[Bendamustine combined with pomalidomide and dexamethasone in relapsed multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease: a multicenter study].

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of bendamustine combined with pomalidomide and dexamethasone (BPD regimen) in the treatment of relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) with extramedullary disease. Methods: This open, single-arm, multicenter prospective cohort study included 30 relapsed MM patients with extramedullary disease diagnosed in seven hospitals including Qingdao Municipal Hospital. The patients were treated with BPD regimen from February 2021 to November 2022. This study analyzed the efficacy and adverse reactions of the BPD regimen. Results: The median age of the 30 patients was 62 (47-72) years, of which 18 (60% ) had first-time recurrence. The overall response rate (ORR) of the 18 patients with first-time recurrence was 100%, of which three (16.7% ) achieved complete remission, 10 (55.5% ) achieved very good partial remission (VGPR), and five (27.8% ) achieved partial remission (PR). The ORR of 12 patients with recurrence after second-line or above treatment was 50%, including zero patients with ≥VGPR and six patients (50% ) with PR. Three cases (25% ) had stable disease, and three cases (25% ) had disease progression. The one-year progression free survival rate of all patients was 65.2% (95% CI 37.2% -83.1% ), and the 1-year overall survival rate was 90.0% (95% CI 76.2% -95.4% ). The common grade 3-4 hematology adverse reactions included two cases (6.7% ) of neutropenia and one case (3.3% ) of thrombocytopenia. The overall adverse reactions are controllable. Conclusions: The BPD regimen has good efficacy and tolerance in relapsed MM patients with extramedullary disease.

[Non/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccination and influencing factors in HIV-infected patients in the context of different immunization schedules].

Objective: To study the non/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccination in HIV-infected patients, identify the influencing factors and provide evidence for the development of hepatitis B prevention and control strategies and measures for special population. Methods: On the basis of the randomized controlled trial of 20 µg hepatitis B vaccine immunization at 0-1-6 month, 0-1-2-6 month and 60 µg hepatitis B vaccine immunization at 0-1-2-6 month, the HIV-infected patients who completed one-month follow-up after the full course vaccination were selected as study subjects. Quantification of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) in serum samples was performed by using chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) and demographic characteristics, disease history, HIV infection and treatment status of the study subjects were collected. Statistical analysis was conducted by χ2 test, t test, unconditional logistic regression and interaction analyses. Results: The non/hypo-response rates to hepatitis B vaccination were 34.65% (35/101), 24.49% (24/98) and 10.99% (10/91) in 20 µg group at 0-1-6 month or 0-1-2-6 month and 60 µg group at 0-1-2-6 month (P<0.001), respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that after controlling for confounding factors, the risk for non/hypo-response was 0.22 times higher in HIV-infected patients receiving 60 µg hepatitis B vaccine at 0-1-2-6 month than in patients receiving 20 µg hepatitis B vaccine at 0-1-6 month (95%CI: 0.10-0.50), the risk for non/hypo-response was higher in men than in women (OR=3.65, 95%CI: 1.88-7.07), and the risk for non/hypo-response was 2.64 times higher in those without hepatitis B vaccination history than in those with hepatitis B vaccination history (95%CI: 1.10-6.32). Moreover, there were multiplicative interactions between immunization schedule and gender (OR=2.49, 95%CI: 1.24-5.00). Conclusion: The non/hypo-response rate to hepatitis B vaccination was significantly lower in HIV-infected patients receiving 60 µg hepatitis B vaccine at 0-1-2-6 month than in those receiving 20 µg hepatitis B vaccine at 0-1-6 month and 0-1-2-6 month. Gender, vaccination schedule and history of hepatitis B vaccination were the influencing factors of the non/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccination. There was a multiplicative interaction between vaccination schedule and gender, and men receiving 20 µg hepatitis B vaccines had a higher risk for non/hypo-response to hepatitis B vaccination.

