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C Canals

Publications and source records attributed to C Canals.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

[Streptococcus pneumoniae septicemia. Analysis of 40 cases].

Sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae has a high mortality. We report a retrospective review of 40 episodes of S pneumonia sepsis in adult patients during a two year period in a general hospital, that represented 11.3% of all sepsis observed in such hospital. Ninety two percent of infections were community acquired and in 95%, the portal of entry was the respiratory tract. Eighty five percent of patients had at least one risk factor such as alcohol abuse, unconsciousness or chronic pulmonary disease. Nine patients had suppurative complications (empyema in 4 cases, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in 2, septic arthritis in 2 and meningitis in 1 case) and 12 (30%) died. The potential benefit of antipneumococcal vaccine as prevention should be considered in high risk subjects.

Adolescent↗

Hematological recovery after autologous bone marrow transplantation in acute leukemia: predictive factors.

The kinetics of hematological recovery after autologous marrow transplantation have been studied in 70 patients with acute leukemia (38 acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia [ANNL] and 32 acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL]). The incidence of graft failure in this group was 3.2%, and a persistent severe thrombocytopenia was observed in 24% of the cases. Variables influencing engraftment have been studied using univariate and multivariate statistical analysis. Analysis of the entire group showed a correlation between graft colony-forming unit granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-GM) content and granulocyte recovery (p < 0.001). Marrow purging was associated with a delayed engraftment (p < 0.001). In ANLL patients, we found that high cummulated AraC doses before marrow cryopreservation correlated with poor granulocyte recovery after marrow infusion (p < 0.002). Platelet recovery was essentially affected by age, with shorter thrombocytopenia periods in younger patients (p < 0.001). Finally, excluding autotransplants with purged marrows, ALL patients showed better platelet recoveries than ANLL patients (p < 0.005). These findings will be useful to evaluate the risk of delayed engraftment after autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in patients with acute leukemia.

Acute Disease↗

Autologous bone marrow transplantation for acute leukemia: results and prognostic factors in 90 consecutive patients.

The results of autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in acute leukemia (AL) and the prognostic factors for outcome were analyzed in a series of 90 consecutive patients treated at a single institution (mean +/- SD age: 25 +/- 11 years). Diagnosis was: AML (n = 43), ALL (n = 44), acute undifferentiated leukemia (n = 2) and acute bilineage (n = 1). Disease stage at ABMT was: first complete remission (CR1) 46 cases, CR2 33, other stages 11. Conditioning consisted of cyclophosphamide and total body irradiation in 88 patients. The 3 year probability of disease-free survival (DFS) was influenced by disease stage at ABMT: CR1 48%, CR2 28%, CR3 plus CR4 15%. The characteristics associated with a high probability of relapse were: in AML a FAB subtype other than M1 or M3 (p = 0.01) and in ALL an interval between CR1 and ABMT of < 3 months (p = 0.002). A WBC > 15 x 10(9)/l at diagnosis (p = 0.01), splenomegaly at diagnosis (p = 0.002) and time to CR1 > 4 weeks (p = 0.06) increased the risk of relapse in the entire group in CR1. In multivariate analysis, WBC at diagnosis (p = 0.006) and disease stage at ABMT (p = 0.03) independently influenced DFS. This study confirms the encouraging results of ABMT in CR1 but further antileukemia measures are necessary in patients with adverse prognostic features.

Acute Disease↗

[Association of acute leukemia with disseminated intravascular coagulation in adults. Analysis of 14 cases].

The association of acute leukemia (AL) and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in 89 patients with a de novo diagnosis of AL made in our center during the last 8 years was retrospectively evaluated. DIC was demonstrated in 14 patients (15.7%) (7 AML-M3, 1 AML-M3, 1 AML-M2, 1 AML-M4, 2 AML-M5, and 2 ALL-L1). In 5 of them ICD was diagnosed after the beginning of chemotherapy. The factors predisposing to the development of DIC were: 1) the type of AL (p less than 0.01), as 70% of AML-M3 had DIC; 2) the intensity of granulation in leukemia cells (p less than 0.004); 3) the presence of Auer's rods and/or splinters in these cells, and 4) the presence of hemorrhagic diathesis (p less than 0.007). Eight of the 14 patients with DIC received heparin at a prophylactic dosage. No significant differences in the clinical course were in the group of patients with DIC who received heparin and in those who did not, excepting that in the former the platelet requirements were higher (p less than 0.005). Mortality rate during the first month was higher in the group of AL with DIC than in AL without DIC (p less than 0.025). Long term mortality was similar in both groups. The control of hemostasis is fundamental in AL, even in those patients without DIC at the time of diagnosis. The administration of blood derivatives has a high priority in AL with DIC. The role of heparin is still controversial.

Adult↗

Peripheral blood CD34+ cell immunomagnetic selection in breast cancer patients: effect on hematopoietic progenitor content and hematologic recovery after high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation.

BACKGROUND: Tumor cells have been detected in mobilized peripheral blood of breast cancer patients, and they may contribute to tumor recurrence after the transplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells. One of the most widespread technologies for tumor purging of the graft is immunomagnetic hematopoietic progenitor cell selection. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The study assessed the effectiveness of a magnetic cell-separation system in selecting functional subpopulations of hematopoietic progenitors from 14 blood-derived harvests of 11 patients with high-risk breast cancer after mobilization following cytotoxic chemotherapy supported by granulocyte--colony-stimulating factor, as well as the feasibility of transplanting these selected subpopulations. RESULTS: CD34(+)-enriched cell fractions had a median purity of 93.0 percent (72.7-98.5%). The procedure yielded 52.6 percent of the CD34+ cell input (39.4-116.8%). Median recoveries of colony-forming units (CFUs) (36.87%) and cobblestone area-forming cells (CAFCs) (152.5%) were, respectively, 0.70 and 2.87 times those of CD34+ cells (52.6%). Moreover, CAFC efficiency in the positive cell fraction was 2.57 times that in the starting cell fraction. Peripheral blood neutrophil counts of 0.5 x 10(9) per L and platelet counts of 20 x 10(9) per L were reached after median times of 9 and 11 days, respectively. The number of transfused CAFCs per kg, CD34+ cells per kg, and postthaw CFU-granulocyte-macrophage per kg was correlated, respectively, with the speed of engraftment of neutrophils, platelets, or both. Tumor cells detected in one patient's peripheral blood were not found after CD34+ cell selection. CONCLUSION: Transplantation of immunomagnetically purified peripheral blood CD34+ cells does not increase transplantation-related morbidity. It induces a selective enrichment of more immature hematopoietic progenitors, which makes it suitable for use in cell expansion and gene therapy protocols.

Adult↗

[Disseminated infection caused by Trichosporon beigelii in a patient with acute leukemia].

We report a case of disseminated infection produced by Trichosporon beigelii in a woman with acute leukemia and we review the cases described in the literature. In our patient the agent was isolated in the blood and in the bronchoalveolar aspirate. The infection was detected at the time the patient was under granulocytopenia produced by cytostatic therapy with involvement of the bones, kidney, lung, and skin. Although this mycotic agent is commonly sensitive in vitro to amphotericin B, there is not experience enough to recommend it and the mortality is high. Infection by Trichosporon beigelii should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with granulocytopenia and infection. This might contribute to improve the prognosis of the disease since and appropriate diagnosis and treatment would be established.

Adult↗