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Biomedical subjects

E Marciniak

Publications and source records attributed to E Marciniak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The use of partially HLA-mismatched donors for allogeneic transplantation in patients with mucopolysaccharidosis-I.

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HLA-matched sibling appears to improve survival and diminish some of the physiologic derangements seen in children with mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS)-I (Hurler Syndrome), an inherited metabolic storage disease resulting from the lack of alpha-L-iduronidase enzyme activity. Death is usually expected in the first decade of life. Unfortunately, most patients lack an HLA-matched sibling donor and alternative donors have been identified for transplant. This study reports on a five-year median follow-up (range: 985-2,355 days) in 11 Hurler Syndrome patients who underwent allogeneic BMT from partially mismatched related donors (PMRDs). The median age was 20 months (range: 11-44 months). The overall survival rate was 64% (95% CI 34-94%). The overall graft failure rate (36%) was higher than reported with matched sibling BMT. All patients with sustained engraftment experienced improvement in physical manifestations, such as corneal opacity, gum and tongue hypertrophy, hepatosplenomegaly and joint mobility. Skeletal abnormalities, such as dysostosis-multiplex, were stabilized but not reversed. Some patients have continued to show decline in neuropsychometric testing, while others appear to stabilize and one has demonstrated improvement. Until better methods for replacing enzyme activity are developed, BMT from a matched sibling of alternative donors can be considered a viable intervention for Hurler Syndrome patients to achieve partial improvement or stabilization from the deterioration caused by substrate storage, particularly in minimally affected patients early in life.

Actuarial Analysis↗

Combined in vitro and in vivo T lymphocyte depletion for the control of graft-versus-host disease following haploidentical marrow transplant.

Most patients requiring allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) lack a human leukocyte antigen genotypically identical sibling and require an alternative donor. This carries an increased risk of graft failure and acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). We sought to overcome these problems with transplants by using grafts obtained from the most readily available source: the haploidentical, partially mismatched, related donor. This study of 40 patients used a novel approach combining in vitro and in vivo T cell depletion with T lymphocyte targeted monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and intensified conditioning therapy, including fractionated total body irradiation before etoposide, cytoside arabinoside, cyclophosphamide, and methylprednisolone. Grafts were treated with T10B9.1A-31 mAb, directed against the alpha-beta heterodimer of the T cell receptor, and rabbit complement. In vivo depletion was attempted with an anti-CD5 mAb-Ricin A-chain (H65-RTA) immunotoxin (IT). Study patients were compared with a historical control group of 17 patients not given H65-RTA. Rates of engraftment were not significantly different (93% vs. 100%, P=0.12), although patients receiving IT engrafted more rapidly. The incidence of > grade I GVHD was significantly lower in the study group (36% vs. 100%, P=0.0001), as well as for severe grade III-IV GVHD (19% vs. 92%, P=0.0001). Five-year survival tended to be improved in the study group (40% vs. 18%, P=0.21). Transplant from haploidentical family members is indicated for patients without a matched sibling in whom allogeneic BMT offers the best opportunity to achieve cure.

Adolescent↗

Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with T cell-depleted partially matched related donors for advanced acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and adults: a comparative matched cohort study.

Allogeneic BMT provides the best treatment currently available for long-term disease-free survival in patients with recurrent ALL. Historically, partially matched related donors provided the opportunity for treatment to a greater number of patients than matched related donors at the expense of decreased overall survival. In this study we compare the results in recurrent ALL patients transplanted with either HLA identical sibling bone marrow or partially matched related bone marrow. Thirty-two patients with relapsed ALL received partially matched bone marrows from a relative with one to three HLA, A, B and Dr antigen mismatches. Bone marrow was partially T cell-depleted with murine T10B9.1A-31 moAb. Sixteen patients with relapsed ALL received HLA-matched sibling bone marrows. All partially matched patients received additional GVHD prophylaxis with methylprednisolone in addition to anti-CD5 immunotoxin and/or CYA. All matched patients in addition to methylprednisolone received MTX and/or CYA. We observed no difference in disease-free survival between patients transplanted with partially matched bone marrow (median follow-up 1252 days, range 778-2035 days) vs those transplanted with HLA-matched bone marrow (median follow-up 1472 days, range 1165-2800 days; P = 0.48). Median survival for all patients is 38% (95% CI 24-52%) at 6 years. Patients transplanted in remission had a significant increase in disease-free survival when compared to those in relapse (P = 0.007). Our data suggest that partially matched BMTs from related donors are a comparable alternative to fully matched transplants in patients with ALL.

