NT-proBNP appeared to be the most sensitive index of myocardial dysfunction and the most powerful prognostic determinant in AL amyloidosis. It adds prognostic information for newly diagnosed patients and can be useful in designing therapeutic strategies and monitoring response. NT-proBNP is a sensitive marker of heart toxicity caused by amyloidogenic light chains.

All types of amyloidosis are structurally characterized by the cross beta-pleated sheet conformation of the fibrils, irrespective of their biochemical composition. The clinical observation that the anthracycline 4'-iodo-4'-deoxy-doxorubicin (IDOX) can induce amyloid resorption in patients with immunoglobulin light chain amyloidosis was the starting point for this investigation of its possible mechanism of action. IDOX binds strongly to all five types of natural amyloid fibrils tested: immunoglobulin light chains, amyloid A, transthyretin (methionine-30 variant), beta-protein (Alzheimer), and beta 2-microglobulin. Quantitative binding studies showed that IDOX, but not doxorubicin, binds strongly to amyloid fibrils. This binding is saturable and involves two apparently distinct binding sites with Kd values of 5.9 x 10(-11) M and 3.4 x 10(-9) M. IDOX inhibited in vitro insulin amyloid fibrillogenesis. In vivo studies using the experimental amyloid murine model confirmed the specific targeting of IDOX to amyloid deposits. Preincubation of amyloid enhancing factor with IDOX significantly reduced the formation of amyloid deposits. It is hypothesized that IDOX exerts its beneficial effects through the inhibition of fibril growth, thus increasing the solubility of existing amyloid deposits and facilitating their clearance. IDOX may represent the progenitor of a class of amyloid-binding agents that could have both diagnostic and therapeutic potential in all types of amyloidoses.

Primary (AL) amyloidosis is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by extracellular deposition of monoclonal light-chain variable region (V) fragments in the form of amyloid fibrils. Light-chain amyloid is rare, and it is not fully understood why it occurs in only a fraction of patients with a circulating monoclonal component and why it typically associates with isotype and VI family light-chain proteins. To provide insights into these issues, we obtained complete nucleotide sequences of monoclonal V regions from 55 consecutive unselected cases of primary amyloidosis and the results were compared with the light-chain expression profile of polyclonal marrow plasma cells from 3 healthy donors (a total of 264 sequences). We demonstrated that: (1) the III family is the most frequently used both in amyloidosis (47%) and in polyclonality (43%); (2) both conditions are characterized by gene restriction; (3) a very skewed repertoire is a feature of amyloidosis, because just 2 germline genes belonging to the III and VI families, namely 3r (22% of cases, III) and 6a (20%, VI), contributed equally to encode 42% of amyloid V regions; (4) these same 2 gene segments have a strong association with amyloidosis if their prevalences are compared with those in polyclonal conditions (3r, 8.3%, P ‫؍‬ .024; 6a, 2.3%, P ‫؍‬ .0008, 2 test); (5) the J 2/3 segment, encoding the fourth framework region, appears to be slightly overrepresented in AL (83% versus 67%, P ‫؍‬ .03), and this might be related to preferential J 2/3 rearrangement in amyloid (11 of 12 cases) versus polyclonal 3r light chains (13 of 22 cases). These findings demonstrate that V -J expression is more restricted in plasma cells from amyloidosis than from polyclonal bone marrow and identify 3r as a new disease-associated gene segment. Overusage of just 2 gene segments, 3r and 6a, can thus account for the light-chain overrepresentation typical of this disorder. (Blood. 2002;100: 948-953)

The dependence of survival time on a set of prognostic factors was explored by means of Cox's regression model in 137 cases of myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia (MMM). The following parameters recorded at diagnosis proved to be important independent indicators of a poor prognosis: a higher value for age, a lower value for Hb concentration, a higher value for immature myeloid cells in peripheral blood (IMC), a lower value for total erythroid iron turnover (TEIT), and a bone marrow red cell aplasia (RCA). A prognostic classification tree was constructed whose terminal nodes (risk groups), described by simple logical conditions upon important indicators, were characterized by significantly different expected survival. The two extreme risk groups lend themselves to a simple, but complete description. The low-risk group (19.7% of the sample) comprises cases who had the diagnosis of MMM before age 45 and a number of IMC constantly lower than 24%. The actuarial proportion of patients surviving at 15 years was 100%. The high-risk group (29.9% of cases) comprises patients with age greater than 45 and Hb lower than 13 g/dl, associated with RCA, or with a relatively decreased erythropoiesis (TEIT lower than 2 times the normal) or with IMC greater than 24%. Seven out of the 11 who died within this group developed blastic crisis. Median survival time of the group was 69 months.

