A retrospective study of Kaposi's sarcoma in Hotan region of Xinjiang, China.

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is the most common cancer in patients with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In 1994, Chang and Moore discovered Kaposi sarcoma associated herpesvirus for the first time in KS lesions in AIDS patients. KS is a low-grade mesenchymal neoplasm of blood and lymphatic vessels that primarily affects the skin, although the disease may become disseminated to the lymphatic system, lungs, airways, or abdominal viscera. In this research, clinical characteristics and treatment of patients of Kaposi sarcoma were retrospectively analyzed in Hotan District, Xinjiang China. We look into the clinical traits, prognosis, and therapy of Kaposi sarcoma. From May 2017 to August 2022, 32 patients were treated in the People's Hospital of Hotan District, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Twenty-two of these were classic Kaposi sarcomas (cKS), and 10 of these were Kaposi sarcomas linked to AIDS (AIDS-KS). The majority of KS patients were Uyghur. In terms of age at onset, AIDS-KS patients were younger than cKS patients. cKS and AIDS-KS are most frequently manifested in the feet and lower limbs. Ten patients with AIDS-KS have treated with combination antiretroviral therapy (combination antiretroviral therapy) combination chemotherapy, 5 of 10 patients had a complete response, 2 patients achieved partial response, the overall effective rate was 70%, and CD4 + T cells were greater than before. For cKS and AIDS-KS, the median overall survival was 56 and 50.8 months, respectively (P > .05). As a result, antiviral combination chemotherapy can also improve the prognosis of AIDS-KS patients.

Systemic Colonization of Xanthomonas fragariae Strain YL19 Causing Dry Cavity Rot of Strawberry Crown Tissue in China.

Xanthomonas fragariae usually causes angular leaf spot (ALS) of strawberry, a serious bacterial disease in many strawberry-producing regions worldwide. Recently, a new strain of X. fragariae (YL19) was isolated from strawberry in China and has been shown to cause dry cavity rot in strawberry crown. In this study, we constructed a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labeled Xf YL19 (YL19-GFP) to visualize the infection process and pathogen colonization in strawberries. Foliar inoculation of YL19-GFP resulted in the pathogen migrating from the leaves to the crown, whereas dip inoculation of wounded crowns or roots resulted in the migration of bacteria from the crowns or roots to the leaves. These two invasion types both resulted in the systematic spread of YL19-GFP, but inoculation of a wounded crown was more harmful to the strawberry plant than foliar inoculation. Results increased our understanding of the systemic invasion of X. fragariae, and the resultant crown cavity caused by Xf YL19.

Effect of Silicon Source (Fly Ash, Silica Dust, Gangue) on the Preparation of Porous Mullite Ceramics from Aluminum Dross.

Aluminum dross (AD) is a waste product produced during aluminum processing and can be used to prepare mullite ceramic materials. However, the research on the preparation of mullite porous ceramics entirely from solid waste is still in the development stage. In this paper, porous mullite ceramics were successfully fabricated using a solid-phase sintering process with AD and different silicon sources (fly ash, silica dust, and gangue) as raw materials. The bulk density, apparent porosity, and compressive strength of the specimens were obtained, and the phase compositions and microstructures of the sintered specimens were measured using XRD and SEM, respectively. The average activation energy of the phase transition of fly ash, silica dust, and gangue as silicon sources were 984 kJ/mol, 1113 kJ/mol, and 741 kJ/mol, respectively. The microstructures of the mullite in the specimens were prisms, random aggregates, and needle-shaped, respectively. The formation of needle-shaped mullite combined with the substrate enhanced the mechanical strength of the porous mullite ceramics. The apparent porosity, density, and compressive strength of the specimens with gangue as the silicon source were 33.13%, 1.98 g/cm3, and 147.84 MPa, respectively, when sintered at 1300 °C for 2 h.

A rare endocrine cause of ventricular tachycardia: a case series of two patients and a literature review.

