Combining azole antifungals with venetoclax plus azacitidine in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia.

The combination of venetoclax (VEN) with hypomethylating agents (HMAs) improves survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and may cause neutropenia requiring combined antifungal therapy or prophylaxis. The inhibition of cytochrome P450 activity by azole antifungal agents leads to elevated blood concentrations of VEN. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of venetoclax plus azacitidine (AZA) with azoles in newly diagnosed AML patients.

ALKBH5 promotes T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia growth via mA-guided epigenetic inhibition of miR-20a-5p.

This study investigates the role of ALKBH5-mediated mA demethylation in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). T-ALL cell lines (HPB-ALL, MOLT4, Jurkat, CCRF-CEM) and human T cells were analyzed. CCRF-CEM and Jurkat cells were transfected with si-ALKBH5, miR-20a-5p-inhibitor, and pcDNA3.

Chidamide represses MYC expression and might improve survival for patients with double expressor lymphoma.

Double expressor lymphoma (DEL), characterized by high expressions of both MYC and BCL-2, displays poor prognosis after current therapies. The HDAC inhibitor chidamide has been approved for treatment of T cell lymphoma, but its efficacy on B cell lymphoma is unclear. Here, by combining inhibition screening and transcriptomic analyses, we found that the sensitivity of B lymphoma cells to chidamide was positively correlated with the expression levels of MYC.

Myelomonocytic and monocytic acute myeloid leukemia demonstrate comparable poor outcomes with venetoclax-based treatment: a monocentric real-world study.

Venetoclax (VEN), a BCL-2 inhibitor, has transformed treatment strategies for elderly and unfit acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients by significantly improving response rates and survival. However, the predictive factors for VEN efficacy differ from traditional chemotherapy. The clinical relevance of the FAB (French-American-British) monocytic subtype, including M4 and M5, has been debated as a marker for VEN resistance.

The clinical features and prognostic implications of PTPN11 mutation in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia in China.

Background: The clinical significance of protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 11 mutation (PTPN11 ) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is underestimated.

Methods: We collected the data of AML patients with mutated PTPN11 and wild-type PTPN11 (PTPN11 ) treated at our hospital and analyzed their clinical characteristics and prognosis.

Results: Fifty-nine PTPN11 and 124 PTPN11 AML patients were included.

SECTM1-based CAR T cells enriched with CD7-low/negative subsets exhibit efficacy in CD7-positive malignancies.

CD7 has been found to be a promising chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell target in several clinical trials. However, its expression on normal T cells poses additional challenges in CD7-directed CAR therapy, such as complete fratricide, contamination with malignant cells, and immune suppression due to T-cell aplasia. By taking advantage of evolved affinity between ligand and receptor, we constructed a CD7-directed CAR with the extracellular domain of SECTM1, a natural ligand of CD7, as the recognition domain.

Chronic active Epstein-Barr virus infection involving gastrointestinal tract with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV) is a lymphoproliferative disorder of T- or NK-cell type in Asian countries. CAEBV involving the gastrointestinal tract (GI CAEBV) is a rare condition with poor prognosis that may rapidly progress with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and life-threatening complications such as GI bleeding and/or perforation. The approach to CAEBV with GI tract involvement (GI CAEBV) is still an unmet clinical need.

A new conditioning regimen with chidamide, cladribine, gemcitabine and busulfan significantly improve the outcome of high-risk or relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

Previous studies highlight the need for a more active conditioning therapy in high-risk or refractory and relapsed lymphomas. Our preclinical research shows that histone deacetylase inhibitors, such as either vorinostat or chidamide, sensitize lymphoma cells to the cytotoxic combination of cladribine, gemcitabine and busulfan, leading to cell apoptosis. To evaluate the efficacy of this chidamide-cladribine-gemcitabine-busulfan (ChiCGB) combination as a new conditioning therapy, we conducted a Phase II trial, as described here.

Nivolumab treatment of relapsed/refractory Epstein-Barr virus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in adults.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH) is a life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome triggered by EBV infection. It often becomes relapsed or refractory (r/r), given that etoposide-based regimens cannot effectively clear the virus. r/r EBV-HLH is invariably lethal in adults without allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Cancer prevalence among the rural poverty-stricken population in Northeast China.

