[Clinicopathological characteristics of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma with B-cell proliferation or neoplasms].

Objective: To investigate the clinical, pathological and immunophenotypic features, and differential diagnosis of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) with B-cell proliferation or neoplasms. Methods: Eight qualified cases were collected from the Department of Pathology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China from January 2019 to July 2023. One case was diagnosed with AITL and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the other seven cases were diagnosed with AITL and B-cell proliferation. Clinical characteristics and pathological morphology were summarized. Immunohistochemical analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization and gene rearrangement detection were performed. Results: The patients' average age was 58 years. Five of them were male. Biopsies of the enlarged cervical lymph nodes showed structural destruction and exhibited various histologic patterns. Some cases revealed Burkitt-like morphology, a moderate tumor volume and slightly irregular nuclei. Some cases showed prominent nucleoli. High endothelial venules and expanded follicular dendritic cells were detected. Tumor cells derived from T-follicular helper (TFH) cells were positive for two or more TFH biomarkers. Nodular or diffuse patchy proliferation of B cells was noted around the tumor tissue, which was initially considered as B-cell lymphoma. All of the 8 cases showed monoclonal rearrangements of the T-cell receptor genes while 5 of them also showed clonal rearrangements of the Ig genes. Seven of the 8 cases were subject to the detection of C-MYC gene breakage and were all negative. EBV-positive cells were seen in 6 cases. Neoplastic B cells were positive for C-MYC (>40%), while proliferative B cells were negative for C-MYC (<40%). Conclusions: The histological morphology of AITL with B-cell proliferation or lymphoma may be different from AITL. An integrated analysis, incorporating clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic, and molecular assessment, helps reach an accurate diagnosis. This group of cases demonstrated the clinical and pathological characteristics of AITL accompanied by B-cell proliferation and B-cell lymphoma. The findings suggest that C-MYC maybe a feasible indicator for distinguishing B-cell proliferation from B-cell lymphoma, and provide a simple and feasible immunohistochemical marker for the diagnosis and research of composite lymphoma.

In-depth unveiling the interfacial adsorption mechanism of triazine derivatives as corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel in carbon dioxide saturated oilfield produced water.

In this work, two triazine derivatives (BTT-1 and BTT-2) were synthesized by the simple one-step condensation of three components and used as high-efficient corrosion inhibitors to deal with the corrosion issue of carbon steel (CS) in petroleum industry. Electrochemical tests indicate that both BTT-1 and BTT-2 present superior inhibition performance with the inhibition efficiency of 97.9 % and 98.4 % at a low concentration of 0.18 mM, respectively. Quantum chemical calculations reveal that compared to BTT-1 molecule with a butyl chain, the introduction of benzyl group endows BTT-2 molecule with more adsorption sites, which favors the adsorption of BTT-2 molecule on CS surface. Furthermore, the GFN-xTB calculations demonstrate that BTT-1 and BTT-2 could adsorb on CS surface through the formation of Fe-N and Fe-S bonds. Compared to BTT-1, BTT-2 exhibits stronger adsorption on CS surface by forming more and shorter bonds with a more negative adsorption energy, which accounts for the better inhibitive performance of BTT-2.

[The diagnostic value of whole blood Epstein-Barr virus DNA load in lymphoproliferative diseases after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation].

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic value of whole blood quantitative PCR for DNA load of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) . Methods: A total of 694 patients with hematologic diseases who underwent allo-HSCT at the Hematology Department of Peking University First Hospital from April 2004 to April 2019 were included, and their data were retrospectively analyzed. Results: ①Among the 694 cases, 29 cases (22 males and 7 females, with a median age of 22 (1-52) years) developed PTLD after allo-HSCT with a cumulative incidence of 4.2% and a median onset time of 2.1 (0.8-20.6) months. ② Univariate analysis showed that age<30 years, diagnosis with aplastic anemia, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch, use of antithymocyte globulin (ATG) in preconditioning regimens, and EBV reactivation were the risk factors for the occurrence of PTLD. Multivariate analysis showed that EBV reactivation was an independent risk factor for the occurrence of PTLD. ③Further analysis of EBV reactivation cases showed that the peak value of EBV-DNA load was significantly higher in the PTLD group than that in the non-PTLD group (P<0.001) and the incidence of PTLD increased with the increase of EBV-DNA load. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis indicated that PTLD was more likely to be diagnosed when the EBV-DNA load was >1.19×10(6) copies/ml (sensitivity 0.800 and specificity 0.768) . ④All patients with PTLD received rituximab-based treatment, with an overall response rate of 86.2% and an overall survival rate of 54.3%. Conclusion: The PTLD occurrence after allo-HSCT is highly correlated with EBV reactivation, and the higher the EBV-DNA load, the greater the risk of PTLD occurrence. The dynamic monitoring of EBV-DNA load plays an important role in predicting PTLD occurrence.

