Diagnostic significance of cerebrospinal fluid flow cytometry in Chinese children with B lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) is one of the major causes of the poor prognosis of childhood leukemia. We aimed to compare the sensitivity of cytomorphology (CM) and flow cytometry (FCM) in diagnosing CNSL, emphasizing the importance of FCM in the diagnosis process. METHODS: One-hundred-sixty-five children with newly diagnosed B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-cell ALL) were included in this study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were taken for routine CSF analysis, CM analysis, and FCM examination. Computed tomography scans and/or magnetic resonance imaging were performed at diagnosis. Patients with CNS2, CNS3, and traumatic lumbar puncture (TLP) at diagnosis received two additional courses of triple intrathecal injections during induction treatment. We compared the sensitivity of FCM and CM in the diagnosis of children with CNSL. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-eight (77.58%) CSF samples were negative by either CM or FCM (CM-/FCM-), four (2.42%) were positive by both CM and FCM (CM+/FCM+), and thirty-three (20%) displayed a single positive finding by FCM (CM-/FCM+) (p = 0.044). By adding two intrathecal injections in the induction treatment, ten children with TLP+ had no CNS relapse, like those with TLP-. However, compared to CNS1 and TLP, the event-free survival (EFS) did not significantly improve in patients with CNS2 and CNS3. Moreover, CNSL status was associated with worse 3-year EFS (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We have validated that FCM is more accurate in stratifying the status of the CNS compared to CM analysis. However, to improve the EFS rate of childhood leukemia, it is necessary to combine CM examination, FCM, and cranial imaging for the early diagnosis of CNSL.

AtMAC stabilizes the phragmoplast by crosslinking microtubules and actin filaments during cytokinesis.

The phragmoplast, a structure crucial for the completion of cytokinesis in plant cells, is composed of antiparallel microtubules (MTs) and actin filaments (AFs). However, how the parallel structure of phragmoplast MTs and AFs is maintained, especially during centrifugal phragmoplast expansion, remains elusive. Here, we analyzed a new Arabidopsis thaliana MT and AF crosslinking protein (AtMAC). When AtMAC was deleted, the phragmoplast showed disintegrity during centrifugal expansion, and the resulting phragmoplast fragmentation led to incomplete cell plates. Overexpression of AtMAC increased the resistance of phragmoplasts to depolymerization and caused the formation of additional phragmoplasts during cytokinesis. Biochemical experiments showed that AtMAC crosslinked MTs and AFs in vitro, and the truncated AtMAC protein, N-CC1, was the key domain controlling the ability of AtMAC. Further analysis showed that N-CC1(51-154) is the key domain for binding MTs, and N-CC1(51-125) for binding AFs. In conclusion, AtMAC is the novel MT and AF crosslinking protein found to be involved in regulation of phragmoplast organization during centrifugal phragmoplast expansion, which is required for complete cytokinesis.

[Blinatumomab as bridging therapy in two children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia complicated by invasive fungal disease]. / 2例急性Bæ·‹å·´ç»†èƒžç™½è¡€ç— åˆå¹¶ä¾µè¢­æ€§çœŸèŒç— å„¿ç«¥åº”ç”¨è´æž—å¦¥æ¬§å•æŠ—æ¡¥æŽ¥æ²»ç–—åˆ†æž.

This article reports two cases of children with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) complicated by invasive fungal disease (IFD) who received bridging treatment using blinatumomab. Case 1 was a 4-month-old female infant who experienced recurrent high fever and limb weakness during chemotherapy. Blood culture was negative, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) of peripheral blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid were all negative. Chest CT and cranial MRI revealed obvious infection foci. Case 2 was a 2-year-old male patient who experienced recurrent high fever with multiple inflammatory masses during chemotherapy. Candida tropicalis was detected in peripheral blood and abscess fluid using NGS, while blood culture and imaging examinations showed no obvious abnormalities. After antifungal and blinatumomab therapy, both cases showed significant improvement in symptoms, signs, and imaging, and B-ALL remained in continuous remission. The report indicates that bridging treatment with blinatumomab in children with B-ALL complicated by IFD can rebuild the immune system and control the underlying disease in the presence of immunosuppression and severe fungal infection.

