Adriana Koliski

Long-term outcome and lineage-specific chimerism in 194 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation in the period 1980-2009: an international collaborative study.

In this retrospective collaborative study, we have analyzed long-term outcome and donor cell engraftment in 194 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) who have been treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in the period 1980- 2009. Overall survival was 84.0% and was even higher (89.1% 5-year survival) for those who received HCT since the year 2000, reflecting recent improvement of outcome after transplantation from mismatched family donors and for patients who received HCT from an unrelated donor at older than 5 years. Patients who went to transplantation in better clinical conditions had a lower rate of post-HCT complications. Retrospective analysis of lineage-specific donor cell engraftment showed that stable full donor chimerism was attained by 72.3% of the patients who survived for at least 1 year after HCT. Mixed chimerism was associated with an increased risk of incomplete reconstitution of lymphocyte count and post-HCT autoimmunity, and myeloid donor cell chimerism < 50% was associated with persistent thrombocytopenia. These observations indicate continuous improvement of outcome after HCT for WAS and may have important implications for the development of novel protocols aiming to obtain full correction of the disease and reduce post-HCT complications.

Blood lactate concentration as prognostic marker in critically ill children

OBJECTIVE To assess the use of lactate as a marker of tissue hypoperfusion and as a prognostic index in critically ill patients. METHODS Prospective, longitudinal, observational study of 75 patients admitted to the pediatric ICU of Hospital de Clínicas of Universidade Federal do Paraná, between November 1998 and May 1999. According to the lactate level on admission, patients were divided into group A (lactate > or = 18 mg/dl) and group B (lactate < 18 mg/dl). In terms of outcome, patients were classified into survivors and nonsurvivors. In group A, the clinical evaluation and the collection of arterial blood samples were performed on admission, at 6, 12, 24, 48 hours, and every 24 hours after that. In group B, they were carried out in the same way, but interrupted 48 hours after admission. RESULTS Groups A and B consisted of 50 and 25 patients, respectively. Group A presented more clinical signs of hypoperfusion (24/50). There was a statistically significant difference regarding the mean lactate levels on admission between those patients who died within 24 hours of admission (95 mg/dl) and those who died 24 hours after admission (28 mg/dl). The lactate level at 24 hours of admission revealed better sensitivity (55.6%) and specificity (97.2%) as a predictor of death. CONCLUSIONS Most patients with lactate levels > or = 18 mg/dl showed clinical signs of hypoperfusion on admission. The normalization or reduction of lactate levels at and after 24 hours of admission was significantly related with higher chances of survival.

A manobra de recrutamento alveolar em crianças submetidas à ventilação mecânica em unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica

Recent changes were introduced in acute hypoxemic respiratory failure children ventilation methods. There are evidences that less aggressive ventilation strategies can improve severe pulmonary injury survival. Experimental trials evidenced a relationship between inappropriate ventilatory measures and delayed acute pulmonary injury improvement, or even worsening. From this, a protective ventilatory measure arises in combination with alveolar recruitment maneuver. This association is believed in clinical practice to determine importantly reduced morbidity and mortality as well as reduced mechanic ventilation-induced injuries. It is indicated for acute lung injury patients, generally from pneumonia or sepsis, with severe hypoxemia. Its main contraindications are homodynamic instability, pneumothorax and intracranial hypertension. Experimental trials showed beneficial maneuver effects on both oxygenation and alveolar collapse. Adult studies showed improved pulmonary function with hypoxemia reversion. In children, the maneuver lead to significant inspired oxygen fraction and alveolar collapse reductions, less oxygen dependency, improved pulmonary complacency, and reduced bronchopulmonary dysplasia. However, studies in children are limited. Additional investigation is warranted on this matter, and its clinical application evidence. A literature review was conducted based on textbooks and MEDLINE, Pubmed, Cochrane library, SciELO, and Ovid databases, from 1998 to 2009, both in Portuguese and English. Publications on alveolar recruitment maneuver both in adults and children, review articles, experimental and clinical trials were included using the key words: protective ventilatory strategy, alveolar recruitment maneuver, pediatrics and mechanic ventilation.

Haploidentical Bone Marrow Transplantation with Post-Transplant Cyclophosphamide for Children and Adolescents with Fanconi Anemia

We describe haploidentical bone marrow transplantation with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PT-CY) for 30 patients with Fanconi anemia (FA). Twenty-six patients were transplanted upfront, and the preparatory regimens included fludarabine 150 mg/m2 + total body irradiation 200 to 300 cGy ± CY 10 mg/kg without (n = 12) or with rabbit antithymocyte globulin (r-ATG) 4 to 5 mg/kg (n = 14). Four patients were rescued after primary or secondary graft failure after related or unrelated donor transplantation with the above regimen with (n = 2) or without r-ATG (n = 2). PT-CY at 25 mg/kg/day (total dose, 50 mg/kg) followed by cyclosporine and mycophenolate mofetil was given to all patients. All patients engrafted in the subgroup of patients who did not receive r-ATG (n = 14), but their transplant course was complicated by high rates of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and only 8 patients are alive. In the subgroup that received r-ATG (n = 16), 14 patients had sustained engraftment, severe GVHD rates were lower, and 13 patients are alive. Hemorrhagic cystitis occurred in 50% of patients, whereas cytomegalovirus reactivation occurred in 75%. One-year overall survival for the entire cohort was 73% (95% CI, 64% to 81%), and all surviving patients achieved full donor chimerism. In conclusion, haploidentical donor transplantation with PT-CY is a suitable option for FA patients without a matched related or unrelated donor.

