Values of peripheral blood NLR, MLR and PLR in differential diagnosis of cytopenic diseases / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To explore the values of peripheral blood neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in the differential diagnosis of cytopenic diseases.Methods:A retrospective case series study was conducted. The clinical data of 105 newly diagnosed patients with aplastic anemia (AA), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) who were admitted to Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, the Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School from August 2017 to November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 42 patients with MDS (13 cases of hypoplastic MDS, 23 cases of non-hypoplastic MDS, 6 cases could not be classified), 42 patients with ITP, and 21 patients with AA. The peripheral blood lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, monocyte count, and platelet count of each untreated patient at the time of initial diagnosis were recorded, the NLR, MLR and PLR were calculated, and the differences of NLR, MLR and PLR among different diseases were compared; the differential diagnostic values of each index for AA, MDS and ITP were evaluated by using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The NLR [ M (IQR)] in ITP, AA and MDS groups was 3.08 (2.42), 0.57 (0.66) and 0.83 (1.27) ( χ2 = 56.84, P<0.001), the MLR was 0.26 (0.15), 0.13 (0.14) and 0.20 (0.33) ( χ2 = 18.71, P<0.001), and the PLR was 5.12 (9.97), 8.67 (14.21) and 49.32 (78.66) ( χ2 = 47.07, P<0.001). The best cut-off value of NLR for distinguishing ITP from MDS was 1.757, and the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.833 (95% CI: 0.811-0.955), while the sensitivity and specificity were 78.6% and 83.3%, respectively. The best cut-off value of NLR for distinguishing ITP from AA was 1.350, and the AUC was 0.993 (95% CI: 0.981-1.000), while the sensitivity and specificity were both 95.2%. The best cut-off value of PLR for distinguishing AA from MDS was 23.542, and the AUC was 0.841 (95% CI: 0.739-0.944), while the sensitivity and specificity were 85.7% and 73.8%, respectively. The best cut-off value of NLR for distinguishing AA from MDS was 0.764, and the AUC was 0.687 (95% CI: 0.556-0.891), while the sensitivity and specificity were 71.4% and 64.3%, respectively. The best cut-off value of MLR for distinguishing AA from MDS was 0.148, and the AUC was 0.736 (95% CI: 0.614-0.859), while the sensitivity and specificity were both 71.4%. Conclusions:The peripheral blood NLR, MLR and PLR have certain reference values for differential diagnosis of AA, MDS and ITP.

Clinical significance of HOXB4 gene expression levels in myelodysplastic syndromes / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the expression of HOXB4 gene in patients with myelodysplastic syn-dromes(MDS)and its clinical significance in disease progression.Methods mRNA expression of HOXB4 gene in bone marrow mononuclear cells was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR),and the difference in HOXB4 expression was compared between 49 patients with MDS(MDS group)and 35 patients without MDS(group C).The relationship of mRNA expression of HOXB4 with disease characteristics and clinical prognosis was explored in MDS patients.Results mRNA expression level of HOXB4 gene was higher in MDS group than that in group C(P＜0.05).The patients were divided into a high-and a low-expression group according to the median expression level of HOXB4.Leukocyte count was lower in the high-expression group in the low-expression group at the time of initial diagnosis.The proportion of patients with subtypes of primitive cellular hyperplasia,poor prognostic staging and leukemic transformation was higher in the high-expression group than in the low-expression group.Conclusions mRNA expression level of HOXB4 gene has certain relation with AML transformation in MDS patients.

Screening and verification of genes related to immune infiltration between myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:Myelodysplastic syndrome has worse hazards of acute myeloid leukemia transformation,and some studies have revealed that immune infiltration plays a vital part in the two.Nevertheless,more studies are required to confirm the relationship between immune infiltration and related differentially expressed gene regulation. OBJECTIVE:To screen the differentially expressed genes with prognostic significance between myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia by bioinformatics analysis and explore the possible roles and mechanisms among these differentially expressed genes and immune infiltration mechanisms in the occurrence and progression of diseases. METHODS:The differentially expressed genes were screened for bioinformatics analysis using the GEO datasets,and analyzed by DO,GO,KEGG and GSEA.The TCGA prognostic database was used to plot the K-M curves of differentially expressed genes and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was applied to evaluate the clinical diagnostic performance.Finally,CIBERSORT analysis was used to intuitively demonstrate the correlation between critical prognostic genes and the distribution of immuno-infiltrated cells.RT-qPCR was employed to detect peripheral blood samples from healthy controls,myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia patients so as to verify the crucial genes preliminarily. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1)A total of 150 differentially expressed genes were obtained between myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia,among which 16 genes were up-regulated and 134 were down-regulated.(2)The results of DO,GO,KEGG and GSEA analysis suggested that differentially expressed genes might promote the development of myelodysplastic syndrome to acute myeloid leukemia by regulating the immune response.CIBERSORT revealed the differences in immune infiltration between myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.The distribution of CD4+ T cells,monocytes,neutrophils and M1 macrophages decreased in acute myeloid leukemia patients.In contrast,the distribution of inflammatory suppressor cells M2 macrophages increased,suggesting that it may be related to the immunosuppression of acute myeloid leukemia.(3)K-M curve and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of 150 differentially expressed genes screened out four genes relevant to immunity and prognosis with good diagnostic performance:MANSC1,FLT3,BMX and CXCR2.(4)The results of RT-qPCR exhibited that MANSC1,BMX and CXCR2 were low expressed,while FLT3 was highly expressed in acute myeloid leukemia patients.These findings verify that the differential expression of MANSC1,FLT3,BMX and CXCR2 in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia is not only significantly correlated with the prognosis of patients but may also affect the occurrence and development of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia by regulating the immune infiltration of patients.They can be used as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets of the transformation from myelodysplastic syndrome to acute myeloid leukemia,providing a new direction for clinical diagnosis and treatment of the transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome.

