[A prospective multicenter study of rituximab combined with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for aggressive B-cell lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and efficacy of rituximab combined with high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). METHODS: Twenty-eight patients with aggressive B-cell NHL (22 newly diagnosed, 6 relapsed) were enrolled in this study. The high-dose chemotherapy included CHOP regimen (CTX + ADM + VCR + PDN) for the newly diagnosed patients and DICE (DEX + IFO + DDP + VP-16) or EPOCH (VP-16 + PDN + VCR + CTX + ADM) for the relapsed patients. Each patient received infusion of rituximab at a dose of 375 mg/m(2) for four times, on D1 before and on D7 of peripheral blood stem cell mobilization, and on D1 before and D8 after stem cell reinfusion. RESULTS: Complete remission was achieved in all patients after high dose chemotherapy and ASCT. At a median follow-up of 37 months, the estimated overall 4-year survival and progression-free survival rate for all patients were 75.0% and 70.3%, respectively, while both were 72.7% for the previously untreated patients. The therapy was generally well tolerated with few side-effects attributable to rituximab. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that adding rituximab to high-dose chemotherapy with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation is feasible and may be beneficial for patients with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

[Effects of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on cytokines secretion from allogeneic dendritic cell activated cytokine-induced killer cells].

AIM: to study the effect of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) on cytokines secretion (IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-2) of allogeneic DC-CIK cells (in co-culture of CIK cells with DC), which investigate the mechanism of immunoregulation induced by hMSCs. METHODS: the hMSCs from bone marrow were isolated, expanded and identified by cell morphology, differentiation into neuron-like cells with NSE, fat-like cells with red-oil stain, and expression of CD29, CD44. The DC and CIK cells from peripheral blood were isolated, expanded and identified by CD1α, HLA-DR or CD3(+);CD56(+);. The hMSCs were co-cultured with DC-CIK cells according to ratio 1:10. The expression of the six cytokines in supernatant was evaluated by flow cytometry after 4 days of DC-activated CIK cells in co-culture with hMSCs. RESULTS: the hMSCs displayed a fibroblast-like morphology and the positive cells of CD29 and CD44 were 96.6%, 94.6%, which have the capacity of differentiation into neuron-like cells with expressed NSE as well as fat-like cells with red-oil stain positive. The expression of CD1α, HLA-DR in DC was (91.9 ± 10.04)% and (88.8 ± 8.92)%. The CD3(+);CD56(+); double positive cells in DC-CIK cells was (29.23 ± 12.23)% compared to CIK cells with (15.98 ± 2.49)%. The cytokines secretion of DC-CIK cells in co-culture with hMSCs was IFN-γ (135.05 ± 48.19) ng/L; TNF-α (11.33 ± 1.42) ng/L; IL-10 (10.15 ± 2.25) ng/L; IL-6 (494.63 ± 235.222) ng/L; IL-4 (7.07 ± 2.30) ng/L and IL-2 (1074.6 3 ± 303.74) ng/L. In control group (DC-CIK cells) the secretion of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10, IL-6, IL-4 and IL-2 was (717.6 ± 248.15) ng/L; (17.78 ± 7.52) ng/L; (29.95 ± 12.76) ng/L; (8.03 ± 0.21) ng/L, (9.08 ± 3.07) ng/L as well as IL-2 1 250 ng/L. CONCLUSION: the secretion of IFN-γ and IL-10 were down-regulated. It probably implied that hMSCs had the effect of immunoregulation on DC-CIK cells.

Expression of syncytin in leukemia and lymphoma cells.

Syncytin is a placenta-specific protein and generally believed to play a pivotal role in syncytiotrophoblast morphogenesis. In this study, transcripts of this gene were quantified by real-time RT-PCR and the translated products were measured by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Results showed that syncytin was found to be expressed in all nine leukemia and lymphoma cell lines studied albeit at different levels and in 43 peripheral blood samples of 57 leukemia or lymphoma patients. Neither the transcripts nor the translated syncytin was detected in blood samples of normal individuals. In conclusion, peripheral blood syncytin may serve as a marker for leukemia and lymphoma.

[Protection of cryopreserved platelets by dimethyl sulfoxide combined with trehalose].

