Anti-LEP monoclonal antibody, clone 3H7

Blood ormarrow transplant (BMT) is a potentially curative treatment for numerous cancers and non-malignant disorders. BMT is a resource-intense treatment process, requiring patients to comprehend difficult health information and navigate a complex healthcare system. Linguistic and cultural barriers create additional challenges for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) who may need translated information and interpretive services to make an informed decision about treatment. To identify information needs and gaps in language services for BMT patientswith LEP, the National Marrow Donor Program (R) (NMDP)/Be The Match (R) administered a cross-sectional, web-based survey to 139 transplant centers (TCs) across the United States (U.S.). The survey yielded a 59% response rate. Findings show a significant need for translated patient education materials, especially in Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic, and practice gaps in the use of appropriate interpreters. Nearly one third of respondents indicated using family and friends to interpret for patients. The inability to locate educational resources in a specific language, lack of available bilingual staff, lack of a formal, centralized tracking system, and outdated tracking systems also pose significant barriers to meeting the language needs of BMT patients with LEP.

Background Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread pain and a variety of non-pain symptoms. Central sensitivity phenomena are found consistently in FMS. Additionally, several researchers proclaimed that a subgroup of FMS patients may present with unrecognized peripheral small fibre neuropathy (SFN). Laser-evoked brain potentials (LEP) are considered as a reliable method for the functional assessment of the thermo-nociceptive system, including the evaluation of SFN. Objectives The aim of this retrospective study was to estimate the prevalence of thermo-nociceptive system dysfunction based on LEPs in FMS. Methods LEP recordings of 92 FMS patients and 39 age and gender-matched healthy controls were selected from a database collected between 2003 and 2012 with standardized settings for laser stimulation and EEG recording. The N1, N2 and P2 LEP components were identified and characterized by peak latency and amplitude. Results None of the FMS patients showed signs of loss of function of the nociceptive responses evoked by A delta-nociceptor activation, compared to healthy controls. 6.5% of the FMS patients had N2-P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes above the upper limit of the 99%-confidence interval. N2-P2 peak-to-peak amplitudes were negatively correlated with age, without age-related differences between groups. Conclusions The characteristic signs of a damaged thermo-nociceptive system as revealed by LEPs were absent in this large cohort of FMS patients. Significance The present research does not support the hypothesis that small fibre neuropathy is a significant contributor to the pathophysiology of FMS.