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Objective To retrospectively analyze the engraftment, transplant-related complications and survival after unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT) in patients with hematologic malignancies. Methods Fifty consecutive patients with hematological malignancies (median age, 19 years; median weight, 53 kg) were treated with UCBT in single center from April 2000 to August 2009. Thirty-nine patients were high-risk or refractory. Double UCB grafts were used for 26 patients, while single UCB graft for 24 patients. Myeloablative conditioning was given to 45 cases and non-myeloablative regimens to 5 cases. All patients were given a combination of cyclosporin A (CsA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Results The median total nucleated cell (TNC) dose was 4.0 (range, 1.95-16.24)×10~7 TNC/ kginfused, and CD34~+ cell dose was 2.74(range, 0.67-29.28)×10~5/kginfused. Forty-two of 50 patients acquired engraftment with implantation rate being 86%. The median time to engraftment (absolute neutrophil count>500/mm~3 and platelets 20 000/L) was 19 and 34 days. The cumulative incidence of neutrophil engraftment by day 42 was 86.3%(95% confidence interval [CI] 0.769-0.957); the cumulative incidence of platelets engraftment by day 120 was 72.3% (95% CI 0.620-0.821). Twenty cases developed acute GVHD, and the incidence of acute GVHD of grades Ⅲ/Ⅳ by day 100 was 7.1%. The incidence of chronic GVHD within 2 years was 17.4%. During a median follow-up period of 22 months (range 4-116), Overall 6-month, 1-year and 2-year survival rate was 66.2%(95% CI 0.590-0.734), 57.4%(95% CI 0.496-0.652), 54.2%(95% CI 0.462-0.622), respectively. For the patients with non-advanced hemotologic malignancies, 6-month, 1-year and 2-year survival rate was 73.2% (95% CI 0.659-0.805), 66.1% (95% CI 0.579-0.743), and 62.2% (95% CI 0.542-0.682) respectively. Five cases relapsed. The cumulative incidence of relapse within 2 years was 16.2% (95% CI 0.099-0.225). Twenty-one cases died mainly due to infection. Conclusion UCBT could be safely and effectively used for adult patients with hematologic malignancies.

Objective To evaluate the correlation between plasma high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) level and global registry of acute coronary events (GRACE) scores,and its predictive value for long-term (5 years) cardiovascular events in middle-aged and elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).Methods 138 middle aged and elderly patients with ACS were divided into three groups according to GRACE scores:low risk group,middle risk group,high risk group.And based on quartiles of hs-CRP levels,subjects were segregated into 4 groups (Q1 to Q4).All subjects were followed up for about 5 years and adverse cardiovascular disease events were recorded.Results The hs-CRP level was gradually increased along with increasing risk according to GRACE risk stratification (hs-CRP low risk group,0.09 ± 0.22 ; middle risk group,0.21 ± 0.04 ;high risk group,0.43±0.23,P＜0.001).Meantime,GRACE risk scores were gradually increased along with increasing hs-CRP levels from Q1 to Q4 (Q1:133.0 ± 43.6; Q2:161.9 ± 60.2; Q3:169.3±52.6; Q4:188.4±47.5; all P＜0.001).Regression analysis showed that hs-CRP level was positively correlated with GRACE risk scores (r=0.576,P＜0.001).During a follow-up period of about 5 years,96 cardiovascular events were recorded.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve analysis showed that area under the ROC curve (AUC) of hs-CRP was 0.821 (95 ％CI:0.749-0.892,P＜0.001) and AUC of GRACE risk score was 0.869 (95％CI:0.801 0.938,P＜0.001) in the evaluation of the long-term risk of incident cardiovascular events.The differences in prediction of long-term cardiovascular events in middle-aged and elderly patients with ACS were not significant (P =0.237) between GRACE risk score and hs CRP level.Conclusions Plasma hs-CRP level is positively associated with GRACE score.Both of them can predict long-term adverse cardiovascular events in middle-aged and elderly patients with acute coronary syndrome.

