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Introduction We have previously shown that some patients present thrombocytopenia (less than 100 × 109/L platelets) in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To further explore the nature of this association, we have now analyzed the association of thrombocytopenia with neutropenia (less than 0.5 × 109/L granulocytes) in NAFLD. Material and methods Persons with NAFLD were prospectively accrued in the study after February 2018. The presence of NAFLD was defined by both serologic determinations (Fibromax ®) and liver transient elastography (TE/Fibroscan ®). Results In 123 consecutive patients with NAFLD without cirrhosis, thrombocytopenia was identified in 20 (16%), whereas neutropenia was identified in 9 (7%). In the subset of 20 patients with NAFLD and thrombocytopenia, granulocytopenia was identified in 5 (25%), whereas in the subset of 9 patients with granulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia was identified in 5 (55%). We found a significant association between thrombocytopenia and both leukopenia and granulocytopenia (OR 8.25, 95% CI 1.9–34.2, p = 0.004). Conclusions Both thrombocytopenia and neutropenia were identified in persons with NAFLD and, as there is a significant relationship between these two variables, we speculate that this finding may support the possibility of hypersplenism being involved in the cytopenias found in NAFLD without cirrhosis.

Background: The FACEmemory® online platform comprises a novel, self-administered memory test with embedded voice recognition technology and a questionnaire with relevant sociodemographic and medical/family history data. This is the first study about a completely self-administered memory test with voice recognition, pre-tested in a memory clinic, offered freely worldwide on a website platform. The aims of this study are to investigate the demographic and clinical variables associated with FACEmemory total score, and to identify differentiable patterns of memory performance among the first 3,000 individuals who completed the FACEmemory. Methods: A marketing campaign was carried out to make FACEmemory accessible worldwide to individuals whose native language was Spanish or Catalan. Data from the first 3,000 subjects over 18 years old who completed the FACEmemory were analysed. Descriptive analyses were applied to demographic, FACEmemory scores, and medical/family history variables reported in a questionnaire; t-test and chi-square analyses were used to compare participants with preserved (>31 points) versus impaired performance (Results: The study sample had a mean age of 50.57 years and 13.65 years of schooling. 64.1% were women and most (82.1%) participants reported memory complaints that worried them. The group with impaired FACEmemory performance (20.4%) was older, had fewer years of formal education and a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and family history of a neurodegenerative disease compared with the group with preserved FACEmemory performance. Multiple regression analysis showed that age, schooling, sex, country and completion of the questionnaire were statistically associated with FACEmemory total score. Finally, Machine Learning techniques identified 4 patterns of FACEmemory performance: normal, dysexecutive, storage and completely impaired. Conclusions: FACEmemory is a promising tool for the pre-screening of people with subjective memory complaints in the community in order to identify those with objective memory deficits and raise awareness about cognitive decline. The FACEmemory website platform is an opportunity to facilitate a free, online and self-administered episodic memory assessment to Spanish or Catalan speaking individuals worldwide, and potentially extensible to other languages.

Background Limited number of studies have focused on the impact of pollen exposure on asthma. As a part of the EAACI Guidelines on Environment Science, this first systematic review on the relationship of pollen exposure to asthma exacerbations aimed to bridge this knowledge gap in view of implementing recommendations of prevention. Methods We searched electronic iPubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases using a set of MeSH terms and related synonyms and identified 73 eligible studies that were included for systemic review. When possible, meta-analyses were conducted. Results Overall meta-analysis suggests that outdoor pollen exposure may have an effect on asthma exacerbation but caution is needed due to the low number of studies and their heterogeneity. The strongest associations were found between asthma attacks, asthma-related ED admissions or hospitalizations and an increase of grass pollen concentration in the previous 2 days overall in children aged less than 18 years of age. Tree pollen may increase asthma-related ED visits or admissions lagged up to 7 days overall in individuals younger than 18 years. Rare data show that among subjects under 18 years of age an exposure to grass pollen lagged up to 3 days may lower lung function. Conclusions Further research considering effect modifiers of pollen sensitization, hay fever, asthma, air pollution, green spaces and pre-existing medications is urgently warranted to better evaluate the impacts of pollen on asthma exacerbation. Preventive measures in relation to pollen exposure should be integrated in asthma control as pollen increase continues due to climate change.

