Peripheral Blood Blast Erythrophagocytosis After Chemotherapy in a Patient with Acute Monoblastic Leukemia
Sanae Sayagh,
Fedoua Cherrafi,
Mohammed Siboub,
Ilias Tazi,
Mustapha Ait Ameur,
Mohamed Chakour
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2022
Pages:
1-5
Received:
5 January 2021
Accepted:
4 January 2022
Published:
15 January 2022
Abstract: Hemophagocytosis is a property of histiocytic lineage cells; it is rarely performed by leukemic blasts. This phenomenon happens in approximately 1% of acute leukemias, particularly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and especially those of monoblastic or monocytic lineage. Associations have been found with some chromosomal abnormalities, especially t(8;16). The presence of blast hemophagocytosis may speed-up the diagnosis of some of these cytogenetic abnormalities. We aim to report a case of peripheral blood blast erythrophagocytosis after chemotherapy for the treatment of acute monoblastic leukemia. It is about 29 years old male treated for acute monoblastic leukemia without chromosomal abnormalities at the onset, with two relapses for the first and second induction cures. Peripheral blood smear performed during the follow up showed 73% of blasts, 3.6% of them with erythrophagocytosis. Several genetic abnormalities are known to be associated to leukemic cell hemophagocytosis, involving particularly the chromosome 8 and explaining a part of the leukemogenesis. These abnormalities are rare and associated to a poor prognosis. The mechanism behind this blast behavior is still unclear and authors suggest some hypothesis to explain this phenomenon: the presence of binding receptors involved in phagocytosis on blasts, karyotype instability and evolution during the course of the disease and the involvement of treatment toxicity.
Abstract: Hemophagocytosis is a property of histiocytic lineage cells; it is rarely performed by leukemic blasts. This phenomenon happens in approximately 1% of acute leukemias, particularly acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and especially those of monoblastic or monocytic lineage. Associations have been found with some chromosomal abnormalities, especially t(8;1...
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Serum Vitamin D Level Status by Prostate Cancer Grade and Stage Among Native Africans
Collins Amadi,
Chituru Orluwene,
Bright Amadi
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2022
Pages:
6-15
Received:
19 December 2021
Accepted:
5 January 2022
Published:
15 January 2022
Abstract: Background: Vitamin D deficiency is widely speculated to be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) incidence, progression, aggressiveness, and metastatic potentials. However, evidence of this is limited among the black population. Hence, this study was spurred by the dearth of data in this regard. Methods: This was a prospectively designed/executed case-controlled descriptive study carried out in the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) in the Niger Delta sub-region of Nigeria. Serum Vitamin D level status was determined/compared between the 380 histologically-verified positive PCa cases and the smoking/sex-matched 380 histologically-verified negative controls using descriptive and comparative statistical tools. The relationship/association between PCa grade/stage and Vitamin D level status was ascertained using crude and adjusted regression models. Data were managed and analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 and a p-value of <0.05 was deemed statistically significant. Results: The histologically-verified positive PCa patients had significantly lower mean Vitamin D level status (PCa patients: 24.55 ± 3.47 vs. controls: 49.73 ± 4.08; p<0.001) but higher mean prostate volumes, BMI status, plasma intact PTH levels, and total PSA levels compared to the histologically-verified negative controls. A decreasing trend of serum Vitamin level status was observed with worsening/increasing PCa grade and stage (p<0.05) among the biopsy positive PCa cases. An inverse relationship existed between Vitamin D level status and PCa grade/stage among the Vitamin D deficient PCa subgroup (p<0.05) but not the sufficient/insufficient PCa subgroups (p>0.05). Among the Vitamin D deficient PCa patients, this inverse relationship continued to strengthen with worsening PCa grade/stage. When compared with the PCa patients with the lowest PCa grade (ISUP grade 1) and stage (T1), an increased likelihood of Vitamin D deficiency was significantly associated with worsening PCa grade (ISUP 2 to 5) and stage (T2 to T4) on crude multiple logistic regression model which was subsequently amplified following adjusting for observed confounders. Conclusion: The study findings corroborate the epidemiologic evidence of the association of Vitamin D deficiency with PCa grade and stage; factors that define PCa aggressiveness and metastatic potentials. However, more robust studies among populations of the black race are highly recommended to validate conclusions from this current study.
Abstract: Background: Vitamin D deficiency is widely speculated to be associated with prostate cancer (PCa) incidence, progression, aggressiveness, and metastatic potentials. However, evidence of this is limited among the black population. Hence, this study was spurred by the dearth of data in this regard. Methods: This was a prospectively designed/executed ...
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Assessment of Surrogate Markers/Indices of Systemic Inflammation Among COVID-19 Patients with and Without Comorbid Conditions
Stephenson Lawson,
Collins Amadi
Issue:
Volume 7, Issue 1, January 2022
Pages:
16-22
Received:
6 January 2022
Accepted:
22 January 2022
Published:
9 February 2022
Abstract: Background: As widely reported, comorbid conditions are a significant risk for severe COVID-19 infection which is characterized by heightened adverse consequences. Since cytokine-induced inflammatory processes define COVID-19 severity, this study was aimed to evaluate the burden of COVID-19-induced inflammatory episodes, assessed using surrogate markers/indices of inflammation, among COVID-19 patients with and without comorbid conditions in Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of data obtained from treatment-naive real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed COVID-19 patients at the Eleme COVID-19 treatment center in Port Harcourt within the southern region of Nigeria. All relevant data was acquired from case notes, medical review charts, nurses’ charts, and laboratory records by trained research assistants using data acquisition templates. All the data acquired were analyzed and compared between the COVID-19 patients with and without comorbid conditions using standard descriptive and comparative statistical tools. Results: Among those studied (n=604), 31.8% (n=192) had at least one pre-existing comorbid condition while 68.2% (n=412) had no comorbid conditions before COVID-19 diagnosis/subsequent presentation. The comorbid positive subgroup were mostly males and had higher mean age, BMI, body temperature, SBP, DBP, and higher proportions of elderly patients, high-risk occupational status (health workers) and social behavior (cigarette smoking), obesity, severe disease, and worse disease outcome, but lower oxygen saturation compared to the comorbid negative subjects at presentation. Additionally, the comorbid positive subjects also had higher mean levels of blood urea, creatinine, pro-calcitonin, CRP, ferritin, Glasgow prognostic scores, fibrinogen, D-Dimer, and the fibrinogen-albumin ratio, total white cell counts, isolated neutrophil counts, neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio, and the platelet-lymphocyte count ratio but lower levels of potassium, albumin, isolated lymphocyte count and isolated platelet count compared to the comorbid negative subjects (p<0.05). The inflammatory markers/indices were significantly associated with obesity, age ≥65 years, hypertension, past/current cigarette smoking, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Conclusion: Comorbidities are significantly associated with amplified systemic inflammatory markers and indices among COVID-19 subjects. This may indicate the pathophysiologic link between various comorbidities and the COVID-19 severity among Nigerians. However, further studies are recommended to substantiate the findings of the current study.
Abstract: Background: As widely reported, comorbid conditions are a significant risk for severe COVID-19 infection which is characterized by heightened adverse consequences. Since cytokine-induced inflammatory processes define COVID-19 severity, this study was aimed to evaluate the burden of COVID-19-induced inflammatory episodes, assessed using surrogate ma...
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