Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S Mineishi

Publications and source records attributed to S Mineishi.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Pre-emptive therapy against cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease guided by CMV antigenemia assay after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a single-center experience in Japan.

From April 1998 to March 2000, a cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia-guided pre-emptive approach for CMV disease was evaluated in 77 adult patients who received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at the National Cancer Center Hospital. A CMV antigenemia assay was performed at least once a week after engraftment. High-level antigenemia was defined as a positive result with 10 or more positive cells per 50 000 cells and low-level antigenemia was defined as less than 10 positive cells. Among the 74 patients with initial engraftment, 51 developed positive antigenemia. Transplantation from alternative donors and the development of grade II-IV GVHD were independent risk factors for positive antigenemia. Ganciclovir was administered as pre-emptive therapy in 39 patients in a risk-adapted manner. None of the nine low-risk patients with low-level antigenemia as their initial positive result developed high-level antigenemia even though ganciclovir was withheld. Only one patient developed early CMV disease (hepatitis) during the study period. CMV antigenemia resolved in all but two cases, in whom ganciclovir was replaced with foscarnet. In eight patients, however, the neutrophil count decreased to 0.5 x 10(9)/l or less after starting ganciclovir, including three with documented infections and two with subsequent secondary graft failure. The total amount of ganciclovir and possibly the duration of high-dose ganciclovir might affect the incidence of neutropenia. We concluded that antigenemia-guided pre-emptive therapy with a decreased dose of ganciclovir and response-oriented dose adjustment might be appropriate to decrease the toxicity of ganciclovir without increasing the risk of CMV disease.

Adolescent↗

Long-term low-dose acyclovir against varicella-zoster virus reactivation after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

To evaluate the efficacy of long-term administration of acyclovir as prophylaxis against varicella-zoster virus (VZV) reactivation, we analyzed the medical records of 86 consecutive adult patients who obtained engraftment after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation from January 1996 to March 2000. We started long-term low-dose (400 mg/day) oral administration of acyclovir in June 1999, and this was continued until the end of immunosuppressive therapy after transplantation. There was no breakthrough reactivation of VZV in patients receiving acyclovir. Five patients who were receiving cyclosporine or prednisolone developed VZV reactivation after discontinuing acyclovir. With this prophylaxis, the cumulative incidence of VZV reactivation at 1 year after transplantation decreased from 33% to 10% (P = 0.025). On multivariate analysis, the use of long-term acyclovir was identified as a significant independent parameter for the development of VZV reactivation. These findings suggest the efficacy of long-term prophylaxis with low-dose acyclovir. Resumption of acyclovir upon restarting immunosuppressive therapy might be important for the further prevention of VZV reactivation. The benefit of long-term low-dose acyclovir should be confirmed prospectively.

Acyclovir↗

Possible clinical benefits of the use of peripheral blood stem cells over bone marrow in the allogeneic transplantation setting for the treatment of childhood leukemia.

BACKGROUND: The benefits of allogeneic peripheral blood stem/progenitor cell transplantation (PBSCT) over bone marrow transplantation (BMT), if any, have not been seriously evaluated in a pediatric population. We report here our experience with this procedure and demonstrate rapid engraftment to reduce procedure-related complications and enhanced allogeneic immune reaction to reduce leukemic relapse. METHODS: The feasibility of PBSCT was reviewed retrospectively. Four patients (2 AML and 2 ALL, aged 8-18 years) underwent allogeneic PBSCT for relapsed leukemia after primary allogeneic BMT (n = 2), for active hepatosplenic fungal abscess (n = 1) or for refractory relapse with conventional chemotherapy (n = 1). Four healthy donors (aged 10-49 years) received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) 10 microg/kg/day by subcutaneous injection for 5 days. An individualized cytoreductive regimen was used before transplantation. RESULTS: No significant toxicities were observed in normal donors on G-CSF treatment or at collection of PBSC. After PBSCT, no significant acute toxicities were observed and the median duration to an absolute granulocyte count of 0.5 x 10(9)/l and a platelet count of 20 x 10(9)/l was 16 and 21 days, respectively. Although none of our patients developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), two developed chronic GVHD involving the liver and skin. Among those who developed chronic GVHD, one died of recurrent disease and another died of pneumonia 235 days after PBSCT. The two remaining patients have been alive without evidence of disease with follow-ups of 193 and 123 days, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Allogeneic PBSCT can be a safe procedure in a pediatric population with fewer acute complications, although the potential risk of G-CSF treatment in normal donors should be seriously weighed against the existing risks of marrow aspiration under general anesthesia. The risk of chronic GVHD may need to be balanced against a possible graft-versus-leukemia benefit in patients at higher risk of leukemic relapse.

