Solvent modulation of the morphology of homochiral gadolinium coordination polymers and its impact on circularly polarized luminescence.

Studying the effect of morphology on the circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) of chiral molecular materials is important for the development of CPL-active materials for applications. Herein, we report that the morphology of Gd(NO3)3/R-,S-AnempH2 [AnempH2 = (1-anthrylethylamino)methylphosphonic acid] assemblies can be controlled by solvent modulation to form spiral bundles Gd(R-,S-AnempH)3·2H2O (R-,S-1), crystals Gd(R-,S-AnempH)3·2H2O (R-,S-2) and spindle-shaped particles Gd(R-,S-AnempH)3·3H2O·0.5DMF (R-,S-3) with similar chain structures. Interestingly, R-,S-1 are CPL active and show the highest value of dissymmetric factor among the three pairs of enantiomers (|glum| = 2.1 × 10-3), which is 2.8 times larger than that of R-,S-2, while R-,S-3 are CPL inactive with |glum| ≈ 0. This work provides a new route to control the morphology of chiral coordination polymers and improve their CPL performance.

[Analysis of High-Risk Clinical Factors of Early Death in Secondary Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the high-risk clinical factors of early death in patients with secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (sHLH), and further identify the clinical factors related to the rapid progression of sHLH in the short term. METHODS: The clinical manifestations, laboratory examination and prognosis of sHLH patients were retrospectively analyzed. Continuous variables were grouped by median, univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curve were used to explore the risk factors affecting early death of sHLH. Then, a nomogram model was established with independent risk factors, Bootstrap resampling method was used for verification, and consistency index (C-index) and calibration curve were used to detect the prediction accuracy. RESULTS: A total of 126 sHLH patients were enrolled, with a median age of 48.5(16-88) years, including 74 males and 52 females. Fifty-five patients (43.6%) died within 30 days, including 39 males and 16 females. Univariate regression analysis showed that lymphocyte count <0.45×109/L, platelet count (PLT) <39.5×109/L, prothrombin time (PT)≥13.3 s, activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT)≥39.7 s, albumin (ALB) <25.9 g/L, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)≥811 U/L, creatinine (Cr) ≥67 µmol/L and procalcitonin (PCT)≥0.61 ng/ml were risk factors for death within 30 days in sHLH patients. Multivariate regression analysis showed that lymphocyte count <0.45×109/L, APTT≥39.7 s and ALB <25.9 g/L were independent risk factors for death within 30 days in sHLH patients. A nomogram model was established based on the above three risk factors, its C-index was 0.683, and the calibration chart showed good agreement between the observed and predicted values of sHLH. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphopenia, prolonged APTT, and hypoalbuminemia are risk factors for early death of sHLH patients. Early identification and positive intervention are expected to reduce early mortality in sHLH patients. The nomogram model based on the above risk factors provides a method for clinicians to evaluate sHLH.

Macroscopic Helical Assembly of One-Dimensional Coordination Polymers: Helicity Inversion Triggered by Solvent Isomerism.

Assembling macroscopic helices with controllable chirality and understanding their formation mechanism are highly desirable but challenging tasks for artificial systems, especially coordination polymers. Here, we utilize solvents as an effective tool to induce the formation of macroscopic helices of chiral coordination polymers (CPs) and manipulate their helical sense. We chose the Ni/R-,S-BrpempH2 system with a one-dimensional tubular structure, where R-,S-BrpempH2 stands for R-,S-(1-(4-bromophenyl)ethylaminomethylphosphonic acid). The morphology of the self-assemblies can be controlled by varying the cosolvent in water, resulting in the formation of twisted ribbons of R-,S-Ni(Brpemp)(H2O)·H2O (R-,S-2T) in pure H2O; needle-like crystals of R-,S-Ni(Brpemp)(H2O)2·1/3CH3CN (R-,S-1C) in 20 vol % CH3CN/H2O; nanofibers of R-,S-Ni(Brpemp)(H2O)·H2O (R-,S-3F) in 20-40 vol % methanol/H2O or ethanol/H2O; and superhelices of R-,S-Ni(Brpemp)(H2O)·H2O (R-,S-4H or 5H) in 40 vol % propanol/H2O. Interestingly, the helicity of the superhelix can be controlled by using a propanol isomer in water. For the Ni/R-BrpempH2 system, a left-handed superhelix of R-4H(M) was obtained in 40 vol % NPA/H2O, while a right-handed superhelix of R-5H(P) was isolated in 40 vol % IPA/H2O. These results were rationalized by theoretical calculations. Adsorption studies revealed the chiral recognition behavior of these compounds. This work may contribute to the development of chiral CPs with a macroscopic helical morphology and interesting functionalities.