High PD-L1 expression is associated with unfavorable clinical features in myelodysplastic neoplasms

ABSTRACT Introduction: Immune checkpoints are regulators of the immune system response that allow self-tolerance. Molecules such as Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) and its Ligand (PD-L1) participate in the immune checkpoint by signaling co-inhibition of lymphocyte responses. In cancers, PD-L1 expression is associated with the immune evasion mechanism, which favors tumor growth. The use of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 drugs is already well described in solid tumors, but still not fully understood in hematologic malignancies. Myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDSs) are heterogeneous bone marrow disorders with an increased risk of progression to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The MDS affects hematopoietic stem cells and its pathogenesis is linked to genetic and epigenetic defects, in addition to immune dysregulation. The influence of the PD-L1 on the MDS remains unknown. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the mRNA expression of the PD-L1 in 53 patients with MDS, classified according to the WHO 2016 Classification. Results: Patients with dyserythropoiesis presented significantly higher PD-L1 expression than patients without dyserythropoiesis (p = 0.050). Patients classified as having MDS with an excess of blasts 2 (MDS-EB2) presented a significant upregulation in the mRNA expression of the PD-L1 compared to the MDS with an excess of blasts 1 (MDS-EB1) (p = 0.050). Furthermore, we detected three patients with very high levels of PD-L1 expression, being statistically classified as outliers. Conclusion: We suggested that the high expression of the PD-L1 is associated with a worse prognosis in the MDS and functional studies are necessary to evaluate the possible use of anti-PD-L1 therapies for high-risk MDS, such as the MDS-EBs.

Herramientas diagnostico-terapéuticas en síndromes mielodisplásicos en Uruguay / Diagnostic and therapeutic tools in myelodysplastic syndromes in Uruguay / Instrumentos diagnóstico-terapêuticos nas síndromes mielodisplásicas no Uruguai

Los Síndromes Mielodisplásicos (SMD) son un grupo heterogéneo de enfermedades mieloides. Esta heterogeneidad en la presentación clínica complejiza el diagnóstico requiriendo diversos estudios complementarios. El tratamiento debe ser individualizado y adaptado al riesgo, desde terapias de soporte hasta intervenciones de alto costo. Para conocer la accesibilidad a las herramientas diagnóstico y terapéuticas se realizó una encuesta online dirigida a los hematólogos que asisten pacientes con SMD en Uruguay en 2016 y 2019. Las encuestas fueron respondidas por 32.5% y 26.6% de los miembros de la Sociedad de Hematología del Uruguay. Más del 90% tienen acceso a estudios histológicos, citogenéticos, FISH y citometría de flujo. La posibilidad de realizar paneles de secuenciación masiva se encuentra restringida a menos de 10% derivando la muestra al exterior, siendo mayor en 2019 en comparación a 2016. Los sistemas de estratificación de riesgo más utilizados son el sistema internacional de puntuación de riesgo (IPSS) y su versión revisada (IPSS-R). La disponibilidad de tratamientos de soporte (transfusiones, eritropoyetina y G-CSF), de azacitidina y del trasplante alogénico de precursores hematopoyéticos es amplia. Existió un aumento en indicación de azacitidina en 2019 con respecto a 2016. Sin embargo, el acceso a decitabina, lenalidomida y fármacos quelantes de hierro es escaso y no se cuenta con ensayos clínicos donde incluir pacientes que fallan o no responden a los tratamientos convencionales. La presente encuesta, realizada en dos períodos, describe la realidad y su evolución en nuestro país en cuanto a accesibilidad a herramientas diagnósticas y terapéuticas extrapolables a otras patologías oncohematológicas. Los datos recabados permitirán plantear estrategias tendientes a mejorar el abordaje diagnóstico-terapéutico de los pacientes con SMD en Uruguay.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) constitutes an heterogenous group of hematological malignancies. Reaching an accurate diagnosis, represents in an important number of cases, a major challenge that requires different diagnostic tools. In order to acknowledge the scope of access to those tools in our country, we performed a survey addressed to Uruguayan hematologists who care for MDS patients in their clinical practice. The survey was carried out in 2016 and 2019 among Uruguayan Hematology Society members. Response rate was 32.5% and 26.6% respectively. Access to bone marrow biopsy, cytogenetics, FISH and flow cytometry was accessible to more than 90% of physicians. Less than 10% of respondents were able to request next generation sequencing (NGS) studies and in that case, they have to send them abroad. IPSS and R-IPSS were the most frequently used risk scores. Support treatment such as growth factors and transfusions are widely accessible. Azacytidine and allogenic transplant are available as well. However, access to decitabine, lenalidomide and iron chelating drugs is scarce and there are no clinical trials to include patients who fail or do not respond to conventional treatments. This survey, carried out in two periods, describes the reality and its evolution in our country in terms of accessibility to diagnostic and therapeutic tools that can be extrapolated to other oncohematological pathologies. We were able to get to know our country reality regarding diagnostic and therapeutic tools for MDS patients. This, would represent an important input in order to design health strategies aiming to improve clinical care for our patients.

