Ernest Beutler, MD and Carol West
Background: Gaucher disease results from the accumulation of glucosylceramide (glucocerebroside) in tissues of affected persons. Patients sharing the same genotype present with widely varying degrees of lipid storage and of clinical manifestations.
Objectives: To determine whether variation in the glucosylceramide synthase (UDPGlucose ceramide glucosyltransferase) gene, which encodes the enzyme that regulates the synthesis of glucocerebroside, could account for the variability and clinical manifestations.
Methods: Patients homozygous for the 1226G (N370S) mutation, the most common in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, were investigated. The exons and flanking sequences of the gene were sequenced using DNA derived from five very mild Gaucher disease patients and four patients with relatively severe Gaucher disease. Results: One polymorphism was found in the coding region, but this did not change any amino acids. Seven other polymorphisms were found in introns and in the 5' untranslated region. Some of these were single nucleotide polymorphisms; others were insertions. The mutations appear to be in linkage equilibrium and none were found with a significantly higher frequency in either severe or mildly affected individuals.
Conclusions: Mutations in the glucosylceramide synthase gene do not appear to count for the variability in expression of the common Jewish Gaucher disease mutation.
Jane Zhao, MD, Hsiao-Nan Hao, MD and William D. Lyman, PhD
Background: Experimental and clinical protocols are being developed for the cryopreservation of human hematopoietic progenitor cells. However, the effect of these procedures on the potential for HPC to repopulate bone marrow is unknown.
Objectives: To examine the effect of cryopreservation on the ability of fetal human liver HPC, which include CD34+ cells and long-term culture-initiating cells, to repopulate immunodeficient non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mouse bone marrow.
Methods: Groups of sublethally irradiated NOD/SCID mice were injected intravenously with cryopreserved or freshly isolated fetal human liver HPC.
Results: Seven weeks after transplantation, flow cytometric analysis of bone marrow samples showed that mice that received the transplanted cells (either cryopreserved or freshly isolated) demonstrated both lymphoid and myeloid differentiation as well as the retention of a significant fraction of CD34+ cells. Conclusions: Cryopreserved fetal human liver-derived HPC appear to be capable of initiating human cell engraftment in NOD/SCID mouse bone marrow and open the possibility of using cryopreserved fetal human liver HPC for gene manipulation, gene transfusion therapy, and transplantation purposes.
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Jorge Rouvier, MD, Claudio Gonzalez, MD, Alejandra Scazziota, PhD and Raul Altman, MD
Background: Elevated fibrinogen, considered an independent risk factor for coronary disease, stratifies an individual as high risk for coronary disease. A risk marker requires little intra-individual variability during a long period.
Objectives: To establish intra-individual variability of fibrinogen levels in patients with coronary disease.
Methods: We investigated fibrinogen levels prospectively in four blood samples drawn from 267 patients with a history of arterial disease (arterial group) and from 264 patients with cardiac valve replacements (valvular group). The samples were taken during the course of 78.7 and 78.8 days from the arterial and valvular groups respectively.
Results: Marked intra-individual dispersion with a reliability coefficient of 0.541 was found in the arterial group and 0.547 in the valvular group. The Bland-Altman test showed low probability to obtain similar results in different samples from the same individual. These results show large intra-individual variability, with similarities in the arterial as well as in the valvular group.
Conclusions: It is not possible to stratify a patient by a specific fibrinogen dosage.
Avi Katz, MD, David J. Van-Dijk, MD, Helena Aingorn, PhD, Arie Erman, MD, Malcolm Davies, MD, David Darmon, MD, Hagit Hurvitz, MD and Israel Vlodavsky, PhD
Background: Decreased heparan sulfate proteoglycan content of the glomerular basement membrane has been described in proteinuric patients with diabetic nephropathy. Heparanase is an endo-b-D-glucuronidase that cleaves negatively charged heparan sulfate side chains in the basement membrane and extracellular matrix.
