BACKGROUND In people with multiple sclerosis treated with interferon-beta or glatiramer acetate, new MRI lesions and relapses during the first year of treatment predict a poor prognosis. OBJECTIVE To study this association in those receiving natalizumab. METHODS Data were collected on relapses, new MRI activity, and Modified Rio Score after initiation of natalizumab in an observational coho...

BACKGROUND The prognosis of patients with relapses of ETV6/RUNX1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains to be evaluated, particularly with regards to the frequency of late relapses. We performed a long-term, follow-up retrospective study to address the outcome of patients with ETV6/RUNX1-positive leukemia relapses. DESIGN AND METHODS Among the 713 children tested for ETV6/RUNX1 enrolle...

Background. The prognosis of relapses of ETV6/RUNX1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia remains to be evaluated, particularly with regards to the frequency of late relapses. We performed a long term follow-up a retrospective study to address the outcome of ETV6/RUNX1-positive leukemia relapses. Design and Methods. Among the 713 children tested for ETV6/RUNX1 enrolled into the FRALLE 93 protoc...

Aims: Due to frequent relapses after initial ablation, there is need to develop accurate and practical preoperative means to predict atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation outcome. Methods: We evaluated the power of diastolic echocardiographic parameters in predicting the outcome of AF ablation. Forty-nine patients with symptomatic and drug-resistant paroxysmal or persistent AF, who underwent wide c...

Most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treated with imatinib will relapse if treatment is withdrawn. We conducted a prospective clinical trial of imatinib withdrawal in 40 chronic-phase CML patients who had sustained undetectable minimal residual disease (UMRD) by conventional quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on imatinib for at least 2 years. Patients stopped imatinib and...

On-demand proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is an attractive option for long-term management of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Controlled trials in non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) patients have shown sufficient symptom control in most patients with a high rate of willingness to continue treatment and substantial saving on PPI expenditure. However, due to the slow onset of action of...

OBJECTIVES To examine the clinical course of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in a prospective study, after the initial two months. METHODS Seventy four patients with PMR/GCA were followed for a median of 60 weeks. Detailed clinical and laboratory records were made on each visit. RESULTS Twenty per cent of patients with PMR developed GCA and 24% of patients with G...

BACKGROUND AND AIM Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is classified radiologically based on the findings of central bronchiectasis (CB) and other radiologic features (ORF). However, the long-term clinical significance of these classifications remains unknown. We hypothesized that the immunological activity and outcomes of ABPA could be predicted on HRCT chest finding of high-attenua...

BACKGROUND International guidelines recommend 4 weeks of treatment with ampicillin plus gentamicin (A+G) for uncomplicated native valve Enterococcus faecalis infective endocarditis (EFIE) and 6 weeks in the remaining cases. Ampicillin plus ceftriaxone (A+C) is always recommended for at least 6w, with no available studies assessing its suitability for 4w. We aimed to investigate differences in t...

BACKGROUND A pathogenic link between hepatitis C virus (HCV) and MALT-type lymphomas has been suggested. However, studies assessing the role of HCV infection separately in different forms of MALT lymphomas are not available. PATIENTS AND METHODS The prevalence and clinical implications of HCV seropositivity were analyzed in 55 patients with ocular adnexa lymphoma (OAL) of MALT-type. RESULTS...