Effects of triptolide on pharmacokinetics of fenofibrate in rats and its potential mechanism.

Triptolide and fenofibrate are often used together for the treatment of nephrotic syndrome in Chinese clinics. This study investigates the effects of triptolide on the pharmacokinetics of fenofibrate in rats and it potential mechanism. The pharmacokinetics of fenofibrate (20 mg/kg) with or without triptolide pretreatment (2 mg/kg/day for seven days) were investigated. Additionally, the inhibitory effects of triptolide on the metabolic stability of fenofibrate were investigated using rat liver microsome incubation systems. The results indicated that the Cmax (35.34 ± 7.52 vs. 30.43 ± 6.45 µg/mL), t1/2 (6.17 ± 1.15 vs. 4.90 ± 0.82 h) and AUC(0-t) (468.12 ± 35.84 vs. 416.35 ± 32.68 mg h L-1) of fenofibric acid decreased significantly (p < .05). The Tmax of fenofibric acid increased significantly (p < .05) from 5.12 ± 0.36 to 6.07 ± 0.68 h. Additionally, the metabolic stability of fenofibrate was prolonged from 35.8 ± 6.2 to 48.6 ± 7.5 min (p < .05) with the pretreatment of triptolide. In conclusion, these results indicated that triptolide could affect the pharmacokinetics of fenofibric acid, possibly by inhibiting the metabolism of fenofibrate in rat liver when they were co-administered.

Reconstruction of an SSR-based Magnaporthe oryzae physical map to locate avirulence gene AvrPi12.

BACKGROUND: Pathogen avirulence (Avr) genes can evolve rapidly when challenged by the widespread deployment of host genes for resistance. They can be effectively isolated by positional cloning provided a robust and well-populated genetic map is available. RESULTS: An updated, SSR-based physical map of the rice blast pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae (Mo) has been constructed based on 116 of the 120 SSRs used to assemble the last map, along with 18 newly developed ones. A comparison between the two versions of the map has revealed an altered marker content and order within most of the Mo chromosomes. The avirulence gene AvrPi12 was mapped in a population of 219 progeny derived from a cross between the two Mo isolates CHL42 and CHL357. A bulked segregant analysis indicated that the gene was located on chromosome 6, a conclusion borne out by an analysis of the pattern of segregation shown by individual isolates. Six additional PCR-based markers were developed to improve the map resolution in the key region. AvrPi12 was finally located within the sub-telomeric region of chromosome 6, distal to the SSR locus LSM6-5. CONCLUSIONS: The improved SSR-based linkage map should be useful as a platform for gene mapping and isolation in Mo. It was used to establish the location of AvrPi12, thereby providing a starting point for its positional cloning.

A conscious rat model involving bradycardia and hypotension after oral administration: a toxicokinetical study of aconitine.

1. A model of aconitine-induced bradycardia and hypotension, which is similar to aconitine poisoning in humans, was constructed in conscious rats by oral administration. 2. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) of Sprague-Dawley rats were measured using a volume pressure recording (VPR) system. The pharmacokinetics of toxic doses of aconitine and its metabolites were analyzed using UPLC-MS/MS. 3. The HR was significantly decreased by 29% at 2 h after oral administration of 200 µg/kg aconitine. When the dose was increased to 400 µg/kg, systolic BP and diastolic BP were significantly decreased by 11% and 12% at 2 h after the administration, except when bradycardia occurred at 2 h and 4 h. The drug concentration-time curve showed a double-peak phenomenon in rats administered a 400 µg/kg dose. The AUC0-12 h value in the 400 µg/kg group significantly increased 0.8-fold compared to the 200 µg/kg group. Moreover, a high plasma concentration of 16-O-demethyaconitine was found in the rats that received two toxic doses. 4. In conclusion, bradycardia and hypotension are induced in conscious rats by a toxic dose of aconitine (400 µg/kg), and there was no significant difference in dose-normalized AUC0-12 h values between oral administrations of 200 µg/kg and that of 400 µg/kg. However, the dose-normalized Cmax and AUC0-12 h values in 200 µg/kg and 400 µg/kg groups were significantly smaller than those in 100 µg/kg group. The metabolites of aconitine, 16-O-demethyaconitine, and benzoylaconitine may also contribute to the hypotensive response.

