A new testing platform using fingerstick blood for quantitative antibody response evaluation after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.

Testing and vaccination have been major components of the strategy for combating the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we have developed a quantitative anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1) IgG antibody assay using a fingerstick dried blood sample. We evaluated the feasibility of using this high-throughput and quantitative anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike (S1) IgG antibody testing assay in vaccinated individuals.

A novel xenonucleic acid-mediated molecular clamping technology for early colorectal cancer screening.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Early detection is critical to reduce CRC morbidity and mortality. In order to meet this need, we developed a molecular clamping assay called the ColoScape TM assay for early colorectal cancer diagnostics.

A high-throughput microsphere-based immunoassay of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM testing for COVID-19 diagnostics.

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease COVID-19 is rapidly expanding across the world. A positive result of antibody tests suggests that the individual has potentially been exposed to SARS-CoV-2, thus allowing to identify asymptomatic infections and determine the seroprevalence in a given population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of a newly developed high throughput immunoassay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibody detection on the Luminex MAGPIX platform.

Kinetics of plasma cfDNA predicts clinical response in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), VEGF/VEGF receptor inhibitors (VEGFIs) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized the treatment of advanced cancers including non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aims to evaluate the utility of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a prognostic biomarker and efficacy predictor of chemotherapy (CT) with or without these precision therapies in NSCLC patients. Peripheral cfDNA levels in 154 NSCLC patients were quantified before and after the first target cycle of chemotherapy.

A high-throughput Anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG testing platform for COVID-19.

Background: Serology tests for detecting the antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can identify previous infection and help to confirm the presence of current infection.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performances of a newly developed high throughput immunoassay for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibody detection.

Results: Clinical agreement studies were performed in 107 COVID-19 patient serum samples and 226 negative donor serum/plasma samples.

Evaluation of a novel liquid biopsy-based ColoScape assay for mutational analysis of colorectal neoplasia and triage of FIT+ patients: a pilot study.

Circulating cell free tumour derived nucleic acids are becoming recognised as clinically significant and extremely useful biomarkers for detection of cancer and for monitoring the progression of targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy. Screening programmes for colorectal cancer in Europe use the Fetal Immunochemical Test (FIT) test as a primary screener. FIT+ patients are referred to immediate colonoscopy and the positive predictive value (PPV) is usually 25%.

Cited2 is required for the maintenance of glycolytic metabolism in adult hematopoietic stem cells.

Mammalian adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) reside in the hypoxic bone marrow microenvironment and display a distinct metabolic phenotype compared with their progenitors. It has been proposed that HSCs generate energy mainly through anaerobic glycolysis in a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (Pdk)-dependent manner. Cited2 is an essential regulator for HSC quiescence, apoptosis, and function.

Cited2 in hematopoietic stem cell function.

Purpose Of Review: Transcription co-regulator Cited2 is essential for mouse development. Recent work has shown that Cited2 plays important roles in normal hematopoiesis in fetal liver and adult bone marrow. This review focuses on the function of Cited2 in the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and its potential role in the metabolic regulation of HSCs.

HIF-1 and its antagonist Cited2: regulators of HSC quiescence.

Comment on: Du J, et al. Blood 2012; 119:2789-98.

HIF-1α deletion partially rescues defects of hematopoietic stem cell quiescence caused by Cited2 deficiency.

Cited2 is a transcriptional modulator involved in various biologic processes including fetal liver hematopoiesis. In the present study, the function of Cited2 in adult hematopoiesis was investigated in conditional knockout mice. Deletion of Cited2 using Mx1-Cre resulted in increased hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) apoptosis, loss of quiescence, and increased cycling, leading to a severely impaired reconstitution capacity as assessed by 5-fluorouracil treatment and long-term transplantation.

[Expression of PRAME gene in acute leukemia and its clinical significance].

This study was aimed to detect the expression levels of preferentially expressed antigen of melanoma (PRAME) gene in acute leukemia (AL) and to evaluate the clinical significance of PRAME gene. The quantitative detection method was established by SYBR Green I real-time quantitative RT-PCR, then PRAME mRNA was measured by this method in 55 cases of acute leukemia, out of which 43 cases were acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 9 cases were acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and other types leukemia were 3 cases. In addition, expression of PRAME gene was also analyzed in 7 cases of non-malignant hematological diseases and 8 healthy volunteers.

