First-line induction chemotherapy with high-dose methotrexate versus teniposide in patients with newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma: a retrospective, multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) versus teniposide (TEN) in patients with newly diagnosed immunocompetent primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSLs). METHODS: The study included immunocompetent, adult patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL at 22 centers in China from 2007 to 2016. The patients received HD-MTX or TEN as first-line induction therapy. The objective response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival were analyzed for each patient cohort. RESULTS: A total of 96 patients were eligible: 62 received HD-MTX, while 34 received teniposide. The overall response rate was 73.2% and 72.7% in the MTX and the TEN cohorts, respectively (P = 0.627). The median progression-free survival was 28.4 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 13.7-51.2] in the MTX cohort and 24.3 months (95% CI: 16.6-32.1) in the TEN cohort (P = 0.75). The median overall survival was 31 months (95% CI: 26.8-35.2) in the MTX cohort and 32 months (95% CI: 27.6-36.4) in the TEN cohort (P = 0.77). The incidence of any grade of coagulopathy/deep-vein thrombosis and gastrointestinal disorders was significantly higher in the MTX cohort than in the TEN cohort; no significant difference was found in the incidence of other adverse events between the two cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first multicenter study using TEN as the main agent compared with HD-MTX in newly diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma. The TEN-based regimen was non-inferior to the HD-MTX-based regimen with similar overall responses. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provided Class III evidence that the teniposide-based regimen was non-inferior to high-dose methotrexate - based regimen with similar overall responses and long-time survival in immunocompetent patients with PCNSL.

An AIE Metal Iridium Complex: Photophysical Properties and Singlet Oxygen Generation Capacity.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has garnered significant attention in the fields of cancer treatment and drug-resistant bacteria eradication due to its non-invasive nature and spatiotemporal controllability. Iridium complexes have captivated researchers owing to their tunable structure, exceptional optical properties, and substantial Stokes displacement. However, most of these complexes suffer from aggregation-induced quenching, leading to diminished luminous efficiency. In contrast to conventional photosensitizers, photosensitizers exhibiting aggregation-induced luminescence (AIE) properties retain the ability to generate a large number of reactive oxygen species when aggregated. To overcome these limitations, we designed and synthesized a novel iridium complex named Ir-TPA in this study. It incorporates quinoline triphenylamine cyclomethylated ligands that confer AIE characteristics for Ir-TPA. We systematically investigated the photophysical properties, AIE behavior, spectral features, and reactive oxygen generation capacity of Ir-TPA. The results demonstrate that Ir-TPA exhibits excellent optical properties with pronounced AIE phenomenon and robust capability for producing singlet oxygen species. This work not only introduces a new class of metal iridium complex photosensitizer with AIE attributes but also holds promise for achieving remarkable photodynamic therapeutic effects in future cellular experiments and biological studies.

Circular RNA circ_0000284 plays an oncogenic role in the progression of non-small cell lung cancer through the miR-377-3p-mediated PD-L1 promotion.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a subgroup of non-coding RNAs, are recognized as pivotal mediators in various types of cancers. CircRNA_0000284 (circ_0000284) was manifested to participate in the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The novel functional mechanism of circ_0000284 in NSCLC was investigated in our current study. METHODS: We exploited quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to analyze the relative RNA (circRNA, miRNA and mRNA) expression. The assessment of cell proliferation and colony formation was executed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assay, respectively. Transwell assay was implemented to examine cell migration and invasion. All protein levels were assayed using western blot. The role of circ_0000284 in vivo was evaluated via xenograft model. The target relation was estimated by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. RESULTS: As for the biological characterization, circ_0000284 was highly stable and localized in the cytoplasm. Circ_0000284 was up-regulated in NSCLC and could predict poor prognosis of NSCLC patients. Both in vitro and in vivo, down-regulation of circ_0000284 refrained tumorigenesis of NSCLC. Besides, microRNA-377-3p (miR-377-3p) was a miRNA target of circ_0000284, and targeted programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1). Circ_0000284 was a cancer-promoting circRNA in NSCLC via regulating the miR-377-3p/PD-L1 axis. CONCLUSION: Thus, our results unraveled that circ_0000284 facilitated the progression of NSCLC by up-regulating the PD-L1 expression as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) of miR-377, possibly developing a different perspective in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of NSCLC.