BACKGROUND The outcomes of Hodgkin´s lymphoma (HL) in México have not been widely reported. Simplified and affordable treatments have been adopted in middle-income countries. AIM The aim was to evaluate long-used therapies for HL in México in a long-term basis. METHODS In a 34-year time period, 88 patients with HL were treated at a single institution in México. Patients were treated with adriamycin bleomycin vinblastine and dacarbazine (ABVD) or mechlorethamine, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (MOPP). Relapsed or refractory patients were given ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) followed by autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplants. RESULTS Thirty-seven women and 51 men were included; the median age was 29 years. Patients were followed for a mean of 128 mo. The 310-mo overall survival (OS) was 83% for patients treated with MOPP and 88% for those treated with ABVD. The OS of patients who received autologous stem cell transplantation was 76% (330 mo) vs 93% (402 mo) in those who did not. CONCLUSION HL may be less aggressive in Mexican population than in Caucasians. Combined chemotherapy renders acceptable results, regardless of clinical stage.

Cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) such as t(4;14), t(14;16), and del(17p), are associated with a poor prognosis in Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients. However, there is scarce information regarding the Latin-American population. This study aims to analyze the impact of t(4;14), t(14;16), and del(17p) on the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of transplant-eligible newly-diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients in Latin America. Retrospective survival analysis based on the Grupo de Estudio Latinoamericano de MM (GELAMM) registry, including all adult patients with NDMM harboring CA t(4;14), t(14;16), and/or del(17p). Fifty-nine patients were included; the median age was 57 years, 55.9% males, 22% ISS-I, 25.4% ISS-II, and 47.5% ISS-III. The majority (89.8%) had 1 alteration, whereas 10.2% had del(17p) and t(4;14). The frequencies of CA were del(17p) in 61.0%, t(4;14) in 25.4%, and t(14;16) in 3,4%. Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) was performed in 61.0% of cases. Five-year OS for the entire cohort was 60.8% and 5-year PFS was 28.1%. Bortezomib-based induction regimen (BBR) (P = 0.029), consolidation with ASCT (P0.001), and maintenance therapy (P = 0.004) were associated with an improved 5-year OS. In the multivariate analysis, ASCT was the only variable with a positive impact on OS (HR 0.11, 95% CI 0.033 to 0.34, P0.001). The median PFS presented a non-statistically significant benefit in BBR, ASCT, and maintenance therapy groups. BBR induction, ASCT, and maintenance therapy were associated with improved OS in high-risk NDMM patients.

The decision to get involved in the study and practice of medicine is not easy. Within the scientific environment, achieving both professional and personal success requires a strict discipline, where effort becomes an essential part of daily life; in addition, having family support becomes crucial in order for not to lose hope when confronting the different adversities that arise during medical training.To identify families where at least two members belong to the Academia Nacional de Medicina de México (ANMM).A cross-sectional study was carried out to identify families of Mexican doctors where at least two members, consanguineous or in-laws, have been or are ANMM members through a review of 2017 ANMM Directory and personal contact with the different academics.Information on 45 families belonging to the ANMM was collected.From this study, it is possible to show the great influence that some doctors have in their family environment, which makes the study of medicine attractive as a life project.La decisión de involucrarse en el estudio y la práctica de la medicina no es fácil. Dentro del ambiente científico, alcanzar el éxito tanto profesional como personal requiere de una disciplina estricta en donde el esfuerzo se vuelve parte esencial de la vida diaria, además, el tener el apoyo familiar se vuelve un pilar para no perder la ilusión ante las distintas adversidades que se presentan en la formación médica.Identificar a las familias donde mínimo dos miembros pertenecen a la Academia Nacional de Medicina.Se llevó a cabo un estudio transversal para analizar las familias de médicos mexicanos en las que por lo menos dos miembros, consanguíneos o políticos, han sido o son miembros de la Academia Nacional de Medicina de México por medio de la consulta del Directorio de la Academia Nacional de Medicina del año 2017 y el contacto de manera personal con los distintos académicos.Se recolectó información de 45 familias pertenecientes a la Academia Nacional de Medicina de México.A partir de este estudio es posible evidenciar la gran influencia que emiten algunos médicos en su entorno familiar, que hace que el estudio de la medicina sea atractivo como proyecto de vida.

The aim of this study was to describe clinical and survival characteristics of transplant-eligible multiple myeloma (MM) patients in Latin America (LA), with a special focus on differences between public and private healthcare facilities. We included 1293 patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2018. A great disparity in outcomes and survival between both groups was observed. Late diagnosis and low access to adequate frontline therapy and ASCT in public institutions probably explain these differences. Patients treated with novel drug induction protocols, followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and maintenance, have similar overall survival compared to that published internationally.

