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Biomedical subjects

W Lange

Publications and source records attributed to W Lange.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Efficient serum-free retroviral gene transfer into primitive human hematopoietic progenitor cells by a defined, high-titer, nonconcentrated vector-containing medium.

Defined serum-free conditions have great conceptual advantages for the biological safety and standardization of clinical gene transfer into hematopoietic stem cells. In the only study reported to date, Sekhar et al. achieved low serum conditions by a complex concentration procedure of a retroviral supernatant initially containing 10% fetal bovine serum. The high cost, small volume, possible coenrichment of serum-derived pathogens, limited recovery of vector particles, and low titer of the final diluted medium restrict the clinical application of this procedure. Transduction of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells was not demonstrated. In the present study, a defined serum-free medium containing high titers of the pseudotyped retroviral vector PG13/LN was generated from PG13/LN producer cells without requiring a physical enrichment procedure. The transduction of committed hematopoietic progenitor cells in the serum-free vector-containing medium was efficient, and similar to that occurring under serum-containing control conditions. The number of primitive human hematopoietic long-term culture-initiating cell-derived colonies (LTC-IC-derived colonies) generated from CD34+ and CD34+/HLA-DRlo peripheral blood progenitor "stem" cells (PBSCs) increased during 7 days of treatment in this vector-containing medium in the presence of IL-3, SCF, and flt-3 ligand. The described procedure allowed efficient transduction of LTC-IC-derived colonies generated from CD34+, CD34+/HLA-DRlo, and CD34+/CD38lo PBSCs. This is the first report to demonstrate an increase in primitive peripheral blood LTC-IC-derived colonies in vitro as well as their efficient transduction in a high-titer, serum-free vector-containing medium that can be produced exclusively from defined pharmaceutical-grade components, making it ideally suited for applications in clinical gene therapy.

Animals↗

Quality of IL-3 and G-CSF-mobilized peripheral blood stem cells in patients with early chronic phase CML.

Coexistence of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-negative, primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells with their malignant counterparts in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has been reported. As most of the Ph-negative progenitor cells do not express the HLA-DR antigen, selection of them might be possible. Peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPC) from eight early chronic phase (CML) patients were mobilized by ICE chemotherapy followed by simultaneous administration of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) and recombinant human interleukin 3 (rhIL-3). PBPCs were collected by leukapheresis in the early phase of hematopoietic recovery after chemotherapy, CD34 selected and cultured in vitro. The content of Ph chromosome-positive cells in leukapheresis products as well as after CD34 enrichment and after in vitro culture was analyzed by interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and RT-PCR. The percentage of Ph chromosome-positive PBPC was reduced after each purification step in almost all samples. A substantial number of PBPC samples were negative for the bcr/abl mRNA rearrangement as analyzed by RT-PCR. The present study demonstrates the feasibility of mobilizing Ph-negative PBPC during the early phase of hematopoietic recovery after ICE chemotherapy and simultaneous administration of rhIL-3 and rhG-CSF.

Adult↗

Mobilization and transplantation of Philadelphia chromosome-negative peripheral blood progenitor cells in patients with CML.

Mobilization and transplantation of peripheral blood progenitor cells (PBPCs) was investigated in patients with stage IA or stage IIA chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) using combination chemotherapy with idarubicin, cytosine arabinoside and etoposide (ICE) followed by simultaneous administration of rhG-CSF and rhIL-2 or rhG-CSF alone. 17 patients (stage IA: 12; stage IIA: five) were mobilized. Chemotherapy, cytokine priming and collection of PBPCs were well tolerated. Using large-volume aphereses, a median number of 10.6 x 10(7)/kg b.w. of MNC were harvested, which yielded between 0.15 and 21.0 x 10(6) CD34+ cells/kg b.w. High numbers of CD34+ HLA-DR- cells could be obtained. Autologous transplantation of mostly Ph- apheresis products was performed in 16/17 patients after high-dose chemotherapy, 10 patients achieved a complete or major cytogenetic remission (stage IA: seven; stage IIA: three), but six patients did not respond cytogenetically. Median follow-up after transplantation was 18+ months. Our data show that this very efficient treatment modality for PBPC mobilization in CML was safe and able to induce major and sustained cytogenetic responses in the majority of patients.

