Biomedical subjects

U Jaeger

Publications and source records attributed to U Jaeger.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2007

Influence of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone on serologic parameters and clinical course in lymphoma patients with autoimmune diseases.

BACKGROUND: As patients with B-cell lymphomas suffering from an underlying autoimmune condition undergoing therapy with the CD20 antibody rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP) offer the unique possibility of monitoring effects of therapy on various rheumatologic parameters, we have evaluated serologic autoimmune markers and the clinical outcome of patients with autoimmune diseases (ADs) who received lymphoma treatment with R-CHOP during the course of their disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We have retrospectively analysed 13 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who concurrently suffered from ADs and were treated with the R-CHOP regimen. Subjective parameters along with rheumatoid factor (RF) and antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were serially measured. RESULTS: The median levels of RF were 901 IU/ml [inter-quartile-range (IQR) 189-2520] before and 75 IU/ml (IQR 45-644) after therapy (P = 0.028). The median levels of ANA were 800 (IQR 140-2560) before and 100 (40-1280) after therapy (P = 0.027). Ten (77%) patients showed clinical improvement of their autoimmune symptoms, two (15%) reported no difference and one (7%) patient with rheumatoid arthritis-related worsening symptoms during therapy with R-CHOP. The autoimmune-related symptoms recurred after a median time of 7 weeks (IQR 6-8) in seven patients. In terms of lymphoma response, 11 patients achieved a complete remission and two a partial remission. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis indicates that R-CHOP given for lymphoma treatment is also effective for therapy of concurrent rheumatoid diseases. Both rheumatoid parameters as well as clinical symptoms showed a significant decrease during treatment with this immunochemotherapy. The effects on the rheumatic diseases, however, seem to be of limited duration.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Consensus statement on the use of rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

A large number of experts experienced in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis were involved in formulating a consensus statement on the use of B cell-targeted treatment with rituximab in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The statement was supported by data from randomised controlled clinical trials and the substantial literature on oncology. The statement underwent three rounds of discussions until its ultimate formulation. It should guide clinicians in the use of this newly approved biological agent in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

PubMed2006

18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) visualizes follicular lymphoma irrespective of grading.

BACKGROUND: 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) has become a routine measure for staging and follow-up of patients with aggressive lymphoma. By contrast, its usefulness to visualize indolent lymphomas characterized by a lower cellular turnover has not clearly been defined. We have investigated accuracy and clinical usefulness of 18F-FDG-PET in patients with follicular lymphoma (FL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 64 patients with FL WHO grade I - III (48, 5, and 11 patients) were imaged at our institution to assess the value of 18F-FDG-PET for imaging of FL of different gradings. A total of 115 scans (48 before therapy and 67 for response assessment after treatment) were performed, and findings were compared to conventional staging including CT-scan of thorax and abdomen, sonography of lymph nodes and bone marrow biopsy. RESULTS: Overall, 18F-FDG-PET had a sensitivity of 98%, a specificity of 94%, a positive predictive value of 95% and a negative predictive value of 98%. These results were significantly more accurate (P = 0.023) than the conventional radiology studies. There was no significant difference (P = 0.093) in the accuracy between patients with indolent (WHO grade I and II) versus aggressive FL (WHO grade III). CONCLUSION: 18F-FDG-PET scan is a reliable method for staging and follow up of patients with nodal FL irrespective of tumor grading.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

[Technical limits of PET/CT with 18FDG in prostate cancer].

There is increasing evidence that (18)FDG-PET is not useful for the imaging of primary prostate cancer. The aim of this examination was to prove whether or not these poor results are due to technical deficiencies of the examination method like older image reconstruction techniques, extensive (18)FDG-tracer activity in the bladder or improper contrast staining of the rectum. We examined three patients with primary prostate cancer using a modern combined PET/CT system, continuous irrigation of the bladder and an air-inflated rectal balloon catheter. PET/CT images show an exact depiction of both the prostate and all surrounding anatomic structures but no enhanced uptake of radiotracer in the tumour. Therefore, the mentioned poor results of (18)FDG-PET seem not to be due to technical deficiencies.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMed2005

[Combined FDG PET/CT imaging for restaging of colorectal cancer patients: impact of image fusion on staging accuracy].