There is data suggesting that the clinical behavior of multiple myeloma (MM) may be different in Latin Americans than in Caucasian or African-Americans, consistent with a less aggressive course of MM in Latinos. We analyzed the overall survival (OS) of 139 persons with MM in a single institution in México, as well the variables which were associated with long-term OS. Of all patients, the median OS was 11 years whereas the 5-year and 10-year OS were 75% and 55% respectively. The analysis of variables showed that the variable related with five-year survival was having hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), whereas the variables related with 10-year survival were HSCT, age at diagnosis (patients younger than 50 survived longer), light chain type (kappa survived longer) and ISS stage (stage I patients survived longer). The only variable associated with both 5 and 10-year survival was HSCT. A plateau in the OS was reached after 10 years, both in grafted and non-grafted patients. We have confirmed the critical role of HSCT in the prognosis of persons with MM, independent of the induction treatment or the maintenance post-transplant, and we have identified a better prognosis in this cohort, as compared with African-Americans or Caucasians, since the proportion of long-term survivors in our group is seemingly better than those in other populations.

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been given to persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) for over 20 years, and more than 3000 HSCTs have been done worldwide1,2. Transplant-related mortality in MS managed with HSCT, was considered a limiting factor but has decreased to < 2%2.

Background: The treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved in recent years, and the disease-associated prognosis has improved substantially. This improvement has been driven largely by the approval of novel agents, many of which are expensive and not universally available. Less expensive but effective approaches would be of value globally. Patients and Methods: All consecutive MM patients diagnosed in the Centro de Hematología y Medicina Interna de Puebla after 1993 were included in this study. Patients were given oral thalidomide (100 mg/day), oral dexamethasone (36–40 mg/week), and aspirin 100 mg/day. Bor­tezomib (1.75 mg s.c. every week) was administered to those who could afford it. After 4–6 weeks of treatment, patients were offered an outpatient-based hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). After the recovery of granulocytes following HCT, patients continued indefinitely on thalidomide; those who failed to tolerate thalidomide were switched to lenalidomide (25 mg/day). Results: The median overall survival (OS) for all patients has not been reached and is >157 months. Median follow-up of the patients lasted 14 months (range 1.3–157). The median OS of patients with and without HCT was similar. The response rate (complete remission or very good partial remission) was 72% for those given thalidomide plus dexamethasone versus 88% for those given bortezomib, thalidomide, and dexamethasone before HCT, but OS was not different. As post-HCT maintenance, 37 patients received thalidomide; 26 of those (70%) could be maintained indefinitely on thalidomide, whereas 11 were switched to lenalidomide after a median of 7 months; median OS of patients maintained on thalidomide or lenalidomide after HCT was not different. Conclusion: In this series, a regimen incorporating low-cost novel agents and outpatient HCT was associated with excellent long-term survival in the treatment of MM patients. This approach may be a model for MM treatment in underprivileged circumstances.

Summary In order to reset the immune system to baseline function, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been performed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). After June 2015, 617 new consecutive patients with MS were autografted in our center with non-frozen peripheral blood stem cells. The autografts were performed on an out-patient basis, after conditioning with cyclophosphamide and rituximab. The aim of the study was the assessment of both safety and efficacy of the method. The study’s primary co-end-points were recovery of granulocyte and platelet counts and transplant-related mortality. Secondary end-points were overall survival and clinical response (improvement or stabilization of the self-reported expanded disability status scale score). The protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02674217.0. We included 401 females and 216 males, with a median age of 46 years. A total of 259 patients had relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS), 228 had secondary progressive (SPMS) and 130 had primary progressive (PPMS) multiple sclerosis. All procedures were initially performed on an out-patient basis and only 32 individuals (5%) required hospitalization. One to three aphereses (median 1) were required to harvest at least 1 × 106/kg viable CD34+ cells. The total number of viable CD34+ infused cells ranged between 1 and 37·83 × 106/kg (median 5·68). Patients recovered more than 0·5 × 109/l absolute granulocytes by day 8 (median, range = 2–14), and platelet values were above 20 × 109/l by day 4 (median, range = 0–11). Eleven individuals required red blood cells and six needed platelet transfusions. To date, there have been no deaths attributable to the transplant, yielding a 30-month overall survival of 100%. Patients have been followed for 3–42 months (median = 12). The overall response rate (decrease or stabilization of the self-reported EDSS score) at 12 months was 78% for all patients (83% in RRMS, 78% in PPMS and 73% in SPMS), while the disability progression-free survival was 82% for all patients (86% in RRMS, 78·5% in SPMS and 78% in SPMS). Changes in the self-reported EDSS score in parallel with neurological improvement were observed in people with all types of MS after HSCT, employing the ‘Mexican method’.

