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Biomedical subjects

J Starý

Publications and source records attributed to J Starý.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Allogenic transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells in the treatment of children with high-risk acute leukemia].

BACKGROUND: Most children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and increasing number of children with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) are currently cured with conventional chemotherapy. Despite of this success there is a subset of patients with high-risk features at diagnosis who are predisposed to a very high risk of relapse. Relapse of AML and early bone marrow relapse of ALL can not be cured by conventional chemotherapy. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is therapeutic option in these children with very high-risk acute leukemia. METHODS AND RESULTS: Between XI/1989-XII/1996 33 children with acute leukemia (ALL: 22, AML: 11) underwent an allogeneic HSCT from HLA identical related donors (HLA-identical sibling: 30, twin: 1, other HLA-identical relative: 2) at the 2nd Dept. of Pediatrics, University Hospital Motol. Median age of our group was 9 years (1.5-19 y.), boys (n = 23) clearly dominated over the girls (n = 10). The resource of stem cells was bone marrow in 31 children, bone marrow and peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) and PBPC in one child respectively. Myeloablative conditioning regimen varied, consisting of total body irradiation and chemotherapy in 21 children and chemotherapy in 12 children. HSCT was performed in first complete remission of acute leukemia in 9 children (AML: 7, ALL: 2), in second remission in 14 children (AML: 2, ALL: 12), in third remission in 4 children (ALL: 4). Six children underwent HSCT in first partial remission (n = 1) and in second (n = 4) or third (n = 1) chemoresistant relapse. Seven (21%) children died due to post-transplant complications. Nine (28%) children suffered from clinically significant acute graft-versus-host reaction (GVH) and 15% (4/27) children who survived 100 days post-transplant suffered from chronic GVH disease. Relapse of leukemia was diagnosed in 39% (12/31) children. Fourteen (42%) children are alive and well in continuous remission with median follow-up 42 months. CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic HSCT can cure children with very high-risk acute leukemia in the situations where conventional chemotherapy fails. Relapse of leukemia and GVH reaction are most important causes of post-transplant morbidity and mortality.

Adolescent

[DNA polymorphism, allogenic bone marrow transplantation and peripheral cell chimerism].

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow transplantation or transplantation of peripheral stem cells is an effective treatment of a number of diseases. Its increasing success and expanding use in associated with the development of molecular diagnostic methods which enable to follow up the graft from its engraftment in a recipient and then during the whole posttransplantation period at the level extremely small numbers of cells. METHODS AND RESULTS: In peripheral blood of patients, genotypes of the following loci were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR): APOB, COL2A1, D17S20, D1S80, HVR/1G, SRY and AMXY. Technique of restriction analysis was used for loci DXYS20 and DXYS75. 1. The first signs of donor bone marrow activity were observed in 50% of patients already at the beginning of the second week after transplantation, while in the second half of patients increasing number of donor cells in peripheral blood was noticed in the second and third week. 2. Engraftment with full and permanent substitution of own bone marrow without presence of recipients cells in peripheral blood--complete chimerism--was achieved only in a part of patients (cca 50%). 3. Peripheral blood of other patients did not contain only donor cells but also recipients cells--mixed chimerism. With regard to its onset, the authors have divided mixed chimerism into early and late, taking into account that some patients can develop both types. In patients under study, early chimerism was found more frequently, which apparently resulted from a shorter period of observation of lately transplanted patients. 4. In cases of oncohaematologic patients, which allowed to study specifically the presence of a pathologic clone, the follow-up of chimerism enabled to distinguish between relapse of the original disease and "biologic" recovery--resurrection of original disease-free haematopoiesis. 5. Regression of mixed chimerism was supposed to be the result of treatment focused at the original disease (CML), in some patients, however, it was a spontaneous process. CONCLUSIONS: Follow-up of cellular chimerism in transplanted patients by means of molecular genetic methods provides substantial information about patient's shape which can be utilized it is necessary to decide on treatment procedures. For this reason it is desirable that examination of chimerism by molecular methods should form integral part of care of these patients.

Adolescent

Aberrant expression of KOR-SA3544 antigen in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia predicts TEL-AML1 negativity. The Pediatric Hematology Working Group in the Czech Republic.

