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Introduction: Fludarabine, a purine analog, is getting more attention with the increasing use of reduced intensive conditioning regimens in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). The side effect of bradycardia was observed in only a few cases reported in the literature. In clinical practice, bradycardia can be asymptomatic or cause syncope and cardiac arrest. This study aimed to evaluate the bradycardia side effect of fludarabine used in the conditioning regimen in allo-HSCT recipients and to increase awareness of this issue. Methods: This retrospective study included 73 patients who received fludarabine in the allo-HSCT conditioning regimen between January 2015 and January 2021. Patients with and without bradycardia were compared regarding demographic data, allo-HSCT characteristics, electrolyte values, fludarabine administration dose and duration, and survival. Univariate and multivariate analyzes were performed to evaluate independent predictors for fludarabine-induced bradycardia. Results: Fludarabine administration doses and days were higher in the bradycardia group, but no statistically significant difference was observed. In the multivariate analysis, age was the only independent predictor of fludarabine-induced bradycardia (odds ratio (OR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.89–0.98, p = 0.007). The median age in the group with bradycardia was 19 years younger than those without bradycardia (34 (19–49) vs 53 (19–69), p = 0.005). In 11 (84.6%) of the patients who had bradycardia, bradycardia improved with the discontinuation of fludarabine alone, but atropine was administered in 2 (15.4%) patients. Conclusion: Age was the only independent predictor of fludarabine-induced bradycardia; therefore, close heart rate monitoring is recommended during fludarabine administration, especially in younger patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uric acid (UA) acts as a richly available water-soluble antioxidant, contributing to approximately two-thirds of the overall free-radical-scavenging activity in human serum. It is discharged from damaged cells during the preparation for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). This study assessed how pretransplantation uric acid levels influence survival and mortality in allo-HSCT patients. In a retrospective analysis of 267 patients with hematologic diseases who underwent allo-HSCT, uric acid levels were documented on the day of allo-HSCT (day 0). Patients were divided into two cohorts based on their pretransplant uric acid levels: those at or below 4.4 mg/dL and those above 4.4 mg/dL. Among them, 153 (57.3%) were male, and 114 (42.7%) were female, with a median age of 31 years (ranging from 13 to 66). Those with serum uric acid levels of 4.4 mg/dL or lower exhibited notably poorer overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) compared to those surpassing 4.4 mg/dL (p=0.032 and p=0.045, respectively). Our findings indicate an interrelation between low pretransplant serum uric acid levels and reduced survival rates in allo-HSCT patients. Further exploration into potential mechanisms, such as compromised antioxidative capacity in hypouricemia, may establish uric acid as a promising prognostic marker in allo-HSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cukurova Medical Journal / Çukurova Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Cukurova University, Faculty of Medicine and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a proliferative disease caused by the abnormal proliferation of histiocytes in the bone marrow dendritic cell structure. LCH is very rare in adults and its incidence is 1-2 cases per million. Therefore, there is still no clear management plan for adults. It was aimed to evaluate the very rare adult LCH patients. Materials and Methods: Ten LCH patients who were followed up at Erciyes University Hematology Department between January 2010 and January 2020 were included. Results: Eight (80%) of them were male and 2 (20%) were female. The median age of the patients was 34.5±8.4 (23-52) years. Although the most common involvement at the time of diagnosis was bone in 7 patients (70%) and lung in 3 patients (30%); pituitary, tympanic membrane, liver, and brain involvement were also observed. Three (30%) patients had single system involvement and 7 (70%) had multisystem. Four (40%) patients had relapsed and all had multisystemic involvement. The BRAF V600E mutation could be performed in 3 patients. It was negative in two patients and positive in 1 patient. All patients still have remission. Conclusion: Unlike children, LCH has a better course in adults. The most important approach is to determine single or multisystem involvement. In our patients with single system involvement, we obtained response with corticosteroid and surgery alone. We have observed that vinblastin plus methylprednisolone treatment is a good option for multisystemic involvement. In relapsed patients, we obtained a significant response with clofarabine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to