Adolescent↗

Delayed recovery of neutrophil counts after peripheral stem cell transplantation which improved with administration of a minimal dose of G-CSF: a case report.

G-CSF administration may not affect the rate of engraftment unless sufficient numbers of stem cells are transplanted. However, there might be some cases in which neutrophil recovery is delayed after stem cell transplantation despite a relatively fast recovery of platelet counts and total white blood cell counts. This delayed engraftment might be observed in either autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Here we report four cases with delayed neutrophil engraftment which subsequently improved with administration of a minimal dose of G-CSF. As the response occurred on the day following G-CSF administration, a mobilization defect is suspected to be the mechanism of this delayed engraftment.

Adult↗

Early full donor myeloid chimerism after reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation using a combination of fludarabine and busulfan.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate lineage-specific chimerism reconstitution after reduced-intensity allogeneic stem cell transplantation (RIST) using a combination of fludarabine (30 mg/m2 for 6 days) and busulfan (4 mg/kg for 2 days). DESIGN AND METHODS: We prospectively enrolled 8 consecutive patients with hematologic malignancies who were not candidates for conventional transplantation because of either high age or organ dysfunction. Host-donor chimerism was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction-based amplification of a polymorphic short tandem repeat region. RESULTS: All of our patients achieved engraftment within a median of 11 days after transplantation. On day 30, full donor myeloid cell chimerism (>90%) was achieved in 7 patients whereas full donor T-cell chimerism was achieved in only one patient. Thus, in contrast to other reported results, full donor chimerism was achieved earlier in the myeloid lineage than the T-cell lineage. On day 60, however, T-cell chimerism caught up with myeloid chimerism. Two patients developed grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) before the detection of full donor T-cell chimerism. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the kinetics of lineage-specific chimerism depend on the agents used in the conditioning regimen, and may provide insight into the chimerism kinetics and pathogenesis of GVHD. Thus, the strategy for controlling immunosuppression after RIST should be modified according to the type of conditioning regimen applied.

Adult↗

[Non-myeloablative/reduced-intensity hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for chronic myelogenous leukemia].

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT) is a curative therapy against a variety of hematological disorders. However, its application has been limited to younger patients without organ dysfunctions due to transplant-related toxicities. Recently, non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation(NST) or reduced-intensity stem cell transplantation(RIST) has been developed as a less toxic HSCT, which enables the application of HSCT to patients of advanced age or with organ dysfunction. The anti-leukemia effect mainly depends on the graft-versus-leukemia(GVL) effect. Chronic myelogenous leukemia(CML) has been known to be one of the best targets for GVL effect, supported by the observation of durable molecular remission after donor lymphocyte infusion for relapse after HSCT. RIST could be a promising treatment modality for patients with CML.

Graft vs Host Disease↗

Cardiac conduction abnormalities in patients with breast cancer undergoing high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

Cardiac toxicities in 39 consecutive patients with breast cancer receiving high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) with stem cell transplantation were reviewed. All 39 patients received various anthracycline-containing regimens in adjuvant settings and/or for metastatic disease before HDC. As a cytoreductive regimen, all received cyclophosphamide 2000 mg/m2 and thiotepa 200 mg/m2 for 3 consecutive days. No immediate fatal toxicities were observed, but one patient developed chronic congestive heart failure and two had transient left ventricular dysfunction. Pericardial effusion was observed in another three patients. ST-T abnormalities during HDC were observed in two patients and arrhythmias were observed in nine, four of which occurred during stem cell infusion (SCI). There were three atrial arrhythmias, two ventricular arrhythmias, and four atrioventricular (AV)-block episodes. Two patients developed advanced and complete AV-block with an asystolic pause. Notably, three patients experienced AV-block with uncontrolled vomiting. No relationship was observed between the cumulative dose of anthracycline and cardiac toxicities during HDC. These results suggest that abnormalities in the conduction system during HDC may be more frequent than previously reported. Vagal reflex secondary to emesis may play an important role in the development of AV-block. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 25, 185-189.

Adult↗

Partially matched transplants with allogeneic CD34+ blood cells.

Allogeneic CD34(+) selected cell transplantation from a partially matched donor is feasible for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. Severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) can be prevented by this approach, and a lengthy search for an unrelated donor can be avoided. However, long-term engraftment is still a challenge, and may require intensified conditioning regimens with severe toxicities to sustain engraftment. Furthermore, unacceptable effects such as relapse and life-threatening viral infections might be more frequent after such transplants compared with non-T-cell-depleted transplants from an HLA-identical donor. Strict indications should be considered for this treatment based on a risk/benefit assessment for very high-risk patients. The early application of periodic donor leukocyte infusion (DLI) may be useful for preventing both late graft rejection and serious viral infections.

