OBJECTIVE: We retrospectively compared patients receiving platelet transfusions in the era of ULR with those of BSLR era. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients of the BSLR group (409 cases) and the ULR group (586 cases) were compared in terms of alloimmunization and immunological PTR. The clinico-pathological features, including gender, history of pregnancy, number of exposed transfusion donors, periods of transfusion, and prior stem cell transplantation were compared, and the risk factors of alloimmunization were determined. RESULTS: The antibody detection rate was significantly higher in the ULR compared to BSLR group (8.7% vs. 5.4%), as well as the immunological PTR rate (7.3% vs. 3.2%). By the multivariate analysis, female gender and the number of platelet donor exposure, but not universal leukoreduction or transfusion period, were found to be the risk factors strongly associated with alloantibody formation. CONCLUSION: Although ULR may be superior to BSLR in terms of preventing non-hemolytic transfusion reactions, BSLR was found to be as effective as ULR in terms of preventing platelet alloimmunization and refractoriness. Thus, BSLR should be actively indicated as a realistic alternative in developing countries, before the universal leukoreduction is fully implemented.

Immunohistochemical detection of high-mobility group box 1 correlates with resistance of preoperative chemoradiotherapy for lower rectal cancer: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a nucleoprotein that is related to inflammation. It has been implicated in a variety of biologically important processes, including transcription, DNA repair, differentiation, development, and extracellular signaling. Recently, its important role in the process of tumor invasion, metastasis, and resistance to anti-cancer therapies has been demonstrated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the correlation of HMGB1 expression and resistance of rectal cancer patients to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) prior to curative operation. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 75 lower rectal cancer patients without complete pathological response who had received preoperative CRT and had undergone curative resection at the University of Tokyo Hospital between May 2003 and June 2010. HMGB1 expression in surgically resected specimens was evaluated using immunohistochemical detection and specimens were classified into high or low HMGB1 expression groups. Clinicopathologic features, degree of tumor reduction, regression of tumor grade, and patient survival were compared between the groups using non-paired Student's t-tests and Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: A total of 52 (69.3%) patients had high HMGB1 expression, and 23 (30.7%) had low expression. HMGB1 expression was significantly correlated with histologic type (P=0.02), lymphatic invasion (P=0.02), and venous invasion (P=0.05). Compared to patients with low HMGB1 expression, those with high expression had a poorer response to CRT, in terms of tumor reduction ratio (42.2 versus 28.9%, respectively; P<0.01) and post-CRT histological tumor regression grade (56.5 versus 30.8% grade 2; respectively; P=0.03). However, no significant correlation was found between HMGB1 expression and recurrence-free and overall survival rates. CONCLUSIONS: HMGB1 expression may be one of the key factors regulating the response of rectal cancer to preoperative CRT in terms of tumor invasiveness and resistance to therapy.

Prediction of the preoperative chemoradiotherapy response for rectal cancer by peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets.

BACKGROUND: Although neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) has become a standard procedure to downstage locally advanced rectal cancer prior to surgery, markers to predict the response to CRT have not been fully identified. The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors of response to CRT, especially focusing on peripheral blood leukocyte subsets. METHODS: A total of 45 consecutive patients diagnosed with primary rectal cancer were prospectively enrolled and received CRT followed by curative resection. The numbers of each lymphocyte subset in peripheral blood pre- and post-CRT were analyzed using flow cytometry. According to the pathological response to CRT, patients were classified into high (Hi-R) and low (Lo-R) response groups. RESULTS: Hi-R cases had significantly higher numbers of pre-CRT lymphocytes (p = 0.018), T lymphocytes (p = 0.009) and helper T lymphocytes (Th lymphocytes, p = 0.015) compared to the Lo-R cases. With the receiver-operating characteristic curve for numbers of pre-CRT T lymphocytes, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.733, and the optimal cutoff value was 1196/µl, with 76.5% sensitivity, 67.8% specificity, 59.1% positive and 82.6% negative predictive values. The numbers of pre-CRT Th lymphocytes and cytotoxic lymphocytes were both independent predictors of the high CRT response in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to the direct cytotoxicity of CRT, recent studies have demonstrated the induction of an immunological host response, which also contributed to the tumor regression induced by CRT. Our result suggested the potential role of circulating T lymphocytes in predicting the response to CRT in colorectal cancer patients.