This study was aimed to investigate the protective effects of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) combined with trehalose on the cryopreserved platelets. The platelets were preserved at -80 degrees C. The experiments were divided into 5 groups: blank control group composed of apheresis platelet suspension; trehalose group composed of apheresis platelet suspension and 0.25 mol/L trehalose; DMSO group composed of apheresis platelet suspension and 5% DMSO; 5% combined group composed of apheresis platelet suspension, 5% DMSO and 0.25 mol/L trehalose; 2.5% combined group composed of apheresis platelet suspension, 2.5% DMSO and 0.25 mol/L trehalose. All the groups were thawed at 37 degrees C in a waterbath. The recovery rate of platelets and mean platelet volume (MPV) were assayed by using hemocytometer; the ultrastructural changes were examined by electron microscopy; the expressions of CD41, CD42b, CD61 and CD62p on platelets were detected by flow cytometry. The results indicated that single use of trehalose had no strong effect in increasing the recovery rate of platelets, but the morphology of platelets was close to normal. The DMSO showed significant effect in increasing the recovery rate of platelets and maintaining the intact property of platelets, however, the shape of platelets tended to sealing, and partial platelets still displayed heteromorphic changes. The combination of DMSO and trehalose revealed the protective effect on the external morphology and internal structure of platelets to be close to the normal homeostasis, and ensured an ideal recovery rate of the cryopreserved platelets and higher expression levels of CD41, CD42b, CD61 and CD62p in the same time. It is concluded that the combined use of DMSO and trehalose possesses the synergistic protective effect on the cryopreserved platelets, therefore, the combined use of both as the protective agent is hopeful to further raise the effectiveness of clinical infusion of the cryopreserved platelets.

[Effect of calcineurin Aalpha gene overexpression on the myocardium apoptosis induced by hypoxia-reoxygenation and adrenergic receptors].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of calcineurin AalphacDNA (AdCnAalpha) overexpression as a result of adenovirally mediated gene transfer on neonatal rat cardiac myocyte apoptosis induced by hypoxia-reoxygenation (H/R) and adrenergic receptors. METHODS: Neonatal rat cardiac myocytes were cultured for 20 h after AdCnAalpha transfection, and treated with isoproterenol (10 micromol/L) and 24 h of hypoxia followed by 4 h of reoxygenation (24H/4R). The cardiac myocyte apoptosis induced by the treatments was assessed by flow cytometry and DNA laddering, and the levels of calcineurin, p38 and phosphorylation p38 (p-p38) were determined by Western blotting and (or) RT-PCR. RESULTS: AdCnAalpha transfection promoted cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocyte apoptosis induced by isoproterenol+24H/4R as compared with the treated cells without transfection (14.247-/+0.525 vs 10.763-/+1.554, P<0.01), along with greater phosphorylation p38 protein expression (1.60-/+0.22 vs 2.42-/+0.19, P<0.01). The levels of p38 underwent no obvious change after AdCnAalpha transfection (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: AdCnAalpha transfection can promote cardiac myocyte apoptosis induced by H/R and adrenergic receptors, the mechanism of which might be associated with p38 mitongen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) activation.

Radioimmunotherapy of human colon cancer xenografts by using 131I labeled-CAb1 F(ab')2.

PURPOSE: Therapeutic efficacy, suitable dose, and administration times of 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2, a new monoclonal antibody therapeutics specifically directed against a cell surface-associated glycoprotein of colon cancer, were investigated in this article. METHODS AND MATERIALS: In human colon cancer xenografts, 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2 at the dose of 125 muCi, 375 muCi, and 1125 muCi were administrated intraperitoneally on Days 6 and 18 after implantation of HR8348 cells with CAb1 high reactivity. Survival time and tumor growth inhibition rate were used to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2 in treatment of colon cancer xenografts. RESULTS: Treatment of 125, 375, and 1125 muCi 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2 did not significantly decrease the mean survival time of nude mice when compared with nontreated groups (p = 0.276, 0.865, 0.582, respectively). Moreover, the mean survival times of nude mice receiving 375 muCi and 1125 muCi 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2 were significantly longer than that of 5-FU-treated groups (p = 0.018 and 0.042). Tumor growth inhibition rates of the first therapy were 35.67% and 41.37%, with corresponding 131I-labeled antibody dosage of 375 muCi and 1125 muCi. After single attack dosage, second reinforcement therapy may rise efficacy significantly. Tumor growth inhibition rates of 125 muCi, 375 muCi, and 1125 muCi 131I-labeled antibody on Day 20 posttherapy were 42.65%, 56.56%, and 84.41%, respectively. Histopathology examination revealed that tissue necrosis of various degrees was found in 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2-treated groups. CONCLUSION: 131I-CAb1 F(ab')2 is safe and effective for colon cancer. It may be a novel and potentially adjuvant therapeutics for colon cancer.