Extracellular vesicle miR-7977 is involved in hematopoietic dysfunction of mesenchymal stromal cells via poly(rC) binding protein 1 reduction in myeloid neoplasms.

The failure of normal hematopoiesis is observed in myeloid neoplasms. However, the precise mechanisms governing the replacement of normal hematopoietic stem cells in their niche by myeloid neoplasm stem cells have not yet been clarified. Primary acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome cells induced aberrant expression of multiple hematopoietic factors including Jagged-1, stem cell factor and angiopoietin-1 in mesenchymal stem cells even in non-contact conditions, and this abnormality was reverted by extracellular vesicle inhibition. Importantly, the transfer of myeloid neoplasm-derived extracellular vesicles reduced the hematopoietic supportive capacity of mesenchymal stem cells. Analysis of extracellular vesicle microRNA indicated that several species, including miR-7977 from acute myeloid leukemia cells, were higher than those from normal CD34(+)cells. Remarkably, the copy number of miR-7977 in bone marrow interstitial fluid was elevated not only in acute myeloid leukemia, but also in myelodysplastic syndrome, as compared with lymphoma without bone marrow localization. The transfection of the miR-7977 mimic reduced the expression of the posttranscriptional regulator, poly(rC) binding protein 1, in mesenchymal stem cells. Moreover, the miR-7977 mimic induced aberrant reduction of hematopoietic growth factors in mesenchymal stem cells, resulting in decreased hematopoietic-supporting capacity of bone marrow CD34(+)cells. Furthermore, the reduction of hematopoietic growth factors including Jagged-1, stem cell factor and angiopoietin-1 were reverted by target protection of poly(rC) binding protein 1, suggesting that poly(rC) binding protein 1 could be involved in the stabilization of several growth factors. Thus, miR-7977 in extracellular vesicles may be a critical factor that induces failure of normal hematopoiesis via poly(rC) binding protein 1 suppression.

[Neurolymphomatosis of the sciatic nerve diagnosed by FDG-PET/CT].

Neurolymphomatosis is a rare manifestation of malignant lymphoma. The involvement of peripheral nerves has mostly been described as dissemination of a systemic lymphoma. In contrast, primary peripheral nerve lymphoma is extremely rare. A 68-year-old man presented in January 2014 with a sensory disturbance in the left lower extremity. There were no obvious findings on MRI or CT that could account for his symptoms. After 1 year of symptomatic treatment, the patient was managed conservatively for an additional year. However, his symptoms worsened. FDG-PET/CT showed high FDG uptake in the left sciatic nerve. Biopsy of the lesion revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

[Treatment Outcomes of Adult-Onset Ewing Sarcoma: A Single-Center Retrospective Study of Five Cases].

UNLABELLED: We report the treatment outcomes of 5 cases of adult-onset Ewing sarcoma(ES)managed between 2011 and 2014. We examined prognostic factors including the primary lesion, tumor size, metastatic status, and serum LDH levels. RESULTS: The locations of the primary lesions included the limbs in 1 case and the trunk in 4; the cases in the trunk had a worse prognosis than that in the limbs. Tumor size was greater than 8 cm in only 1 patient, who also displayed evidence of metastases at presentation and high LDH levels. All the patients received chemotherapy consisting of alternating vincristine, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide(VDC)and etoposide and ifosfamide(IE). Surgery was selected for the treatment of 4 patients, and radiotherapy was administered to 1 patient for local treatment of the tumor. A median follow-up duration of 31.6 months revealed the 2-year overall survival rate and progression-free survival rate to be 80.0%. CONCLUSIONS: The prognosis of patients with adult-onset ES is poor; however, combined modality therapy, including VDC-IE, was demonstrated to improve the outcome of patients in the present study. Nevertheless, the patient with tumor size exceeding 8 cm, metastasis, and high LDH levels, relapsed 1 year after treatment, as reported previously. Further investigation is required to clarify the factors affecting prognosis in adults, and to develop effective therapies for patients with a poor prognosis.

[Langerhans cell sarcoma developing acute myeloid leukemia after achieving complete response by THP-COP].

An 86-year-old man presented with enlarged left submandibular, left inguinal, and superficial femoral lymph nodes. He was diagnosed with Langerhans cell sarcoma (LCS) on the basis of the histopathological findings of the left inguinal lymph node biopsy. In addition, laboratory examinations revealed normocytic normochromic anemia, and bone marrow aspiration and biopsy led to a diagnosis of idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance (ICUS). Because of the patient's age, he was administered a regimen of cyclophosphamide, pirarubicin, vincristine, and prednisolone (THP-COP), and achieved a partial response after six courses. However, he developed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) 11 months after completion of the THP-COP therapy, and received only supportive care until his death. LCS is an extremely rare and aggressive dendritic cell neoplasm. To the best of our knowledge, only 67 cases have been reported in the literature. There are case reports describing the concurrence of hematological malignancies. Herein, we report the first documented development of LCS in a patient with ICUS who progressed to AML, and summarize the published data on the epidemiology of and therapeutic options for LCS.