LncRNA NEAT1 regulates proliferation, apoptosis and invasion of liver cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The occurrence and progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a multi-step complex process and the exact molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. LncRNA NEAT1 is involved in tumorigenesis and progression. However, the role of LncRNA NEAT1 in HCC remains unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The tumor tissues and adjacent tissues of HCC patients were collected and LncRNA NEAT1 expression was detected by Real time PCR. The hepatoma cell line HepG2 was cultured and transfected with lnc RNA NEAT1 siRNA or lnc RNA NEAT1 plasmid followed by analysis of LncRNA NEAT1 expression, cell proliferation by MTT assay, as well as Caspase 3 activity. In addition, cell apoptosis and cell cycle were assessed by flow cytometry and cell invasion was measured by transwell chambers. The expression of EGFR, Bax and Bcl-2 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: LncRNA NEAT1 expression was significantly increased in HCC tissues compared with adjacent tissues (p < 0.05). Compared with the siRNA group, transfection of lncRNA NEAT1 siRNA into HepG2 cells significantly inhibited cell proliferation, increased Caspase 3 activity and apoptosis, reduced cell invasion, as well as arrested cell cycle (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, lncRNA NEAT1 siRNA also significantly decreased Bcl-2 and EGFR expression and increased Bax expression (p < 0.05). Transfection of lncRNA NEAT1 plasmid in hepatoma cells HepG2 reversed the above changes, compared with vector group, the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: LncRNA NEAT1 expression is increased in liver cancer tissues. Down-regulation of LncRNA NEAT1 can inhibit EGFR expression and promote hepatoma cell apoptosis, inhibit cell cycle, thus inhibiting tumor proliferation and invasion.

[Clinical outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with FLAG sequential busulfan/cyclophosphamide conditioning regimen for refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia].

Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effects of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with FLAG sequential busulfan/cyclophosphamide(Bu/Cy) conditioning regimen for refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia. Methods: From February 2012 to June 2017, 21 patients with refractory/relapsed acute myeloid leukemia underwent allo-HSCT with FLAG sequential Bu/Cy conditioning regimen. Transplantation-related complications and clinical outcome were retrospectively analyzed. Results: After conditioning, no hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) and grade Ⅲ hemorrhagic cystitis occurred. 76.2% (16/21) patients had fever with 4 septicemia. One patient died of septic shock before engraftment. Twenty patients achieved neutrophil engraftment with a median time of 13 days (range, 10 to 21 days). Seventeen patients achieved platelet engraftment with a median time of 18 days (range, 9 to 25 days). The cumulative incidence of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) was 39.5%, and 3 patients developed grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ aGVHD. Of 19 patients who survived more than 100 days after transplantation, 4 had local chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). Of 21 patients, the median survival time was 15 months (range, 0.5 to 67 months) post-transplantation. Transplantation-related mortality rate was 28.7%. Leukemia relapse occurred in 4 patients with a median time of 4 months (range, 3 to 8 months) after transplantation. The cumulative relapse rate at 1 year was 21.4%. The 1-year and 3-year overall survival (OS) rates were 60.7% and 54.9% respectively. Log-rank analysis revealed that bone marrow blasts ≥ 20% or extramedullary leukemia before transplantation, poor platelet engraftment and grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ aGVHD were significantly related to shortened OS (P<0.05). Conclusions: Allo-HSCT with FLAG sequential Bu/Cy conditioning regimen in patients with refractory/relapsed myeloid leukemia has acceptable transplantation-related risk and relapse rate. The 1-year and 3-year OS rates are comparable with those in remission patients.

