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Biomedical subjects

R G Graw

Publications and source records attributed to R G Graw.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Acute lethal carditis caused by high-dose combination chemotherapy. A unique clinical and pathological entity.

An acute lethal myopericarditis has been observed in four out of fifteen patients receiving high-dose combination chemotherapy which includes cyclophosphamide 45 mg/kg/day for four days. In all cases the myopericarditis occurred 5-9 days after the initiation of chemotherapy, with dyspnoea, tachycardia, orthostatic hypotension, fluid retention, decreased voltage on electrocardiography, and pericardial effusion documented by echocardiogram, and progressed in 2 to 6 days to a fatal low-output state despite vigorous treatment. In three of the four patients, necropsy was permitted and revealed the unique pathological finding of fibrin microthrombi in capillaries, fibrin strands in the interstitium, and fibrin strands within the heart-muscle cells.

Acute Disease↗

Combined modality treatment of American Burkitt's lymphoma.

Fifteen American patients with Burkitt's lymphoma were treated in a clinical trial employing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy. Two patients died during induction, and 13 achieved complete responses. Eight patients relapsed at a median of 11 weeks from initial treatment, and seven of these have died. The remaining patient has enjoyed a prolonged third remission following intensive chemotherapy and bone marrow autograft. Five patients remain in their first remission in excess of 1 year. The major therapeutic goal in the management of Burkitt's lymphoma is the prevention of relapse; the identification of risk factors and various strategies to achieve this goal are discussed.

Adolescent↗

Cardiac pathologic findings in patients treated with bone marrow transplantation.

Cardiac pathologic findings were analyzed in 22 necropsy cases from a series of 29 patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, or metastatic cancer who had been treated with ablative therapy followed by bone marrow transplantation. Some cardiac alterations were similar to those that occur in patients with hematologic and neoplastic diseases not treated with bone marrow transplantation, and consisted of cardiomegaly, cardiac atrophy, hemorrhage, foci of necrosis due to shock associated with sepsis or hepatic failure, myocardial abscesses secondary to systemic candidiasis or staphylococcal infection, fibrinous pericarditis, and hemosiderosis. Other cardiac alterations were more specifically related to factors associated with transplantation procedure. Six patients exhibited a distinctive interstitial reactive change characterized by the presence of (1) moderate to large numbers of Anitschkow cells, occurring alone or in small cellular aggregates and histiocytes, histiocytic cells with nuclei of the Anitschkow type, lymphoid cells, and plasma cells, and (2) nuclei of the Anitschkow type in cardiac vascular and endocardial smooth muscle, endothelial and Schwann cells, and occasional cardiac muscle cells. This alteration may have been induced by abnormal immune mechanisms, as suggested by the observation that five of the six patients with interstitial change had clinical evidence of graft-versus-host disease. Two patients developed fatal congestive cardiac failure in the early post-transplant period and exhibited myocardial damage with histologic and post-transplant period features indicative of severe acute injury. Findings in these two patients consisted of necrotic muscle cells, which exhibited multiple contraction bands, diastase-resistant PAS staining, and intracellular fibrin deposits; microthrombi, which were composed of fibrin and occasionally of fibrin and platelets; and extravasated erythrocytes and fibrin strands in the interstitium. One of the two patients also exhibited unusual nuclear alterations, which were characterized by replacement of normal chromatin by palely stained fibrous and filamentous material. Clinicopathologic analysis strongly suggested that the fatal cardiotoxicity in both patients resulted primarily from effects of high doses of cyclophosphamide, which were administered as part of a four drug regimen that provided tumor ablation and immunosuppression for bone marrow transplantation. Our findings emphasize the need for less toxic antineoplastic and immunosuppressive therapy for use in bone marrow transplantation procedures.

Abscess↗

Canine allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Technique and variables influencing engraftment.

We have studied the toxicity and immune suppression of supralethal total body irradiation (800-2000 rads, 60Co) at three dose intensities (10 rads/min, 49 rads/min, and 100 rads/min). In 79 intensively supported radiation control animals, the LD50(5) (tn 5 days) for these dose intensities is estimated to be 1556, 941, and 921 rads, respectively. A biomodal pattern of early (median 4 days) and late (median 9 days) deaths was observed corresponding to histopathological evidence of the intestinal and hematopoietic radiation syndromes. Random donor bone marrow transplants were performed in 83 animals to test immune suppression afforded by 800 rads and 1000 rads at dose intensities of either 10 rads/min or 49 rads/min. Bone marrow cell dose was varied to analyze its effect on engraftment. A greater degree of immunosuppression with less toxicity was achieved at the lower dose intensity. A minimum dose of 3-5 X 10(8) nucleated allogeneic bone marrow cells/kg (readily obtainable from living donors) resulted in a high percentage of engraftment with lethal graft-versus-host disease following conditioning with 1,000 rads midplane at 10 rads/min, the optimum regimen employed.