HLA-DRB1*09 is associated with increased incidence of cytomegalovirus infection and disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT); however, we have little information on the clinical association of various human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles with CMV infection. We reviewed medical records of 60 patients who underwent allo-HSCT. The effect of the 7 most frequent HLA alleles on the incidence of CMV infection and disease was analyzed, including HLA-A*02, A*11, A*24, B*13, B*40(60), DRB1*15, and DRB1*09.

TCR spectratyping revealed T lymphocytes associated with graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Clonal expansion of T cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) has been observed, but their characteristics remain to be fully elucidated. We report here that CD8(+) T cells were the dominant T lymphocytes seen and T-cell repertoire diversity decreased dramatically during the first 3 months after allo-HSCT. Patients with GVHD grade II - IV had significantly lower T-cell repertoire diversity compared with non-GVHD patients.

[Real-time PCR array for simultaneous detection of 37 kinds of fusion genes in leukemia].

Objective: To develop a real-time PCR array for simultaneous quantitative detection of translocations/chromosomal aberrations in patients with leukemia, and to investigate the feasibility and utility thereof.

Methods: By construction and optimization a set of specific primes (totally 82 primers), an array containing 66 parallel PCR reactions was developed. That array was used on the specimens of bone marrow or peripheral blood from 31 patients with leukemia to detect simultaneously 37 fusion genes and 4 proto-oncogene activations often occurring in patients with leukemia.

Identification of disease-associated proteins by proteomic approach in ankylosing spondylitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic systemic inflammatory disorder of the axial skeleton and shows significant inherited susceptibility. Auto-immune responses have been traditionally considered as a putative pathogenetic event in AS. However, no consistent self-antigen has been identified to responsible for the disorders in AS to this day.

[Characteristics of T cell receptors recognizing antiphospholipid syndrome associated antigens].

To understand the characteristics of T cell receptors recognizing antiphospholipid syndrome associated antigen, the characteristics of T cells were analyzed using T cell receptor beta variable region (TCRbetaV) gene spectrotyping in a case of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). The results indicated that in the case of APS there were 2 dominant T cell clones. The TCRbetaVs sequences of the 2 T cell clones showed the TCRbetaVs belonged to 8 and 23 gene families respectively.

[The characteristics of anti-B-cell malignance cytotoxic T lymphocytic clones induced by lymphoma relative peptides].

Objective: To analyze if the cytotoxic T-cell (CTLs) are peptide-special and HLA restrict, and what is the sequence characteristic of TCRbeta genes.

Methods: Using an antigen-specific T-cell expansion system in vitro, the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from healthy HLA-A0201 positive donor were stimulated by PBMCs and T2 cells loading the IgHV1-QLVQSGAEV nonapeptide or IgHV3-QLVQSGAEV, B-lymphoma-related nonapeptides, as antigen presenting cells (APCs) once a week for four weeks so as to obtain peptide-specific CTLs. PBMCs from non-HLA-A * 0201 positive donors were used as controls.

[Comparison of therapeutic effects of low-dose versus high-dose interferon alpha-2b treatment on chronic myelocytic leukemia: a prospective randomized study].

Objective: To compare the therapeutic effects of low-dose and high-dose interferon alpha-2b (IFN) treatment on chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML).

Methods: A real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (RQ-PCR) method was established to detect the fusion gene bcr-abl expression, thereby studying the reduction of leukemic cells. Thirty newly diagnosed CML patients, 21 males and 9 females, aged 14 - 69, were treated with hydroxyurea to keep the white blood cell count less than 20 x 10(9)/L, and then randomized into 2 groups: high-dose IFN group receiving IFN alpha-2b 5MIU 6 times per week for 3 - 6 months and low-dose IFN group receiving IFN alpha-2b 3MIU every other day for 3 - 6 months.

[Role of molecular screening for common fusion genes in the diagnosis and classification of leukemia].

Objective: To assess the value of common fusion genes analysis in the diagnosis and classification of leukemia by multiplex RT-PCR.

Methods: The multiplex RT-PCR, including 8 parallel PCR reactions, could screen 86 mRNA breakpoints or splice variants at the same time, which was important for the diagnosis and prognosis of leukemia. Bone marrow samples from 161 cases of leukemia and 8 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were involved in the study.