[A preliminary study on the outcome of lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome by low-dose decitabine].

Objective: To assess the efficiency and safety of low-dose decitabine in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to couple with the clinical significance of MDS-related gene mutations. Methods: This study was done in 4 institutions in Zhejiang Province. A total of 62 newly diagnosed patients with lower-risk MDS were assigned to two groups of decitabine (12 mg·m(-2)·d(-1) for 5 consecutive days) and best supportive care (BSC) . Their bone marrow samples were subject to examinations of MDS-related 15 gene mutations. The primary endpoints were the proportion of patients who achieved overall response (ORR) after at least two cycles and progression-free survival (PFS) , and their relevances to the gene mutations. Results: Of 62 enrolled patients, and 51 cases were included in the final analysis. 16 of 24 patients (66.7%) in decitabine group achieved ORR versus 8 of 27 (29.6%) in BSC group (χ(2)=6.996, P=0.008) ; PFS prolongation of decitabine versus BSC was statistically significant (not reached vs 13.7 months, P=0.037) . Among 51 patients, at least one gene mutation was identified in 20 patients (39.2%) , including 4 single SF3B1 mutation. PFS in cases with gene mutations (not including single SF3B1 mutation) was significantly shorter than of no gene mutation (9.2 months vs 18.5 months, P=0.008) , but not for ORR (37.5% vs 58.1%, P=0.181) . Among 16 patients with mutated genes, ORR in decitabine and BSC groups were 75% (6/8) and 0 (0/8) , respectively. The most adverse events in decitabine group were grade 3 to 4 neutropenia (45.8%) and grade 3 to 4 infections (33.3%) . Conclusion: This preliminary study showed that low-dose decitabine produced promising results with an acceptable safety in lower-risk MDS patients, especially for those with mutated genes. Further study targeting poor prognostic lower-risk MDS patients should be warranted.

Quantitative analysis of U251MG human glioma cells invasion in organotypic brain slice co-cultures.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an in vitro model under conditions that highly resemble the in vivo situation for searching new therapeutics targeting invasive glioma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We generated organotypic brain slice "co-cultures" (OBSC) from mice and cultured the models on Millicell-CM membrane inserts. U251MG glioma cells expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) were established. After cultured the glioma cells to form spheroids, we implanted the spheroids onto brain slice surface. Then we evaluated the invasion area and cell density after U251MG cells were treated with the Na+-K+-2Cl- cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) inhibitor bumetanide by confocal laser microscopy. RESULTS: In the models, the organotypic morphology and neuronal viability were well preserved. The confocal results showed that the cell spheroid area and density of U251MG cells in bumetanide group were decreased compared to the control group in brain slices. Meanwhile, the phospho-NKCC1(p-NKCC1) protein level of U251MG cells in bumetanide-treated group was also lower than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The OBSC model is a reliable and easy-to-perform in vitro method to quantify the glioma invasion ability.

Study of optimal scheme of spinal image-guided radiotherapy based on expression of caspase-3 in spinal cord neurons by orthogonal design.

The aim of the study was to optimize the biological safety scheme of spinal image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) by determining the expression of caspase-3 in spinal cord neurons after IGRT. Thirty-six adult male beagles were assigned according to a random number table and subjected to IGRT to the 7th-12th canine thoracic vertebral bodies under a total dose of 80 Gy over 5 weeks. An immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of caspase-3 protein in spinal cord tissues, and real-time quantitative RT-PCR with SYBR Green I was used to detect the expression of caspase-3 mRNA in spinal cord tissues. Analysis of the orthogonal experiment results showed that caspase-3 expression in the spinal cord neurons was lowest when a single dose of 16 Gy was applied at a dose rate of 4 Gy/min, and field number of 9, with ray angle being equal. Thus, spinal IGRT showed high biological safety, and the best radiotherapy scheme for biological safety was single dose of 16 Gy at 4 Gy/min, with 9 fields and equal ray angle.