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic impact of positron emission tomography (PET) with fluorine-18-labeled deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) combined with non-contrast computed tomography (CT) as PET-CT modality in restaging colorectal cancer patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, 29 consecutive patients with histologically proven colorectal cancer (17 female, 12 male, aged 51-76 years) underwent whole body scans in one session on a dual modality PET-CT system (Siemens Biograph) 90 min. after i.v. administration of 370 MBq 18F-FDG. The CT imaging was performed with 40 mAs, 130 kV, slice-thickness 5 mm and without i.v. contrast administration. PET and CT images were reconstructed with a slice-thickness of 5 mm in coronal, sagittal and transverse planes. During a first step of analysis, PET and CT images were scored blinded and independently by a group of two nuclear medicine physicians and a group of two radiologists, respectively. For this purpose, a five-point-scale was used. The second step of data-analysis consisted of a consensus reading by both groups. During the consensus reading, first a virtual (meaning mental) fusion of PET and CT images and afterwards the "real" fusion (meaning coregistered) PET-CT images were also scored with the same scale. The imaging results were compared with histopathology findings and the course of disease during further follow-up. RESULTS: The total number of malignant lesions detected with the combined PET/CT were 86. For FDG-PET alone it was n = 68, and for CT alone n = 65. Comparing PET-CT and PET, concordance was found in 81 of 104 lesions. Discrepancies predominantly occurred in the lung, where PET alone often showed true positive results in lymph nodes and soft tissue masses, where CT often was false negative. Comparing mental fusion and "real" co-registered images, concordance was found in 94 of 104 lesions. In 13 lesions or, respectively, in 7 of 29 patients, a relevant information was gathered using fused images. CONCLUSION: Combined PET/CT leads to greater accuracy in the interpretation of data and is a valuable tool for diagnosis and anatomic localization of metastases in colorectal cancer patients.

Aged↗

PubMed2004

[PET/CT imaging in head and neck tumors].

AIM: To evaluate the usefulness of combined PET/CT examinations for detection of malignant tumors and their metastases in head and neck oncology. METHODS: 51 patients received whole body scans on a dual modality PET/CT system. CT was performed without i.v. contrast. The results were compared concerning the diagnostic impact of native CT scan on FDG-PET images and the additional value of fused imaging. RESULTS: From 153 lesions were 97 classified as malignant on CT and 136 on FDG/PET images, as suspicious for malignancy in 33 on CT and 7 on FDG-PET and as benign in 23 on CT and 10 on FDG-PET. With combined PET/CT all primary and recurrent tumors could be found, the detection rate in patients with unknown primary tumors was 45%. Compared to PET or CT alone the sensitivity, specifity and accuracy could be significantly improved by means of combined PET/CT. CONCLUSION: Fused PET/CT imaging with [F18]-FDG and native CT-scanning enables accurate diagnosis in 93% of lesions and 90% of patients with head and neck oncology.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas with plasmablastic/plasmacytoid features are associated with TP53 deletions and poor clinical outcome.

To define reproducible criteria for subgroups of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL), including lymphomas with plasmablastic/plasmacytoid features (PB/PC-Fs), we investigated 66 DLBCL; the samples were categorized as either centroblastic (CB), immunoblastic (IB) or PB/PC-F applying standardized morphologic criteria. Blinded specimens were reviewed by three independent pathologists. The final consensus classification included 44 CB (67%), seven IB (10%) and 15 PB/PC-F (23%). The interobserver agreement between two centers (Vienna, Würzburg) was 93.5%. Most PB/PC-F were CD20+, cIgM+, MUM-1+, CD138+/-, bcl-6-, corresponding to an activated B-cell phenotype. Immunoglobulin-V(H) gene mutation analysis was consistent with a germinal or postgerminal center-cell origin. By fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, 11/13 (85%) PB/PC-F had a monoallelic TP53 deletion. The pretreatment characteristics of patients with PB/PC-F included a tendency for more B symptoms, extranodal disease and a higher IPI. Importantly, PB/PC-F were resistant to standard chemotherapy (complete remission rate 47%, relapse rate 71%) and even autologous stem-cell transplantation. The median overall survival (OS) (14 months, P<0.002) and disease-free survival (6 months, P=0.02) were significantly shorter compared to patients with CB and IB. The OS difference was pronounced within the low and low-intermediate IPI risk group (P<0.001). Our data indicate a strong association of plasmablastic/plasmacytoid morphology with TP53 deletions, poor response to chemotherapy and short survival.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Prognostic significance of molecular staging by PCR-amplification of immunoglobulin gene rearrangements in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

