Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · Apr 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialExchange transfusion therapy and its effects on real-time microcirculation in pediatric sickle cell anemia patients: an intravital microscopy study.
Periodic blood exchange transfusion is a treatment modality commonly used to manage pediatric sickle cell anemia at the University of California Davis Medical Center. The goal of exchange transfusion therapy is to ameliorate vasoocclusion and improve tissue perfusion by removing sickled red blood cells and introducing normal red blood cells. Using computer-assisted intravital microscopy, pretransfusion and posttransfusion microvascular characteristics were analyzed. ⋯ However, with the paradoxical posttransfusion decrease in red cell velocity presumably due to induced hyperviscosity from the large transfusion volume, blood flow is still impaired. This decreased velocity may thwart efforts to improve oxygen delivery through transfusion and may, to some extent, promote vasoocclusion instead. This paradoxical result warrants further investigation on the effects of transfusion volume and viscosity in the exchange transfusion process.
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J. Pediatr. Hematol. Oncol. · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyHealth-related quality of life in pediatric cancer survivors: a multifactorial assessment including parental factors.
We aimed to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and the effect of associated factors such as cancer type, treatment strategies, sex, age, and parental factors like education and psychopathology in pediatric cancer survivors and make a comparison with healthy children. ⋯ Our study has provided evidence about less-studied determinants of HRQOL like parental factors such as psychopathology or educational level in childhood cancer survivors. Future research can build on this evidence to obtain additional factors other than well-known medical and treatment-related factors.