Background The biology of some hematological diseases varies among different populations. No previous studies have evaluated the clinical behavior of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in Mexico. Objective and methods This is a retrospective review of MCL cases seen in Mexico from January 2003 to June 2020. A total of 12 cases were identified. Results There were nine males and three females; median age was 56 years. Eight patients had a high MCL international prognostic index score, one was intermediate, and three were low. Five patients had circulating malignant monoclonal cells. Initial treatment included rituximab, cyclophosphamide, daunorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) and CHOP. Subsequent treatment included hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in five patients; two were given maintenance therapy. Splenectomy was done in four patients. Median overall survival (OS) for all the patients has not been reached and exceeds 162 mos: OS at 162 mos was 56%. Achieving a complete remission (CR) after the first treatment was a significant prognostic factor, with a median OS exceeding 141 mos in patients achieving CR, and 16 mos among those not achieving CR (p = 0.0006). Conclusion Some of MCL patients in Mexico have an indolent clinical course, particularly patients who achieve a CR to initial treatment and who undergo splenectomy.

The ideal treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 has yet to be defined, but convalescent plasma (CoPla) has been successfully employed.The objective of the study was to study the safety and outcomes of the administration of CoPla to individuals with severe COVID-19 in an academic medical center.Ten patients were prospectively treated with plasma from COVID-19 convalescent donors.Over 8 days, the sequential organ failure assessment score dropped significantly in all patients, from 3 to 1.5 (p = 0.014); the Kirby index (PaOAlthough other treatments were also administered to the patients and as a result data are difficult to interpret, it seems that the addition of CoPla improved pulmonary function.

Introduction: Although therapeutic choices for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) were once limited, treatment of this disease has vastly improved in the last decades.Patients and met...

Introduction Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT) has become an acceptable approach for many patients; however, the suitability of this procedure and outcomes regarding efficacy and safety remain unclear. Here we present a single-center experience using a conditioning regimen based on cyclophosphamide and fludarabine under outpatient conditions. Methods: Retrospective study evaluating the performance of haplo-SCT in a single center. The conditioning regimen was fludarabine 50 mg on days -6 through -4, cyclophosphamide (Cy) 500 mg/m 2 on days -7 to -4 and tacrolimus 1000 mg and post-transplant Cy (50 mg/kg) on days +3 and +4 (Figure 1). Donor cell collection was accomplished through apheresis in all patients and fresh cells were administered on same day of collection. All the procedures were started on an outpatient basis. Overall survival was defined as mortality for any reason, starting to count from the day of transplantation to the date of death. The survival function was calculated according to the Kaplan-Meier estimation method. All patients signed a consent to participate after a thorough interview and the study protocol was approved by Clínica Ruiz IRB. Results: We grafted 20 patients, (14 adults and 6 children) with haploidentical cells and found that in 11 cases (55%), the full procedure could be completed totally as outpatients; the diagnosis of the grafted patients were: 10 acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 3 acute myelogenous leukemia, 3 paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, and one each non-Hodgkin´s lymphoma, Blackfan-Diamond syndrome and multiple myeloma. Nine patients (3 children and 6 adults) were admitted to the hospital after completing the conditioning, 1 to 8 days after day 0: the causes for admission were neutropenic fever (5 cases), cytokine-release syndrome (3 cases), and intraabdominal abscess (1 case). Patients remained in the hospital for a median of 9 days. Four patients failed to engraft and recovered endogenous hematopoiesis and acute graft versus host-disease developed in 5 of 16 engrafted patients; two patients relapsed after the haplo-SCT. The transplant-related mortality was 35%, whereas the 2-year overall survival (OS) was 37.5% (Figure 2); the causes of the 7 deaths were: Four granulocytopenic sepsis, 2 graft-versus-host disease and one multiple organ failure. Conclusions Haplo-SCT procedures can be conducted safely and effectively on an outpatient basis; however, questions remain regarding the selection of patients and managing of complications, especially in outpatient conditions in which full and timely availability of specialized care could be the pivotal factor to improve short-term outcomes. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction Several autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Stiff man syndrome or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) can benefit from autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) due to its immunomodulatory effects at short- and long-term. Here we present the results from the conduction of an outpatient HSCT procedures in 16 patients with CIDP. Methods Prospective study of HSCT in persons with CIDP recruited since 2015. Patients with and without previous immunomodulatory therapy were enrolled and a 3-month wash-out period was recquired; previous or current use of walking support was not a contraindication. All patients signed a consent before starting the study and the study protocol was approved by Clínica Ruiz IRB. Before the conditioning, all participants underwent a comprehensive evaluation. On day -11 and -10, patients received cyclophosphamide (Cy) at 50 mg/kg, followed by a 7-day course of G-CSF previous to cell collection (day -2) through apheresis using a Mahurkar catheter. Then, on day -2 and -1 a second round of Cy at 50 mg/kg was given (Figure 1). Transfusions and antimicrobial prophylaxis were administered per local protocol. Upon hematological recovery (>500 ANC) all patients received a rituximab infusion at 1000 mg. Results Sixteen patients with CIDP underwent screening for transplantation clearance and all of them proceeded to HSCT. Of those, 8 (50%) patients were male. Median age at transplantation was found to be 44 years (SD 10.5). Walking support was employed at the time of HSCT by 7 (44%) patients and most frequent previous therapy was intravenous immunoglobulin in 4 (25%) patients. On average a mean 8.5x10 6/kg (SD 4.2) of CD34 + cells were infused. The mean nadir neutropenia was found to be 0.11x10 9/L (SD 0.13) and the median time of granulocytes recovery was 7.0 days (SD 2.9) while median time of platelet recovery was 5.5 days (SD 3.0). One (6%) patient was admitted to hospital due to febrile neutropenia and 4 (25%) patients required red-blood cell and platelet transfusion support. In 3 of 5 persons the need of walking support reverted. Conclusions Our experience suggests that people with CIDP may undergo HSCT with no major complications on an outpatient basis. Hospital admissions, hematological recovery, and infectious complications seem to be relatively low-severity complications that could be manage with standard protocols. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Gomez-Almaguer: Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau.