Adult↗

Results after surgery in stage-I bronchogenic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival in stage-I non-small-cell bronchogenic carcinoma. METHODS: During 9 years, 338 consecutive patients were operated on for stage-I bronchogenic carcinoma. Patients with small-cell carcinoma (n = 14), prior malignancies in locations other than pulmonary (n = 41), and patients with incomplete data on prognostic factors (n = 11) were excluded. Of the remaining 272 patients 226 were men. Mean age was 63 years (40 to 81 years). The resections performed comprised 215 lobectomies and bilobectomies, 36 segmentectomies and wedge resections, and 21 pneumonectomies. According to the number of sites of dissected lymph nodes 3 subgroups were formed: group A with 0 to 4 (n = 71), B with 5 to 6 (n = 118), and C with 7 to 10 sites (n = 83). Median follow-up was 46 months. RESULTS: Three patients (1.1 %) died within 30 days of operation. In 3 patients the resection was revealed to be not radical (R1). At the end of follow-up, 191 patients were alive, 174 of these without recurrence. Eighty-one patients had died, 53 associated with tumor recurrence. Four patients had died of non-pulmonary malignancies. Twenty-two patients died of causes not related to tumor disease. In 2 patients the cause of death could not be determined retrospectively. Overall 5-year survival was 65% (95% confidence interval [CI] 58-72%), recurrence-free survival 59% (CI 51-66%). Significant prognostic factors for recurrence-free survival were T stage (relative risk [RR] 1.7 for T2 vs. T1, CI 1.0-3.0), age (RR 1.9 for >70 years vs. < or =70 years, CI 1.1-3.1), adeno cell type (RR 2.3 vs. squamous cell, CI 1.4-4.0), as well as lymphangiosis carcinomatosa (RR 2.3, CI 1.2-4.4). Extent of operative resection, extent of lymphadenectomy, and sex did not influence survival. CONCLUSION: 5-year survival of our patients was in the range reported in literature. Most patients died of distant metastases. Our retrospective study probably underestimated the occurrence of second primary cancers of the lung. Limited resection in poor-risk patients showed equivalent results to lobectomy. The extent of lymph-node resections had no influence on survival of stage-I patients, however, it must be remembered that positive results in lymph nodes shift patients to higher stages.

Carcinoma, Bronchogenic↗

Effects of aerobic exercise on the physical performance and incidence of treatment-related complications after high-dose chemotherapy.

Loss of physical performance is a universal problem of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. We postulated that this impairment can be partially prevented by aerobic exercise. In a randomized study, 33 cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (training group, T) performed an exercise program consisting of biking on an ergometer in the supine position after an interval-training pattern for 30 minutes daily during hospitalization. Patients in the control group (C, n = 37) did not train. Maximal physical performance was assessed with a treadmill test by admission and discharge. Physical performance of the two groups was not different on admission. The decrement in performance during hospitalization was 27% greater in the control group than in the training group (P = .05); this resulted in a significantly higher maximal physical performance at discharge in the trained patients (P = .04). Duration of neutropenia (P = .01) and thrombopenia (P = .06), severity of diarrhea (P = .04), severity of pain (P = .01), and duration of hospitalization (P = . 03) were reduced in the training group. We conclude that aerobic exercise can be safely carried out immediately after high-dose chemotherapy and can partially prevent loss of physical performance. Based on the potential significance of the observed outcomes, further studies are warranted to confirm our results.

Adult↗

Positional cloning of a gene for nematode resistance in sugar beet.

The Hs1(pro-1) locus confers resistance to the beet cyst nematode (Heterodera schachtii Schmidt), a major pest in the cultivation of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). The Hs1(pro-1) gene was cloned with the use of genome-specific satellite markers and chromosomal break-point analysis. Expression of the corresponding complementary DNA in a susceptible sugar beet conferred resistance to infection with the beet cyst nematode. The native Hs1(pro-1) gene, expressed in roots, encodes a 282-amino acid protein with imperfect leucine-rich repeats and a putative membrane-spanning segment, features similar to those of disease resistance genes previously cloned from higher plants.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Quantitation of angiogenesis in healing anastomoses of the rat colon.