Enantioselective pharmacokinetics of doxazosin and pharmacokinetic interaction between the isomers in rats.

In this study, the stereoselective pharmacokinetics of doxazosin enantiomers and their pharmacokinetic interaction were studied in rats. Enantiomer concentrations in plasma were measured using chiral high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection after oral or intravenous administration of (-)-(R)-doxazosin 3.0 mg/kg, (+)-(S)-doxazosin 3.0 mg/kg, and rac-doxazosin 6.0 mg/kg. AUC values of (+)-(S)-doxazosin were always larger than those of (-)-(R)-doxazosin, regardless of oral or intravenous administration. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax ) value of (-)-(R)-doxazosin after oral administration was significantly higher when given alone (110.5 ± 46.4 ng/mL) versus in racemate (53.2 ± 19.7 ng/mL), whereas the Cmax value of (+)-(S)-doxazosin did not change significantly. The area under the curve (AUC) and Cmax values for (+)-(S)-doxazosin after intravenous administration were significantly lower, and its Cl value significantly higher, when given alone versus in racemate. We speculate that (-)-(R)-doxazosin increases (+)-(S)-doxazosin exposure probably by inhibiting the elimination of (+)-(S)-doxazosin, and the enantiomers may be competitively absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. In conclusion, doxazosin pharmacokinetics are substantially stereospecific and enantiomer-enantiomer interaction occurs after rac-administration.

Case report: Clinical features of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia presenting with cardiac tamponade: a case series study and literature review.

Objective: This study aims to elucidate the clinical features observed in cases of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) initially presenting with cardiac tamponade and to share treatment experiences. Materials and methods: Five pediatric patients were initially diagnosed with AML accompanied by cardiac myeloid sarcoma (MS). The diagnosis was established by examining our hospital records and reviewing pertinent literature from 1990 to July 2023, accessible through MEDLINE/PubMed. We comprehensively assessed the clinical characteristics and treatment modalities employed for these patients. Result: Five pediatric patients presented with acute symptoms, including shortness of breath, malaise, cough, and fever, leading to their hospitalization. Physical examination revealed irritability, hypoxia, tachypnea, tachycardia, and hypotension. Initial detection utilized chest X-ray or echocardiogram, leading to subsequent diagnoses based on pericardial effusion and/or bone marrow examination. Two patients received chemotherapy at the time of initial diagnosis, one with cytarabine and etoposide, and the other with cytarabine and cladribine. Post-treatment, their bone marrow achieved remission, and over a 2.5-year follow-up, their cardiac function remained favorable. Unfortunately, the remaining three patients succumbed within two weeks after diagnosis, either due to receiving alternative drugs or without undergoing chemotherapy. Conclusion: This is the first and largest case series of pediatric AML patients with cardiac MS, manifesting initially with cardiac tamponade. It highlights the rarity and high mortality associated with this condition. The critical factors for reducing mortality include identifying clinical manifestations, conducting thorough physical examinations, performing echocardiography promptly, initiating early and timely pericardial drainage, and avoiding cardiotoxic chemotherapy medications.

Distinct functions of microtubules and actin filaments in the transportation of the male germ unit in pollen.

Flowering plants rely on the polarized growth of pollen tubes to deliver sperm cells (SCs) to the embryo sac for double fertilization. In pollen, the vegetative nucleus (VN) and two SCs form the male germ unit (MGU). However, the mechanism underlying directional transportation of MGU is not well understood. In this study, we provide the first full picture of the dynamic interplay among microtubules, actin filaments, and MGU during pollen germination and tube growth. Depolymerization of microtubules and inhibition of kinesin activity result in an increased velocity and magnified amplitude of VN's forward and backward movement. Pharmacological washout experiments further suggest that microtubules participate in coordinating the directional movement of MGU. In contrast, suppression of the actomyosin system leads to a reduced velocity of VN mobility but without a moving pattern change. Moreover, detailed observation shows that the direction and velocity of VN's movement are in close correlations with those of the actomyosin-driven cytoplasmic streaming surrounding VN. Therefore, we propose that while actomyosin-based cytoplasmic streaming influences on the oscillational movement of MGU, microtubules and kinesins avoid MGU drifting with the cytoplasmic streaming and act as the major regulator for fine-tuning the proper positioning and directional migration of MGU in pollen.

