Blood
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Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are being increasingly used to summarize medical literature and identify areas in which research is needed. Systematic reviews limit bias with the use of a reproducible scientific process to search the literature and evaluate the quality of the individual studies. If possible the results are statistically combined into a meta-analysis in which the data are weighted and pooled to produce an estimate of effect. This article aims to provide the reader with a practical overview of systematic review and meta-analysis methodology, with a focus on the process of performing a review and the related issues at each step.
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Long-term survival is now an expected outcome after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). However, the burden of morbidity long-term after HCT remains unknown. We examined the magnitude of risk of chronic health conditions reported by 1022 HCT survivors and their siblings (n = 309). ⋯ HCT survivors were twice as likely as siblings to develop a chronic condition (95% CI, 1.6-2.1), and 3.5 times to develop severe/life-threatening conditions (95% CI, 2.3-5.4). HCT survivors with chronic graft-versus-host disease were 4.7 times as likely to develop severe/life-threatening conditions (95% CI, 3.0-7.2). The burden of long-term morbidity borne by HCT survivors is substantial, and long-term follow-up of patients who received transplantation is recommended.
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Here we report the first application of a fractal analysis of the viscoelastic properties of incipient blood clots. We sought to ascertain whether the incipient clot's fractal dimension, D(f,) could be used as a functional biomarker of hemostasis. The incipient clot is formed at the gel point (GP) of coagulating blood, the GP demarcating a functional change from viscoelastic liquid to a viscoelastic solid. ⋯ Our study reveals that unfractionated heparin not only prolongs the onset of clot formation but has a significant effect on its fractal microstructure. A progressive increase in unfractionated heparin concentration results in a linear decrease in D(f) and a corresponding prolongation in T(GP). The results represent a new, quantitative measure of clot quality derived from measurements on whole blood samples.
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The World Health Organization classification of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is hierarchically structured and integrates genetics, data on patients' history, and multilineage dysplasia (MLD). The category "AML with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS)-related changes" (AML-MRC) is separated from "AML not otherwise specified" (AML-NOS) by presence of MLD, MDS-related cytogenetics, or history of MDS or MDS/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN). We analyzed 408 adult patients categorized as AML-MRC or AML-NOS. ⋯ Contrarily, patients with AML-NOS combined with AML-MLD-sole (n = 323) had better 3-year EFS (16.9 vs 10.7 months; P = .005) and 3-year OS (55.8% vs 32.5%; P = .001) than patients with history of MDS or MDS/MPN or MDS-related cytogenetics (n = 85). Gene expression analysis showed distinct clusters for AML-MLD-sole combined with AML-NOS versus AML with MDS-related cytogenetics or MDS history. Thus, MLD alone showed no independent clinical effect, whereas cytogenetics and MDS history were prognostically relevant.
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Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is an often-fatal hyperinflammatory syndrome characterized by fever, hepatosplenomegaly, cytopenia, and in some cases hemophagocytosis. Here, we describe the mutation analysis, clinical presentation, and functional analysis of natural killer (NK) cells in patients with mutations in STXBP2 encoding Munc18-2, recently associated with familial HLH type 5. The disease severity among 11 persons studied here was highly variable and, accordingly, age at diagnosis ranged from 2 months to 17 years. ⋯ Interleukin-2 stimulation of lymphocytes in vitro rescued the NK cell-associated functional defects. In conclusion, familial HLH type 5 is associated with a spectrum of clinical symptoms, which may be a reflection of impaired expression and function of Munc18-2 also in cells other than cytotoxic lymphocytes. Mutations in STXBP2 should thus also be considered in patients with clinical manifestations other than those typically associated with HLH.