Study on the role and mechanism of ß4GalT1 both in vivo and in vitro glioma.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss the role and mechanism of ß4GalT1 both in vivo and in vitro glioma, observe whether pathophysiological processes of glioma can be improved after ß4GalT1 is knocked down, and study whether ß4GalT1 plays a role in malignant biological processes of glioma by regulating the apoptosis and immune processes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Firstly, the distribution difference of ß4GalT1 in tumor tissues and normal tissues was analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) tumor analysis system to deduce the possible role of ß4GalT1 in glioma. Secondly, whether the malignant degree of glioma was related to the expression of ß4GalT1 and its immunity using human tumor tissues and blood lymphocyte subsets was analyzed. Thirdly, interfere lentivirus vector with ß4GalT1 and knockdown ß4GalT1 was analyzed to observe whether the malignant degree of glioma has changed. Fourthly, interfere lentivirus vector with recombinant ß4GalT protein and ß4GalT1 was analyzed to verify the effect of ß4GalT in vitro test. Fifth, interfere lentivirus vector with recombinant ß4GalT protein and ß4GalT1 was analyzed to verify effect of ß4GalT in vivo test. Finally, we discuss whether ß4GalT is involved in the biological process of glioma through inflammatory reaction. RESULTS: In the GEPIA tumor analysis system, the expression in tumor was significantly higher than that in normal tissues. The expression of ß4GalT1 in glioma tissues was higher than that in normal tissues, and the higher the malignancy of the tumor, the higher the expression of ß4GalT1 in the glioma tissues, and the lower the immune level was. The expression of IDH1, MGMT, and ki-67 was reduced, and the survival rate of the mice with glioma was improved after ß4GalT1 was knocked down. In vitro tests, the activity of tumor cells and their reproductive ability can be reduced after ß4GalT1 was knocked down, the immune level of the body can be improved, and the level of tissue apoptosis can be reduced. After recombinant ß4GalT1 was given alone, the result was opposite to that of ß4GalT1 knocked down group. In vivo tests, gross tumor volume can be reduced after ß4GalT1 was knocked down, the immune level of the body can be improved, and the level of tissue apoptosis can be reduced. After recombinant ß4GalT1 was given alone, the result was opposite to that of ß4GalT1 knocked down group. After knocking down ß4GalT1, the expression of inflammatory factors can be reduced both in vivo and in vitro, and the inflammatory microenvironment of tumors can be improved. After recombinant ß4GalT1 was given alone, the result was opposite to that of ß4GalT1 knocked down group. CONCLUSIONS: The level of ß4GalT1 expression in tumor tissues was increased. The malignant degree of glioma is related to the expression of ß4GalT1 and its immunity. The level of tumor marker can be decreased, and the survival rate of glioma model mice can be increased after ß4GalT1 is knocked down. Apoptosis and immune injury caused by tumor can be improved and gross tumor volume can be deduced after ß4GalT1 is knocked down. During the development of glioma, ß4GalT1 may play a malignant biological role through inflammatory response.

Ultra-long high quality catalyst-free WO3 nanowires for fabricating high-performance visible photodetectors.

This work presents a study on the controlled growth of WO3 nanowires via chemical vapor deposition without catalyst, and their potential applications in visible photodetectors. The influence of growth conditions on the morphology of WO3 nanowires is studied in order to understand the growth mechanism of WO3 nanowires, and ultra-long (60 [Formula: see text], the longest one ever reported) WO3 nanowires with a spindle shape are achieved by optimizing the growth conditions. It was found that the length of WO3 nanowires increases from 15 [Formula: see text] to 60 [Formula: see text] with increasing the argon carrier gas flow rate from 30 sccm to 90 sccm, and then saturates with further increasing the argon carrier gas flow rate. However, the length of WO3 nanowires reduces from 60 [Formula: see text] to 19 [Formula: see text] with increasing the tube inner pressure from 2.5 Torr to 3.5 Torr. The photoconductor detectors based on WO3 single nanowires present excellent device performance with a responsivity as high as 19 A W-1 at a bias of 0.1 V, a detectivity as high as 1.06 × 1011 Jones, and a response (rising and decay) time as short as 8 ms under the illumination of a 404 nm laser. These results indicate the great potential of WO3 nanowires for applications in fabricating high performance visible photodetectors.