The antigen KOR-SA3544 is physiologically expressed exclusively on granulocytes. Aberrant expression of KOR-SA3544 has been invariably found in BCR/ABL-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and in some BCR/ABL-negative ALL. In an interim analysis of a prospective clinical and cytometric study data of 73 children with newly diagnosed or relapsed ALL with and without TEL/AML1 fusion are presented. KOR-SA3544 expression over 3% was detected in the majority of TEL/AML1-negative patients with newly diagnosed common or preB ALL (19 of 31) and not in TEL/AML1-positive patients (0 of 18, P < 0.0001). The level of expression of KOR-SA3544 was 0.02-90% (median 6.0%) and 0.03-2.4% (median 0.23%) in TEL/AML1-negative and TEL/AML1-positive patients, respectively. All five newly diagnosed patients with DNA index > or =1.16 and <1.6 exhibited high levels of KOR-SA3544 expression. Membrane expression of CD79a was found to correlate with TEL/AML1 negativity, although less significantly than KOR-SA3544 (P = 0.03). Furthermore, our data confirm that TEL/AML1 positivity correlates with non-hyperdiploidy and low presenting age. In conclusion, KOR-SA3544 correlated strongly with TEL/AML1 negativity, it was a better predictor of TEL/AML1 status than other factors tested and was found at high levels in hyperdiploidy. In combination with age, KOR-SA3544 predicted TEL/AML1 status in 86% newly diagnosed preB/cALL patients.

Age Factors

Simple competitive two-step RT-PCR assay to monitor minimal residual disease in CML patients after bone marrow transplantation.

Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) assessing the amount of transcripts of the BCR/ABL gene, the molecular marker of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), is the only method sensitive enough for monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD) in CML patients after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). In this study we present a simple modification of competitive Q-RT-PCR using natural competitors from cell lines K562 and BV173. The competitors were used in the form of unpurified RNA in cell lysates which ensured their high stability. Mixing competitors and samples before RNA extraction eliminated problems with quantification of cDNA or RNA entering the competitive reaction and with checking for the RNA quality and reverse transcription (RT) efficiency. The bulk of the malignant clone was expressed as the number of leukemic cells in 10(6) leukocytes when the overproduction of the BCR/ABL mRNA in the cell lines we used as competitors was taken into account. It was found to be 82-fold and 14-fold in K562 and BV173, respectively, in comparison with 100% Ph-positive CML standard. The assay reliability was verified by comparison of results with the mathematical model of competitive PCR. The assay is highly reproducible and sensitive (10(-5)). Its accuracy was proved to be excellent in a wide range of malignant cell concentrations. The method is demonstrated on three CML patients suffering from MRD after BMT. In conclusion, this method fulfills all criteria of competitive Q-RT-PCR. Because of its simplicity it is suitable for clinical laboratories and due to the high stability of the lysates used it may serve in the standardization of results between different laboratories.

Binding, Competitive

Expression of cytokine receptors on different myeloid leukemic cells.

We have studied the expression of cytokine receptors CD25 (IL-2Ra,55kD), CD116 (hGM-CSRF,145kD), CD117 (CSFR,145kD), CD120a (TNFR,55kD), CD120b (TNFR,75kD), CD121a (IL-1R, type I, 80kD), CD123 (IL-3R), CD124 (IL-4R, 140kD), CD126 (IL-6R, 80kD), CDw127 (IL-7R, 75kD), CDw128 (IL-8R), CD130 (gp130 subunit), CD131 (common beta), CD134 (OX40) and also CD95 (Fas antigen) on the myeloid leukemic cells. Cells from peripheral blood or bone marrow of 30 patients with disorders in myeloid lineage included mostly acute myeloid leukemias (with high leukocyte count and percentage of blasts) were analyzed for the expression of surface membrane molecules by indirect immunofluorescence method evaluated by flow cytometry. The findings indicate that some monoclonal antibodies have a reactivity against cytokine receptors of pathological cells in individual cases, but with very variable qualitative and quantitative (number copies/cell) expression (preliminary results). The leukemic cells demonstrate unique cytokine receptor profiles, which reveal the great diversity of immunophenotypes within the main functional characterization of blood malignancies. The immunophenotype heterogeneity of leukemic cells has proved to be much greater than to match with existing classification criteria. This fact could raise the necessity of further evaluation and specification of cytokine markers of the myeloid acute leukemias. On the other hand, detection of cytokine receptors on the leukemia cells is important for cytokine therapy.