Multivalued neutrosophic power partitioned Hamy mean operators and their application in MAGDM.

The novel multivalued neutrosophic aggregation operators are proposed in this paper to handle the complicated decision-making situations with correlation between specific information and partitioned parameters at the same time, which are based on weighted power partitioned Hamy mean (WMNPPHAM) operators for multivalued neutrosophic sets (MNS) proposed by combining the Power Average and Hamy operators. Firstly, the power partitioned Hamy mean (PPHAM) is capable of capture the correlation between aggregation parameters and the relationship among attributes dividing several parts, where the attributes are dependent definitely within the interchangeable fragment, other attributes in divergent sections are irrelevant. Secondly, because MNS can effectively represent imprecise, insufficient, and uncertain information, we proposed the multivalued neutrosophic PMHAM (WMNPHAM) operator for MNS and its partitioned variant (WMNPPHAM) with the characteristics and examples. Finally, this multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) technique is proven to be feasible by comparing with the existing methods to confirm this method's usefulness and validity.

[Rapid determination of 13 ß-blockers in health foods by ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry].

A method based on ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole/electrostatic field orbitrap mass spectrometry was developed for the rapid determination of 13 ß-blockers in health foods. The MS fragmentation pathways of the analytes were subsequently investigated. The optimal MS conditions, extraction solvents, mobile phases, and matrix effects were evaluated in detail. The samples were extracted with methanol, filtered by high-speed centrifugation and ultrasonic treatment, and then separated on an Acquity UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm×2.1 mm, 1.7 µm) with gradient elution using acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) formic acid aqueous solution as mobile phases. MS analysis was conducted in positive-ion mode, and the data were collected using full mass and data-dependent MS2 scans (Full MS/dd-MS2). The efficient separation and high-precision primary and secondary scanning of the 13 ß-blockers in health foods were realized within 10 min, and accurate mass numbers and fragment-ion information were obtained. The methodological validation showed good linear relationships in the range of 0.5-100 µg/L, with correlation coefficients (r)≥0.9912. The limits of detection ranged from 1 to 10 µg/kg. When the standard substances were added to the blank sample in the amount of 10-200 µg/kg, the recoveries were in the range of 75.3%-108.4%, and the relative standard deviations ranged from 0.9% to 10.0% (n=6). The method was used to screen 30 batches of commercially available health foods, and none of the 13 ß-blockers was detected. The proposed method is fast, accurate, and sensitive, and can be used for the rapid determination of ß-blockers in health foods.

Rational design of 4-((6-phenoxypyrimidin-4-yl)amino)-N-(4-(piperazin-1-yl)phenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (LT-540-717) as orally bioavailable FLT3 inhibitor.

In recent years, fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) was confirmed as an exciting target for treatment of AML. However, resistance to FLT3 inhibitors caused by acquired point mutations in tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) have limited their sustained efficacious. Thus, there remains an unmet need to develop high-efficacy FLT3 inhibitors against both FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) and FLT3 (TKD) mutations. Herein, we describe the discovery of compound LT-540-717 (32), a potent FLT3 inhibitor (IC50: 0.62 nM), starting from FN-1501. Compound 32 exhibited highly inhibitory activity against several acquired FLT3 mutations including FLT3 (ITD, D835V), FLT3 (ITD, F691L), FLT3 (D835Y) and FLT3 (D835V). Additionally, 32 displayed potent antiproliferative activity against FLT3-mutation driven BaF3 and AML cells. Oral administration of 32 (25 mg/kg, QD) significantly prohibited tumor growth (tumor-inhibition rate is 94.18%), and no obvious side effect was observed even when increasing dose to 50 mg/kg (tumor-inhibition rate is 93.98%). Furthermore, 32 showed an acceptable bioavailability (F = 33.3% in rat and 72.7% in beagles), a suitable half-life time (T1/2 = 3.5 h in rat and T1/2 = 11.1 h in beagles), and a satisfactory metabolic stability. In summary, these results show the therapeutic potential of 32 to become a new anti-AML drug, especially for AML harboring dual FLT3 (ITD, TKD) mutations.

