Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy among women with a history of leukemia or lymphoma.

Objective: Hypertension during pregnancy can adversely affect maternal and fetal health. This study assessed whether diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma prior to pregnancy is associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy including gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study used two statewide population-based datasets that linked birth certificates with sources of maternal medical history: hospital discharges in California and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry data in Iowa.

Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (ID2) regulates the expression of developmental genes and tumorigenesis in ewing sarcoma.

Sarcomas are difficult to treat and the therapy, even when effective, is associated with long-term and life-threatening side effects. In addition, the treatment regimens for many sarcomas, including Ewing sarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, and osteosarcoma, are relatively unchanged over the past two decades, indicating a critical lack of progress. Although differentiation-based therapies are used for the treatment of some cancers, the application of this approach to sarcomas has proven challenging.

Metabolic differences among newborns born to mothers with a history of leukemia or lymphoma.

Background: Leukemia and lymphoma are cancers affecting children, adolescents, and young adults and may affect reproductive outcomes and maternal metabolism. We evaluated for metabolic changes in newborns of mothers with a history of these cancers.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on California births from 2007 to 2011 with linked maternal hospital discharge records, birth certificate, and newborn screening metabolites.

The risk of preterm birth among women with a history of leukemia or lymphoma.

Objective: Leukemia and lymphoma are top cancers affecting children, adolescents and young adults with high five-year survival rates. Late effects of these cancers are a concern in reproductive-age patients, including pregnancy outcomes such as preterm birth. Our study aimed to evaluate whether diagnosis of leukemia or lymphoma prior to pregnancy was associated with preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation).

Eltrombopag inhibits the proliferation of Ewing sarcoma cells via iron chelation and impaired DNA replication.

Background: The treatment of Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone and soft tissue sarcoma, is associated with suboptimal outcomes and significant side-effects. Consequently, there is an urgent need to identify novel therapies that will improve outcomes for children and adults with Ewing sarcoma tumors while also decreasing treatment-related toxicities.

Methods: We analyzed data from the PRISM drug repurposing screen, which tested the activity of 4518 drugs across 578 cancer cell lines, to identify drugs that selectively inhibit the growth of Ewing sarcoma cell lines.

The translational repressor 4E-BP1 regulates RRM2 levels and functions as a tumor suppressor in Ewing sarcoma tumors.

Ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which is a heterodimeric tetramer composed of RRM1 and RRM2 subunits, is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) and essential for both DNA replication and the repair of DNA damage. The activity of RNR is coordinated with the cell cycle and regulated by fluctuations in the level of the RRM2 subunit. Multiple cancer types, including Ewing sarcoma tumors, are sensitive to inhibitors of RNR or a reduction in the levels of either the RRM1 or RRM2 subunits of RNR.

Factors Impacting Fertility Preservation in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: A Retrospective Study.

Fertility preservation before therapy is underutilized for those diagnosed with cancer as an adolescent or young adult (AYA). The purpose of this study was to describe factors impacting utilization of fertility preservation consultations and procedures among AYAs at the University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC). Patients were identified by the oncology registry at UIHC.

Inhibition of the ATR-CHK1 Pathway in Ewing Sarcoma Cells Causes DNA Damage and Apoptosis via the CDK2-Mediated Degradation of RRM2.

Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides, causes DNA replication stress and activates the ataxia telangiectasia and rad3-related protein (ATR)-checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) pathway. Notably, a number of different cancers, including Ewing sarcoma tumors, are sensitive to the combination of RNR and ATR-CHK1 inhibitors. However, multiple, overlapping mechanisms are reported to underlie the toxicity of ATR-CHK1 inhibitors, both as single agents and in combination with RNR inhibitors, toward cancer cells.

Novel Use of Porcine Urinary Bladder Matrix in the Exenterated Socket.

The aim of exenteration reconstruction is to stabilize the postsurgical wound bed to promote expeditious healing particularly in patients who are undergoing adjuvant radiation and/or chemotherapy. Porcine urinary bladder matrix has previously been used successfully as a wound-healing scaffold in treatment of burns and in acute, chronic, and surgical wounds, but the use of these products has not previously been reported in the exenterated orbit. The authors present a case of the novel use of porcine urinary bladder matrix in a pediatric patient who underwent exenteration for recurrent embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, subsequent split-thickness skin grafting, and adjuvant radiation.

mTORC1/2 and Protein Translation Regulate Levels of CHK1 and the Sensitivity to CHK1 Inhibitors in Ewing Sarcoma Cells.

The treatment of Ewing sarcoma has changed very little in the past two decades and novel treatment approaches are needed. We recently identified that Ewing sarcoma cells are uniquely vulnerable to inhibitors of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of deoxyribonucleotides. We subsequently found that the inhibition of checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) increases the sensitivity of Ewing sarcoma cells to inhibitors of RNR, such as gemcitabine.

Identifying and Understanding the Gaps in Care Experienced by Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

Purpose: In an effort to counteract the differences in improvement in survival rates of adolescents and young adults (AYA), compared to other age groups with cancer, the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics established an AYA cancer program. This study was conducted to gather feedback from AYAs in an effort to generate actionable data for program development.

Methods: The target population included patients aged 13-31 treated for malignancy in one of the following disease sites: central nervous system, leukemia, lymphoma, neuroendocrine, sarcoma, and thyroid.

Inhibition of CHK1 sensitizes Ewing sarcoma cells to the ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor gemcitabine.

Ewing sarcoma is a bone and soft tissue sarcoma that occurs in children and young adults. The EWS-FLI1 gene fusion is the driver mutation in most Ewing sarcoma tumors and functions, in part, as an aberrant transcription factor. We recently identified that Ewing sarcoma cells are sensitive to inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), which catalyzes the formation of deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides.