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Biomedical subjects

J M Ribera

Publications and source records attributed to J M Ribera.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Acute promyelocytic leukemia in a HIV seropositive patient.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is infrequent in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Among AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been rarely described in such patients, with only one case being published. We report a 30 years-old intravenous drug abuser HIV-infected male with APL who attained complete clinical, morphological, and molecular remission after differentiation therapy with all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) followed by intensive chemotherapy. The results of treatment in this patient and in other AML published cases suggest that therapy for AML should not be modified because of HIV infection if patients have an adequate performance status.

Adult↗

Low-grade, malt-type, primary B-cell lymphoma of the conjunctiva.

Although primary ocular lymphomas may be found in the conjunctiva, eye lids and lacrimal glands, the majority nevertheless occur in the orbit. Only a few cases of primary conjunctival lymphoma have been described in the literature. A 68-year-old man presented with a painless swelling of the epibulbar conjunctiva of the right eye. A diffuse lymphoid infiltrate consisting of small-sized lymphoid cells with the morphology and distribution characteristics of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue was observed. Immunohistological study demonstrated the B lymphocyte lineage of tumor cells and Bcl-1 and bcl-2 rearrangements were negative. After clinical staging including thoracic, abdominal, brain and orbital CT scans, fiberoptic gastroscopy and bone marrow biopsy, no other foci of this lymphoma were found. Radiation therapy was given and the patient currently remains free of lymphoma 30 months after diagnosis.

Aged↗

[Acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults. Comparative study of clinicobiologic characteristics and of response to treatment in terms of age in a group of 41 patients].

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of age on the clinical and biological features as well as the results of treatment in 41 adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The patients diagnosed with ALL from January 1989 to October 1995 in a single center were studied. Two groups of patients were analyzed based on age. The main clinical, hematologic and biochemical parameters, morphologic subtype and immunologic phenotype and the results of the cytogenetic study were analyzed. Likewise, the attainment of complete remission (CR), its duration and overall survival (OS) were also studied. Comparison of the cited variables and the results of treatment among the two groups of patients was performed. RESULTS: Group I was made of 19 (11 males, 8 females) patients > or = 50 years of age (mean age 65 +/- 9 years). Group II included 22 patients (11 males and 11 females) with a mean age of 28 +/- 11 years. Significant differences were only observed between the two groups in regard to the proportion of peripheral blood blasts (p < 0.02), serum LDH values (p = 0.05) and the performance status at the time of diagnosis ( p < 0.00007). In the patients in group 1 cytogenetic alterations were more frequent (10/16 vs 4/20, p < 0.02), being mainly pseudodiploid. Complete remission was achieved in 7/16 patients in group I and in 17/22 in group II (p < 0.02). The median duration of CR was 34 and 18 months, respectively. The median OS was 7 months in group 1 and 15 months in group II with an estimated survival at 5 years of 0% in group I and 38% in group II (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia over the age of 50 years have a worse general status and more cytogenetic alterations (particularly structural) than younger adult patients, presenting a lower probability of achieving complete remission and a shorter survival.

Adolescent↗

[Pseudotumorous cardiac infiltration in a patient with acute monoblastic leukemia].

Although cardiac infiltration is common in advanced stage of acute leukaemia, it is not usually diagnosed at life and it is extremely rare for it to become pseudotumoral. A 25-years-old patient with an acute monoblastic leukaemia who had a leukaemic infiltration which affected the main part of the left ventricle at the time of diagnosis, is referred. The heart infiltration was detected by a two dimension echocardiography. In spite of a massive infiltration, heart failure was not present and the left ventricle's ejection fraction was 50%. Even though chemotherapy was administered, the patient died four days after diagnosis due to septic shock of respiratory origin. The most relevant autopsy finding was a widespread pseudotumoral infiltration of the left ventricle, the back side of the right ventricle and the interventricular wall. The pseudotumoral infiltration of the heart by acute leukaemia is uncommon and must be differentiated from granulocytic sarcoma. The usefulness of the different diagnostic procedures is discussed.

Adult↗

[Splenomegalic pancytopenia of probable immune origin: cure after treatment with glucocorticoids].