Adolescent↗

Long-term survival in advanced chronic myelogenous leukemia following bone marrow transplantation from haploidentical related donors.

From 1987 to 1991, 26 patients with CML and a median age of 31 years received allogeneic BMT from a partially mismatched related donor (PMRD) who shared at least one haplotype with the recipient. Nine patients were in accelerated phase (AP), and 11 patients were in blast crisis (BC) at the time of BMT. Patients were mismatched either in graft-versus-host or host-versus-graft directions for one antigen in 3 patients, two antigens in 14 patients, and three antigens in 9 patients. All patients were prepared with a regimen consisting of total body irradiation, etoposide, cytosine arabinoside, cyclophosphamide and methylprednisolone. All marrows were treated ex vivo with T10B91.A-31, a monoclonal antibody directed toward the alpha beta heterodimer of the CD3 receptor, and rabbit complement. Additional GVHD prophylaxis included either the anti-CD5 immunoconjugate XomaZyme-H65, cyclosporine, or both in combination with methylprednisolone. Eight patients did not have sustained engraftment. The 100-day survival was 42%. The incidence of > or = grade II acute GVHD was 29%. The incidence of chronic GVHD was 50% and was limited in all cases. The median survival at 4 years for all 26 patients was 27%. Seven patients (CP 1, AP 3, BC 3) remain in hematologic remission 1297-2241+ days after transplantation. AlloBMT from a PMRD may be considered for patients with advanced CML who lack a matched sibling or unrelated donor.

Adolescent↗

Impaired catalytic function of activated protein C: a new in vitro manifestation of lupus anticoagulant.

Lupus anticoagulant (LA), an antibody against anionic phospholipid with anticoagulant laboratory manifestations, is paradoxically associated with a high incidence of thrombosis. In the present study we analyzed the phospholipid- and platelet-dependent degradation of factor Va following clotting in plasma from 15 consecutive patients with LA to provide evidence for a distinct procoagulant effect of the antibody. After clotting with 25 micrograms phospholipid/mL, all samples containing LA showed markedly decreased rates of factor Va degradation (k = 0.01 to 0.14 min-1 v 0.27 to 0.35 min-1 in controls). Also with higher phospholipid concentrations (up to 100 micrograms/mL), as well as in the presence of platelets (5 to 33 x 10(7)/mL), significantly less of the procoagulant activity disappeared per unit of time in samples with LA than in controls. Plasma with LA was to a variable extent capable of decreasing or abolishing factor Va inhibition in normal plasma. Most importantly, exogenous activated protein C failed to correct the ineffective factor Va destruction despite adequate protein S levels. These data suggest that LA prevents the formation of the complex essential for rapid proteolysis of factor Va both on phospholipid and on the platelet membrane, thereby compromising the catalytic function of activated protein C. Our findings offer a new opportunity for a more comprehensive evaluation of patients with antiphospholipid antibody in defining the pathogenesis of thrombosis in this clinical condition.

Autoantibodies↗

Laboratory control in predicting clinical efficacy of T cell-depletion procedures used for prevention of graft-versus-host disease: importance of limiting dilution analysis.