Novel swine model of transfusion-related acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) is a life-threatening complication of blood transfusion. Antibodies against human leukocyte antigens in donors' plasma are the major causes of TRALI. Several animal models of TRALI have been developed, and the mechanism underlying TRALI development has been extensively investigated using rodent models. Although sheep models of nonimmune TRALI have been developed, large-animal models of antibody-mediated TRALI are not yet available. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To develop a swine model of TRALI, male Clawn strain miniature pigs were used. A monoclonal antibody (MoAb) against swine leukocyte antigens (SLAs) Class I (4G8, 0.3 or 1.0 mg/kg body weight [BW]) and a control antibody (1.0 mg/kg BW) were injected into the peripheral vein after priming with or without 1 µg/kg BW lipopolysaccharide (LPS; n = 3 each). Lung injury was assessed using PaO2 /FiO2 (P/F) ratio and by chest X-ray imaging. Histopathologic analysis was also conducted. RESULTS: Lung injury could be induced by injecting 4G8 at an amount of 1.0 mg/kg BW, after LPS. The P/F ratio 90 minutes after the administration of 4G8 significantly decreased (p < 0.05). Bilateral infiltration was shown in chest X-ray imaging. Lung injury was confirmed by histopathologic analysis. CONCLUSION: Lung injury in pigs was successfully induced by anti-SLA MoAb. Priming with LPS is a prerequisite for inducing lung injury and the amount of the antibody is a critical condition.

The role of alloantibodies against human platelet antigen-15 in multiply platelet transfused patients.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have documented the role of antibodies against human platelet (PLT) antigen (HPA)-15 in alloimmune-mediated thrombocytopenia including neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, PLT transfusion refractoriness (PTR), and posttransfusion purpura in Caucasian persons. However, the relevance of anti-HPA-15 in PTR among the Japanese population is still unclear. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The sera of 305 multiply PLT transfused (MPT) patients, previously investigated for the presence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and HPA antibodies by mixed passive hemagglutination, were reexamined for the presence of HPA-15 alloantibodies, using the monoclonal antibody-specific immobilization of PLT antigens (MAIPA) technique. RESULTS: Among the 305 MPT samples, antibodies against HPA-15 alloantigen was detected in seven (2.3%), two (0.66%) being anti-HPA-15a and five (1.64%) being anti-HPA-15b. Additionally, one case of CD109 panreactive antibody was found (0.33%). Among them, one aplastic anemia patient with blood group O developed multispecific anti-HLA and anti-HPA-15b alloantibody after MPTs. However, transfusion with HLA-matched PLTs of blood group AB did not result in adequate PLT count increment. Analysis of the possible influence of immune anti-A and anti-B by the MAIPA assay resulted negative, indicating that anti-HPA-15b is responsible for the refractory state in this patient. CONCLUSION: In this study, we found alloimmunization against HPA-15a and -15b in Japanese populations and demonstrated the relevance of these antibodies in a patient with PTR.

Barium enema and CT volumetry for predicting pathologic response to preoperative chemoradiotherapy in rectal cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative chemoradiotherapy has been widely used for the prevention of local recurrence of locally advanced rectal cancer, and the effect of chemoradiotherapy is known to be associated with overall survival. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the association of the pathologic response grade with tumor recurrence rate after chemoradiotherapy, using radiographic analysis and the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors as the parameters. DESIGN: This study was conducted at a single tertiary care institution in Japan. SETTING: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy. PATIENTS: A total of 101 low rectal cancer patients receiving preoperative chemoradiotherapy from July 2004 to August 2012 were enrolled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The tumor reduction rate was measured with the use of traditional Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, barium enema, and CT volumetry, and the correlation between the reduction rate and the pathologic response grade was examined. RESULTS: The tumor reduction rate assessed according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors showed no association with the pathologic response grade (p =0.61). In contrast, the radiographic response rate by both barium enema and CT volumetry strongly correlated with the pathologic response grade (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.001).In terms of local tumor recurrence, those diagnosed as high responders by the pathologic response grade, Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors, barium enema, and CT volumetry had a lower recurrence rate (p =0.03, p =0.03, p =0.0002, and p =0.001). The difference between high responders and low responders was especially prominent by barium enema and CT volumetry. LIMITATIONS: The study is limited by its retrospective nature. CONCLUSIONS: Double-contrast barium enema and CT volumetry were superior to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors in evaluating the effect of chemoradiotherapy and predicting the likelihood of tumor recurrence.