determine the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) fear state in haematopoietic stem cell transplant patients and to examine its relationship with quality of life. Methods: In this prospective study, 64 patients who underwent HSCT during the pandemic were included. The COVID‐19 fear situation was evaluated with the Fear of COVID‐19 Scale (FCV‐19S). Quality of life was evaluated with the European Organisation for Quality of Life Research and Treatment Core Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ‐C30) (Version 3). Results: The median FCV‐19S score was 16.5 (12.0–22.0). The FCV‐19S score was significantly higher in urban residents than rural residents. The general health score was 59.64 ± 20.04. The strongest positive correlation between fear level and life quality was found in emotional function. A weak, significant, positive correlation was observed between role function, nausea–vomiting, pain, appetite loss and fear level. Conclusion: FCV‐19S is a quick, safe and valid tool that can be used to determine the COVID‐19 fear level in vulnerable patient groups such as HSCT patients and to direct them to the necessary psycho‐oncological support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is a technique in which plasma is separated from the rest of the blood in an extracorporeal system and exchanged with appropriate fluids. Two main methods are used in the TPE process: membrane filtration (mTPE) and centrifuge‐based (cTPE) TPE. We aimed to compare the efficacy of these methods and their effects on hemostatic parameters. Methods: A total of 88 TPE procedures performed on 51 patients were evaluated retrospectively. Hemostatic parameters, such as pre‐ and postoperative complete blood count, fibrinogen, and D‐dimer levels were evaluated, as well as data recorded during the TPE application, such as preparation time, operation time, and plasma removal efficiency (PRE). The Fresenius multiFiltrate, software version 5.3 device was used for the mTPE procedure and the Spectra Optia device was used for cTPE. Results: While both modalities removed similar amounts of plasma, the total time to perform the cTPE treatment was significantly lower than the mTPE (107 [66‐191] min vs 116.5 [80‐181] min, respectively) (P =.026). At the PRE rate, the mTPE procedure was as effective as cTPE (86.8% ± 16.3 vs 85.15% ± 17.63 respectively, P =.64). The difference was not statistically significant, and this is the highest rate of PRE reported about the mTPE procedure in the literature. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study directly comparing Fresenius and Spectra regarding mTPE and cTPE. While there were no statistically significant differences regarding PRE, treatment time of the mTPE was significantly longer than the cTPE treatment time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inflammatory processes play an important role in the pathophysiology of cGVHD. Serum fibrinogen is a proinflammatory protein with a wide range of functions in inflammation. But its role in GVHD is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive impact of pre-transplantation fibrinogen levels on cGVHD in allo-HSCT recipients. We retrospectively analyzed 249 patients with hematologic diseases undergoing allo-HSCT from 10/10 HLA-matched donors. Serum high fibrinogen levels at the time of HSCT (day 0) were significantly associated with cGVHD development in univariate analyses (OR 2.01, p= 0.012) and multivariate analyses (OR 1.003, p= 0.037). There was no significant association between fibrinogen levels and overall survival, disease-free survival and, acute GVHD (p> 0.05). This is the first report demonstrating the association between high fibrinogen levels and increased cGVHD occurrence. Further studies are warranted and may identify the efficacy of fibrinogen as a predictive marker on cGVHD in allo-HSCT recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL) is a type of lymphoma that forms approximately 3 % of non-Hodgkin lymphomas that often encounter with mass. The aim of this study was to present the epidemiological characteristics, response rates of the treatment and the survival of PMBCL patients in our single center. Materials and Methods: Patient demographics, treatment regimens, survival rates of PMBCL patients were retrospectively analyzed. Results: There are 15 patients in our study. Most of the patients were female (n:9, 60%). The median age at the time of diagnosis was 35.4. Nine patients applied with a bulky lesion in the mediastinum. Most of the patients have been treated with DA-EPOCH-R (dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone with rituximab) (n:13, 87%) and 2 (n:2, 13%) patients have been treated with R-CHOP (doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine and prednisone with rituximab) regimens for 6 cycles. Eight patients (53.3%) received involved-field radiotherapy on the mediastinum. After the first-row chemotherapy, total remission rate was 93.3%. Thirteen (87%) of the patients were still in remission and alive. The median follow-up time in our study was 43 months (13 -81). Mean