allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (hsct) is a curative treatment option for hematological disorders. cyclosporine (csa) is one of the major immunosuppressive agents for the prophylaxis against graft versus host disease (gvhd). in this retrospective study, we evaluated the effects of csa serum levels on the incidence of acute gvhd and transplant outcomes. 103 adult patients rece...

Graft-vs-host disease is still the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation. It is important to start treatment early to reduce the severity and consequences of this complication. Cutaneous lesions are often the presenting compliant of graft-vs-host disease and presage visceral involvement. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with multip...

Treg cells hold enormous promise for therapeutic application in GVH disease, a lethal complication of allogeneic HSC transplantation. Mouse studies showed that donor-derived recipient-specific Treg (rsTreg) cells are far more efficient than polyclonal Treg cells in suppressing GVH disease. However, clinical grade preparations of rsTreg cells carries the risk of containing significant numbers of...

Blockade of the CD40 and CD28 costimulatory pathways significantly prolongs allograft survival; however, certain strains of mice (i.e., C57BL/6) are relatively resistant to the effects of combined CD40/CD28 blockade. We have previously shown that the costimulation blockade-resistant phenotype can be attributed to a subset of CD8+ T cells and is independent of CD4+ T cell-mediated help. Here we ...

The reactivity of lymphoid cells from germfree and conventional CDF rats were compared in mixed leukocyte culture (MLC) with both allogeneic rat leukocytes and with human leukocytes as stimulating cells, and in a graft-versus-host (GVH) assay. There was no difference between germfree and conventional rats in any of these systems. Furthermore, the increase in GVH activity after specific immuniza...

Background: In this article we consider how the question of what music can or cannot do is linked to the kind of light cast upon musical engagement and its outcomes. Methods: We describe how a concern with flourishing, as opposed to a concern with more conventional understandings of ‘health’ versus ‘illness’, can help to illuminate some of otherwise invisible processes by which music ‘helps’. R...

This study differentiates female entrepreneurs from male entrepreneurs using the Big-Five Personality Model. The five factors include adjustment, sociability, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and intellectual openness. Adjustment determines confidence versus instability. Sociability measures extraversion versus introversion. Conscientiousness determines impulsiveness versus cautiousness. Agree...