Sheehan's syndrome is a type of hypopituitarism caused by massive uterine bleeding and hypovolaemic shock after or during delivery. Heart involvement has been documented sporadically among the various clinical manifestations of Sheehan's syndrome but life-threatening arrhythmias are infrequent. Here, we report on two rare cases of ventricular tachycardia caused by Sheehan's syndrome. Both female patients were diagnosed with Sheehan's syndrome 30 years previously, due to massive postpartum bleeding. Both of them terminated hormone replacement therapy recently. Both patients presented with torsade de pointes. The electrocardiogram showed prolonged QT interval. In addition to potassium supplementation and anti-arrhythmia therapy, steroids and thyroid hormone replacement therapy were employed, QT-interval prolongation and T-wave inversion were normalised, and implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation was avoided. One of the patients was recovering well at the one-year follow up and the other patient was in a coma at the time of this report. We also review the literature for cases of Sheehan's syndrome presenting with ventricular tachycardia.

Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 3-(Pyridine-3-yl)-2-Oxazolidinone Derivatives as Antibacterial Agents.

In this research, a series of 3-(pyridine-3-yl)-2-oxazolidinone derivatives was designed, synthesized, and evaluated for in vitro antibacterial activity, which included bacteriostatic, morphological, kinetic studies, and molecular docking. The results demonstrated that compounds 21b, 21d, 21e and 21f exhibited strong antibacterial activity similar to that of linezolid toward five Gram-positive bacteria. After observing the effect of the drug on the morphology and growth dynamics of the bacteria, the possible modes of action were predicted by molecular docking. Furthermore, the antibiofilm activity and the potential drug resistance assay was proceeded. These compounds exhibited universal antibiofilm activity and compound 21d showed significant concentration-dependent inhibition of biofilm formation. Compound 21d also showed a stable effect on S. pneumoniae (ATCC 49619) with less drug resistance growth for 15 days, which is much longer than that of linezolid. Overall, these results can be used to guide further exploration of novel antimicrobial agents.

Hydrolysis Behavior and Kinetics of AlN in Aluminum Dross during the Hydrometallurgical Process.

In this study, the hydrolysis behavior and kinetics of AlN in aluminum dross (AD) were investigated in order to better identify the steps controlling the AlN hydrolysis reaction and the factors influencing the hydrolysis rate to enhance the removal efficiency of AlN. The hydrolysis behavior of AlN, including AlN content, phase composition, chemical composition, microstructure, and element distribution, was determined by a leaching test, X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, and energy dispersive spectroscopy, respectively. The results showed that increasing the leaching liquid-solid ratio as well as the temperature was helpful for the removal efficiency of AlN. When the liquid--solid ratio was 4:1, temperature was 90 °C, and leaching time was 300 min, the removal efficiency of AlN reached 89.05%. The kinetics were described using the unreacted core model, and when the temperature was 30-40, 50-70, and 80-90 °C, the hydrolysis reaction rate of AlN was controlled by boundary layer diffusion, chemical reaction control, and product layer diffusion control, respectively.

Synthesis, Antibacterial and Anthelmintic Activity of Novel 3-(3-Pyridyl)-oxazolidinone-5-methyl Ester Derivatives.

In this study, a series of 3-(3-pyridyl)-oxazolidone-5-methyl ester derivatives was synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and LC-MS. The conducted screening antibacterial studies of the new 3-(3-pyridyl)-oxazolidone-5-methyl ester derivatives established that the methyl sulfonic acid esters have broad activity spectrum towards Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Among them, compound 12e has the most potent activity, with an MIC of 16 µg/mL against B.subtilis, and could reduce the instantaneous growth rate of bacteria. Furthermore, molecular docking studies were also simulated for compound 12e to predict the specific binding mode of this compound. In addition, anthelmintic activity of these compounds was also evaluated against adult Indian earthworms (Pheretima posthuman). The results showed that compound 11b had the best effect. These results above can provide experimental reference for the development of novel antibacterial and anthelmintic drugs.

Extracellular vesicles derived from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia inhibit osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via miR-34a-5p.

Reduced bone formation in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) may be related to the interaction between tumour cells and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). The miRNAs in extracellular vesicles derived from leukemia cells play an essential role in regulating the function of BMSCs; however, the regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. The expression of miR-34a-5p in T-ALL patients and cells was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. BMSCs were co-cultured with extracellular vesicles isolated from T-ALL cells in mineralization medium. The osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was evaluated by Alizarin Red S staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining, and detection of osteogenic differentiation markers. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was performed to confirm the targeting relationship between miR-34a-5p and Wnt family member 1 (WNT1). MiR-34a-5p expression was upregulated in T-ALL patients and Jurkat cells. After BMSCs were co-cultured with extracellular vesicles derived from T-ALL cells, osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was inhibited, and bone mineralization and ALP activity were decreased compared to those of control cells. MiR-34a-5p knockdown in T-ALL cells restored osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs co-cultured with extracellular vesicles. In addition, miR-34a-5p targets and negatively regulates WNT1 expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that knockdown of miR-34a-5p in extracellular vesicles derived from T-ALL cells promoted osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by regulating WNT1.