An accurate and reliable quantitation of angiogenesis is an essential requirement for a detailed study of new blood vessel growth during healing of colon anastomoses. In the present study we applied a computer-based digital image processing system for quantitative analysis of the anastomotic vascularization and perfusion. Rats underwent colonic resection (1 cm) followed by construction of an end-to-end anastomosis. The animals were killed 3 or 7 days after operation. The vascularization and perfusion were analysed in cyrostat sections using an anti-collagen type IV antibody and the fluorescent marker bisbenzimide H 33342, respectively. If compared with 3-day-old anastomoses, a significant increase in the median vascular and perfusion areas was found 7 days after operation. Within the same anastomosis, the vessel density and perfusion were lower in the central region than in the peripheral region of the wound. The present computerized digital image analysis system is a reliable technique that is suited for quantitative measurements of microvascular changes occurring in colon anastomoses during the first postoperative week.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗

Early-onset secondary malignancies after high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

We treated 500 patients with high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous bone marrow (ABMT) or autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Treated conditions included leukemia, lymphomas, breast cancer, lung cancer, germ-cell carcinomas, and other solid tumors. In order to assess relapse of primary malignancy or occurrence of new neoplasms, routine screening after ABMT or PBPCT was performed at regular and close intervals. With a total follow-up of 1358 person-years and a median follow-up of 34 months (range 9-91), 10/500 (2%) patients developed second malignancies after PBSCT or ABMT; i.e., one new cancer occurred every 136 person-years. All malignancies were detected at routine follow-up examinations; and 7/10 diagnoses were made in an asymptomatic phase; 6/10 neoplasms were amenable to complete surgical resection, five of which remain in CR at a median of 23+ months after autotransplantation. We conclude that regular and close follow-up examination of patients after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be beneficial, since successful treatment of second malignancies is possible in selected cases after early detection.

Adult↗

High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with second primary malignancies.

We treated 500 patients with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow or autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Treated conditions included leukemia, lymphoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, germ-cell carcinoma, and other solid tumors. 10/500 (2%) of patients were treated for a second malignancy diagnosed 12 months to 25 years after their initial neoplasm. Four of these ten patients are in complete remission (CR) of both malignancies at a median follow-up of 29+ months after high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation. None of these patients would have been eligible for high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation by conventional selection criteria which usually excluded patients with a history of prior malignancies. Conclusion. Conventional exclusion criteria for high-dose chemotherapy and autotransplantation may not adequately reflect the prognosis of patients with second or secondary malignancies treated with this therapeutic modality. High-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may be of true benefit in selected cases of secondary malignancies.

Adult↗

Insulin receptors in the pituitary gland: morphological evidence for influence on opioid peptide-synthesizing cells.

Previous investigations have demonstrated that peripheral insulin has a significant influence on brain function and that the interaction of insulin with neuropeptides in neuroendocrine regions may be pivotal for the regulation of body metabolism and energy balance. Since the various levels of interactions are only incompletely known, the focus of the present study has been the adenohypophysis of the rat, in which the presence and localization of insulin receptors and the structurally and functionally closely related insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) receptor has been investigated by light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry. The two receptors are found on separate subpopulations of secretory cells of the pars distalis with a preponderance of IGF-1 receptors in a postero-lateral portion of large endocrine cells, insulin receptors being more widely dispersed throughout the pars distalis in a population of smaller, irregularly shaped cells. Insulin receptors, but not IGF-1 receptors, are also located in a subpopulation of secretory cells in the intermediate lobe. Phosphotyrosine, a marker for substrates of receptor tyrosine kinases, has been detected in numerous cells throughout the anterior and intermediate lobe, including the cell populations containing insulin or IGF-1 receptors, indicating their ability to transduce biological signals in the pituitary in vivo. Almost 90% of cells containing insulin receptors are also immunoreactive for beta-endorphin. In contrast, IGF-1 receptors are almost exclusively located on cells secreting follicle-stimulating hormone, suggesting a regulatory role of IGF-1 in the pituitary gonadotropin system. The relationship between beta-endorphin and insulin receptors provides further evidence for the hypothesis that peripheral insulin acts as a regulatory hormone in the control of body energy homeostasis via various steps of the neuroendocrine axis, including opioid peptides in the hypothalamus and pituitary known to play an important role in the regulation of feeding behaviour.