The prognostic value of the detection of peripheral blood (PB) and/or bone marrow (BM) involvement by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of rearranged immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) and immunoglobulin kappa light chain (Igkappa) genes was evaluated in 155 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). Immunoglobulin gene rearrangements (IgR) were detected in 35/155 (23%) patients. The presence of IgR in PB/BM was related to clinical stage (CS I-III vs CS IV; P<0.001), histopathological detection of BM involvement (P<0.001), and the International Prognostic Index (P<0.001). IgR-positive cases had a significantly lower complete remission (CR) rate (18/35, 51%) than IgR-negative patients (85/120, 71%; P=0.042), and a significantly poorer overall survival (OAS) at 5 years (25 vs 66%; P<0.001). There was a significant difference in the estimated OAS at 5 years between patients with negative BM histology and negative PCR results (66%), patients with negative BM histology but positive IgR (37%), and patients with positive BM histology (12%). Our results indicate that molecular methods improve the accuracy of staging in patients with DLBCL and define a group of patients with normal bone marrow histology who have a significantly poorer OAS due to molecular detection of PB/BM involvement.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2003

Monitoring minimal residual disease in AML: the right time for real time.

Detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has become an essential tool for molecular monitoring of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Currently, specific translocation markers are available for 40-50% of AMLs. Expression markers may widen this spectrum to 70-90%. Quantitative PCR (Q-PCR, real-time PCR) is now as sensitive as conventional two-step PCR and could improve as well as facilitate clinical decision-making. Q-PCR has been applied to a variety of molecular markers, delineating threshold levels early after induction therapy, for postinduction monitoring, as well as for the detection of relapse. For most markers, lack of decline of transcript levels by less than 2 logs after chemotherapy has been established as a poor prognostic sign. Moreover, increases in transcript levels are almost invariably associated with relapse. However, the predictive value of PCR negativity after chemotherapy is not as clear. The major tasks for the future will be standardization of Q-PCR techniques, exact definition of threshold levels, and monitoring schedules in bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB), as well as investigation of novel markers found by microarray analysis.

Gene Duplication↗

PubMed2003

Prognostic value of FDG-PET in malignant lymphoma.

Lymphomas have represented an indication for nuclear medicine investigations for 30 years. Gallium-67 scintigraphy has been shown to be a valuable complementary method in Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma for detecting viable residual lesions after chemotherapy and for diagnosis of a relapse. Thallium-201 is of interest in differentiating cerebral lymphomas from infectious lesions in AIDS patients but less useful in extra-cerebral lymphomas. PET with fluorine-18-FDG is more accurate than 67Ga in lymphoma. In patients with a positive PET scan after chemotherapy an early relapse occurs in up to 100%, while more than 80% of patients with a negative PET will have a long-term remission. Most studies show that FDG-PET is significantly correlated with patient outcome whereas there is much weaker or even no correlation for CT. The main reason is that PET is not bound to morphological criteria like lymph node size while CT is often not able to differentiate between residual tumour and post-therapeutic fibrosis. Therefore, based on a considerable number of clinical studies, FDG-PET gains increasing significance for staging, restaging and therapy monitoring in malignant lymphomas.