Clinical application of next-generation sequencing-based monitoring of minimal residual disease in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is an emerging technology that can comprehensively assess the diversity of the immune system. We explored the feasibility of NGS in detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) based on immunoglobulin and T cell receptor. METHODS: Bone marrow samples were collected pre- and post-treatment with pediatric ALL admitted to Shenzhen Children's Hospital from February 1st, 2020 to January 31st, 2021. We analyzed the MRD detected by NGS, multiparametric flow cytometry (MFC) and real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), and analyzed risk factors of positive NGS-MRD at the end of B-ALL induction chemotherapy. RESULTS: A total of paired 236 bone marrow samples were collected from 64 children with ALL (58 B-ALL and 6 T-ALL). The decrease in the clonal rearrangement frequency of IGH, IGK, and IGL was generally consistent after treatment. Positive MRD was detected in 57.5% (77/134) of B-ALL and 80% (12/15) of T-ALL by NGS after chemotherapy, which was higher than those detected by MFC and RQ-PCR. In B-ALL patients, MRD results detected by NGS were consistent with MFC (r = 0.708, p < 0.001) and RQ-PCR (r = 0.618, p < 0.001). At the end of induction, NGS-MRD of 40.4% B-ALL was > 0.01% and multivariate analysis indicated that ≧2 clonal rearrangement sequences before treatment were an independent factor of negative NGS-MRD. CONCLUSIONS: NGS is more sensitive than MFC and RQ-PCR for MRD measurement. B-ALL children with ≧2 clonal rearrangements detected by NGS before treatment are difficult to switch to negative MRD after chemotherapy.

PROM1 and CTGF Expression in Childhood MLL-Rearrangement Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

The prognosis of over 90% of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains poor because of harboring the mixed-lineage leukemia gene (MLL) fusion. To give insight into the critical coexpressed genes related to the MLL-rearrangement (MLL-R) gene in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we integrated different bioinformatic methods. First, the gene expression data of MLL-R ALL and normal samples from GSE13159 and GSE13164 were analyzed using "compare" function in the Oncomine database. The top 150 overexpressed and 150 underexpressed genes were identified by the Oncomine website. Then, we employed the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) to define functional genes for the 300 DEGs. The Cytoscape identified two important networks for overexpressed genes, including 35 functional genes, among which PROM1, FLT3, CTGF, LGALS1, IGFBP7, ZNRF1, and RUNX2 were considered as the key genes because of their high expression in MLL-R ALL compared to the expression in other subclassification of leukemia in the MILE dataset. Further analysis of GSE68720, GSE19475, and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) ALL (phase I) database confirmed the robust expression of 7 key genes in MLL-R compared to MLL-germline (MLL-G) childhood ALL. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that childhood ALL patients with high PROM1 and CTGF expression had significantly poor overall survival. These findings suggest that PROM1 and CTGF represent two potential therapeutic targets for childhood MLL-R ALL.

High-Luminescence Electrospun Polymeric Microfibers In Situ Embedded with CdSe Quantum Dots with Excellent Environmental Stability for Heat and Humidity Wearable Sensors.