OBJECTIVETo examine the procoagulant effects of thrombolytic agent on hemostasis and study the role of hemostatic markers as predictors of clinical outcomes.

METHODSIn the present study, eighteen patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) received 1.5 or 2.0 million U nonspecific urokinase (UK), or 70 approximately 80 mg fibrin-specific recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and did not use heparin until 8 hours after intravenous injection of the above agents. Eight patients with AMI and without thrombolytic therapy were enrolled as controls. Coagulant and thrombolytic activity markers included thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), D-dimer, fibrinogen (Fg), FMPV/Amax. All markers were determined before, immediately, 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours after the administration of thrombolytic agents respectively.

RESULTSMolecular marker of thrombin generation--TAT showed an activated coagulant state immediately after thrombolytic therapy. Level of TAT showed no significant changes between every two observed phases in controls. However, level of TAT increased significantly from 4.95 +/- 1.75 microg/L ( 4.63 +/- 1.37 microg/L) to 14.71 +/- 3.31 microg/L (14.25 +/- 2.53 microg/L) before and immediately after administration of thrombolytic agents UK (or rt-PA). There was significant difference between level of serum TAT of patients with and without thrombolytic therapy (P < 0.05). Patients achieving clinical reperfusion had lower TAT level than those failing in thrombolytic therapy, and higher FMPV/Amax level than controls. D-dimer, a surrogate of thrombolytic activity increased markedly and Fg significantly declined after thrombolytic therapy (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThrombin generation occurred in plasma in response to excess fibrinolysis induced by thrombolytic therapy. Both urokinase and rt-PA had procoagulant action. This transient activation of the coagulant system might contribute to early reocclusion. These data provided the theoretical support for simultaneous administration of anticoagulant therapy with thrombolytic agents. These results also suggested that TAT might be useful in predicting clinical outcomes of patients treated with thrombolytic therapy for AMI.

Aged ; Antithrombin III ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Female ; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products ; metabolism ; Fibrinogen ; metabolism ; Fibrinolytic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; blood ; drug therapy ; Peptide Hydrolases ; blood ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; therapeutic use ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo explore the hematopoietic and immunologic reconstitution and transplantation-related complications of HLA one locus mismatched unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation for the treatment of hematological malignancies.

METHODSTwo children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia received HLA-mismatched unrelated umbilical cord blood transplantation. The conditioning regimens were BU-CTX (case 1) and BU-CTX plus BCNU (case 2). GVHD prophylaxis regimen consisted of cyclosporine (CsA) and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF). The patients received 14.6 x 10(7) nucleated cells/kg with 7.24 x 10(5) CD(34)(+) cells/kg and 16.24 x 10(7) nucleated cells/kg with 21.11 x 10(5) CD(34)(+) cells/kg, respectively.

RESULTSThe two recipients, ANC > 0.5 x 10(9)/L occurred at day 27 and day 17, BPC > 50 x 10(9)/L at day 53 and day 46, the peripheral blood counts normalization at day 60 and day 52, the immune function normalization at day 134 and day 122 and the DNA fingerprinting showing engraftment at day 19 and day 17, respectively. The donor-recipient pair of case 1 was male to female, and the chromosome karyotype of recipients bone marrow and peripheral blood cells showed 100%, 46, XY cells at day 49. Grade II acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) occurred at day 26 (case 1) and day 21 (case 2). The two recipients have survived for 353 days and 256 days.

CONCLUSIONThe hematopoietic and immunologic reconstitution in umbilical cord blood transplantation were earlier and more durable. The transplantation-related complications were less and aGVHD were milder.

Child, Preschool ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; DNA Fingerprinting ; DNA, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; immunology ; Graft Survival ; drug effects ; immunology ; Graft vs Host Disease ; immunology ; prevention & control ; HLA Antigens ; immunology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Infant ; Male ; Mycophenolic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; Transplantation Conditioning