[Successful treatment with dose-adjusted EPOCH-R for triple-hit lymphoma having BCL2, BCL6 and MYC translocations].

Double- and triple-hit lymphomas (DHL/THL), high-grade B-cell lymphomas with an extremely poor prognosis, are defined by a chromosomal breakpoint affecting the MYC/8q24 locus in combination with another recurrent breakpoint. The successful use of dose-adjusted (DA) EPOCH-R in patients with MYC-positive lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma (BL) was recently reported. A 74-year-old man with acute renal dysfunction and hyperkalemia was transferred to our emergency center by ambulance. PET-CT revealed a left renal hilar mass enveloping the abdominal para-aortic domain and bladder and hydronephrosis. High (18)F-FDG uptake revealed lymph node, peritoneum, and multiple bone metastases. Analysis of the bone marrow aspirate revealed abnormal lymphoid cells with deeply basophilic cytoplasm and numerous vacuoles resembling Burkitt cells. Chromosomal analysis revealed a complex chromosomal karyotype, including t(14;18)(q32;q21), and FISH analysis confirmed split BCL2, BCL6, and MYC signals. Bone marrow biopsy revealed diffusely infiltrating large abnormal lymphoid cells with a CD10⁺, CD20⁺, BCL2⁺, BCL6⁺, c-MYC⁺ and MUM1(-) immunophenotype. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and BL, was diagnosed. The patient achieved a partial response after eight courses of DA-EPOCH-R chemotherapy. Our experience suggests that DA-EPOCH-R may be an effective treatment for DHL/THL.

Markers of bone metabolism in multiple myeloma patients switched from zoledronic acid to denosumab.

To date, intravenous drip infusion of zoledronic acid (ZA) has mainly been used for the treatment and prevention of skeletal-related events (SRE) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Recently, denosumab, a fully humanized monoclonal antibody against receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL), has also become available for the same purpose, but little is known about the impact of switching from ZA to denosumab. Herein, we present a retrospective study on bone metabolic markers in 10 MM patients initially treated with ZA and then switched to denosumab. Consequently, the levels of bone resorption markers, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase 5b (TRACP-5b) and serum type-I collagen crosslinked N-telopeptide (sNTX), significantly decreased after denosumab treatment, while the levels of bone formation markers, osteocalcin (OC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), showed no apparent changes. No patient developed severe hypocalcemia with denosumab treatment. In one patient not given chemotherapy, the M-protein level increased after switching from ZA to denosumab and plateaued when ZA was restarted. Based on this finding, we anticipate that switching from ZA to denosumab would exert a stronger suppressive effect on osteoclasts, but the anti-myeloma activity of ZA must be taken into consideration.

[Effective treatment of metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma with pazopanib].

Pazopanib, an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is the first molecular-targeted agent approved for the treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma(STS). Rhabdomyosarcoma in adults is rare, accounting for less than 3%of all adult STS cases. A 57-year old woman presented with cervical lymphadenopathy. Computed tomography revealed a heterogeneous mass in the retroperitoneum, replacing the entire right kidney. On the basis of the above findings, the patient was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. She was first treated with 4 courses of vincristine, actinomycin D, and cyclophosphamide(VAC), which resulted in a partial response. Dose reduction and delay occurred owing to hematological toxicity and febrile neutropenia. As second-line chemotherapy, the patient was administered a single daily dose of 800 mg of pazopanib. Because of an episode of hand-foot syndrome and hepatic impairment, the 800-mg daily dose of pazopanib was reduced to a daily dose of 600 mg, which had to be further reduced to a daily dose of 400 mg owing to fatigue and anorexia. The patient maintained a partial response for a total of 4.3 months when treated with pazopanib. Therefore, this drug may be a new treatment option for patients showing metastatic STS after previous chemotherapy.

Bioisostere-conjugated fluorescent probes for live-cell protein imaging without non-specific organelle accumulation.

