Search

Glutathione is a thiol-containing tripeptide which is considered as a master antioxidant. Found naturally in fresh leafy vegetables, fruits, and nuts, commercially available preparations of glutathione have been found to be useful in number of medical conditions such as central nervous system disorders, autism, cardiovascular system disorders, peripheral vascular disorders, diabetes and its complications, liver disease, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome/human immunodeficiency virus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. With regards to the dermatologic disorders, some studies have highlighted the role of glutathione as a skin-lightening agent. The studies on use in other diseases such as psoriasis, pemphigus vulgaris, acne vulgaris, rosacea, etc., are limited and need to be explored more. Glutathione is available as oral preparations (pills, sublingual tablets, solutions, syrups, and sprays), parenteral forms (intravenous [IV] preparations), topical formulations (creams, soaps, and facewashes). The major drawback of oral form of glutathione is its low bioavailability in humans. To overcome this drawback, sublingual tablets and oral liposomal glutathione have been made available. However, the number of studies evaluating its efficacy and safety are less in number. This review article has been written to highlight the role of glutathione in various dermatologic disorders apart from skin-lightening agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary endpoint was met: 32 pts remain relapse-free at 2 years: 18 had a Cp-pos OAML, 7 were Cp-neg, and PCR results are pending in 7. B Introduction: b In geographical areas where ocular adnexal MALT lymphoma (OAML) is frequently associated with I Chlamydia psittaci i (Cp) infection, monotherapy with a 3-week regimen of doxycycline has been associated with an overall response rate (ORR) of 65% and a 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 60% (IELSG27 trial; Ferreri, I et al. i JCO 2012). THE IELSG39 TRIAL: EFFICACY OF FIRST-LINE CHLAMYDIA PSITTACI ERADICATION WITH A SIX-MONTH REGIMEN OF DOXYCYCLINE IN PATIENTS WITH STAGE-I MALT LYMPHOMA OF THE OCULAR ADNEXAE. [Extracted from the article]

Assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) has acquired a prominent position in European treatment protocols for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), on the basis of its high prognostic value for predicting outcome and the possibilities for implementation of MRD diagnostics in treatment stratification. Therefore, there is an increasing need for standardization of methodologies and harmonization of terminology. For this purpose, a panel of representatives of all major European study groups on childhood and adult ALL and of international experts on PCR- and flow cytometry-based MRD assessment was built in the context of the Second International Symposium on MRD assessment in Kiel, Germany, 18–20 September 2008. The panel summarized the current state of MRD diagnostics in ALL and developed recommendations on the minimal technical requirements that should be fulfilled before implementation of MRD diagnostics into clinical trials. Finally, a common terminology for a standard description of MRD response and monitoring was established defining the terms ‘complete MRD response’, ‘MRD persistence’ and ‘MRD reappearance’. The proposed MRD terminology may allow a refined and standardized assessment of response to treatment in adult and childhood ALL, and provides a sound basis for the comparison of MRD results between different treatment protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that gene expression profile reveals significant differences between childhood and adult Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Percentage of children suffering from ALL being identified with translocation; Considerations on which diagnosis of ALL Ph+ in clinical settings was based; Comparison of gene expression profile for prednisone good response and prednisone poor response pediatric patients.

Examines the incidence of secondary acute lymphoblastic leukemia (sALL) with L3 morphology in adult patients. Characteristics of sALL; Detection of chromosome rearrangements involving c-myc oncogene; Responses of patients to chemotherapy.

We have shown previously that the anti-CD20 chimaeric monoclonal antibody rituximab exerts its effects on neoplastic B-lymphoma cell lines in part via complement-dependent cytotoxicity. In addition, membrane expression levels of complement inhibitory proteins CD55 and CD59 play a role in determining susceptibility to lysis. We have identified one t(14;18)-positive human B-cell non Hodgkin's lymphoma cell line (Karpas 422) that is resistant to rituximab and complement and used it for subsequent studies on the possible interaction between this novel therapeutic agent and established antineoplastic drugs. We have exposed Karpas to several chemotherapeutic agents (doxorubicin, idarubicin, cisplatin, taxol) for different time periods and subsequently exposed the cells to rituximab and human complement. The combination of these drugs with rituximab induced an additive cytotoxic effect. In contrast, exposure to fludarabine (1 µg/ml for 48–72 h) showed a synergistic effect, with cell lysis increasing from 10% to 20% using fludarabine or rituximab and complement alone to about 70% with both cytotoxic agents. Analysis of the mechanism for this synergistic effect showed that fludarabine downmodulates the membrane expression of CD55 (from 96% to 55% positive cells) without significantly altering CD20 levels. Northern analysis demonstrated that fludarabine induced a general downmodulation of steady state mRNA levels with no change in transcription rate detected in run-off assays. The study of the effect of fludarabine and rituximab in six freshly isolated B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) samples showed that, in most cases, fludarabine has an additive cytotoxic activity with rituximab and complement. This report gives a rational support for clinical studies with combinations of drugs, including monoclonal antibodies and fludarabine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied five patients with chronic lymphocytosis consisting of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). The increased numbers of LGL in these patients had little or no natural killer activity, mediated antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity, and were induced to kill tumour lines after culture for 3 days with interleukin 2 (IL-2). Patients' LGL showed considerable reactivity with HNK-1 and AB8.28 monoclonal antibodies (MoAb), whereas positivity for OKM1 and N901 was found in only two subjects, and only one patient reacted with B73.1. No appreciable reactivity has been found with anti-Tac MoAb in the four patients tested. In the absence of stimulation, the patients' LOL produced no IL-2 and only minimal amounts of IL-1 and interferon (IFN). On stimulation with lipopolysaccharides (for IL-1) or phytohaemagglutinin A (PHA) (for IL-2 and IFN), they produced IL-1 and IFN in amounts similar to those produced by normal lymphocytes, but only modest levels of IL-2. These results indicated that proliferating LGL, like normal LGL, have a secretory capacity. The lack of constitutive lymphokine production, the lack of Tac receptor expression, and the defect in IL-2 production after PHA stimulation do not support the hypothesis of an autocrine proliferation sustained by a known growth factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor discussing a case of an expansion of B cell precursors after unrelated cord blood transplantation for an adult patient is presented.

Discusses about monoclonal villous lymphocytosis (MVL) which is an uncommon for of chronic lymphocytosis sustained by villous B cells. Characteristics of B cells; Details of transition from MVL to aggressive splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL) in a patient; Distinctive features of MVL.