Involvement of miR-30c in resistance to doxorubicin by regulating YWHAZ in breast cancer cells.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that modulate gene expression implicated in cancer, which play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, such as development, differentiation, apoptosis, and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miR-30c mediated the resistance of breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (ADR) by targeting tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ). miR-30c was downregulated in the doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7/ADR and MDA-MB-231/ADR compared with their parental MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, we observed that transfection of an miR-30c mimic significantly suppressed the ability of MCF-7/ADR to resist doxorubicin. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic gene YWHAZ was confirmed as a target of miR-30c by luciferase reporter assay, and further studies indicated that the mechanism for miR-30c on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells involved YWHAZ and its downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway. Together, our findings provided evidence that miR-30c was one of the important miRNAs in doxorubicin resistance by regulating YWHAZ in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADR.

Involvement of miR-30c in resistance to doxorubicin by regulating YWHAZ in breast cancer cells

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that modulate gene expression implicated in cancer, which play crucial roles in diverse biological processes, such as development, differentiation, apoptosis, and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether miR-30c mediated the resistance of breast cancer cells to the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin (ADR) by targeting tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein zeta (YWHAZ). miR-30c was downregulated in the doxorubicin-resistant human breast cancer cell lines MCF-7/ADR and MDA-MB-231/ADR compared with their parental MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, we observed that transfection of an miR-30c mimic significantly suppressed the ability of MCF-7/ADR to resist doxorubicin. Moreover, the anti-apoptotic gene YWHAZ was confirmed as a target of miR-30c by luciferase reporter assay, and further studies indicated that the mechanism for miR-30c on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells involved YWHAZ and its downstream p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) pathway. Together, our findings provided evidence that miR-30c was one of the important miRNAs in doxorubicin resistance by regulating YWHAZ in the breast cancer cell line MCF-7/ADR.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase genotypes and haplotypes associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer in an eastern Chinese Han population.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) plays an important role in folate metabolism and is involved in DNA synthesis, DNA repair and DNA methylation. The two common functional polymorphisms of MTHFR, C677T and A1298C have been associated with several diseases, including cancer. We made a case-control study to analyze a possible association of MTHFR gene polymorphisms C677T and A1298C with risk for colorectal cancer in an eastern Chinese Han population of 137 patients with a confirmed histopathological diagnosis of CRC and 145 age- and gender-matched controls with no history of cancer. DNA was isolated from peripheral blood samples and the genotypes were determined by PCR-RFLP. The concentrations of folate in plasma were measured by chemiluminescence immunoassay. The MTHFR 677TT genotype had a protective effect against colorectal cancer, with an odds ratio (OR) = 0.467 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.225-0.966). The 1298CC genotype was significantly correlated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (OR = 0.192; 95%CI = 0.040-0.916). Compared with the MTHFR 677CC and MTHFR 1298 AA genotypes, for individuals who carried both MTHFR 677CC and 1298CC genotypes, the OR of colorectal cancer was 0.103 (95%CI = 0.012-0.900); among individuals who carried both MTHFR 677TT and 1298AC genotypes, the OR for risk of colorectal cancer was 0.169 (95%CI = 0.044-0.654). MTHFR 677TT+CT genotypes had a significantly lower plasma folate concentration than those with the MTHFR 677CC genotype. MTHFR 1298AC+CC genotypes had a lower plasma folate concentration than those with the MTHFR 1298AA genotype (P < 0.05). In conclusion, subjects with the MTHFR 677TT and MTHFR 1298CC genotypes appeared to have a significantly lower risk for colorectal cancer. MTHFR haplotypes 677CC/1298CC and 677TT/1298AC were less common in cases than in controls. These haplotypes, when compared to the most common haplotype 677CC/1298AA, were associated with a decreased risk for colorectal cancer. We conclude that plasma folate level is influenced by MTHFR genotypes.

Diagnostic radiograph based 3D bone reconstruction framework: application to the femur.