Specific labeling of proteins using membrane-permeable fluorescent probes is a powerful technique for bioimaging. Cationic fluorescent dyes with high fluorescence quantum yield, photostability, and water solubility provide highly useful scaffolds for protein-labeling probes. However, cationic probes generally show undesired accumulation in organelles, which causes a false-positive signal in localization analysis. Herein, we report a design strategy for probes that suppress undesired organelle accumulation using a bioisostere for intracellular protein imaging in living cells. Our design allows the protein labeling probes to possess both membrane permeability and suppress non-specific accumulation and has been shown to use several protein labeling systems, such as PYP-tag and Halo tag systems. We further developed a fluorogenic PYP-tag labeling probe for intracellular proteins and used it to visualize multiple localizations of target proteins in the intracellular system. Our strategy offers a versatile design for undesired accumulation-suppressed probes with cationic dye scaffolds and provides a valuable tool for intracellular protein imaging.

[Loss of CD23 expression after bortezomib plus dexamethasone therapy in CCND1/IGH-positive multiple myeloma].

A 69-year-old male was referred to our hospital because of anemia, renal insufficiency, and a positive urine test for Bence-Jones protein. A bone marrow examination showed 73.7% of myeloma cells with lymphoplasmacytic morphology, the strong expressions of CD20 and CD23 by flow cytometry, and the chromosomal aberration of CCND1/IGH by FISH analysis. He was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, IgG-λ type. The initial treatment with bortezomib plus dexamethasone (BD) provided a rapid decrease in the level of IgG; however, he developed bortezomib-induced recurrent paralytic ileus accompanied by aspiration pneumonia during the second course. Interestingly, CD23 expression on myeloma cells decreased from 87.7% to 2.2% after 2 courses of BD. Negative CD23 expression was maintained following lenalidomide plus dexamethasone therapy. There are extremely few reports on CD23 expression on myeloma cells, and this is the first case report of multiple myeloma in which CD23 expression was lost after BD therapy.

[Successful rituximab treatment for acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura complicated with Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia].

Acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura (AATP) is a rare disorder characterized by severe thrombocytopenia associated with total absence or a selective decrease in bone marrow megakaryocytes. A 67-year-old male presented with a 2-month bleeding tendency. He was referred to our hospital because of severe thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow biopsy showed complete absence of megakaryocytes without dysplasia in cells of the myeloid and erythroid lineages. AATP was diagnosed. In addition, mild normocytic normochromic anemia and reticulocytosis were also observed and haptoglobin was below the detectable level. Coombs-negative autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) was diagnosed based on the high titer of RBC-bound IgG and negative direct and indirect coombs test results. He was first treated with cyclosporine 200 mg per day and subsequently with prednisolone but only slight temporary improvement was achieved. Administration of eight doses of rituximab 375 mg/m(2) per week ameliorated both thrombocytopenia and anemia. AATP should be considered in the differential diagnosis of thrombocytopenia, and immunosuppressive therapy is a potential first-line treatment. This is the first case report of AATP accompanied by AIHA successfully treated with rituximab.

[Successful treatment with rituximab in a patient with refractory mixed-type autoimmune hemolytic anemia].

The evidence that rituximab is effective therapy for refractory warm or cold autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) has been accumulating; however, the efficacy of rituximab for mixed-type AIHA is not evident. Herein, we report a case of mixed-type AIHA refractory to corticosteroids and splenectomy, but successfully treated with rituximab (375 mg/m(2)/day, once weekly, four times). She achieved a complete response, which has been maintained for 16 months, to date, despite steroid tapering. Our case suggests that rituximab therapy should be considered for refractory AIHA even of mixed-type.

[Primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine cervix successfully treated with rituximabplus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone chemotherapy-a case report].

Primary malignant lymphoma of the uterine cervix is a rare disease, and the therapeutic strategy has not been clearly established. A 45-year old woman presented with vaginal bleeding and hypermenorrhea in January 2012. Physical examination revealed a mass in the pelvic cavity approximately the size of a neonate's head. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) showed a solid mass 11 cm in size in the uterine cervix with homogeneous low intensity on T1-weighted images, iso-high intensity on T2-weighted images, and heterogeneous iso-high intensity on gadolinium-diethylenetriaminepentaacetate(Gd- DTPA)-enhanced images. Multiple lymphadenopathy were also detected in the pelvis. The Papanicolaou smear indicated class 5 cervical cytology, and a subsequent histological examination by a punch biopsy of the cervix showed diffuse infiltration of medium- to large-sized mononuclear cells that stained positive for CD20 and CD79a and negative for CD3, CD5, and EBER. Bone marrow biopsy revealed no abnormality. Positron emission tomography-computed tomography(PET-CT)showed strong fluorodeoxyglucose(FDG)accumulation in the uterine cervix mass, and in the pelvic and right inguinal lymphadenopathy. The patient was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the uterine cervix, Ann Arbor stage II AE. She was successfully treated with 8 courses of rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone(R-CHOP) chemotherapy, and maintains a complete remission.

