Tehran University Medical Journal

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The purpose of this study was to find a more efficacious treatment for patients with primary central nervous system Lymphoma using chemotherapy. The objective was to determine the optimal time for radiotherapy treatment in relation to chemotherapy. Retrospective evaluation in patients with brain lymphoma was conducted from 1992 to 1998. Twenty-three patients were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups based on the timing of radiotherapy in relation to the chemotherapy. The first group of patients (n=13) initially received radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy. Five of these patients receied classic CHOP (cyclophosphamide), Doxorubicine, Vincistine and Prednisone), six patients received Cis-platin (60 Megs/M2) and Etoposide (120 Megs/M2) and two patients received Cis-platin (60 Megs/M2), Etoposide (120 Megs/M2) and Cytarabine (600 Megs/M2) every 2 to 3 weeks. The second group of patients (Group II, n=10) received the followeing treatment regimen: a course of BCNU 120 Megs/M2 with Ifosfamide 1200 Megs/M2, Mesna and Etoposide 120 Megs/M2 on the first day of treatment (course A). Two weeks later, treatment was continued with a course of Cis-platin 35 Megs/M2 and Cytarabine 600 Megs/M2 (course B). The treatment was continued 14 days later with a course of Mitoxantron 12 Megs/M2, Ifosfamide 1200 Megs/M2 puls Mesna (course C). After the fourth week of chemotherapy, these patients received radiotherapy to the brain (5000 RADS in 4 weeks). During radiotherapy and at the beginning of course chemotherapy, intrathecal therapy with Methorexate 12 Megs/M2 and Cytarabine 60 Megs/M2 was given. Immediately after radiotherapy, the same chemothotrexate 12 Megs/M2 and Cytarabine 60 Megs/M2 was given. Immediately after radiotherapy, the same chemotherapy treatment was repeated to a total of 3 times. After complete clearance of the tumor determined by MRI and absence of tumor cells in the spinal fluid, the chemotherapeutic regimen was repeated one last time. The patients were evaluated for disease free survival and relaps based on the different treatment groups. Results: Median follow-up time was 19 months. Ten patients relapsed. These patients initially received radiotherapy (Group I). In this time period there were no relapses in Group II patients. The median DFS was 24 months with a chance of survival in 3 years of 45.95+11.95% for both groups. Chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy was more efficacious than radiotherapy prior to chemotherapy. Two years survival was 9% in contrast to 100% in favor of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. Conclusion: The above model demonstrated that treatment using a protocol consisting of chemotherapy prior to radiation provides improved disease free survival over a treatment regimen consisting of radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy.

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Parasitic infections, especially opportunistic ones are important problems of immune deficient patients. These groups of patients can encompass a broad spectrum of cancer patients. Patients receiving immune suppressive chemotherapeutic agents and those who receive radiotherapy. This group of patients has much more susceptibility to infections and suffers more complications. The objective of this study is to determine the incidence of intestinal parasitic infestations in patients receiving immune suppressive anti-cancer agents. Stool sample of 261 patients under treatment with chemotherapeutic agents were collected and sent to parasitologic laboratory of Shahid Beheshti medical school. Every sample was evaluated with direct smears formalin and ether concentration technique, shitter dilution, zeil-nelson strip stain, culture on strip of filtration paper according to Hadamvory method and on agar plates. Thus, the incidence of intestinal parasitic infestations was evaluated. In this study 34% (89 samples) of patients, who had receive immunosuppressive medicine, had intestinal parasitic infestation. 31.4% of patients with intestinal parasitic infestation were under 20 years of age, 31.6% were between 21-50 years and 36.5% were above 51 years old. Statistical method did not show significant difference between the incidence of intestinal parasitic infestation and the 2 variables of age and sex. The rate of intestinal parasitic infestations in cancer patients with 1-4 courses of treatment was 34.5% and after more than 5 courses was 33.6%. Statistical analysis with X² test did reveal significant differences. Considering the above studies, we recommend: 1) Stool exam of all chemotherapy patients for intestinal parasites before chemotherapy treatment. 2) Five to seven stool exam is necessary for high-risk group. In other patients one stool examination is enough. 3) Repeated stool examination is recommended during chemotherapy. 4) More specific method is needed for detection of high-risk patients and suspected cases.