Expression of SATB1 and HER2 in gastric cancer and its clinical significance.

OBJECTIVE: To detect expression of HER2 and SATB1 in paraffin tissues of gastric cancer, and to investigate their relationship with clinic pathological factors and prognosis, and further analyze the correlation between the expression of SATB1 and HER2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: RT-PCR was used to determine the expression of SATB1 gene and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was used to detect the expression of HER2 protein in gastric cancer tissues. The relationships of both were evaluated with clinic pathological parameters and prognosis, and further analyzed to build a correlation between the expression of SATB1 and HER2. RESULTS: (1) The expression level of SATB1 gene in gastric cancer tissue was related with TNM stage and distant metastasis. (2) Patients with a lower expression of SATB1 had a higher median overall survival than those with a higher expression of SATB1 (p <0.01). (3) The positive expression of HER2 in gastric cancer tissues was associated with distant metastasis (p <0.01). (4) The expression of SATB1 gene was correlated positively with HER2 protein in gastric cancer (r=0.386, p =0.002). CONCLUSIONS: High expression of SATB1 gene predicts advanced TNM stage and possible distant metastasis in patients with GC, which was a sign of poor prognosis. The expression of SATB1 was positively correlated with HER2, indicating that SATB1 and HER2 might be in a positive regulation relationship.

Functional polymorphisms of the cyclooxygenase-2 gene and prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma - a cohort study in Chinese people.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) influences carcinogenesis through regulation of angiogenesis, apoptosis, cytokine expression, and immune response suppression. It has been well established that COX-2 is overexpressed in a variety of human cancers, such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we aimed to evaluate the association between COX-2 polymorphisms and prognosis of HCC. We genotyped 200 HCC patients of Chinese Han descent for COX-2 gene polymorphisms (-765G>C and -1195G>A) using PCR-RFLP. Data were statistically analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox's proportional hazard regression model. We found that patients with the COX-2 -1195AG and -1195AG + AA genotypes demonstrated significantly decreased disease-free survival (DFS) as compared with those carrying the -1195GG genotype (P < 0.05). However, the COX-2 -765G>C polymorphism was not associated with DFS (P > 0.05). Moreover, by Cox regression analysis, blood alpha fetoprotein ≤400 ng/mL before the operation and the -1195G>A polymorphism were found to be of prognostic significance (P < 0.05), while the -765G>C polymorphism was not (P > 0.05). In summary, post-operation progression of HCC is more likely to occur in patients with the -1195AG genotype and the A allele. On the other hand, the -765G>C polymorphism is not an independent influence factor of HCC prognosis.

Aberrant expression of long noncoding RNA PVT1 and its diagnostic and prognostic significance in patients with gastric cancer.

Emerging evidences indicate that dysregulated long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are implicated in cancer tumorigenesis and progression and might be used as diagnosis and prognosis biomarker, or potential therapeutic targets. LncRNA PVT1 has been reported to be upregulated in diverse human cancers; however, its clinical significance in gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. This study was to evaluate the expression of PVT1 in GC and further explore its clinical significance.Previous microarray datasets were analyzed to conduct a preliminary screening for candidate lncRNAs of gastric cancer biomarkers in human gastric cancer tissues. Expression levels of PVT1 in 111pairs of gastric cancer and adjacent normal tissues, gastric cancer cell lines and gastric cancer juices compared to their corresponding controls were detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR assay. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Kaplan-Meier analysis were constructed to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic values. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed using the Cox proportional hazard analysis.PVT1 expression was remarkably increased in gastric cancer tissues and cell lines compared with that in the normal control, and its up-regulation was significantly correlated to invasion depth (P < 0.001), advanced TNM stage (P = 0.002) and regional lymph nodes metastasis (P < 0.001) in gastric cancer. PVT1 levels were robust in differentiating gastric cancer tissues from controls [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.728; 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.665-0.786, p<0.01]. Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that increased PVT1 expression contributed to poor overall survival (P < 0.01) and disease-free survival (P < 0.01) of patients. A multivariate survival analysis also indicated that PVT1 could be an independent prognostic marker. The levels of PVT1 in gastric juice from gastric patients were significantly higher than those from normal subjects (P = 0.03). PVT1 might serve as a promising biomarker for early detection and prognosis prediction of gastric cancer.