[Microglial regulation of brain function and pathological changes].

Microglia are the only immune cells in the central nervous system. It has been shown that microglia actively regulate the number of neurons by participating in the cell death of neural stem cells during development and maturation. In addition, recent optical techniques have enabled in vivo imaging, which has revealed the function of microglia on synapses. Microglia regularly monitor synaptic activity and remove synapses that show abnormal activity in the event of brain infarction or other disorders. During development, microglia contribute to the formation of immature synapses by contacting dendrites during early synapse formation, and they are also involved in the de-synaptic process by selectively removing weakly active synapses through the use of classical complement cascade signaling. Furthermore, these abnormalities are known to contribute to the development of autism during development and to the development of Alzheimer's disease during maturation. In addition to this, microglia also contribute to plastic changes in synapses during the learning process in maturation. Furthermore, by modifying synaptic activity, microglia are known to be involved in changes in the activity of neuronal circuits. In addition to these synaptic functions, microglia are also known to be involved in the permeability of the blood-brain barrier. In this chapter, these functions will be summarized and discussed.

Microglia enable cross-modal plasticity by removing inhibitory synapses.

Cross-modal plasticity is the repurposing of brain regions associated with deprived sensory inputs to improve the capacity of other sensory modalities. The functional mechanisms of cross-modal plasticity can indicate how the brain recovers from various forms of injury and how different sensory modalities are integrated. Here, we demonstrate that rewiring of the microglia-mediated local circuit synapse is crucial for cross-modal plasticity induced by visual deprivation (monocular deprivation [MD]). MD relieves the usual inhibition of functional connectivity between the somatosensory cortex and secondary lateral visual cortex (V2L). This results in enhanced excitatory responses in V2L neurons during whisker stimulation and a greater capacity for vibrissae sensory discrimination. The enhanced cross-modal response is mediated by selective removal of inhibitory synapse terminals on pyramidal neurons by the microglia in the V2L via matrix metalloproteinase 9 signaling. Our results provide insights into how cortical circuits integrate different inputs to functionally compensate for neuronal damage.

Maternal immune activation induces sustained changes in fetal microglia motility.

Maternal infection or inflammation causes abnormalities in brain development associated with subsequent cognitive impairment and in an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders. Maternal immune activation (MIA) and increases in serum cytokine levels mediates this association via effects on the fetal brain, and microglia can respond to maternal immune status, but consensus on how microglia may respond is lacking and no-one has yet examined if microglial process motility is impaired. In this study we investigated how MIA induced at two different gestational ages affected microglial properties at different developmental stages. Immune activation in mid-pregnancy increased IL-6 expression in embryonic microglia, but failed to cause any marked changes in morphology either at E18 or postnatally. In contrast MIA, particularly when induced earlier (at E12), caused sustained alterations in the patterns of microglial process motility and behavioral deficits. Our research has identified an important microglial property that is altered by MIA and which may contribute to the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms linking maternal immune status to subsequent risks for cognitive disease.

Counter-Anion-Regulated Mixed-Valency of Cobalt(II/III) Centers in a Metallosupramolecular Framework.

A diamagnetic AuI 4 CoIII 2 hexanuclear complex, [Au4 Co2 (dppe)2 (l-nmc)4 ]2+ ([1L -nmc ]2+ ; dppe=1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane, l-H2 nmc=N-methyl-l-cysteine), was newly synthesized by the reaction of [Co(l-nmc)2 ]- with [Au2 Cl2 (dppe)] and crystallized with different inorganic anions (X=ClO4 - , NO3 - , Cl- , SO4 2- ) to produce ionic solids ([1L -nmc ]Xn ). Single-crystal X-ray analysis revealed that all the solids crystallize in the chiral space group F432 with a face-centered-cubic lattice structure consisting of supramolecular octahedra of complex cations. The paramagnetic nature of all the solids was evidenced by magnetic susceptibility measurements, showing the variation of the oxidation states of two cobalt centers in [1L -nmc ]n+ from CoII 1.00 CoIII 1.00 for X=ClO4 - or NO3 - to CoII 0.67 CoIII 1.33 for X=Cl- , via CoII 0.83 CoIII 1.17 for X=SO4 2- . The difference in the CoII/III mixed-valences was explained by the difference in sizes and charges of counter anions accommodated in lattice interstices with a fixed volume.

Dual microglia effects on blood brain barrier permeability induced by systemic inflammation.