As Síndromes Mielodisplásicas (SMD) são um grupo heterogêneo de doenças mielóides. Essa heterogeneidade na apresentação clínica torna o diagnóstico mais complexo, exigindo vários estudos complementares. O tratamento deve ser individualizado e adaptado ao risco, desde terapias de suporte até intervenções de alto custo. Para conhecer a acessibilidade de ferramentas diagnósticas e terapêuticas, foi realizada uma pesquisa online dirigida aos hematologistas que atendem pacientes com SMD no Uruguai em 2016 e 2019. As pesquisas foram respondidas por 32,5% e 26,6% dos membros da Sociedad de Hematologia do Uruguai. Mais de 90% têm acesso a estudos histológicos, citogenéticos, FISH e citometria de fluxo. A possibilidade de realização de painéis de sequenciamento massivo está restrita a menos de 10% provenientes da amostra no exterior, sendo maior em 2019 em relação a 2016. Os sistemas de estratificação de risco mais utilizados são o sistema internacional de pontuação de risco (IPSS) e sua versão revisada (IPSS -R). Tratamentos de suporte (transfusões, eritropoietina e G-CSF), azacitidina e transplante alogênico de células-tronco hematopoiéticas estão amplamente disponíveis. Houve aumento da indicação de azacitidina em 2019 em relação a 2016. No entanto, o acesso a decitabina, lenalidomida e quelantes de ferro é escasso e não há ensaios clínicos para incluir pacientes que falham ou não respondem aos tratamentos convencionais. Este inquérito, realizado em dois períodos, descreve a realidade e a sua evolução no nosso país em termos de acessibilidade a instrumentos diagnósticos e terapêuticos que podem ser extrapolados para outras patologias onco-hematológicas. Os dados coletados permitirão propor estratégias destinadas a melhorar a abordagem diagnóstico-terapêutica de pacientes com SMD no Uruguai.

Curative effect analysis of transplantation in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome with ASXL1 gene mutation / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the efficacy and influencing factors of allo-HSCT in the treatment of MDS patients with ASXL1+.Methods The second-generation sequencing technique was used to detect 22 gene mutations in 247 newly diagnosed MDS patients in our hospital.The patients were divided into chemotherapy group and transplant group according to treatment style.The differences of OS and PFS between the two groups were compared,and the influencing factors of prognosis of transplant patients were analyzed.Results ASXL1+ was detected in 75 patients(30.36%),with a median mutation ratio of 42.93(18.10,58.39)%,10 received supportive treatment,43 received demethylation therapy or demethylation combined with pre-excitation therapy,and 22 received allo-HSCT.2-year PFS rate and OS rate of transplantation group were significantly higher than that of chemotherapy group(P<0.05).The 2-year OS rate in the low ASXL1 mutation load group(VAF≤42.93%)was significantly higher than that in the high ASXL1 mutation load group(VAF>42.93%)(P<0.05).In the context of allo-HSCT in patients with ASXL1+,2-year OS and PFS rates were significantly reduced in patients with RUNX1+ or ASXL1+(P<0.05);Multivariate analysis showed that high mutation load of ASXL1 or U2AF1+ were independent risk factors for OS in transplant patient(P<0.05).U2AF1+ were the risk factors for PFS(P<0.05).Conclusion allo-HSCT significantly improved the prognosis of patients with ASXL1+ MDS.High ASXL1 mutation load or U2AF1+ were independent risk factors affecting the outcome of allo-HSCT.

Levels and significance of γδ T cells and their subpopulations in the bone marrow of MDS patients / 实用医学杂志

Objective To investigate the levels of γδ T cells and their subpopulations in bone marrow(BM)of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS),it aims to explore the immune deficiency status of BM microenvi-ronment in MDS patients.Methods BM samples were collected from MDS patients before and after treatment,as well as from normal donors.Multicolor flow cytometry was utilized to detect bone marrow γδ T cells and subpopulation levels.The changes of the T cell subsets after treatment were also analyzed.Results The levels of BM γδ T cells and follicular helper γδ T cells from MDS patients were significantly lower than those of normal donors(P<0.05).Among γδ T cells at different stages of differentiation,only the frequencies of na?ve γδ T cells from MDS patients decreased significantly(P = 0.037),and there was no significant difference observed about central memory,effector memory,and terminally differentiated γδ T cells in MDS patients compared to normal donors(P>0.05).Although there was a slight decrease in PD1+γδ T cells and an increase in TIM3+γδ T cells,these differences were not statistically significant(P>0.05).In patients who achieved a curative effect,the proportions of γδ T cells and naive γδ T cells increased significantly after treatment,and the effector memory γδ T cells decreased significantly after treatment(P<0.05).After treatment,85.71%(6/7)of MDS patients showed a decrease in γδ+TIM3+ T cell levels to varying degrees.Conclusions The levels of γδ T cells and their subpopulations in the BM microenvironment of patients with MDS exhibit varying degrees of abnormalities.However,in patients who receive effective treatment,these abnormal γδ T cells can recover.By detecting the levels of γδ T cells and subpopulations,we can gain insights into the immune deficiency status of MDS.This information might serve as an indicator to assess treatment efficacy and provide valuable insights for anti-tumor immunotherapy.

