Dissecting the genome sequence of a clinical isolated Cunninghamella bertholletiae Z2 strain with rich cytochrome P450 enzymes (Article).

Mucormycosis is receiving much more attention because of its high morbidity and extremely high mortality rate in immunosuppressed populations. In this study, we isolated a Cunnignhamella bertholletiae Z2 strain from a skin lesion of a 14 year, 9 months old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who die of infection from the Z2 strain. Genome sequencing was performed after isolation and amplification of the Z2 strain to reveal potential virulence factors and pathogenic mechanisms.

The effect of the plasma methotrexate concentration during high-dose methotrexate therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Two hundred and thirty-one acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) children with 1376 high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) courses (3-5 g/m) were enrolled to analyze the influence of the plasma MTX concentration () in ALL. The 24-h target peak () was set at 33 μmol/l for low-risk (LR) and 65 μmol/l for intermediate/high-risk (IR/HR) groups. The median was 42.

The predictive utility of cytokines, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein among febrile pediatric hematology and oncology patients with severe sepsis or septic shock.

Severe sepsis and septic shock are life-threatening for pediatric hematology and oncology patient receiving chemotherapy. Th1/Th2 cytokines, C-reactive protein (CRP), and procalcitonin (PCT) are all thought to be associated with disease severity. The aim of this study was to prospectively verify the utility of Th1/Th2 cytokines and compare them with PCT and CRP in the prediction of adverse outcomes.

Metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the diagnosis of fever of unknown origin in pediatric patients with hematological malignancy.

Background And Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in identifying microbiological etiologies in pediatric patients with hematological malignancies undergoing fever of unknown origin (FUO).

Methods: A total of 147 children with hematological malignancy suffering febrile diseases without definite microbiological etiologies under conventional tests were enrolled. The clinical record, serum inflammatory biomarkers and mNGS results were analyzed.

Gram-Level Production of Balanol through Regulatory Pathway and Medium Optimization in Herb Fungus .

As a potential protein kinase C inhibitor, the fungus metabolite balanol has become more attractive in recent decades. In our previous work, we revealed its biosynthetic pathway through overexpression of the cluster-situated regulator gene in Chinese herb fungus . However, information on the regulation of is still largely unknown.

Integration of Interleukin-6 Improves the Diagnostic Precision of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Infection in Immunocompromised Children.

The performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in identifying pathogens in immunocompromised children was not very clear. The purpose of this study is to assess the performance of mNGS in this population and to investigate whether the integration of serum cytokines and mNGS assay could improve diagnostic accuracy. We retrospectively collected the clinical data of pediatric patients who suffered febrile diseases and underwent mNGS determination simultaneously in the department of hematology/oncology between January 2019 and March 2021.

Simple Evaluation of Clinical Situation and Subtypes of Pediatric Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis by Cytokine Patterns.

Background: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a rapidly fatal disease caused by immune dysregulation. Early initiation of treatment is imperative for saving lives. However, a laboratory approach that could be used to quickly evaluate the HLH subtype and clinical situation is lacking.

Early Death and Survival of Patients With Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia in ATRA Plus Arsenic Era: A Population-Based Study.

Most randomized trials for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) have investigated highly selected patients under idealized conditions, and the findings need to be validated in the real world. We conducted a population-based study of all APL patients in Zhejiang Province, China, with a total population of 82 million people, to assess the generalization of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and arsenic as front-line treatment. The outcomes of APL patients were also analyzed.

High CD38 expression in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is not associated with prognosis.

Background: Prognostic factors are not well exploited in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the prognostic role of CD38 as well as minimal residual disease (MRD) and other biological factors in T-ALL.

Methods: Immunophenotyping of bone marrow (BM) at diagnosis and MRD levels were determined using a standard panel of antibodies by 4-colour flow cytometry.

Low expression of TET2 gene in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated with poor clinical outcome.

Introduction: TET2, a member of the Ten-Eleven translocation gene family, catalyzes the conversion of 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in DNA. Low expression of TET2 has been reported as a prognostic factor for several types of malignancies in adult patients. However, there have been few data on the effect of TET2 mRNA level on the prognosis of children with ALL so far.

Evaluation of IVIG response in relation to Th1/Th2 cytokines in pediatricm immune thrombocytopenia.

Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a common immune-mediated bleeding disorder in children, and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is widely used as the initial therapy of ITP. Effective predictive factors of response to IVIG in ITP are important for guiding the treatment decisions. A retrospective study was performed on 197 Chinese ITP patients, and the data of their serum interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels, age at onset, duration of disease, white blood cell count (WBC), platelet count, and gender ratio were collected.

Comparison of interleukin-6, interleukin-10, procalcitonin and C-reactive protein in identifying high-risk febrile illness in pediatric cancer patients: A prospective observational study.

The aim of this study is to systematically compare the performance of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT) and serum cytokines in identifying pediatric cancer patients with high-risk infection. A prospective observational study was performed from January 2014 through December 2016. Consecutive pediatric cancer patients who experienced febrile illness during hospitalization were enrolled.

A new in-frame deletion in ribosomal protein S19 in a Chinese infant with Diamond-Blackfan anemia.

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a congenital erythroid aplasia that usually presents as macrocytic anemia during infancy. Ribosomal protein S19 (RPS19) is identified as the first gene associated with DBA. RPS19 is mutated in 25% of DBA patients, but its role in DBA pathogenesis remains to be elucidated.

Associations between inflammatory cytokines and organ damage in pediatric patients with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a potentially fatal disease characterized by overwhelming inflammation response and multiple organ damage. Most of the clinical and laboratory manifestations of HLH are thought to be related to hypercytokinemia and organ infiltration with lymphocytes and histiocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations between cytokines and various manifestations of HLH.

Efficiency of interleukin 6 and interferon gamma in the differentiation of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and pneumocystis pneumonia in pediatric oncology patients.

Objective: Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) and Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) are two types of pulmonary fungal infection that are not easy to differentiate. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of inflammatory cytokines in the differential diagnosis of IPA and PCP.

Methods: A total of 227 pediatric oncology patients diagnosed with acute pneumonia were enrolled.

Corticosteroid administration is associated with improved outcome of patients presenting high inflammatory cytokine levels during septic shock.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the corticosteroid effects on pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock.

Procedure: We performed a retrospective study by examining data from a prospective observational study in pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock. We compared the clinical features and the outcomes of the patients treated with and without corticosteroid.

Serum creatinine and creatinine clearance for predicting plasma methotrexate concentrations after high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy for the treatment for childhood lymphoblastic malignancies.

Purpose: Monitoring of plasma methotrexate (MTX) concentrations allows for therapeutic adjustments in treating childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with high-dose MTX (HDMTX). We tested the hypothesis that assessment of creatinine clearance (CrCl) and/or serum Cr may be a suitable means of monitoring plasma MTX concentrations.

Methods: All children in the study had ALL or NHL, were in complete remission, and received HDMTX (3 or 5 g/m(2))+leucovorin.

A multiplex cytokine score for the prediction of disease severity in pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock.

Although many inflammatory cytokines are prognostic in sepsis, the utility of cytokines in evaluating disease severity in pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock was rarely studied. On the other hand, a single particular cytokine is far from ideal in guiding therapeutic intervention, but combination of multiple biomarkers improves the accuracy. In this prospective observational study, 111 episodes of septic shock in pediatric hematology/oncology patients were enrolled from 2006 through 2012.

Absolute lymphocyte count is associated with minimal residual disease level in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The prognostic value of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) has been a recent matter of debate in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In the current study, ALCs at the time of diagnosis (ALC-0), after 7 days of initial therapy (ALC-8) and at interim of the induction therapy (ALC-22) were examined in Chinese children with B-cell precursor (BCP) ALL and correlated with the level of minimal residual disease (MRD) at day 22 of induction therapy. Medical and laboratory records of 140 patients diagnosed with childhood BCP ALL were retrieved and analyzed.

Prognostic significance of flow cytometric minimal residual disease assessment after the first induction course in Chinese childhood acute myeloid leukemia.

Flow cytometry based minimal residual disease (MRD) was evaluated for outcome prediction in childhood acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The median levels of MRD in relapsed and nonrelapsed patients were different after the first induction (0.64% vs.

Inflammatory cytokine measurement quickly discriminates gram-negative from gram-positive bacteremia in pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock.

Purpose: We performed a prospective study to evaluate the ability of inflammatory cytokines in discriminating gram-negative from gram-positive bacteremia in septic shock.

Methods: During the study period, the serum inflammatory cytokine levels were measured at the onset of septic shock by flow cytometry in pediatric hematology/oncology patients with septic shock.

Results: One hundred episodes of septic shock were enrolled.