Factors Influencing Physician Discretion to Administer CNS Prophylaxis in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma: A Single Institution Retrospective Study.

Introduction/background: Central nervous system (CNS) relapse is an infrequent but serious and challenging complication of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) that carries a dismal prognosis. While several risk factors have been identified to stratify the risk for CNS relapse including the 2015 CNS internal Prognostic index (CNS-IPI), controversy still remains regarding the indication, timing, and method of CNS prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether IT-MTX reduced the risk of CNS relapse, as well as treatment related and financial toxicity of CNS prophylaxis.

Convalescent Plasma for COVID-19: A Single Center Prospective Experience with Serial Antibody Measurements and Review of the Literature.

Background: High-titer convalescent plasma given early for COVID-19 may decrease progression into a severe infection. Here, we reported a study of serial antibody measurements in patients who received CP at our center and performed a systematic review of randomized trials on CP. Methods: Our center participated in the Mayo Clinic Expanded Access Program for COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma.

The importance of vitamin d metabolism as a potential prophylactic, immunoregulatory and neuroprotective treatment for COVID-19.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to a declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. As of May 18, 2020, there have been more than 4.7 million cases and over 316,000 deaths worldwide.

Primary chemoradiation with cisplatin versus cetuximab for locally advanced head and neck cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Objective: To explore the efficacy of primary chemoradiation with cisplatin versus cetuximab with respect to HPV/p16 and smoking statuses.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients from our center with locally advanced non-nasopharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) who received primary chemoradiation with cisplatin or cetuximab between 2006 and 2018.

Results: The median OS for cisplatin (n = 66) was not reached versus 132 months when treated with cetuximab (n = 55) (p = 0.

MicroRNA-200b and -301 are associated with gemcitabine response as biomarkers in pancreatic carcinoma cells.

Chemotherapy resistance (congenital or acquired) is one of the principal challenges for the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma. Recent evidence has demonstrated that epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) is associated with chemoresistance in pancreatic carcinoma cells. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the development of chemoresistance remains unknown, and limited therapeutic options are available.

MicroRNA-203 induces apoptosis by upregulating Puma expression in colon and lung cancer cells.

The present study investigated the relationship between microRNA-203 (miR-203) and the p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (Puma) in colon (HCT116) and lung cancer (A549) cells. Colon and lung cancer cell lines were selected for this study since a relationship between p53/miR-203 and p53/Puma has been established in both cancers. In the present study, adriamycin and nutlin-3 were used to activate p53, which induced both miR-203 and Puma expression in HCT116 cells.

MicroRNA-301b promotes cell invasiveness through targeting TP63 in pancreatic carcinoma cells.

Recent studies have demonstrated that deregulated microRNA (miR) expression is implicated in the development of human cancers. In the aberrant miR expression, miR-301 is upregulated in cancers, such as pancreatic, colorectal and oral carcinoma. Based on this evidence, we investigated the contribution of miR-301 to pancreatic carcinoma and the novel target genes of miR-301 in pancreatic carcinoma.

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor induces epithelial to mesenchymal transition, enhances tumor aggressiveness and predicts clinical outcome in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

MIF is a proinflammatory cytokine and is implicated in cancer. A higher MIF level is found in many human cancer and cancer-prone inflammatory diseases, including chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. We tested the hypothesis that MIF contributes to pancreatic cancer aggressiveness and predicts disease outcome in resected cases.

Tetrahydrouridine inhibits cell proliferation through cell cycle regulation regardless of cytidine deaminase expression levels.

Tetrahydrouridine (THU) is a well characterized and potent inhibitor of cytidine deaminase (CDA). Highly expressed CDA catalyzes and inactivates cytidine analogues, ultimately contributing to increased gemcitabine resistance. Therefore, a combination therapy of THU and gemcitabine is considered to be a potential and promising treatment for tumors with highly expressed CDA.

DPEP1 inhibits tumor cell invasiveness, enhances chemosensitivity and predicts clinical outcome in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most lethal cancers worldwide. To identify biologically relevant genes with prognostic and therapeutic significance in PDAC, we first performed the microarray gene-expression profiling in 45 matching pairs of tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues from resected PDAC cases. We identified 36 genes that were associated with patient outcome and also differentially expressed in tumors as compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues in microarray analysis.

Hydroxyurea decreases gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic carcinoma cells with highly expressed ribonucleotide reductase.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma can be defined on the basis of the expression of genes involved in gemcitabine metabolism and whether combination treatment is more effective than conventional treatment.

Methods: Four pancreatic carcinoma cell lines (Panc-1, MIAPaCa-2, BxPC-3, and Capan-2) were used to determine the patterns of gemcitabine-metabolizing genes and mesenchymal marker gene expressions using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Chemosensitivity and cell proliferation were measured using colorimetric assay.