Objective: Sticky platelet syndrome (SPS) is an inherited condition that leads to arterial and venous thrombosis. There is scant information about the association between SPS and obstetric complications. This study aimed to assess the relationship between SPS and fetal loss at a single institution. Materials and Methods: The obstetric histories of all consecutive female patients prospectively studied in a 324-month period at a single institution with a history of thrombosis and a clinical marker of primary thrombophilia were reviewed. Results: Between 1989 and 2016, 268 consecutive patients with a clinical marker of primary thrombophilia and a history of arterial or venous thrombosis were studied; of these, 108 were female patients. Within this subset of thrombophilic females, 77 (71%) had been pregnant at some point. Twenty-eight of these 77 patients (37%) had had a spontaneous abortion and 24 of those (86%) were found to have SPS. On the other hand, in a subset of 73 female patients with SPS who had been pregnant, 32% had miscarriages. These figures are significantly higher than the prevalence of spontaneous abortions in the general Mexican population of pregnant women, which is 12%- 13% (chi-square: 7.47; p=0.0063). Accordingly, the relative risk of having a miscarriage is 2.66 times higher in female patients with SPS than in the general population (p=0.0014). Conclusion: In Mexico, female patients with SPS experience significantly more spontaneous abortions than the general population. Since the treatment of SPS is simple and effective and could in turn prevent adverse obstetric outcomes, its investigation in women treated for obstetric complications may be useful and deserves further research.