Cost-utility analysis of azacitidine versus decitabine in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome / 药物流行病学杂志

Objective To evaluate the economics of azacitidine versus decitabine in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS)from the perspective of health system in China,and provide references for clinical drug selection.Methods A Markov model was constructed based on the data of a multi-center retrospective cohort study(NCT01409070),with a model simulation time limit of 10 years and the cycle period of 28 days.The quality-adjusted life years(QALYs)was used as health output index and incremental cost-utility ratio(ICUR)was calculated to evaluate the economics of azacitidine versus decitabine in the treatment of MDS.One-way sensitivity analysis and probabilistic sensitivity analysis were adopted to examine the robustness of the model simulation results.Results The results of basic analysis showed that compared with decitabine group,the total cost of azacitidine group reduced by 281 185.46 yuan and the utility increased by 0.17 QALYs.Azacitidine therapeutic regimen was the absolute dominance plan.One-way sensitivity analysis showed that progression-free survival state utility value,discount rate and decitabine cost had greater influence on the results.The results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis suggested that azacinidine therapy was always economical within the willingness to pay threshold range of 3 times Chinese per capita gross domestic product in 2021.Conclusion From the perspective of health system in China,azacitidine has more cost-utility advantages than decitabine in the treatment of MDS.

Artificial intelligence cell image analysis technology can improve the accuracy of bone marrow cells / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the screening efficacy of AI for bone marrow cell morphology.Method:Bone marrow specimens of patients attending the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from December 1,2019 to December 21,2020;(1) Selected from one hundred bone marrow specimens, The cases included chronic myeloid cell leukemia ( n=23), myelodysplastic syndrome ( n=4), chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( n=4), multiple myeloma ( n=5), 7 acute leukemia ( n=7), chronic anemia ( n=32), infection ( n=6) and healthy control ( n=15). Including 45 males and 55 females, with age 52(37,66)years old.The bone marrow smear prepared with Wright-Giemsa, The AI analysis system and manual audit were applied to classify 13 types of bone marrow nucleated cell, taking the results of manual audit as the gold standard, comparing the difference between the results of the two methods, using statistical software to draw the confusion matrix, The compliance between the manual audit results and the pre-classification results of the AI analysis system was calculated by the Kappa consistency test method; The consistency analysis between the pre-classification results of AI and those of the manual microscopic examination was performed by the Pearson test; (2)Statistics analyzed the blast cell differential count differences of AI and manual microscopy, to evaluate the clinical application value of AI analysis system, which soured from thirty bone marrow samples of patients diagnosed with MDS and AML. Results:76 630 images of 13 nucleated cells were obtained by AI analysis system; the weighted average experimental diagnostic efficiency parameters of 13 types of bone marrow nucleated cells, are as follows: sensitivity(%)=95.82, specificity(%)=99.19, accuracy(%)=98.89, false positive rate(%)=0.81, false negative rate (%)=4.18; the correlation results, between the pre-classification results of AI and manual microscopic classification results,showed that blast cell, promyelocytes, neutrophilic myelocyte, neutrophilic metamyelocyte, band neutrophil, segmented neutrophi,eosinophil, basophil, polychromatic erythroblast, orthochromatic erythroblast, and lymphocytes have good positive correlation ( r>0.70,all P<0.001), while basophilic erythroblast and monocytes have no obvious correlation ( r=0.32,0.30, all P> 0.001); the count results of the blast cells in bone marrow smears of MDS and AML, got by AI and manual microscopy respectively, showed that the average percentage of blast cells was 8.19% by AI and 8.68% by manual microscopy in MDS, there was no significant difference between the two methods ( P>0.05); the average percentage of blast cells was 48.52% by AI analysis system and 53.77% by manual microscopy in AML, and although there was a significant difference in blast cell count ( P<0.01), coincidence the classification diagnostic criteria for AML (blast cells ≥ 20%). Conclusion:The AI analysis system performed good sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for 13 types of bone marrow nucleated cells, which showed potential application value for the rapid classification and diagnosis of MDS and AML.

