Bone Grafts Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Grafts, including details on spine fusion, surgery, procedure, risks.

Leishmaniasis: new insights from an old and neglected disease.

Antinori S, Schifanella L, Corbellino M

Department of Clinical Sciences L. Sacco, Section of Infectious Diseases and Immunopathology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via GB Grassi, 74, 20157, Milano, Italy, spinello.antinori@unimi.it.

Leishmaniases are a clinically heterogeneous group of diseases caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania. There is growing evidence that the true incidence of the disease is underestimated, especially in hyperendemic regions. Moreover, climate changes together with the increasing movement of humans and animals raise concerns about the possible introduction of Leishmania infection in previously spared areas. The disease is emerging in immunocompromised patients undergoing bone marrow or solid organ transplantation or treatment with biologic drugs. Furthermore, the deployment of military troops and travel to endemic areas are associated with the observation of a growing number of patients with cutaneous disease. Improvement in diagnostic methods, both in the field and in specialized laboratories, has been obtained through the implementation of molecular amplification methods and using the rK39 antigen as the substrate. Finally, new therapeutic approaches are gaining attention, such as the use of miltefosine for cutaneous leishmaniasis and paromomycin for visceral leishmaniasis, as well as the use of various antileishmanial drugs in combination.

Published 2 May 2011 in Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

Articles on Bone Grafts published 2 May 2011:

Retrospective, Monocentric Analysis of Late Effects after Total Body Irradiation (TBI) in Adults.   Strahlenther Onkol.

PURPOSE: : Total body irradiation (TBI) is a standard treatment modality within the multidisciplinary approach for allogeneous stem cell or bone marrow transplantation. However, surviving patients are at risk for developing a variety of late sequelae. This analysis aimed to retrospectively characterize late effects after TBI in adults treated in a single center. PATIENTS AND METHODS: : Patients ≥ 18 years treated with fractionated TBI (4-12 Gy) between 1996 and 2008 were included in this ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

MRI analysis of the attachment of the anteromedial and posterolateral bundles of anterior cruciate ligament using coronal oblique images.   Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the course of the anteromedial bundle (AMB) and the posterolateral bundle (PLB) of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in order to clarify the relationship between the bundles and surrounding anatomic landmarks. METHODS: Eighty-eight knees with intact ACLs were included in this study. MRI coronal oblique images were obtained with the knee in extension and used to assess the following characteristics of the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

MxA RNA Quantification in Febrile Patients Who Underwent Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Primary Immunodeficiency.   Diagn Mol Pathol.

The presence of myxovirus resistance protein A (MxA) RNA was studied in 55 febrile children with primary immunodeficiency, 27 of whom underwent hematopoietic cell transplantation, and in 28 age-matched controls. The level of MxA RNA was above the cutoff, established as the 95th percentile found in controls, with primary immunodeficiency either undergoing transplantation or not in febrile patients, and with a documented diagnosis of infection by adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Interval cranioplasty: comparison of current standards.   Plast Reconstr Surg, 127(5): 1855-64.

[Abstract] [Full-text]

An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement: Noninfectious Lung Injury after Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: Idiopathic Pneumonia Syndrome.   Am J Respir Crit Care Med, 183(9): 1262-1279.

Rationale: Acute lung dysfunction of noninfectious etiology, known as idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS), is a severe complication following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Several mouse models have been recently developed to determine the underlying causes of IPS. A cohesive interpretation of experimental data and their relationship to the findings of clinical research studies in humans is needed to better understand the basis for current and future clinical trials for the ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Prognostic value of the multidrug resistance transporter ABCG2 gene polymorphisms in Chinese patients with de novo acute leukaemia.   Eur J Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Functional polymorphisms of the ABCG2 gene may contribute to individual variability in drug response and the prognosis of patients. METHODS: In the present study, the genetic polymorphisms and expression of ABCG2 were analysed in blasts cells obtained from 184 Chinese patients with de novo acute leukaemia to investigate their possible association with clinical outcomes. RESULTS: A novel synonymous ABCG2-single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at exon 16 (13561218 C/T) and five known ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Lentiviral-mediated gene therapy leads to improvement of B-cell functionality in a murine model of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.   J Allergy Clin Immunol.

BACKGROUND: Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked primary immunodeficiency characterized by thrombocytopenia, eczema, infections, autoimmunity, and lymphomas. Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells from HLA-identical donors is curative, but it is not available to all patients. We have developed a gene therapy (GT) approach for WAS by using a lentiviral vector encoding for human WAS promoter/cDNA (w1.6W) and demonstrated its preclinical efficacy and safety. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

CM-DiI Labeled Mesenchymal stem cells homed to thymus inducing immune recovery of mice after haploidentical bone marrow transplantation.   Int Immunopharmacol.

The results of haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have been disappointing due to the high incidence of severe graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and infectious complications. It is well known that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can prevent severe acute GVHD in HSCT. However, there is a controversy concerning whether MSC-mediated suppression of T cell functions is accompanied by inducing T cells maturation effects after HSCT. The CB6F1((H-2bd)) female mice irradiated with ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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