Animals↗

Long-term second remissions in acute lymphatic leukemia.

Long-term second remissions were seen in 5/66 patients with all. Relapse was extramedullary in 2/5. Persistent, progressive marrow lymphocytosis preceded relapse in 4/5 patients and persistent marrow eosinophilia in 1/5. All 5 patients had had an unmaintained remission of at least 6 months prior to relapse, and responded the second time to drugs which were essentially the same as those used initially. We conclude that long-term second remissions may occur in all. Patients who relapse after 6 months or more of unmaintained remission should be treated with the drugs used in current initial induction regimens in hope of cure.

Adolescent↗

Pathology of modified graft-versus-host disease in bone marrow allografted monkeys treated with antilymphocyte serum.

Lethally irradiated rhesus monkeys were used for bone marrow allografting and autografting. Monkeys receiving allogeneic bone marrow developed acute graft-versus-host reaction (GVHR) and had a mean survival time of 9.1 days as compared to autografted monkeys which survived above 500 days. Treatment with antilymphocyte sera (ALS) before allografting modified the GVHR and extended the survival time to an average of 43 days. Histologically, such animals showed evidence of "chronic" GVHR and septicemia secondary to a lack in lymphoreticular recovery. Subsequently, severe GI-tract infections followed which usually served as portal of entry for septicemia.

Animals↗

Allogeneic marrow transplantation for the treatment of leukaemia. A review.

22 HL-A antigen and mixed leukocyte culture-matched sibling bone marrow transplants were attempted in patients with acute leukaemia (at the National Cancer Institute) to define the toxicities of four different immunosuppressive regimens, the complications associated with warrow engraftment and antileukaemic effect. 73% (16/22) were engrafted as indicated by a change to donor red blood cells (RBC) type, leukocyte, immunoglobulin allotype or by the speed of morrow repopulation and the occurrence of the Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD). 12 of 16 (75%) successful engrafted patients developed GVHD. The current published results of clinical bone marrow transplantation from major centers has been reviewed and will be discussed in relationship to current clinical complications associated with bone marrow transplantation.

Adolescent↗

Correction of poor platelet transfusion responses with leukocyte-poor HL-A-matched platelet concentrates.

Matching donor-recipient pairs for HL-A antigens provides a logical starting point for selecting donors for recipients with extensive prior transfusion histories. However, during the course of continued exposure to even HL-A-matched platelet concentrates, further sensitization occurs, as indicated by progressively poorer post-transfusion increments and transfusion reactions. There is evidence that such sensitization may be due to non-HL-A antigens. Finally, it is postulated that the poor post-transfusion platelet increments obtained when standard platelet concentrates are used result from the leukoagglutinin antigen-antibody reaction involving the platelet as an "innocent bystander." The standard platelet concentrate can be purified by a simple method of centrifugation (178 g times 3 min), removing about 96% of the contaminating white blood cells with concomitant loss of about 21% of the platelets. The use of these leukocyte-poor platelet concentrates can restore compatible transfusion increments in highly alloimmunized thrombocytopenic recipients. The luekocyte-poor concentrates can diminish undesirable transfusion reactions following imcompatible platelet transfusions.

Anemia, Aplastic↗

Long-term remission from acute myelogenous leukemia after bone marrow transplantation and recovery from acute graft-versus-host reaction and prolonged immunoincompetence.

A 19-yr-old boy has been in continuous complete remission from acute myelogenous leukemia for 3 yr after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation prepared with combination chemotherapy. During the first year post-transplant, however, the patient developed near-fatal graft-versus-host reaction followed by 11 severe viral and bacterial infections. Immune evaluation during this period revealed multiple defects which were not present prior to transplantation, nor present in the transplant donor: diminution of lymphoid tissue, decline of all immunoglobulin subtypes, deletion of secretory immunoglobulin, disappearance of isohemagglutinins, loss of antibody to diptheria and tetanus toxoids, cessation of cutaneous hypersensitivity to mumps antigen, and inhibition of serum opsonizing activity. The patient was also unable to develop normal humoral or cellular reactivity to brucella antigen, keyhole limpet hemocyanin, or dinitrochlorobenzene. This patient's course illustrates the severity and chronicity of immunoincompetence associated with allogeneic marrow grafting, the importance of early detection and rigorous treatment of infectious disease in these patients, and the need for improved immunologic reconstitution in human marrow transplantation. It also indicates that complete recovery from the immune defects is possible, and that long-term remission from acute myelogenous leukemia can be achieved with allogeneic marrow transplantation.

