Expert review of hematology
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Optimal trauma care is the neglected disease of the modern era. Hemorrhage is the largest cause of potentially preventable death, and most of these patients present to the hospital with abnormal coagulation profiles. ⋯ Several encouraging studies have been recently completed that are helping to highlight these issues. High-quality studies, combining mechanistic approaches and clinical outcomes will improve our understanding of trauma-induced coagulopathy and decrease trauma related mortality.
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Editorial
Calreticulin: a new horizon for the testing and treatment of myeloproliferative neoplasms.
The recent discovery of mutations of the gene calreticulin has allowed raising the proportion of patients with essential thrombocythemia and primary myelofibrosis with known mutational abnormality up to 85-90%. Knowledge of the mechanisms by which mutated calreticulin underlie a myeloproliferative neoplasm as well as the clinical and therapeutic implications is just at the very beginning, and exciting times await research in this field.
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Effective therapy for multiple myeloma has existed for a little more than the last half century. The introduction of melphalan 55 years ago was followed by a stagnant period of four decades in which many combinations of alkylating agents and chemotherapeutic drugs were developed without a significant increase in overall survival. The first novel agent, thalidomide, was introduced 15 years ago when it was used as an anti-angiogenesis agent. ⋯ Then lenalidomide, a second-generation analog of thalidomide was introduced. More recently carfilzomib, a proteasome inhibitor, and pomalidomide, a third-generation derivative of thalidomide have entered the marketplace. Many new agents are in development and potentially available for future therapy.