disease-free survival was 67.43 months and overall survival was 72.87 months. The overall and disease-free survival rate was 86.7 % and 80%. Conclusions: In our study, most patients responded to the treatment and are still being followed in remission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cumhuriyet Medical Journal is the property of Cumhuriyet Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: The reactivation rate of dormant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the liver is between 4.1% and 41.5% in immune-compromised patients. The disappearance of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) can be an alarm for hepatitis B reactivation. In this study, the changes in serological status, reactivation rates, and antiviral prophylaxis rates were evaluated. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted involving patients who were followed up at Erciyes University HSCT Center between January 2018 and July 2019. The demographic data, type of hematological disease, pre- and post-transplant status of HBV, presence of antiviral prophylaxis, and frequency of hepatitis B flare were evaluated. Results: One hundred and seven patients were included in this study. The median follow-up duration was 18 months. New chemotherapy protocols were initiated in 36 patients due to progression and in 23 patients with a diagnosis of graft-versushost disease. Anti-HBs levels decreased in 60% of the patients, and anti-HBs levels decreased to below the protective level in 13% of the patients. Among the 107 patients, 38 had resolved hepatitis B infection before transplantation, and 20 and four of 18 patients (22%) who did not receive antiviral prophylaxis developed HBV seroconversion and hepatitis B flare. The median levels of anti-HBs titers after transplantation were 167 IU/L and 15 IU/L in groups that received and did not receive antiviral prophylaxis, respectively (p=0.028). Conclusion: Antiviral prophylaxis should be administered in patients positive for hepatitis B core antibody before hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation. Measuring HBV serological parameters at regular intervals is essential in the high-risk group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: PD-1 (programmed death-1) is an immune checkpoint receptor that modulates T-cell activity in peripheral tissues via interaction with its ligands, PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) and PD-L2 (programmed death-ligand 2). Tumor cells upregulate PD-L1 or PD-L2 to inhibit this T lymphocyte attack. Our goal was to determine the PD-1 and PD-L2 expression rates of various hematologic malignancies, and evaluate whether PD-1 and PD-L2 expressions have an impact on prognosis. Materials and methods: For this purpose, pretreatment bone marrow biopsy specimens of 83 patients [42 multiple myeloma (MM), 21 acute leukemia, and 20 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)] were stained with monoclonal antibody immunostains of PD-1 and PD-L2. Results: As a result, the overall expression rate of PD-1 was 26.2%, 4.8%, and 60% in patients with MM, acute leukemia, and CLL, respectively, whereas the PD-L2 expression rate was 61.9%, 14.3%, and 10% in patients with MM, acute leukemia, and CLL, respectively. Conclusion: Finally, we concluded that the role of the PD-1 pathway can be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Since we evaluated whether there is a correlation between the (IHC) results and survival of patients with MM, acute leukemia, and CLL, we could not demonstrate meaningful evidence that these markers have an impact on prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) affects the quality of life substantially. Recently, different parenteral iron preparations have been used as intravenous iron supplements. The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the efficacy of intravenous ferric carboxymaltose (FCM) and iron sucrose (IS) treatments in patients with IDA. Materials and Methods: The present study included 180 patients treated with intravenous iron at Kayseri Education and Research Hospital. FCM was administered a maximum of two infusions of 500- or 1000-mg iron. Also, IS was 200 mg administered in up to five infusions in 12 days. In all patients, laboratory evaluations were performed before beginning treatment and 4 weeks after treatment. Results: An expected increase in hemoglobin (Hb) and transferrin saturation (TS) levels was observed in the two groups. Also, the median ferritin increase was 54.50 ng/mL in the FCM group, whereas it was 28.05 ng/mL in the IS group (p<0.001). Likewise, post-treatment ferritin levels increased more significantly in the FCM group than in the IS group (58.15 vs. 29.65 ng/mL, respectively) (p<0.001). Conclusion: Our results show high efficacy and good tolerability of both the treatments. Also, FCM has the advantage of allowing more iron to be administered in fewer infusions and rapid correction of ferritin levels in IDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cumhuriyet Medical Journal is the property of Cumhuriyet Medical Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) represents