Introduction: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been widely employed for autoimmune disorders under myeloablative and non-myeloablative regimens. The main indication for HSCT in this setting is multiple sclerosis (MS) in its relapsing-remitting form and related disorders such as neuromyelitis optica or clinical isolated syndrome. Results have varied, but response rates and prognostic features are still unkown along the spectrum of disease and conditioning regimens. Methods: People with MS (PwMS) autografted from March 2015 to March 2020 with a reduced intensity regimen (Cy/G-CSF + Rituximab) (NCT 02674217), were followed longitudinally every 3 months to assess the Expandable Disease Status Scale (EDSS). All patients with complete follow-up data were included in this study and two different cohorts were made according to PwMS that were followed by 12 or 24 months. The primary outcome was improvement or stabilization of EDSS at 12 months and 24 months. All potential prognostic factors were collected from electronic medical record of patients with complete sociodemographic, clinical and laboratory data. In order to identify prognostic factors related to responses, univariate analyses were carried out with logistic regression; variables that showed a p value Results: Two cohorts were formed according to follow-up periods. Cohort 1 (12 months follow-up) comprised of 200 pwMS, 133 (66.5%) being female and 47 (33.5%) male. Their features are shown in Figure 1A. Cohort 2 (24 months follow-up) was formed by 93 pwMS, 60 (64.5%) being female and 33 (35.5%) male. Their features are shown in Figure 1B. In cohort 1, 149 pwMS (74.5%) had a response while 51 (25.5%) did not. Mean change of EDSS between baseline and 12 months post-HSCT was -0.42 (range -7 to 4). In cohort 2, 54 patients (58%) had a response while 39 (42%) did not. Mean change of EDSS between baseline and 24 months post-HSCT was -0.02 (range -4 to 7). In cohort 1, baseline EDSS ≥4 was identified as a predictor of 12 months response in multivariate analysis (OR 0.02, p 0.02, 95% CI 0.1- 0.8). Also, early response at 3 months post-HSCT in the univariate (OR 8.5, p 10 years showed an association with a negative response at 24 months as well in the univariate (OR 0.3, p 0.008, 95% CI 0.1 - 0.7) and multivariate analyses (OR 0.1, p 0.002, 95% CI 0.04 - 0.5). These results are shown in Figure 1C and 1D. Conclusions: Early response at 3 or 6 months may be robust measures that could translate in long term improvement or stabilization of disease. Although the effects showed in this study are profound and were replicated on two cohorts, these results should be interpreted with caution and a longer follow-up could confirm these findings. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Introduction Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a lymphoid neoplasm which represents the most frequent hematologic malignancy in Caucasians. Every year, there are15,000 new diagnoses and 5000 CLL deaths in the United States. Its prevalence in México and other non-Caucasian populations is substantially lower and the clinical course of CLL patients has been described to be less aggressive Methods All consecutive patients seeking medical care after 1983 in our institution as a result of CLL and followed for at least 3 months were entered in the study. The study was approved by the institutional review board. The treatment of patients was withheld in: (a) Persons with CLL Rai stage 0 or 1, until progression; (b) Persons with CLL Rai stage 2-4, with a negative expression of ZAP-70 until progression. Progression was defined by: Anemia, thrombocytopenia, massive symptomatic or progressive splenomegaly and or adenopathy, progressive lymphocytosis (>50% increase in two months or lymphocyte doubling timeless than 6 months), autoimmune hemolytic anemia not responding to standard therapies, or constitutional symptoms: Weight loss greater than 10% in 6 months, unexplained night sweats or unexplained fever for 2 or more weeks. Refractoriness of the disease was defined as progression despite treatment for a minimum of 3 months. Results Among 98 patients with CLL who were accrued in the study between 1983 and 2019, 49 (50%) were followed for three or more months and accordingly, entered in the study. Median follow up time of the patients is 61 months (95% CI 46.1-75.8). There were 15 females and 34 males, the median age was 65 years (range 23-86). According to the Rai staging system, there were 24 stage 0, 7 stage I, 8 stageII, 0 stage III and 10 stage IV; 80% of patients were identified in stages 0-II. In 28 patients a complete immune phenotype of the malignant cells was analyzed: 89% of patients were ZAP-70 negative (ZAP expression in less than 20% of malignant cells), 79% expressed CD5, 100% CD19 and 86% CD23. Three patients were born in European countries, whereas 6 had an immediate European ancestor, indicating that a Caucasian background was identified in 9/49patients (18%). There were no instances of T-cell CLL. Median OS for all the patients has not been reached, being above 247 months (20 years). The OS of patients given or not any treatment was not statistically different (p= 0.09). It is clear that patients who needed treatment did worse than those not needing treatment but the differences were not significant. Patients with advanced stages (III and IV) had a worse outcome than those in early stages. Median OS for patients given no treatment at all has not been reached and is above 247 months; median OS for patients given CP was 115 months, median OS for those given FC has not been reached and is above 132 months, whereas median OS for persons given FCR has not been reached, being above 136 months; all these differences are not statistically significant. Eight of 49 patients were found to be refractory to treatment; they were receiving CP (5 cases); FC (2 cases) and FCR (one case); these refractory patients were given, FCR (7 cases) and rituximab/ifosfamide/carboplatin/etoposide (one case). No patient had to be given cladribine, pentostatin, alemtuzumab (anti-CD52), bendamustine, ofatumumab (anti-CD20), obinutuzumab (anti-CD20), lenalidomide, ibrutinib nor idelalisib. Conclusion In the era of novel anti-CLL drugs, we have found that the clinical course of these patients in México seems to be less aggressive than in Caucasian populations and that, in consequence, circa 50% of them do not need any treatment at all. In those needing treatment, the use of a simplified approach and taking advantage of improved supportive care measures, acceptable results are obtained even if all of the new CLL drugs are not employed. These observations may be critical in developing countries, where the cost of the drugs will continue to be a major factor in choosing therapies. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Thrombocytopenia (less than 100 × 109/L platelets) presents in around one quarter of patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the hepatic component of insulin resistance (IR). It is unknown whether IR, by itself, associates with thrombocytopenia. Persons with NAFLD and/or IR were prospectively accrued in the study after February 2018. Insulin resistance was defined by assessing α hydroxybutyrate, lynoleoyl glycerolphosphocoline, oleic acid, and insulin (Quantose IR), whereas the presence of NAFLD was defined by serologic determinations (Fibromax) and liver transient elastography (Fibroscan). In 78 patients with NAFLD, thrombocytopenia was identified in 22 (28%), whereas in 19 persons with IR, 14 (73%) were found to have NAFLD. In persons with IR + NAFLD, thrombocytopenia presented in 9 (64%). In the subset of patients with IR, the prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 52%. There was only 1 patient with IR/without NAFLD who displayed thrombocytopenia. Significant statistical association between NAFLD and thrombocytopenia was found (odds ratio [OR]: = 13, confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-162, P = .05), whereas there was no association between IR and thrombocytopenia (OR = 0.38, CI: 0.06-2.3, P = .61). Insulin resistance, by itself, was not found to be associated with diminished platelet counts. The presence of NAFLD, one of the consequences of IR, seems to be required to lead into thrombocytopenia.

