Infections with in Children Undergoing Anticancer Therapy or Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Multicenter Nationwide Study.

is a nosocomial pathogen that causes severe infections in immunocompromised patients. The aim of the study was to conduct a microbiological and clinical analysis of infections in children with malignancies or undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation in Poland. We conducted a retrospective, multicenter study including children and adolescents under 19 years old treated between 2012 and 2021.

Venetoclax Use in Paediatric Haemato-Oncology Centres in Poland: A 2022 Survey.

Venetoclax, the best established BH3-mimetic, is a practice-changing proapoptotic drug in blood cancers in adults. In paediatrics the data are fewer but exciting results were recently presented in relapsed or refractory leukaemias demonstrating significant clinical activity. Importantly, the in-terventions could be potentially molecularly guided as vulnerabilities to BH3-mimetics were re-ported.

National experience with adenosine deaminase deficiency related SCID in Polish children.

Introduction: Deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA) manifests as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), caused by accumulation of toxic purine degradation by-products. Untreated patients develop immune and non-immune symptoms with fatal clinical course. According to ESID and EBMT recommendations enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) should be implemented as soon as possible to stabilize the patient's general condition, normalize transaminases, treat pulmonary proteinosis, bone dysplasia, and protect from neurological damage.

Infections With Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in Children Undergoing Anticancer Therapy or Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: A Multicenter Nationwide Study.

Background: Infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (SM) have documented high mortality rate in immunocompromised patients.

Aim: This nationwide multicenter study was performed to analyze the epidemiology of SM infections in children undergoing anticancer therapy (pediatric hematology and oncology [PHO]) or hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) over 2012-2019, including incidence and outcome of SM infections, as well as treatment regimens and multidrug resistance.

Methods: Cumulative incidence of SM infections was calculated using the competing risk analysis from the day of diagnosis (PHO setting) or from the day of transplantation (HCT setting).

Heme Oxygenase-1 Has a Greater Effect on Melanoma Stem Cell Properties Than the Expression of Melanoma-Initiating Cell Markers.

Melanoma-initiating cells (MICs) contribute to the tumorigenicity and heterogeneity of melanoma. MICs are identified by surface and functional markers and have been shown to display cancer stem cell (CSC) properties. However, the existence of MICs that follow the hierarchical CSC model has been questioned by studies showing that single unselected melanoma cells are highly tumorigenic in xenotransplantation assays.

The Assessment of Endovascular Therapies in Ischemic Stroke: Management, Problems and Future Approaches.

Ischemic stroke accounts for over 80% of all strokes and is one of the leading causes of mortality and permanent disability worldwide. Intravenous administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) is an approved treatment strategy for acute ischemic stroke of large arteries within 4.5 h of onset, and mechanical thrombectomy can be used for large arteries occlusion up to 24 h after onset.

Anti-HLA immunization of patients qualified for lung transplantation - Single center study.

For lung transplantation, the presence of donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) is an important factor of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) in its hyperacute, acute or chronic form during long-term follow up. The aim of the study was to assess the allosensitization of Polish patients qualified for a lung transplantation in our center. A retrospective study of 161 potential lung allograft recipients, also of 31 patients transplanted in the University Hospital of Gdansk, between June 2018 and December 2020 were performed.

Analysis of incidence and risk factors of the multidrug resistant gastrointestinal tract infection in children and adolescents undergoing allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation: a nationwide study.

The aim of this multi-center study was to evaluate the incidence, clinical course, and risk factors for bacterial multidrug-resistant (MDR) gastrointestinal tract infections (GTI) among children undergoing allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation. A total number of 175 pediatric patients (aged 1-18 years), transplanted between January 2018 and December 2019, who were tested for bacterial colonization/infection were enrolled into this multi-center analysis. Episodes of MDR GTI occurred in 77/175 (44%) patients.

Impact of decontamination therapy on gastrointestinal acute graft-versus-host disease after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation in children: Decontamination therapy in allo-HCT.

Introduction: Gut colonization with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) is associated with a significantly decreased overall survival in adult patients undergoing allo-HCT because of an increased treatment-related mortality.

Objective: The objective of this multicenter study was the analysis of impact of gut colonization status and the use of antibiotics on development of gastro-intestinal (GI) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of allo-HCT in children.

Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent allo-HCT over a period of three years in all pediatric HCT centers in Poland were analyzed for the impact of gut colonization on GI GVHD, with respect to standard of care including prophylaxis of infections and supportive therapy.

Factors Modifying Outcome After MIBG Therapy in Children With Neuroblastoma-A National Retrospective Study.

Background: Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric extracranial tumor with varied prognoses, but the survival of treated refractory or relapsing patients remains poor.

Objective: This analysis presents the outcomes of children with neuroblastoma undergoing MIBG therapy in Poland in 2006-2019.

Study Design: A retrospective cohort of 55 patients with refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma treated with I-131 MIBG in Poland in 2006-2019 was analyzed.

Prospective analysis of BKV hemorrhagic cystitis in children and adolescents undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation.

BK virus is one of the most common causes of hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in children undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Viruses can be found in urine and serum samples of immunocompromised patients. Malignant diseases, age, cell source, day of granulocyte reconstitution, conditioning regimen, or use of total body irradiation may play an important role in BKV epidemiology, development of hemorrhagic cystitis course, and outcome.