Laboratory and clinical characteristics of patients with different SF3B1 genotypes in myelodysplastic syndromes / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To analyze the distribution of different SF3B1 genotypes in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and its prognostic value.Methods:Totally, 377MDS patients who were initially diagnosed in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2014 to January 2022 were included in the retrospective analysis.The patients were divided into three different groups according to mutation stcote of SF3B1, including 317 patients with SF3B1 wild type (SF3B1 WT) (214 males and 103 females, 63(49, 71) years old),39 patients with SF3B1 K700E mutation(SF3B1 K700E(17 males and 22 females, 65(52, 73)years old)) and 21 patients with SF3B1 non-K700E mutation(SF3B1 non-K700E)(13 males and 8 females, 67(63, 73) years old). MDS-related 20 gene mutations were detected using targeted sequencing technology; Survival curves were constructed by the Kaplan-Meier method; Cox proportional hazards model was established to evaluate different factors at diagnosis on survival by univariate and multivariate analyses.. Results:Compared with SF3B1 non-K700E patients, SF3B1 K700E patients had a higher median absolute neutrophil count ( P=0.002) and were likely to be in the low/int-1 International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) categories ( P=0.023). A 20-gene targeted sequencing analysis showed that, compared with SF3B1 WT patients, SF3B1 K700E patients were associated with lower frequency of ASXL1 and U2AF1 mutations ( P=0.018 and P=0.003); while compared with SF3B1 non-K700E patients, the frequency of ASXL1 mutation was significantly lower in SF3B1 K700E cases ( P=0.029). Patients with SF3B1 K700E had better overall survival (OS) in comparison with SF3B1 WT and SF3B1 non-K700E in MDS patients ( P<0.001 and P=0.045, respectively). In comparison with SF3B1 WT patients, SF3B1 MUT patients had more favorable OS and progression-free survival (PFS) in MDS without excess blasts ( P<0.001 and P<0.001, respectively), but no significant difference was found in MDS with excess blasts ( P>0.05). Compared with SF3B1 WT patients, SF3B1 K700E patients had superior OS and PFS in the int-1 IPSS category ( P=0.010 and P=0.013, respectively). By multivariable analysis, the presence of SF3B1 K700Ewas an independent predictor of superior OS ( HR=0.461,95% CI 0.262-0.811, P=0.007). Conclusion:SF3B1 K700E and SF3B1 non-K700E patients had significantly improved OS in comparison with SF3B1 WT MDS patients. Furthermore, SF3B1 K700E patients were associated with a better OS compared with SF3B1 non-K700E MDS patients. SF3B1 mutation could not overcome the poor prognostic effect of excess blasts, which highlights the importance of the SF3B1 mutation subtype in risk assessment of MDS without excess blasts.

Detection of the proportion of myeloid progenitor cells and lymphocytes in bone marrow by flow cytometry immunophenotyping can effectively identify aplastic anemia and hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the flow cytometric characteristics of bone marrow in patients with aplastic anemia (AA) and hypoplastic myelodysplastic syndrome (hypoMDS) and its value in differential diagnosis between AA and hypoMDS.Methods:A total of 618 patients were recruited from Shandong Provincial Hospital affiliated to Shandong First Medical University from January 2017 to December 2021, including 441 patients as controls with abnormal peripheral blood counts but confirmed to have no AA, hypoproliferative MDS, or other hematological tumors, 57 patients with AA, 52 patients with hypoMDS and 68 patients with diluted bone marrow. The proportions of bone marrow myeloid progenitor cell, lymphocyte, neutrophil and erythroid cell in bone marrow were analyzed by flow cytometry immunophenotyping. The differences between the four groups were compared by Kruskal-Wallis one-way ANOVA. The diagnostic efficacy was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.Results:The proportion of myeloid progenitor cells in control group was [0.30%(0.20%, 0.46%)]; the proportion of myeloid progenitor cells in AA group was [0.00 (0.00, 0.04)]%, while the proportion of myeloid progenitor cells in hypoMDS group was [3.10%(1.25%, 6.71%)]. The proportion of myeloid progenitor cells in AA group was lower than that in control group( χ2=302.90, P<0.001), while the proportion of myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of patients with hypoMDS was higher than that in the control group ( χ2=203.88, P<0.001). The area under the ROC curve for identifying AA and hypoMDS by the ratio of myeloid progenitor cells in bone marrow is 0.996, with the sensitivity of 96.2% and the specificity of 100% when the cutoff value is 0.21%. The proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in control group was [10.39%(7.33%, 14.80%)]; the proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in AA group was [52.67%(42.20%, 67.68%)], and the proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in hypoMDS group was [24.68%(15.51%, 35.19%)]. The proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in AA group or hypoMDS group was higher than that in control group( χ2=298.74, P<0.001; χ2=194.33; P<0.001), and the proportion of bone marrow lymphocytes in AA group is higher than that in hypoMDS group, with a statistically significant difference( χ2=104.41, P=0.002). The area under the ROC curve for identifying AA and hypoMDS by the ratio of bone marrow lymphocyte is 0.882, with the sensitivity of 78.9% and the specificity of 92.3% when the cutoff value is 41.6%. Conculsion:Patients with AA and hypoMDS could be differentiated effectively by the proportions of myeloid progenitor cell and lymphocyte in bone marrow by flow cytometry immunophenotyping.

Myelodysplastic syndrome:an analysis of the genetic risk factors and prognosis of 190 patients / 肿瘤

Objective:To investigate the genetic risk factors and prognosis of 190 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS). Methods:The clinical data of 190 patients with MDS admitted to the Department of Hematology,The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2015 to October 2020 were analyzed retrospectively,and the genetic background and survival curve of the patients were also analyzed. Results:MDS patients with higher risk according to International Prognostic Score System(IPSS)stratification at the time of initial diagnosis had more frequent and complex types of gene mutation and chromosomal abnormalities,indicating poor prognosis.The choice of treatment is associated with the prognosis of MDS patients with intermediate risk(IPSS stratification),and the relative risk of the overall survival rate of patients treated with hypomethylating agents is higher than that of patients on concomitant medication. Conclusion:MDS patients with higher-risk(IPSS stratification)have more complex genetic risk factors and lower survival rate than those with lower-risk(IPSS stratification).MDS patients with multiple genetic risk factors have a poor prognosis,and the type of gene mutation is a predictor of prognosis.

