[Miocarditis in Patients with COVID-19 Confirmed by Immunohistochemical].

Aim      Despite the regular heart damage in patients with coronavirus pneumonia caused by SARS-Cov-2, a possibility of developing lymphocytic myocarditis as a part of COVID-19 remains unsubstantiated. The aim of this study was to demonstrate a possibility of lymphocytic myocarditis and to study its morphological features in patients with the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) with a severe course.Material and methods   Postmortem data were studied for 5 elderly patients (74.8±4.4 years; 3 men and 2 women) with the novel coronavirus infection and bilateral, severe polysegmental pneumonia (stage 3-4 by computed tomography). COVID-19 was diagnosed based on the typical clinical presentation and positive polymerase chain reaction test in nasopharyngeal swabs. All patients were treated in different hospitals repurposed for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. A standard histological study was performed with hematoxylin and eosin, toluidine blue, and van Gieson staining. Serial paraffin slices were studied immunohistochemically with antibodies to CD3, СD68, CD20, perforin, and toll-like receptors (TLR) 4 and 9.Results In none of the cases, myocarditis was suspected clinically, added to the diagnosis or indicated as a possible cause of death. IHD and acute myocardial infarction were mentioned as error diagnoses not confirmed by the postmortem examination. The morphological examination of the heart identified signs of lymphocytic myocarditis consistent with Dallas criteria for this diagnosis. Myocardial infiltrate was characterized in detail, and a combined inflammatory damage of endocardium and pericardium was described. The immunohistochemical study with cell infiltrate typing confirmed the presence of CD3-positive Т lymphocytes and the increased expression of TLR-4. A picture of coronaritis, including that with microvascular thrombosis, was found in all cases.Conclusion      A possibility for development of lymphocytic viral myocarditis in COVID-19 was confirmed morphologically and immunohistochemically. Specific features of myocarditis in COVID-19 include the presence of coronaritis and a possible combination of myocarditis with lymphocytic endo- and pericarditis.

[Effect of bortezomib on the efficiency of hematopoietic stem cell mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma].

AIM: To study the results of mobilizing and collecting autologous hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) receiving bortezomib as part of induction therapy regimens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In June 2001 to April 2010, the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hematology Research Center, Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia, mobilized autologous HSC in 93 patients with MM, by using cyclophosphan (CF) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. The analysis covered 73 patients who received VAD and/or bortezomib-containing courses as induction therapy. Group 1 comprised 30 patients whose induction therapy was performed as 3-4 courses of VAD. Group 2 included 19 patients who had 2-4 courses of PAD or 4-8 courses of bortezomib + dexamethasone in addition to 1-3 courses of VAD. Group 3 combined 24 patients who used 6-8 courses of bortezomib + dexamethasone or 3-4 courses of PAD + 4-6 courses of bortezomib + dexamethasone. RESULTS: In Group 1 patients whose induction therapy was performed as 3-4 courses of VAD, baseline peripheral blood CD34+ cell counts were 3,575 +/- 631 in 1 ml, which was statistically significantly higher than those in Group 2 patients who had bortezomib-containing courses in addition to VAD courses. In Group 2 patients, premobilization CD34+ cell counts were 2,164 +/- 516 in 1 ml. The lowest blood CD34+ cell levels (1,586 -/+ 405 in 1 ml) were observed in Group 3 patients in whom bortezomib was used as first-line therapy. In Group 1 patients, the maximum peripheral blood counts of CD34+ cells were 322,287 +/- 73,994 in 1 ml, which was significantly higher than their maximum level in Groups 2 (231,624 +/- 39,708 in 1 ml) and 3 (161,007 +/- 44,266 in 1 ml) patients. The efficiency of mobilization proved to be high; more than 4.0.10(6)/kg of CD34+ cells were collected in all the patients with bortezomib-containing induction therapy, which allowed two autologous HSC transplantations to be carried out. CONCLUSION: Adding bortezomib at the stage of induction has no significant impact on the results of HSC mobilization and collection. By taking into account the possibility of achieving a complete or very good partial response in 40-60% of the patients using the bortezomib-containing regimens as first-line therapy, bortezomib should be considered as an essential drug as part of induction therapy.

[Optimization of mobilization regimes of blood hemopoietic stem cells in patients with multiple myeloma].

AIM: To determine an optimal cyclophosphamide dose in the mobilization scheme providing adequate collection of CD34+ cells in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), to optimize the time of initiation of granulocytic colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) administration, to study effects of induction therapy schemes on results of mobilization and collection of CD34+ cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Department of hemoblastoses chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation of the Russian Hematological Center performed mobilization of autologous blood hemopoietic stem cells (BHSC) in 93 MM patients treated in 2001-2010. This was done with cyclophosphamide and G-CSF. The former was used in 59 cases in a dose 6 g/m2, in 34 cases - 4 g/m2. RESULTS: Myelotoxic agranulocytosis after cyclophosphamide administration developed in all the patients and was observed for 3-10 days (median 5 days). Agranulocytosis ran without documented infections in 51 (54.8%) patients, with febril fever - in 42 (45.2%) patients. Cepticemia, pneumonia, necrotic enteropathy, stomatitis, herpetic lesion of the skin were registered in 9, 4, 11, 14 and 6 cases, respectively. Severe thrombocytopenia (< 30 x 10(9)/l) occurred more frequently in administration of 6 g/m2 cyclophosphamide. It was corrected with 2-5 transfusions of thromboconcentrates, only 1 transfusion was needed after the dose 4 g/m2. Collection of CD34+ cells started in leukocyte level over 3.5 x 10(9)/l on mobilization day 12-20 (median day 15). The day of the first leukocytapheresis did not depend on the day of the first introduction of G-CSF. Duration of G-CSF administration was significantly shorter in the start of its use after leukocyte count decrease under 1.0 x 10(9)/l. Conduction of 1 to S (median 2) leukocytapheresis was needed for collection of BHSC. Sufficient for 2 autotransplantations number of BHSC were stored in 90 of 93 patients. Cyclophosphamide administration in a dose 6 g/m2 allowed collection of cells sufficient for one autotransplantation for the first leukapheresis in 52 (88.1) patients. A total number of CD34+ cells over 4 x 10(6) cells/kg were collected in 56 (94.9%) patients. In administration of cyclophosphamide in a dose 4 g/m2 mobilization was effective in all 34 patients. The first leukapheresis provided sufficient for one autotransplantation number of cells in 29 (85.3%) patients. CONCLUSION: Administration of high cyclophosphamide doses in combination with G-CSF is an effective and safe method of BHSC mobilization providing collection of adequate number of CD34+ cells for double autotransplantation in 96.8% patients. Cost effective is the start of G-CSF administration in the fall of leukocytes under 1.0 x 10(9)/l. Cyclophosphamide dose 4 g/m2 provides collection of CD34+ cells number sufficient for two autotransplantations in moderate thrombocytopenia and in less number of substitute transfusions in the absence of serious toxic complications.