In an attempt to assess the usefulness of partial elimination of T lymphocytes from histocompatible donor bone marrow as a sole method of graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, we compared in vitro and clinically the efficacy of two depletion protocols, each resulting in a different degree of T cell reduction. The protocols were based on complement-dependent T cell lysis induced either by one (T10B9) or two (T10B9 and T12A10) monoclonal antibodies, contributing respectively to 95% and 99% depletion of T cells defined functionally by limiting dilution analysis. Phenotypic analysis was unsuitable for detecting differences in the efficiency of the two depletion modalities due to very low numbers of residual OKT3-positive cells generally present. Of the 34 patients with advanced leukemias transplanted with marrow from HLA-matched sibling donors, 26 (ages 15-52) received two-antibody depleted grafts (group I) with subsequent incidence of severe acute graft-versus-host disease of 8% (in two of 24 engrafted). The T cell dose for two patients of this group whose grafts were directly evaluated by limiting dilution analysis was less than 2 x 10(5)/kg and presumably did not exceed 3.2 x 10(5)/kg for others, based on the depletion efficiency of the protocol estimated in additional small marrow samples. The remaining eight patients (ages 8-55) received one-antibody depleted grafts (group II) with 5-18 x 10(5) T cells/kg defined functionally in five grafts. Severe acute graft-versus-host disease (grade 3-4) developed in all seven engrafted subjects. Although with phenotypic analysis several grafts in this group revealed no residual T lymphocytes, they apparently carried doses of donor T cells not tolerable in a HLA-identical host unprotected by additional immunosuppression. Careful evaluation by functional T cell analysis should be considered in choosing a depletion protocol as a method for reducing the risk of graft-versus-host disease in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Adolescent↗

Catabolism and distribution of functionally heterogeneous human antithrombin III.

To test the hypothesis that binding to an endogenous heparin-like substance controls breakdown of antithrombin III (ATIII) in vivo, the metabolic behavior of a commercial ATIII concentrate was investigated in three normal volunteers and five subjects with hereditary ATIII deficiency. The concentrate, purified to homogeneity as evidenced by sodium dodecyl sulfate--gel electrophoresis, was a 2:1 mixture of functional ATIII with heparin cofactor activity and dysfunctional ATIII incapable of binding enzymes or heparin. Each subject received intravenously a dose of 75 U/kg of ATIII activity together with iodine 125-labeled tracer. Daily fractional catabolic rates calculated from the three-exponential disappearance curves of plasma radioactivity were similar in all investigated subjects and were within the range obtained in studies using functionally homogeneous tracer. Although all subjects had markedly increased ATIII levels after injection of the concentrate, the relative sizes of their ATIII distribution pools resembled those reported previously for people with normal ATIII concentration. There was, however, a noticeably faster disappearance from plasma of excess functional ATIII compared with that of ATIII antigen, with mean half-lives of 47.5 +/- 9 hours and 62.3 +/- 8 hours, respectively. Assuming that antigenic ATIII represented both functional inhibitor and dysfunctional ATIII incapable of binding heparin, these data are consistent with the supposition that interaction with endogenous heparin or a similar substance may regulate a catabolic pathway marking ATIII for destruction.

Adult↗

Neonatal purpura fulminans: a genetic disorder related to the absence of protein C in blood.

To confirm the pathogenesis and the genetic background of neonatal-onset purpura fulminans, two unrelated infants with this rare thrombotic syndrome and 47 of their asymptomatic relatives were studied. In both families, 27 subjects with hereditary partial deficiency of protein C, including both parents of each patient, were identified. The patient in whom it was possible to evaluate protein C directly showed no detectable levels of this plasma component. These findings confirm the linkage of neonatal purpura fulminans to a genetic trait with established mendelian transmission and strongly suggest that the syndrome is an expression of homozygosity for protein C deficiency. The dramatic clinical picture and the type of pathologic change that develops as a result of the lack of circulating protein C emphasize the vital role of this protein in protection from thrombin generation, mainly within the microvascular system. However, our data do not contribute to the evidence that partial familial protein C deficiency is associated with a major risk of venous thromboembolism.

Blood Coagulation Factors↗

The interaction of immobilized thrombin with human antithrombin III.

