Publications by authors named "Benigno Valdez"

Purpose: More active high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) regimens are needed for autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for refractory lymphomas. Seeking HDC enhancement with a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, we observed marked synergy between olaparib and vorinostat/gemcitabine/busulfan/melphalan (GemBuMel) against lymphoma cell lines, mediated by inhibition of DNA damage repair. Our preclinical work led us to clinically study olaparib/vorinostat/GemBuMel with ASCT.

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Refractory aggressive lymphomas can be treated with allo-SCT, pursuing a graft-vs-lymphoma effect. While reduced intensity conditioning is safe, tumors often progress rapidly, indicating the need for more active conditioning regimens. The preclinical synergy we saw between gemcitabine (Gem), clofarabine (Clo) and busulfan (Bu) against lymphoma cell lines led us to study Gem/Clo/Bu clinically.

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Breast and ovarian cancers pose significant therapeutic challenges. We explored the synergistic cytotoxicity of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis), and decitabine in breast (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7) and ovarian (HEY-T30 and SKOV-3) cancer cell lines that were exposed to HDACi (panobinostat or vorinostat), PARPi (talazoparib or olaparib), decitabine, or their combinations. HDACi, PARPi, and decitabine combinations had synergistic cytotoxicity (assessed by MTT and clonogenic assays) in all cell lines (combination index < 1).

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Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) can modulate the acetylation status of proteins, influencing the genomic instability exhibited by cancer cells. Poly (ADP ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors (PARPi) have a direct effect on protein poly (ADP-ribosyl)ation, which is important for DNA repair. Decitabine is a nucleoside cytidine analogue, which when phosphorylated gets incorporated into the growing DNA strand, inhibiting methylation and inducing DNA damage by inactivating and trapping DNA methyltransferase on the DNA, thereby activating transcriptionally silenced DNA loci.

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Progesterone is used for hormone replacement therapy through various routes of administration. This study was conducted to (a) evaluate the stability of progesterone in a proprietary anhydrous permeation-enhancing base (APEB) and the efficiency of its skin permeation, and (b) determine the appropriateness of mass spectrometry as a method of analysis for permeated progesterone. Using a proven stability-indicating ultra-performance liquid chromatographic method, the compounded hormone (100 mg progesterone/g APEB gel) was determined to be physically and chemically stable at room temperature for six months.

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ABT199/venetoclax, an inhibitor of the pro-survival BCL-2 protein, has improved AML treatment. Its efficacy in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), when combined with other chemotherapeutic drugs, has not been thoroughly investigated. The present study demonstrates the synergistic cytotoxicity of ABT199/venetoclax with the DNA alkylator thiotepa (Thio) in AML cells.

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Background: Ketoprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug used for the treatment of acute and chronic pain associated with inflammatory conditions. This study aims to evaluate the in vitro percutaneous absorption of ketoprofen 10% formulated in proprietary anhydrous and aqueous gels using the Franz skin finite dose model.

Materials And Methods: The anhydrous gel was initially characterized for cytotoxicity using EpiDerm skin tissue model by cell proliferation assay and Western blot analysis.

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Background: Permeation-enhancing compounding bases are aimed to facilitate the penetration of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) across the skin barrier.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the percutaneous absorption of radiolabeled human insulin ( C-isototpe) when incorporated in a proprietary phospholipid base designed to deliver APIs with high molecular weights (HMW). The aim was not to claim the transdermal delivery of insulin with potential therapeutic applications in diabetes but, instead, to evaluate the ability of the compounding phospholipid base to deliver HMW drugs.

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Slow platelet recovery frequently occurs after haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT) with bone marrow graft and post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PCy)-based graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. Improved platelet recovery may reduce the need for transfusions and improve outcomes. We investigated the safety and efficacy of eltrombopag, a thrombopoietin receptor agonist, at enhancing platelet recovery post-haplo-HSCT.

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Improvement of autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) for myeloma is needed. Building on our prior work, we prospectively evaluated panobinostat and gemcitabine/busulfan/melphalan (GemBuMel) with ASCT in this population. Patients aged 18-65 years with relapsed/refractory or high-risk myeloma and adequate end-organ function were eligible.

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Combinations of nucleoside analog(s) and DNA alkylating agent(s) are used for cancer treatment as components of pre-transplant regimens used in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Their efficacies are enhanced by combining drugs with different mechanisms of action, which also allows a reduction in the individual drug dosages and thus potentially in toxicity to the patient. We hypothesized that addition of SAHA and olaparib, an HDAC- and a PARP-inhibitor, respectively, to the established combination of fludarabine, clofarabine and busulfan would enhance AML cell cytotoxicity.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, prompting research into effective natural treatments, particularly from mushrooms which contain cytotoxic compounds.
  • Ethanolic extracts from Oudemansiella canarii and Ganoderma lucidum were tested against nine types of hematologic cancer cells, showing significant cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis activation.
  • The study found that these mushroom extracts triggered apoptosis through increased levels of specific apoptotic markers and activated the SAPK/JNK signaling pathway, demonstrating their potential as alternative treatments for hematologic malignancies.
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The therapeutic efficacy of histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) for hematologic malignancies and solid tumors is attributed to their ability to remodel chromatin, normalize dysregulated gene expression, and inhibit repair of damaged DNA. Studies on the interactions of HDACi with PARP inhibitors in hematologic cancers are limited, especially when combined with chemotherapeutic agents. Exposure of hematologic cancer cell lines and patient-derived cell samples to various HDACi resulted in a significant caspase-independent inhibition of protein PARylation, mainly catalyzed by PARP1.

