Interleukin-1 blockade in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome: a retrospective multinational case series.

Up to 70% of patients with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) develop autoimmune and inflammatory manifestations. Dysregulation of interleukin (IL)-1 may be involved in their pathogenesis, yet there is little evidence on treatment with anti-IL-1 agents in these patients. We conducted a multicenter retrospective analysis of nine patients with WAS treated with anti-IL-1 agents (anakinra or canakinumab). All patients had prominent inflammatory manifestations, including systemic, cutaneous, articular, and intestinal symptoms; three patients presented with a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome since the first months of life. Corticosteroid therapy was associated with partial or no response, while treatment with anakinra or canakinumab resulted in prompt, often dramatic, responses in all patients, allowing bridging to gene therapy (four patients) or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT, five patients). Treatment was overall well tolerated. Low donor myeloid chimerism developed in four patients after HSCT and was associated with the appearance or the recurrence of inflammatory manifestations. A second HSCT was performed in two patients, achieving full-donor chimerism and resolution of inflammatory manifestation, while the other two patients were treated with prolonged therapy with anti-IL-1 agents. Our experience demonstrates that some inflammatory manifestations of WAS are dependent on IL-1 and respond very well to its pharmacologic blockade.

Long-term follow-up and factors influencing outcomes after related HLA-identical cord blood transplantation for patients with malignancies: an analysis on behalf of Eurocord-EBMT.

We analyzed risk factors influencing outcomes after related (R) human leukocyte antigen-identical cord blood transplantation (CBT) for 147 patients with malignancies reported to Eurocord-European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. CBT has been performed since 1990; median follow-up was 6.7 years. Median patient age was 5 years. Acute leukemia was the most frequent diagnosis (74%). At CBT, 40 patients had early, 70 intermediate, and 37 advanced disease. CB grafts contained a median of 4.1 × 10(7)/kg total nucleated cells (TNCs) after thawing. The cumulative incidence (CI) of neutrophil recovery was 90% at day +60. CIs of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were 12% and 10% at 2 years, respectively. At 5 years, CIs of nonrelapse mortality and relapse were 9% and 47%, respectively; the probability of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival were 44% and 55%, respectively. Among other factors, higher TNCs infused was associated with rapid neutrophil recovery and improved DFS. The use of methotrexate as GVHD prophylaxis decreased the CI of engraftment. Patients without advanced disease had improved DFS. These results support banking and use of CB units for RCBT. Cell dose, GVHD prophylaxis not including methotrexate, and disease status are important factors for outcomes after RCBT.

A strategy for molecular diagnostics of Fanconi anemia in Brazilian patients.

BACKGROUND: Fanconi anemia (FA) is a predominantly autosomal recessive disease with wide genetic heterogeneity resulting from mutations in several DNA repair pathway genes. To date, 21 genetic subtypes have been identified. We aimed to identify the FA genetic subtypes in the Brazilian population and to develop a strategy for molecular diagnosis applicable to routine clinical use. METHODS: We screened 255 patients from Hospital de Clínicas, Universidade Federal do Paraná for 11 common FA gene mutations. Further analysis by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) for FANCA and Sanger sequencing of all coding exons of FANCA, -C, and -G was performed in cases who harbored a single gene mutation. RESULTS: We identified biallelic mutations in 128/255 patients (50.2%): 89, 11, and 28 carried FANCA,FANCC, and FANCG mutations, respectively. Of these, 71 harbored homozygous mutations, whereas 57 had compound heterozygous mutations. In 4/57 heterozygous patients, both mutations were identified by the initial screening, in 51/57 additional analyses was required for classification, and in 2/57 the second mutation remained unidentified. We found 52 different mutations of which 22 were novel. CONCLUSION: The proposed method allowed genetic subtyping of 126/255 (49.4%) patients at a significantly reduced time and cost, which makes molecular diagnosis of FA Brazilian patients feasible.