ABO Blood-Group System↗

Cellular interactions in the proliferative response of human T and B lymphocytes to phytomitogens and allogeneic lymphocytes.

In vitro studies were performed to determine the proliferative responsiveness of human peripheral blood thymus-dependent (T) and thymus-independent (B) lymphocytes to phytomitogens and allogeneic lymphocytes. Recombination of T and B cells, with selective inhibition of proliferation of one of the two populations, was used to identify cellular interactions which may contribute to cell proliferation. The distinctive feature of human T lymphocytes to form rosettes with unsensitized sheep erythrocytes was utilized to separate human peripheral blood lymphocytes into highly purified resetting (T) and non-rosetting (B) cells. The proliferative response of these separated lymphocyte subpopulations to various stimulants was assessed from the uptake of tritiated thymidine into DNA. Phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, and allogeneic lymphocytes stimulated separated T cells, whereas no proliferation was observed with the T-cell-depleted B-cell population. This suggests that it is the human T cell which is activated directly by these stimulants. In the presence of T cells (proliferating or nonproliferating), B cells were capable of proliferation following stimulation with phytomitogens, but not in response to histocompatibility antigens. Thus, T-cell-mediated B-cell proliferation contributes to the overall lymphocyte response in phytomitogen-stimulated T + B cell mixtures, but not in human mixed leukocyte cultures. T-cell activation by allogeneic cells required the presence of monocytes; in contrast, the three tested phytomitogens stimulated T cells in the absence of monocytes. This indicates that direct interaction of mitogens with lymphocyte membrane receptors is sufficient to trigger T cells into proliferative response. However, monocytes considerably enhanced the proliferative response of T cells in a dose-dependent fashion; this monocyte-dependent mechanism of T-cell activation was predominant at lower concentrations of phytomitogens, and contributed relatively less at higher mitogen doses. Both, the direct, monocyte-independent, and the indirect, monocyte-dependent T-lymphocyte activation contribute to the total in vitro response of lymphocyte preparations to phytomitogens.

Animals↗

Stimulated lymphocyte cultures: responder recruitment and cell cycle kinetics.

Lymphocytes, stimulated with different doses of plant mitogens or allogeneic cells, incorporate varying amounts of [(3)H]thymidine. Theoretically, this may be due to different numbers of responding cells, to earlier proliferative response of these cells, and/or to their more or less rapid transit through the cell cycle. Dog peripheral blood lymphocytes were stimulated in vitro with different doses of phytohemagglutinin (PHA), or with allogeneic lymphocytes. After their synchronization by incubation with hydroxyurea (4 mM), the mean durations of the cell cycle, and of the different cell cycle phases were constant and unrelated to strength or type of stimulation. PHA-stimulated lymphocyte cultures were maintained in the presence of colchicine, to prevent clonal proliferation of responding lymphocytes. DNA uptake in this setting, attributed to first generation responders, was related to the strength of proliferative lymphocyte response in control cultures without colchicine. Furthermore, cell proliferation occurred earlier with greater stimulation. It is concluded that higher [(3)H]thymidine uptake in vitro by stimulated lymphocytes is due to greater numbers of responding cells, which are triggered into proliferative response earlier, and not to a more rapid transit of the responding cells through the cell cycle.

Animals↗

Transplantation of allogenic bone marrow in canine cyclic neutropenia.

Transplantation of normal bone marrow cells to a gray collie dog with cyclic neutropenia resulted in normal granulocytopoiesis. The finding suggests that cyclic neutropenia occurs because the hematopoietic stem cells are defective. Because of the similarity of human and canine cyclic neutropenia, it also suggests that the human disease may be curable by marrow transplantation.

Agranulocytosis↗

Granulocyte transfusion therapy of experimental Pseudomonas pneumonia.

Pseudomonas pneumonia was produced in dogs with radiation-induced leukopenia. Treatment of this infection with either gentamicin alone or gentamicin plus daily granulocyte transfusion was compared in a randomized controlled trail. The dogs receiving granulocytes plus gentamicin survived significantly longer than those treated with gentamicin alone (P < 0.05). The Pseudomonas immunotype which was inoculated into the dogs were recovered at autopsy from none of the granulocyte-transfused dogs, whereas seven or eight of the dogs treated with gentamicin alone had the inoculated Pseudomonas immunotype in the area of induced pneumonia at autopsy. As measured by the limulus test, the granulocyte-transfused dogs also did not have endotoxemia as frequently as the dogs given only gentamicin (P < 0.05). This controlled study establishes that transfused granulocytes can favorably alter the course of experimental Pseudomonas pneumonia and suggests that granulocyte transfusion may be a useful therapy in serious bacterial infections of leukopenic subjects.

Animals↗