Disease Monitoring (disease + monitoring)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Acute leukemias with ETV6/ABL1 (TEL/ABL) fusion: Poor prognosis and prenatal origin

GENES, CHROMOSOMES AND CANCER, Issue 10 2010
Jan Zuna
The ETV6/ABL1 (TEL/ABL) fusion gene is a rare aberration in malignant disorders. Only 19 cases of ETV6/ABL1 -positive hematological malignancy have been published, diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, other types of chronic myeloproliferative neoplasm, acute myeloid leukemia or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This study reports three new cases (aged 8 months, 5 years, and 33 years) of ALL with the ETV6/ABL1 fusion found by screening 392 newly diagnosed ALL patients (335 children and 57 adults). A thorough review of the literature and an analysis of all published data, including the three new cases, suggest poor prognosis of ETV6/ABL1 -positive acute leukemias. The course of the disease in the two pediatric patients is characterized by minimal residual disease monitoring, using quantification of both the ETV6/ABL1 transcript and immunoreceptor gene rearrangements. Eosinophilia could not be confirmed as a hallmark of the ETV6/ABL1 -positive disease. Studies of neonatal blood spots demonstrated that, in the child diagnosed at five years, the ETV6/ABL1 fusion initiating the ALL originated prenatally. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Biomedical applications of protein chips

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE, Issue 3 2002
Jocelyn H. Ng
Abstract The development of microchips involving proteins has accelerated within the past few years. Although DNA chip technologies formed the precedent, many different strategies and technologies have been used because proteins are inherently a more complex type of molecule. This review covers the various biomedical applications of protein chips in diagnostics, drug screening and testing, disease monitoring, drug discovery (proteomics), and medical research. The proteomics and drug discovery section is further subdivided to cover drug discovery tools (on-chip separations, expression profiling, and antibody arrays), molecular interactions and signaling pathways, the identification of protein function, and the identification of novel therapeutic compounds. Although largely focused on protein chips, this review includes chips involving cells and tissues as a logical extension of the type of data that can be generated from these microchips. [source]


Mass spectrometry in newborn and metabolic screening: historical perspective and future directions

JOURNAL OF MASS SPECTROMETRY (INCORP BIOLOGICAL MASS SPECTROMETRY), Issue 2 2009
Donald H. Chace
Abstract The growth of mass spectrometry (MS) in clinical chemistry has primarily occurred in two areas: the traditional clinical chemistry areas of toxicology and therapeutic drug monitoring and more recent, human genetics and metabolism, specifically inherited disorders of intermediary metabolism and newborn screening. Capillary gas chromatography and electrospray tandem MS are the two most common applications used to detect metabolic disease in screening, diagnostics and disease monitoring of treated patients. A few drops of blood from several million newborn infants are screened annually throughout the world making this the largest application of MS in medicine. Understanding the technique, how it grew from a few dozen samples per week in the early 1990s to increasing daily volume today will provide important information for new tests that either expand newborn screening or screening in other areas of metabolism and endocrinology. There are numerous challenges to the further expansion of MS in clinical chemistry but also many new opportunities in closely related applications. The model of newborn screening and MS in medicine may be useful in developing other applications that go beyond newborns and inherited metabolic disease. As MS continues to expand in clinical chemistry, it is clear that two features will drive its success. These features are excellent selectivity and multiple analyte or profile analysis; features recognized in the 1950s and remain true today. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Development of a dual-color, double fusion FISH assay to detect RPN1/EVI1 gene fusion associated with inv(3), t(3;3), and ins(3;3) in patients with myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukemia,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 8 2010
Brandon M. Shearer
Approximately 2,3% of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia harbor a rearrangement of RPN1 (at 3q21) and EVI1 (at 3q26.2) as inv(3)(q21q26.2), t(3;3)(q21;q26.2), or ins(3;3)(q26.2;q21q26.2). The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) classification has designated AML with inv(3) or t(3;3) and associated RPN1/EVI1 fusion, as a distinct AML subgroup associated with an unfavorable prognosis. We have created a dual color, double fusion fluorescence in situ hybridization (D-FISH) assay to detect fusion of the RPN1 and EVI1 genes. A blinded investigation was performed using 30 normal bone marrow samples and 51 bone marrow samples from 17 patients with inv(3)(q21q26.2), 11 patients with t(3;3)(q21;q26.2), and one patient with ins(3;3)(q26.2;q21q26.2) previously defined by chromosome analysis. The unblinded results indicated abnormal RPN1/EVI1 fusion results in 30 (97%) of 31 samples from the inv(3)(q21q26.2) group including seven bone marrow samples for which chromosome analysis was unsuccessful or failed to detect an inv(3)(q21q26.2). Abnormal FISH results were detected in 14 (88%) of 16 samples with t(3;3)(q21;q26.2) and in the sole sample with an ins(3;3)(q26.2;q21q26.2). All 30 negative controls were normal and were used to establish a normal cutoff of 0.6% for the typical abnormal D-FISH signal pattern. Overall, this D-FISH assay was more accurate than chromosome analysis and based on the normal cutoff of 0.6%, this assay can be used for minimal residual disease detection and disease monitoring in patients with RPN1/EVI1 fusion. Am. J. Hematol., 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Minimal residual disease monitoring after allogeneic transplantation may help to individualize post-transplant therapeutic strategies in acute myeloid malignancies,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
María Díez-Campelo
This study evaluates the prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring by multiparametric flow cytometry in 41 patients with acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome undergoing allogeneic transplantation. MRD assessment after transplant (day +100) allowed to discriminate different risk populations, being the most significant cut-off value for outcome level of MRD [source]