Correlation between ERCC1 expression and concurrent chemotherapy and radiotherapy in patients with locally advanced nasopharyngeal cancer.

In this study, the expression of DNA excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1) in local advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma has been correlated with the efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A total of 76 patients diagnosed with undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma diagnosed by nasopharyngeal biopsy and undergoing single-agent cisplatin chemotherapy (80 mg/m(2)) with concurrent radiotherapy (on the first, twenty-second, and forty-third day, 5 times per week, mean dose 74 Gy, range 70-78 Gy) at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Guangxi Medical University between January and December 2010 were included. After chemoradiotherapy, outcomes and long-term survival were evaluated. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect expression of ERCC1 protein in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The relationship between the expression of ERCC1 and efficacy of concurrent chemoradiotherapy and long-term survival were analyzed. ERCC1 was expressed in 42.1% of cases. The expression of ERCC1 was correlated with T stage and clinical staging (P < 0.05), but not with gender, age, or N stage. The response rate in the ERCC1-positive and ERCC1-negative groups was 75.0% and 97.7%, respectively (P < 0.05). In the 72 cases with follow-up available, 1-, 2-, and 3-year survival rates were 91.0, 83.3, and 79.0%; they were 92.4, 87.8, 80.5%, respectively, in the ERCC1-positive group, and 87.9, 77.4, 77.4%, respectively, in the ERCC1-negative group. The expression of ERCC1 may be a sensitive prognostic indicator of concurrent chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Efficacy of low-dose rituximab in combination with recombinant human thrombopoietin in treating ITP.

OBJECTIVE: This work aims to observe the efficacy and safety of low-dose rituximab in combination with recombinant human thrombopoietin in treating immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fourteen ITP patients were treated four times with 100 mg qw of rituximab in combination with 300 µg/kg/d ih recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) for 14 d. Platelet count in peripheral blood, serum immunoglobulin, and lymphocyte subgroups by flow cytometry were detected regularly both pre- and post-treatment. RESULTS: Among the 14 patients, seven complete responses, six responses, and one no response were obtained, with an overall response of 93%. CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose rituximab in combination with rhTPO is effective in treating ITP.

Molecular detection of Torque teno sus virus from tissues samples of sick pigs in China.

In the present study, Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) was detected from different tissues, stool and serum samples of 25 sick pigs. The total prevalence of TTSuV1 and TTSuV2 were 64% (16/25) and 28% (7/25), 24% (6/25) were co-infected with both TTSuV1 and TTSuV2. The prevalence of TTSuV infection in spleen is a slightly higher, with positive rates of 52% (13/25) for TTSuV1 and 24% (6/25) for TTSuV2. Phylogenetic analysis of TTSuV1 showed that 21 isolates were distributed into two clusters (genotype TTSuV1a and TTSuV1b), with genotype TTSuV1b was the dominant genotype. Phylogenetic analysis of TTSuV2 showed that the nine isolates shared 80.9-99.2% nucleotide homology with each other, and were distributed in different genotypes (TTSuV2a-TTSuV2f). TTSuV2d was the most prevalent genotype in this study, which contained five Spanish strains and nine Chinese strains, and shared 94.2-96.8% homology.

Segmentation expression of capsid protein as an antigen for the detection of avian nephritis virus infection in chicken flocks.