Two female patients of 54 and 48 years, respectively, with pancytopenia and splenomegaly of probable immune origin are reported. The first presented anemic syndrome and fever, and the second bleeding. In both cases large sized splenomegaly was found on physical examination. Serologic and immunologic studies excluded chronic infection or systemic autoimmune disease. Bone marrow biopsy showed hematopoietic hyperplasia with lymphoid nodules and reticulin fibrosis. Treatment with glucocorticoids and splenectomy was performed in one case and only glucocorticoids were administered in the other case with the cytopenias disappearing and the bone marrow becoming normocellular. Reactive follicular hyperplasia was observed in the white pulp of the spleen in one of the patients, as were abundant macrophagic activity in the red pulp, and myeloid metaplasia. The patients remain asymptomatic at 4 and 12 years of follow up. The origin of the process was attributed probably to an immune etiology and differential diagnosis with idiopathic myelofibrosis and non tropical idiopathic splenomegaly must be considered.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents↗

[Lymphoma of the marginal zone of the spleen. A case study].

Lymphomas of the marginal spleen zone are an entity recently considered as separate by the International Lymphoma Study Group. There are B-cell non Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) of low grade malignancy with a characteristic phenotype that allows to differentiate from mantle lymphomas and other B-cell lymphoproliferative syndromes. The case of a 69-year-old female patient admitted for abdominal pain due to large splenomegaly is reported. Pancytopenia and the presence of atypical large-sized lymphocytes with extensive cytoplasm and a rounded nucleus with indentations, reticulated appearing chromatin and one or several nucleoli were of note in the hemogram. Microscopic examination of the bone marrow demonstrated moderate-degree lymphocytary infiltration with grade I reticulin fibrosis. Laparotomy with splenectomy was performed. White pulp invasion with multifocal infiltration of the red pulp by lymphocytes of the same characteristics as those observed in the peripheral blood and bone marrow were observed on microscopic bone marrow examination. Immunophenotypic study of these lymphocytes was positive for CD19, CD20 and CD22 while being negative for CD5, CD10, CD23, CD25, CD11c and FMC7, the phenotype belonging to the lymphocytes of marginal spleen zone. Following splenectomy the patient recovered hemoperipheral counts and did not undergo additional treatment. The patient died due to septic shock of respiratory origin 4 months later. The clinical, morphologic and immunophenotypic features of marginal spleen zone lymphomas are reported with emphasis on the differences with other B-cell non Hodgkin's lymphomas of low malignancy.

Aged↗

Occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery in a patient with polycythemia vera: resolution with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty.

The case is reported of a 46-year-old male patient with polycythemia vera (PV) treated with phlebotomy who developed an occlusive thrombosis of the superior mesenteric artery 2 years after the diagnosis. He was successfully managed with percutaneous transluminal angioplasty. The patient did not develop any other thrombotic phenomena. To our knowledge, there are no previous reports on the use of percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in the management of arterial thrombotic complications in PV patients.

Angioplasty, Balloon↗

Early T-cell activation in elderly humans.

This study characterizes the early steps of T lymphocyte activation in elderly subjects. The expression of CD69, the earliest inducible antigen which appears with T lymphocyte activation, was assessed in T cells cultured with medium, anti-CD3 or PMA. The proliferative responses of T cells stimulated through CD69 and CD3 pathways were also studied. Donors included 31 healthy elderly [age mean (SD) 80(8) years] and 33 healthy young [age 30(5) years] subjects. In elderly people, the expression of CD69 was lower in T cells cultured with medium [3.4% (1.65-5.9; 25-75 percentiles) vs. 10% (6-18), p < 0.0003] and anti-CD3 activated [28.1% (16.5-53.8) vs. 79.5% (73-89), p < 0.0002] T cells. With PMA at 10 ng/ml, CD69 expression was higher in both groups of T cells, though still lower in the aged [84.5% (70.9-94.9) vs. 99% (65.7-100), p = 0.051]. CD69 T cells expression was equal in both groups with 2 ng/ml of PMA, but the co-stimulatory responses to CD69 under these conditions and in the presence of anti-CD3 were lower in the aged (16914 vs. 28904 cpm, p < 0.02) and (6944 vs. 14370 cpm, p < 0.02) respectively. Aged T cells failed to express CD25 at the same levels of young T cells when stimulated with CD69. These results suggests an age-associated defect in the very early steps of T lymphocyte activation that might influence later stages of lymphocyte function. An alteration in the transmission of the activation signal from the cell surface to protein kinase C may play a primary role in this defect.

