Platelet-rich plasma as treatment for persistent ocular epithelial defects.

Platelet- rich plasma (PRP) exhibits regenerative proprieties in wound healing but the biochemical mechanisms are unclear. In this study, autologous PRP with a mean value of 338 × 10(3) platelets/µL was used to treat corneal lesions of different aetiology, while homologous PRP with 1 × 10(6) platelets/µL was used to treat cornel lesions induced by a graft versus host disease. The impact of platelet count on the levels of PDGF AA and BB, VEGF, and EGF in the two PRPs was evaluated after a cycle of freezing/thawing. Treated corneal lesions healed or improved. The levels of PDGF AA and BB, VEGF, and EGF in the autologous PRP raised from 296 ± 61; 201.8 ± 24; 53 ± 14 and 8.9 ± 2 to 1017 ± 253; 924.7 ± 222; 101 ± 46.5 and 174 ± 15.5 pg/mL, while in the homologous PRP were 3.4, 4.5, 3.2 and 2 folds higher, respectively. High level of platelet counts seems not required to treat corneal lesions.

Cancer of the sigmoid colon and antibodies. A puzzle.

UNLABELLED: In this work we describe the case report of a woman affected by cancer of the sigmoid colon and with a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and indirect antiglobulin test (IAT). Case report with results: A meticulous medical history showed that the woman had been suffering from recurrent fetal loss. Then she had cardiac and coagulative problems. These data suggested a phospholipid syndrome. CONCLUSION: The patient had a medical history positive for a phospholipid syndrome and we think that this disease could explain the onset of the autoantibody.

Platelet activation by riboflavin and UV light: is it really the other side of the coin?

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays transfusion safety is still put at risk by contamination of pathogens. The Mirasol PRT System blocks the replication of pathogens and white blood cells. Our goal was to quantify the activation of platelets after treatment with the Mirasol device. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From September to December 2013, 131 platelet collections were studied using a simple flow cytometric strategy. RESULTS: There was a significant correlation between the percentage of platelet activated before and after the treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results induced us to think that the activation of platelets after treatment was acceptable.

Evaluation of cell death after treatment with extracorporeal photopheresis.

The aim of our study is to assess the mortality of leukocytes during extracorporeal photopheresis. Sixty-three photopheresis performed on 13 patients affected by chronic GvHD were evaluated. Samples were analyzed using a FACSCalibur flow cytometer. Apoptosis and necrosis of limphomononuclear cells dramatically increased after the apheretic procedure. We found a further increase of apoptotic and necrotic limphomononuclear cells after treatment with 8-MOP and UVA (p≤0.05). Our data suggested that the immunomodulatory effects of extracorporeal photopheresis, triggered by circulating apoptotic or necrotic cells, could play an important role in the treatment of GvHD with this procedure.

Collection of peripheral progenitor cells: a comparison between Amicus and Cobe-Spectra blood cell separators.

The authors compared the efficiency of two different blood cell separators (Amicus and Cobe-Spectra) in collecting peripheral blood progenitor cells for autologous or homologous transplantation. A total number of 129 procedures were performed, 36 with Spectra, 93 with Amicus. There was no difference between Spectra and Amicus efficiencies for CD34+ cell collection (46.685% vs 46.235%; p=n.s) but the platelet efficiencies were 17.31% and 12.54% respectively (p=0.04) and, if autologous and allogeneic collections were considered separately, a marked difference resulted in allogeneic platelet efficiency between 6 Spectra and 23 Amicus procedures (26.83% vs 8.68%, p=0.0004). The authors were able to demonstrate that in 70 Amicus autologous collections there was a different platelet efficiency, if peripheral count was considered: 12 procedures performed with a platelet count > 100 x 10(9)/l had a very low efficiency (6.86%), but this value increased if platelet count lowered (13.02% if between 100 and 50 x 10(9)/l, 22.63% if between 50 and 0 x 10(9)/l, 23 and 35 procedures respectively). The study is preliminary and the number of collections is little, but the overall data suggest that Spectra (AutoPBSC, V 6.0) and Amicus separators have the same efficiency for collecting CD34+ cells while Amicus procedures have a very low platelet contamination, especially with donors.

Positive selection of CD34+ cells by immunoadsorption: factors affecting the final yield and hematopoietic recovery in patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors.

There is a progressive increase in the use of selected hematopoietic progenitor cells after myeloablative therapy in patients affected by malignancies. Our goal was to determine which blood parameters, in the starting cell population, influence the concentration of CD34+ progenitors and the removal of unwanted cells in the final product. Also, we evaluated the hematopoietic recovery and toxicity associated with peripheral blood stem cell infusion. We retrospectively reviewed 53 procedures of positive selection of CD34+ cells, performed with the Ceprate SC immunoadsorption system, in 47 paticnts affected by various hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. An increased percentage of CD34+ cells in the starting fraction was associated both with the final purity and enrichment of CD34+ cells and with a decreased percentage of CD3+ and CD19+ cells in the final product. A low platelet count before selection had a borderlinc influence on the recovery of CD34+ cells. Forty patients received a median of 5 x 10(6) CD34+ cells per kg; the absolute neutrophil count (ANC) reached 0.5 x 10(9)/l in a median of 10 days whereas a PLT count above 20 x 10(9)/l was observed in 14 days. The reinfusion of selected CD34+ cells, containing a very low amount of dymethylsulfoxide. was well tolerated and no adverse reactions were observed. Autologous transplantation with selected CD34+ cells is a safe and well-tolerated procedure in patients affected by hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Positive selection of CD34+ cells seems to be related to the quality of the apheresis products, particularly to the initial CD34+ cell and PLT content.