Citrates↗

PubMed2002

Analysis of SH2D1A mutations in patients with severe Epstein-Barr virus infections, Burkitt's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Mutations or deletions in the SH2D1A (src homology 2 domain protein 1A) gene result in a severe immunodeficiency called X-linked lymphoproliferative (XLP) disease. XLP is primarily characterized by a defective immune response against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), resulting in an unusually severe and often fatal clinical course following EBV infection. The second major cause of death is the development of B cell lymphomas, both in EBV-infected and EBV-negative patients. To study whether the clinical manifestation of XLP gene defects and/or polymorphisms extends beyond the classically recognized phenotype, we analyzed patients for the presence of SH2D1A gene alterations who presented with fatal or nonfatal, yet unusually severe or chronic EBV infections, and other possibly EBV-associated diseases, such as Hodgkin's lymphomas or nonendemic Burkitt's lymphomas and Burkitt-type leukemias. We identified mutations of the SH2D1A gene only in the majority of patients presenting with fatal mononucleosis or an XLP family history, but not in any of the other patients studied. The only alteration determined was a polymorphism in the 5' region of the SH2D1A gene both in patient groups as well as in controls.

Burkitt Lymphoma↗

PubMed2002

Infusional CDE with rituximab for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: preliminary results of a phase I/II study.

Infusional CDE (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, etoposide; iCDE) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic regimen for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), with a complete remission rate of 46% and a median overall survival of 8.2 months (Sparano JA, Blood 1993; 81:2810). Since the majority of HIV-associated NHL are CD20-positive we reasoned that the addition of rituximab to iCDE (R-iCDE) could also improve the poor outcome of these patients. As a first step we investigated the safety of R-iCDE in a phase I/II study. Thirty patients with aggressive HIV-associated NHL were enrolled between June 1998 and October 2000. Characteristics of 29 evaluable patients were: median age: 38 years (range 29-65 years); male sex 24/29; histology: DLCL 16 (55%), Burkitt 10 (35%), ALCL 2 (7%), unclassified 1 (3%); stage: I (35%), II (10%), III (10%), IV (45%); International Prognostic Index: 0, 1 (59%), 2 (24%), 3 (17%), 4, 5 (0); CD4 count: median 132/ mm3 (range 3-470/mm3). Patients received rituximab (375 mg/m2) in conjunction with iCDE (five or six cycles). All patients were treated with G-CSF and highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Twenty-six of 29 patients received treatment as planned, while chemotherapy had to be discontinued in three patients (2 persistent thrombocytopenias, 1 cerebral hemorrhage). Grade 3 or 4 toxicity was observed as follows: neutropenia 79%, anemia 45%, thrombocytopenia 34%, bacterial infection 34%, opportunistic infection 7%, mucositis 17%. A dose reduction was necessary in 22%. Complete remission was achieved in 86% of the patients, partial remission in 4%. Ten percent had progressive disease. After a median follow-up of 9 months the median overall survival is not reached. The actuarial survival at 2 years is 80% and the actuarial progression-free survival is 79%. Four of 29 patients (14%) have died, three from NHL and one from cryptosporidiosis. These findings suggest that the combination of rituximab with iCDE in patients with HIV-associated NHL is safe and feasible and that the addition of the anti-CD20 antibody does not increase the risk for infections. The high complete remission rate also indicates a potential therapeutic benefit and warrants further randomized trials.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Alternative end-joining in follicular lymphomas' t(14;18) translocation.

T(14;18) chromosomal translocation is assumed to result from illegitimate rearrangement between the BCL2 proto-oncogene and the IGH locus during the D(H) to J(H) joining phase of V(D)J recombination in early B cells. Analysis of the breakpoint junctions suggests that translocation derives from the fusion between normal V(D)J recombination intermediates at the IGH locus and non-V(D)J-mediated broken-ends at the BCL2 locus. So far, BCL2 broken-ends have only been observed fused to coding-ends, raising questions concerning the molecular constraints of the illegitimate joining process. Using a combination of genome walking and long-range PCR assays, we describe in this report that in 4.5% (2/44) of the t(14;18), one of the BCL2 broken-ends is fused to a signal-end. The formation of these J(H)RSS/BCL2 junctions provides direct evidence that BCL2 broken-ends are capable of joining to both products of V(D)J recombination, suggesting their presence in the RAG-mediated post-cleavage complex. In addition, junctions generated by this alternative end-joining do not involve deletion of the chromosome 14 intervening sequences generally lost in the standard translocation, providing a unique opportunity to investigate the rearrangement status of this region in the translocated IGH allele. In both cases, a DJ(H) rearrangement could be detected 5' of the J(H)-RSS/BCL2 junction. These findings, together with the previously reported bias towards the most external D(H) and J(H) segments in standard breakpoints, strongly suggest that t(14;18) preferentially occurs during an attempted secondary D(H) to J(H) rearrangement. This unusual and restricted window of differentiation opens intriguing questions concerning the etiology of the translocation.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Positron emission tomography with [18F]2-fluoro-D-2-deoxyglucose (FDG-PET) predicts relapse of malignant lymphoma after high-dose therapy with stem cell transplantation.