[Effectiveness and Mechanism of Decitabine Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Medium and Low-risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of decitabine maintenance therapy in patients with medium and low-risk acute myeloid leukemia(AML). METHODS: The newly diagnosed medium- and low-risk AML patients in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from December 2016 to December 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. Seventy-eight AML patients who were still in remission after consolidation treatment were divided into maintenance treatment group (31 cases) and control group (47 cases). The maintenance treatment patients received decitabine at 20 mg/m2 IV daily for 5 days, every three months for 6 cycles, the control group was only observed and tested regularly. Follow-up was completed by telephone or by viewing outpatient or inpatient medical records. Primary indicators were overall survival (OS), and secondary indicators include relapse-free survival (RFS), tolerance, cellular immune function and analysis of risk factors related to survival. RESULTS: Median RFS in maintenance theatment and control groups was 30.1(26.2-33.8) months and 24.3(21.7-30.3) months (P=0.011), median OS 34.7(29.8-39.7) months and 27.7(24.1-31.3) months respectively（P=0.024）, with a statistically significant difference. For the univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis, only the minimal residual disease (HR=25.185, P<0.001) and the treatment methods (HR=0.124, P<0.001) affected the PFS and OS of patients. In the maintenance treatment group, CD3+T cells, CD8+T cells and NK cells increased significantly after decitabine maintenance treatment, and the regulatory T cells decreased significantly (P<0.05). Patients had a low incidence of grade 3-4 adverse events, hematological adverse events were mainly neutropenia and thrombocytopenia, non-hematological adverse events were mainly digestive tract symptoms, and the patient was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Maintenance treatment with decitabine provided benefit survival in patients with medium- and low-risk AML and is well tolerated. The mechanism may be inhibition the proliferation of regulatory T cells, induce and enhance the cytotoxic effect of CD8+ T cells on tumor antigens.

[A Real-World Study of the Effect of rhG-CSF on Clinical Efficacy and Flow Cytometry MRD after Initial Induction Therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of recombinant human granulocyte colony stimulating factor (rhG-CSF) on the clinical efficacy and flow cytometry (FCM) minimal residual disease (MRD) of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after initial induction therapy in the real world. METHODS: The clinical data of 44 AML patients who were diagnosed for the first time in the Department of Hematology, The Second Hospital of Anhui Medical University, and received the initial induction therapy were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether rhG-CSF was used after treatment, these patients were divided into control group and therapy group. The complete remission (CR) rate, duration of neutropenia, incidence of infection, duration of fever, cost of antibiotics drugs, length of hospital stay, FCM MRD, and relapse-free survival (RFS) time were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: The CR rate in the control group was 60%, and 74% in the therapy group (P=0.3429). The duration of neutropenia was (21.28±7.91) days in the control group and (14.79±3.07) days in the therapy group (P=0.0016). The duration of fever was (12.80±7.31) days in the control group and (9.11±7.48) days in the therapy group (P=0.0136). While, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of infection, cost of antibacterial drugs, length of hospital stay and RFS time (all P>0.05). In addition, it is particularly noteworthy that among the patients who finally obtained CR in the therapy group, 66% of them had myeloid precursor cells detected by peripheral blood FCM (accounting for 2.25%±0.99%) at the time of the first release of neutropenia, which was easy to be misdiagnosed as MRD positive. CONCLUSION: rhG-CSF not only don't affect the clinical remission rate after the initial induction treatment of AML, but also significantly shortens the time of duration of neutropenia and fever, however, it may affect the analysis of peripheral blood FCM MRD detection results when the neutropenia is released for the first time.

[Correlation between Peripheral Blood Intermediate Monocytes Increased and the Disease Progression of Patients with Diffuse Large BCell Lymphoma].

AbstractObjective: To explore the distribution characteristics and clinical significance of peripheral blood monocyte subgroups in patients with diffuse large Bcell lymphoma(DLBCL). METHODS: The percentage of peripheral blood monocyte subsets of 82 DLBCL patients (including 32 newly diagnosis, 29 remission and 21 relapse) and 30 healthy controls were detected by flow cytometry, and the correlation with the clinical characteristics and its diagnostic value of DLBCL were analyzed. RESULTS: The proportion of intermediate monocytes in patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL group was higher than that in healthy controls (t=5.888, P<0.01). The proportion in relapsed group was higher than those in newly diagnosed DLBCL group（t=2.106，P=0.04） and remission group （t=6.882， P＜0.01）, and the proportion of intermediate monocytes in newly diagnosed DLBCL group was higher than that in Remission group (t=3.969, P<0.01). With the increase of International Prognostic Index (IPI) score, the percentage of intermediate monocytes in patients with DLBCL increased (r=0.37). Furthermore, when the proportion of intermediate monocytes was 10.91% as the cutoff value, the sensitivity and specificity of the whole sample were 90.60% and 9100%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The disease progression is related to the increased intermediate monocytes, which can be used as a potential diagnostic index for DLBCL.

CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) expression promotes diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma survival and invasion.

In recent years, CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) has been found to be involved in tumor growth, angiogenesis, epithelial mesenchymal transition, metastasis, and immune escape. CCR2 overexpression was first identified as a poor prognostic predictor in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in our published article, but the mechanisms involved remain unknown. In this work, we collected data from another 138 patients with DLBCL data and verified the CCR2 expression level and its relationship to clinicopathological characteristics. Furthermore, we explored the possible mechanisms via in vitro and in vivo experiments. We showed that CCR2 overexpression was an independent prognostic marker and predicted shorter overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with DLBCL. Blockade of CCR2 expression with a CCR2 antagonist inhibited tumor cell proliferation, migration, and anti-apoptosis ability in vitro by affecting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, administration of a CCR2 antagonist decreased tumor growth and dissemination of DLBCL cells and increased survival time in the xenograft model. Our study demonstrates that CCR2 expression plays an important role in the development of DLBCL by stimulating cell proliferation, migration, and anti-apoptosis. Therefore, the inhibition of CCR2 may be a potential target for anticancer therapy in DLBCL.

Near-Infrared Phosphorescence Emission of Binuclear Mn(II) Based Metal-Organic Framework for Efficient Photoelectric Conversion.

The development of metal-organic framework (MOF) based room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) materials has raised extensive concern owing to their widespread applications in the field of anti-counterfeiting, photovoltaics, photocatalytic reactions, and bio-imaging. Herein, one new binuclear Mn(II) based 3D MOF [Mn2(L)(BMIB)·(H2O)] (1) (H5L = 3,5-bis(3,5-dicarboxylphenxoy) benzoic acid, BMIB = tran-4-bis(2-methylimidazolyl)butylene) has been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal process. In 1, the protonated BMIB cations show infinite π-stacking arrangement, residing in the channels of the 3D network extended by L ligand and binuclear Mn(II) units. The orderly and uniform host-guest system at molecular level emits intense white light fluorescence and long-lived near infrared phosphorescence under ambient conditions. These photophysical processes were well-studied by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Photoelectron measurements reveal high photoelectron response behavior and incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE).

Hexanuclear Zn(II)-Induced Dense π-Stacking in a Metal-Organic Framework Featuring Long-Lasting Room Temperature Phosphorescence.

A new strategy to enhance the room temperature phosphorescence performance has been developed through hexanuclear Zn(II)-cluster-induced dense π-stacking in a metal-organic framework matrix. The synergistic effect of metal clusters and large overlap of π-conjugated dimers facilitate the phosphorescence emission, migration, and separation of charge carriers for excellent photocatalytic activity.

Fast Crystallization-Deposition of Orderly Molecule Level Heterojunction Thin Films Showing Tunable Up-Conversion and Ultrahigh Photoelectric Response.

Molecular cocrystals have received much attention for tuning physicochemical properties in pharmaceutics, luminescence, organic electronics, and so on. However, the effective methods for the formation of orderly cocrystal thin films are still rather limited, which have largely restricted their photofunctional and optoelectronic applications. In this work, a fast crystallization-deposition procedure is put forward to obtain acridine (AD)-based cocrystals, which are self-assembled with three typical isophthalic acid derivatives (IPA, IPB, and TMA). The obtained donor-acceptor cocrystal complexes exhibit an adjustable energy level, wide range of photoluminescence color, and rotational angle-dependent polarized emission. The orderly and uniform cocrystal thin films further present tunable one-/two-photon up-conversion and different semiconductor properties. Particularly, AD-TMA cocrystal thin film shows a rare example of a molecule level heterojunction with the alternating arrangement of AD electronic acceptor layers and TMA electronic donor layers, and thus, provides a way for efficient mobility and separation of electron-hole pairs. A large on-off photocurrent ratio of more than 104 can be achieved for the AD-TMA thin film, which is higher than state-of-the-art molecular semiconductor systems. Therefore, this work extends the application scopes of orderly cocrystal thin film materials for future luminescent and optoelectronic micro-/nanodevices.