Immunotoxicological effects of dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls extracted from Zhanjiang Bay sediments in zebrafish.

Dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (DLPCBs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants spread all over the world. They can cause disorders in the reproductive, nervous, gut, and immune systems. We investigated the effects of DL-PCB extracted from Zhanjiang (Guangdong Province, China) offshore area on the immune functions of adult zebrafish. Zebrafish were exposed to different levels of DL-PCBs, i.e., control, positive control (PCB77 at 16.0 µg/L), low (LD; PCB81 + PCB118 at 0.32 µg/L), and high-dose (HD; PCB81 + PCB118 at 16.0 µg/L) groups for 28 days. Compared with the control group, positive control and HD group showed a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in the number of red blood cells (RBC) on day 7 and the same decrease was observed in the LD group (P < 0.05) on day 21. The results of white blood cell (WBC) profiles were opposite to that of RBCs. Moreover, the serum lysozyme activity was significantly lower in positive control and HD group (P < 0.05) on day 21 but no significant effect was observed in the LD group. The mucus lysozyme activity and immunoglobulin concentration in positive control and HD group decreased significantly (P < 0.05) from day 14. A similar effect was observed in the LD group but was significant (P < 0.05) only on day 28. Additionally, histopathological examination showed accumulation of hemosiderin in the spleen of experimental animals, which was significant in positive control and HD group. Further, renal tubular epithelial cells of head kidney were swollen in the positive control and HD group while the expansion of lumen and renal interstitial edema was observed in the LD group on day 21 and with significant presence on 28 days. Therefore, these findings suggest that the exposure of zebrafish to DL-PCBs at > 16.0 µg/L can impair their immune functions.

[Expression of miR-126 in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Its Biological Function].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of miR-126 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) tissues and its biological function. METHODS: The lymphoma tissues of 46 DLBCL patients in our hospital were selected as the research object, and the lymph node hyperplasia tissue of 31 patients with reactive hyperplasia were selected as controls. The expression level of miR-126 in the patients' tissues was detected by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), and the correlation of miR-126 expression with the pathological characteristics and prognosis of the patients was analyzed. The DLBCL cell line SU-DHL-4 was transfected with miR-126 inhibitor and its negative control (NC inhibitor) or miR-126 mimics and its negative control (NC mimics). RT-qPCR assay was used to detect the expression level of miR-126 in cells; MTT method was used to detect cell proliferation activity; single clone formation test was used to detect cells colony-forming ability; Annexin V/PI double staining assay was used to detect cell apoptosis; Transwell test was used to detect cell migration and invasion ability; the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins cleaved-Caspase-3, Bcl-2 and Bax were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: miR-126 was highly expressed in lymphoma tissues of DLBCL patients, and its expression level was significantly correlated with Hans type, IPI score and Ann-Arbor stage of DLBCL patients (P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the survival rate of DLBCL patients with high expression of miR-126 was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression (P<0.05). Compared with the NC mimics group, the miR-126 expression level, cell proliferation rate, number of colony-forming units, migration and invasion ability, and Bcl-2 protein expression level in the miR-126 mimics group were significantly increased (P<0.05), but the cells apoptotic rate, cleaved-Caspase-3 and Bax protein expression levels were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Compared with the NC inhibitor group, the miR-126 expression level, cell proliferation rate, number of colony-forming units, migration and invasion ability, and Bcl-2 protein expression level in the miR-126 inhibitor group were significantly reduced (P<0.05), but the cells apoptosis rate, cleaved-Caspase-3 and Bax protein expression levels were significantly increased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: miR-126 is highly expressed in lymphoma tissues of DLBCL patients and its expression level is related to the poor prognosis of patients. miR-126 can promote DLBCL cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and inhibit cell apoptosis.