Association between meat, fish, and fatty acid intake and incidence of acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome: the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study

BACKGROUND@#The association between meat, fish, or fatty acid intake and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) has been investigated in a few studies, and the results were inconsistent. In addition, most studies are mainly based on the United States and European countries, in which the dietary patterns differ from that in Asia. Therefore, the risk of AML/MDS from meat, fish, or fatty acid intake in Asia requires further exploration. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between AML/MDS incidence and meat, fish, or fatty acid intake using the Japan Public Health Center-based prospective study.@*METHODS@#The present study included 93,366 participants who were eligible for analysis and followed up from the 5-year survey date until December 2012. We estimated the impact of their intake on AML/MDS incidence using a Cox proportional hazards model.@*RESULTS@#The study participants were followed up for 1,345,002 person-years. During the follow-up period, we identified 67 AML and 49 MDS cases. An increased intake of processed red meat was significantly associated with the incidence of AML/MDS, with a hazard ratio of 1.63 (95% confidence interval, 1.03-2.57) for the highest versus lowest tertile and a Ptrend of 0.04. Meanwhile, the intake of other foods and fatty acids was not associated with AML/MDS.@*CONCLUSION@#In this Japanese population, processed red meat was associated with an increased incidence of AML/MDS.

Effect and safety of 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in 31 patients with acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To investigate the early effect and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with a 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) /myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) . Methods: From April 2021 to May 2022, 31 AML/MDS patients who received allo-HSCT with a 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen were analyzed. Results: AML (n=10), MDS-AML (n=6), CMML-AML (n=1), and MDS (n=14) were identified in 31 patients, 16 males, and 15 females, with a median age of 41 (20-55) yr. Neutrophils and platelets were successfully implanted in 31 patients (100%), with a median implantation duration of 12 (9-30) and 14 (9-42) days, respectively. During the preconditioning period, 16 patients (51.6%) developed oral mucositis, with 15 cases of Ⅰ/Ⅱ grade (48.4%) and one case of Ⅲ grade (3.2%). After transplantation, 13 patients (41.9%) developed CMV viremia, six patients (19.4%) developed hemorrhagic cystitis, and four patients (12.9%) developed a local infection. The median time of acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD) following transplantation was 33 (12-111) days. The cumulative incidence of aGVHD and Ⅲ/Ⅳ grade aGVHD was 41.9% (95% CI 26.9%-61.0%) and 22.9% (95% CI 13.5%-47.5%), respectively. There was no severe cGVHD, and mild and moderate chronic GVHD (cGVHD) incidence was 23.5% (95% CI 12.1%-43.6%). As of November 30, 2022, only one of the 31 patients had relapsed, with a 1-yr cumulative relapse rate (CIR) of 3.2% (95% CI 0.5%-20.7%). There was only one relapse patient death and no non-relapse deaths. The 1-yr overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 92.9% (95% CI 80.3%-100%) and 96.8% (95% CI 90.8%-100%), respectively. Conclusions: A 10-day decitabine-containing conditioning regimen for allo-HSCT reduced relapse and was safe and feasible in treating AML/MDS.

Clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia arising from malignant tumors / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, cytogenetics, molecular biology, treatment, and prognosis of patients with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (t-MDS/AML) secondary to malignancies. Methods: The clinical data of 86 patients with t-MDS/AML in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between January 2010 and April 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinical characteristics, primary tumor types, and tumor-related therapies were analyzed. Results: The study enrolled a total of 86 patients with t-MDS/AML, including 67 patients with t-AML, including 1 patient with M(0), 6 with M(1), 27 with M(2), 9 with M(3), 12 with M(4), 10 with M(5), 1 with M(6), and 1 with M(7). Sixty-two patients could be genetically stratified, with a median overall survival (OS) of 36 (95% CI 22-52) months for 20 (29.9%) patients in the low-risk group and 6 (95% CI 3-9) months for 10 (14.9%) in the intermediate-risk group. The median OS time was 8 (95% CI 1-15) months in 32 (47.8%) patients in the high-risk group. For patients with non-acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and AML, the median OS of the low-risk group was 27 (95% CI 18-36) months, which was significantly longer than that of the non-low-risk group (χ(2)=5.534, P=0.019). All 9 APL cases were treated according to the initial treatment, and the median OS was not reached, and the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were 100.0%, (75.0±6.2) %, and (75.0±6.2) % respectively. Of the 58 patients with non-APL t-AML (89.7%), 52 received chemotherapy, and 16 achieved complete remission (30.8%) after the first induction chemotherapy. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates of the non-APL t-AML group were (42.0 ± 6.6) %, (22.9±5.7) %, and (13.4±4.7) %, respectively. The median OS of patients who achieved remission was 24 (95% CI 18-30) months, and the median OS of those who did not achieve remission was 6 (95% CI 3-9) months (χ(2)=10.170, P=0.001). Bone marrow CR was achieved in 7 (53.8%) of 13 patients treated with vineclar-containing chemotherapy, with a median OS of 12 (95% CI 9-15) months, which was not significantly different from that of vineclar-containing chemotherapy (χ(2)=0.600, P=0.437). In 19 patients with t-MDS, the 1-, 2-, and 3-year OS rates were (46.8±11.6) %, (17.5±9.1) %, and (11.7±9.1) % with a median OS of 12 (95% CI 7-17) months, which was not significantly different from that in t-AML (χ(2)=0.232, P=0.630) . Conclusions: Breast cancer, bowel cancer, and other primary tumors are common in patients with t-MDS/AML, which have a higher risk of adverse genetics. Patients with APL had a high induction remission rate and a good long-term prognosis, whereas patients without APL had a low remission rate and a poor long-term prognosis.

