Expanding the understanding of telomere biology disorder with reports from two families harboring variants in ZCCHC8 and TERC.

Telomere biology disorder (TBD) can present within a wide spectrum of symptoms ranging from severe congenital malformations to isolated organ dysfunction in adulthood. Diagnosing TBD can be challenging given the substantial variation in symptoms and age of onset across generations. In this report, we present two families, one with a pathogenic variant in ZCCHC8 and another with a novel variant in TERC.

Risk of cancer in relatives of patients with myelodysplastic neoplasia and acute leukemias.

Background: The risk of cancer among relatives of patients with either myelodysplastic neoplasia (MDS), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has not been thoroughly examined.

Methods: We linked the Danish Civil Registration System with the Danish Cancer Registry, the Danish National Acute Leukemia Registry, and the Danish Myelodysplastic Syndrome Database to estimate the relative risk of cancer among relatives of patients with MDS/AML/ALL. We used standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), i.

[Germ line predisposition for myeloid neoplasia in adults].

Myeloid neoplasms with germ line predisposition (hMN) are likely underdiagnosed and are estimated to constitute a substantial fraction of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukaemia. Correct diagnosis of hMN is vital, as it can influence treatment decisions, facilitate genetic counselling and help identify family members at risk. In this review, we describe the symptoms associated with hMN and present an example of the underlying molecular mechanism.

Plant diversity has contrasting effects on herbivore and parasitoid abundance in flower heads.

High biodiversity is known to increase many ecosystem functions, but studies investigating biodiversity effects have more rarely looked at multi-trophic interactions. We studied a tri-trophic system composed of (brown knapweed), its flower head-infesting tephritid fruit flies and their hymenopteran parasitoids, in a grassland biodiversity experiment. We aimed to disentangle the importance of direct effects of plant diversity (through changes in apparency and resource availability) from indirect effects (mediated by host plant quality and performance).

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase and survivin peptide vaccine combined with temozolomide in metastatic melanoma.

Background: Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) and survivin have been identified as potential targets for cancer vaccination. In this phase II study a vaccine using the peptides Sur1M2 and IDO5 was combined with the chemotherapy temozolomide (TMZ) for treatment of metastatic melanoma patients. The aim was to simultaneously target several immune inhibiting mechanisms and the highly malignant cells expressing survivin.