Presence of activation-related m-RNA for EBV and CMV in the bone marrow of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

Detection of Epstein-Barr Virus in Rapidly Growing Fibroadenomas of the Breast in Immunosuppressed Hosts

“…This was likely due to the low sensitivity of our assay and the paucity of RNA material extracted from tumor sections. Although our protocol was developed from several published reports of RNA isolation from paraffin embedded tissues, we were unsuccessful in determining whether our extracted RNA was technically suitable for PCR and thus, we were unable to replicate in our samples previously published results (20). The projected yield of RNA for each sample was so marginal that co-amplification of tubulin RNA would have jeopardized the RT-PCR of LMP-1 RNA.…”

Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Review of Pathophysiology and Current Novel Treatment Approaches

“…Numerous environmental exposures have been associated with the development of MDS including tobacco [6] and alcohol use [7], infections [8], or auto-immune disorders [9]; however, the classic example linking an environmental toxin exposure to MDS development is highlighted from the observational case control studies involving benzene, an aromatic hydrocarbon and organic solvent derived from petroleumrefining, used in many occupational compounds [25]. The association, first described in Turkish shoe workers who developed bone marrow failure/pancytopenia states, [26] lead to further prospective cohort studies involving 74,828 benzene exposed subjects in China and revealed a significantly increased relative risk of MDS development approaching infinity [2].…”

“…Genotoxic mechanisms are characterized by the generation of oxygen free radicals from benzene metabolites with subsequent DNA damage and apoptosis [27,28]. Support for this mechanism includes the findings of chromosomal abnormalities (trisomy (+9), deletions (-5 or -7) and translocations [t (8,21)]), oncogene mutations, and somatic mutations in benzene-exposed MDS patients [29][30][31]. Additionally, as increasing somatic mutations may occur with aging, exposure to benzene and other directly genotoxic agents could lead to more significant damage that progresses to clonal expansion and MDS [31].…”

“…Consequently, it is easy to invoke such abnormalities resulting in the loss or inactivation of a critical tumor suppressor protein; however, efforts to determine a culprit gene or cluster of genes have been much more difficult. Characteristic chromosomal abnormalities in MDS include alterations of chromosomes 5,7,8,11,17,20 and Y or complex karyotypes involving multiple abnormalities within individual clonal populations [45,46]. Several of these abnormalities are shared with AML (e.g., deletions of chromosomes 5 or 7, trisomy 8, and complex cytogenetics), while others appear almost exclusively in AML (e.g., t (15; 17), t (8; 21), and inversion 16) [22].…”

“…Traditionally, MDS is characterized as either primary (idiopathic) or secondary with exposure to benzene [2], occupational chemicals [3], or prior treatment with radiation [4] or chemotherapy agents [5] well documented secondary causes. Additional data implicates exposure to tobacco [6], excessive alcohol [7], viral infections [8], or autoimmune disorders [9] as potential associations with MDS.…”