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•CRP-STEMI is an investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label, multicenter trial.•A total of 202 STEMI patients with elevated CRP post PCI enrolled at 5 centers.•The intervention group receives 3 sessions of selective CRP apheresis post-PCI.•The primary endpoint is infarct size assessed by CMR at 5 ± 2 days after PCI.•CRP-STEMI is the first randomized trial to evaluate CRP apheresis in STEMI. Despite the effectiveness of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in treating ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), myocardial salvage is often incomplete, resulting in large infarct size and an increased risk of heart failure and mortality. Inflammation is involved in this process, with C-reactive protein (CRP) potentially contributing to infarct expansion. Whether selective CRP apheresis in addition to standard care can reduce infarct size in STEMI remains to be determined. Selective C-reactive protein apheresis in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (CRP-STEMI) is an investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label (outcome assessor blinded), multicenter trial investigating whether selective CRP apheresis using the PentraSorb-CRP system, in addition to standard care, can reduce infarct size in STEMI patients undergoing PCI within 12 hours of symptom onset. The trial will enroll 202 patients at 5 tertiary care centers in Austria and Germany, randomized 1:1 to either the intervention group (standard care + CRP apheresis) or the control group (standard care). In the intervention group, CRP apheresis will be performed on days 1, 2, and 3 post-PCI. The primary endpoint is infarct size as assessed by late gadolinium enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance at 5 ± 2 days after PCI. CRP-STEMI is the first randomized trial to investigate whether selective CRP apheresis, as an adjunct to standard care, can effectively reduce infarct size in acute STEMI patients. CRP-STEMI, NCT04939805, is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04939805. [Display omitted] This graphical abstract summarizes the design of the CRP-STEMI trial, a multicenter, investigator-initiated, randomized, open-label study. A total of 202 patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) will be included, provided that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) levels will be ≥7 mg/L within 6 to 16 hours post-PCI. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive either standard care alone (control group) or standard care + selective CRP apheresis on days 1, 2, and 3 (intervention group). The primary endpoint is infarct size, measured by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) at 5 ± 2 days post-PCI. Created with Biorender.

Objectives Activated granulocytes and monocytes may contribute to the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD). In small, uncontrolled studies, granulocyte/monocyte apheresis (GMA) has shown promise in treating CD. We conducted a randomised, double-blind study to compare GMA with a sham procedure in patients with moderate to severe CD. Design Patients with active CD as defined by a Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) of 220–450 were randomly allocated in a 2:1 ratio to treatment with GMA using the Adacolumn Apheresis System (JIMRO, Takasaki, Japan) or sham apheresis. Ten apheresis sessions were scheduled over a 9-week period, and efficacy was evaluated at week 12. The primary end point was the proportion of patients achieving clinical remission (CDAI score ≤150 without use of prohibited drugs). Results Clinical remission was achieved by 17.8% of patients in the GMA group (n=157) compared with 19.2% of those in the sham control group (n=78) (absolute difference −1.4% (95% CI−12.8% to 8.5%), p=0.858). Clinical response (defined as a ≥100-point decrease in CDAI) was achieved by 28.0% and 26.9% of patients in the GMA and sham groups, respectively (p=1.000). The two treatments produced similar changes from baseline in CDAI and quality of life, as well as in disease severity assessed endoscopically. The incidence and types of adverse events did not differ between groups. Conclusions GMA was well tolerated, but this study did not demonstrate its effectiveness over a sham procedure in inducing clinical remission or response in patients with moderate to severe CD. Clinical trial registration number Clinical Trials.gov identifier NCT00162942.

Granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis (GMA) has shown efficacy in patients with active ulcerative colitis (UC). However, with routine weekly treatment, it may take several weeks to achieve remission, and to date, the efficacy of a more frequent treatment schedule remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the clinical efficacy and safety of intensive GMA treatment in patients with active UC. This was an open-label, prospective, randomized multicenter study to compare an intensive, two GMA sessions per week, with the routine, one GMA session per week. A total of 163 patients with mild-to-moderately active UC were randomly assigned to routine weekly treatment or intensive treatment. The maximum number of sessions of GMA permitted was 10. However, when patients achieved remission, GMA was discontinued. Remission rate at the end of the study, time to remission, and adverse events were assessed in both groups. Of the 163 patients, 149 were available for efficacy analysis as per protocol, 76 were in weekly GMA, and 73 were in intensive GMA. At the end of the study period, clinical remission was achieved in 41 of 76 patients (54.0%) in weekly GMA and in 52 of 73 patients (71.2%) in intensive GMA (P=0.029). The mean time to remission was 28.1+/-16.9 days in the weekly GMA treatment group and 14.9+/-9.5 days in the intensive GMA group (P<0.0001). Intensive GMA was well tolerated without GMA-related serious adverse side effects. Intensive GMA in patients with active UC seems to be more efficacious than weekly treatment, and significantly reduced the patients' morbidity time without increasing the incidence of side effects.

