The Influence of Nutritional Status at Diagnosis of Childhood B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on Survival Rates: Data from a Hispanic Cohort.

The impact of nutritional status at diagnosis of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) on survival rates was assessed in a Hispanic cohort. Children <16 years with newly diagnosed ALL-B from 2011 to 2019 were studied. Overweight and obesity were classified by body mass index (BMI) and Z-score according to WHO and CDC criteria. BMI, weight percentiles for age and Z-Score were assessed using the WHO Anthro (0-5 years) and AnthroPlus (5-19 years) programs. Cox model was used to estimate risk factors for relapse and death; differences between groups were assessed with Student's T test for parametric and Mann-Whitney U test for non-parametric variables. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were determined by the Kaplan-Meier method, calculating time, status, cumulative survival and standard error with a 95% confidence interval. Equal data distribution was estimated with the log-rank test. One-hundred and seventy-two B-ALL children were studied. The overweight-obese group had a non-significant lower DFS (CDC: 54% vs. 60%, p = 0.80; WHO: 57% vs. 64%, p = 0.89) and OS rate (CDC:76% vs. 82%, p = 0.38; WHO:65% vs. 81%, p = 0.13). An association between nutritional status determined by CDC and WHO criteria at diagnosis of B-cell ALL and survival rates was not documented.

An audit of platelet transfusion indications in acute leukaemia patients: six-year experience at an Academic Centre.

BACKGROUND: Platelet transfusion plays a critical role in the supportive treatment of acute leukaemia patients who receive chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). There are few studies assessing appropriateness of platelet transfusion in this population. An audit was conducted to determine how appropriately platelets are transfused in acute leukaemia patients at a tertiary care health institution. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A six-year retrospective audit was conducted in acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients in an Academic Centre. Episodes were assessed as either appropriate or inappropriate based on guidelines from the British Society for Haematology (BSH). Pre-transfusion platelet count, transfusion indication, World Health Organization (WHO) bleeding score, and antibiotic use were all documented. RESULTS: Overall, 745 platelet transfusion episodes in 154 patients were audited. The proportion of episodes appropriately indicated according to BSH guidelines was 75.3%. Paediatrics and Internal Medicine had the lowest and highest proportion of appropriateness by department at 63.9% and 86.8%, respectively. The best alignment to guidelines was found on the wards (82.3%). Inpatient cases were significantly better indicated (p=0.002), whereas therapeutic and HSCT-related transfusions were not. The majority of inappropriate transfusions had a pre-transfusion count >20×109/L without a valid justification (45.1%), whereas appropriate episodes were mainly accounted for by a pre-transfusion count <10×109/L (69%). DISCUSSION: The 25% rate of inappropriate platelet transfusion in acute leukaemia patients underscores the learning needs of physicians, particularly those in training, regarding adequate use of platelets in haematologic malignancies to optimise its utilisation and patient outcome.

Audit of red blood cell transfusion in patients with acute leukemia at a tertiary care university hospital.

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion support is essential in patients with acute leukemia (AL). A restrictive RBC transfusion approach is assumed to be safe for most individuals with AL. The aim of this audit was to assess RBC transfusion appropriateness in AL patients at an academic center. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: RBC transfusions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia patients of all ages between January 1, 2013, and March 31, 2019, were analyzed for adherence to evidence-based criteria. Transfusion appropriateness was compared among ordering specialties, patient locations, and hematologic diagnoses. Pretransfusion hemoglobin was compared between categories. Overtransfusion rates were also analyzed. Descriptive statistics and categorical and numerical tests were employed to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 510 RBC transfusions were received by 133 AL patients in the departments of internal medicine, hematology, and pediatrics. Overall, 84.5% were appropriate according to established criteria. Internal medicine was the ordering department with the highest rate of appropriateness (88.1%). The outpatient clinic was the location with the highest adherence (85.9%), whereas the intensive care unit had the lowest (70%; p = 0.03). The reasons for most appropriate and inappropriate transfusions were asymptomatic anemia with a hemoglobin below (60.6%) or above (69.6%) 7 g/dL in patients without cardiac disease, respectively. Overtransfusion was present in 22% of episodes. CONCLUSION: RBC transfusion in AL patients reflected good adherence to guidelines. However, continuing education in transfusion medicine and prospective chart auditing are needed to improve adherence to established guidelines.

Blackwater fever like in murine malaria.