Three dimensional (3D) visualization of anatomy plays an important role in image guided orthopedic surgery and ultimately motivates minimally invasive procedures. However, direct 3D imaging modalities such as Computed Tomography (CT) are restricted to a minority of complex orthopedic procedures. Thus the diagnostics and planning of many interventions still rely on two dimensional (2D) radiographic images, where the surgeon has to mentally visualize the anatomy of interest. The purpose of this paper is to apply and validate a bi-planar 3D reconstruction methodology driven by prominent bony anatomy edges and contours identified on orthogonal radiographs. The results obtained through the proposed methodology are benchmarked against 3D CT scan data to assess the accuracy of reconstruction. The human femur has been used as the anatomy of interest throughout the paper. The novelty of this methodology is that it not only involves the outer contours of the bony anatomy in the reconstruction but also several key interior edges identifiable on radiographic images. Hence, this framework is not simply limited to long bones, but is generally applicable to a multitude of other bony anatomies as illustrated in the results section.

A multicenter, retrospective study of acute kidney injury in adult patients with nonmyeloablative hematopoietic SCT.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common early complication in patients with hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). However, there are limited data about the incidence and risk factors of AKI in patients with nonmyeloablative HSCT. We conducted a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of 62 patients from three institutions who were treated with similar protocols for nonmyeloablative HSCT. AKI was classified according to the Acute Kidney Injury Network criteria. It was shown that 29% of the patients developed AKI in the first 100 days after nonmyeloablative HSCT. The risk factor at baseline for AKI was incomplete HLA-matched transplant (odds ratio (OR) 3.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-13.0). Complications such as acute GVHD, veno-occlusive disease of liver and sepsis were also associated with the development of AKI (OR 12.1; 95% CI 2.4-62.4). AKI was significantly associated with mortality (OR=4.7; 95% CI 1.9-11.5). We concluded that AKI is a very common complication in patients with nonmyeloablative HSCT, which is associated with incomplete HLA-matched transplant and complications, and has an important impact on the patients' first year of survival.

Homoharringtonine in combination with cytarabine and aclarubicin resulted in high complete remission rate after the first induction therapy in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia.

To assess the efficacy and toxicity of HAA regimen (homoharritonine 4 mg/m2/day, days 1-3; cytarabine 150 mg/m2/day, days 1-7; aclarubicin 12 mg/m2/day, days 1-7) as an induction therapy in the treatment of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 48 patients with newly diagnosed AML, aged 35 (14-57) years, were entered into this clinical study. The median follow-up was 26 months. Eighty-three percent of patients achieved complete remission (CR), and the first single course of induction HAA regimen resulted in CR rate of 79%. The CR rate of 100, 82 and 33% were achieved in patients with favorable, intermediate and unfavorable cytogenetics, respectively. For all patients who achieved CR, the median time from the initiation of the induction therapy to the evaluation of the remission status was 32 days. For all patients, the estimated 3 years overall survival (OS) rate was 53%, whereas for patients with M5, the estimated OS rate at 3 years was 75%. The toxicities associated with HAA regimen were acceptable, and the most common toxicity was infection. This study suggested that HAA regimen might be a well-tolerable, effective induction regimen in young adult patients with AML.

[Reoperation for recurrent gliomas].

Twenty-three cases of recurrent gliomas were reoperated upon. The indications and some factors influencing the length of survival time after reoperation were studied. It was found that reoperation is important in the management of recurrent gliomas, but strict indications must be followed with special attention to prevent CSF leakage, breaking and infection of the incision. Reoperation is not only to prolong life time but also to improve living quality. After reoperation, a comprehensive treatment is needed.

[Surgical treatment of thalamic tumors].

15 cases of thalamic tumor are presented. Among them, 6 cases were diagnosed by ventriculography and angiography before 1980. Since 1981, 9 cases were diagnosed by CT scan. Operation was refused in 3 cases. Lateral ventriculo and superior sagittal sinus shunt was performed in one case. Open biopsy by craniotomy followed by ventriculo-interhemispheric fissure shunt was done in 2 cases. Partial resection of tumor in 8 cases. Total resection was achieved in one case. The choice of treatment of thalamic tumors is discussed. The author prefers direct operation for that may got some tumor tissues and could made the actual diagnosis pathologically. The quantity of tumor removed is decided according to the situation. Raised intracranial pressure must be controlled by shunt, and preventing its infection is very important.