The aim of the study was to assess the effect of smoking during pregnancy on the physical growth data of newborns. This prospective study was performed at the Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University Clinical Centre Tuzla in the period from January 2001 to December 2004. 300 newborn infants chosen at random, whose mothers had smoked more than 15 cigarettes per day during pregnancy were compared to a control group of 300 newborns of non-smoking mothers. Four parameters were examined: birth weight, length, head circumference and chest circumference. The birth weight in the investigated group was less than 2500 grams in 156 (52%) infants compared to only 36 (12%) cases in the control group. All the other investigated growth measures in the investigated group were less than in the control group: the mean birth weight was less by 411.96 grams; the mean length at birth was less by 1.41 cm, the mean head circumference was less by 1.99 cm and the mean chest circumference was less by 2.02 cm. All the differences were significant at the level of p<0.05. It is concluded that smoking during pregnancy has a deleterious effect upon the newborns’ physical growth.

The significance of the BK virus (BKV) and possible co-factors for the development of late onset haemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in allogeneic haematopoetic stem cell (HSCT)-transplanted patients is reviewed. BKV-associated HC causes significant morbidity and mortality in HSCT patients, however, BK-viruria cannot distinguish patients at risk of HC, since it is observed in patients with and without HC. Several studies have therefore attempted to identify co-factors for the development of HC. Acute graft versus host disease was in the past, though less so recently, reported to correlate to the incidence of HC. However, patients who had received grafts from unrelated donors (URD) and had had full conditioning prior to HSCT were shown to have an increased risk of HC, compared to patients who had received HSCT from a related donor (RD) or patients who had received reduced intensity conditioning. In conclusion, HSCT patients with BK-viruria, an URD and receiving full conditioning have an increased risk of developing HC.

An association of a viral infection in utero and development of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been suggested. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) has been reported as a leading agent of intrauterine infections resulting in some cases of congenital infections. The authors investigated the presence of prenatal CMV infection in children who later developed ALL. Guthrie cards were obtained from 48 children with ALL and 46 healthy children and were analyzed for the presence of CMV DNA by a real-time TaqMan PCR. CMV DNA was not detected in Guthrie cards from the children with ALL, from the control healthy children. The results show that prenatal CMV infection does not seem to be associated with later development of childhood ALL.

New functionally substituted 5-arylidene-2,4-dioxotetrahydro 1,3-thiazole- 3-carboxylic acid cholesteryl esters were synthesized from 2,4-dioxotetrahydro- 1,3-thiazole and evaluated for their in vitro cytotoxicity against several human tumor cell lines and one normal lung fibroblast cell line.

The influence of BK-viruria, donor background, and conditioning on the development of hemorrhagic cystitis was examined in 90 allogeneic hematopoetic stem cell transplant patients, of whom 15 developed hemorrhagic cystitis. Thirty-two patients had related and 58 had unrelated donors, while 44 received full, and 46 received reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). BK-viruria was more common in patients with hemorrhagic cystitis than in those without (p<0.01), and hemorrhagic cystitis was less common in patients with related donors than in those with unrelated donors (p=0.02). Finally, hemorrhagic cystitis and BK-viruria were less common in patients receiving RIC, rather than full conditioning (p<0.01 and p<0.01, respectively).

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, a pleiotropic cytokine, has been shown to induce diverse and opposite effects on lymphoid malignancy depending on TNF receptor system expression. Based on this, we investigated its in vitro dose- and time-related effect on the malignant B-cell line Raji, derived from Burkitt lymphoma patients, at different intracellular levels. The membrane alteration was estimated by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and by flow cytometry; intracellular metabolic energy by determination of the total intracellular LDH activity; total cytosole protein mass by sulforhodamine B assay; and cell growth by incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA. Significant increase of LDH through cell membrane alteration was accompanied by decrease of intracellular metabolized energy and total protein mass. TNF-alpha at lower concentrations (125 and 250 pg/ml) significantly induced cell proliferation in comparison with 1,000 pg/ml of TNF-alpha, which induced more cell death. TNF-alpha induced maximal apoptosis rate up to 30% after 24 h, showing more effects for a necrotic form of cell death. Here we reported opposite and diverse effects of TNF-alpha at different intracellular levels in Raji cells, when applied in different assays, showing characteristics for every cellular compartment.

