Real-World Experience of PD-1 Inhibitors for Relapsed and Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Multicenter Retrospective Analysis of Patients in China.

INTRODUCTION: Despite the promising clinical trial data regarding programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL), there remains a paucity of studies describing the outcomes of patients in a real-world setting, especially for Asian cohort. METHODS: We present a multicenter retrospective analysis of patients with R/R cHL who had failed ≥2 prior lines of therapies and received sintilimab or tislelizumab developed in China (sintilimab or tislelizumab monotherapy) at 3 medical centers from January 2019 to September 2021. Efficacy was evaluated with progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, duration of response (DOR), best overall response (BOR) including objective response rate (ORR), complete response rate (CRR). Safety data were also recorded. RESULTS: 74 patients were reviewed. The median age was 38 years (range, 14-85 years). The ORR, CRR, and disease control rate were 78.3%, 52.7%, and 91.9%, respectively. The median duration of follow-up was 22 (4-36) months. Four patients (5.4%) died of disease progression. The median PFS and DOR was 22.1 and 23.5 months. BOR as a new emergent endpoint was found to be the only independent prognostic factor for PFS in our study (HR = 6.234, p = 0.005), suggesting this endpoint carries stronger prognostic value over traditional endpoints in the immunotherapy era. 66 (89.2%) patients reported adverse event (AE) with any grade, with the majority of AEs being grade 1 or 2. CONCLUSION: We presented a unique real-life experience and conducted a relatively long follow-up of PD-1 antibodies developed in China for R/R HL patients which confirmed their promising effectiveness and manageable side effects given in real world in an Asian cohort. Even for those who would usually be excluded in most of clinical trials such as elderly or minor patients, anti-PD-1 monotherapy also showed a significant improvement of outcomes. Furthermore, the depth of response seemed to be a more powerful predictive tool in new era, which might serve as a basis for future immune risk-adapted strategies.

Three atypical BCR/ABL transcripts detected simultaneously in a Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient showing resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

The Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome with a BCR/ABL fusion gene is a characteristic feature of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and partial acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients, with different breakpoints of the BCR and ABL genes. Here, we report the case of a Ph-positive ALL patient with poor prognosis in whom simultaneous different BCR/ABL transcripts named e1a3, e1a4, and e1a5 were detected by RNA-seq analysis but not traditional RT-PCR. To our knowledge, this is the first report to describe coexistence of different atypical BCR-ABL transcripts in the same patient and that traditional TKI therapy may not overcome the poor prognosis. This finding will bring new challenges in diagnosis and monitoring for minimal residual disease.

Integrated traditional Chinese and conventional medicine in the treatment of anemia due to lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome: study protocol for a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Erythropoiesis and iron homeostasis are closely related; anemia due to lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remains difficult to treat. In the last decade, we have been committed to improving the regulation of iron metabolism using traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Previous studies have found that the TCM Yi Gong San (YGS) can reduce the expression of transferrin by inhibiting hepcidin overexpression caused by inflammation, promote the outward transfer of intracellular iron, and improve the symptoms of anemia. Here, our study aimed to compare the efficacy of a conventional drug with YGS with that of conventional medicine with placebo to provide a scientific basis for making clinical decisions. METHODS: A prospective, multicenter, double-blinded, randomized controlled clinical trial will be conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of conventional medicine combined with YGS with that of conventional medicine alone in the treatment of MDS. A total of 60 patients would be enrolled in this study, with each treatment group (conventional medicine + YGS and conventional medicine + placebo) comprising 30 patients. Oral medication would be administered twice daily for 3 months. All patients would be followed up throughout the 3-month period. The primary outcome was measured by assessing blood hemoglobin level. The secondary outcome was measured by assessing TCM symptom score, iron metabolism, hepcidin levels, and inflammatory factors. DISCUSSION: This trial would aim to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of YGS in the treatment of lower-risk MDS anemia, as well as its impact on inflammatory factors and iron metabolism in patients with lower-risk MDS. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trials Registry ( http://www.chictr.org.cn/ ) ChiCTR1900026774 .  Registered on October 21, 2019.

Ni3S2/Ni(OH)2 Directly Grown on Ni Foam for Battery-Type Electrode with Super Long Cycle Stability.

The Ni³S²/Ni(OH)² electrode could deliver a high areal capacity of 1.58 C/cm² at 2 mA/cm², along with outstanding cycling stability (113% capacity retention after 30,000 cycles). The energy density of the Ni³S²/Ni(OH)²//AC hybrid device was 30.23 Wh/kg at a power density of 155 W/kg (15.5 Wh/kg at 3,875 W/kg). Compared with other Ni(OH)2 composites on Ni foam, these results indicate that Ni³S²/Ni(OH)² directly grown on Ni foam opens up the potential application for energystorage devices with high areal capacity and high cycling performance.

Synthesis of Mesoporous Co3O4/NiCo2O4 Nanorods and Their Electrochemical Study.

Mesoporous Co3O4/NiCo2O4 nanorods were obtained by a hydrothermal reaction with the assistance of Ni foam and subsequent annealing treatment. The characterization of this composition by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectra and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller analysis revealed that the nanorods consisted of Co3O4 and NiCo2O4 phase, exhibiting high porosity and rich crystal defects. The electrochemical data showed a specific capacitance of 1173 mF cm-2 and 606 mF cm-2 at 2 mV s-1 and 1 mA cm-2, respectively. Its cycling performance was 83.9% at 3 mA cm-2 after 4000 cycles. Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor Co3O4/NiCo2O4//AC delivered an energy density of 11.7 W h kg-1 and power density of 760 W kg-1.