Adolescent

An overview of the Czech Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

The Czech Bone Marrow Donor registry (CBMD) was founded in 1991 in the National HLA centre at Prague's Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine. In the same year, the CBMD submitted its data to the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide (BMDW). Another line of CBMD's international cooperation is accomplished through computer linkup with the European Donor Secretariat (E.D.S) network. Donors are being recruited constantly through blood transfusion units and other volunteers are enrolled through the mass media. All the methodology used is developed in compliance with the standards of the European Federation for Immunogenetics (EFI). CBMD closely cooperates with clinical centres for transplantation of bone marrow, stem cells (PBSC) and cord blood from unrelated donors. More than 7,000 potential bone marrow typed in HLA-A, B locus have been registered. Besides potential bone marrow donors, frozen cells of cord blood are kept by CBMD. Search requests from registries all over word come via E.D.S. daily except for weekends. Since its foundation in 1991, nearly 20,000 international requests have been handled. During the last two years, 5 CBMD donors provided their bone marrow to Czech patients, one donor provided stem cells (PBSC) and one donor provided bone marrow + stem cells (PBSC). To date, more than 20 transplantations from unrelated donors have been performed in Prague's transplant centres.

Bone Marrow

[Purging of hemopoietic progenitor cells in autologous transplantation].

The authors describe the results of purification of bone marrow and peripheral progenitor cells (PBPC) for clinical transplantations. Vepeside was used to purify in 1990-1995 a total of 41 bone marrows of adults and children. Of these 23 were transplanted. Maphosphamide was used bone marrow purging in two patients; transplantation was performed in one case. By a combination of Vepeside with methylprednisolone haematopoietic cells of 24 patients were purged, transplantations were performed in 10. Three-day cultivation of haematopoietic cells in the presence of Desferal was used for purging cells of 22 patients with neuroblastoma; transplantations were performed in 10 patients. The authors give the values of nucleated cells, haematopoietic colonies of CFU-GM and CD34 positive cells obtained after purification calculated per kg body weight of the patient and the percentage yields.

Adult

[Frequency of cytotoxic and helper T-lymphocyte precursors in donors with alloreactivity to recipient histocompatibility antigens. Possible use in predicting acute graft vs host disease in bone marrow transplantation].

BACKGROUND: The utility of cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor (CTLp) and helper T lymphocyte precursor (HTLp) frequencies estimation for detecting alloreactivity and for the prediction of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) has been evaluated. METHODS AND RESULTS: The limiting dilution assay and a maximum likelihood statistical programme were used for CTLp and HTLp frequency estimation. A high CTLp frequency suggesting the presence of hidden class I mismatches was detected in 41.2% of unrelated pairs. HLA-A and -B matched by serological typing and DRB1 and DQB1 matched by DNA analysis. Severe aGVHD (grade III-IV) occurred in all patients of this group who underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT). In two patients of the three evaluated with low pretransplant CTLp frequency a mild form (grade I) or no aGVHD developed after unrelated BMT. Positive frequency of alloreactive HTLp was found in 50% of HLA matched unrelated pairs. The comparison of CTLp and HTLp values in the same individuals showed that these two methods are not fully alternative in detecting alloreactivity. In the group of HLA identical siblings, 18.7% of positive HTLp results were only found. Besides HLA-DP incompatibilities, the differences in non-HLA genes could cause this alloreactivity. CONCLUSIONS: CTLp assay has a potential for the prediction for aGVHD development following BMT from HLA matched unrelated donors. CTLp results suggest the necessity of more accurate class I typing in these cases. The comparison of CTLp and HTLp frequencies showed that the results can differ in some unrelated donor-recipient BMT pairs suggesting the convenience of simultaneous performing of both assays for the alloreactivity assessment. More cases have to be considered to determine the relationship between pretransplant HTLp frequency and posttransplant aGVHD development in HLA identical siblings.

Acute Disease

[Hematologic indications for splenectomy in childhood].

In 1988-1994 at the Pediatric Surgical Clinic, Faculty Hospital Motol splenectomy was performed in 66 children. Indication for splenectomy were haematological diseases (52), malignant and benign tumours (12) and congestive splenomegaly associated with cytopenia (2). The group does not comprise patients operated on account of injury. The most frequent haematological indications of splenectomy include haemolytic anaemia, chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, hypersplenism and other conditions (haematological malignancies). The investigation is focused on haematological indications of splenectomy in childhood and its effect on treatment of the basic disease. Splenectomy on account of hereditary spherocytosis was performed in 31 patients. In all after surgery normalization of the haemogram was recorded. Of 11 patients, who were operated on account of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) in nine normalization or marked elevation of the number of thrombocytes was observed. In two patients the rise of thrombocytes was slight however haemorrhagic manifestations of the disease receded. One patient operated on account of thrombocytopenia linked to the X chromosome died. In nine patients operated on account of other haematological indications after splenectomy improved values of the haemogram were observed. The immune state of the patients was not investigated.