Functional polymorphisms of DNA repair genes in Latin America reinforces the heterogeneity of Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Abstract Nucleotide excision repair pathway (NER) is an essential mechanism for single-strand breaks (SSB) repair while xeroderma pigmentosum family (XPA to XPG) is the most important system to NER. Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a heterogeneous hematological cancer characterized by cytopenias and risk of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation. MDS pathogenesis has been associated with problems of DNA repair system. This report aimed to evaluate NER polymorphisms (XPA rs1800975, XPC rs2228000, XPD rs1799793 and XPF rs1800067) in 269 MDS patients of different populations in Latin America (173 Brazilian and 96 Argentinean). Genotypes were identified in DNA samples by RT-qPCR using TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay. Regarding rs1799793 polymorphism of XPD for Brazilian population, the heterozygous genotype AG presented a high odds ratio (OR) to have a normal karyotype (p= 0.012, OR=3.000) and the mutant homozygous genotype AA was associated to a high OR of AML transformation (p= 0.034, OR=7.4). In Argentine population, the homozygous mutant AA genotype of rs1800975 polymorphism of XPA was associated with an increased odd to have hemoglobin levels below 8g/dL (p= 0.013, OR=10.000) while for the rs1799793 polymorphism of XPD, the heterozygous AG genotype decreased OR to be classified as good (p< 0.001, OR=9.05 × 10−10), and intermediate (p< 0.001, OR=3.08 × 10−10), according to Revised-International Prognostic Scoring System. Regarding the rs1800067 polymorphisms of XPF, the homozygous mutant AA genotype showed a decreased OR to be classified as good (p< 0.001, OR=4.03 × 10−13) and intermediate (p< 0.001, OR=2.54 × 10−13). Our report reinforces the heterogeneity of MDS and demonstrates the importance of ethnic differences and regional influences in pathogenesis and prognosis of MDS.

Efficacy and Safety of Decitabine Combined with Modified EIAG Regimen in the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia and High-risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the efficacy, prognosis and safety of decitabine combined with modified EIAG regimen in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).@*METHODS@#The clinical data of 44 patients with relapsed/refractory AML and high-risk MDS admitted to our hospital from January 2017 to December 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were equally divided into D-EIAG group (decitabine combined with EIAG regimen) and D-CAG group (decitabine combined with CAG regimen) according to clinical treatment regimen. The complete response (CR), CR with incomplete hematologic recover (CRi), morphologic leukemia-free state (MLFS), partial response (PR), overall response rate (ORR), modified composite complete response (mCRc), overall survival (OS) time, 1-year OS rate, myelosuppression and adverse reactions between the two groups were compared.@*RESULTS@#In D-EIAG group, 16 patients (72.7%) achieved mCRc (CR+CRi+MLFS), 3 patients (13.6%) achieved PR, and ORR (mCRc+PR) was 86.4%. In D-CAG group, 9 patients (40.9%) achieved mCRc, 6 patients (27.3%) achieved PR, and ORR was 68.2%. Difference was observed in mCRc rate between the two groups (P=0.035), but not in ORR (P>0.05). The median OS time of D-EIAG group and D-CAG group was 20 (2-38) months and 16 (3-32) months, and 1-year OS rate was 72.7% and 59.1%, respectively. There was no significant difference in 1-year OS rate between the two groups (P>0.05). After induction chemotherapy, the median time for absolute neutrophil count recovery to 0.5×109/L in D-EIAG group and D-CAG group was 14 (10-27) d and 12 (10-26) d, for platelet count recovery to 20×109/L was 15 (11-28) d and 14 (11-24)d, the median red blood cell suspension transfusion volume was 8 (6-12) U and 6 (6-12) U, and the median apheresis platelet transfusion volume was 4 (2-8) U and 3 (2-6) U, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in comparison of the above indicators between the two groups (P>0.05). The hematological adverse reactions of patients were mainly myelosuppression. Grade III-IV hematological adverse events occurred in both groups (100%), with no increase in the incidence of non-hematological toxicities such as gastrointestinal reactions or liver function damage.@*CONCLUSION@#Decitabine combined with EIAG regimen in the treatment of relapsed/refractory AML and high-risk MDS can improve remission rate, provide an opportunity for subsequent therapies, and have no increase in adverse reactions compared with D-CAG regimen.

