Recently there are increasing evidence of the existence of an immune-mediated endothelial-cell injury in the acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). Endothelial cells are an important target in the process of GVHD immune attacking, and vascular end thelial injure is an early event of tissue injury caused by aGVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Biomarkers for endothelial damage were consisted with endothelia injury, which may be considered a valuable marker to confirm GVHD diagnosis. The endothelial cell phenotype differs between organs, which results in organ-dependent differences for the involved organs when GVHD occurring. Although the endothelial cells play an impartant tole in process of aGVHD occurence, a further research to better characterize its role in allo-HSCT is needed. This review focusses on the research progress of aGVHD after allo-HSCT and endothelial-cell injury, as well as is markers so as to provide corresponding strategies and targets for the prevent and treatment of a GVHD.
Biomarkers ; Endothelial Cells ; pathology ; Graft vs Host Disease ; physiopathology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans

Anemia, Aplastic ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Female ; Graft Survival ; Graft vs Host Disease ; etiology ; immunology ; therapy ; HLA Antigens ; blood ; immunology ; Histocompatibility ; immunology ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Male ; Treatment Outcome

Nephrotic syndrome has been described as one of the clinical forms of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD), but a limited number of cases have been described. We experienced a young female patient with nephrotic syndrome developed 22 months after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for severe aplastic anemia. She had been well after successful management for gut-limited cGVHD until she developed a clinical nephrotic syndrome with hypoalbuminemia of 2.0 g/dL and 24-hr urine protein of 6.88 g/dL. On physical examination and laboratory findings, there was no other evidence of cGVHD. Clinical and renal biopsy findings were consistent with cGVHD-related membranous nephropathy, and immunosuppressive agents with cyclosporine and prednisone were prescribed. After 3 month of treatment, the proteinuria decreased to normal range; and the patient from nephrotic syndrome nearly recovered. We recommend cGVHD-related glomerulonephritis should be considered in all patients with hypoalbuminemia following allogeneic HSCT, even if there is no other evidence of clinical GVHD.
Adult ; Anemia, Aplastic*/physiopathology ; Anemia, Aplastic*/therapy ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranous/etiology* ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranous/pathology ; Graft vs Host Disease/physiopathology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Human ; Kidney Glomerulus/pathology

OBJECTIVEMucopolysaccharidosis(MPS) is a congenital hereditary disease. Only a few patients with this disease can be controlled by enzyme replacement therapy. Most of them are short of effective interference. To exploit the effect of treatment with allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, two children were treated with the transplantation.

METHODSThe two patients included a 23 month MPS-IH and an 18 month old MPS-VI at the time of transplantation. Busulfan of 20 mg/kg plus 200 mg of Cyclophosphamide were used as the conditioning regimen. Peripheral stem cells were collected from a 9/10 high resolution matched unrelated donor and a matched sibling carrier donor, respectively. The heart and lung were affected in the patient with MPS-IH. Medium obstructed pulmonary impairment was found by pulmonary function test at the time of transplantation. Medium mitral valve countercurrent and patent ductus arteriosis(PDA) were found by Doppla examination.

RESULTSThe number of hematopoietic stem cells was comparative between the two donors with total nucleated cells and CD34+ cells of 11 x 10(8)/kg and 17 x 10(8)/kg, and 7.6 x 10(6)/kg and 7.2x 10(6)/kg respectively. Neutrophil engrafted at day 11. The process of transplantation in the MPS-VI patient went smoothly with grade II graft versus host disease(GVHD) briefly and only 1 U RBC and 2 U platelet were transfused. For the MPS-IH patient, the process of transplantation was tough with platelet reaching to 20 x 10(9)/L till day 40 and 5 U RBC and 7 U platelet were transfused during transplantation. Grade III GVHD was resolved by steroid, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and CD25 antibody. Pneumonia recurred 3 times with 2 times rescued by trachea intubation and mechanical ventilation because of accompanying acute heart failure. At day 14 the lymphocytes in both patients were 100% from donors as evidenced by short tandem repeat-PCR(STR-PCR). MPS associated enzyme activity was increased to 70 nmol/h.mg and 66 nmol/h.mg at 3 month and still remained 50.9 nmol/h.mg and 44.5 nmol/h.mg at 2 years post transplantation. Till now the 2 patients have been followed up for 25 months and 28 months with good general condition. The cardiac and pulmonary functions have improved obviously in the MPS-IH patient. The cornea became clear in this patient.

CONCLUSIONAllogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective measure to treat patient with MPS-IH and MPS-VI. Transplantation at earlier stage of age can decrease transplant related complications. It requires longer time follow up for observing the clinical effects for these patients.

Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft vs Host Disease ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; adverse effects ; methods ; Humans ; Infant ; Intraoperative Complications ; drug therapy ; etiology ; Male ; Mucopolysaccharidoses ; enzymology ; pathology ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Recovery of Function ; Transplantation, Homologous

Recently, the association of Th-17 cells or IL-17 with ocular inflammatory diseases such as uveitis, scleritis and dry eye syndrome was discovered. We assessed whether interleukin (IL)-17 was present in the tears of various ocular surface inflammatory diseases and the tear IL-17 concentrations were clinically correlated with various ocular surface inflammatory diseases. We measured concentrations of IL-17 in tears of normal subjects (n = 28) and patients (n = 141) with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), dry eye syndrome (DES), Sjogren syndrome (SS), Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), filamentary keratitis, and autoimmune keratitis associated with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus. Clinical epitheliopathy scores were based on the surface area of corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining. The mean concentrations of IL-17 in tears of patients with filamentary keratitis, GVHD, autoimmune keratitis, SS, DES, MGD, SJS were significantly higher in order than that in normal subjects. Tear IL-17 concentration was significantly correlated with clinical epitheilopathy scores in the patients with systemic inflammatory disease, while tear IL-17 was not correlated with clinical severity of the cornea and conjunctiva in the dry eye patients without any systemic inflammatory disease. Tear IL-17 is likely to correlate clinically with corneal disease severity only in the patients with systemic inflammatory disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Dry Eye Syndromes/*metabolism ; Eye Diseases/diagnosis/*metabolism ; Eyelid Diseases/metabolism ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease/metabolism ; Humans ; Interleukin-17/*analysis ; Keratitis/metabolism ; Male ; Meibomian Glands/physiopathology ; Middle Aged ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sjogren's Syndrome/metabolism ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/metabolism ; Tears/metabolism