[Flow fluorimetry in differential diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma].

AIM: To analyse immunophenotype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with flow cytometry. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Combinations of antibodies against the following antigens were used: CD3/ CD19/CD45, CD5/CD19/CD38, CD19/CD10/CD23, CD4/CD8/CD3, kappa/lambda/CD19, CD25/CD20/FMC7; CD43/CD22/CD20; CD79a/Ki-67/CD3; cytoplasmic kappa/lambda. The analysis was made on flow fluorimeter FacsCalibur using computer program CellQuest (Beckton Dickenson, USA). RESULTS: Specific coexpression of markers is not detectable in DLBCL, in the greatest degree the phenotype corresponds to lymphoma from the cells of the marginal zone. The study of cells with maximal direct light diffusion provides more precise assessment of clonality and proliferative potential of tumor cells than the analysis of the whole lymphocytic polygon. The proliferative index in 33 cases of DLBCL varied in the range 10-60%. CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry in most DLBCL cases allows identification of B-cell clonality, more precise assessment of a proliferative potential of the tumor.

[Infectious complications after transplantation of autologous hemopoietic blood cells in patients with hematological malignancies].

AIM: To characterize infectious complications arising within 30 days after transplantation of autologous hemopoietic blood cells in 42 patients with hematological malignancy (HM); to compare the course of early posttransplantation period with reference to a kind of high-dose conditioning and dose of transplanted CD34+ cells. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Autotransplantation (AT) was conducted as consolidation of a complete or partial remission in 20 patients with multiple myeloma, 14 patients with lymphogranulomatosis and lymphosarcoma, 7 patients with acute leukemia and 1 patient with rabdomyosarcoma. The program of pretransplantation conditioning corresponded to the disease form and included: melphalan, BEAM, busulphane-cyclophosphamide. The number of transplanted CD34+ cells was 1.7-20.1 (median 5.3) x l0(6) cell/kg. The transplantation was followed by selective intestinal decontamination and mycosis prophylaxis. Fever was managed with antibiotics. RESULTS: An early period after AT ran without febrile episodes in 7 (17%) patients. This allowed physicians to avoid systemic antibiotic therapy. The infectious focus was not definitely localized in 35 patients with febrile fever in 77% cases. Clinically and bacteriologically verified infections were detected in 8 (19%) patients: 7 cases of pneumonia and 1 of bacteriemia. None of the patients died of infection early after AT. Not a single case of invasive aspergillesis was registered. CONCLUSION: Incidence and features of infections did not vary with the above diseases and did not depend on the dose of transplanted CD34+ cells. The kind of high-dose conditioning had a significant influence on the time of granulocyte recovery, duration of agranulocytosis, duration of one febrile episode and of antibiotic therapy. The dose of transplanted CD34+ cells also influenced the time of granulocyte recovery and duration of antibiotic therapy.

[Comparative characteristics of immunological, clinical and morphological features of human lymphoid tumors in respect with tumor genesis and progression]. / Sravnitel'naya kharakteristika immunologicheskikh, klinicheskikh i morfologicheskikh priznakov limfaticheskikh neoplazii cheloveka v sviazi s protsessami razvitiia opukholei.

We describe three lymphoid tumors with the same immunophenotype characteristic for chronic lymphoid leukemia (CD19+/CD5+, clonality of the light immunoglobulin chains, CD23+ and CD10-). However, clinical picture and morphology of neoplastic cells dictate different clinical forms of these cases: chronic lymphoid leukemia, large cell transformation of chronic lymphoid leukemia and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Taking into account that immunophenotype reflects the origin of tumor, while clinical outcome and morphological features of cells reflect the stage of tumor progression and/or pathway of tumor formation, we discuss the approach to natural classification of lymphoid tumors based on the process of their evolution.

[27 Clinico-anatomic conferences of the Department of Pathology of the Clinics and Chair of Pathology, I.M. Sechenov Moscow Medical Academy for 1994-1997 (Protocols Nos. 383-409)]. / 27 Kliniko-anatomicheskikh konferentsii patologoanatomicheskogo otdeleniia klinik i kafedry patologicheskoi anatomii MMA im. I.M. Sechenov za 1994-1997gg. (protokoly konferentsii No. 383-409).

The majority of the conferences were topical with discussion of most urgent problems of clinical pathology. Analysis of each autopsy was preceded by the report of a leading expert in the subject discussed.