IKZF1 Deletion Subtyping and Outcome Analysis in BCR–ABL1-Negative Pediatric B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Single-Institution Experience from North India

BackgroundIKZF1 deletions are associated with adverse outcomes in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). We assessed the prevalence and clinical impact of functional subtypes of IKZF1 deletions in pediatric BCR–ABL1-negative B-ALL. Patients andMethodsThis retrospective study of IKZF1 deletions was done in cases of pediatric BCR–ABL1-negative B-ALL. The genomic DNA of cases, over a 53-month period, was analyzed using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and multiplex fluorescent polymerase chain reaction. The deletions were divided into functional subgroups: (1) loss-of-function/haploinsufficiency, (2) dominant-negative, and (3) a combination of both types of deletion. The post-induction remission status, event-free survival (EFS), and overall survival (OS) were noted.ResultsOut of 320 cases, 47 (14.7%) had IKZF1 deletions. Thirty-six of the 47 (77%) had loss-of-function deletions, 10 (21%) had dominant-negative deletions, and one (2%) had a combination of both types. The post-induction remission rates in cases with loss-of-function deletions (22/30, 73%; P = .060) and dominant-negative deletions (4/5, 80%; P = .517) were lower compared with those without deletions (215/248, 86.7%). These cases also had worse median EFS: 21.1 months (P = .006) for loss-of-function and 15.4 months (P = .156) for dominant-negative deletions, compared with 46.4 months in cases without IKZF1 deletions. They also had worse median OS: 23.4 months (P = .012) for loss-of-function deletions and 15.7 months (P = .233) for dominant-negative deletions, compared with median not reached in cases without IKZF1 deletions.ConclusionThe IKZF1 deletions were seen in 14.7% of BCR–ABL1-negative pediatric B-ALL. Most of these deletions (77%) were loss-of-function type. The cases with loss-of-function deletions had lower remission rates and poor EFS and OS compared with cases without IKZF1 deletions. A similar trend of poor outcome was seen in the few cases with dominant-negative IKZF1 deletions.     

Novel lipopeptides of ESAT-6 induce strong protective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Routes of immunization and TLR agonists critically impact vaccine’s efficacy

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacterial cause of tuberculosis, is a leading infectious agent worldwide. The development of a new vaccine against Mtb is essential to control global spread of tuberculosis, since the current vaccine BCG is not very effective and antibiotic resistance is a serious, burgeoning problem. ESAT-6 is a secreted protein of Mtb, which is absent in BCG but has been implicated in inducing protective immunity against Mtb. Peptide based subunit vaccines are attractive due to their safety and high specificity in eliciting immune responses, but small synthetic peptides are usually not very immunogenic. We have designed a novel subunit vaccine for Mtb by using simple lipid (palmitic acid) modified derivatives of peptides from ESAT-6 protein corresponding to dominant human T cell epitopes and examined their ability to stimulate protective immunity against Mtb by intranasal and subcutaneous immunization in mice. We also investigated how individual TLR agonists as adjuvants (PolyI:C, MPL and GDQ) contribute to enhancing the induced immune responses and resulting protective efficacy of our vaccine. We observed that single C-terminal palmitoyl-lysine modified lipopeptides derived from ESAT-6 induce significant cellular immune responses on their own upon mucosal and subcutaneous immunizations. Intriguingly, a combination of immunogenic lipopeptides of ESAT-6 antigen exhibited local (pulmonary) and systemic immune responses along with efficient protective efficacy when administered intranasally or subcutaneously. Surprisingly, combination of ESAT-6 derived lipopeptides with a TLR-4 agonist (MPL) enhanced protection, whereas TLR-3 (Poly I:C) and TLR-7/8 agonists (gardiquimod, GDQ) led to reduced protection associated with specific local and systemic immune modulation. Our studies demonstrate the potential of ESAT-6 derived lipopeptides as a promising vaccine candidate against Mtb, and emphasize that selection of adjuvant is critical for the success of vaccines. These findings demonstrate the promise of synthetic lipopeptides as the basis of a subunit vaccine for TB.     

Looking Ahead in Renal Cell Carcinoma: Integrating New Agents in the Armamentarium of the Urologist

Urologists play a pivotal role in many aspects of the care of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, until recently, in some European countries, they have rarely been involved in the systemic treatment of this disease or in the design of clinical trials. This is undoubtedly set to change with the emergence of new oral, molecularly targeted therapies for RCC. Sorafenib (Nexavar^®; Bayer Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA) is one such therapy, which has already been shown to be efficacious and well tolerated for the treatment of RCC. Although targeted agents show great promise for the treatment of RCC, their precise role in the treatment of metastatic disease, and in adjuvant and neoadjuvant settings has yet to be defined. Drawing from their extensive experience of RCC, urologists will be instrumental in the design and application of clinical studies to define the role of targeted therapies in all settings of RCC and, ultimately, to integrate targeted therapies into clinical practice. Through increased understanding of the molecular pathways involved in RCC, research into diagnostic and prognostic markers, and commitment to clinical trials, urologists can be at the forefront of this progress.     

长链非编码RNA lnc-CCDC33-1:1在甲状腺乳头状癌中的表达及临床意义

目的：检测lnc-CCDC33-1:1在甲状腺乳头状癌（PTC）中的表达,并分析其临床意义。方法：选取2021年11月至2022年3月杭州市萧山区第一人民医院收治的120例PTC患者,收集120例PTC组织及30例癌旁正常甲状腺组织。采用qRT-PCR检测lnc-CCDC33-1:1在PTC组织及癌旁组织中的表达。分析本地队列和TCGA队列中lnc-CCDC33-1:1表达水平与PTC患者临床病理因素的相关性。采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线评价lnc-CCDC33-1:1对PTC的诊断价值。结果：与癌旁正常甲状腺组织比,lnc-CCDC33-1:1在PTC组织中表达明显升高（P ＜0.001）。ROC曲线显示曲线下面积为0.803（95%CI =0.736～0.869,P ＜0.001）。本地队列显示lnc-CCDC33-1:1 表达与PTC肿瘤大小（P =0.048）、腺外侵犯（P =0.019）、T分期（P =0.011）和淋巴结转移（P =0.009）相关,TCGA组数据显示lnc-CCDC33-1:1表达水平与PTC腺外侵犯（P =0.036）和淋巴结转移（P ＜0.001）相关。结论：lnc-CCDC33-1:1在PTC中表达异常升高,与PTC高危特征相关,可能是潜在的诊断标志物和治疗靶点。     

启动子区5′CpG岛去甲基化对人结肠癌细胞生物学表型的影响

目的：探讨DNA启动子区5′CpG岛甲基化状态与人结肠癌RKO细胞增殖凋亡等生物学特征的关系。方法： 应用特异性DNA甲基转移酶（DNMTs）抑制剂-5-氮-2′-脱氧胞苷（5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine，5-Aza-CdR）处理肠癌RKO细胞72 h，甲基化特异性PCR（methylation-specific PCR,MSP）及DNA测序法分析p16/CDKN2基因CpG岛甲基化状态；MTT、FCM、荧光染色及透射电镜检测启动子区去甲基化后细胞生长、形态和细胞周期凋亡的影响。 结果： DNMTs抑制剂能较好地逆转启动子区胞嘧啶甲基化状态；CpG岛去甲基化后能明显地抑制肠癌细胞的生长，增加细胞群体倍增时间（P<0.01），诱导肠癌细胞凋亡，影响肠癌细胞周期分布，并具有良好的量效依赖关系。 结论： 通过逆转CpG岛高甲基化能有效地抑制肠癌细胞增殖，为临床治疗大肠癌提供新的作用靶点。