[Comparison of Different Staging Systems and Prognostic Analysis in 68 Cases of Primary Intestinal Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the prognostic value of different staging systems in primary intestinal diffuse large B cell lymphoma（PI-DLPCL）, and their correlation with clinicopathological characteristics，treatment and prognosis of PI-DLBCL. METHODS: A total of 68 patients with PI-DLBCL were recruited from January 2009 to July 2017. All the patients underwent staging by using TNM, Lugano, Blackledge and Musshoff system, survival curves for the PI-DLBCL patients were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method and were judged by the log-rank test. The accuracy of each staging system for predicting survival of PI-DLBCL patients was evaluated by calculating the area under curve(AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic(ROC). The correlation of the 4 staging systems, clinical features patients and treatment regimes with PFS and OS were analysed. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 52 (1-105) months, the median PFS time was 41(1-86) months, patients did not reached the median OS time. The most frequently involved site was ileocecal (30.9%), followed by small intestine (29.4%) and colon (29.4%), multiple sites involvement (7.4%) and rectum (2.94%)．The PFS and OS rates at 5-year were 44.9% and 51.1%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and log-rank test results showed that using different staging systems to describe the cumulative retention rates of PFS and OS in PI-DLBCL patients, none of the 4 staging systems can distinguish the survival curves of each stage significantly. The results of ROC curve showed that the prediction ability of the Lugano staging system was better than other staging system for 1 year PFS （AUC=0.826；P=0.015）and 1 year OS（AUC=0-792；P=0.001） in PI-DLBCL patients. The 3 year PFS rate in the operation+chemo or radio-therapy group (62 cases) and the single operation group (6 cases) were 53.9% and 16. 7%,respectively（P=0.116），The 3 year OS rate were 66.7% and 16.7%（P=0.015）,respectively. Patients who received chemotherapy combined with rituximab had a higher 3-year PFS(66.0％ vs 44.0％，P=0.139) and 3.year OS(70.2% vs.39.2%，P=0.148).The patients with ileocecal lesion had higher PFS rate and OS rate than other sites(P<0.05). Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that only bone marrow invasion was an independent prognostic factor in patients with PFS. CONCLUSION: Bone marrow invasion is an independent risk factor for PFS in patients with PI-DLBCL , according to this limited preliminary data，Lugano staging system for stratifying and predicting the prognosis of PI-DLBCL patients is better than other staging system.

[Life Quality and Its Related Factors of Patients with Multiple Myeloma during Maintenance Therapy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life (QOL) on patients with multiple myeloma(MM) during maintenance therapy and to explore the related factors important for QOL. METHODS: The demography, clinical and laboratorial data of 66 MM patients during maintenance therapy were collected and explored by using a cross-sectional question naire(EORTC QLQ C30 V 3.0). The statistical analysis was performed using Nowegram normal mode(NM) and reference values(RV) of MM patients which were used as control. RESULTS: In comparison with Nowegran normal mode, the scores of general health status, physical function, role function and social function of patients during maintenance therapy were lower than those of normal mode (61.3, 73.9, 65.4 and 65.2 vs 75.3, 89.9, 83.3 and 85.8 respectively), while the scores of constipation and financial difficulty were higher than those of normal mode(16.7 and 44.4 vs 10.7 and 9.7 respectively) (P<0.05). In comparison with reference values, the scores of general health status, emotional and coguitive functions of patients during maintenance therapy were significantly higher than those of reference values(61.3, 81.7 and 84.3 vs 55.7, 71.3 and 78.1 respectively) (P<0.05). In addition, the maintenance therapy yet decreasd the scores of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, dyspnoea, insomnia, appetite loss and constipation of patients, but increased the score of financial difficulty of patients (P<0.05). The age of initial diagnosis, serum LDH level, peripheral neuropathy, high ratio of own expense and underlying diseases were main factors affecting the general health status of patients (P<0.05), while the decrease of Hb level, increase of blood Ca++ level and accompanied genetic changes negatively influence the QOL (P<0.05), while the high culture level showed positive effect on QOL (P<0.05). The choise of drugs for maintenace (therapy thalidomide and bortezomib) not had significant effect on QOL of patients. CONCLUSION: The maintenance therapy can improve the QOL of MM patients, the age at initial diagnses, serum LDH level, peripheral neuropathy and high ratio of own expence are the main factors affecting the QOL of MM patients.