one of the most frequent and serious hematologic diseases among the elderly. Chromosomal abnormalities have been detected in 23%-78% patients with MDS. We analyzed the cytogenetics of elderly MDS patients in Turkey. Materials and Methods: Data on patients (>65 years old) diagnosed with primary MDS from 2011 to 2013 were retrospectively collected from Erciyes University. Chromosome analysis was performed in 54 patients using conventional karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Results: Of the 54 patients recruited, karyotype abnormalities were found in 8 (15%) of 54 cases, among which, 5 (9%) were Trisomy 8 and 3 (6%) were del 5q. Conclusion: The incidence of chromosomal abnormalities in elderly Turkish MDS patients was lower than that reported in the literature. Although the pathogenesis of MDS is still poorly understood, environmental and biological factors could induce mechanisms that are associated with diverse karyotypes and variable frequencies of chromosomal abnormalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Our aim was to evaluate the contribution of flow cytometry (FC) analysis in patients with a histopathological diagnosis of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and to develop a reliable scoring system. Materials and Methods: We assessed the results of FC analysis in peripheral blood or bone marrow samples of 36 patients diagnosed with MCL by histopathological evaluation. Multivariate analysis identified 5 variables associated with MCL: CD23 negativity, CD5/19 common positivity, CD20/22 common bright positivity, FMC7 positivity, and clonal sIg bright positivity. A 5-point scoring system was devised using these parameters. Results: Twenty-five patients (69.4%) scored 5 points, 8 (22.2%) scored 4 points, and 3 (8.4%) scored 3 points. The diagnosis of MCL was confirmed by FC immunophenotyping in 91.6% of the patients. Conclusion: Our results suggest that a quintet diagnostic scoring system, which is considered to be reliable in the diagnosis of MCL, could make a substantial contribution to diagnosis and should be more widely introduced in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background A variety of apheresis instruments are now available on the market for double dose plateletpheresis. We compared three apheresis devices (Fenwal Amicus, Fresenius COM.TEC and Trima Accel) with regard to processing time, platelet (PLT) yield, collection efficiency (CE) and collection rate (CR). Study Design and Methods The single-needle or double-needle double plateletpheresis procedures of the three instruments were compared in a retrospective, randomized study in 135 donors. Results In the pre-apheresis setting, 45 double plateletpheresis procedures performed with each instrument revealed no significant differences in donor's age, sex, weight, hemoglobin, white blood cell and PLT count between three groups. The blood volume processed to reach a target PLT yield of ≥ 6 × 10 11 was higher in the COM.TEC compared with the Amicus and Trima (4394 vs. 3780 and 3340 ml, respectively; p < 0.001). Also there was a significantly higher median volume of ACD used in collections on the COM.TEC compared with the Amicus and Trima (426 vs. 387 and 329 ml, respectively; p < 0.001). There was a significantly higher median time needed for the procedures on the COM.TEC compared with the Amicus and Trima (66 vs. 62 and 63 min, respectively; p = 0.024). The CE was significantly higher with the Trima compared with the Amicus and COM.TEC (83.57 ± 17.19 vs. 66.71 ± 3.47 and 58.79 ± 5.14%, respectively; p < 0.001). Also, there was a significantly higher product volume on the Trima compared with the Amicus and COM.TEC (395.56 vs. 363.11 and 386.4 ml, respectively; p = 0.008). Additionally, the CR was significantly lower with the COM.TEC compared with the Amicus and Trima (0.092 ± 0.011 vs. 0.099 ± 0.013 and 0.097 ± 0.013 plt × 10 11 /min, respectively; p = 0.039). There was no significant differences in PLT yield between the three groups (p = 0.636). Conclusions Trima single-needle device collected double dose platelets more efficiently than Amicus and COM.TEC double-needle devices. Blood volume processed, ACD-A volume, and median separation time was significantly higher with the COM.TEC. Also, the CR was significantly lower with the COM.TEC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of apheresis equipment to collect blood components has rapidly increased in the past years. A variety of apheresis instruments are now available on the market for double dose plateletpheresis. We evaluated an apheresis instrument, the Trima Accel, with regard to platelet (PLT) yield, collection efficiency (CE), and collection rate (CR) in a retrospective, randomized study in 110 donors. The Trima Accel cell separator efficiently collected double dose platelets with median PLT yields of 3.7 × 10 11 , mean CE of 74.99 ± 14.40% and mean CR of 0.096 ± 0.012 × 10 11 /min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total body irradiation (TBI) combined with chemotherapy is widely used as a pretreatment regimen of