CAPG facilitates diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell progression through PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a genetically heterogeneous tumor. Currently, macrophage-capping protein (CAPG) has been discovered to play a crucial part as a regulator in various cancers. However, it still remains unclear regarding its regulatory mechanism in DLBCL. Therefore, this study focused on revealing the mechanism underlying CAPG in DLBCL. METHODS: The bioinformatics analysis was conducted to predict the expression of CAPG in DLBCL and its downstream target genes. qRT-PCR was utilized to detect mRNA expression levels of CAPG and CEBPA. Western blot was performed to examine the expression levels of related proteins. Then we employed flow cytometry for the analysis of cell cycle and apoptosis. We also used MTT assay to measure cell survival and IHC assay to detect CAPG expression in DLBLC tissues. Then, ChIP was used to determine the binding of CEBPA and CAPG. For in vivo experiments, xenograft models were employed to investigate the effect of CAPG on DLBCL. RESULTS: High-level of CAPG expression was found in DLBCL cells and tissues. CAPG could strengthen the proliferative and invasive abilities of DLBCL cells, inhibit cell apoptosis, and activate PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. CAPG overexpression accelerated malignant progression of DLBCL cells. In addition, CAPG expression was regulated by CEBPA. CONCLUSION: CAPG enhances the proliferation and invasion of DLBCL cells by promoting PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, which is expected to be a promising target for DLBCL.

Circulating Tumor DNA Characteristics Based on Next Generation Sequencing and Its Correlation With Clinical Parameters in Patients With Lymphoma.

Background: Lymphoma is a heterogeneous group of tumors in terms of morphological subtypes, molecular alterations, and management. However, data on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) mutated genes are limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the features of the ctDNA mutated genes, the prognosis, and the association between the ctDNA mutated genes and the clinical parameters in lymphoma. Methods: Differences in the ctDNA between the mutated genes and the prognosis of 59 patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) (10.2%), germinal center B-cell-like lymphoma (GCB) (28.8%), nongerminal center B-cell-like lymphoma (non-GCB) (50.8%), and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) (10.2%) were analyzed by next generation sequencing (NGS) targeting 121 lymphoma-relevant genes. Results: Genetic alterations were identified in the ctDNA samples with a median of 6 variants per sample. The genetic variation of the ctDNA in the plasma was found to be significantly correlated with the clinical indices in lymphoma. The genetic heterogeneity of different lymphoma subtypes was clearly observed in the ctDNAs from HL, GCB, non-GCB, and MZL, confirming that distinct molecular mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of different lymphomas. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that NGS-based ctDNA mutation analysis reveals genetic heterogeneity across lymphoma subtypes, with potential implications for discovering therapeutic targets, exploring genomic evolution, and developing risk-adaptive therapies.

Construction of a DLBCL Prognostic Signature Based on Tumor Microenvironment.

BACKGROUNDS: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a common curable non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Patients with this disease can be cured after the R-CHOP immunochemotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). Nonetheless, most cured patients will relapse again and have dismal prognosis. In this study, we aim to identify a potential biomarker by analyzing gene expression data, and to predict patient's survival rate by constructing a risk model. METHODS: Firstly, mRNA chip data (GSE87371) and clinical data of DLBCL patients were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Samples were scored with estimate package. The obtained stromal score (P < 0.05) and ESTIMATE score (P < 0.05) were significantly correlated with the prognosis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) screened through the above two scoring methods were intersected and 279 DEGs were obtained. Next, five feature genes (CD163, CLEC4A, COL15A1, GABRB2, IFIT3) were identified by univariate Cox, LASSO and multivariate Cox regression analyses to establish a risk evaluation model. Thereafter, the 5-gene risk model was validated on a validation set. ROC and survival analyses were performed to assess the performance of the model. RESULTS: Further analysis showed that the risk model was capable of independently determining the prognosis of patients, and a nomogram was sequentially established. CONCLUSIONS: Authors screened DEGs related to ESTIMATE and stromal scores from GEO database, and established a 5-gene prognostic signature through Cox regression analysis and LASSO analysis. The risk model and nomogram will help individuals accurately predict the prognosis of DLBCL patients.

Epidemiological investigation of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in China.

BACKGROUND: Currently, most research on hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) have focused on etiology and therapy, leaving few epidemiological reports. The published studies of China are mainly regional investigations. We aimed to present the overall epidemiological status of HLH in China, and provide Chinese data for the international HLH epidemiological investigation. METHODS: The data of HLH cases in China in 2019 were collected and statistically analyzed. FINDINGS: Epstein-Barr virus accounted for 44.01% of the 1445 cases in 31 regions and was the most common cause. Lymphoma-associated HLH patients were more often male (P < 0.05) while rheumatic and immune-associated HLH were more often female (P < 0.001). Primary HLH and Epstein-Barr Virus-associated HLH were predominant in children (P < 0.001) while tumor-associated HLH was predominant in adults. Lymphoma-associated HLH was positively correlated with the age of onset (P < 0.01). The diagnosis rate of 29 areas had a significant correlation with per capita Gross domestic product (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The different distribution of HLH etiology by age and gender contributes to the diagnosis of HLH by clinicians; The suboptimal diagnosis rate in regions with a high incidence of HLH in China is a result of the effect of the local economic level indicating the importance of improving the regional medical level.

