This is the first report to study BIRC6 gene in pediatric ALL. Our results suggested that BIRC6 gene expression could be considered as an adverse risk factor in childhood acute leukemia and, hence, could be used to guide therapeutic regimens.

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Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is based upon clinical suspicion in patients at risk and confirmatory duplex imaging of the deep venous system of the affected extremity. The aim of the present study was to determine different cutoff points of D-dimer, P-selectin and microparticles that could be used in early diagnosis and prediction of impending DVT in symptomatic patients with normal duplex ultrasound. Three groups of individuals were examined: 50 healthy volunteers (Group I); 75 patients with positive duplex ultrasound for DVT (Group II) and 75 symptomatic patients, but with negative duplex ultrasound for DVT (Group III). D-dimer was measured by immunoturbidimetric assay, P-selectin by flow cytometry and microparticles by ELISA. D-dimer, P-selectin and microparticles levels were significantly higher in Group II and III patients when compared with Group I individuals. Using receiver-operating characteristic curves, we determined that cutoff levels of 0.92 mg/l for D-dimer, 17.8% for P-selectin and 16.5 nmol/l for microparticles can accurately rule out DVT. New cutoff levels were estimated for the three studied biomarkers that differentiated the group of DVT-negative duplex patients without thrombosis from those patients of the same group who developed thrombosis being 2.81 mg/l for D-dimer, 30.2% for P-selectin and 26 nmol/l for microparticles. D-dimer, P-selectin and microparticles can be used to diagnose and detect impending DVT, thus identifying patients at high risk that could benefit from early anticoagulant therapy without the need for imaging studies.

Morphological differentiation between benign and malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LPDs) can be challenging. Immunophenotyping (IPT) by either technique, flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry (IHC), is an important step in solving such difficulty. Thirty-five newly diagnosed patients with chronic B-cell neoplasms (11 chronic lymphocytic leukemia, 22 non Hodgkin lymphoma and 2 hairy cell leukemia) were included in this study with age range from 20 to 70 years. Monoclonal antibodies surface expression using lymphoproliferative disorders panel (CD45, CD19, CD5, CD10, CD11c, CD20, CD22, CD23, CD38, CD79b, FMC7, CD103, CD25, kappa and lambda light chains) by flow cytometry was done on bone marrow samples. CD20, CD5, CD23, Bcl-2, Bcl-6, kappa and lambda light chain immunostaining were performed on fixed bone marrow trephine biopsy specimen. The sensitivity of IHC was 81.8% in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 100% in non Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as regards CD20, 100% in both groups as regards CD5, 46% in CLL and 66.7% in NHL as regards CD23, 33.3% in CLL and 50% in NHL as regards kappa chain, 20% in CLL and 33.3% in NHL as regards lambda chain. We found that IHC and flow cytometry are equally effective in diagnosing CLL; however, IHC might be slightly more sensitive than flow cytometry in detecting bone marrow infiltration in NHL and hairy cell leukemia (HCL).

The determination of prognosis for B-Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is known to be related to the multiple differences in tumor cell biology. Bcl-2 and Bcl-6 are two markers linked to germinal center B cells. Both markers are thought to have an effect on prognosis of mature B-cell neoplasms. Forty-four patients with chronic B-cell neoplasm were included; Bcl-2 and Bcl-6 expression by immunohistochemistry was examined. Bcl-2 protein was positive in 36.4% (16 of 44) of cases (62.5% of follicular lymphoma, 16.7% of mantle cell lymphoma and 30% of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma); the positive group implying a bad prognostic effect of the marker in NHL. Bcl-6 was positive in 13.6% (6 of 44) of cases (11.1% of mantle cell lymphoma and 40% of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma) and its positivity implies a better disease course. Bcl-2 and Bcl-6 can be used as prognostic marker in NHL.