Browsing by Author "Wood, L."

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Haematology in 2010 - Part I
    (The Specialist Forum, 2010) Wood, L.; Jacobs, P.; Abayomi, E. A.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Haemochromatosis : phenotype to genotype or man to molecules
    (Health and Medical Publishing Group (HMPG), 2013-06) Jacobs, P.; Wood, L.
    This is the third in our vignettes that are centred on everyday clinical presentations. Each emphasises practical aspects of team-based care that are applicable to general practitioners, specialists and paramedical professionals alike. Iron-overload syndromes, whether genetically or environmentally determined, increase morbidity and mortality. Familial haemochromatosis, as the prototype, may have a prolonged subclinical phase before presenting with dermatological, hepatic, pancreatic, cardiac, musculoskeletal or endocrine symptoms and signs. Improved understanding of iron metabolism, coupled with genetic testing, underlines current approaches to screening, diagnosis and proactive multidisciplinary management encompassing appropriate family studies. These changed circumstances strongly emphasise the need for much wider appreciation of hazards associated with accumulation of this trace metal above physiological limits and benefits of early, or pre-emptive, correction.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Immunohematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Cape Town: A ten-year outcome analysis in adults
    (2009) Wood, L.; Haveman, J.; Juritz, J.; Waldmann, H.; Hale, G.; Jacobs, P.
    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Immunohematopoietic stem cell transplantation has curative potential in selected hematologic disorders. Stem cell transplantation was introduced into South Africa in 1970 as a structured experimental and clinical program. In this report, we summarize the demography and outcome by disease category, gender, and type of procedure in patients older than 18 years of age who were seen from April 1995 to December 2002. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective analysis included 247 individuals over 18 years of age for whom complete data were available. These patients received grafts mostly from peripheral blood with the appropriate stem cell population recovered by apheresis. RESULTS: Patient ages ranged from 20 to 65 years with a median age of 42 years. There were 101 females and 146 males. There were no withdrawals and 63% survived to the end of the study. At 96 months of follow-up, a stable plateau was reached for each disease category. Median survival was 3.3 years (n=6, 14.6%) for acute lymphoblastic anemia, 3.1 years (n=44, 18%) for acute myeloid leukemia, 2.8 years (n=47, 19%) for chronic granulocytic leukemia, 2.8 years (n=71, 29%) for lymphoma, 1.5 years (n=23, 9%) for myeloma, 1.43 years (n=10, 4%) for aplasia, and 1.4 years (n=38, 15%) for a miscellaneous group comprising less than 10 examples each. Multivariate analysis showed that only diagnosis and age had a significant impact on survival, but these two variables might be interrelated. There was no significant difference in outcome by source of graft. CONCLUSION: The results confirm that procedures carried out in a properly constituted and dedicated unit, which meets established criteria and strictly observes treatment protocols, generate results comparable to those in a First World referral center. Low rates of transplant-related mortality, rejection and graft-versus-host disease are confirmed, but the benefits cannot be extrapolated outside of academically oriented and supervised facilities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Isolation of a new human herpesvirus producing a lytic infection of helper (CD4) T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood lymphocyte cultures. Another cause of acquired immunodeficiency
    (Health & Medical Publishing Group, 1988-12) Becker, W. B.; Engelbrecht, S.; Becker, M. L. B.; Piek, C.; Robson, B. A.; Wood, L.; Jacobs, P.
    A new human helper (CD4) T-lymphotropic herpesvirus (HTLHV) was first isolated in February 1985 from the cultured peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of a patient with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and subsequently from the PBL of 1 patient with hairy cell leukaemia and 2 patients with lymphoproliferative disease associated with human T-lymphotropic virus type I infection. The viruses could be serially subcultured in umbilical cord PBL cultures in which they infected helper (CD4) T-lymphocytes producing multinucleate giant cells with intranuclear inclusions followed by cell lysis. Electron microscopy of infected cultures revealed that the isolates were herpesviruses. Specific DNA probing showed that the 4 isolates were related to one another but were distinct from cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Herpes-virus hominis types 1 and 2, and varicella-zoster virus. HTLHV lyses the same target cell as human immunodeficiency virus in PBL cultures suggesting that it may have a similar potential to cause acquired immune deficiency. The development of an unequivocally diagnostic serological test is a priority, so that the epidemiology and pathogenesis of HTLHV infection can be studied.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    V - Vitamins B12 and Folate - Part II - Diagnosis and treatment
    (The Specialist Forum, 2011) Van Wyk, J.; Grewal, R.; Wood, L.; Abayomi, E. A.; Jacobs, P.