[Clinical Value of Serum Amyloid A and Misfolded Transthyretin for Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical value of serum amyloid A (SAA1/2) and misfolded transthyretin (TTR) for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL) patients. METHODS: 30 R/R DLBCL patients were enrolled as observation group, 20 remission/stabilization DLBCL and 10 chronic lymphadenitis patients were enrolled as control group. SELDI technique, Tris-Tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electro-phoresis, the shotgun-LTQ-MS method, and bioinformatics technique were used to detected and analyzed SAA and TTR in R/R DLBCL patients. SPSS 21.0 software was used to analyze the relationship between the high expression of SAA, misfolded TTR in serum and the clinicopathological features, survival time of R/R DLBCL. patients Chi-square test was used to analyze clinical count data, Kaplan-Meier curve was used for survival analysis, and Log-Rank test was used to compare single-factor survival differences. RESULTS: The high expression of SAA and TTR (SAA+TTR+) was significantly associated with extranodal lesion, high level of LDH, and NCCN-IPI scores, and also correlated with non-GCB type. TTR+ was correlated with C-MYC in pathological tissue, while SAA+ was also associated with B-symptoms. The survival time of patients in SAA+, TTR+, and SAA+TTR+ group were shorter than that in control group. CONCLUSION: Both SAA and misfolded TTR are poor prognosis factors of R/R DLBCL patients.

[Effect of P53 Expression on Prognosis of Patients with Double Expressor Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of P53 expression on prognosis of patients with double expressor lymphoma(DEL) and the interaction between the expression of MYC, BCL2 and P53 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma(DLBCL). METHODS: Eighty-eight patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL from 1st September 2012 to 31th May 2018 in Shanxi Dayi Hospital affiliated to Shanxi Medical University were selected. The expressions of MYC、BCL2、P53、CD10、BCL6、MUM and Ki-67 were tested by immunohistochemistry method. The overall survival of patients was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method and compared by the log-rank test. The prognostic effect of MYC, BCL2 and P53 expression was analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Compared with patients without P53 expression, the patients with P53 expression had higher LDH level, higher NCCN-IPI scores, lower response to chemotherapy，poorer overall survival(OS) and a higher rate of death(P<0.05). In patients who had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma associated with MYC, BCL2 expression or MYC+/BCL2+ double expression， compared with the patients whom without P53 expression, P53 expression associated with a significant worse OS (P<0.05). The patients with concurrent MYC and P53 expression had a worse OS, compared with patients with either P53 or MYC expression(P<0.05). In patients with MYC+/P53+ co-expression, BCL2 expression did not correlate with poorer survival significantly(P>0.05). Among lymphoma patients with MYC+/P53+, MYC+/BCL2+ and BCL2+/P53+ co-expression, the patients with MYC+/P53+ co-expression had the worse OS (3 year OS rate：31.6%), followed by the subgroup of patients with MYC-/BCL2+/P53+(3 year OS rate：46.2%), patients with MYC+/BCL2+/P53- expression(3 year OS rate： 636%) showed a longer OS compared with the other two subgroups（P<0.05）. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that P53 expression and NCCN-IPI were independent prognostic factors in this patient cohort. CONCLUSION: P53 and MYC expressions have a synergistically negative prognostic effect in DLBCL patients. P53 expression augments the negative prognostic effect of MYC+/BCL2+ double expression. Patients with MYC+/P53+ co-expression have a worse prognosis in comparison with the patients with MYC+/BCL2+ double expression.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Orancistrocerusaterrimusaterrimus and comparative analysis in the family Vespidae (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Eumeninae).

