No abstract available.
Hemoglobinuria, Paroxysmal* ; Humans ; Prednisolone*

No abstract available.
Erythropoietin*

No abstract available.
Phenotype* ; Thalassemia*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis, Differential* ; T-Lymphocytes*

No abstract available.
Leukemia, Plasma Cell* ; Plasma Cells* ; Plasma* ; Plasmacytoma*

No abstract available.
Liver Transplantation ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Cytomegalovirus Infections ; Cytomegalovirus ; Cirrhosis, Cryptogenic ; Graft Rejection ; Bone Marrow ; Time Factors ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

No abstract available.
Humans ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum* ; Pyoderma* ; Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Stem Cells*

BACKGROUND: Human parvovirus B19 (B19V) is one of the smallest DNA viruses and shows great resistance to most disinfectants. Therefore, it is one of the common contaminant pathogens present in blood and plasma products. Parvovirus 4 (PARV4) is a newly identified parvovirus, which is also prevalent in parenteral transmission. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of B19V and PARV4 DNA among patients with hemophilia in Birjand County in eastern Iran. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study comprising nearly all people with hemophilia in this region. Whole blood samples were taken after patient registration and sent for plasma isolation. After nucleic acid extraction, B19V was detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction, PARV4 DNA was then detected using sensitive semi-nested PCR. RESULTS: In total, there were 86 patients with hemophilia, with mean age 28.5±1.5 years. Of these, 90.7% were men and 9.3% women; 84.9% had hemophilia A and 7.0% had hemophilia B. We found 11 patients (12.8%) were positive for B19V DNA and 8 were positive (9.3%) for PARV4 DNA. The prevalence of B19V was higher in middle-aged groups rather than younger people, whereas PARV4 infection was more common in younger patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of B19V and PARV4 infection in this high-risk group of patients with hemophilia. Due to the clinical significance of the B19 virus, imposing more precautionary measures for serum and blood products is recommended.
Disinfectants ; DNA ; DNA Viruses ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Hemophilia A* ; Hemophilia B ; Humans* ; Iran ; Male ; Parvovirus B19, Human* ; Parvovirus* ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: Stem cell units (SCUs) that are cryopreserved prior to both autologous and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplants (for donor lymphocyte infusion) remain unused or partially used several times, and become an increased burden to blood banks/SCU repositories. Because of the scarcity of data regarding the duration for which the storage is useful, there is no general consensus regarding disposal of SCUs. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective audit of SCU utilization in 435 patients who planned to undergo either autologous stem cell transplantation (auto-SCT) (N=239) or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT) (N=196) at a tertiary cancer care center between November 2007 to January 2015. RESULTS: Our cohort consisted of 1,728 SCUs stored for conducting auto-SCT and 729 SCUs stored for conducting donor lymphocyte infusions (DLIs) after allo-SCT. Stem cells were not infused in 12.5% of patients who had planned to undergo auto-SCT, and 80% of patients who underwent allo-SCT never received DLI. Forty-one percent of SCUs intended for use in auto-SCT remained unutilized, with a second auto-SCT being performed only in 4 patients. Ninety-four percent of SCUs intended for carrying out DLIs remained unused, with only minimal usage observed one year after undergoing allo-SCT. CONCLUSION: The duration of storage of unused SCUs needs to be debated upon, so that a consensus can be reached regarding the ethical disposal of SCU.
Cohort Studies ; Consensus ; Cryopreservation ; Developing Countries* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Retrospective Studies ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells* ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the outcomes of serum galactomannan (GM) assay for the screening of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) recipients while on primary antifungal prophylaxis (PAP). METHODS: This study included patients with hematologic disorders who underwent alloHSCT from January 2013 to November 2015. Patients received routine PAP with fluconazole before 2014 and micafungin after 2014; serum GM tests were performed and retrospectively analyzed. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of serum GM tests for detection of probable/proven IPA were evaluated. The serial change of serum GM levels was illustrated on a time series plot. RESULTS: A total of 136 alloHSCT recipients at Seoul National University Hospital were included in the study. Fluconazole was administered in 72 patients for PAP, while micafungin was administered in the remaining 64 patients. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and NPV of serum GM assays were 95.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 78.9–99.9%), 93.8% (95% CI 91.7–95.5%), and 99.8% (95% CI 99.1–100.0%), respectively. However, the PPV of GM tests was relatively low at 35.4% (95% CI 23.9–48.2%). The serial change in serum GM levels differed according to the antifungal agents used. With effective PAP using micafungin, serial serum GM levels showed zero order kinetics during the neutropenic period. CONCLUSION: Although the serum GM assay is a sensitive and specific test for detecting IPA in alloHSCT recipients, its role for routine surveillance in an era of effective PAP with micafungin is limited.
Antifungal Agents ; Fluconazole ; Hematology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis* ; Kinetics ; Mass Screening* ; Retrospective Studies* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul ; Stem Cell Transplantation* ; Stem Cells*