[Transplantation of hemopoietic stem cells in autoimmune diseases].

Transplantation of stem hemopoietic cells is a new trend in the treatment of some autoimmune diseases.Large international trials made in the last 12 years in the USA, Europe, Russia, China were devoted to evaluation of efficacy of this method. Basing on the results of these trials, experts of the Russian Cooperative Cell Therapy Group and N.I. Pirogov National Medicosurgical Center have developed a conception of high-dose immunosuppressive therapy with transplantation of stem hemopoietic cells in autoimmune diseases. Main positions of the conception and its perspectives are discussed.

Clinical and quality of life responses to high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with multiple sclerosis: two case reports.

During the last several years high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) with autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has been established as a therapeutic option for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. We report on the long-term effects of HDCT + ASCT in two female patients affected by secondary progressive and relapsing-remitting types of MS, respectively. As a result, disease stabilization was achieved in the first case and disease improvement in the second one. Both patients were off immunosuppressive or immunomodulating therapy throughout the post-transplant period. Notably, HDCT + ASCT resulted in an excellent quality of life (QoL) response in both cases. Our findings demonstrate that HDCT + ASCT could be considered as an effective treatment for MS patients. Moreover, QoL measurement seems to be an effective approach to assessment of treatment outcomes at long-term follow-up of patients with MS.

[Change in central hemodynamics in lymphoma patients]. / Izmeneniia tsentral'noi gemodinamiki u bol'nykh s limfomami.

AIM: To elucidate features of hemodynamics in patients with lymphoma and hemodynamic effects of polychemotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Parameters of central hemodynamics were studied echocardiographycally in 42 patients with lymphoma. RESULTS: In a definite rise in the levels of tumor progression markers, changes in the immunity, impaired hemopoiesis there was rearrangement of hemodynamics (development of tachycardia, trend to excentric remodeling of the left ventricle). The above changes in hemodynamics enhanced in conduction of polychemotherapy. CONCLUSION: To avoid cardiotoxicity of polychemotherapy, lymphoma patients should receive cardioprotectors.

[Altered left ventricular diastolic function in patients with lymphogranulomatosis]. / Izmeneniia diastolicheskoi funktsii levogo zheludochka serdtsa u bol'nykh limfogranulematozom.

Impaired elastic characteristics of the left heart ventricle and restructuring of its diastolic bloodflow were revealed in 28 patients with Hodgkin's disease by complex Doppler echocardiographic study of intracardiac hemodynamics. The most pronounced disorders of the diastolic function were detected in patients with pericardial involvement. More pronounced tumor intoxication in patients with mixed-cell variant of the tumor resulted in remodeling of the left ventricle, left atrial dysfunction, and restructuring of the diastolic bloodflow, which indicated combined impairment of the left ventricular diastolic relaxation and left atrial contractility. Chemotherapy augmented disorders in diastolic bloodflow, the increase in the number of polychemotherapy courses being associated with a trend to deterioration of left-ventricular relaxation. Hence, tumor intoxication and drug cardiotoxicity determine the formation of central hemodynamic disorders, one of whose principal components is diastolic dysfunction of the left heart ventricle.

[Current concepts in classification of lymphoid tissue tumors]. / Sovremennaia kontseptsiia klassifikatsii opukholei iz limfoidnoi tkani.

An analysis of the data of foreign literature and of the author's personal experiences allows a conclusion to be made concerning the evolution of views on lymphoid tissue tumors. The author proposes a classification of lymphomas, the algorithm of diagnosis of the lymphomas, describes certain clinical characteristics of different types of lymphomas.

[Diagnostic and prognostic value of interleukin-6 in malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphomas]. / Diagnosticheskoe i prognosticheskoe znachenie interleikina-6 pri zlokachestvennykh nekhodzhkinskikh limfomakh.

Sixty six patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) were studied, interleukin-6 (IL-6) was revealed in the blood sera of 33 patients. IL-6 was revealed more frequently in patients with high-grade malignant (p < 0.05) than in those with low-grade malignancy. The largest group of IL-6 positive patients included NHL patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and angioimmunoblastic lymphoma. The marked relationship was found between the serum IL-6 levels and the stage of disease: the serum IL-6 level was significantly lower in untreated patients with Stages II and III disease than in those with end-stage (IV) NHL. IL-6 significantly decreased upon remission, comparable with its level before the initiation of treatment. Analysing the association of prognosis of disease with the serum IL-6 showed that in the group of patients with good (The SNLG index < 2) and intermediate (2 < SNLG index < by 2.6) prognosis, the concentration of this cytokine was significantly lower than in those with poor prognosis (SNLG index > 2.6). There was a significant decrease of the total survival rates of NHL with serum IL-6 found. Therefore, IL-6 is a good prognostic marker in NHL and associated with the activity of a malignant process. Additionally, the increased serum IL-6 levels correlated with NK activities positively and with serum IL-4 levels negatively.

[Effect of sugar-reducing therapy on renal function in patients with type II diabetes mellitus]. / Vliianie sakharoponizhaiushchei terapii na funktsii pochek u bol'nykh sakharnym diabetom II tipa.

Renal function was examined in 66 proteinura-free patients at the age of 40-67 years having diabetes mellitus (DM) type II for 4-10 years and HbA1c 7% maximum. Non-insulin-dependent DM was found to affect both glomerular and tubulointerstitial renal systems. This was indicated by reduced glomerular filtration, microalbuminuria, hyperenzymuria, high blood and urine levels of beta-2-microglobulin. Administration of glurenorm instead of maninil led to enhancement of glomerular filtration, lowerering of albuminuria, uroenyzmes, beta-2-microglobulin in the blood and urine. Glurenorm is a proper drug in DM type II as it has both sugar-reducing and nephroprotective effects.