Treatment of myelofibrosis with refractory anemia with luspatercept: a multicenter Chinese study.

Myelofibrosis is a rare and often fatal hematological neoplasm, and the treatment of myelofibrosis-associated anemia remains suboptimal, with no improved therapies. Luspatercept was shown to display some efficacy in a phase 2 clinical trial for Myelofibrosis with anemia, yet relevant research are limited. Threrfore, data from patients diagnosed with refractory anemic primary or post-essential thrombocythemia/polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, who were treated with luspatercept for at least 9 weeks, were retrospectively collected. Eighteen patients with myelofibrosis treated with luspatercept were enrolled. Median age was 68 years (range, 44-80 years), and 27.8% were males. Ten (55.6%) were transfusion-dependent. Ten (55.6%) were Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System intermediate-1, and eight (44.4%) were intermediate-2. The median follow-up was 7 (4-16) months. Erythroid response occurred in eight patients (44.4%) at week 12, four patients (30.8%) at week 24, and nine (50%) at the end of follow-up. Patients who were transfusion-dependent and not transfusion-dependent had similar HI-E responses, at different time points (P > 0.05). Patients had a significantly higher hemoglobin level at 12 weeks, 24 weeks, and at the end of follow-up, than at baseline (P = 0.001, P = 0.021, and P = 0.005, respectively). Treatment-related adverse events occurred in five (16.7%) patients, with no serious adverse events. Two (11.1%) patients relapsed at weeks 15 and 31. One patient progressed to acute myeloid leukemia. No patients had died by the end of follow-up. Luspatercept induced a good response in patients with anemic myelofibrosis, with a low relapse rate and good tolerance.

[Research advances of chemical constituents and analytical methods of Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium].

Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium Viride(CRPV) and Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium(CRP) are two commonly used Chinese medicinal materials. They have the same origin while are harvested in different seasons and have different clinical effects. They contain similar chemical components, like flavonoids, terpenes, volatile oils, and alkaloids. Although it has been demonstrated that differential components exist between them, there is still a lack of systematic comparison. Many studies have reported the chemical composition and quality evaluation of CRPV and CRP, including the characterization of flavonoids, alkaloids, and volatile oils via thin-layer chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, infrared spectroscopy, and ultraviolet spectroscopy. A few studies have explored the differences between CRPV and CRP. In this paper, we systematically summarized the reported chemical composition, analytical methods, and quality evaluation of CRPV and CRP in recent ten years, aiming to facilitate the research on the pharmacodynamic material basis, quality evaluation, and standard improvement of CRPV and CRP.

Endoscopic ultrasound features of rectal melanoma: A case report and review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Rectal mucosal melanoma is a rare and highly aggressive disease. Common symptoms include anal pain, an anal mass, or bleeding. As such, the disease is usually detected on rectal examination of patients with other suspected anorectal diseases. However, due to its rarity and nonspecific symptoms, melanoma of the rectal mucosa is easily misdiagnosed. CASE SUMMARY: This report describes the case of a 58-year-old female patient who presented with a history of blood in her stool for the prior one or two months, without any identifiable cause. During colonoscopy, a bulge of approximately 2.2 cm × 2.0 cm was identified. Subsequently, the patient underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) to characterize the depth of invasion of the lesions. EUS suggested a hypoechoic mucosal mass with involvement of the submucosal layer and heterogeneity of the internal echoes. Following surgical intervention, the excised tissue samples were examined and confirmed to be rectal malignant melanoma. The patient recovered well with no evidence of recurrence during follow-up. CONCLUSION: This case shows that colonoscopy with EUS and pathological examination can accurately diagnose rare cases of rectal mucosal melanoma.