To date, only one mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) in the Eumeninae has been reported in the world and this is the first report in China. The mitogenome of O.a.aterrimus is 17 972 bp long, and contains 38 genes, including 13 protein coding genes (PCGs), 23 tRNA genes, two rRNA genes, a long non-coding region (NCR), and a control region (CR). The mitogenome has 79.43% A + T content, its 13 PCGs use ATN as the initiation codon except for cox1 using TTG, and nine genes used complete translation termination TAA and four genes have incomplete stop codon T (cox2, cox3, nad4, and cytb). Twenty-two of 23 tRNAs can form the typical cloverleaf secondary structure except for trnS1. The CR is 1 078 bp long with 84.69% A+T content, comprising 28 bp tandem repeat sequences and 13 bp T-strech. There are two gene rearrangements which are an extra trnM2 located between trnQ and nad2 and the trnL2 in the upstream of nad1. Within all rearrangements of these mitogenomes reported in the family Vespidae, the translocation between trnS1 and trnE genes only appears in Vespinae, and the translocation of trnY in Polistinae and Vespinae. The absent codons of 13 PCGs in Polistinae are more than those both in Vespinae and Eumeninae in the family Vespidae. The study reports the complete mitogenome of O.a.aterrimus, compares the characteristics and construct phylogenetic relationships of the mitogenomes in the family Vespidae.

The clinical study of extranodal natural killer cell lymphoma, nasal type.

To analyze the clinical characteristics, treatment of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, the term "nasal type" describes in the nasal cavity and also in the extranasal sites. There were 82 patients with nasal NK/T lymphoma (group 1) and 11 patients with extranasal NK/T lymphoma (group 2). In group 1, 4 patients gave up treatment. Five patients received radiotherapy (RT) alone. Fifty-seven patients were treated with combination of chemotherapy and RT. Sixteen patients received chemotherapy alone. Most patients (82.9%) had stage I/II disease and a high frequency (about one-third) of B symptoms. The CR rate was 53.8%. The OS rate was 62.8% (49/78 cases). Three patients died in relation to L-asparaginase. Three patients with late relapses occurred at 10 and 17 years from CR, respectively. In group 2, except that one patient received chemoradiotherapy, 10 patients received chemotherapy. Seven patients died. The OS rate was 36.4%. Our study suggested that nasal and extranasal variants of extranodal NK/T lymphoma, nasal type represented different clinical behavior and prognosis. For comparison, extranasal NK/T lymphoma is more aggressive and higher mortality than nasal NK/T lymphoma.

[Genetic susceptibility of single nucleotide polymorphism in MGMT to non-Hodgkin lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between five single nucleotide polymorphism loci in the MGMT, XPA, XPD and XPG genes and the prevalence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. METHODS: A case-control study of 73 lymphoma cases and 500 healthy controls was conducted and the Mass-ARRAY method was applied for detection of MGMT L84F, MGMT K178R, XPA TSS+62, XPD K751Q and XPG TSS+372. RESULTS: MGMT L84F (T allele) was associated with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (OR=2.085, 95%CI=1.069-4.068, P=0.029), mainly in B-cell lymphoma, of which the risk increased by 2.403-fold (OR=2.403, 95%CI=1.103-5.235, P=0.024). No statistically significance was found for MGMT K178R, XPA TSS+62, XPD K751Q and XPG TSS+372. CONCLUSION: Single nucleotide polymorphism in the MGMT gene may closely related to the occurrence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, especially of B-cell subtype.

[Analysis of pathological type and clinical features of lymphoma cell leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the pathological type and clinical features of patients with lymphoma cell leukemia (LML). METHODS: According to the 2008 WHO classification of tumors of hematopoietic and lymphoid tissue, the pathological type and clinical features of 127 LML cases were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: There were 15 kinds of NHL developed LML. The incidence in frequent order of them was B-lymphoblastic lymphoma, CLL/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) and T-lymphoblastic lymphoma. The LML of T and B cell subtypes were 45 and 74, respectively. There was a significant difference in overall survival between T-LML and B-LML (P < 0.01). Eighty one patients presented LML at the same time of the NHL diagnosis and 46 during the course (1 - 88 months) of disease. Primary nodal and extranodal NHLs developed LML were 96 and 31 cases, respectively. The clinical manifestations of LBL and SLL patients differed from that of ALL and CLL patients. CONCLUSION: LML is not a rare manifestation of NHL. Pathological types of NHL developed LML are 15 kinds in our patients. The clinical features of LML patients are somewhat special, especially for primary extranodal LML patients.