Microglia survey brain parenchyma, responding to injury and infections. Microglia also respond to systemic disease, but the role of blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in this process remains unclear. Using simultaneous in vivo imaging, we demonstrated that systemic inflammation induces CCR5-dependent migration of brain resident microglia to the cerebral vasculature. Vessel-associated microglia initially maintain BBB integrity via expression of the tight-junction protein Claudin-5 and make physical contact with endothelial cells. During sustained inflammation, microglia phagocytose astrocytic end-feet and impair BBB function. Our results show microglia play a dual role in maintaining BBB integrity with implications for elucidating how systemic immune-activation impacts neural functions.

Thrombocytopenia and Anemia with Anti-c-Mpl antibodies Effectively Treated with Cyclosporine in a Patient with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Chronic Renal Failure.

A 61-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis who was undergoing hemodialysis for end-stage renal failure was transferred to our hospital due to severe thrombocytopenia and anemia. A bone marrow biopsy showed the complete absence of megakaryocytes and erythroblasts. Cyclosporine treatment resulted in the improvement of her megakaryocyte and erythroblast levels, and a decrease in her serum level of anti-c-Mpl (thrombopoietin receptor) antibodies. After this initial improvement, her anemia progressively worsened, despite the continuous administration of immunosuppressive therapy with cyclosporine. Her platelet and leukocyte counts remained stable. This is the first report of a probable case of anti-c-Mpl antibody-associated pure red cell aplasia and acquired amegakaryocytic thrombocytopenic purpura.

Isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor in systemic capillary leak syndrome: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Systemic capillary leak syndrome is a rare condition characterized by episodic attacks of hypovolemia due to systemic capillary hyperpermeability, which results in profound hypotension and edema. Although the implication of vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin-2, and C-X-C motif chemokine 10 has been suggested, the pathogenesis of systemic capillary leak syndrome remains unclear. In this report, we describe a case of systemic capillary leak syndrome in which serum isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor was elevated. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of systemic capillary leak syndrome in which isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor is suggested as the plausible biomarker. CASE PRESENTATION: A 41-year-old Japanese man was transferred to our emergency department. He was hypotensive, tachycardic, and edematous over the trunk and all four limbs. He received aggressive intravenous fluid therapy and underwent fasciotomy of the right forearm to prevent muscle necrosis. A diagnosis of systemic capillary leak syndrome was suspected. The presence of serum monoclonal immunoglobulin G and κ light chain supported this diagnosis. Prevention of hypotensive crises was unsuccessfully attempted with theophylline, intravenous immunoglobulin, high-dose dexamethasone, bortezomib, melphalan, and prednisolone; however, the patient's attacks dramatically disappeared after the introduction of thalidomide. The serum of the patient was stored soon after the onset of hypotensive crisis and analyzed to profile possible mediators responsible for the capillary leak. The concentration of vascular endothelial growth factor, angiopoietin-2, and C-X-C motif chemokine 10 were all within normal ranges. Meanwhile, we found that isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor was elevated, which was normalized after the introduction of thalidomide. CONCLUSIONS: In our patient, isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor (instead of vascular endothelial growth factor) may have been a causative factor of hypotensive crises, since isoform D contributes to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 signaling, which is the major mediator of the permeability-enhancing effects of vascular endothelial growth factor. We suggest the measurement of isoform D of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with systemic capillary leak syndrome in whose serum vascular endothelial growth factor is not elevated.

Narrow-Band Ultraviolet B Phototherapy Ameliorates Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease of the Intestine by Expansion of Regulatory T Cells.

Narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) has been widely used in dermatological phototherapy. As for the application of NB-UVB phototherapy to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), we previously reported that it was highly efficacious for cutaneous lesions of acute GVHD (aGVHD) and that expansion of regulatory T (Treg) cells induced by NB-UVB might be one of the mechanisms. In order to examine whether NB-UVB irradiation through expansion of Treg cells is effective for the treatment of not only cutaneous aGVHD but also aGVHD of inner organs such as the intestine or liver, we conducted experiments in which a murine lethal aGVHD model, characterized by severe involvement of the intestine, was irradiated with NB-UVB. We found that NB-UVB irradiation improved the clinical score and survival rate. The pathological score of aGVHD was improved in all affected organs: intestine, liver, and skin. In the serum of mice irradiated with NB-UVB, the levels of Treg cells-associated cytokines such as transforming growth factor beta (TGFß) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were elevated. The numbers of infiltrating Treg cells in inflamed tissue of the intestine and those in spleen were increased in mice treated with NB-UVB. This is the first report demonstrating that NB-UVB phototherapy has the ability to ameliorate intestinal aGVHD through the expansion of Treg cells.