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Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura is the result of multiple thrombus disseminated in small arterioles throughout the body. Principle damage is in the endothelium of small vessels and capillaries. From 1982 to 1999, 28 patients (16 female and 12 male) have been treated for TTP. The outcome was evaluated for risk factors and prognosis. These patients were 18 to 69 years old. All had neurological sings, fever, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia. These patients did not have predisposing factors. All patients were negative for hepatitis C and B. Plasmaphoresis was the main treatment in all and was done. The patients had plasmaphoresis from 1.5 to 6 liters per day. Minimum requirement was 4.5 liters to 95 liters in all. Replacement was fresh frozen plasma in 16 patients. 12 patient had FFP and cryopoor plasma half-and-half for replacement. 22 patients completed the treatment and became well 6 patients died. Chronic head ache and progressive dementia was observed in 2 patients. 6 patients did not recover and died. Platelets count over 100000/mm LDH lower than 500 units and disappearance of neurological disturbance was the end point of treatment. This study showed the good result of plasmaphoresis in TTP ad graves outcome in patient with cerebral bleeding, cardiopulmonary failure, prolonged QT in EKG, hypotension, and increased CPK. We did not observe any chronic cases in these groups. The cause of death were cerebral hemorrhage in 2 respiratory failure in 3 patients. One of the these patients had adult respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia in another patient.

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The diabetes is an autoimmune disease, in which the role of autoantibodies is of a specific importance. The appearance of these autoantibodies can be the first symptom in the serum of type I diabetic patients, which may appear ten years before onset of the disease. The most important autoantibodies include Glutamic acid decarboxylase autoantibodies (GAD65-Ab). This can be used as a good tool for prediction in screening tests in type I diabetic patients. In the present study with prosedure RIA, we investigated the level of GAD65-Ab in patients with diabetes type I and their close relatives, and compared them with healthy persons. From the type I diabetic patients who have been suffering from the disease for periods of one week to twenty years, 63.3% of them had positive Anti-GAD65. This ratio was 8% in their close trelatives, and 0% in healthy persons. The difference in Anti-GAD65 between the healthy persons and close relative of patients was significant. This test may be employed in diabetes type I, as a screening test, and confirms the results of studies which have been conducted so far outside this country.

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Many studies have shown the clinical importance of CD7 expression in AML patients. To evaluate the clinical importance and response to chemotherapy in CD7 positive AML, this study was conducted. From the patients, 76 cases were studied during 3 years. In 3 years of this study 70.5 percent of CD7 positive and 89.6 percent of CD7 negative patients achieved complete remission with no significant difference between these two groups (P=0.11). We concluded that despite no importance of expression of this antigen in our patients, prevalence of CD7 positive cases in our study in higher than similar studies done abroad (52.6 percent versus 30 percent). It seems in respect of small number of our patients for evaluation of clinical and laboratory properties, larger study is needed.

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Background and Aim: Pancytopenia is the reduction of all 3 series of blood cells e.g. Erythroids, leukocytes, and platelets. The causes of pancytopenia are diverse. Some are related to bone marrow failure caused by toxins (Bone Marrow with no cells or low cells). Bone marrow may be infiltrated by malignant and foreign cells or bone marrow fibrosis. Genetics factor and geographical disease could be also a factor in different distribution of pancytopenic etiology.

Materials and Methods: All patients with pancytopenia from 1373 to 1381 who were admitted to Army 501 hospital were evaluated. All hospital documents were evaluated. 188 patients had pancytopenia were diagnosed.

Results: 1. The commonest cause of pancytopenia was leukemia 2. Most cases of leukemia were acute myelogenous leukemia 3. Most leukemia cases were in 2nd decade of life in this group 4. Most of the patient had Anemia, weakness and fatigue

Conclusion: Pancytopenia should be regarded as a serious finding and evaluated thoroughly.

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Background: Despite major diagnostic and industrial progresses in the technology and use of Ionizing radiations, they have been found to be harmful to the health of the radiology and nuclear medicine staffs. Since Ionizing radiations have the potential to produce free radicals, therefore, it is likely that the total plasma level of anti-oxidant in medical and nuclear medicine staffs could be reduced.