The Distribution and Significance of Activated T Cells and Lymphocyte Subsets in Myelodysplastic Syndrome / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the distribution of bone marrow lymphocyte subsets in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS),the proportion of activated T cells with immunophenotype CD3+HLA-DR+ in the lymphocytes and its clinical significance, and to understand the effects of different types of MDS, different immunophenotypes, and different expression levels of WT1 on the proportion of lymphocyte subsets and activated T cells.@*METHODS@#The immunophenotypes of 96 MDS patients, the subsets of bone marrow lymphocytes and activated T cells were detected by flow cytometry. The relative expression of WT1 was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, and the first induced remission rate (CR1) was calculated, the differences of lymphocyte subsets and activated T cells in MDS patients with different immunophenotype, different WT1 expression, and different course of disease were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The percentage of CD4+T lymphocyte in MDS-EB-2, IPSS high-risk, CD34+ cells >10%, and patients with CD34+CD7+ cell population and WT1 gene overexpression at intial diagnosis decreased significantly (P<0.05), and the percentage of NK cells and activated T cells increased significantly (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the ratio of B lymphocytes. Compared with the normal control group, the percentage of NK cells and activated T cells in IPSS-intermediate-2 group was significantly higher(P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the percentage of CD3+T, CD4+T lymphocytes. The percentage of CD4+T cells in patients with complete remission after the first chemotherapy was significantly higher than in patients with incomplete remission(P<0.05), and the percentage of NK cells and activated T cells was significantly lower than that in patients with incomplete remission (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#In MDS patients, the proportion of CD3+T and CD4+T lymphocytes decreased, and the proportion of activated T cells increased, indicating that the differentiation type of MDS is more primitive and the prognosis is worse.

Efficacy and Safety of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation with Decitabine-containing Regimen in Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Myelodysplastic Syndromes Transformed Acute Myeloid Leukemia / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the efficacy and safety of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) with decitabine (Dec)-conditioning regimen in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and MDS transformed acute myeloid leukemia (MDS-AML).@*METHODS@#The characteristics and efficacy data of 93 patients with MDS and MDS-AML who received allo-HSCT in our center from April 2013 to November 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were administered by myeloablative conditioning regimen containing Dec (25 mg/m2 /d×3 d).@*RESULTS@#Among the 93 patients, 63 males and 30 females, were diagnosed as MDS（n ＝77）, MDS-AML（n ＝16）. The incidence of I/II grade regimen-related toxicity (RRT) was 39.8%, and III grade RRT was only found in 1 patient (1%). Neutrophil engraftment was successful in 91 (97.8%) patients after a median neutrophil engraftment time of 14 (9-27) days; Successful platelet engraftment was achieved in 87 (93.5%) patients, with a median engraftment time of 18 (9-290) days. The incidence of acute graft versus host disease（aGVHD） and grade III-IV aGVHD was 44.2% and 16.2%, respectively. The incidence of chronic graft versus host disease（cGVHD） and moderate-to-severe cGVHD was 59.5% and 37.1%, respectively. Of the 93 patients, 54 (58%) developed posttransplant infections, among which lung infection (32.3%) and bloodstream infection (12.9%) were the most common. The median follow-up after transplantation was 45 (0.1-108) months. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate, disease-free survival (DFS) rate, treatment-related mortality, and cumulative incidence of relapse were 72.7%, 68.4%, 25.1%, and 6.5%, respectively. And the 1-year graft-versus-host disease/relapse-free survival rate was 49.3%. The patients in different group of relative high-risk prognostic scoring or low-risk prognostic scoring, with or without poor-risk mutation(s), with mutations number ≥3 or <3 had similar 5-year OS rate (more than 70%). Multivariate analysis showed that the incidence of grade III-IV aGVHD was the independent risk factor affecting OS（P =0.008）and DFS (P =0.019).@*CONCLUSION@#Allo-HSCT with Dec-conditioning regimen is feasible and effective in the treatment of patients with MDS and MDS-AML, especially those in high prognostic risk and with poor-risk mutations.

Evaluation of utility of immunohistochemistry markers as a tool for objective diagnosis of low-grade myelodysplastic syndrome in routine reporting: Prospective observational study

Purpose: Diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) primarily relies on the detection of morphological dysplasia in bone marrow. It is subjective and many studies have reported lack of interobserver agreement in reporting. Biopsy is preferred specimen for megakaryocyte assessment. We studied 43 bone marrow biopsies from 40 suspected MDS patient having persistent undiagnosed cytopenia. Utility of immunohistochemistry (IHC) with CD61 and p53 in detecting low-grade MDS was analyzed over routine morphology. Method and Results: Total number of megakaryocytes and number of dysplastic megakaryocytes seen on CD61 IHC was significantly higher than that on H and E stain (P value < 0.05) Out of total 43 biopsies, 13 [30.2%] cases showed dysplastic megakaryocytes that were confirmed by interobserver agreement after IHC. From 30 cases with no significant dysplasia on morphology, 21/43 [48.8%] cases showed >10% dysplastic megakaryocytes on CD61 (P value 0.0001). Nine cases showed no significant dysmegakaryopoiesis with either H and E or CD61 IHC. Fourteen cases could meet higher cut off (30%) of dysmegakaryopoiesis with CD 61 IHC. Out of total 34 cases showing significant dysplasia 7 cases (20.6%) showed positivity for p53 on IHC, which is little less than that reported in low-grade MDS. Conclusion: CD61 IHC is helpful in making correct diagnosis of MDS in cases with minimal dysplasia and should be performed before excluding possibility of MDS on morphology in a patient with undiagnosed cytopenia. IHC is cost effective tool for MDS diagnosis in developing world where access to extensive flow cytometery and molecular testing is limited.