FISH detection of chimerism in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a well-established curative therapy for various malignant and non-malignant diseases. Successful outcome after allogeneic HSCT has been associated with donor chimerism (DC). However, the detection of residual host cells or mixed hemopoietic chimerism (MC) has indicated that donor chimerism is not obligatory following HSCT. More recently, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis has been applied to engraftment studies for the identification of polymorphic or sex chromosomes. In this study, chimerism status was evaluated in 48 sex-mismatched HSCT pediatric patients (17 women/31 men, mean age: 9.02 +/- 3.95 years, range: 2-19) by FISH and the effect of DC or MC on outcome and long-term disease-free survival was documented. The stem cell source was bone marrow in all cases. All of the donors were human leucocyte antigen-identical siblings. FISH was performed on 156 specimens between days +13 and +1878. Donor chimerism was found in 47.9% (23/48) and MC was found in 52.1% (25/48) of the patients. Fifteen of 48 (31.25%) patients died, of whom 12 (80%) were MC and three patients (20%) were DC. The difference in chimerism status (MC or DC) was statistically significant between those patients who died and those still alive (chi(2) = 6.813; P = 0.009).

The prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension in adults living in Istanbul.

The prevalence of and risk factors for hypertension were determined among habitants in the European side of Istanbul who are 25 years and older. Eight administrative districts were selected with the method of simple random sampling. The participants were selected through systematic calling from address lists. Between 17 and 22 June 2002, the questionnaires were applied to the participants in a face-to-face interview; then arterial blood pressures, body weights and heights of the participants were measured. Of 423 adults participating in the study, 35.5% were hypertensive; 35.9% were obese, 27.9% were overweight and 2.1% were underweight. Risk factors for hypertension such as age, gender, educational status, social security, family history of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, medical history of diabetes and congestive heart failure, smoking and alcohol use, and body mass index in the hypertensive and non-hypertensive groups were investigated by means of logistic regression analysis. Age [odds ratio (OR): 5.20, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.18-12.40], body mass index (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.57-3.16) and smoking (OR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.55-0.95) were found to be correlated with hypertension. The results showed that the prevalence of hypertension was high in Istanbul, and obesity, being overweight and advanced age were the risk factors for hypertension.