Análise retrospectiva dos pacientes infectados por RSV na unidade de transplante de medula óssea / RSV infection after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplanttrans planted in a single institutionation (HSCT): analysis of 59 patients

O vírus sincicial respiratório (RSV) é considerado uma causa importante de morbi-mortalidade em pacientes submetidos ao transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas (TCTH). Mesmo com o uso da ribavirina inalatória (RI), as taxas de mortalidade são de 30 por cento a 40 por cento . O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar o perfil dos pacientes infectados pelo RSV e a eficácia do tratamento com RI. Realizou-se uma análise retrospectiva de 59 pacientes submetidos ao TCTH com infecção confirmada pelo RSV (métodos de IFI ou PCR) entre 02/1991 e 02/2008. A RI foi administrada por 12 horas, na dose de 5 g diluída 200 ml de água destilada, por cinco dias. Quinze pacientes apresentaram infecções (TRI) do trato respiratório inferior e 44 pacientes apresentaram infecções (TRS) de vias aéreas superiores. No grupo tratado (n=50), quarenta apresentaram infecções no TRS versus dez TRI; no grupo não tratado, quatro TRS versus cinco TRI. Foram constatados vinte óbitos (33,8 por cento), sendo que 13 desses pacientes (65 por cento dos óbitos) tiveram suas mortes relacionadas ao RSV. Dentre estes, nove pacientes foram a óbito antes da instituição da RI como terapia padrão. A sobrevida global (SG) de todos os pacientes foi de 8,3 meses, sendo 66 por cento para o grupo que utilizou RI versus 11,1 por cento no grupo não tratado(p=0,001). No entanto, a SG foi inferior nos pacientes que apresentaram infecções no TRI (37,5 por cento) quando comparadas às infecções do TRS (65,1 por cento), p=0,007. No modelo de regressão de Cox, a única variável independente encontrada foi o tratamento com RI (p=0,001).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes significant mortality in patients submitted to SCT. Despite the use of ribavirin aerosols (RA), mortality rates are still between 30 and 40 percent in many centers. The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical course and outcome of 59 patients who developed RSV infections after SCT in a single institution. In this retrospective analysis, the diagnosis of RSV infection was confirmed in 59 patients submitted to HSCT. RA was administrated during 12 hours at a dose of 5g diluted in 200 mL of distillated water, for 5 days. Fifteen patients presented with upper respiratory tract (URT) infection and 44 patients presented with lower respiratory tract (LRT) infection. In the group of patients who received RA (n=50), 40 had URT infections and 10 had LRT infections. In patients who did not receive RA, 3 had URT infections and 6 had LRT infections. Twenty patients died (33.8 percent) with the main cause of death of 13 patients being RSV infection (all these patients required mechanical ventilation). Nine patients died before RA therapy became standard treatment for RSV (before 1992). The overall survival of patients treated with RA was 66 percent. However, the overall survival was lower in patients who had LRT infections (37.5 percent) compared with those who had URT infections (67.5 percent - p=0.007). In the multivariate analysis, only the use of RA affected overall survival (p=0.001).

Carcinoma de células escamosas em língua pós-transplante de medula óssea por Anemia de Fanconi / Squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue due to Fanconi's Anemia after bone marrow transplantation

Anemia Fanconi (AF) é uma síndrome autossômica recessiva, caracterizada por pancitopenia progressiva com hipoplasia de MO, em associação com várias anormalidades constitucionais, tendo como único recurso terapêutico com possibilidade potencial de cura o transplante de medula óssea, e sendo tais pacientes propensos ao desenvolvimento de malignidades hematológicas e carcinoma de células escamosas (CEC) em diversos locais: reto, vagina, cérvice, esôfago, cavidade bucal, faringe ou pele, mas especialmente em cabeça e pescoço. Relatamos aqui três casos de pacientes portadores de AF, que após TMO desenvolveram CEC em língua. Além disso, mencionamos fatores de risco relatados para tal evento, como diagnóstico de AF, condicionamento pré-transplante (quimioterápicos e irradiação), terapia com drogas imunossupressoras para tratamento de doença enxerto contra hospedeiro (DECH) aguda ou crônica, sexo e idade avançada. Além do que, discorremos sobre a existência de três mecanismos postulados que predispõem indivíduos com AF ao desenvolvimento de neoplasia: (1) defeito na reparação do DNA; (2) defeito na detoxificação de radicais de oxigênio; e (3) imunodeficiência.

Fanconi’s Anemia, first described in 1927, is a rareautonomic recessive disease characterized byprogressive pancytopenia, congenital malformations,spontaneous or chemically induced chromosomebreakage and increased incidence of leukemia andother cancers. The onset of bone marrow hypoplasiaand its hematological manifestations is usually in the3 - 7 year age range. Additionally, we discussed the existence ofthree postulated mechanisms that make individualswith Fanconi’s anemia susceptible to the developmentof neoplasias: (1) deficiency in the DNA repair system,(2) deficiency in oxygen radical detoxification; and(3) immunodeficiency.