This report describes the first investigational use of plerixafor in Europe and the determination of tumor cell mobilization by polymerase chain-reaction after plerixafor treatment in a subset of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Thirty-five patients (31 MM and 4 NHL) received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) (10 μg/kg) each morning for 4 days. Starting the evening of Day 4, patients recieved plerixafor 0.24 mg/kg. Apheresis was initiated 10–11 h later, in the morning of Day 5. This regimen of G-CSF treatment each morning before apheresis and plerixafor treatment in the evening was repeated for up to 5 consecutive days. Mobilization with plerixafor and G-CSF resulted in a median 2.6-fold increase in peripheral blood (PB) CD34+ cell count compared with before plerixafor treatment. All patients collected ⩾2 × 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg and 32 of 35 patients collected ⩾5 × 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg. After plerixafor treatment, 3 of 7 patients had a small increase and 4 of 7 patients had a small decrease in PB tumor cells. No G-CSF was given post transplant. The median number of days to polymorphonuclear leukocyte and platelet engraftment was 14.0 and 11.0, respectively. There were no reports of graft failure. Plerixafor was generally well tolerated. Mobilization of PB CD34+ cells was consistent with previous clinical trials. The addition of plerixafor did not significantly increase the relative number of PB MM tumor cells.

Background: Despite optimized medical therapy, severe idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a devastating disease with a poor outcome. Autoantibodies have been detected in IPAH that can contribute to worsening of the disease. Objectives: The objective of this prospective, open-label, single-arm, multicenter trial was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of immunoadsorption (IA) as an add-on to optimized medical treatment for patients with IPAH. Methods: A total of 10 IPAH patients received IA over 5 days. Their clinical parameters, including hemodynamics measured by right heart catheter, were assessed at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. The primary endpoint was the change in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). Secondary endpoints included the change in 6-min walking distance, quality of life, safety, and plasma levels of IgG and autoantibodies. Results: The evaluation of the 10 IPAH patients (75% female; 51 ± 12 years; 166 ± 10 cm; WHO functional class III; 53% on combination therapy) revealed that IA was a safe procedure that efficiently removed IgG and autoantibodies from the circulation. After 3 months, the mean PVR improved significantly by 13.2% (p = 0.03) and the cardiac index improved by 13.1%, but no significant changes were found in 6-min walking distance. The quality of life physical functioning subscale score significantly improved after 6 months. The serious adverse events in 3 patients were possibly related to IA and included pneumonia, temporary disturbance in attention, and thrombocytopenia. Conclusions: IA as an add-on to targeted medical treatment for IPAH is a safe procedure with beneficial effects on hemodynamics, especially in patients with high levels of autoantibodies. Larger-scale controlled studies are needed to assess its efficacy in IPAH and to identify responders.

The topical use of platelet concentrates is recent and its efficiency remains controversial. Several techniques for platelet concentrates are available; however, their applications have been confusing because each method leads to a different product with different biology and potential uses. Here, we present classification of the different platelet concentrates into four categories, depending on their leucocyte and fibrin content: pure platelet-rich plasma (P-PRP), such as cell separator PRP, Vivostat PRF or Anitua's PRGF; leucocyte- and platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP), such as Curasan, Regen, Plateltex, SmartPReP, PCCS, Magellan or GPS PRP; pure plaletet-rich fibrin (P-PRF), such as Fibrinet; and leucocyte- and platelet-rich fibrin (L-PRF), such as Choukroun's PRF. This classification should help to elucidate successes and failures that have occurred so far, as well as providing an objective approach for the further development of these techniques.