[Clinical Analysis of Maintenance Therapy with Thalidomine and Bortezomib for Multiple Myeloma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect and adverse reactions of the maintenance therapies with Thalidomine or Bortezomib in the patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (MM), so as to provide a reference for clinical treatment. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted to compare the progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS) and adverse reaction rate of 23 MM patients received the maintenance therapies of Bortezomib and of 68 MM patients received maintenance therapy of Thalidomine. RESULTS: The maintenance therapy with Bortezomib could extend the PFS of MM patients as compared with Thalidomine (PFS rate of patients on the maintenance therapy of Bortezomib in 12th, and 24th month was 100%, 88.89%, and that of Thalidomine-treated group was 72.31%, 47.54%). What's more, some specific patients could get better 2-year PFS rate in Bortezomib group than that in Thalidomine group, such as older than 65 years old, after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(ASCT), having genetic changes, extramedullary lesions, poor renal function, low serum free light chain ratio, high ß2-MG, anemia, high LDH, VGPR of induction and consolidation therapy. The OS rate of Bortezomib on 18th, 24th and 30th month was 100%, 88.89%, 80% verus 91.52%,83.63%,72.90% of the group with thalidemide at the same time. As for 2-year OS rate, the Bortezomib group was higher than Thalidomine without statistical differences. However, the patients such as older than 65 years old, poor renal function and with extramedullary lesions, would also get higher 2-year OS rate from Bortezomi. Bortezomib and thalidomide could cause bone marrow suppression, peripheral neuritis and other adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of maintenance therapy with Bortezomib is superior to thalidomide. As a conclusion, bortezomib is a better option for maintenance therapy of MM patient.

[Clinical Analysis on the Therapeutic Efficacy of Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in 56 Multiple Myeloma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis of autologous stem Hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) in multiple myeloma (MM) patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for 56 patients diagnosed with MM and then received auto-HSCT in our hospital from December 2008 to September 2016. RESULTS: All the patients successfully underwent hematopoietic reconstruction without transplantation-related mortality (TRM). The complete response (CR) rate of all the patients after induction chemotherapy was 23.2% (13/56), while the CR rate of these patients with auto-HSCT increased to 78.6% (44/56) (P<0.01). The CR plus VGPR (very good partial response) rates of these 56 patients after induction chemotherapy and auto-HSCT were 53.6%（30/56）and 94.6%（53/56） respectively (P<0.01). The median progression-free survival (PFS) time and median overall survival (OS) time were 37 and 71 months, respectively. The median PFS time in the patients with induction therapy containing bortezomib was 37 months, however, the median OS time did not reach to 71 months; the median PFS (P<0.01) and the median OS (P<0.01) in the patients with the induction chemotherapy without bortezomib was 27 and 51 months, respectively. Univariate analysis demonstrated that the patients maintained CR or VGPR after auto-HSCT or with less than 6 cycles of induction chemotherapy significantly correlated with PFS (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: auto-HSCT can further increase the CR rate, prolong PFS and OS time. Sequential auto-HSCT after bortezomib-based therapy is the first line therapy for the transplant-eligible MM patients. Maintenance treatment is beneficial to the sustained CR+VGPR patients after auto-HSCT.

[Effect of Rigorous Staging at the First Diagnosis on Prognosis of Patients with Follicular Lymphoma].

BACKGROUND: A survey of early stage follicular lymphoma(FL) revealed that the rigorously staged FL patients at first diagnosis had a better outcome as compared with non-rigorous staged FL patients, but there were no similar reports in China. OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between the rigorous staging at first diagnosis and the prognosis of FL patients at different stages. METHODS: The clinical data of 111 patients with newly diagnosed FL from 2008 to 2014 year were collected and analyzed. The rigorous staging included: (1) bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, (2) imaging examination of whole body including CT and ultrasounic scan, or PET/CT, either or both is defined as rigorous staging, or else as non-rigorous staging. RESULTS: The FL patients at I-II stages by rigorous staging showed a superior progression-free survival(PFS) compared with non-rigorous staging patients(P=0.048). For all the patients, the age, serum LDH, bone marrow lesion and more than 3 foci of diameter larger than 3 cm correlated with prognosis in univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis revealed that the age, serum LDH and bone marrow imolvement were the independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Rigorous staging leads to better outcomes, suggesting that accurate and appropriate testing is important for the patients at the first treatment. The close correlation of bone marrow with prognosis indicates that the evaluation of bone marrow is very important for the daily clinical practice.

[Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Prognosis of 46 Elderly Patients with Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma (PTCL)].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL). METHODS: The clinical data of 46 elderly PTCL patients admitted in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from April 2008 to August 2014 were collected, the clinical features, prognostic factors and treatments, as well as followed-up outcome were analyzed retrospectively. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method, and the COX proportional hazard model was used to perform multivariate analysis. RESULTS: The median survival time was 11 months, and the expected 1-year, 2-year and 3-year overall survival rate (OS) was 50%, 36% and 33%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that the age, ECOG score, Charlson Comorbidity Index Score, the efficacy and course of chemotherapy were all the prognostic indicators affecting the OS and progression free survival (PFS) in this cohort of elderly patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that ECOG score and course of chemotherapy were the independent prognostic indicators affecting the OS and PFS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ECOG score and course of chemotherapy are of great significance for predicting the prognosis in elderly PTCL patients. The elderly patients's general condition and completion of a certain intensity of chemotherapy are an important measure to prolong survival time in elderly PTCL patients.

[Analysis of Clinical Characteristics and Prognostic Factors of 223 Newly Diagnosed Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of the newly diagnosed Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) patients. METHOD: The clinical data of 223 patients with pathologically confirmed and newly diagnosed HL (since January 2001 to December 2012) were collected from Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital. The patients' route features, laboratory examination results, clinical manifestations and short-term efficacy were analyzed. Furthermore, the Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard model were applied to analyze the prognosis. All data were analyzed with SPSS software version 1.0 and graphPad Prism 5. RESULTS: Among the 223 newly diagnosed HL patients, the ratio of male to female was approximately 1.25:1 and the median age was 40 years old (range 3-84 years). The median survival period is 62 months (range 8-189 months). The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 92.8% for all 223 HL patients. Multivariate analysis showed that HL originated from mediastinal lymph node region, the extranodal sites were involved, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level increased and CR2 was unable to fulfil the CR/CRu which are independent prognostic factors of HL patients (P < 0.05). Therefore, according to the above-mentioned adverse prognostic factors, 223 cases of HL patients were regrouped as low, intermediate and high risk. The HL 5-year OS rate of three groups were 100%, 96.9% and 42.9%, OS in each group was significantly different (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: HL displays a high incidence in young male patients but the curative efficacy is optimal and the survival period is long. The HL originated at mediastinal lymph node region, involved extranodal sites, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level increased and CR2 is unable to fulfil the CR/CRu which are independent prognostic factors of HL patients. According to the above-mentioned factors for the initial treatment of patients with HL, risk discrimination can predict the prognosis of patients with HL to a certain extent.

[Clinical Characteristics and Therapeutic Efficacy Evaluation of 14 Cases of Solitary Myeloid Sarcoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis of solitary myeloid sarcoma (MS). METHODS: The clinical data of 14 solitary MS patients were retrospectively analysed, including their clinical features and treatment, and were evaluated. RESULTS: A total of 14 cases of solitary MS mainly occurred in middle-aged population with the median age 41 years old (17-62 years old). The involved sites were more extensive, including breast, testis, spinal canal, skin, gastrointestinal system, nose and so on. The poorly differentiated cells of small to medium size showed diffuse distribution, relatively consistent morphology and a higher ratio of cytoplasm. The nucleus is in round or oval shape with fine and dense chromatin. Pathological mitosis was easily observed. Expression of MPO, lysozyme, CD43, myeloid-derived cells were positive. Treatment methods included surgery, chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. Median survival time of 14 patients was 22.5 months; overall survival (OS) was 35.7% (5/14), median disease-free survival reached to 10.4 months on averge (3.5 months to 16 months), and 2-year overall survival (OS) was 50.3%. CONCLUSION: The incidence of solitary MS is low, with a tendency progressing to leukemia, the chemotherapy regimen of anthracycline+cytarabine combined with radiotherapy can achieve better clinical efficacy.

