The Use of Low-Dose Chest Computed Tomography for the Diagnosis and Monitoring of Pulmonary Infections in Patients with Hematologic Malignancies.

The study aimed to assess the image quality and diagnostic performance of low-dose Chest Computed Tomography (LDCCT) in detecting pulmonary infections in patients with hematologic malignancies. A total of 164 neutropenic patients underwent 256 consecutive CT examinations, comparing 149 LDCCT and 107 Standard-Dose Chest CT (SDCCT) between May 2015 and June 2019. LDCCT demonstrated a 47% reduction in radiation dose while maintaining acceptable image noise and quality compared to SDCCT.

Bone Marrow Iron Stores Are Not Associated with Increased Risk for Invasive Fungal Infections in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Acute Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome in Transformation: Is There a Relationship?

Iron plays an important role in the pathogenesis of infections, including invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Studies suggested that iron overload might represent an additional risk factor for IFIs among patients with hematological malignancies. We conducted a prospective, multi-center study amongst adult patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in transformation to determine whether baseline iron overload as measured using the bone marrow iron store (BMIS) score is an independent risk factor for the development of IFIs.

The Role of the Akt Signaling Pathway in Sjögren's Syndrome.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder with diverse clinical picture and high prevalence of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), that possibly raises from the chronic activation of B-cells. The mechanisms underlying the development of neoplasia in pSS remain elusive. Activated Akt/mTOR pathway is a uniform finding in cancer, whereas its significance in haematologic malignancies is highlighted by the plethora of inhibitors with promising therapeutic efficacy.

Effects of Chemotherapy on Aortic 18-Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake in Patients With Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Background: Despite advances in the treatment of oncology patients, therapy-related side effects may lead to premature morbidity. Inflammatory activation that has been linked to cardiovascular disease is crucial for the pathogenesis of both Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the vascular effects of chemotherapy in patients with HL and NHL by positron emission tomography/computed tomography with 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18-FDG PET/CT) and to investigate interactions with systemic inflammation as assessed by circulating inflammatory markers.

The clinical phenotype of primary Sjögren's syndrome patients with lymphadenopathy.

Objectives: Previous cohort studies have shown that around 10% of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) develop lymphadenopathy during their disease course. However, no studies have described their clinical phenotype. The present study aims to describe the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of pSS patients presenting long-standing lymphadenopathy.

Biomarkers of lymphoma in Sjögren's syndrome: what's the latest?

Introduction: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a chronic autoimmune disease standing in the crossroads of autoimmunity and lymphomagenesis, characterized by chronic B-cell hyperactivity and ectopic lymphoid tissue neoformation, potentially driving lymphoid malignant transformation. Lymphoma development is considered the most serious complication of pSS.

Areas Covered: 'Old-classical' biomarkers (clinical, serological, hematological, and histological) validated in the past are analyzed under the perspective of recently published research.

Clinical Phenotype and Mechanisms of Leukopenia/Neutropenia in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Sjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disease which afflicts mainly the exocrine salivary and lachrymal glands, leading to mouth and eye dryness. However, any organ can be affected during the disease course, resulting in a variety of clinical manifestations. Sjögren's syndrome clinical manifestations can be classified into glandular (sicca manifestations or parotid swelling), extra-glandular, either nonspecific (arthralgias, arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon, fatigue) or peri-epithelial (primary biliary cirrhosis, interstitial nephritis, bronchiolitis), and extra-epithelial (palpable glomerulonephritis, peripheral neuropathy, purpura).

Akt Signaling Pathway Is Activated in the Minor Salivary Glands of Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome.

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune exocrinopathy of mainly the salivary and lacrimal glands associated with high prevalence of lymphoma. Akt is a phosphoinositide-dependent serine/threonine kinase, controlling numerous pathological processes, including oncogenesis and autoimmunity. Herein, we sought to examine its implication in pSS pathogenesis and related lymphomagenesis.

Clinical picture, outcome and predictive factors of lymphoma in primary Sjögren's syndrome: results from a harmonized dataset (1981-2021).

Objectives: Primary Sjögren's Syndrome (pSS) carries the highest risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) development among systemic autoimmune diseases. However, the paucity of data on the long-term survival of those patients and the lack of established predictors for each lymphoma histologic subtype prompted our present study.

Methods: We retrospectively analysed 121 patients diagnosed with NHL according to the WHO classification criteria.

+3179G/A Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Receptor Polymorphism: A Novel Susceptibility Contributor in Anti-Ro/SSA Positive Patients with Sjögren's Syndrome: Potential Clinical and Pathogenetic Implications.

Background: Alterations of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) pathway along with genetic variations of the IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) gene have been linked to the development of systemic autoimmunity, possibly through apoptosis induction. This study aims to investigate whether genetic variations of the IGF1R contribute to Sjögren's syndrome (SS) pathogenesis and explores potential functional implications.

Methods: DNA extracted from whole peripheral blood derived from 277 primary SS patients, complicated or not by lymphoma, and 337 Healthy controls (HC) was genotyped for the rs2229765 IGF1R polymorphism using the RFLP-PCR assay.