Adolescent

[Successful transplantation of fetal blood in a boy with leukocyte integrin deficiency syndrome].

The authors describe the first successful case of transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells in a patient with severe congenital immunodeficiency-the syndrome of deficiency of leukocytary integrins (LAD), leukocyte adhesion deficiency) in the Czech Republic and, at the same time, the first successful transplantation of umbilical blood in this disease in the world. The six-year boy was completely cured by the transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells contained in umbilical blood sampled during delivery of his healthy brother with identical HLA system. The pretransplantation myeloablative preparation was performed by a combination of busulfan, cyclophosphamide and etoposide. The relatively uncomplicated posttransplantation course was secured by preventive administration of antibiotics and immunoglobulins. The reattachment of the stem cells, estimated from the peripheral blood picture, occurred 25 days after the transplantation, the success of the intervention was confirmed by reaching physiological values of originally null expression of integrins on leukocytes of the patient 30 days after the transplantation. The transplantation of umbilical blood is a very promising therapeutic method especially in children with leukemia, congenital severe immunodeficiencies o inborn errors of metabolism.

Child

[The first case of leukocyte integrin deficiency syndrome in the Czech Republic and successful prenatal diagnosis in the affected family].

The syndrome of leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD) is a rare congenital immunodeficiency which is usually manifested from birth by serious infections of the skin and mucosal membranes. The molecular basis of the disease is heterogeneous: quantitative or qualitative disorders of the beta 2 integrin sub-unit are involved which lead to the absence or substantially reduced expression of adhesive molecules of the CD11/CD18 complex on leukocytes. The authors describe the case of a boy who suffered from this syndrome. The diagnosis was established at the age of four years, based on the typical clinical picture and confirmed by examination of integrins on lymphocytes and granulocytes which were zero. During the mother's subsequent pregnancy prenatal diagnosis was made by puncture of the umbilical cord during the 22nd week of gestation. Affection of the foetus by this syndrome was ruled out by examination of integrin expression on foetal leukocytes, a normal finding was confirmed also after delivery. During delivery umbilical blood was collected which was frozen and later used for therapeutic transplantation to the sibling suffering from LAD. This is the first case of this syndrome in the Czech Republic and first prenatal diagnosis which led to aimed collection of umbilical blood used for treatment of this rare immunodeficiency.

Child, Preschool

Successful HLA-identical sibling cord blood transplantation in a 6-year-old boy with leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome.

A 6-year-old boy with the severe form of the leukocyte adhesion deficiency syndrome (LAD) received a transplant of cord blood (CBT) from his HLA-identical brother. The donor was proved healthy by successful prenatal diagnosis. CBT was performed after conditioning with etoposide, busulfan and cyclophosphamide. After hematopoietic recovery complete chimerism was proved as well as the normal expression of CD11x/CD18 complex on circulating leukocytes. The only post-transplant complication was a mild pneumonitis resolving on the corticosteroid therapy. Thirteen months after CBT the boy is in good health and shows no signs of immunodeficiency. As far as we know this is the first report of successful CBT in a patient with LAD syndrome.

Child

The search for HLA-compatible bone marrow donors. Procedure currently used in the Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Prague.

The search for compatible donors is based on the HLA types of donors and recipients. HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 antigens or alleles must be unequivocally typed in donors and recipients. The typing of HLA-DQB, -DPB and -C gene products is also useful to characterize the HLA phenotype, but it is not absolutely necessary in the donor selection. The standard serological methods using alloantisera and one-dimensional isoelectric focusing are used for the typing of HLA class I antigens. Recently, DNA analysis of class I alleles has been introduced. In HLA class II typing the serological analysis was generally replaced by DNA analysis. In addition to typing techniques that determine the individual HLA alleles or HLA gene products, the cellular matching techniques are used in the selection procedure (mixed lymphocyte culture, cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursor frequency assay, and IL-2-producing helper T lymphocyte precursor frequency assay). The cellular matching techniques determine the compatibility in the regions of HLA comprising several HLA loci; some of them may detect minor histocompatibility (non-HLA) gene disparities as well.

Bone Marrow Transplantation

[Allogenic transplantation of bone marrow in childhood].