bonemarrowtransplantation (BMT) in hematologic disorders. Late complications related to TBI as part of the conditioning regimen for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have been revealed. Acute transversemyelitis (ATM) is a neurological syndrome characterized by disorder of motor, sensorial, and autonomic nerves, and tracts at medulla spinalis, which is resulted from involvement of spinal cord. In this paper, we presented an ATM attack developed after TBI in a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as it is a rarely seen case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple myeloma is a malignant proliferation of plasma cells that mainly affects bone marrow. Pleural effusions secondary to pleural myelomatous involvement have rarely been reported in the literature. As it is rarely detected, we aimed to report a case in which pleural effusion of a multiple myeloma was confirmed as true myelomatous involvement by flow cytometry method. A 52-years old man presented to our clinic with chest and back pain lasting for 3 months. On the chest radiography, pleural fluid was detected in left hemithorax. Pleural fluid flow cytometry was performed. In the flow cytometry, CD56, CD38 and CD138 found to be positive, while CD19 was negative. True myelomatous pleural effusions are very uncommon, with fewer than 100 cases reported worldwide. Flow cytometry is a potentially useful and simple method for detection of pleural fluid involvement in multiple myeloma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 59-year-old female patient was admitted to the emergency service with complaints of hematemesis and melena for the last few days. In laboratory tests, the platelet count was found to be 6 × 109/L. Intravenous or oral corticosteroid treatment was thought to be given for ITP but disclaimed due to upper GIS bleeding. On the 5th day of treatment, Brucella melitensis was isolated from blood culture before the results of Wright tube agglutination tests were reported positive as 1 : 80. On the second day of the antibrucellosis treatment, the thrombocyte count was raised from 6000/mm³ to 110000/mm³, and on the 3rd day to 225000/mm³. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platelet (PLT) transfusions play an important role in patients with thrombocytopenia or severely impaired platelet function. Platelet concentrates are prepared from whole-blood donations or by plateletpheresis. In recent years, different instruments have been developed to perform plateletpheresis. We evaluated an apheresis instrument, the Haemonetics MCS ®  + with regard to PLT yield, collection efficiency (CE), and collection rate (CR) in a retrospective, randomized study in 526 donors. In this system, we used leukoreduction filters post collection to obtain leukoreduced products. The Haemonetics MCS ®  + cell separator efficiently collected apheresis platelets with median PLT yields of 3.7 × 10 11 , mean CE of 66.69 ± 13.73% and mean CR of 0.063 ± 0.013 × 10 11 /min. The median blood volume processed was 3290 (2420–4370) ml, and the median volume of acid citrate dextrose-A (ACD-A) used in collections on the device was 385 (196–517) ml. Also, this device allowed the collection of white blood cell (WBC) reduced plateletpheresis with mean 0.07 ± 0.15 × 10 6 WBC content. No serious donor or recipient reactions occurred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Niemann-Pick disease is a rare lipid storage disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance, which is characterised by the accumulation of sphingomyelin and other sphingolipids in macrophages. Kartagener's Syndrome is a syndrome with autosomal recessive inheritance consisting of chronic paranasal sinusitis, situs inversus, and bronchiectasis. Here we reported a case having Kartagener's Syndrome with concomitant Niemann- Pick disease, as such a case has not been reported in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is a hereditary disorder characterized by progressive neurological dysfunction, oculocutaneous telangiectasia, immunodeficiency, cancer susceptibility, and radiation sensitivity. Pediatric patients may develop acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However development of ALL in an adult patient with AT is a rare occurrence. Here we report such a patient who presented with hyperleukocytosis and were treated with leukapheresis. A 25years old male patient, who were diagnosed with AT and mental retardation, was admitted to the emergency department due to fatigue, nausea and headache. On admission he had a moderate general condition and was fully cooperated. His white blood cell (WBC) count were 466×109/l. Blastic cells were observed in peripheral blood smear. Flow cytometry (FC) of peripheral blood showed T-ALL. Two sessions of large volume leukapheresis was performed. Symptoms due to hyperleukocytosis markedly improved after leukapheresis. Patients with AT should be closely monitored due to risk of malignancy. Leukapheresis may improve the prognosis of high risk ALL patients presenting with hyperleukocytosis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of