The Hemostatic Changes in Active Pulmonary Tuberculosis.

Severe pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is sometimes complicated with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). We have examined the role of possible hemostat>c disturbance, which are predisposing factors for venous thrombosis in patients with PTB. Coagulation and platelet function tests have been studied in 40 patients with severe PTB and 40 healthy control volunteers before therapy and they were compared with 30th day results and controls. Analysis in patients with active PTB showed anemia, leucocytosis, thrombocytosis, elevation in plasma fibrinogen, factor VIII, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) with depressed antithrombin III (ATIII) and protein C (PC) levels. On the 30th day of treatment, anemia, leucocytosis and thrombocytsis were improved. Fibrinogen and factor VIII levels decreased to normal levels, PC and AT III levels increased to normal levels whereas there was no difference in PAI-1 levels. Platelet aggregation studies demonstrated increased platelet activation. Activated protein C resistance was not determined. DVT was not detected in patients during the follow up period. Decreased AT III, PC and elevated plasma fibrinogen levels and increased platelet aggregation appear to induce hypercoagilable state seen in PTB and improves with tretament.

Activated Protein C Resistance in Polycythemia Vera.

Activated protein C resistance is a result of a point mutation in factor V gene (Leiden mutation) and can be identified in approximately 50% of patients with thrombosis, making it an important risk factor for thrombosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role activated protein C resistance in the hypercoagulable state seen in polycythemia vera. We compared patients with polycythemia vera (n: 24) for increased risk of thromboembolism and activated protein C resistance, with the results of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (n: 27) and healthy control group (n: 52). Activated protein C resistance test and factor VIII activity was determined by an aPTT based test. Anticardiolipin antibodies IgG and IgM were also determined by ELISA. Leiden mutation was studied with polymerase chain reaction. Venous thromboses were observed in 12.5% and arterial thromboses in 41.6% of patients with polycythemia vera. Arterial thromboses were recognized in 7.4% of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Activated protein C resistance was identified in 20.8% of patients with polycythemia vera and 14.8% with chronic myelogenous leukemia (versus 1.8% of healthy control subjects). The risk of thrombosis in patients with polycythemia vera was independent from the presence of activated protein C resistance. Leiden mutation was observed in only 1 patient out of 4 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia who had activated protein C resistance, but not thrombosis. Factor VIII levels of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (158% ± 14) were higher than healthy control subjects (99% ± 15) (p< 0.05). Patients with activated protein C resistance in both groups had no seropositivity for anticardiolipin antibodies IgG and IgM. Activated protein C resistance and in some cases its association with Leiden mutation in polycythemia vera may not have a major role in the pathogenesis of thromboembolic complications of polycythemia vera.

Complete remission of the liver metastases of anorectal malignant melanoma with regional chemotherapy: a case report.

The prognosis of anorectal malignant melanoma is very poor. We present a 48-year-old male patient with anorectal malignant melanoma and multiple liver metastases who underwent abdominoperineal resection. A port system was implanted to the gastroduodenal artery for regional chemotherapy for liver metastases. Histopathological findings of tumor were 5 cm diameter and 2 cm depth, invading to the external sphincter. Both regional chemotherapy and immunotherapy were initiated 4 weeks postoperatively. The immunochemotherapy regimen included cisplatin (via port system) 50 mg/m2 once in 2 weeks, x 8 cycles, alpha-interferon 5 x 10(6) U subcutaneously on days 1-7 in 4 weeks, x 8 cycles, interleukin-2 9 x 10(6) U subcutaneously on days 5-9 in 4 weeks, x 8 cycles. Computed tomography scan was taken after the 2nd and 4th cycles of chemotherapy and the tumor had not responded to chemotherapy. Dacarbazine 200 mg/m2 intravenously on days 1-5 in a month, x 4 cycles, was added to the previous immunochemotherapy regimen. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans were taken on the 10th and 12th months after operation, respectively, no evidence of metastases in the liver was noted. No case of complete remission of liver metastases of anorectal malignant melanoma with regional intraarterial chemotherapy and systemic immunochemotherapy has been previously reported in the literature.

National survey of hemapheresis practice in Turkey (1998).

The Turkish Apheresis Group has maintained a national registry for apheresis activities since 1997. The hemapheresis practice of Turkey in 1998 is summarized in brief detail in this article. A total of 30, 136 apheresis procedures were performed at 31 different apheresis centers. At 10 centers, 145 peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) apheresis were performed on 82 patients in allogeneic setting and at 17 centers, 981 PBSC apheresis were performed on 271 patients in autologous setting. Frequently observed adverse effects during PBSC apheresis were mild tremor and chills, paresthesia and nausea in 15% of the patients and donors. Vascular access complications, particularly observed in autologous setting due to central venous catheters were encountered in 10% of the procedures. Eight hundred and sixty-nine therapeutic plasma exchange procedures were performed at 21 centers on 172 patients, most commonly for neurological disorders and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP)/hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Therapeutic cytapheresis procedures like leukapheresis, plateletapheresis and erythrocyte apheresis were performed especially for cytoreduction in myeloproliferative disorders. A total of 204 cytapheresis procedures (66% leukapheresis, 33% plateletapheresis and 1% erythrocytapheresis) were performed on 134 patients in 15 centers. Donor plateletapheresis was the most used apheresis procedure, reaching a total of 28.016 in 1998. Many university hospitals and a few state hospitals are performing above-mentioned apheresis procedures with great success and acceptable side effects. According to these data we are planning prospective trials and will establish National Standards of Practice.