In this paper, hydrophobic luminescent CdSe quantum dots are successfully dispersed in a mixture of styrene and methyl methacrylate through the oleic to methacrylic acid ligand exchange. Further in situ solution polymerization of the quantum dots in a mixture of styrene and methyl methacrylate followed by electrospinning allowed us to prepare luminescence hybrid styrene-co-methyl methacrylate fibers embedded with quantum dots. CdSe@P(S+MMA) hybrid fibers with 27% quantum yield showed excellent moisture, heat and salt resistance with a photoluminescence output below 120 °C. When dry heated, the hybrid fibers of the fluorescence signals decreased with temperature to 79%, 40%, 28%, 20% and 13% at 120 °C, 140 °C, 160 °C, 180 °C and 200 °C, respectively, due the to the chemical degradation of CdSe QDs. Such hybrid fibers show the potential to manufacture wearable moisture- and heat-sensing protective clothing in a 120-200 °C range due to the thermal-induced quenching of quantum dot photoluminescence.

Aloe-Emodin Induces Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Pyroptosis by Activation of the Caspase-9/3/Gasdermin E Axis in HeLa Cells.

Aloe-emodin (1,8-dihydroxy-3-hydroxymethyl-anthraquinone), derived from some Chinese edible medicinal herbs, exerts a potential anticancer activity on various cancer cells, making it a drug candidate for cancer therapy. Yet, the role of aloe-emodin in pyroptosis, a new type of cell death, is uncharacterized. In this study, we explored the molecular mechanisms of aloe-emodin-triggered pyroptosis. Aloe-emodin inhibited proliferation and migration and triggered caspase-dependent cell death of HeLa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Aloe-emodin caused mitochondrial dysfunction and induced pyroptosis by activating the caspase-9/3/GSDME axis. Transcriptional analysis showed extensive changes in gene expressions in cellular pathways, including MAPK, p53, and PI3K-Akt pathways when treated with aloe-emodin. This study not only identified a novel role of aloe-emodin in pyroptotic cell death, but also performed a systematical genome-wide analysis of cellular pathways responding to aloe-emodin, providing a theoretical basis for applying anthraquinone derivatives in the treatment of GSDME-expressing cancers.

Analysis of community-level factors contributing to cholera infection and water testing access in the Northern Corridor of Haiti.

Vibrio cholera, the bacteria that cause cholera, is endemic in Haiti with a presence in both cities and remote areas. Improved access to drinking water testing and treatment in remote areas may reduce the impact of the disease. This case study uses correlation and regression analysis to identify the main factors that hinder access to water testing and that lead to high cholera infection rates among communities in the Northern Corridor of Haiti. Poor road conditions, mountainous terrain, and limited transportation options lead to high travel times up to 5.7 min/km between remote communities and drinking water testing facilities. The presence of springs in a community has a significant positive correlation with cholera infection rates in the Northern Corridor. However, socioeconomic factors had no significant correlation with cholera infection rate. The results of this study will be used to plan the implementation of a new drinking water testing laboratory near the city of Cap-Haitian and other programs for vulnerable remote areas. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Topography and road conditions may be more important than distance in determining the accessibility of water testing facilities for rural communities. A lack of access to private vehicles is a substantial challenge for many rural communities in accessing water testing. The presence of springs in a community had a significant positive correlation with cholera infection rate.

High Expression of BCL11A Predicts Poor Prognosis for Childhood MLL-r ALL.

BACKGROUND: Despite much improvement in the treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), childhood ALLs with MLL-rearrangement (MLL-r) still have inferior dismal prognosis. Thus, defining mechanisms underlying MLL-r ALL maintenance is critical for developing effective therapy. METHODS: GSE13159 and GSE28497 were selected via the Oncomine website. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between MLL-r ALLs and normal samples were identified by R software. Next, functional enrichment analysis of these DEGs were carried out by Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA), and Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING). Then, the key hub genes and modules were identified by Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis (WGCNA). Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) ALL (Phase I) of UCSC Xena analysis, qPCR, and Kaplan-Meier analysis were conducted for validating the expression of key hub genes from bone marrow cells of childhood ALL patients or ALL cell lines. RESULTS: A total of 1,045 DEGs were identified from GSE13159 and GSE28497. Through GO, KEGG, GSEA, and STRING analysis, we demonstrated that MLL-r ALLs were upregulating "nucleosome assembly" and "B cell receptor signal pathway" genes or proteins. WGCNA analysis found 18 gene modules using hierarchical clustering between MLL-r ALLs and normal. The Venn diagram was used to filter the 98 hub genes found in the key module with the 1,045 DEGs. We identified 18 hub genes from this process, 9 of which were found to be correlated with MLL-r status, using the UCSC Xena analysis. By using qPCR, we validated these 9 hub key genes to be upregulated in the MLL-r ALLs (RS4;11 and SEM) compared to the non-MLL-r ALL (RCH-ACV) cell lines. Three of these genes, BCL11A, GLT8D1 and NCBP2, were shown to be increased in MLL-r ALL patient bone marrows compared to the non-MLL-r ALL patient. Finally, Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that childhood ALL patients with high BCL11A expression had significantly poor overall survival. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that upregulated BCL11A gene expression in childhood ALLs may lead to MLL-r ALL development and BCL11A represents a new potential therapeutic target for childhood MLL-r ALL.