Hematopoietic stem cells intended for autologous transplantation are usually cryopreserved in solutions containing 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, v/v) or 5% DMSO in combination with 6% hydroxyethylstarch (HES, w/v). We performed a single-blinded, randomized study comparing these cryoprotectant solutions for patients undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplantation. A total of 294 patients were evaluable; 148 received cells frozen with 10% DMSO and 146 received cells frozen in 5% DMSO/6% HES. Patients who received cells frozen with the combination cryoprotectant recovered their white blood cell count >or=1.0 x 10(9)/l at a median of 10 days, one day faster than those who received PBSC frozen with DMSO alone (P=0.04). Time to achieve neutrophil counts of >or=0.5 x 10(9) and >or=1.0 x 10(9)/l were similarly faster for the recipients of the cells frozen in the combination solution. This effect was more pronounced for patients who received quantities of CD34+ cells higher than the median for the population. Median time to discontinuation of antibiotic use was also one day faster for the recipients of cells cryopreserved with DMSO/HES (P=0.04). In contrast, median times to recovery of platelet count >or=20 x 10(9)/l were equivalent for each group (10 days; P=0.99) and the median numbers of red cell and platelet transfusions did not differ.

Therapeutic apheresis aims to selectively remove pathogenic substances, such as antibodies that trigger various symptoms and diseases. Unfortunately, current apheresis devices cannot handle small blood volumes in infants or small animals, hindering the testing of animal model advancements. This limitation restricts our ability to provide treatment options for particularly susceptible infants and children with limited therapeutic alternatives. Here, we report our solution to these challenges through an acoustofluidic-based therapeutic apheresis system designed for processing small blood volumes. Our design integrates an acoustofluidic device with a fluidic stabilizer array on a chip, separating blood components from minimal extracorporeal volumes. We carried out plasma apheresis in mouse models, each with a blood volume of just 280 μL. Additionally, we achieved successful plasmapheresis in a sensitized mouse, significantly lowering preformed donor-specific antibodies and enabling desensitization in a transplantation model. Our system offers a new solution for small-sized subjects, filling a critical gap in existing technologies and providing potential benefits for a wide range of patients. Existing apheresis devices cannot accommodate small blood volumes in infants or small animals. Here, the authors have successfully performed highly efficient plasma apheresis in mouse models, each with a blood volume of just 280 μl.

The influence of the granulocyte/monocyte apheresis (GMCAP) on cell populations participating in mechanisms of tolerance, e.g. dendritic cells (DCs), is still not very clear. In a first step, we aimed to investigate changes in the DC population of patients suffering from ulcerative colitis (UC) ( n  = 13) compared to healthy subjects ( n  = 9). In a second step, we studied the changes in peripheral DCs in a small group of patients with active UC before and after Adacolumn apheresis ( n  = 7). For this purpose, plasmacytoid and myeloid DCs and their maturation markers CD40, CD80, and CD86 were measured using four-color flow cytometry in the peripheral blood. After apheresis, and in acute flare-ups, we identified a significantly lower number of lymphocytes, plasmacytoid, and myeloid DCs. In conclusion, the additional removal of peripheral DCs by GMCAP, which otherwise would contribute to the inflammatory process in the gut, may lead to a higher tolerogeneic status towards luminal antigens.

Background Therapeutic apheresis (TA) is already used to treat various diseases in the field of nephrology. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency and types of complications that occur during TA in children with kidney disease. Methods Records of children (≤ 18 years) who underwent TA between 2007 and 2022 were retrospectively reviewed. Children with missing data and those with a diagnosis of nonnephrological disease were excluded. Results A total of 1214 TA sessions, including 1147 therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) sessions and 67 immunoadsorption (IA) sessions, were performed on the 108 patients enrolled in the study. Forty-seven percent of the patients were male, and the mean age was 12.22 ± 4.47 years. Posttransplant antibody-mediated rejection (64.8%) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (14.8%) were the most common diagnoses indicating TA. Overall, 17 different complications occurred in 58 sessions (4.8%), and 53 sessions (4.6%) were not completed because of these complications. The distribution of complications among the patients was as follows: 41.4% had technical complications, 25.9% had allergic complications, and 32.7% had others. The most common technical complication was insufficient flow (37.5%). The incidence of complications was greater in patients aged 3–6 years than in patients in the other age groups ( p  = 0.031). The primary disease, type of vascular access, and rate of fresh frozen plasma/albumin use were similar between patients with and without complications ( p values of 0.359 and 0.125 and 0.118, respectively). Conclusions Our study showed that complications occurred in only 4.8% of TA sessions. The most common complication was technical problems. Graphical Abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information