Platelet-derived sphingosine 1-phosphate induces migration of Jurkat T cells.

BACKGROUND: The migration of T cell to atherosclerotic lesions is proposed to be involved in the pathogenesis of the atherosclerosis. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lysophospholipid released from activated platelets, exerts a variety of responses such as cell migration and proliferation, and reportedly induces T cell migration. Accordingly, platelet-T cell interactions may exist based on T cell responses triggered by platelet-derived S1P. METHODS: S1P was measured using two-step lipid extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separation while other phospholipids were determined by an enzymatic assay. The expression of S1P and lysophosphatidic acid receptors on Jurkat T cells was examined by RT-PCR and flow cytometry. Jurkat cell migration by S1P and the supernatant of activated platelets (SAP) was evaluated by a modified Boyden's chamber assay. RESULTS: S1P1 receptor was confirmed to be expressed on Jurkat T cell by RT-PCR and flow cytometry. S1P at 10-100 nM induced strong Jurkat cell migration, which was inhibited by the S1P1 (and S1P3) antagonist VPC23019 and the Gi inactivator pertussis toxin (PTX). We found that the supernatant (releasate) of human platelets activated by collagen stimulation, which contains S1P abundantly, induced Jurkat cell migration and that the migration was inhibited by VPC23019 and PTX. In addition, human serum, into which platelet contents (including S1P) are fully released, induced the Jurkat cell migration, which was also inhibited by VPC23019. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that platelet-derived S1P induces Jurkat T cell migration possibly via S1P1. S1P may be a key molecule involved in the responses triggered by platelet-T cell interactions, including atherosclerosis.

Inhibition of lysophosphatidic acid increase by prestorage whole blood leukoreduction in autologous CPDA-1 whole blood.

BACKGROUND: Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) has been implicated in the onset of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). In plasma, LPC is converted to lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) by autotaxin (ATX). The effect of leukoreduction in the accumulation of these bioactive lipids and ATX in human autologous blood has not been fully investigated. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The accumulation of choline-containing phospholipids (LPC, sphingomyelin [SM], and phosphatidylcholine [PC]), LPA, and ATX during the storage of autologous blood and the changes caused by leukoreduction were investigated. A total of 26 orthopedic patients were enrolled. Autologous blood was collected as whole blood and, after leukoreduction, preserved refrigerated until use. Prestorage leukoreduced (LR) and non-LR autologous blood samples were analyzed. The time-dependent changes and the effect of the filtration were compared. RESULTS: A time-dependent and significant increase in the levels of LPA was observed in both non-LR and LR samples. The concentration of LPA was significantly reduced in LR compared to non-LR samples. The concentration of LPC was higher in LR compared to non-LR samples. The levels of PC, SM, and ATX were not affected by either the storage period or the leukoreduction. CONCLUSIONS: Leukoreduction of autologous whole blood effectively reduced the accumulation of LPA. On the other hand, prestorage leukoreduction resulted in an increased concentration of LPC, without significantly affecting ATX. Further studies are necessary to confirm the role of LPA in the pathogenesis of adverse effects of blood transfusion, especially TRALI.