P21 and P27 promote tumorigenesis and progression via cell cycle acceleration in seminal vesicles of TRAMP mice.

Transgenic adenocarcinoma mouse prostate (TRAMP) model is established to mimic human prostate cancer progression, where seminal vesicle lesions often occur and has been described as phyllodes-like epithelial-stromal tumors. However, the molecular mechanism regulating tumorigenesis and progression in seminal vesicles of TRAMP mice remains largely unknown. In this study, C57BL/6 TRAMP mice were found to have a significantly shorter lifespan than wild-type (WT) mice and all of the seminal vesicles were markedly increased in size and weight with age from 24 weeks exhibiting a clearly papillary-phyllode pattern, though no obvious difference was observed in multiple organs including heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys, testicles and bone between TRAMP and WT mice, and less than 10% of TRAMP mice developed prostate tumors. Western blotting showed Cyclin (CCN) B1 and CCND1 were remarkably overexpressed in seminal vesicle tumors of TRAMP mice at 24 weeks of age and increased with age till the end of trial, which was confirmed by Immunohistochemistry (IHC). P21 and P27 were also significantly augmented, whereas P53 and phosphorylated P53 (p-P53) were constantly expressed in normal controls and P53 did not appear to be mutated. Not only cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 1 and phosphorylated forkhead box protein (FOX) O1 but also CDK4, CDK6 and phosphorylated retinoblastoma-associated protein (RB) had similar increase trends, so did epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), AKT serine/threonine kinase (AKT), and their respective phosphorylation levels. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) 3, p-STAT3, enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and EZH2 mediated trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) were considerably elevated, too. Taken together, this finding suggests P21 and P27 promote carcinogenesis and development in seminal vesicles of TRAMP mice via accelerating cell cycle progression, in which oncogenic transformation of P21 and P27 might be through regulation of EGFR-AKT signaling.

Discovery of 4-((7H-Pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-4-yl)amino)-N-(4-((4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)methyl)phenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (FN-1501), an FLT3- and CDK-Kinase Inhibitor with Potentially High Efficiency against Acute Myelocytic Leukemia.

A series of 1-H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide derivatives have been designed and synthesized that exhibit excellent FLT3 and CDK inhibition and antiproliferative activities. A structure-activity-relationship study illustrates that the incorporation of a pyrimidine-fused heterocycle at position 4 of the pyrazole is critical for FLT3 and CDK inhibition. Compound 50 (FN-1501), which possesses potent inhibitory activities against FLT3, CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6 with IC50 values in the nanomolar range, shows antiproliferative activities against MV4-11 cells (IC50: 0.008 µM), which correlates with the suppression of retinoblastoma phosphorylation, FLT3, ERK, AKT, and STAT5 and the onset of apoptosis. Acute-toxicity studies in mice show that compound 50 (LD50: 186 mg/kg) is safer than AT7519 (32 mg/kg). In MV4-11 xenografts in a nude-mouse model, compound 50 can induce tumor regression at the dose of 15 mg/kg, which is more efficient than cytarabine (50 mg/kg). Taken together, these results demonstrate the potential of this unique compound for further development into a drug applied in acute-myeloid-leukemia (AML) therapeutics.