BACKGROUND: Bone marrow transplantation has become the therapeutic method in some forms of malignant haemotopoietic diseases, malignant tumours, inborn errors of metabolism and immunodeficiency states. The objective of the presented work is the analysis of 40 allogenic bone marrow transplantations in children made in 1989-1994. METHODS AND RESULTS: Bone marrow transplantation was made in 40 children (26 boys and 14 girls), mean age 10.5 years (range 1.5-17.5 years). Indications were acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 11, acute myeloid leukaemia in 10, chronic myeloid leukaemia in 6, myelodysplastic syndrome in 2, aplastic anaemia and Fanconi's anaemia in 7, non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2 and inborn errors in 2 children. The donor was in 33 patients in HLA identical sibling and in seven instances a monozygotic twin, HLA non-identical sibling or relative or unrelated matched donor. Bone marrow engraftment was achieved in 35 (87.5%) patients, in one instance the bone marrow was rejected (2.5%) and in four patients (10%) early death occurred before the bone marrow engraftment. On Aug. 15, 1995 20 patients (50%) survived, a relapse developed in 7 (17.5%) and 13 patients died in conjunction with the transplantation (32.5%). The most frequent cause of death were infectious complications (9 children) either in conjunction with the development of graft versus host reaction (6x) or without signs of this reaction (3x). As a prophylaxis of graft versus host disease 24x Cyclosporine A with corticosteroids was used, 16x with methotrexate. A chronic graft versus host disease developed in 6 of 28 children surviving 100 days after transplantation. The greatest problem are infectious (bacterial and mycotic) complications in the phase of bone marrow aplasia before engraftment of the transplanted bone marrow or in conjunction with a graft versus host reaction which cannot be completely avoided by preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow transplantation is also in children an effective therapeutic method of some forms of malignant haematopoietic diseases, malignant tumours and immunodeficiency states. The correct indication, suitable donor, preventive measures against the graft versus host reaction and protection against infectious complications are essential for the success of this pretentious treatment.

Adolescent

[DNA cytometry analysis in childhood tumors].

BACKGROUND: DNA contents in cells may be determined by flow cytometry. The relationship between malignant cell aneuploidy and prognosis is known in many types of neoplasms in adults and in children. In some situations, demonstration of an aneuploid clone verifies presence of malignant cells. Aneuploidy is rare in benign diseases. This report summarizes our first experiences with cytometric DNA analysis and shows the method's abilities to other potential users. METHODS AND RESULTS: We investigated DNA contents in blood and bone marrow (BM) specimens of 25 children with leukemia, in 41 unfixed solid tumors after biopsy and in 24 specimens of paraffin embedded neuroblastoma tissue. We also investigated 5 specimens of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with medulloblastoma, 18 specimens of CSF from patients with leukemia or lymphoma, 4 pleural exudates suspected from malignancies, and 45 specimens of possibly infiltrated BM from primary solid tumors. As the purpose of this study was to test the method on a relatively small number of specimens, we did not perform statistical analysis of our data. As reported previously, aneuploidy was frequent in CALLA + acute lymphoblastic leukemia and in types of neuroblastoma with favorable prognosis (lower clinical stages and less than 2 years of age). CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that DNA ploidy may be tested by flow cytometry in an easy and fast way. The source of the material may be unfixed tumors, deparaffinized tumors, BM, blood, CSF and pleural exudates.

Adolescent

Frequency analysis of cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors in search for donors in bone marrow transplantation.

The usefulness of cytotoxic T lymphocytes precursors (CTLp) frequency analysis in the search for donors in bone marrow transplantation was studied. The frequency of anti-recipient CTLp was approached by limiting dilution assay in HLA matched unrelated, HLA partially matched related and HLA genotypically identical donors. The majority of patients examined were affected with different hematological malignancies. Alloreactive CTLp recognizing non-HLA gene products were not detected in pretransplant examination of two pairs of HLA identical siblings. However, an increased incidence of allospecific CTLp was identified in HLA matched MLC negative unrelated pairs. Thus, CTLp assay allowed to uncover the residual Class I incompatibilities that remained hidden in standard serotyping. In two matched unrelated pairs with high pretransplant CTLp frequency the severe acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) developed after bone marrow transplantation. Examination of other relatives in patients lacking an HLA identical sibling showed the importance of Class I incompatibility for CTLp generation as well. The lack of correlation between CTLp frequency and HLA-D disparity could suggest that Class II antigens do not participate in CTLp induction. With one exception we had good correlation between MLC and DNA analysis of Class II antigens demonstrating that MLC gives interpretable results even in unrelated pairs. Our results demonstrate the significance of CTLp frequency assay in detection of residual Class I incompatibilities in matched unrelated pairs and in assessment of Class I compatibility in related pairs. For that it should be used in the final selection of BMT donors.

Bone Marrow