Long-term outcome and lineage-specific chimerism in 194 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation in the period 1980-2009

In this retrospective collaborative study, we have analyzed long-term outcome and donor cell engraftment in 194 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) who have been treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in the period 1980- 2009. Overall survival was 84.0% and was even higher (89.1% 5-year survival) for those who received HCT since the year 2000, reflecting recent improvement of outcome after transplantation from mismatched family donors and for patients who received HCT from an unrelated donor at older than 5 years. Patients who went to transplantation in better clinical conditions had a lower rate of post-HCT complications. Retrospective analysis of lineage-specific donor cell engraftment showed that stable full donor chimerism was attained by 72.3% of the patients who survived for at least 1 year after HCT. Mixed chimerism was associated with an increased risk of incomplete reconstitution of lymphocyte count and post-HCT autoimmunity, and myeloid donor cell chimerism < 50% was associated with persistent thrombocytopenia. These observations indicate continuous improvement of outcome after HCT for WAS and may have important implications for the development of novel protocols aiming to obtain full correction of the disease and reduce post-HCT complications.

Long-term outcome and lineage-specific chimerism in 194 Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome patients treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation between 1980-2009: an international collaborative study

In this retrospective collaborative study, we have analyzed long-term outcome and donor cell engraftment in 194 patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) who have been treated by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in the period 1980- 2009. Overall survival was 84.0% and was even higher (89.1% 5-year survival) for those who received HCT since the year 2000, reflecting recent improvement of outcome after transplantation from mismatched family donors and for patients who received HCT from an unrelated donor at older than 5 years. Patients who went to transplantation in better clinical conditions had a lower rate of post-HCT complications. Retrospective analysis of lineage-specific donor cell engraftment showed that stable full donor chimerism was attained by 72.3% of the patients who survived for at least 1 year after HCT. Mixed chimerism was associated with an increased risk of incomplete reconstitution of lymphocyte count and post-HCT autoimmunity, and myeloid donor cell chimerism < 50% was associated with persistent thrombocytopenia. These observations indicate continuous improvement of outcome after HCT for WAS and may have important implications for the development of novel protocols aiming to obtain full correction of the disease and reduce post-HCT complications.

Transplante de células-tronco hematopoéticas em crianças e adolescentes com leucemia aguda: experiência de duas instituições Brasileiras

Hematopoietic Stem Cell transplantation (HSCT) is the treatment of choice for patients with high-risk leukemia. In spite of this, relapse remains a major cause of death of these patients. Our objective was to analyze the outcomes of patients with acute leukemia submitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in two Brazilian institutions. A retrospective study of 208 patients transplanted between 1990 and 2007 with a median age of 9 years (range: 1-18 years) was made. One hundred and nineteen patients had acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and 89 had acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Early disease was considered for CR1 and CR2 cases and advanced disease >CR3 and refractory and relapse disease. Ninety patients are alive between 258 and 6068 days after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (M: 1438 days). The overall survival (OS) was 45% (3 years) and event free survival (EFS) was 39% (3 years). Primary graft failure occurred in 14/195 patients (8%). There were no differences in the overall survival and event free survival between patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia, between sources of cells used or between those who developed acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). When comparing transplants from related and unrelated donors, there was no difference in the overall survival. Patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia receiving the total body irradiation (TBI) conditioning regimen had better overall survival and event free survival (p<0.001). One hundred and eighteen patients died between 0 and 1654 days after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (M: 160 days). Transplantation-related-mortality (TRM) at D+100 was 16% and cumulative incidence of relapse was 40% (3 years). Patients with advanced disease had lower 3-year overall survival and event free survival (p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that disease status was the most significant factor associated with higher event free survival and overall survival . Our results show that children and adolescents transplanted with early disease can achieve considerable overall survival and also highlights the inefficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for patients with advanced disease.

Hyperintense basal ganglia on MR imaging in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipient

A 13-year-old boy presented seizures on day +37 after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for Fanconi anemia. After HSCT this patient had received total parental nutrition (TPN) for 21 days. Neurological examination was normal. A MRI of the brain (Figure A-B) showed symmetric areas of hyperintensity in the basal ganglia. Serum manganese (Mn) was 7.7 μg/L (reference value <3.3 μg/L). Basal ganglia Mn deposition, associated to elevated blood Mn levels, has been described in children receiving long-term TPN.