Synergistic suppression of the PI3K inhibitor CAL-101 with bortezomib on mantle cell lymphoma growth.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of CAL-101, particularly when combined with bortezomib (BTZ) on mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells, and to explore its relative mechanisms. METHODS: MTT assay was applied to detect the inhibitory effects of different concentrations of CAL-101. MCL cells were divided into four groups: control group, CAL-101 group, BTZ group, and CAL-101/BTZ group. The expression of PI3K-p110σ, AKT, ERK, p-AKT and p-ERK were detected by Western blot. The apoptosis rates of CAL-101 group, BTZ group, and combination group were detected by flow cytometry. The location changes of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) of 4 groups was investigated by NF-κB Kit exploring. Western blot was applied to detect the levels of caspase-3 and the phosphorylation of AKT in different groups. RESULTS: CAL-101 dose- and time-dependently induced reduction in MCL cell viability. CAL-101 combined with BTZ enhanced the reduction in cell viability and apoptosis. Western blot analysis showed that CAL-101 significantly blocked the PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling pathway in MCL cells. The combination therapy contributed to the inactivation of NF-κB and AKT in MCL cell lines. However, cleaved caspase-3 was up-regulated after combined treatment. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that PI3K/p110σ is a novel therapeutic target in MCL, and the underlying mechanism could be the blocking of the PI3K/AKT and ERK signaling pathways. These findings provided a basis for clinical evaluation of CAL-101 and a rationale for its application in combination therapy, particularly with BTZ.

Analysis of clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of primary mediastinal T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma.

Lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL) comprises 2% to 4% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas cases in adults, of which 85% to 90% of LBL in adults is of T-cell phenotype. This study was aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with mediastinal T-LBL. Based on the retrospective analysis of the clinical data of 35 patients with mediastinal T-LBL during the period from January 1998 to January 2011, the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of mediastinal T-LBL were summarized. The results showed that the total of 35 patients were identified (male 24 and female 11), with a median age of 19 (5 - 52) years. The majority of patients were in stage III/IV, 16 cases (45.7%) presented bulky mediastinal mass. Intrathoracic effusions (pleural, pericardial) were not uncommon (62.9%). Overall survival rate (OS) and progression-free survival rate (PFS) at 3 years for the entire cohort were 36% and 24%, respectively. OS and PFS at 5 years were 25% and 16.7%, respectively. Anemia at diagnosis were an important, independent predictor of OS (P = 0.048). Bulky mass (P = 0.048), superior vena cava syndrome (P = 0.021), and abnormal PLT count at diagnosis was the independent prognostic factors for PFS (P = 0.021). It is concluded that the patients with primary mediastinal T-LBL are characterized by a low incidence, bad prognosis, and short survival. For patients accompanying with anemia, bulky mass and superior vena cava syndrome, their prognosis is worse.

[Expressions of VEGF and CXCR4 in diffuse large B cell lymphoma and their clinical significances].

This study was aimed to investigate the expression levels of CXCR4 and VEGF in serum of patients with DLBCL and their clinical significances. The peripheral blood of 44 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL and 20 healthy adults as a control group were chosen for study. And the expression levels of CXCR4 and VEGF in serum were detected by ELISA. The results showed that the expressions of VEGF and CXCR4 in DLBCL patients were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The expression of VEGF was positively correlated with the expression of CXCR4 in DLBCL patients, and the correlation coefficient was 0.743 (P < 0.05). The VEGF expression in DLBCL patients was correlated with LDH, immunotyping, the number of extranodal involvements, Ann Arbor staging and ECOG performance score; while the expression of CXCR4 was correlated with LDH, immunotyping, the number of extranodal involvements and Ann Arbor staging. Univariate analysis showed that LDH, extranodal involvements, immunotyping, Ann Arbor staging, CXCR4 and VEGF were associated with OS. Multivariate analysis showed that the immunotyping and CXCR4 expression independently associated with OS. It is concluded that both expression levels of VEGF and CXCR4 are significant higher than those in the control group. CXCR4 expression positively correlates with VEGF expression and displays a prognostic significance for OS. This study suggests that combined targeting VEGF and CXCR4 may become a novel therapeutic strategy for diffuse large B cell lymphoma.