Background: With the goal of achieving immune system reset, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantations have been performed in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Material and Methods: Two hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients with MS were autografted in a single center using non-frozen peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), on an outpatient basis and conditioning with cyclophosphamide and rituximab. The protocol was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02674217. Results: One hundred and ninety-four females and 92 males were included; the median age was 47. All procedures were started on an outpatient basis and only 8 persons needed to be admitted to the hospital during the procedure. In order to obtain at least 1 × 106/kg viable CD34 cells, 1-4 aphereses were performed (median 1). The total number of viable CD34+ cells infused ranged between 1 and 19.2 × 106/kg (median 4.6). Patients recovered above 0.5 × 109/L absolute granulocytes on median day 8 (range 0-12). Two individuals needed red blood cells but none needed platelet transfusions. There were no transplant-related deaths and the 128-month overall survival of the patients is 100%. In 82 persons followed up for 3 or more months, the Expanded Disability Status Scale diminished from a mean of 5.2-4.9, the best results being obtained in relapsing-remitting and primary progressive MS. Conclusions: It is possible to conduct autotransplants for patients with MS employing non-frozen PBSCs and outpatient conduction. Additional information is needed to assess the efficacy of these procedures in the treatment of patients with MS.

The sticky platelet syndrome (SPS) was described by Mammen in 1983. Since then, scientists in several countries have identified the condition and published cases or series of patients, thus enabling the description of the prevalence of the inherited condition, its salient clinical features, and the treatment of the disease. The diagnosis of the SPS phenotype requires fresh blood samples and special equipment which is not available in all coagulation laboratories. In the era of molecular biology, up to now it has not been possible to define a clear association of the SPS phenotype with a specific molecular marker. Some molecular changes which have been described in platelet proteins in some persons with the phenotype of the SPS are here discussed. Nowadays, the SPS phenotype may be considered as a risk factor for thrombosis and most cases of the SPS developing vaso-occlussive episodes are the result of its coexistence with other thrombosis-prone conditions, some of the inherited and some of them acquired, thus leading to the concept of multifactorial thrombophilia. Ignoring all these evidence-based concepts is inappropriate, same as stating that the SPS is a nonentity simply because not all laboratories are endowed with adequate equipment to support the diagnosis.

Introduction Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory, demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that causes a whole spectrum of neurological disorders associated with a profound decrease in the quality of life of affected patients. Currently, autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (ASCT) is a validated therapeutic approach and has been shown to be superior to new immunomodulatory agents. However, the impact of these therapies on the quality of life of patients with MS is unknown. Objective Identify the impact on the quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis after ASCT at our center. Methods A quasi-experimental, longitudinal, prospective and single-center study was conducted in which the quality of life was determined in patients with MS before and after ASCT. The quality of life was determined by applying the MS-QoL 29 instrument which is validated instrument for this pathology (Cronbach 0.88-0.90 and Pearson with high correlation with MS-QoL56). The variables related to the physical and mental components of the instrument as well as demographic characteristics were studied. The statistical analysis of the data included measures of central tendency as well as inferential for the comparison of means and proportions (NC 95%, p Results We included 52 patients prospectively from October 2018 to June 2019, 71% of the patients were women and the remaining 29% men. The median of age of the subset is 50 years (Interval 27-65). Of the selected patients, 45% has PPMS, 39% has SPMS and 16% has PPMS. Thirty-nine patients were followed at 3 months, twenty-four were followed 6 months and fourteen were followed 9 months after ASCT. The statistical differences between the quality of life in the patients prior to the ASCT and the follow-up at 3, 6 and 9 months in both the physical and mental components was analyzed. In the physical component the differences at 3 months were significant (p = 0.014, 95% NC) as well as the differences at 6 months (p = 0.0004, 95% NC) and 9 months after ASCT (p=0.0008, 95% NC). In the mental component the differences were significant at 3 months (p = 0.0012, NC 95%) as well as the differences at 6 months (p = 0.0016, NC 95%) and 9 months (p=0.0029, NC 95%) after ASCT. Conclusions The study suggests that ASCT is a feasible and safe therapeutic alternative to improve the quality of life in patients with multiple sclerosis.