Exogenous plant growth regulator alleviate the adverse effects of U and Cd stress in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) and improve the efficacy of U and Cd remediation.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs) are widely used in agricultural activities and have the potential to improve plant growth and plant tolerance against metal stress. PGR-assisted phytoextraction is now an effective and inexpensive method for enhancing the plant removal of toxic metals from soil. In this study, we conducted experiments to determine the effects of PGR treatments on soil uranium (U) and cadmium (Cd) removal by sunflowers as well as their stress response to U and Cd contamination. We found that the plant growth was inhibited by combined U and Cd stress in sunflowers compared with that of the control; however, the application of exogenous PGR had reduced the combined U and Cd stress by stimulating photosynthesis, decreasing the levels of active oxygen and lipid peroxidation, and enhancing the activity of the antioxidant defence systems. Exogenous PGR also increased the uptake of U and Cd by sunflowers and therefore, improved their U and Cd remediation efficiency. Moreover, indoleacetic acid (IAA) was the most effective PGR at removing U and Cd in the soil; the U and Cd removal efficiency was 484.21% and 238.85% higher in the 500 mg L-1 IAA application compared with that of the control without PGR application, respectively. Furthermore, none of the PGR treatments significantly influenced the available U and Cd contents in soil. Our results, therefore, may provide some detailed understanding on the technologies for the sustainable remediation of U and Cd contaminated soil by the combination of PGR treatments and phytoextraction.

Phytoremediation of cadmium (Cd) and uranium (U) contaminated soils by Brassica juncea L. enhanced with exogenous application of plant growth regulators.

This investigation was made to examine the role of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), gibberellin A3 (GA3), 6-Benzylaminopurine (6-BA), and 24-epibrassinolide (EBL) in improving stress tolerance and phytoremediation of the cadmium (Cd) and uranium (U) by mustard (Brassica juncea L.). The optimum concentrations of IAA, GA3, 6-BA, and EBL were determined based on plant biomass production, metal uptake, translocation, and removal efficiency. The biomass and total chlorophyll content decreased under Cd and U stress. Nevertheless, the application of IAA, GA3, and 6-BA significantly (p < 0.05) increased the growth and total chlorophyll content of mustard. The malondialdehyde (MDA) and H2O2 content of mustard were enhanced under Cd and U stress, but they were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in plant growth regulators (PGRs) treatments (except for EBL). PGRs treatments increased activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase, thus reducing the oxidative stress. Furthermore, the shoot uptake of Cd and U of IAA and EBL treatments was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of other treatments. IAA and EBL also have more significant effects on the translocation and remediation of Cd and U compared to GA3 and 6-BA. The removal efficiency of Cd and U reached the maximum in the 500 mg L-1 IAA treatment, which was 330.77% and 118.61% greater than that in the control (CK), respectively. These results suggested that PGRs could improve the stress tolerance and efficiency of phytoremediation using B. juncea in Cd- and U- contaminated soils.

[Expression of DLK1 gene in acute leukemias and its function in erythroid differentiation of K562 cell line].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the expression of DLK1 gene in acute leukemias (AL) and its function in erythroid differentiation of K562 cells. METHODS: We detected the expression of DLK1 gene in 65 different acute leukemia categories (a test group) and 34 normal bone marrow controls (a control group) with RT-PCR. DLK1 protein in 20 out of the 65 AL patients and 13 of the 34 controls was assayed by Western blot. The K562 cell line was induced to erythroid differentiation by hemin. We observed the relationship between its expression and erythroid differentiation. RESULTS: Both leukemia cells and normal marrow cells expressed DLK1. The expression of DLK1 mRNA in patients in the test group was higher than that in the control group (P=0.018), while there was no significance between acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myelogenous leukemia (P>0.05).The expression of DLK1 mRNA in the test group at onset had no relation with the WBC and platelet count in the total peripheral blood, and the same was true for blast cell rates in bone marrow cells.The level of DLK1 protein in the test group was higher than that in the control group, which was consistent with the mRNA expression (P=0.042). The expression of DLK1 mRNA decreased gradually with K562 cells towards hemin-induced erythroid differentiation. CONCLUSION: DLK1 gene may be involved in leukemia,but the mRNA level of DLK1 has no relation with some clinical characteristics of AL patients at onset. DLK1 may inhibit the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells.

