Clinical characteristics of acute myeloid leukaemia patients with a large number of azurophilic granules: A single-centre retrospective study.

Large amounts of azurophilic granules are considered to be a morphological feature of acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL). However, a small percentage of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients also have a large number of azurophilic granules. A large cohort of 3210 AML patients in our hospital was screened to identify AML patients who had a large number of azurophilic granules. The clinical parameters of these patients were collected and compared with typical AML patients (control Group 1) and APL patients (control Group 2). The incidence of AML with a large number of azurophilic granules was 1.26%. The fibrinogen and D-dimer levels of patients in the study group were more similar to those of patients in control Group 2, as was the incidence of bleeding events. Additionally, patients in the study group had higher FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutation rates than patients in control Group 1. Finally, patients in the study group had a higher 30-day mortality rate than those in control Group 2 (24.2% vs. 9.09%) and showed a higher 30-day mortality trend than those in control Group 1. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the prevention of coagulation dysfunction and bleeding events for these patients.

Curcumin as a regulator of Th17 cells: Unveiling the mechanisms.

Curcumin, a polyphenol natural product derived from turmeric, possesses diverse pharmacological effects due to its interactions with various cells and molecules. Recent studies have highlighted its immunomodulatory properties, including its impact on immune cells and mediators involved in immune responses. Th17 cells play a crucial role in promoting immune responses against extracellular pathogens by recruiting neutrophils and inducing inflammation. These cells produce inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, IL-21, IL-17A, IL-23, IL-17F, IL-22, and IL-26. Curcumin has been shown to significantly inhibit the proliferation of Th17 cells and reduce the production of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-22, and IL-17. This review aims to assess the effectiveness of curcumin and its underlying mechanisms in modulating Th17 cells.

Impact of the first wave of COVID-19 on Crohn's disease after the end of "zero-COVID" policy in China.

Background: The incidence and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among Crohn's disease (CD) patients are unknown in China. This study aimed to clarify the clinical courses and outcomes of CD patients in the first COVID-19 wave after the end of "zero-COVID" policy in China. Methods: Clinical characteristics, including vaccination doses and medications of 880 CD patients from a prospective cohort were collected for analysis. Results: Of the enrolled patients (n = 880) who underwent nucleic acid or antigen testing for COVID-19 from Dec 7, 2022, to Jan 7, 2023, 779 (88.5%) were infected with COVID-19. Among the infected patients, 755 (96.9%) were mild, 14 (1.8%) were moderate, one patient with leukemia died of cerebral hemorrhage (mortality, 0.1%) and only 9 (1.2%) were asymptomatic. Fever, cough, headache and appetite loss were the most frequently observed symptoms in general, respiratory, neurological and gastrointestinal manifestations, respectively. The age and disease duration were significantly higher (40/32, 5.6/3.6, all p < 0.05) in moderate patients than those in mild patients. All other clinical characteristics, including CD activity and medication exposure, showed no significant differences between the above two groups. Furthermore, no significant difference in vaccination or comorbidities was observed between the two groups. Conclusion: Most CD patients contracted the Omicron infection and experienced mild disease courses in the first COVID-19 wave attack after China ended the "zero-COVID" policy irrespective of vaccination dose or comorbidities.

A review on garlic as a supplement for Alzheimer's disease: a mechanistic insight in its direct and indirect effects.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most complicated neurodegenerative diseases causing dementia in human beings. Aside from that incidence of AD is increasing also its treatment is very complicated. There are several known hypotheses regarding the pathology of Alzheimer's disease, including the Amyloid beta hypothesis, Tau hypothesis, inflammation hypothesis, and cholinergic hypothesis, which are investigated in different researches to completely elucidate the pathology of AD. Aside from these some new mechanisms such as immune, endocrine, and vagus pathways, as well as bacteria metabolite secretions are being explained as other causes that are somehow related to AD pathogenesis. There is still no definite treatment for Alzheimer's disease that can completely cure and eradicate AD. Garlic (Allium sativum) is a traditional herb used as a spice in different cultures and due to the organosulfur compounds like allicin it possesses highly anti-oxidant properties and the benefits of garlic in cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and atherosclerosis is examined and reviewed, although its beneficiary effects in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD is not completely understood. In this review, we discuss the effects of garlic based on its components such as allicin, S-allyl cysteine on Alzheimer's disease and the mechanisms that garlic components can be beneficiary for AD patients, including its effects amyloid beta, oxidative stress, tau protein, gene expression, and cholinesterase enzymes. Based on the literature review we have done, garlic has revealed beneficiary effects on Alzheimer's disease, especially in animal studies; however, more studies should be done on human populations to find the exact mechanism of garlic effects on AD patients.