Order of Authors: Carlo L Balduini; Luigi Gugliotta; Mario Luppi; Luca Laurenti; Catherine Klersy; Carla Pieresca; Gerlando Quintini; Francesco Iuliano; Rossana Re; Pierangelo Spedini; Nicola Vianelli; Alfonso Zaccaria; Enrico M Pogliani; Roberto Musso; Enrico Bobbio Pallavicini; Giovanni Quarta; Piero Galieni; Alberto Fragasso; Gianluca Casella; Patrizia Noris; Edoardo Ascari Abstract: Therapeutic plasma exchange (PE) is the accepted therapy for thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Because not all patients obtain remission, other treatment modalities have been used in addition to PE, but no randomized clinical trial evaluated their efficacy. The aim of this multicentric study was to compare the effectiveness of standard-versus high-dose methylprednisolone as an adjunctive treatment to PE in the acute phase of TTP. Sixty patients with idiopathic TTP were randomized to receive standard-dose (1 mg/kg/die i.v.) or high-dose methylprednisolone (10 mg/kg/die for three days, thereafter 2.5 mg/kg/die) in addition to PE. Both dosages of steroids were well tolerated. At the end of induction therapy (day 23), the percentage of patients failing to obtain complete remission was significantly higher in the standard-dose (16/30) than in the high-dose group (7/30). Also the number of cases without a good response at day 9 and the number of deaths were higher in the standard-dose arm, but the differences did not reach the statistical significance. Results of present study indicate that the association of PE with high-dose instead of standard-dose steroids reduces the percentage of TTP patients that fail to achieve complete remission.Response to Reviewers: Reviewer #1: The authors have proved that the association of plasma exchanged with high-dose methylprednisolone instead of standard-dose reduces the percentage of TTP patients that failed to achieve complete remission. This observation has important clinical implication. I have no major remarksMinor remarks: Activity of ADAMTS 13 and autoantibodies against ADAMTS 13 were not tested. In my opinion this paper can be published in Annals Of Hematology in the present form.Reviewer #2: General:In this randomized clinical trial Balduini and colleagues compared low-dose vs. high dose steroids as an adjunctive treatment to plasma exchange with fresh frozen plasma / cryosupernatant in 60 patients suffering from acute TTP. In the low-dose arm more patients (13/30 vs. 7/30, p= 0.17) failed to achieve a good response at day 9 (primary endpoint of the study) and also more patients failed to achieve complete remission (16/30 vs. 7/30; p= 0.03). Also the number of death (4 vs. 1) was higher, this was however not statistically significant. The authors conclude that plasma exchange in combination with high dose steroids is superior to low-dose steroids. Over the years the Italian TTP study group has been able to conduct several randomized clinical trials in the setting of acute TTP addressing open questions in the field where many other groups have failed to do likewise due to lack of sui...

We conducted a randomized trial to evaluate whether melphalan-prednisone (MPH-P) treatment administered just after diagnosis improves survival of stage I multiple myeloma (MM). Between January 1987 and March 1993, 145 consecutive previously untreated patients with stage I MM were randomized between treatment with MPH-P (administered for 4 days every 6 weeks) just after diagnosis and treatment only at disease progression. Survival was not influenced by MPH-P treatment either administered just after diagnosis or at disease progression (64 vs 71 months respectively). Comparing the first with the second group the odds ratio of death is 1.17 (95% confidence interval 0.57–2.42;P = 0.64). Disease progression occurred within a year in about 50% of patients who were initially untreated. Response rate was similar in both groups, but duration of response was shorter in patients who were treated at disease progression (48 vs 79 months, P = 0.044). Patients actually treated at disease progression (34/70) survived shorter than those who had neither disease progression nor treatment (56 vs > 92 months;P = 0.005). Starting MPH-P just after diagnosis does not improve survival and response rate in stage I MM, with respect to deferring therapy until disease progression. However, patients with stage I MM randomized to have treatment delayed and who actually progressed and were treated had shorter survival than those with stable disease and no treatment. Biologic or other disease features could identify these subgroups of patients. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign

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Relative TB is emerging as a strong prognostic factor in HD, more powerful than and largely independent of those hitherto known and used. Further studies are needed to confirm these results and exploit their clinical value, particularly the relationship among rTB, drug doses, and response.