Serum, but Not Saliva, CXCL13 Levels Associate With Infiltrating CXCL13+ Cells in the Minor Salivary Gland Lesions and Other Histologic Parameters in Patients With Sjögren's Syndrome.

Recent studies suggest that elevated CXCL13 serum levels in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) associate with minor salivary gland (MSG) histologic features, disease severity, as well as high-risk status for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) development and NHL itself. In contrast, limited discriminative value of CXCL13 saliva levels has been reported. Prompt by these reports, we sought to validate the clinical utility of CXCL13 by investigating potential correlations of serum and saliva levels with MSG histopathologic [including CXCL13+-cell number, severity of infiltrates and germinal center (GC) formation], serologic and clinical parameters, as well as NHL.

Interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene 15: A novel biomarker for lymphoma development in Sjögren's syndrome.

Objective: We investigated whether interferon (IFN) induced genes could serve as biomarkers for the detection of lymphoma development among patients with Sjögren's syndrome (SS).

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from 98 labial minor salivary glands (LMSG) biopsies of SS patients [61 not complicated by lymphoma (SS-nL) and 37 complicated by Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) (SS-L)] and 67 matched peripheral blood (PB) samples, as well as from 30 LMSG biopsies and 17 matched PB derived from sicca controls (SC). RNA sequencing was performed in LMSG biopsies of high and low risk SS patients for lymphoma development and SC.

Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2: A Novel Contributor in Sjögren's Syndrome-Related Lymphoma?

Background: B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (B-NHL) is one of the major complications of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS). Chronic inflammation and macrophages in SS minor salivary glands have been previously suggested as significant predictors for lymphoma development among SS patients. Lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2)-a product mainly of tissue macrophages-is found in the circulation associated with lipoproteins and has been previously involved in cardiovascular, autoimmune, and malignant diseases, including lymphoma.

From the (Epi)Genome to Metabolism and Vice Versa; Examples from Hematologic Malignancy.

Hematologic malignancies comprise a heterogeneous group of neoplasms arising from hematopoietic cells or their precursors and most commonly presenting as leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas. Genetic analyses have uncovered recurrent mutations which initiate or accumulate in the course of malignant transformation, as they provide selective growth advantage to the cell. These include mutations in genes encoding transcription factors and epigenetic regulators of metabolic genes, as well as genes encoding key metabolic enzymes.

Exploiting the Role of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 and Pseudohypoxia in the Myelodysplastic Syndrome Pathophysiology.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) comprise a heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem (HSCs) and/or progenitor cells disorders. The established dependence of MDS progenitors on the hypoxic bone marrow (BM) microenvironment turned scientific interests to the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). HIF-1 facilitates quiescence maintenance and regulates differentiation by manipulating HSCs metabolism, being thus an appealing research target.

Effects of Visceralising Leishmania on the Spleen, Liver, and Bone Marrow: A Pathophysiological Perspective.

The leishmaniases constitute a group of parasitic diseases caused by species of the protozoan genus . In humans it can present different clinical manifestations and are usually classified as cutaneous, mucocutaneous, and visceral (VL). Although the full range of parasite-host interactions remains unclear, recent advances are improving our comprehension of VL pathophysiology.

Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-Like Receptor A3 (LILRA3): A Novel Marker for Lymphoma Development among Patients with Young Onset Sjogren's Syndrome.

Background: Primary Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease with a strong predilection for lymphoma development, with earlier disease onset being postulated as an independent risk factor for this complication. Variations of the gene have been previously shown to increase susceptibility for both SS and non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma (B-NHL) in the general population. We aimed to investigate whether variations of the gene could predispose for lymphoma development in the context of SS.

Bioenergetic Profiling of the Differentiating Human MDS Myeloid Lineage with Low and High Bone Marrow Blast Counts.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) encompass a very heterogeneous group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell differentiation disorders with malignant potential and an elusive pathobiology. Given the central role of metabolism in effective differentiation, we performed an untargeted metabolomic analysis of differentiating myeloid lineage cells from MDS bone marrow aspirates that exhibited <5% (G1) or ≥5% (G2) blasts, in order to delineate its role in MDS severity and malignant potential. Bone marrow aspirates were collected from 14 previously untreated MDS patients (G1, = 10 and G2, = 4) and age matched controls ( = 5).

Pathogenetic Mechanisms Implicated in Sjögren's Syndrome Lymphomagenesis: A Review of the Literature.

Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by focal mononuclear cell infiltrates that surround the ducts of the exocrine glands, impairing the function of their secretory units. Compared to other autoimmune disorders, SS is associated with a notably high incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and more frequently mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma, leading to increased morbidity and mortality rates. High risk features of lymphoma development include systemic extraepithelial manifestations, low serum levels of complement component C4 and mixed type II cryoglobulinemia.

T cell lymphoma in the setting of Sjögren's syndrome: T cells gone bad? Report of five cases from a single centre cohort.

Objectives: To identify and record lymphomas of T cell origin in a single centre cohort of 110 Sjögren's syndrome (SS)-associated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients, followed up from 1993 to June 2020.

Methods: We searched for patients diagnosed with T cell lymphoma among 110 SS-associated NHL cases. Demographic data, history of previous lymphoma, histologic subtype, lymphoma stage, treatment schedules, and response to therapy were documented.