We have determined the predictive value of [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (FDG-PET) in patients with Hodgkin's disease (HD) and aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) scheduled for high-dose therapy with stem cell transplantation (HDT/SCT). Inclusion criteria were the presence of an FDG-PET scan after chemotherapy (ChT) within 8 weeks prior to HDT/SCT and available follow-up data. Sixteen patients (10 NHL and six HD) were observed during a follow-up period of 4 to 28 months (median 13 months). Before SCT, five patients had a negative PET, three were weakly positive, two moderately positive, and six strongly positive. None of the five patients with a negative PET before HDT/SCT relapsed and two of three patients with a weakly positive scan are still in remission after HDT/SCT. Of eight patients with a moderate or high positive PET before HDT/SCT, seven relapsed and one died of early HDT/SCT related complications (P< 0.01). Three of eight relapsing patients died of lymphoma 5 to 10 months after SCT and in one additional patient not responding to HDT/SCT, the main cause of death was chronic toxicity 4 months after transplantation. After 12 months, in PET-negative patients the overall and relapse-free survival was 100%, in PET-positive patients 55% and 18%, respectively. In NHL, two patients with negative PET, but with an age-adjusted international prognostic index (AaIPI) of 2 and one with AaIPI = 1 are still in remission. In the seven PET-positive subjects, one patient with AaIPI = 0, three with AaIPI = 1, and two with AaIPI = 2 relapsed. We conclude that FDG-PET is accurate in the prediction of relapse prior to HDT/SCT in patients with lymphoma. It provides additional information when compared with the AaIPI.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Templated nucleotide addition and immunoglobulin JH-gene utilization in t(11;14) junctions: implications for the mechanism of translocation and the origin of mantle cell lymphoma.

The t(11;14)(q13;q32) between the BCL-1 and immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IgH) loci in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are believed to be mediated by the mechanism of V(D)J recombination similar to the t(14; 18) in follicular lymphoma (FL). We have recently shown that the t(14;18) event creates staggered double-strand breaks in the BCL-2 locus, and that the t(14;18) junctions contain templated nucleotide insertions (T-nucleotides; U. Jäger et al., Blood, 95: 3520-3529, 2000). Reasoning that the earlier (pregerminal center) B-cell origin of MCL might be reflected in a different molecular structure of the chromosomal breakpoints, we PCR-amplified diagnostic samples from 93 patients. Thirty-six samples (39%) were positive for the direct (BCL-1/J(H)) and 23 for both direct and reciprocal (D(H)/BCL-1) junctions. The breaks on chromosome 14 exhibited features of V(D)J-mediated recombination as shown by D(H) and J(H) coding end processing. However, duplications of BCL-1 sequences in 39% of the 23 patients indicate staggered double-strand breaks in the major translocation cluster region (MTC). This is incompatible with V(D)J recombination and indicates a different mechanism of cleavage. The use of J(H)6 in the junctions (39%) was similar to that in the immunoglobulin genes of normal B cells and B-CLL, but considerably less than in FL. Only 2 of 36 samples contained a BCL-1/DJ(H) rearrangement, which was indicative of a previous DJ(H) rearrangement. Most importantly, 19% of the BCL-1/IgH junctions with inserts of > or =5 nucleotides contained error-prone copies (T-nucleotides) of 8-12 nucleotides originating from the surrounding BCL-1 or IgH regions, a lower rate than in FL. No correlation was found between the addition of T-nucleotides and the rate of somatic mutation in the immunoglobulin genes. We conclude that the t(11;14) and t(14;18) use the same basic mechanism of translocation including V(D)J-mediated recombination, double-strand staggered breaks, and template-dependent, error-prone DNA-synthesis. However, the distinct differences in the utilization of J(H) regions suggest that the t(11;14) occurs predominantly during an attempted primary D(H)-J(H) rearrangement in early B cells, whereas the t(14;18) mostly occurs during secondary rearrangement. This is in agreement with the pregerminal center B-cell origin of MCL.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Complete nucleotide sequences of the RNAs 2 of German isolates of grapevine fanleaf and Arabis mosaic nepoviruses.