The burden of cancer impacts many of the world's top concerns, but little information is published about the characteristics of cancer prevalence in the poor population. Data on cancer prevalence were obtained from the Health Poverty Alleviation Information System of Heilongjiang province. Prevalence was defined as all living cancer cases on October 1, 2018.

Identification and screening of cardiac glycosides in Streptocaulon griffithii using an integrated data mining strategy based on high resolution mass spectrometry.

The present study was designed to develop a practical strategy to tackle the problem of lacking standard compounds and limited references for identifying structure-related compounds in Streptocaulon griffithii Hook. f., especially those in trace concentrations, with a focus on antitumor activity.

Chemical constituents and quality control of two Dracocephalum species based on high-performance liquid chromatographic fingerprints coupled with tandem mass spectrometry and chemometrics.

Two similar Dracocephalum species, namely, Dracocephalum tanguticum Maxim and Dracocephalum moldavica L, are commonly used as ethnic medicines in China. Here we describe a strategy of combining high-performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, as well as fingerprints and chemometrics for characterization and discrimination of chemical constituents on the two herbs. A total of 49 compounds including 33 flavonoids, 5 phenylethanol glycosides, 1 coumarin glycoside, 8 organic acids, and 2 other types of compounds were unambiguously or tentatively identified from the two Dracocephalum species.

Protective effects of a Chotosan Fraction and its active components on β-amyloid-induced neurotoxicity.

Chotosan (CTS) is a traditional Kampo prescription used to treat chronic headache and hypertension. Recent clinical studies demonstrated that CTS has ameliorative effects on dementia. This study aims to identify the anti-Alzheimer components in CTS.

PIG7 promotes leukemia cell chemosensitivity via lysosomal membrane permeabilization.

PIG7 localizes to lysosomal membrane in leukemia cells. Our previous work has shown that transduction of pig7 into a series of leukemia cell lines did not result in either apoptosis or differentiation of most tested cell lines. Interestingly, it did significantly sensitize these cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs.

Intensive induction chemotherapy with regimen containing intermediate dose cytarabine in the treatment of de novo acute myeloid leukemia.

To improve long-term outcome of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients by intermediate dose of cytarabine integrated in induction therapy and to explore the impact of cytogenetic abnormalities on the prognosis. Eighty-seven AML patients were treated with HAD regimen containing intermediate dose cytarabine (IDAra-C) as induction therapy, 83 from which with karyotype results were divided into three cytogenetic groups according to SWOG criteria. Complete remission (CR) rate, disease-free survival (DFS), and overall survival (OS) among different groups were evaluated.

Risk of MDM2 SNP309 alone or in combination with the p53 codon 72 polymorphism in acute myeloid leukemia.

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the promoter of MDM2 gene, SNP309 T>G (a T-G exchange at nucleotide 309 in the first intron), can increase the expression level of MDM2, thereby causing an impairment of p53 tumor suppressor activity. A G-C exchange at p53 codon 72 polymorphism results in a substitution of proline (Pro) for arginine (Arg) in the transactivation domain, which was shown to alter the primary structure of the p53 protein. Both polymorphisms have been implicated in cancer.

[The expression of midkine in acute leukemia and its significance].

Objective: To analyze the expression of midkine (MK) gene in acute leukemia patients, and explore the relationship between the gene and leukemia.

Methods: The MK gene expression levels were detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RQ-RT-PCR) in bone marrow (BM) of 181 acute leukemia (AL) patients and 31 normal controls.

Results: MK gene was expressed in all AL patients, normal controls and AL patients in complete remission (CR).

Expression of pig7 gene in acute leukemia and its potential to modulate the chemosensitivity of leukemic cells.

We analyzed expression of p53-induced gene 7 (pig7), at the transcript level, in bone marrow samples from patients with de novo acute leukemia (AL) and normal controls by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), and revealed a markedly decreased pig7 expression in the patient group, as well as in the relapsed/refractory patients compared with those at initial diagnosis. By endonuclease analysis, we detected only one form of pig7 transcript, i.e.