Outcomes of adults with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia treated with azacitidine and venetoclax compared to other therapies: a multicenter retrospective study.

This study reports characteristics and outcomes of adults who received Azacitidine-Venetoclax (AZA-VEN) compared to other salvage therapies (NO-AZA-VEN) as first salvage therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The clinical data of 81 patients with a diagnosis of relapsed or refractory AML were analyzed. The ORR was comparable for both groups (55% vs 57%,  = 0.

Experiences implementing a Radiation therapist-led oncology prehabilitation program during COVID-19.

•Multi-modal prehabilitation prior to radiotherapy is valuable and achievable.•Radiation Therapists can be instrumental in developing prehab programs.•Multi-disciplinary care influences the patient's experience of cancer.

Immunotherapy for myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia: where do we stand?

Introduction: Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are generally characterized by a poor prognosis with currently available therapies. Immunotherapies have already seen success in treating a variety of malignant disorders, and their role in managing myeloid cancers is evolving rapidly.

Areas Covered: This is a review of the immunotherapies tested in MDS and AML, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific antibodies, and cell therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy, T cell receptor (TCR) engineered T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells, with a focus on clinical trials conducted to date and future directions.

Seroprevalence study of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in healthcare workers following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in a tertiary-level hospital in the south of Ireland.

Objective: This study investigated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies, using the Abbott antinucleocapsid IgG chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) assay, in five prespecified healthcare worker (HCW) subgroups following the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Setting: An 800-bed tertiary-level teaching hospital in the south of Ireland.

Participants: Serum was collected for anti-SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid IgG using the Abbott ARCHITECT SARS-CoV-2 IgG CMIA qualitative assay, as per the manufacturer's specifications.

Factors influencing the prescribing behaviour of independent prescriber optometrists: a qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework.

Purpose: Whilst the number of independent prescriber (IP) optometrists in the United Kingdom is increasing, there is limited evidence describing the experiences of these individuals. The Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) provides an evidence-based approach to understand determinants of behaviour. This conceptual framework can enable mapping to the COM-B behaviour change model and the wider Behaviour Change Wheel to develop interventions to optimise behaviour-change and healthcare processes more systematically.

T-Wave Morphology Analysis in Congenital Long QT Syndrome Discriminates Patients From Healthy Individuals.

Objectives: This study aims to assess the capability of T-wave analysis to: 1) identify genotype-positive long QT syndrome (LQTS) patients; 2) identify LQTS patients with borderline or normal QTc interval (≤460 ms); and 3) classify LQTS subtype.

Background: LQTS often presents with a nondiagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG). T-wave abnormalities may be the only marker of this potentially lethal arrhythmia syndrome.

Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) Infection in Ireland.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a single stranded RNA virus causing infection worldwide. In developing countries HEV genotypes 1 and 2 spread faeco-orally via water. Recently, infections with HEV have been detected in Europe and North America in patients with no travel history.

Gd(III) complexes intercalated into hydroxy double salts as potential MRI contrast agents.

The ion exchange intercalation of two Gd-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents into hydroxy double salts (HDSs) is reported. The presence of Gd(3+) diethylenetriaminepentaacetate and Gd(3+) diethylenetriaminepenta(methylenephosphonate) complexes in the HDS lattice after intercalation was confirmed by microwave plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy. The structural aspects of the HDS-Gd composites were studied by X-ray diffraction, with the intercalates having an interlayer spacing of 14.

Chromosome Condensation 1-Like (Chc1L) Is a Novel Tumor Suppressor Involved in Development of Histiocyte-Rich Neoplasms.

Human chromosomal region 13q14 is a deletion hotspot in prostate cancer, multiple myeloma, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This region is believed to host multiple tumor suppressors. Chromosome Condensation 1-like (CHC1L) is located at 13q14, and found within the smallest common region of loss of heterozygosity in prostate cancer.

rbm47, a novel RNA binding protein, regulates zebrafish head development.