Skin hyperreactivity of Behçet's patients (pathergy reaction) is also positive in interferon alpha-treated chronic myeloid leukaemia patients, indicating similarly altered neutrophil functions in both disorders.

Typical manifestations of Behcet's disease (BD) and a positive pathergy reaction were observed in a few patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) on interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy and the significance of this observation was assessed in a prospective study. The skin pathergy test was applied to 15 patients with CML prior to IFN-alpha therapy, 29 patients with CML following IFN-alpha therapy and 30 patients with BD. Twenty-five patients with inflammatory arthropathies (IA), 20 patients with recurrent oral ulcers (ROU), 23 patients treated with IFN-alpha for various disorders and 20 normal individuals were also studied as control groups. The pathergy reaction was positive in nearly a quarter of IFN-alpha-treated CML cases (24%) as well as one-half of the patients with BD (50%). All CML patients prior to IFN-alpha treatment and all patients using IFN-alpha for other diseases were negative for the pathergy reaction. These results may indicate a similarly altered neutrophil function in both BD and IFN-alpha-treated CML patients.

Therapeutic efficacy of recombinant interferon-alpha in polycythaemia vera.

The therapeutic efficacy of recombinant interferon-alpha (rIFN-alpha) has been evaluated in 7 patients with polycythaemia vera (PV), diagnosed according to the criteria of the Polycythemia Vera Study Group. Six complete responses and one partial response were achieved. Pruritus significantly improved in 80% (4/5) of the cases. Recombinant interferon-alpha had to be discontinued in 1 patient because of grade 3-4 nephrotoxicity according to WHO criteria. rIFN-alpha therapy significantly decreased the phlebotomy requirements and improved the mean corpuscular volume, erythrocyte and platelet counts, pruritus complaints and the degree of splenomegaly (p < 0.05). rIFN-alpha seems to be an effective treatment modality for the myeloproliferation of PV and pruritus complaints.

Clinical use of the bcr/abl probe test in the evaluation of chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

CML is characterized by a reciprocal translocation between the abl and bcr genes on chromosomes 9 and 22 and is usually diagnosed by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome.However, the translocation may also occur without the appearance of the Ph1 chromosome. In this study the diagnostic efficiency of the molecular hybridization assay was investigated in 227 patients using a probe specific for the bcr region of the gene. Gene rearrangements were observed in 96% of Ph1-positive cases and in 92% of the patients in whom no Ph1 chromosome could be detected by karyotype analysis. By using peripheral blood the assay is easy to perform and superior in sensitivity. Thus, it is recommended that this assay should be routinely used as anadjunct to classical cytogenetics.

Chemotherapy- and radiotherapy-induced cytologic alterations in the sputum of patients with inoperable lung carcinoma. Role in follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To define the light microscopic cytologic changes due to chemotherapy (CT) and/or radiotherapy (RT); to evaluate the differentiation of those changes according to treatment; to find out whether a relation exists between treatment type and its duration and the cytologic findings; and to determine the role of sputum cytology in evaluating efficacy of treatment and follow-up in patients with inoperable lung cancer of various histology. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 1,605 periodic sputum samples from 80 cases of lung cancer obtained during treatment and follow-up were prospectively examined cytologically. The relationship of treatment type and duration to qualitative and semiquantitative data and the definability of the response to treatment as well as the relationship of progression-free survival (PFS) and total survival (TS) rates with cytologic data were evaluated. RESULTS: The majority of therapy-induced cellular changes were in the nucleus and were directly related to the duration of treatment. An increase in minimally affected tumor cells, tumor cells that lost their pathologic features and necrotic cell debris were good indicators of therapeutic efficacy. Cytologic changes did not reflect PFS and TS rates. CONCLUSION: Although light microscopic cytologic changes cannot be attributed objectively to either RT or CT, therapeutic efficacy is shown in follow-up sputum cytology, which can be used in monitoring and planning additional therapy or other therapeutic options in lung cancer patients.

Budd-Chiari syndrome as a complication of Behçet's syndrome. A case report.

Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is a very infrequent complication of Behçet's syndrome. The authors report a young, male patient with Behçet's syndrome presenting with BCS. He underwent emergency surgery for thrombectomy but unfortunately died during the operation.

Prevention of doxorubicin induced cardiotoxicity by catechin.

Doxorubicin (dox) is an anthracycline antibiotic which is broadly used in solid tumors. Long-term therapy with this drug is accompanied by potentially lethal, dose-dependent side effects. Several reports suggest that oxygen free radicals produced during the metabolic activation of dox may have toxic effects on heart muscle. We tried to protect dox cardiotoxicity in rats using catechin which is a known antioxidant and iron chelating agent. Different dose levels and combinations of catechin and doxorubicin have been studied in different experimental groups. Electrocardiograms, myocardial contractility, body weight and the electron microscope were used to assess the cardioprotective effect of catechin in dox-treated animals. We found significant prevention of dox-induced cardiotoxicity by catechin in rats.