Introduction The treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved in recent years, and the disease-associated prognosis has improved substantially. This improvement has been driven largely by the approval of novel agents, many of which are expensive and not universally available. Objective Evaluate the efficacy of treatment alternatives for multiple myeloma in a private center in Mexico. Patients and methods All consecutive MM patients diagnosed after 1993 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were given oral thalidomide (T), 100 mg/day, oral dexamethasone (D) (36-40 mg/week) and aspirin 100 mg/day. Bortezomib (V) (1.75 mg subcutaneously every week) was administered to those who could afford it. After 4-6 weeks of treatment, patients were offered an outpatient-based hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT). After the recovery of granulocytes following the HCT, patients continued indefinitely on T; those who failed to tolerate were switched to lenalidomide (R) (25 mg/day). The assessment of overall survival (OS) for all groups was achieved through the Kaplan-Meier method using the Cox-Mantel test. All the statistical analyses used a p value Results Among 108 patients with MM who were prospectively accrued in the study (47 females and 61 males), the median age was 57 years (range 33 to 90). IgG myeloma represented 60% of patients and 49% had International Scoring System (ISS) stage III disease. The median (OS for all patients has not been reached and is >157 months. The median OS of patients who did not receive HCT was similar to those who did, with a trend for better outcomes with HCT (A). The response rate (complete remission or very good partial remission) was 71.8% for those given TD versus 88.3% for those given VTD before HCT, but OS was not different (B, C and D). As post-HCT maintenance, 37 patients received T; 26 of those (70%) could be maintained indefinitely with T, whereas 11 were switched into R after a median of 7 months; median OS of patients maintained after HCT with T or R was not different. Comparing the current population data with those obtained between 1983 and 1993 in the same institution employing only MP, the prognosis of MM patients was noted to have improved substantially. In our previous experience in the same institution, the median OS of patients treated solely with MP was 33 months, with a 72-month survival of 30%, whereas in this study of patients given IMiDs +/- HCT, median OS has not been reached and the 72-month OS is 60%, twice that obtained with MP. When analyzing the OS of patients included in this study and separated by 5-year intervals, survival continued to improve since 1993. Conclusions In this series, a regimen incorporating low cost novel agents and outpatient HCT was associated with excellent long-term survival in the treatment of persons with MM. This approach may be a model for treatment of MM in middle-income countries.

OBJECTIVE Sticky platelet syndrome (SPS) is an inherited condition that leads to arterial and venous thrombosis. There is scant information about the association between SPS and obstetric complications. This study aimed to assess the relationship between SPS and fetal loss at a single institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS The obstetric histories of all consecutive female patients prospectively studied in a 324-month period at a single institution with a history of thrombosis and a clinical marker of primary thrombophilia were reviewed. RESULTS Between 1989 and 2016, 268 consecutive patients with a clinical marker of primary thrombophilia and a history of arterial or venous thrombosis were studied; of these, 108 were female patients. Within this subset of thrombophilic females, 77 (71%) had been pregnant at some point. Twenty-eight of these 77 patients (37%) had had a spontaneous abortion and 24 of those (86%) were found to have SPS. On the other hand, in a subset of 73 female patients with SPS who had been pregnant, 32% had miscarriages. These figures are significantly higher than the prevalence of spontaneous abortions in the general Mexican population of pregnant women, which is 12%-13% (chi-square: 7.47; p=0.0063). Accordingly, the relative risk of having a miscarriage is 2.66 times higher in female patients with SPS than in the general population (p=0.0014). CONCLUSION In Mexico, female patients with SPS experience significantly more spontaneous abortions than the general population. Since the treatment of SPS is simple and effective and could in turn prevent adverse obstetric outcomes, its investigation in women treated for obstetric complications may be useful and deserves further research.