Alemtuzumab-BEAM as conditioning for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: a single-center analysis.

PURPOSE: Treatment of refractory Hodgkin disease deserves specific considerations. Recently, alemtuzumab-BEAM has been introduced in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in these patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the outcome of 20 patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) who received allogeneic HSCT following conditioning therapy with alemtuzumab-BEAM. RESULTS: Treatment-related toxicity was tolerable. Half of the patients (50 %) had infections. Of these, 50 % were found to have pneumonia or catheter-related infections. In 20 %, an oral mucositis was observed. Acute graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) (≥grade 2) was seen in three patients. Complete remission (CR) could be achieved in 17 patients (85 %), 2 patients had persistent Hodgkin disease, and 1 patient died from infection prior to CR evaluation. Median progression-free survival and overall survival were 17.9 and 67.5 months, respectively. From the 17 CR patients, 8 had a relapse after a median of 10 months. Notably, of the eight patients relapsing after HSCT, all patients received another salvage treatment and four patients are still alive, whereas the other four patients died due to further progress. Six out of the remaining nine patients are still in CR, whereas the other three died from chronic GvHD and multi-organ failure. Overall, seven patients experienced chronic GvHD. CONCLUSION: In summary, alemtuzumab-BEAM is a well-tolerated conditioning therapy for allogeneic HSCT with high response rates in refractory HL.

Children symptoms before and after knowing about an indoor fungal contamination.

To describe children symptoms before and after an indoor fungal problem was publicized. Children attending one of two elementary schools (one with indoor fungal problems and one without) were included in this study. The study included an analysis of symptoms reported by the nurses before and after the indoor fungal problem was publicized and a questionnaire responded to by the parents. Several symptoms related to exposure to mold were found to be statistically significant in the school with an indoor fungal problem before the problem was detected: the symptoms included coughing/wheezing, headaches and joint pains. After the problem was publicized the perception of symptoms increased.

Specific solvent effects of hydroxylic solvents on the emission properties of ruthenium(ii)tris(2,2'-bipyridyl) chloride.

The excited state of Ru(II)[bpy]3 (2+) dissolved in hydroxylic solvents is subject to specific solvent effects, which were hitherto not understood on a quantitative basis. We determined the solvent effects of linear monovalent alcohols on the energy gap law of internal conversion with the help of lifetime and intensity measurements. An on-line method for measurement of the temperature dependence of quantum efficiencies was introduced. A modified Franck-Condon analysis of emission spectra by taking into account the shape of a Morse potential of the involved states was applied to compute excited-state energies.

Static and dynamic quenching of luminescent species in polymer media.

A method developed for quantitative determination of static and dynamic contributions to luminescence quenching is applied to Ru(II) complexes in polymer matrices (silica gel and polystyrene), quenched by oxygen. This method is based on both intensity and lifetime quenching experiments. The curvature of intensity Stern-Volmer plots is related to the results.

Oxygen optrode for use in a fiber-optic glucose biosensor.

An optical fiber oxygen sensor, based on the dynamic quenching of the luminescence of tris(1,10-phenanthroline)-ruthenium(II) cation by molecular oxygen, is presented. The complex is adsorbed onto silica gel, incorporated in a silicone matrix possessing a high oxygen permeability, and placed at the tip of the optical fiber. Oxygen has been monitored continuously in the 0-750 Torr range, with the detection limit being as low as 0.7 Torr. The device has been applied to the development of a fast responding and highly sensitive fiber-optic glucose biosensor based on this highly sensitive oxygen transducer. The sensor relates oxygen consumption (as a result of enzymatic oxidation) to glucose concentration. The enzyme is immobilized on the surface of the oxygen optrode; carbon black is used as an optical isolation in order to prevent ambient light and sample fluorescence to interfere. Measurements have been performed in a flow-through cell in air-equilibrated glucose standard solutions of pH 7.0. The effects of enzyme immobilization procedures (including enzyme immobilization on carbon black) as to response times (around 6 min), analytical ranges (0.06-1 mM glucose), reproducibility in sensor construction, and long-term stability have been studied as well.

Ultraviolet fluorescence of human sera: I. Sources of characteristic differences in the ultraviolet fluorescence spectra of sera from normal and cancer-bearing humans.

The ultraviolet fluorescence emission spectra of sera from apparently healthy persons and of sera from cancer patients frequently show significantly different curve shapes. A biparametric fluorescence method has been developed to use these deviations to detect patients with malignant diseases (Clin Chem 1986;32:1974-8). However, the pathobiochemical reasons for these differences of diagnostic importance have thus far been unclear. To find a relevant explanation for the described effect, we focused our interest on human serum proteins, the materials mainly responsible for the intrinsic fluorescence of sera in this spectral region. Human sera of various protein compositions were selected according to their protein pattern, determined by cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and their intrinsic fluorescence properties were investigated. We found that the emission spectra of human sera were correlated with their relative protein compositions, albumin and alpha-2 globulins being the most significantly correlated with the fluorescence intensity ratios. Because increased percentages of alpha-2 globulins and decreased percentages of albumin frequently accompany malignancies, we suggest that this condition accounts for the differences between the emission spectra of sera from normal and cancer-bearing humans.

[Surgical treatment of the carpal tunnel syndrome]. / Khirurgicheskoe lechenie sindroma zapiastnogo kanala.

The carpal tunnel syndrome was encountered in 2,727 patients, in 71% of them it was bilateral. Operations were conducted on 865 (18.6%) of the 4,663 affected hands. Operations for incision of the flexor retinaculum were conducted under local anesthesia, usually at out-patient hospitals. Additional interventions were performed in some patients: freeing the muscular branch of a nerve, resection of the edges of the flexor retinaculum, freeing the nerve from adhesions, endoneurolysis, resection of the tendon sheaths. Analysis of the results showed that manipulations on the nerve trunk are rarely indicated, while resection of the tendon sheaths is not justified. The working capacity was restored in 89.5% of patients in 25-45 days and in 7.4% - in the first 6 months. Early and late recurrences were observed in 3.1% of patients and called for a second operation.

Fluorescence topography in biology. III: Characteristic deviations of tryptophan fluorescence in sera of patients with gynecological tumors.

The near-ultraviolet region of the total fluorescence (excitation-emission matrix) of human serum reflects essentially the fluorescence of protein-bound tryptophan. We examined topographically the tryptophan fluorescence of human serum. In comparison with fluorescence topograms from sera of healthy donors, sera of patients with gynecological malignancies showed significantly different patterns of tryptophan fluorescence, the major deviations being at 325 and 365 nm. In healthy donors, the tryptophan fluorescence intensity at 365 nm, expressed as percent of the maximum fluorescence intensity (i.e., at 337 nm) varied little, but was markedly lower for sera from patients with malignancies. We found no clear correlation between the extent of the fluorescence deviations and the relative concentration of the protein fractions as determined by electrophoresis. Furthermore, we could rule out inflammation in tumor patients as an explanation for this effect.