Effect of biodegradable chelators on induced phytoextraction of uranium- and cadmium- contaminated soil by Zebrina pendula Schnizl.

This study investigated the effect of ethylenediamine-N,N'-disuccinic acid (EDDS), oxalic acid (OA), and citric acid (CA) on phytoextraction of U- and Cd-contaminated soil by Z. pendula. In this study, the biomass of tested plant inhibited significantly following treatment with the high concentration (7.5 mmol·kg-1) EDDS treatment. Maximum U and Cd concentration in the single plant was observed with the 5 mmol·kg-1 CA and 7.5 mmol·kg-1 EDDS treatment, respectively, whereas OA treatments had the lowest U and Cd uptake. The translocation factors of U and Cd reached the maximum in the 5 mmol·kg-1 EDDS. The maximum bioaccumulation of U and Cd in the single plants was 1032.14 µg and 816.87 µg following treatment with 5 mmol·kg-1 CA treatment, which was 6.60- and 1.72-fold of the control groups, respectively. Furthermore, the resultant rank order for available U and Cd content in the soil was CA > EDDS > OA (U) and EDDS > CA > OA (Cd). These results suggested that CA could greater improve the capacity of phytoextraction using Z. pendula in U- and Cd- contaminated soils.

The role of circulating adiponectin in prostate cancer: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: Emerging evidence suggests that adiponectin may play a protective role in tumor progression and prognosis. However, available evidence in prostate cancer is conflicting. Therefore, we carried out a meta-analysis to evaluate the role of circulating adiponectin and prostate cancer. METHODS AND RESULTS: An extensive search was performed on Google, PubMed, Elsevier Science and Springer from the date of the inception of those services to December 2013. Eleven studies with 2,504 patients and 3,565 controls concerning this association were included in our analysis. Standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) was used to estimate this association. The pooled analysis showed that circulating adiponectin concentrations were lower in patients with prostate cancer than controls, with a pooled SMD of -0.893 µg/mL (95% CI, -1.345 to -0.440, p=0.000). Dose-response relationships between concentrations of adiponectin and risk of prostate cancer were evaluated. We found that decreased concentrations of adiponectin were associated with a significantly greater risk of prostate cancer (p for nonlinearity = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS: The results of our analysis indicated that concentration of adiponectin in cancer patients was significantly lower than in controls. Thus, adiponectin may serve as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis of this disease. We also found that decreased concentration of adiponectin was associated with a significantly greater risk of prostate cancer. However, more studies in future, especially larger, prospective studies, are needed to confirm this association with underlying biological mechanisms.

Preparation of melanin from Catharsius molossus L. and preliminary study on its chemical structure.

A great deal of melanin was found in the waste alkali liquor produced by extraction of chitin from Catharsius molossus L. Discarding the lye could harm the environment and cause waste of resources. In this paper, melanin from C. molossus L. was recovered through acid precipitation and purified by pepsin and so on. The purity, chemical composition and structure of the prepared melanin were explored by UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, high resolution (13)C Cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry, X ray diffraction, X ray fluorescence, matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight tandem mass spectrometry, thermal analysis, and so on. The results showed that the purity of the prepared melanin was higher than the commercial standard melanin and it was a kind of nanoaggregates composed of a large quantity of 5,6-dihydroxyindole eumelanin and a small amount of phaeomelanin. In addition, the prepared melanin was irregular in shape and its structure could be divided into three levels: advanced structure maintained by polypeptides, substructure maintained by the ferric ion and microstructure. In particular, the smallest structural unit showed the graphite-like layered structure containing five layers linked by non-covalent bonds and each layer mainly consisted of 5,6-dihydroxyindole and its derivatives, which might be connected to each other through various chemical bonds.