Aged↗

Feasibility and results of bone marrow transplantation after remission induction and intensification chemotherapy in de novo acute myeloid leukemia. Catalan Group for Bone Marrow Transplantation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate prospectively the feasibility and results of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) after induction and intensification chemotherapy (CT) in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 159 patients less than 51 years of age were treated. Induction CT consisted of daunorubicin 60 mg/m2 for 3 days, cytarabine (ARA-C) 100mg/m2 for 7 days, and etoposide 100 mg/m2 for 3 days. The first intensification therapy included mitoxantrone 10 mg/m2 for 3 days and ARA-C 1.2 g/m2 every 12 hours for 4 days. Amsacrine (100 or 150 mg/m2 for 3 days) and ARA-C (1.2 g/m2 every 12 hours for 2 or 4 days) were given as the second intensification therapy. Depending on the availability of a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling, the intention of treatment after CT was allogeneic BMT (allo-BMT) or autologous BMT (ABMT). RESULTS: Complete remission (CR) was obtained in 120 patients (75%) and partial remission (PR) in 11 (7%), while 15 patients (10%) were refractory and 13 (8%) died during induction. There was a trend for better leukemia-free survival (LFS) at 4 years for patients assigned to the ABMT group (50% +/- 6%) compared with the allo-BMT group (31% +/- 7%) (P = .08). This difference in LFS reached statistical significance when considering only transplanted patients (63% +/- 3% at 4 years after ABMT and 38% +/- 11% after allo-BMT, P = .02). The favorable results in patients who received ABMT (no toxic deaths and 37% +/- 7% probability of relapse at 4 years) contrast with the poor outcome of allografted patients (11 patients with transplant-related mortality). CONCLUSION: Our study reflects the difficulties in the completion of a therapeutic strategy that include BMT and suggests that intensification before BMT may be useful in the setting of ABMT, but this approach was associated with a high mortality rate in allo-BMT patients.

Acute Disease↗

[Intense neutropenia of 14 years duration as the only manifestation of a myelodysplastic syndrome].

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of acquired hemopathies characterized by peripheral cytopenias due to ineffective hematopoiesis and a high risk of transformation into acute non lymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) which, in most cases, usually occurs from 6 months to 4 years after diagnosis. A patient with extreme neutropenia with intense dysgranulopoiesis as the only manifestations of MDS is described. The patient was controlled over 14 years and presented multiple infectious episodes, in various locations, throughout the evolution, some being very severe and generally caused by gram-negative germs. Likewise, during this time the patient received different treatments (oxymetholone, prednisone and lithium carbonate) with no hematologic response being observed. The leukocyte count remained around 3 x 10(9)/L with a mean proportion of neutrophils of 12% with no variations being found in the bone marrow aspirates carried out throughout the evolution (total of 9). At 14 years the diagnosis of MDS evolved to ANLL. The patient died shortly after the acute transformation due to respiratory failure secondary to bilateral pneumonia. In this case three peculiar features are of note: the almost exclusive involvement of the granulopoietic series without either anemia or thrombocytopenia, the long evolution of AREB, with acute transformation 14 years after diagnosis and the severity of the infections, among which recurrent lingual granulopenic ulcers were of note.

Aged↗

[Pseudotumorous hyperplasia of the caudate lobe of the liver in a patient with Alagille syndrome].

The Alagille's syndrome consists in hypoplasia of the intrahepatic biliary ducts associated to congenital abnormalities of different organs. It is usually diagnosed in infancy due to cholestasis with good prognosis. The case of a 31-year old women who presented prominent chin, micrognathia, flattening of the nasal bone, infundibular stenosis of the pulmonary artery and cholestasis is reported. Ultrasonography demonstrated a lesion in the space of the hepatic caudate lobe with punction showing sinusoidal dilatation and infiltration of some portal spaces by lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils. Samples of liver tissue obtained during laparotomy showed an absence of intrahepatic biliary ducts in the right and left lobes and preservation of those of the caudate lobe, which was also increased in size with a pseudotumoral appearance. The patients was asymptomatic with slight anicteric cholestasis at 16 months of diagnosis. The rarity of these forms of Alagille's syndrome with areas free of hypoplasia of the intrahepatic biliary ducts are of note.

Adult↗