Hypoxia enhances colon cancer migration and invasion through promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

BACKGROUND: A hypoxic environment exists in most solid tumors because in rapidly growing tumors, the development of angiogenic vasculature is heterogenous, usually not enough to overcome the necessary oxygen supply. In an ischemic condition, cancer cells develop escape mechanisms to survive and leave the unfavorable environment. That result in the acquisition of increased potential for local invasion and evasion to distant organs. However, the escape mechanisms of cancer cells from hypoxic stress have not been fully characterized. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The human colon cancer cell line LoVo was cultured in hypoxia, and the adhesive and migratory properties were analyzed. The expression of cell surface and cytoplasmic molecules was also investigated. RESULTS: Under hypoxic conditions, cells developed epithelial-mesenchymal transition. The expression levels of α2, α5, and ß1 integrins were significantly upregulated and, as a consequence, the ability to adhere to and migrate on collagen and fibronectin was increased. On the other hand, the expression of 67-kDa laminin receptor and the abilities to adhere to and migrate on laminin were decreased. Additionally, the expression of CXCR4 was significantly increased on cells cultured in hypoxia, and the chemotactic activity to stromal cell-derived factor 1α was remarkably increased. CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxic stress induced active epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colon cancer cells, with the typical morphologic and functional changes. These morphologic and functional changes of ß1 integrins, the 67-kDa laminin receptor, and CXCR4 may be essential for the acquisition of the invasive and metastatic features in colorectal cancer.

Thrombocytosis before pre-operative chemoradiotherapy predicts poor response and shorter local recurrence-free survival in rectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Although thrombocytosis has been reported in patients with various cancers including the colorectal one, the impact of elevated platelet counts on the response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for rectal cancer has not been fully investigated. We investigated the clinical significance of pre- and post-CRT platelet counts in patients with rectal cancer. METHODS: The medical records of 101 patients with rectal cancer, who had received CRT followed by surgical resection, were retrospectively reviewed. The correlations between the clinicopathological variables and the pre- or post-CRT platelet counts were analyzed. The correlations between tumor regression rate induced by CRT, as evaluated by barium enema and pathological examination, and the pre- or post-CRT platelet counts were also evaluated. Finally, the impact of pre-CRT thrombocytosis on the prognosis of these patients was assessed. RESULTS: The pre-CRT platelet count correlated with venous invasion and tumor size, and it strongly correlated with the response rate evaluated by barium enema and the grade of pathological tumor regression. Furthermore, patients with pre-CRT thrombocytosis had significantly shorter local recurrence-free survival. CONCLUSION: Platelet count before CRT should be a promising biomarker for predicting the efficacy of CRT and the risk of local recurrence in rectal cancer patients after CRT.

Hepatic steatosis is associated with lower incidence of liver metastasis from colorectal cancer.

PURPOSE: Both hepatic steatosis (HS) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are conditions associated with metabolic syndrome. The liver is the most frequent site of distant metastasis of CRC; however, the impact of HS on the incidence of liver metastasis of CRC is not clearly defined. Then, the correlation with the presence or absence of HS was analyzed. METHODS: A total of 604 CRC patients receiving curative surgical resection who had a preoperative non-enhanced computed tomography (CT) were enrolled. The mean attenuation values (in Hounsfield units) of the liver and spleen were obtained on a plain CT slice, and the patients with liver-spleen attenuation ratio lower than 1.1 were objectively defined as HS. The clinicopathological features of these patients were analyzed, and the association between HS and the clinical features of CRC was examined. RESULTS: Sixty-three (10.4%) among the 604 patients were diagnosed as HS. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and hepatic RFS, but not extrahepatic RFS, were significantly higher in the group with HS (p = 0.04 and p = 0.006). However, this effect was not evident in the group of patients with obesity, defined as body mass index > 25.0. Among the stage I~III cases, HS was significantly associated with lower hepatic, but not extrahepatic, RFS. Moreover, absence of HS was an independent risk factor for hepatic RFS (p = 0.003). CONCLUSION: Metastases of CRC are less frequent in fatty liver. Steatosis may be an unfavorable microenvironment for metastatic formation in the liver.