Methods: In this case-control study the relationship of total anti oxidant level of plasma and the function of immune cells such as lymphocyte proliferating response using MTT method, Neutrophil chemotaxi, Intensity of respiratory burst (NBT) and evaluation of IL-2 and IL-4 (ELISA) were investigated. 101 samples were collected for this study and they were assigned as two groups: 61 samples cases from radiology and nuclear medicine staffs of Tehran University Of Medical Science hospitals (Shariaty, Imam Khomeyni, Ghalb-e-Tehran) were assigned as the exposed group, whereas, 40 samples from Pediatric, Orthopedic, Infirmary and Emergencies wards were assigned as control group. Using heparinized syringes, 8 to 10 ml of blood samples were collected from each person with age between 25 to 50, averaging 36.4±7.2, and several assays including Anii Oxidant Capacity of Total Plasma (FRAP Method), T cell proliferative response to PHA mitogen (MTT Method), Chemotaxi of neutrophils and Magnitude of respiratory burst were carried out on these samples. The results were analyzed using spirman correlation analysis.

Results: The results showed that exposure to ionizing radiation chronically with low dosed had no effect on chemotaxis of neutorophils and intensity of respiratory burst, but could have effect on lymphocyte function specially in cytokines secretion like IL-2 which are essential in the immune responses.

Conclusion: This study indicates that long term low dose ionizing radiation may have effect in some parts of the immune function.

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Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Background: Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare B-cell neoplasm that comprise approximately 2% of all lymphoid leukemias. Over the past 20 years splenectomy was the only effective therapy but with the advent of purine analogues such as cladribine, splenectomy has been limited to certain situations. After cladribine therapy most patients achieve complete and durable remission. The aim of this study was to compare effectiveness of splenectomy and cladribine in Iranian patients with HCL and also to evaluate the clinical and laboratory features of patients at diagnosis.
Methods: 50 patients with the diagnosis of HCL enrolled to our study. The male to female ratio was 3:1, and the median age at diagnosis was 50 years. After diagnosis  20(40%) and 12(24%) of patients had splenectomy and cladribine therapy respectively. The reminder of patients were treated with both splenectomy and cladribine.
Results: The most common clinical findings were splenomegaly (98%) and fatigue (80%) respectively. Leucopenia and anemia was present in 96% and 80% patients in order. 88.6% and 55.5% of patients achieved complete remission after cladribine therapy and splenectomy respectively. After cladribine therapy and splenectomy relapse occurred in 10% and 74% of the patients.
Conclusions: Our finding are comparable with previous studies and show that Cladribine induces complete and durable remission in most hairy cell leukemia patients and should be considered as first line therapy. Splenectomy should be performed in certain cases such as spleen rupture.

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Background: Long QT syndromes (LQT) are genetic abnormalities of ventricular repo-larization, with an estimated incidence of about one per 10000 births. It is characterized by prolongation of the QT interval in electrocardiogram (EKG) and associated with a high risk for syncope and sudden death in patients. Type of this syndrome is association with congenital deafness. Our objective was to evaluate QT interval in children with congenital deafness.
Methods: For 219 patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital audiometric clinic in 2011, questionnaire were completed. A total of 23 congenitally deaf children were incl-uded. All patients’ examinations were done by a pediatric cardiologist. Electrocardio-gram is conducted in all children (23 patients) with sever and deep congenital deafness. Then the QT interval was measured based on Bazett’s formula. Echocardiography was also performed in these children to assess left ventricular function and the presence of mitral valve prolapse.
Results: The overall patients were two hundred and nineteen children. A total of twenty three congenitally deaf children were included and electrocardiogram was obtained. Three children had obviously prolonged QTc (0.48±0.02) second. The median age of them was 6.1±5 year, the median weight was 18±11.3 kilogram and the median of QT interval was 0.48±0.02 second.
Conclusion: The QT interval obtained 0.48±0.02 second. In the present study we found prolonged QT in congenital deafness, thus we recommend to evaluate the electrocardio-gram of children with congenital deafness.

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