Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation for low-grade lymphoma

Advanced low-grade lymphomas are usually incurable with conventional-dose chemotherapy. It is uncertain whether cures are possible with high-dose therapy and bone marrow transplant from a human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical sibling. We sought to determine the outcome of HLA-identical sibling bone marrow transplants in advanced low-grade lymphoma in an observational study of 113 patients conducted at 50 centers participating in the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry (IBMTR). The median patient age was 38 years (range, 15 to 61). Eighty percent had stage IV disease at the time of transplantation. The median number of prior chemotherapy regimens was two (range, 0 to 5). Thirty-eight percent had refractory disease and 29% a Karnofsky performance score (KPS) less than 80%. All patients underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from a HLA-identical sibling donor. The conditioning regimen included total-body irradiation (TBI) in 82% of patients; cyclosporine was used for graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis in 74%. Survival, disease-free survival, recurrence rate, treatment-related mortality, and causes of death were determined. Three-year probabilities of recurrence, survival, and disease-free survival were 16% (95% confidence interval [CI], 9% to 27%), 49% (95% CI, 39% to 60%), and 49% (95% CI, 39% to 59%), respectively. Higher survival was associated with pretransplant KPS >/=90%, chemotherapy-sensitive disease, use of a TBI-containing conditioning regimen, and age less than 40 years. We conclude that high-dose therapy followed by transplantation from a HLA-identical sibling leads to prolonged survival in some patients with advanced low-grade lymphoma. Most mortality is treatment-related, and recurrences are rare.     

Functional finishing in cotton fabrics using zinc oxide nanoparticles

Nanotechnology, according to the National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), is defined as utilization of structure with at least one dimension of nanometer size for the construction of materials, devices or systems with novel or significantly improved properties due to their nano-size. The nanostructures are capable of enhancing the physical properties of conventional textiles, in areas such as anti-microbial properties, water repellence, soil-resistance, anti-static, anti-infrared and flame-retardant properties, dyeability, colour fastness and strength of textile materials. In the present work, zinc oxide nanoparticles were prepared by wet chemical method using zinc nitrate and sodium hydroxide as precursors and soluble starch as stabilizing agent. These nanoparticles, which have an average size of 40 nm, were coated on the bleached cotton fabrics (plain weave, 30 s count) using acrylic binder and functional properties of coated fabrics were studied. On an average of 75%, UV blocking was recorded for the cotton fabrics treated with 2% ZnO nanoparticles. Air permeability of the nano-ZnO coated fabrics was significantly higher than the control, hence the increased breathability. In case of nano-ZnO coated fabric, due to its nano-size and uniform distribution, friction was significantly lower than the bulk-ZnO coated fabric as studied by Instron® Automated Materials Testing System. Further studies are under way to evaluate wash fastness, antimicrobial properties, abrasion properties and fabric handle properties.     

Synthesis of gold nanoparticles: an ecofriendly approach using Hansenula anomala

This work describes a bioassisted approach for the preparation of metal nanoparticles using yeast species Hansenula anomala. Gold nanoparticles were prepared using gold salt as the precursor, amine-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimer as the stabilizer, and the extracellular material from H. anomala as the bioreductant. It could also be demonstrated that, using our approach, small molecules such as cysteine can act as stabilizers as well. This synthetic approach offers a greener alternative route to the preparation of gold sols that are devoid of cellular and toxic chemical components. The ability of as-synthesized gold sol to function as biological ink for producing patterns for the analysis of fingerprints and to act as an antimicrobial reagent is evaluated. The generality of this toxin-free synthetic approach to other metals was assessed using palladium and silver.     

Primary care and transportation of patients with neural trauma

It is well-known that it is difficult for the inexperienced doctor to estimate the need for treatment regarding patients with acute brain trauma. Brain ischaemia developing after a brain trauma (secondary cerebral ischaemia) is known to severely worsen the prognosis of the patient. This article gives a review of the most important pathophysiological changes occurring during the acute phase of severe brain trauma. The principles of prevention and management of cerebral ischaemia after brain trauma and during transportation of the patient are discussed.     

The effect of olivomycin on the spontaneous regression of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits of different ages

Development and regression of experimental atherosclerosis in rabbits is an expressed age-related phenomenon, showing the increase in occurrence and pronouncement of atherosclerotic process with age. A new approach to the disease treatment by means of olivomycin is described. It has shown that while influencing considerably the protein biosynthesis of experimental animal, one can accelerate the regression of atherosclerosis by means of olivomycin and reduce protein and lipid metabolism indicators characterizing the disease development.