Adolescent↗

[Non-myeloablative stem cell transplant].

Myeloablation and immunosuppression were considered to be the two major roles of the conditioning regimens for allogeneic stem cell transplantation to facilitate engraftment. It has turned out, however, that immunosuppression is more important and myeloablation is not necessary for engraftment. At the same time, it is considered that the major anti-tumor effect of allogeneic stem cell transplantation depends on the graft-versus-leukemia effect, not on the conditioning regimen itself. In patients with CML who relapsed after allogeneic transplantation, for example, infusion of donor lymphocytes can induce a second complete remission. Non-myeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST) was developed in the late 90s based on these theories. Low-dose, less toxic, so-called "non-myeloablative" preparative regimens have been designed not to eradicate the malignancies, but to provide sufficient immunosuppression to allow donor cells to engraft, while the graft-versus-malignancy effects eradicate the tumor. This strategy permits allogeneic transplantation to be used in patients who are not eligible for conventional, often myeloablative, transplantation because of advanced age or organ dysfunction. Non-myeloablative preparative regimens contain purine analogs, such as fludarabine or cladribine. The NST regimen being used at the National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan, consists of cladribine (0.11 mg/kg x 6 days), busulfan (4 mg/kg x 2 days) and rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin (2.5 mg/kg x 4 days). We enrolled 6 patients in this NST protocol so far: 1 with severe aplastic anemia (sibling-PBSCT), 2 with MDS-RA (1 for sibling-PBSCT and 1 for matched uBMT), 1 with AML-CR2 (matched uBMT), 1 with AML-CR3 (sibling-PBSCT), and 1 with relapsed AML (mismatched related PBSCT). All patients achieved engraftment within 14 days with complete donor chimerism. In addition to leukemias, a graft-versus-malignancy effect was also reported in allogeneic NST of solid tumors, such as renal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. The long-term efficacy of NST remains to be determined, and further clinical trials are warranted.

Animals↗

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in refractory rheumatoid arthritis: sustained response in two of four patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of immune ablation with subsequent autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Four patients with refractory RA and poor prognostic indicators were treated. Stem cells were collected and lymphocytes were depleted by 2.3-4.0 logs. The conditioning regimen included cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg), antithymocyte globulin (90 mg/kg), and, for 1 patient, total body irradiation (TBI) with 400 cGy. Improvement was evaluated according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) preliminary definition of improvement in RA (ACR 20), and also according to the ACR 50 and ACR 70 criteria. RESULTS: HSCT was well tolerated. Three patients fulfilled the ACR 70 criteria at 1 month and 3 months post-HSCT. One patient did not fulfill the ACR 20 criteria because of persistent joint tenderness, despite improvement of the joint swelling. At 6 months post-HSCT, 1 patient fulfilled the ACR 70 criteria and 1 fulfilled the ACR 50 criteria, and these 2 patients fulfilled the ACR 70 criteria at 9 months post-HSCT. The other 2 patients (including the patient who received TBI) did not meet the ACR 20 criteria at 6 months and 9 months post-HSCT. The only patient with followup of >9 months fulfilled the ACR 70 criteria at 20 months post-HSCT. CONCLUSION: In this series, autologous HSCT was safe and effective in inducing major clinical response and maintained significant benefit for 2 patients at 9 months and 20 months posttreatment, respectively. Sustained response did not occur for 2 of 4 patients. A regimen dose-response effect may exist, but the addition of TBI did not prevent disease relapse for 1 of the patients. More aggressive T cell depletion of the autograft, use of a myeloablative regimen, or use of an allograft may be necessary to decrease relapse rates.

Adult↗

Addition of high-dose Ara-C to the BMT conditioning regimen reduces leukemia relapse without an increase in toxicity.

The optimal conditioning regimen for allogeneic BMT for hematological malignancies is still to be determined. We used a conditioning regimen including high-dose Ara-C (HDAC)/CY/TBI for patients at high risk for leukemic relapse (regimen A, Ara-C 3 g/m2 every 12 h for six doses followed by CY 45 mg/kg for 2 days and TBI 13.2 Gy in eight fractions) and a standard CY/TBI conditioning regimen for patients at low risk (regimen B, CY 60 mg/kg for 2 days and TBI 13.2 Gy in eight fractions). We analyzed 55 patients treated with regimen A (group A) and 36 patients with regimen B (group B). Relapse rates (10.9% in group A, 2.9% in group B, P = 0.23), 5-year overall (53.2% in group A and 60.8% in group B, P = 0.26) and disease-free (47.7% in group A and 60.8% in group B, P = 0.11) survival rates were not significantly different between these groups, although group A consisted of high-risk patients. Regimen-related toxicities were not significantly different between the two groups. This result suggests that adding HDAC to CY/TBI conditioning regimen may reduce leukemic relapse and improve survival without increasing regimen-related toxicities.