Sulfur heteroatom-based MOFs with long-lasting room-temperature phosphorescence and high photoelectric response.

The phosphorescence lifetimes of sulfur heteroatom-containing ligands were increased by more than 400 times through strong coordination bonds in the MOF matrix. Photoelectric measurements exhibited abnormal enhancement in the photocurrent for phosphorescent MOFs when the illumination was turned off.

CD20-positive primary nasal peripheral T-cell lymphoma: An analysis of one case and review of the literature.

CD20-positive T-cell lymphoma (TCL) is a very rare disease entity that is associated with the co-expressions of a range of T cell lineage makers, such as, CD2, CD3, CD5, or CD7, and CD20. The biological and clinical significance of CD20 antigen expressed in TCL has been unclear. Here, we are reporting an unusual case of CD20-positive primary nasal peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) in a 62-year-old female with both peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) involvement. Flow cytometry (FC) analysis revealed CD20+ lymphoma cells in PB, BM, and lymph node (LN) and was consistent with pathological findings. FC immunophenotyping was proved of great diagnostic contribution.

Tumor-associated macrophages predict prognosis in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and correlation with peripheral absolute monocyte count.

BACKGROUND: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is characterized by its clinical and biological heterogeneity. The clinical prognostic implications of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in DLBCL remain controversial and the correlation between TAMs and peripheral absolute monocyte count (AMC) has not yet been elucidated. METHODS: In 221 untreated, newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL, we evaluated the prognostic value of TAMs using immunohistochemical analysis, as well as the association of TAMs and AMC. RESULTS: We found that high CD68 or high CD163 expression was correlated with clinicopathological characteristics, high CD163 expression was an adverse predictor for both overall survival (OS) [hazard ratio (HR) = 2.265, P = 0.005] and progression- free survival (PFS) (HR = 1.925, P = 0.017) in patients with DLBCL. Patients with high CD68 or high CD163 expression had significantly poorer OS and PFS than those with low CD68 or low CD163 expression, respectively (CD68: OS: P<0.001, PFS: P<0.001; CD163: OS: P<0.001, PFS: P<0.001), even in the rituximab era. Moreover, high-risk patients could be further identified by the expression of CD68 or CD163, especially in those classified as low/intermediate risk by International Prognostic Index (IPI). Furthermore, the significant positive correlation was also detected between CD68 expression or CD163 expression and AMC (r = 0.256, P<0.001; r = 0.303, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with high expression of TAMs tend to have poorer OS and PFS, even in the rituximab era, and have positive correlation with AMC. Therefore, the peripheral AMC is a useful prognostic marker reflecting the status of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in DLBCL.

Facile synthesis of a micro-scale MOF host-guest with long-lasting phosphorescence and enhanced optoelectronic performance.

Micro-scale MOFs with a persistent phosphorescence lifetime of 900 ms can be facilely synthesized by a fast precipitation process in aqueous solution. The in situ encapsulation of a dye into the MOF matrix can expressly tune the phosphorescence color from green to a rare example of red emission with a lifetime of 450 ms, highly enhancing the photoelectrocatalytic water splitting.

Room temperature phosphorescence of Mn(ii) and Zn(ii) coordination polymers for photoelectron response applications.

Room temperature phosphorescence of Mn(ii) and Zn(ii) based coordination polymers (Mn-CP and Zn-CP) with a different mechanism was confirmed by experiments and theory calculations. The Mn-CP exhibits high photoelectron response performance while Zn-CP can generate frequency tunable alternating current when the period of on-off illumination is changed.

Prognostic significance of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and CC chemokine receptor 2 in diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Aberrant monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and CC chemokine receptor 2 (CCR2) expression in malignant tissues have been reported; however, their role in hematological malignancies prognosis remains little known. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of MCP-1 and CCR2 expression in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The study included 221 patients with DLBCL. MCP-1 and CCR2 expression was analyzed by immunohistochemical staining and its correlations with clinicopathologic features and prognosis were evaluated. High expression of MCP-1 or CCR2 was correlated with clinicopathological characteristics, and an adverse prognostic factor for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of DLBCL patients. Also, significant positive correlation between MCP-1 and CCR2 expression was revealed (r = 0.545, P < 0.001). Patients with high MCP-1 or high CCR2 expression had significantly poorer OS and PFS than those with low MCP-1 or low CCR2 expression (OS: P < 0.001, P < 0.001; PFS: P < 0.001, P < 0.001), respectively, even in the rituximab era, and MCP-1 or CCR2 expression could further identify high-risk patients otherwise classified as low/intermediate risk by the International Prognostic Index (IPI) alone. Furthermore, incorporation of MCP-1 or CCR2 expression into the IPI score could improve prognostic value for OS. This is the first report describing the clinicopathological features and survival outcome according to expression of MCP-1 and CCR2 in DLBCL.

