Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0016382 (flushing)
 6,387 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mast cell, equipped with enzymes, chemotactic factors, a vasoactive amine, an anticoagulant, and lipid-derived proinflammatory products, may be essential in tissue modeling as well as in defense. Its primarily perivascular location in skin and the mucosa of the respiratory tract and the gut assures its availability to counter parasites. By the same token, the mast cell is responsible for interactions with inhaled, ingested, and injected antigens that comprise IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Abnormally high numbers of mast cells in the skin, either localized or generalized, result in urticaria pigmentosa or generalized cutaneous mastocytosis, respectively. Tissue infiltration by excessive mast cells, primarily in gut, bone, liver, and spleen, results in systemic mastocytosis; this may be accompanied by myelodysplasia or lymphoma and may eventuate in mast cell leukemia. Until the etiology of mastocytosis is understood, the treatment is symptomatic: histamine antagonism by H1 +/- H2 blockade for flushing, itching, and gastric distress; cyclooxygenase inhibition to prevent prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)-induced hypotension when indicated; and oral cromolyn to prevent gastrointestinal symptoms and bone pain.
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PMID:Mast cell disease. 149 Jun 22

Leukopenia or pancytopenia as a result of bone marrow dysfunction are manifestations of various diseases or complications of therapeutic regimens. The spectrum of diseases associated with leukopenia is wide and includes congenital as well as acquired neutropenias secondary to conditions such as myelodysplastic syndromes, AIDS, malignant tumors with or without chemotherapy-enhanced neutropenia, bone marrow transplantation or therapeutic or accidental radiation. The morbidity and mortality of infectious diseases is greatly enhanced during neutropenic phases. Over the last few years attempts have been made to shorten the duration and lessen the severity of neutropenia in patients with the above conditions by administration of Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (G-CSF). Both cytokines were successfully tested in phase I and II trials. Treatment with GM-CSF or G-CSF results in a dose-dependent increase of the neutrophil count. GM-CSF also increases the number of eosinophils and monocytes in peripheral blood. The effect of both cytokines on the neutrophil count is transient as long as the underlying disease persists. This prompted the institution of maintenance therapy, which has been successfully used with either cytokine. Long-term treatment is usually well tolerated and results in a reduction in the frequency of infections as well as in the duration of antibiotic treatments. Side effects of GM-CSF or G-CSF are usually mild and include fever, myalgia, bone pain, and erythema. A number of patients developed dyspnea, hypotension, sweating, flushing and erythema after the first dose of GM-CSF in each treatment cycle. This first-dose reaction occurs more frequently after intravenous than reactions were reported with G-CSF. Some patients with myelodysplastic syndrome progressed to acute myeloic leukemia during or after treatment with GM-CSF or G-CSF. Most of these patients presented with an increased fraction of blasts in the bone marrow, which preceded the treatment with the colony stimulating factors. Since GM-CSF and possibly G-CSF may increase the risk of developing acute leukemia in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome, it appears prudent to limit the use of these cytokines in patients with this disease. The subcutaneous route of administration appears to be preferable to intravenous administration, since the incidence and severity of side effects are reduced. While many questions concerning dosage, long-term therapy and combination therapy still remain unanswered, the information presented in this review concerning the clinical use of these cytokines warrants an optimistic outlook.
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PMID:[GM-CSF and G-CSF: cytokines in clinical application]. 170 94

A 77-year-old woman with myelodysplastic syndrome required platelet transfusion. However, she complained of facial flushing and dyspnea immediately after the initiation of an infusion of platelet concentrations (PC) utilizing a Pall PL-PXL8H filter with a negatively charged surface. The same symptoms recurred following a transfusion of washed PC with saline. However, an infusion utilizing a Sepacell PLX5A-W with a positively charged surface caused no problems. Furthermore, the patient demonstrated the same adverse reaction after administration of prostaglandin F2 alpha. This case suggested that special caution is warranted when patients who have an allergic history receive PC infusions through leukocyte-reduction filters with negatively charged surfaces.
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PMID:[Anaphylaxis in a myelodysplastic syndrome patient during platelet transfusion with a leukocyte-reduction filter]. 978 82

Mast cells (MC) are multipotent hemopoietic effector cells producing diverse mediators like histamine, heparin, or tissue type plasminogen activator. We report a 75-year-old male patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) of recent onset (3 months' history) associated with a massive leukemic spread of immature tryptase+ MC (tentative term: myelomastocytic leukemia). The patient presented with pancytopenia, bleeding, hypofibrinogenemia, and an increased cellular tryptase level. Moreover, an excessive elevation of plasmin-antiplasmin complexes (9,200 ng/ml; normal range: 10-150), an elevated D-dimer, and an increase in thrombin-antithrombin III complexes were found. The identity of the circulating MC was confirmed by immunophenotyping (CD117/c-kit+, CD123/IL-3R alpha-, CD11b/C3biR-), biochemical analysis (cellular ratio [ng:ng] of tryptase to histamine >1), and electron microscopy. Bone marrow (bm) examination showed trilineage dysplasia (17% blasts), 30% diffusely scattered MC, and a complex karyotype. No dense, compact MC infiltrates (mastocytosis) were detectable in bm sections. Despite hyperfibrinolysis and mediator syndrome (flushing, headache), the patient received remission induction polychemotherapy (DAV) followed by two cycles of consolidation with intermediate dose ARA-C (2 x 1 g/m2/day on days 1, 3, and 5). He entered complete remission after the first chemotherapy cycle without evidence of recurring MDS. Moreover, in response to chemotherapy, the hyperfibrinolysis and mediator syndrome resolved, and the circulating c-kit+ MC disappeared. We suggest consideration of polychemotherapy as a therapeutic option in patients with high-risk MDS of recent onset, even in the case of MC lineage involvement.
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PMID:Hyperfibrinolysis in a case of myelodysplastic syndrome with leukemic spread of mast cells. 1033 14