Objectives: To investigate whether urine from type I diabetic patients differs in heparanase activity from control subjects and whether resident glomerular cells could be the source of urinary heparanase.
Methods: Using soluble 35S-HSPG and sulfate-labeled extracellular matrix we assessed heparanase activity in human glomerular epithelial cells, rat mesangial cells, and urine from 73 type I diabetic patients. Heparanase activity resulted in the conversion of a high molecular weight sulfate-labeled HSPG into heparan sulfate degradation fragments as determined by gel filtration analysis.
Results: High heparanase activity was found in lysates of both epithelial and mesangial cells. Immunohistochemical staining localized the heparanase protein to both glomeruli capillaries and tubular epithelium. Heparanase activity was detected in the urine of 16% and 25% of the normoalbuminuric and microalbuminuric diabetic patients, respectively. Urine from 40 healthy individuals did not posses detectable heparanase. Urinary heparanase activity was associated with worse glycemic control.
Conclusion: We suggest that heparanase enzyme participates in the turnover of glomerular HSPG. Hyperglycemia enhances heparanase activity and/or secretion in some diabetic patients, resulting in the loss of albumin permselective properties of the GBM.
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HSPG = heparan sulfate proteoglycan
GBM = glomerular basement membrane
Job Harenberg, MD, Jorg Ingrid, MD and Fenyvesi Tivadar, MD
Background: Venous thromboembolic diseases are treated initially with low molecular weight heparin followed by oral coumarins.
Objectives: To investigate an orally available direct thrombin inhibitor for the acute treatment of venous thromboembolism as well as for prophylaxis of recurrent events.
Methods: The direct thrombin inhibitor ximelagatran was compared with subcutaneous LMW heparins followed by oral warfarin in a double-blind randomized prospective multicenter trial in patients with acute VTE. A pharmacokinetic study was performed in the VTE patients. For assessing the prevention of recurrent VTE, double-blind prospective randomized studies were conducted as follows: a) ximelagatran compared to warfarin for 6 months, and b) prolonged anticoagulation of ximelagatran vs. placebo for 18 months after termination of 6 months coumarin therapy.
Results: Two dose-finding studies and the pharmacokinetic analysis of ximelagatran in acute VTE were completed. About 2,500 patients were randomized to investigate 2 x 36 mg ximelagatran versus 2 x 1 mg/kg body weight enoxaparin followed by warfarin. The study hypothesized that the efficacy was equal in both treatment regimens for recurrent VTE documented by objective methods. The second study, with 1,234 patients, aimed to demonstrate a reduced incidence of recurrent thromboembolic events documented by objective methods after 18 months of treatment with 2 x 24 mg ximelagatran daily compared to placebo.
Conclusion: These large-scale clinical trials will soon yield the results of the comparison between oral ximelagatran and subcutaneous LMW heparin for treatment of acute VTE, and of warfarin for prophylaxis of recurrent events for 6 months and for a prolonged prophylaxis for another 18 months.
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LMW = low molecular weight
VTE = venous thromboembolism
David G. Motto, MD, PhD, James A. Williams, MD and Laurence A. Boxer, MD
Background: Chronic childhood autoimmune hemolytic anemia is an uncommon disorder that is associated with significant morbidity. Treatment with high dose steroids, splenectomy and frequent blood transfusions results in a myriad of complications including growth failure, bone demineralization, Cushing’s syndrome, immunosuppression, and transfusional hemosiderosis.
Objectives: To investigate the efficacy of the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, rituximab, in treating children with AIHA.
Methods: Four children with chronic AIHA, including two with prior splenectomy, who were dependent on high dose steroids and refractory to other immunosuppressive regimens were treated with four to six weekly doses of rituximab at a dose of 375 mg/m2.
Results: All four patients became transfusion-independent and were taken off prednisone completely. Adverse effects included infusion-related reactions that were mild, and infectious complications of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia and varicella pneumonia.
Conclusions: Treatment with rituximab appears promising for refractory AIHA; it may obviate the need for prednisone and may result in sustained disease remissions in some patients.