Blackwater fever (BWF) is the term used to designate the occurrence of hemoglobin pigments in the urine of patients infected with malaria parasites. BWF is more often associated with Plasmodium falciparum infection in man. The pathogenesis of BWF has not been explained satisfactorily. In the present study, the clinical and pathological observations made upon CD1 mice infected with Plasmodium yoelii yoelii lethal strain with clinical signs of hemoglobinuria and acute renal failure were evaluated. From the 40 P. yoelii yoelii-infected mice, 14 presented hemoglobinuria. In the observations, it was emphasized that hemoglobinuria occurred in the animals 1-2 days before they die. At 6 days post-infection, infected hemoglobinuric mice (HM) exhibited clinical signs such as dark red urine, apnea, and evident oliguria and hematuria; urine microscopical examination showed very few red blood cells. The entire non hemoglobinuric infected mice had a high parasitemia preceding the time of death, while the HM parasitemia was just detectable. In HM, marked hepatosplenomegaly, anemia, and renal and hepatic dysfunction were observed with the blood chemistry analysis at 6 days post-infection. Severe renal lesions were demonstrated in histopathological and scanning electron microscopy samples. Occlusion and necrosis of convoluted tubules were the main lesions found. The conditions required for the experimental production of hemoglobinuria in CD1 mouse infected by P. yoelii yoelii is still unknown. The clinical picture of a BWF, like in our rodents, was produced exclusively by the interaction between the parasite and its host. Results showed that hemoglobinuria in CD1 mice infected with P. yoelii yoelii and BWF in man infected with P. falciparum are similar in their pathogenesis.

Alopecia in bats from Tabasco, Mexico.

We report alopecic syndrome (hair loss in areas of the body, including chest, abdomen, and back) in four frugivorous bat species (Artibeus jamaicensis, Artibeus lituratus, Sturnira lilium, and Sturnira ludovici) within urban and periurban areas of Villahermosa, Tabasco, México, during 2007 and 2008. The overall prevalence of alopecic syndrome was 5.25% (135/2,567 bats). The highest prevalence was found in A. lituratus (5.6%; 62/1,105), followed by A. jamaicensis (5%; 3/1,462). We found a higher prevalence in the dry season, when more than 90% of the alopecic individuals (n=122) were captured. Higher prevalence of alopecia was recorded in urban areas (80% of captured alopecic bats, n=108) than in periurban areas (20%, n=27). Histopathologic studies revealed no evidence of infectious agents. The syndrome may be related to nutritional or endocrinal deficiencies. Spatial and seasonal aggregation in urban areas suggests that anthropogenic activities may interfere with nutritional processes. Further studies are needed to confirm the etiology of the syndrome as well as its impact on population dynamics. This is the first report of alopecic syndrome in sylvatic bats.

Estudio de las metástasis ganglionares ocultas en carcinoma epidermoide de laringe / Study of the hidden node metastasis in epidermoide larynx carcinoma

El tratamiento del cuello N0 en pacientes con cáncer de laringe sigue siendo motivo de controversia, debido a la posible presencia de metástasis ganglionares ocultas. Nosotros revisamos nuestra experiencia en cuanto a las disecciones ganglionares cervicales selectivas en pacientes con carcinoma epidermoide de laringe. Se revisaron las historias clínicas de 19 pacientes con diagnóstico de carcinoma epidermoide de laringe con cuello sin evidencia clínica de metástasis a quienes se les había practicado disección cervical profiláctica y se revisó lo referente a la edad, sexo, ubicación del tumor primario, estadio de la lesión, hallazgos anatomopatológicos, presencia de metástasis ocultas, extensión extracapsular y recidiva. 17 pacientes eran del sexo masculino (89,4 por ciento) y dos del sexo femenino (10,5 por ciento) con una media de edad de 56,6 años. De estos, 13 pacientes (68,4 por ciento) presentaron tumores transgloticos y el 57,8 por ciento eran tumores avanzados T4; al momento de la evaluación. Se analizaron 14 laringectomías totales (73,3 por ciento) y a 5 pacientes se les práctico laringectomías parciales (26,3 por ciento). Se evidenció metástasis ocultas en 5 casos (26,3 por ciento) y hubo extensión extracapsular en 2 de estos. Un solo paciente clasificado como pT3pN0 presentó metástasis cervical 7 meses posterior a su tratamiento inicial. Se recomienda la disección ganglionar cervical selectiva en los pacientes con cuellos clínicamente N0 en estadios, tanto avanzados como tempranos con diagnóstico de carcinoma epidermoide de laringe, debido a la posibilidad de metástasis ocultas cervicales, que en nuestro trabajo fue del 26,3 por ciento