Development of a Peptide Derived from Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF-BB) into a Potential Drug Candidate for the Treatment of Wounds.

This study evaluated the use of novel peptides derived from platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) as potential wound healing stimulants. One of the compounds (named PDGF2) was subjected for further research after cytotoxicity and proliferation assays on human skin cells. Further investigation included evaluation of: migration and chemotaxis of skin cells, immunological and allergic safety, the transcriptional analyses of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and dermal fibroblasts stimulated with PDGF2, and the use of dorsal skin wound injury model to evaluate the effect of wound healing in mice.

Effect of serum on SmartFlare™ RNA Probes uptake and detection in cultured human cells.

SmartFlare™ RNA Detection Probes from Millipore is a novel technology to detect RNA in live cells based on the use of 12 nm gold nanoparticles coated with nucleotides. We proved that SmartFlares™ are internalized by human primary lymphocytes. However, fluorescence signals from target RNA detection can only be observed in the presence of Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) in the medium, whereas it is not detectable without FBS or when medium is supplemented with human albumin.

Disseminated Juvenile Xanthogranuloma and Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis Developed During Treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Case Report.

The association between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis (non-LCH), and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), to the best of our knowledge, has not been published to date. Juvenile xanthogranuloma (JXG), as a type of non-LCH, is usually a benign disease limited to the skin. Systemic involvement is rarely reported.

Lack of miR-378 attenuates muscular dystrophy in mdx mice.

The severity of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an incurable disease caused by the lack of dystrophin, might be modulated by different factors, including miRNAs. Among them, miR-378 is considered of high importance for muscle biology, but intriguingly, its role in DMD and its murine model (mdx mice) has not been thoroughly addressed so far. Here, we demonstrate that dystrophic mice additionally globally lacking miR-378 (double-KO [dKO] animals) exhibited better physical performance and improved absolute muscle force compared with mdx mice.

Infectious complications after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for primary immunodeficiency in children: A multicenter nationwide study.

Purpose: The aim of this nationwide study was to evaluate the characteristics of bacterial infections (BI), invasive fungal disease (IFD), and viral infections (VI) in pediatric patients with PID after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

Patients And Methods: In total, 114 HSCT recipients were enrolled into the study. At least one infectious complication (IC) was diagnosed in 60 (52.

Immunosuppressive properties of amino acid and peptide derivatives of mycophenolic acid.

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) was coupled with amino acids and biologically active peptides including derivatives of tuftsin to modify its immunosuppressive properties. Both amino acid unit in the case of simple MPA amides and modifications within peptide moiety of MPA - tuftsin conjugates influenced the observed activity. Antiproliferative potential of the obtained conjugates was investigated in vitro and MPA amides with threonine methyl ester and conjugate of MPA with retro-tuftisin occurred to be more selective against PBMC in comparison to parent MPA.

Data regarding a new, vector-enzymatic DNA fragment amplification-expression technology for the construction of artificial, concatemeric DNA, RNA and proteins, as well as biological effects of selected polypeptides obtained using this method.

Applications of bioactive peptides and polypeptides are emerging in areas such as drug development and drug delivery systems. These compounds are bioactive, biocompatible and represent a wide range of chemical properties, enabling further adjustments of obtained biomaterials. However, delivering large quantities of peptide derivatives is still challenging.

A vector-enzymatic DNA fragment amplification-expression technology for construction of artificial, concatemeric DNA, RNA and proteins for novel biomaterials, biomedical and industrial applications.

A DNA fragment amplification/expression technology for the production of new generation biomaterials for scientific, industrial and biomedical applications is described. The technology enables the formation of artificial Open Reading Frames (ORFs) encoding concatemeric RNAs and proteins. It recruits the Type IIS SapI restriction endonuclease (REase) for an assembling of DNA fragments in an ordered head-to-tail-orientation.

Low seroprevalence and low incidence of infection with Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) in pediatric hematopoietic cell transplantation donors and recipients: Polish nationwide study.

Toxoplasmosis is a potentially fatal complication after hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Pre-transplant seropositivity of graft recipient to Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) is an important factor for disease reactivation after HCT. As toxoplasmosis epidemiology varies all over the world, we performed a Polish nationwide retrospective cohort study to determine the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in donors and pediatric allogeneic and autologous HCT recipients and the incidence of clinically evident toxoplasmosis in this patient group.

Cobalt protoporphyrin IX increases endogenous G-CSF and mobilizes HSC and granulocytes to the blood.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is used in clinical practice to mobilize cells from the bone marrow to the blood; however, it is not always effective. We show that cobalt protoporphyrin IX (CoPP) increases plasma concentrations of G-CSF, IL-6, and MCP-1 in mice, triggering the mobilization of granulocytes and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC). Compared with recombinant G-CSF, CoPP mobilizes higher number of HSPC and mature granulocytes.

Multidrug-resistant bacterial infections in children undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplantation over a 6-year period: analysis of the Polish Pediatric Group for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Aims: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria are an emerging cause of morbidity and mortality after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The aim of the study was to analyse the incidence, clinical characteristics and survival from bacterial infections (BI) caused by MDR pathogens in paediatric HSCT recipients.

Methods And Results: Among 971 transplanted patients, BI were found in 416 children between the years 2012 and 2017.