Background: Vertebrate trunk induction requires inhibition of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, whereas vertebrate head induction requires concerted inhibition of both Wnt and BMP signaling. RNA binding proteins play diverse roles in embryonic development and their roles in vertebrate head development remain to be elucidated.

Results: We first characterized the human RBM47 as an RNA binding protein that specifically binds RNA but not single-stranded DNA.

HBV reactivation after fludarabine chemotherapy identified on investigation of suspected transfusion-transmitted Hepatitis B virus.

Background & Aims: Multi-transfused patients often receive treatments inducing various levels of immunodeficiency. Acute viral infections may then be attributed either to transfusion-transmitted infection (TTI) or reactivation of a past infection.

Methods: A patient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who had >250 blood donor exposures developed acute Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants affecting cholesterol metabolism.

The approach of somatic cell and molecular genetics for the study of intracellular regulation of cholesterol metabolism has blossomed in recent years. This review lists all the Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants involved in cholesterol metabolism. In addition, it summarizes the characteristics of mutants involved in three different processes: (1) sequential cleavage of the membrane-bound sterol regulatory element-binding proteins; (2) cholesterol esterification; and (3) intracellular cholesterol transport from the lysosome/endosome.

Microwave sputtering of conductors and insulators for optical emission and mass spectrometry.

A microwave-powered slab-line cavity was used to excite a discharge in low pressure argon or neon and to demonstrate the sputtering of conducting and non-conducting samples by a microwave excited discharge. Both optical emission spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used as detection systems. The dependence of the signals on gas pressure and net microwave power was investigated.

Long-term potentiation in mice lacking synapsins.

Synapsin I and synapsin II are widely expressed synaptic vesicle phosphoproteins that have been proposed to play an important role in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. To gain further insight into the functional significance of the phosphorylation sites on the synapsins, we have examined a number of synaptic processes thought to be mediated by protein kinases in knockout mice lacking both forms of synapsin (Rosahl et al., 1995).

Essential functions of synapsins I and II in synaptic vesicle regulation.

Synaptic vesicles are coated by synapsins, phosphoproteins that account for 9% of the vesicle protein. To analyse the functions of these proteins, we have studied knockout mice lacking either synapsin I, synapsin II, or both. Mice lacking synapsins are viable and fertile with no gross anatomical abnormalities, but experience seizures with a frequency proportional to the number of mutant alleles.

Translocation of both lysosomal LDL-derived cholesterol and plasma membrane cholesterol to the endoplasmic reticulum for esterification may require common cellular factors involved in cholesterol egress from the acidic compartments (lysosomes/endosomes).

Using a stable cell line 25-RA derived from wild-type Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells as the parental cell, this laboratory previously reported the isolation and characterization of CHO cell mutants (cholesterol-trafficking or CT) defective in transporting LDL-derived cholesterol out of the acidic compartment(s) (lysosomes/endosomes) to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for esterification. In this report, we show that the CT mutation can be complemented by fusion with human cells; however, attempts to complement the CT defect through DNA transfection have resulted in a collection of stable cell lines designated as ST cells. Under cholesterol starvation condition, the ST cells exhibit an elevated rate of cholesterol ester biosynthesis (by 3- to 5-fold) compared to both the parental CHO cells and the CT cells.

Short-term synaptic plasticity is altered in mice lacking synapsin I.

Synapsin I, the major phosphoprotein of synaptic vesicles, is thought to play a central role in neurotransmitter release. Here we introduce a null mutation into the murine synapsin I gene by homologous recombination. Mice with no detectable synapsin I manifest no apparent changes in well-being or gross nervous system function.

Isolation and characterization of Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants defective in intracellular low density lipoprotein-cholesterol trafficking.

This paper reports the isolation and characterization of Chinese hamster ovary cell mutants defective in low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol trafficking. The parental cell line was 25-RA, which possesses LDL receptors and various cholesterogenic enzyme activities that are partially resistant to down regulation by exogenous sterols (Chang, T. Y.