Interaction of human antithrombin III (AT III) with human alpha-thrombin coupled to Sepharose 4B was investigated. Despite markedly reduced esterolytic, amidolytic and especially coagulant activity, more than 90% of immobilized thrombin formed stable complexes with purified AT III. Presence of high affinity heparin did not facilitate the inhibition to the degree seen in reactions conducted with soluble thrombin. Instead, heparin induced proteolysis of up to 66% of the inhibitor that remained in solution. This led to the isolation of a homogeneous protein fragment which migrated in SDS-gel electrophoresis as a band of 50,000 Mr, cross-reacted with antibodies to human AT III but showed no biologic activity nor sufficient affinity for heparin. Out of the three major inhibitors capable of binding soluble thrombin in human plasma, only AT III reacted with immobilized thrombin. However, Sepharose-coupled thrombin mixed with plasma in the presence of heparin produced outstanding quantities of residual immunoreactive AT III devoid of inhibitory activity. These data suggest that presence of high affinity heparin in the environment of thrombin attached to a solid support may dramatically decrease the efficiency of enzyme inhibition.

Antithrombin III↗

High molecular weight forms of antithrombin III complexes in blood.

A double antibody competition radioimmunoassay was developed that allowed to detect specifically as little as 15 ng antithrombin III (AT III) per ml of the assayed material. In normal plasma examined by this assay, AT III concentration averaged 199 +/- 21 micrograms/ml. Complexes of AT III with thrombin or factor Xa crossreacted with free AT III in 87% and 95%, respectively. Molecular forms of AT III produced in plasma treated with coagulation enzymes, or in serum, were assessed by measuring immunoreactive AT III in fractions obtained by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G-200. AT III bound by thrombin in fibrinogen free-plasma ranged in molecular size from 160,000 to above 250,000. Similar aggregation occurred when monomeric complex of purified AT III and thrombin, of 90,000 Mr, was added to plasma. Presence of heparin intensified the degree of aggregation. In factor Xa-treated plasma AT III was converted into components with 160,000 Mr, or less. No complexes below 200,000 Mr were present in serum. They decreased in size to 160,000 Mr after affinity chromatography on heparin-Sepharose. These results indicated that blood represents a unique milieu conducive to aggregation of bound AT III. It appears, however, that AT II complexes present in blood may not only aggregate, but also associate with other serum proteins through unstable binding most likely caused by the enzyme component of the complex.

Antibodies↗

Enhancement by heparin of thrombin-induced antithrombin III proteolysis: its relation to the molecular weight and anticoagulant activity of heparin.

Previous findings indicated that binding of heparin to antithrombin III (AT III) facilitates thrombin-induced proteolysis of the inhibitor. We now studied this property of heparin in regard to its molecular weight and anticoagulant activity. Commercial heparin was resolved on Sephadex G-200 into six fractions of decreasing molecular weight. From each fraction high affinity (HA) heparin was isolated by chromatography on AT III-Sepharose and examined in reaction of alpha-thrombin with a molar excess of 125I AT III. Proteolysis of the inhibitor was assessed by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In the presence of the HA heparin from 18% to 38% of AT III participating in reaction appeared in the form of inactive 50,000-dalton fragment, as opposed to 7% of AT III fragmented in the absence of heparin. Although the ability to potentiate proteolysis was at its peak in the medium-molecular-size heparin fraction, the amount of degraded inhibitor relative to anticoagulant activity increased with decreasing molecular weight of the polysaccharide. These findings are consistent with the possibility that the ability of bound heparin to facilitate the cleavage of AT III by thrombin is generally less contingent upon secondary characteristics of the polysaccharide than the anticoagulant activity.

Antithrombin III↗

Differential role of fractionated heparin in antithrombin-III proteolysis.

