Hepatitis E virus - key points for the clinical haematologist.

In recent years there has been a paradigm shift in our understanding of the epidemiology and clinical features of hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection. Once classically described as an acute hepatitis associated with waterborne outbreaks in areas of poor sanitation, HEV is now recognised to be endemic in Europe and is probably zoonotic in origin. Evidence for transfusion-transmitted HEV has prompted the introduction of blood donor screening in a number of countries, but the risk to the haematology patient from food sources remains.

Elacytarabine--lipid vector technology overcoming drug resistance in acute myeloid leukemia.

Introduction: Ara-C (cytarabine arabinoside) is a deoxycytidine analog that has an established role in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, especially acute myeloid leukemia. Resistance to ara-C occurs and impacts negatively on survival. To combat this, an elaidic acid ester of ara-C, called elacytarabine, has been developed.

Current status of agents active against the T315I chronic myeloid leukemia phenotype.

Introduction: T315I is a genetic mutation of the Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase, the pathogenetic abnormality in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). It accounts for 10 ? 15% of clinically relevant CML mutations. Licensed tyrosine kinase inhibitors are ineffective against this mutation and its development reduces life expectancy of CML in chronic phase from 10 years to just 22 months.

Pneumolysin activates the NLRP3 inflammasome and promotes proinflammatory cytokines independently of TLR4.

Pneumolysin (PLY) is a key Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence factor and potential candidate for inclusion in pneumococcal subunit vaccines. Dendritic cells (DC) play a key role in the initiation and instruction of adaptive immunity, but the effects of PLY on DC have not been widely investigated. Endotoxin-free PLY enhanced costimulatory molecule expression on DC but did not induce cytokine secretion.