INTRODUCTION Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most frequent childhood malignancy in the western countries. Epidemiological reports and animal observations suggest a possible association between maternal viral infections during pregnancy and subsequent development of childhood ALL. A maternal viral infection during pregnancy, which is transferred to the foetus in a critical time during foetal hematopoesis, could initiate a preleukemic clone. A postnatal molecular event, during maximum stress on lymfocyte precursor proliferation, could then expand the preleukemic clone. A possible infectious agent should be able to cross the placenta and induce genomic instability in the foetal lymphocytes, without causing severe foetal abnormalities. Candidate viruses could be the Human Polyoma viruses (JC Virus and BK virus), Human Parvovirus B 19, Human Herpes virus 6 (HHV 6), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) or Cytomegalo virus (CMV). In order to investigate if children who later develop ALL were prenatally infected with these viruses, Guthrie cards taken at birth were analysed by PCR. PATIENTS, MATERIAL AND METHODS Capillary blood routinely collected at 3–5 days of age and stored on Guthrie cards, were retrieved from 54 patients who later developed ALL. A total of 50 of these children had been diagnosed as pre-B ALL (either CD10+, CD20+, FAB LI or L2) and four were diagnosed as T-ALL (CD3+ or CD8+). The median age of diagnosis was 5 years (range from 9 months to 17 years, mean 5,9 years). These children had been admitted for treatment at four different Paediatric Oncology Swedish Centres from 1980–2001. The control group were 47 healthy controls matched for age and birth place. DNA was extracted from the original Guthrie cards, using Minimal Essential Medium (MEM) to eluate the blood. Presence of BKV and JCV DNA were analysed by a nested PCR, amplifying a 176 and 173 bp segment respectively. Presence of Parvovirus B19 DNA was analysed by the NS1-PCR, amplifying a 284 bp segment. Presence of HHV 6 DNA was analysed by a nested PCR, amplifying a 173 bp segment. Presence of EBV DNA was analysed by a nested PCR, amplifying a 208 bp segment. Presence of CMV DNA was analysed by a Real Time PCR. To exclude the possibility of negative results due to failure to extract DNA, all samples were tested by a HLA-DQ PCR. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In order to detect if a viral in utero infection could initiate the development of ALL we analysed presence of BKV, JCV, HHV 6, Parvorirus B19 and CMV by PCR in from Guthrie cards at birth, in 54 patents that later developed ALL and 47 matched healthy control patients. No viral DNA was detected in the samples from ALL patients or in the healthy controls. All samples contained amplifiable DNA when tested by HLA-DQ PCR. Thus, it is less likely that childhood ALL is associated to an in utero infection of BKV, JCV, HHV 6, Parvorirus B19, EBVor CMV. However, it is not possible to exclude an association with a latent utero infection with very low levels of circulating virus at birth. In view of the epidemiological evidence between childhood ALL and infection, the search for a viral etiology must continue.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to present the synthesis and characterization of two carboplatin analogues and to investigate their antiproliferative activity against human tumor cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS The carboplatin analogues cis-1,2-propylendiammine (cyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylato) platinum (II) (MD2), and cis-izobutylendiammine (cyclobutane-1,1-dicarboxylato)platinum (II) (MD3) were characterized by elemental analysis and (1)H-NMR-measurements. The compounds were tested for antiproliferative activity against the following human tumor cell lines: myelogenous leukemia K562, colon adenocarcinoma HT- 29, breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7, and human lung fetal fibroplast cell line MRC-5. The active substance of carboplatin (MD1) was used as reference compound. Cells were exposed to complexes for 24 h at concentrations ranging from 10(-3) to 10(-8)M. Growth inhibition was evaluated by the colorimetric SRB assay. The IC(50) value of each carboplatin compound was determined by median effects analysis. RESULTS Both carboplatin analogues induced dose-dependent growth inhibition of human tumor cell lines after 24 h of treatment. The MD3 analogue was 60-fold and the MD2 was 2-foild more active against K562 cell line compared to the referent compound. The activity of both analogues was comparable to the refernt compound against MCF-7 cell line. Colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 was found to be 4-fold less sensitive to MD2 but equally sensitive to MD3 with respect to carboplatin referent compound. Both carboplatin and its analogues induced moderate cytotoxicity on MRC-5 cell line ranging from 25% (10(-7)M) to 46%(10(-3)M). CONCLUSION This study showed that the two novel carboplatin analogues inhibited human cell lines in a different manner depending on cell line. Carboplatin analogues were more active against human tumor cell lines than against human lung fibroplast cell line MRC-5.