Commercial heparin was fractionated by affinity chromatography on immobilized antithrombin-III (AT-III) into nonbinding (NB), lower affinity (LA), and high affinity (HA) heparin, with specific anticoagulant activity of 9, 205, and 284 U/mg, respectively, Each fraction, in microgram quantities, was examined in the reaction of alpha-thrombin with a molar excess of 125I-labeled AT-III. Proteolysis of residual AT-III was assessed on the basis of distribution of radioactivity in SDS-polyacrylamide gels after electrophoresis. In the presence of HA heparin, 36% of AT-III participating in the reaction was degraded into a 50,000-dalton inactive fragment. Similarly designed proteolysis obtained in the presence of LA heparin was 21%, while in the presence of the NB fraction, or in the absence of heparin, only 8% of inhibitor was in the fragment form. When added to human plasma together with purified thrombin, both HA and LA heparin caused functional and electrophoretic changes suggestive of AT-III proteolysis. These observations support the concept that the conformational change, induced by binding of heparin, exposes specific polypeptide bonds susceptible to thrombin, except that nonproductive proteolysis may then occur even more rapidly than the formation of a stable enzyme-inhibitor complex. This, in turn, suggests that the presence of highly active heparin may contribute to reduction of the protective inhibitor in blood, if induction of proteolysis by thrombin is in effect.

Animals↗

Kinetics of elimination of antithrombin III concentrate in heparinized patients.

The rate of elimination of injected antithrombin III (AT III) concentrate was investigated by measuring plasma AT III levels in two control subjects and four patients treated with continuous intravenous infusion of heparin. No significant differences were noted in the disappearance rate of injected AT III between controls and patients receiving heparin for several days. Their half-time of AT III elimination was 8.4--13.6 h. The patient in whom AT III concentrate was injected at the start of heparin therapy showed a very rapid decrease of AT III activity with a three-fold increase in the elimination rate constant. Inactive, modified AT III protein present in purified AT III concentrate was found in the circulation of all injected patients. No evidence was obtained that this altered AT III was eliminated more rapidly than the unaltered AT III or that it was subjected to accelerated clearance during heparin therapy.

Adult↗

Thrombin-induced proteolysis of human antithrombin III: an outstanding contribution of heparin.

Products obtained in reaction of excess antithrombin III (AT III) with human alpha-thrombin and heparin were found to contain markedly less of residual AT III than products of similar reactions without heparin. The increased utilization of AT III was primarily due to limited proteolysis of a portion of unbound inhibitor, associated with the release of a 50 000-dalton protein fragment. Thrombin-induced release of this fragment was promoted by polydispersed heparin preparation and, to a variable degree, by all heparin fractions obtained in gel filtration. The optimum amount of heparin required to facilitate AT III proteolysis was of 5 microgram/ml (0.8 u/ml). Excessive reduction of the residual inhibitory activity and changes in two-dimensional immunoelectrophoresis suggested that AT III in plasma is also subjected to nonproductive proteolysis and formation of a modified AT III derivative following addition of thrombin and heparin. These data indicate that the effect of heparin on AT III is more complex than generally recognized. On the one hand, heparin interacting with AT III and thrombin contributes to a rapid binding and neutralization of the enzyme; on the other, heparin facilitates proteolytic degradation of unbound inhibitor even in the presence of small quantities of thrombin accounting for excessive reduction of the overall inhibitory potential of AT III.

Antithrombin III↗

Acquired coagulation inhibitor delaying fibrinopeptide release.

A 14-yr-old girl Down syndrome developed a unique type of circulating inhibitor causing a mild bleeding tendency and interfering strongly with coagulation tests, including reptilase time, and with the reaction of purified fibrinogen and thrombin. The concentration of all coagulation factors was normal. The inhibitor had no direct effect on thrombin activity or on the aggregation of fibrin monomer in plasma. Chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and neutralization by immune sera revealed that the inhibitor was an immunoglobulin of IgG class with both kappa and lambda determinants. Isolated inhibitor delayed the release of fibrinopeptide A from a normal fibrinogen reacting with thrombin and retarded the onset of visible clotting, but had no effect on the the final degree of clottability. The clinical and laboratory features of this patient resemble those of patients with congenital dysfibrinogenemia associated with abnormal fibrinopeptide release.

Adolescent↗