How to detect the rare BCR-ABL (e14a3) transcript: A case report and literature review.

The Philadelphia (Ph; BCR-ABL) chromosome originates from a translocation event between chromosomes 9 and 22, and results in the BCR-ABL fusion gene. In chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), the BCR-ABL gene is mainly coded for by a major breakpoint cluster region (M-bcr, e13a2 and e14a2). However, in some patients, BCR-ABL genes are encoded by a minor (m)-bcr, e1a2, and a micro (µ)-bcr region, e19a2. These transcripts revealed a different clinical course. The present study described a CML patient whose cytogenetics and FISH analyses of bone marrow revealed a karyotype of 46, XY t(9,22) (q34;q11), while the commercial kits of quantitative PCR (qPCR) failed to detect the BCR-ABL fusion gene. Further multiplex Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and sequencing analyses identified a rare e14a3 (b3a3) fusion transcript.

Neutrophil CD64 Index as a superior biomarker for early diagnosis of infection in febrile patients in the hematology department.

BACKGROUND: In the hematology department, the availability of biomarkers for early detection of infection is difficult to obtain. The present study aimed to compare the diagnostic values of neutrophil CD64 Index, procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and to determine whether the combined analysis of these biomarkers offer stronger predictive power in the diagnosis for the infection of febrile patients. METHODS: Neutrophil CD64 Index, PCT, IL-6 and CRP levels were determined in 356 febrile patients in the hematology ward from May 2013 to May 2015. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, positive and negative predictive values, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) areas under the curve (AUC), and logistic regression analysis were determined to evaluate the diagnostic values of these biomarkers. RESULTS: The levels of the four biomarkers were higher in the infection patients (p<0.001), and the PCT and IL-6 were higher in the patients with positive microbial blood culture (p<0.01). The neutrophil CD64 Index, PCT, IL-6, CRP had AUCs of 0.95, 0.83, 0.75 and 0.73, respectively. The best cut-off value of the neutrophil CD64 Index to detect infections was 5.06, with high specificity (87.5%) and sensitivity (88.4%). Furthermore, neutrophil CD64 Index, PCT and IL-6 offered the best combination of diagnosis with sensitivity of 93.9% and an AUC of 0.95. In addition, the neutrophil CD64 Index may have a special value to assist the physician to diagnose infection in the neutropenic patients with fever. CONCLUSIONS: The neutrophil CD64 Index is useful for early identification of infections in febrile patients in the hematology department. The combined analysis of the CD64 Index, PCT and IL-6 could further improve its sensitivity.

[The First Switched Time of PML/RARα Fusion Gene in Patients with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia and Its Clinical Significance].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the first switched time of PML/RARα fusion gene in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and its clinical significance. METHODS: sixty cases of newly diagnosed APL were enrolled in this study. They received standard remission induction, consolidation and maintenance treatments according to the clinical pathway for APL, and were followed up. During the same time the PML/RARα fusion gene mRNA expression of all cases was detected by multi-nested PCR. RESULTS: except for 3 death cases and 1 case failed to follow-up, the PML/RARα fusion genes in the remaining 56 cases were firstly found to be negative from 24 to 381 days respectively, the mean value of the first switched time was 131 ± 90 days. There was no statistically significant difference in age, sex and risk stratification between different groups. However, the cases with L-type PML/RARα gene had shorter time compared with the patients with S-type PML/RARα gene (P = 0.032); then, for the above-mentimed 56 cases, the follow-up duration ranged from 25-1979 days (median 946 days), long-term molecular remissions had been observed in most cases, but 1 case with the first switched time of 133 days unfortunately recurred to be positive and followed by clinical relapse. CONCLUSION: The PML/RARα fusion gene in newly diagnosed APL patients was first switched to be negative in about 4 months after treatment. The first switched time of PML/RARα fusion gene can objectively reflect the reduction of leukemia cells, and the differences among different subtypes of PML/RARα fusion gene may have some suggestions for the treatment, but without important significance for the evaluation of prognosis and recurrence for APL patients. In addition, minimal residual disease (MRD) can be dynamically monitored by detecting PML/RARα fusion gene, thus having an important clinical significance for analysis of APL recurrence.