The effect of pre-storage whole-blood leukocyte reduction on cytokines/chemokines levels in autologous CPDA-1 whole blood.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pre-storage leukocyte filtration of autologous blood (AB), especially focusing on the cytokines/chemokines accumulation on blood products. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After approval of the ethics committee of the University of Tokyo, a total of 26 orthopedic patients, who donated AB prior to surgery after informed consent, were enrolled. The effects of filtration on blood cell counts were analyzed, and the accumulation of cytokines and chemokines were measured on pre- and post-leukoreduced (LR) samples, using the Luminex system. The time-dependent changes of the cytokines/chemokines and the effect of the filtration on their concentration were analyzed, and compared with the normal plasma levels reported in the literature. RESULTS: LR effectively reduced the number of leukocytes and platelets, without affecting that of red cells. The concentration of most of the cytokines/chemokines analyzed, except the EGF, sCD40-L and sFas-L, decreased time-dependently of storage or did not change in pre-LR samples. However, EGF, sCD40L and sFas-L were significantly reduced by LR. Some, such as IL-8 and RANTES, were also importantly decreased by LR, and others, such as IL-1ß and TNF-α, were not significantly affected by LR. CONCLUSIONS: Leukocyte filtration effectively removes platelets and leukocytes from AB, thus preventing the accumulation of cytokines/chemokines. Since adverse effects due to AB transfusion, although rare, are observed, there is need to consider the implementation of pre-storage leukocyte reduction (PSLR) for AB.

Kidney-infiltrating CD4+ T-cell clones promote nephritis in lupus-prone mice.

In systemic lupus erythematosus, CD4+ T cells play key roles in the initiation and promotion of autoantigen-specific humoral immunity, and indirect evidence suggests that T cells are pathogenic effectors in lupus nephritis. The contribution of kidney-infiltrating T cells to nephritis, however, has not been verified because of the difficulty in directly analyzing organ-infiltrating T cells. Here, we examined the pathogenic roles of autoreactive cytokine-expressing CD4+ T cells from the kidneys of early nephritic MRL/lpr mice. Interferon (IFN)-γ-secreting cells were enriched among CD5(high)CD4+ T cells found in the inflamed kidneys. Using single-cell analysis of the T-cell receptor (TCR)(high)CD5(high)CD4+ T cells from the kidneys of early nephritic MRL/lpr mice, two IFN-γ-expressing CD4+ T cell clones, MLK2 and MLK3, were identified. CD4+ T cells transduced with the T-cell receptor genes from each clone responded to splenic dendritic cells in an MHC class II-dependent manner, but not to B cells or macrophages. MLK3-transduced CD4+ T cells proliferated in the spleens of prenephritic mice, promoted nephritis progression upon adoptive transfer, and enhanced the deposition of C3 without promoting anti-double-stranded DNA antibody production. Thus, CD4+ T cells in the inflamed kidneys of MRL/lpr mice contribute to nephritis progression.

Elevated neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio predicts poor prognosis in advanced colorectal cancer patients receiving oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to assess whether the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other laboratory markers may predict the prognosis of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients receiving palliative chemotherapy. METHODS: The study population included 50 patients with far advanced or recurrent unresectable CRC who received oxaliplatin-based combination chemotherapy as first-line treatment in our hospital between June 2005 and November 2010. Seven clinical variables and 7 laboratory indices before chemotherapy were evaluated retrospectively as the possible prognostic factors of overall and progression-free survival. RESULTS: During the study period, 27 patients (54%) died of CRC. Elevated NLR (≥4.0) was observed in 15 patients (30%). By univariate analysis, elevated NLR, performance status and hypoalbuminemia were significantly associated with both poor overall and progression-free survivals. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated NLR (hazard ratio 4.39, 95% confidence interval 1.82-10.7; p = 0.0013) and thrombocytosis (hazard ratio 5.02, 95% confidence interval 1.69-13.4; p = 0.0066) were independently associated with overall survival. CONCLUSION: Elevated NLR is a powerful predictor of poor response to oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with unresectable CRC. The ratio is a simply accessible and inexpensive but useful biomarker in CRC patients receiving chemotherapy.