Proteome informatics for cancer research: From molecules to clinic

PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 6 2007
Vladimir Brusic Dr.
Abstract Proteomics offers the most direct approach to understand disease and its molecular biomarkers. Biomarkers denote the biological states of tissues, cells, or body fluids that are useful for disease detection and classification. Clinical proteomics is used for early disease detection, molecular diagnosis of disease, identification and formulation of therapies, and disease monitoring and prognostics. Bioinformatics tools are essential for converting raw proteomics data into knowledge and subsequently into useful applications. These tools are used for the collection, processing, analysis, and interpretation of the vast amounts of proteomics data. Management, analysis, and interpretation of large quantities of raw and processed data require a combination of various informatics technologies such as databases, sequence comparison, predictive models, and statistical tools. We have demonstrated the utility of bioinformatics in clinical proteomics through the analysis of the cancer antigen survivin and its suitability as a target for cancer immunotherapy. [source]


REVIEW: Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 (PAI-1): A Key Factor Linking Fibrinolysis and Age-Related Subclinical and Clinical Conditions

CARDIOVASCULAR THERAPEUTICS, Issue 5 2010
Matteo Cesari
SUMMARY Introduction: The close relationship existing between aging and thrombosis has growingly been studied in this last decade. The age-related development of a prothrombotic imbalance in the fibrinolysis homeostasis has been hypothesized as the basis of this increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular risk. Fibrinolysis is the result of the interactions among multiple plasminogen activators and inhibitors constituting the enzymatic cascade, and ultimately leading to the degradation of fibrin. The plasminogen activator system plays a key role in a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. Methods: Narrative review. Results: Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a member of the superfamily of serine-protease inhibitors (or serpins), and the principal inhibitor of both the tissue-type and the urokinase-type plasminogen activator, the two plasminogen activators able to activate plasminogen. Current evidence describing the central role played by PAI-1 in a number of age-related subclinical (i.e., inflammation, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance) and clinical (i.e., obesity, comorbidities, Werner syndrome) conditions is presented. Conclusions: Despite some controversial and unclear issues, PAI-1 represents an extremely promising marker that may become a biological parameter to be progressively considered in the prognostic evaluation, in the disease monitoring, and as treatment target of age-related conditions in the future. [source]


Understanding the potential role of mobile phone-based monitoring on asthma self-management: qualitative study

CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL ALLERGY, Issue 5 2007
H. Pinnock
Summary Background National and international healthcare policy increasingly seeks technological solutions to the challenge of providing care for people with long-term conditions. Novel technologies, however, have the potential to change the dynamics of disease monitoring and self-management. We aimed to explore the opinions and concerns of people with asthma and primary care clinicians on the potential role of mobile phone monitoring technology (transmitting symptoms and peak flows, with immediate feedback of control and reminder of appropriate actions) in supporting asthma self-management. Methods This qualitative study recruited 48 participants (34 adults and teenagers with asthma, 14 asthma nurses and doctors) from primary care in Lothian (Central Scotland) and Kent (South East England). Thirty-nine participated in six focus groups, which included a demonstration of the technology; nine gave in-depth interviews before and after a 4-week trial of the technology. Results Participants considered that mobile phone-based monitoring systems can facilitate guided self-management although, paradoxically, may engender dependence on professional/technological support. In the early phases, as patients are learning to accept, understand and control their asthma, this support was seen as providing much-needed confidence. During the maintenance phase, when self-management predominates, patient and professionals were concerned that increased dependence may be unhelpful, although they appreciated that maintaining an on-going record could facilitate consultations. Conclusion Mobile phone-based monitoring systems have the potential to support guided self-management by aiding transition from clinician-supported early phases to effective self-management during the maintenance phase. Continuing development, adoption and formal evaluation of these systems should take account of the insights provided by our data. [source]