Animals↗

Experimental gluing of the bronchial stump after pneumonectomy in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this experimental study was to evaluate the usefulness of gelatin-resorcinol-dialdehyde adhesive in sutureless closure of bronchial stumps. METHODS: In 40 male Wistar rats bronchial stumps after left-sided pneumonectomy were closed by gluing with gelatin-resorcinol-dialdehyde adhesive. For macroscopic and microscopic examination four animals were sacrificed on postoperative days 2, 7 and 14 each, 14 animals on postoperative days 28 and 120 each. RESULTS: On macroscopic examination the gelatin-resorcinol-dialdehyde adhesive proved in all cases effective in tight bronchial stump closure. The adhesive did not cause local infection or necrosis of the bronchial stump nor other intrathoracic inflammatory complications. All animals survived and made an uncomplicated postoperative recovery. Microscopic examination revealed that the gelatin-resorcinol-dialdehyde adhesive initially evoked an acute inflammatory response with polymorphonuclear neutrophils predominating. After an intermediate stage characterized by a granulomatous reaction and resorption of the adhesive by multinucleated giant cells, 120 days postoperatively the bronchial stumps at the sites of previous gluing showed a regular fibrous scar tissue without inflammatory cells. CONCLUSION: The gelatin-resorcinol-dialdehyde adhesive showed effective in closing bronchial stumps after pneumonectomy in rats. The clinical extrapolation of this effect to thoracic surgical patients is uncertain at this time.

Animals↗

Results after surgery in undifferentiated large cell carcinoma of the lung: the role of neuroendocrine expression.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to define the incidence of light microscopically undifferentiated large cell carcinomas, to analyze tumor stages, types of resections necessary and postsurgical survival. Additionally we tried to evaluate whether or not neuroendocrine expression influences the biological behavior of these tumors. METHODS: Light microscopic specimens of 105 patients having undergone surgery for undifferentiated large cell carcinoma were reviewed following the 1981 WHO criteria. Fifty eight cases were excluded because elements of adeno- or squamous cell carcinoma, neuroendocrine or combined patterns of histological differentiation were observed. The remaining 47 cases of pure undifferentiated large cell carcinoma were evaluated immunohistochemically for neuroendocrine differentiation using a combination of the markers neuron specific enolase, synaptophysin and chromogranin A. The hospital charts of the patients were analyzed retrospectively recording tumor stage, operative procedure, postoperative complications, postoperative adjuvant treatment procedures, actual tumor state and survival time. RESULTS: Thirteen patients (27.7%) had postsurgical tumor stage I, 5 (10.6%) stage II, 15 (31.9%) stage IIIA, 9 (19.1%) stage IIIB, and 5 (10.6%) stage IV. In 46 of 47 patients resections of lung parenchyma were performed (wedge resection n = 5, segmental resection n = 1, lobectomy n = 27, bilobectomy n = 3, pneumonectomy n = 10), in 6 patients combined with broncho- and/or angioplastic procedures. At the time of chart review 20 (42.5%) patients were still alive. The cause of death in the remaining patients was recurrent lung cancer in the majority of cases (24 or 92.30%). The overall mean survival of the 46 patients undergoing parenchymal resections was 19 months, the 3-year survival rate 31.7%. The immunohistochemical examination demonstrated expression of neuron specific enolase in 15 cases. Synaptophysin and chromogranin A were not detected in any case. For these 15 patients the mean survival was 25.6 months (+/- 4.3) and the 1-year survival rate 67% (confidence interval 43-91%) compared to 13.8 (+/- 2.1) months and 33.5% (confidence interval 15.3-51.7%) in the remainder. The difference was not significant (P = 0.06). CONCLUSIONS: The light microscopic diagnosis of undifferentiated large cell carcinoma revealed to be subject to considerable interobserver variability. Undifferentiated large cell carcinoma takes a more unfavorable clinical course than other non-small cell carcinomas. Despite lack of statistical significance, expression of neuron specific enolase appeared to be associated with less aggressive biological behavior of the respective neoplasms. Immunohistochemical evaluation of undifferentiated large cell carcinomas using a combination of neuron specific enolase, chromogranin A, and synaptophysin did not provide more therapeutically relevant information than that obtained by light microscopic assessment.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗

Dose-intense therapy with etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and epirubicin (VIP-E) in 107 consecutive patients with limited- and extensive-stage non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a phase I/II trial to assess the feasibility and activity of combination chemotherapy with etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and epirubicin in limited-stage (LS, stage I-IIIB) and extensive-stage (ES, stage IV) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). End-points were treatment-related morbidity and mortality, response rate, duration of response, and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Chemotherapy followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor was given at a dose of etoposide (500 mg/m2), ifosfamide (4000 mg/m2), cisplatin (50 mg/m2), and epirubicin (50 mg/m2) (VIP-E) to 107 patients with NSCLC. Twenty-five patients with qualifying responses proceeded to high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation after etoposide (1500 mg/m2), ifosfamide (12,000 mg/m2), carboplatin (750 mg/m2) and epirubicin (150 mg/m2) (VIC-E) conditioning. RESULTS OF CONVENTIONAL-DOSE VIP-E: 35 of 102 (34%) evaluable patients responded (2 CR's, 33 PR's), 33/102 patients (33%) showed no change (NC); the remainder of patients progressed with therapy (PD). Objective response rate was 68% (4% CR, 64% PR) in LS-NSCLC and 23% (1.4% CR, 21.4% PR) in ES-NSCLC. Median duration of survival was 13 months in LS-NSCLC and 5.5 months in ES-NSCLC. Two-year survival was 26% in LS and 2% in ES-NSCLC. RESULTS OF HIGH-DOSE VIC-E: 23 of 24 evaluable patients improved or maintained prior responses (92%), I patient showed NC. Treatment mortality was 4%. Median duration of survival was 17 months in LS-NSCLC and 10 months in ES-NSCLC. Two-year survival was 30% in LS and 8% in ES-NSCLC. CONCLUSION: Response-rates and survival after conventional-dose VIP-E chemotherapy are comparable to other published trials of combination chemotherapy in NSCLC. Toxicity and mortality is acceptable in limited stage, but unacceptably high in extensive stage NSCLC. Although better response-rates were achieved in the high-dose arm, they did not translate into improved survival. Most stage IV NSCLC-patients will neither benefit from VIP-E conventional dose, nor from VIC-E high dose chemotherapy. Whether selected LS-patients with partial or complete responses to VIP-E induction chemotherapy could benefit from dose intensification in an adjuvant or neo-adjuvant setting remains to be determined.

Adult↗

Dose-intense therapy with etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and epirubicin (VIP-E) in 100 consecutive patients with limited- and extensive-disease small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: We conducted a phase I/II trial to assess the feasibility and activity of VIP-E chemotherapy in small-cell lung cancer. End-points were treatment-related morbidity and mortality, response to treatment. duration of response, and survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Two cycles of combination chemotherapy followed by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were given at a dose of etoposide (500 mg/m2), ifosfamide (4000 mg/m2), cisplatin (50 mg/m2), and epirubicin (50 mg/m2) to 100 consecutive patients with SCLC. Thirty patients (19 with LD, and 11 with ED SCLC) proceeded to VIC-E high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) at a cumulative dose of etoposide 1500 mg/m2, ifosfamide 12,000 mg/m2, carboplatin 750 mg/m2 and epirubicin 150 mg/m2 (VIC-E). Surgical resection of primary tumor was attempted at the earliest feasible point. Thoracic irradiation was given after completion of chemotherapy. RESULTS of conventional-dose VIP-E: 97 patients were evaluable for response. Objective response rate was 81% in LD-SCLC (33% CR, 48% PR; excluding patients in surgical CR) and 77% in ED-SCLC (18% CR, 58% PR). Treatment mortality was 2%. Median survival was 19 months in LD-SCLC and 6 months in ED-SCLC. Two-year survival was 36% in LD and 0% in ED SCLC. RESULTS OF HIGH-DOSE VIC-E: All 30 patients improved on or maintained prior responses. Four patients (13%) died of treatment-related complications. Median survival was 26 months in LD-SCLC and 8 months in ED-SCLC. Two-year survival was 53% in LD and 9% in ED SCLC. CONCLUSION: VIP-E chemotherapy is an effective induction therapy for SCLC. Compared with traditional protocols such as ACO or carboplatin/etoposide, response rates are slightly improved, while survival is not different. In the LD SCLC subgroup, high-dose chemotherapy improved response rates and survival, especially for patients in surgical CR prior to high-dose therapy. In ED SCLC, however, higher response-rates did not translate into improved survival. Selected LD-SCLC patients with good partial or complete remissions after prior therapy may benefit from HDC and PBSCT.

Adult↗

Treatment of relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after BEAM chemotherapy and autologous transplantation by BU/CY chemotherapy and salvage transplantation.

We report a patient with centroblastic non-Hodgkin's MALT lymphoma of the stomach treated initially with surgery and post-operative chemotherapy and radiotherapy. First relapse was treated with high-dose BEAM chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT). Second, systemic relapse was treated with high-dose BU/CY and second PBSCT. Today, the patient is in complete remission at 27+ months. The case indicates a curative potential for high-dose BU/CY chemotherapy as salvage therapy for relapsed high-grade lymphoma after BEAM and autologous PBSCT. This may have implications for the prevention as well as for the management of lymphoma relapse after high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous PBSCT.

Adult↗