Subclinical pathological changes in the kidneys of broiler chickens and suppression of growth caused by the avian nephritis virus (ANV) affect poultry flocks worldwide. A test for detection of virus-specific antibodies in serum would be useful for epidemiological investigations, however the poor propagation in cell cultures has restricted the development of serological tests based on the use of ANV particles as antigens. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for detection of ANV-specific antibodies in chicken serum, using a recombinant protein antigen prepared by segmentation expression of the capsid protein antigen epitope of ANV (HM029238) transfected into Escherichia coli. The expressed fusion protein was detected by Western blotting with ANV-positive serum, and the optimal immunoreactive fusion P1 protein was determined. Using the optimized P1-ELISA, ANV-specific antibodies were detected in commercial chicken flocks aged 10-25 days obtained from the Liaoning Province, China. Out of 960 serum samples, 459 (47.8%) were positive for infection with ANV. These results indicate that the P1-ELISA is helpful for preliminary serological diagnosis of ANV infection, and could be used to for screening in ANV infection and for determining antibodies against ANV.

Detection of astrovirus infection in pigeons (Columbia livia) during an outbreak of diarrhoea.

Avian astrovirus infections are widespread in many countries, and infections have been linked to enteritis and increased mortality in young poultry. Although pigeons are treated as an important poultry product in some countries, their diseases are often poorly understood and astrovirus infection in pigeons has not been reported. In the present study, faecal samples were collected during an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness in a population of Shanghai pigeons. The samples were examined for astroviruses by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Eighty-nine per cent (40/45) and 4% (2/45) were found to be positive for avian nephritis virus (ANV) and chicken astrovirus, respectively. One positive sample indicated a co-infection with both ANV and chicken astrovirus. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial polymerase gene sequence and full-length capsid protein from published avian astrovirus sequences in GenBank revealed that the pigeon viruses detected in this study were evolutionarily closely related to chicken ANV. The present study provided evidence for the presence of astrovirus in pigeons and suggests that cross-infection between pigeons and commercial chickens was likely. Whether the astroviruses in pigeons were responsible for the diarrhoea remains to be determined.

Complete sequence and genetic characterization of pigeon avian nephritis virus, a member of the family Astroviridae.

In the current study, the complete genome sequence of a member of the family Astroviridae isolated from pigeons was determined through genetic characterization and phylogeny analysis. The isolated genome sequence was proposed to be that of pigeon avian nephritis virus (ANV), whose genome structure and characteristics were similar to previously reported avian astroviruses. The sequenced ssRNA genome comprises 6928 nucleotides, excluding the poly(A) tail, and contains three open reading frames. Phylogenetic analysis using a partial nucleotide sequence of the polymerase gene and the entire amino acid sequence of the full-length capsid protein revealed that pigeon avian nephritis virus is closely related to the previously published ANV, especially to the Japanese G-4260 and Chinese strains. This investigation provides information on the sequence and genetic characteristics of this virus and contributes to a better understanding of pigeon ANV and the possible occurrence of astrovirus transmission between chickens and pigeons.

Molecular detection and sequence analysis of feline Torque teno virus (TTV) in China.

In the present study, two isolates (SH-F1 and SH-F2) of Torque teno felis virus (feline TTV) were detected in 16 (12.5%) serum samples collected from cats in China. Their full length genomes were cloned and sequenced. The results showed that they were 2063bp in length and contained three open reading frames (ORFs) (ORF1: nt438-1748, ORF2: nt268-585 and ORF3: nt268-581, 1461-1842). Phylogenetic analysis showed that they were clustered with the strain of Japan (Fc-TTV4, AB076003) and the strain of France (PRA4, EF538878). Sequence analysis indicated that SH-F1 had high (97.5% and 93.3%) identity with the strain of Japan and the strain of France, and SH-F2 shared 94.5% and 92.1% homology with them, respectively. In conclusion, we demonstrated that feline TTV is present in China.

Human parechovirus infections in monkeys with diarrhea, China.

Information about human parechovirus (HPeV) infection in animals is scant. Using 5' untranslated region reverse transcription-PCR, we detected HPeV in feces of monkeys with diarrhea and sequenced the complete genome of 1 isolate (SH6). Monkeys may serve as reservoirs for zoonotic HPeV transmissions and as models for studies of HPeV pathogenesis.