apheresis equipment to collect platelets has rapidly increased in recent years. We compared two apheresis instruments (Haemonetics MCS + and Trima Accel) with regard to platelet (PLT) yield and efficiency, and collection rate (CR) in a retrospective study. Overall 120 data obtained by Haemonetics and Trima systems (N = 60 for each) were randomly selected among 400 plateletpheresis procedures performed at the Apheresis Unit of Kayseri Education and Research Hospital between July 2016 and January 2017. The CR was significantly higher with the Haemonetics compared to the Trima (0.076 ± 0.016 vs. 0.065 ± 0.015 (PLT × 1011/min) respectively; P < 0.001). The PLT yield/unit was higher with the Haemonetics (4.4 ± 0.8 vs. 3.9 ± 0.8 × 1011, P = 0.001). Haemonetics and Trima Accel instruments collected platelets efficiently. We hope that these data will be a guide in selecting equipment for apheresis units. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study of a 63-year-old male who was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia after evaluation of peripheral blood smear and bone marrow. The patient developed fever, infraorbital edema, and yellow-black discoloration of the upper palate after undergoing chemotherapy which included cytarabine and idarubicin. The patient died on 30th day of hospitalization after surgical debridement. It also discusses mucormycosis.

Objectives and Aim In this study, we aimed to compare the potency of different G-CSF agents including original filgrastim (Neupogen®), biosimilar filgrastim (Leucostim®) and Lenograstim (Granocyte®) on CD34 + cell mobilization in patients that underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT). Patients and Methods The data of 243 donors for alloHSCT recipients diagnosed with mostly acute leukemia and myelodsyplastic syndromes (MDS) were analyzed, retrospectively. Data for stem cell mobilization have been recorded from patients' files. Donors who received Filgrastim (Neupogen®, Group I), biosimilar Filgrastim (Leucostim®, Group II) and Lenograstim (Granocyte®, Group III) were analyzed for total CD34 + cell count at the end of mobilization procedures. Results A total of 243 donors and patients for alloHSCT were analyzed retrospectively. The diagnosis of the patients were; acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (110 patients, 45.2%), acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) (61 patients, 25.1%), aplastic anemia (AA) (38 patients, 15.6%), lymphomas (14 patients, 5.7%) and others (20 patients, 8.4%). The median number of total collected PB CD34 + cells (×10 6 /kg) was 7.12 (min–max: 5.38–7.90) in the Neupogen® group, 7.27 (min–max: 6.79–7.55) in the Leucostim® group and 7.15 (min–max: 5.34–7.58) in the Granocyte® group. There was no statistically significant difference among groups in terms of total collected PB CD34 + cells (p = 0.919). The median doses of G-CSF agents (µg/kg/day) in PBSC collection in Neupogen® group was; 11.00 (10.00–12.00) in Leucostim® group10.35 (min–max: 10.00–11.10) and in Granocyte® group11.00 (min–max: 10.00–11.00). There was no statistical significance among groups (p = 0.215). Conclusion Biosimilar filgrastim (Leucostim®) was found comparable to original Filgrastim (Neupogen®) and Lenograstim (Granocyte®) for PBSC mobilization in donors of the patients that underwent alloHSCT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL) is the prototype of aggressive lymphomas. The abnormalities such as translocation, deletion, duplication are stated to affect the progress and the prognosis of the disease. This study investigates the presence and impact on the prognosis of K-ras mutation and C-myc overexpression in patients with DLBCL. Twenty eight patients diagnosed with DLBCL and 29 healthy controls, whose diagnostic lymph node biopsy was reactive, were enrolled in this study. Paraffin blocks were analyzed for K-ras mutations and C-myc expressions. The effects of C-myc and K-ras on overall and disease-free survival were evaluated. Of the 28 patients, three (10.7%) K-ras mutations were detected. K-ras mutation (+) cases have an average survival time of 28 months, while those without the mutation were 49 months. The average duration of disease-free survival was 17.6 months in patients with K-ras mutation, while it has been identified as 45 months in patients without mutations (p= 0.072). C-myc overexpression in 17 patients(61%) was detected. Median overall survival was 33 months in male patients, while it was 65 months in female patients (p= 0.006). The median disease-free survival time was 23 months in male patients, although 64 months in female patients (p= 0.003). Complete remission rate was 30% in C-myc overexpression group, while 69% in remaining group with the cut-off 2.48 (p= 0.02). The presence of K-ras and C-myc overexpression in patients with DLBCL does not affect overall and disease-free survival. C-myc overexpression harms complete remission. Gender was found to be influential on the overall and disease-free survival; meanwhile, the female gender was a better prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]