The RNAs 2 of an Arabis mosaic virus (ArMV) and a grapevine fanleaf virus (GFLV) isolate, originating from South West of Germany near Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (NW), were sequenced. They are 3820 and 3775 nucleotides long respectively, and both contain one open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 1110 amino acids. Their 5' non-coding regions contain conserved and repeated sequences, which are able to form stem-loop structures. Nucleotide sequence comparisons between the full-length RNAs 2 revealed homology levels of 84 and 82% between the ArMV-NW and the ArMV-L and -U, respectively, 90% between GFLV-NW and GFLV-F13, and 72% between ArMV-NW and GFLV-NW. Amino acid sequence comparisons showed that the greatest difference was found between the 2A proteins of the different ArMV isolates, the 2A protein of the ArMV-NW showing more similarity to the 2A protein of GFLV-NW than to those of ArMV-L2 or -U2.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Long-term clinical and molecular remission after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) in patients with poor prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

From 1987 to 1999 35 patients with poor prognosis non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) at the University Hospitals of Vienna and Graz. Initial biopsy specimens were reclassified according to the Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms (REAL). All patients surviving 28 days engrafted. Twenty-eight of them (93%) attained clinical remission. At the last follow-up 14 patients were alive and disease-free at a median of 5.0 (range, 2.3-12.9) years after allogeneic SCT. The actuarial overall survival is 35%. Five patients relapsed 1.8 to 27.6 months after transplant, the probability of relapse is 23%. Of the 21 deaths following SCT, seven were due to relapse/refractory disease and 14 due to transplant-related causes. The probability of treatment-related mortality is 48%. After SCT, minimal residual disease (MRD) was monitored by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in seven patients with a BCL-2/IgH translocation and in 13 with a clonal immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) rearrangement. All 20 patients attained clinical remission rapidly and converted to PCR negativity. In the follow-up nine of these patients are in long-term clinical and molecular remission, six PCR-negative patients died of transplant-related causes and five patients relapsed. In summary, allogeneic stem cell transplantation has a curative potential for patients with refractory and recurrent non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In our series long-term disease-free survival was associated with molecular disease eradication after SCT. Treatment-related mortality rate was high, thus earlier referral of selected patients to allogeneic SCT should be considered.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

[Body height, body weight and body mass index of German military recruits. Historical retrospect and current status].

Surveys of conscripts give a chance to pursue the somatic development and the nourishment situation of young men over long times. At the beginning a historical view is given of the organization and methodological basis of medical examinations of German recruits since the introduction of the general conscription at the beginning of the 19th century. Secular changes of the body height are sketched out for selected regions of Germany until the middle of the 20th century. Data of the body weight hardly exist for this time. Until now the greatest continuous documentation of data for body height and body weight is available for West Germany since 1957 and for East Germany between 1973 and the reunion in 1989. The body height of German conscripts has nearly permanently increased since 1957 and reached in 1994 a maximum with 180.0 cm. In general East German conscripts have body height data which are smaller on an average than those of West German conscripts. But in the last years a catch-up in body height could be seen. The body weight of German conscripts also shows an increase apart from some short-time exceptions. The data of West German conscripts are also higher than those of the East German conscripts. Until the reunion the West-East-differences could partly be due to the different mustering age. But the differences also continue in the nineties despite the now identical mustering age. The Body Mass Index (BMI) of the German conscripts (calculated from the average values of body height and body weight) is characterized by increments in the last years. This indicates greater changes in body weight than in body height. The BMI also shows marked West-East-differences. There is no uniform tendency in differences between urban and country side regions for body height and body weight. On the other hand until now differences between selected professional groups are existing. Especially the over-proportional increase of the number of conscripts in the higher body-weight-classes requires a further continuous analysis of the available mustering data.

Adolescent↗