Real-world data on safety and efficacy of venetoclax-based regimens in relapsed/refractory t(11;14) multiple myeloma.

The treatment for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) continues to be challenging despite recent therapeutic advancements. Venetoclax, an inhibitor of the anti-apoptotic protein BCL-2, is a promising agent, especially in patients harbouring t(11;14). Our objective was to review our experience with venetoclax-based regimens at our institution. All ten RRMM patients treated with venetoclax were included and had a median of six prior lines of therapy. The overall response rate was 78% and one patient with cardiac amyloidosis and MM achieved a cardiac organ response. Haematologic toxicities requiring red blood cell and platelet transfusion and non-haematologic toxicities, most commonly gastrointestinal upset, were observed.

Sector retinitis pigmentosa: Report of ten cases and a review of the literature.

Purpose: To describe the genotypes and phenotypes of ten patients with sector retinitis pigmentosa (RP). We also review previously reported mutations associated with sector RP and provide a discussion of possible underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. Methods: Patients underwent detailed ophthalmologic examinations, fundus photography, fundus autofluorescence (FAF) imaging, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), as well as visual field and electroretinographic testing. All patients underwent genetic testing to identify the molecular etiology of their disease. Results: A total of ten patients were studied. Among these patients, nine had mutations in RHO (c.677T>C; p.Leu226Pro (novel), c.68C>A; p.Pro23His, c.808A>C; p.Ser270Arg, c.44A>G; p.Asn15Ser, and c.325G>A; p.Gly109Arg), and one patient had a mutation in RPGR (c.3092_3093delAG; p.Glu1031Glyfs*47). All patients with missense mutations in RHO had visual acuities (VAs) better than 20/30 and showed a retained foveal ellipsoid zone and overlying retinal structures. The patient with the c.3092_3093delAG deletion in RPGR had VA of 20/60 oculus dexter (OD) and 20/400 oculus sinister (OS), as well as significant foveal thinning and contour atrophy. All patients showed pigmentary changes, or marked atrophy along the inferior arcades, or both. This pattern of degeneration corresponded to hypo- and hyperFAF and superior visual defects. Conclusions: Sector RP is an uncommon form of RP in which only one or two retinal quadrants display clinical pathological signs. The great majority of cases result from mutations in RHO. The present data confirmed previously reported phenotypic manifestations of sector RP. Inferior retinal quadrants are possibly more severely affected due to greater light exposure.

Episodic weakness and vacuolar myopathy in hypokalemic periodic paralysis.

We report a 50-year-old woman who presented with a 20 year history of gradually progressive lower extremity weakness, characterized by knee buckling with occasional falls and foot dragging. She also experienced difficulty in lifting her arms above her shoulders. The primary periodic paralyses are rare disorders caused by dysfunctional ion channels in skeletal muscle. The hypokalemic type is generally an autosomal dominant condition, due to missense mutations in the alpha subunits of the skeletal muscle L-type calcium channel genes, CACN1AS, or the skeletal muscle sodium channel gene, SCN4A. The affected patients typically present with episodic weakness. For our patient, the consumption of foods high in carbohydrates seemed to precipitate the episodes of weakness. Her family history was significant for six blood relatives, including three sons and three relatives on the paternal side, who had experienced similar symptoms. A biopsy of the left rectus femoralis muscle showed vacuolar myopathic changes in the scattered muscle fibers, accompanied by occasional degenerating and regenerating muscle fibers. There was no evidence of inflammation on the biopsy. The vacuoles were often associated with increased acid phosphatase staining. An electron microscopic examination showed that the vacuolar changes were due to T-tubule dilation, a characteristic of hypokalemic periodic paralysis. Other metabolic etiologies of vacuolar myopathy, such as acid phosphatase (lysosomal) associated acid maltase deficiency (a glycogen storage disease), need to be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Leptin receptor maintains cancer stem-like properties in triple negative breast cancer cells.

Despite new therapies, breast cancer continues to be the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women, a consequence of recurrence and metastasis. In recent years, a population of cancer cells has been identified, called cancer stem cells (CSCs) with self-renewal capacity, proposed to underlie tumor recurrence and metastasis. We previously showed that the adipose tissue cytokine LEPTIN, increased in obesity, promotes the survival of CSCs in vivo. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the leptin receptor (LEPR), expressed in mammary cancer cells, is necessary for maintaining CSC-like and metastatic properties. We silenced LEPR via shRNA lentivirus transduction and determined that the expression of stem cell self-renewal transcription factors NANOG, SOX2, and OCT4 (POU5F1) is inhibited. LEPR-NANOG signaling pathway is conserved between species because we can rescue NANOG expression in human LEPR-silenced cells with the mouse LepR. Using a NANOG promoter GFP reporter, we showed that LEPR is enriched in NANOG promoter active (GFP+) cells. In lineage tracing studies, we showed that the GFP+ cells divide in a symmetric and asymmetric manner. LEPR-silenced MDA-MB-231 cells exhibit a mesenchymal to epithelial transition morphologically, increased E-CADHERIN and decreased VIMENTIN expression compared with control cells. Finally, LEPR-silenced cells exhibit reduced cell proliferation, self-renewal in tumor sphere assays, and tumor outgrowth in xenotransplant studies. Given the emergence of NANOG as a pro-carcinogenic protein in multiple cancers, these studies suggest that inhibition of LEPR may be a promising therapeutic approach to inhibit NANOG and thereby neutralize CSC functions.