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The efficiency and safety of hormone delivery through the skin partly depend on the appropriate choice of vehicle and the type of formulation. The present study reports the skin cytotoxicity, irritancy, and safety of a newly developed anhydrous permeation-enhancing base (APEB) and the percutaneous absorption of progesterone, testosterone, estriol, and estradiol in APEB formulations. Using the human skin EpiDerm model, cell death was not observed after 4 h of exposure to APEB and was 48% after 24 h, indicating its mild to non-irritating property.

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Pretransplant conditioning with Fludarabine (Flu)-Busulfan (Bu) is safe, but clofarabine (Clo) has improved antileukemic activity. Hypothesis: Flu+Clo-Bu (FCB) yields superior progression-free survival (PFS) after allogeneic transplantation. We randomized 250 AML/MDS patients aged 3-70, Karnofsky Score ≥80, with matched donors, to FCB (n = 120) or Flu-Bu (n = 130), stratifying complete remission (CR) vs.

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Bisantrene (Bis), a topoisomerase-II inhibitor, is less cardiotoxic than the current anthracyclines. Its synergistic cytotoxicity with newly developed antineoplastic drugs has not been reported. We demonstrated the synergism of [Bis + ABT199/venetoclax] in combination with panobinostat (Pano), decitabine (DAC), or olaparib (Ola), known inhibitors of BCL2, histone deacetylase, DNA methyltransferase, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, respectively, in AML cells.

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The antineoplastic activity of pre-transplant regimens in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a critical factor for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. There is an urgent need to identify novel approaches without jeopardizing patient safety. We hypothesized that combination of drugs with different mechanisms of action would provide better cytotoxicity.

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Compared to reduced-intensity conditioning regimen, myeloablative conditioning (MAC) for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) reduces relapse but is avoided in older patients because of higher non-relapse mortality (NRM). To meet the need for a myeloablative regimen for older patients, we developed a novel fludarabine and busulfan MAC regimen. We fractionated the dose of busulfan and gave it for 6 days over a 2-week period and demonstrated the feasibility and safety of this approach.

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Treatment of hematologic malignancies is a formidable challenge for hematologists and there is an urgent need to identify safe and efficacious agents either via synthesis in the laboratory or isolation from natural products. Here, we report the cytotoxicity of extracts from mushroom Gymnopilus purpureosquamulosus Høil (G. pps) and describe its molecular mechanisms.

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High-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem-cell transplant (HDC/ASCT) is standard treatment for chemosensitive relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma, although outcomes of high-risk relapse (HRR) patients remain suboptimal. We retrospectively analyzed all HRR classical Hodgkin lymphoma patients treated with HDC/ASCT at our institution between 01/01/2005 and 12/31/2019. HRR criteria included primary refractory disease/relapse within 1 year, extranodal extension, B symptoms, requiring more than one salvage line, or positron emission tomography (PET)-positive disease at ASCT.

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Relapse is the major cause of mortality in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Effective preventive intervention in high-risk AML may be crucial. In this study, we investigated the clinical efficacy and safety of low dose decitabine (DAC) as part of a modified Busulfan-Cyclophosphamide (Bu-Cy) regimen for high-risk AML patients undergoing allo-HSCT to reduce relapse rate.

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Gemcitabine (Gem), busulfan (Bu), and melphalan (Mel) are used for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To further improve their efficacy, a preclinical study on their synergism with the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat (Pano) and the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax/ABT199 was performed. Multiple myeloma cell lines MM.

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Psoriasis is a multifactorial skin disease involving abnormal cell proliferation and inflammation; an efficacious topical treatment is yet to be identified. A formulation containing 1% Naltrexone HCl in XemaTop™ base was compounded, characterized and evaluated in vitro as a possible treatment for psoriasis. A three-dimensional psoriasis tissue model was exposed to the formulation for 2 or 5 days and analyzed for the level of markers of cellular proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine IL-6.

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Background: Haemopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HCT) conditioning regimens that can reduce risk of relapse without increasing non-relapse mortality are needed. We aimed to test the safety of timed-sequential delivery of low-dose versus high-dose myeloablative busulfan in older patients and patients with comorbidities.

Methods: This non-stratified, open-label, randomised phase 2 trial was done at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX, USA).

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