Adolescent↗

Retroviral transduction of human CD34+ umbilical cord blood progenitor cells with a mutated dihydrofolate reductase cDNA.

Umbilical cord blood cells (UCB) have become a major target population for experimental and clinical studies using transfer of genes involved in inborn enzymatic diseases. Cord blood contains hematopoietic progenitor cells at a high frequency, and expanding these cells ex vivo generates sufficient numbers of hematopoietic precursors for transplantation into adults, e.g., as supportive treatment. As clinical reports about retroviral transduction into UCB cells have not been as encouraging as the first preclinical data, we have established a retroviral transduction system that allows expansion and selection of hematopoietic progenitor cells from UCB. CD34-enriched UCB cells were transduced with a retroviral vector encoding a mutated dihydrofolate reductase cDNA that confers MTX resistance. We observed increased resistance to MTX in transduced granulocyte macrophage-colony forming units (CFU-GM) after co-culture of CD34+ UCB cells with the virus-producing cell line, or after incubation with virus-containing supernatant. The supernatant-based transduction protocol included a prestimulation with recombinant interleukin-1 (rhIL-1), rhkit-ligand, and rhIL-3 to increase the percentage of cells in S phase to greater than 50%. Using this protocol we measured a 72-fold expansion of CFU-GM and a 2.5-fold selective advantage of transduced versus nontransduced progenitor cells after exposure to low-dose methotrexate in liquid culture. Polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed integration of proviral DNA into the majority of transduced colonies before and after ex vivo expansion. The retroviral vector and transduction protocol reported here provides an experimental system for selection and expansion of retrovirally transduced progenitor/stem cells from UCB that may help improve the efficiency of current clinical gene therapy strategies.

Antigens, CD34↗

Post-transplant methotrexate administration leads to improved curability of mice bearing a mammary tumor transplanted with marrow transduced with a mutant human dihydrofolate reductase cDNA.

To test the concept that protection of bone marrow progenitor cells via introduction of a drug resistance gene would allow larger and curative doses of chemotherapy to be administered, we used mice bearing a transplanted breast cancer as a model system. Mice bearing the E0771 tumor were treated with lethal doses of cyclophosphamide (CPA) and rescued from toxicity by administration of bone marrow transduced with a mutant dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) cDNA (Ser-31) in a retroviral construct. Animals receiving marrow not transduced with mutant DHFR cDNA died from methotrexate (MTX) toxicity, whereas mice transduced with mutant DHFR cDNA containing marrow were able to tolerate MTX treatment post-transplant; 44% of the mice had no demonstrable tumor when sacrificed on day 52. Another control group of mice treated with CPA and transplanted but not treated with MTX post-transplant succumbed to tumor regrowth. These data provide a strong rationale for the use of drug resistance genes to protect marrow from drug toxicity because the increase in dose tolerated may result in an improved cure rate of chemosensitive tumors.

Animals↗

Co-expression of the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene potentiates methotrexate resistance conferred by transfer of a mutated dihydrofolate reductase gene.

We have previously shown that transfer of a mutated dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) confers resistance to methotrexate (MTX) to infected cells. We report herein the construction of a retrovirus vector, DC/SV6S31tk, which carries the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene (HSVtk) as well as the mutated Serine 31 DHFR (S31) cDNA. 3T3 cells infected with DC/SV6S31tk are more resistant to MTX than cells infected with DC/SV6S31, which carries the S31 and Neo gene. In DC/SV6S31tk-infected cells, a fraction of cells (20-40%) were more resistant to MTX compared with DC/SV6S31-infected cells, and these cells survived a 5-day exposure to 200 microM of MTX. The mechanism of this augmented resistance is attributed to the salvage of thymidine by HSVtk, as the augmentation is reversed when dialyzed serum is used for cytotoxicity assays. The cells that survive high-dose MTX selection have high levels of expression of S31 DHFR and HSVtk, although copy numbers of the proviral sequences do not increase significantly. Transduction of cells with the DC/SV6S31tk vector also sensitizes cells to ganciclovir (GCV). Co-expression of a metabolically related gene in a retroviral vector to potentiate the resistance imparted by a drug resistance gene may be useful for gene therapy for cancer patients.

3T3 Cells↗