Monitoring of BCR-ABL levels in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with imatinib in the chronic phase: the importance of a major molecular response

BACKGROUND: Real time PCR has become the most common technique to monitor BCR-ABL transcript levels of patients treated with kinase inhibitors. The aim of this study was to evaluate BCR-ABL levels of chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with imatinib in the chronic phase and correlate the response to therapy and event-free survival. METHODS: BCR-ABL levels were measured in peripheral blood cell samples using Real time PCR at diagnosis and then every 3 months after starting therapy with imatinib. Major molecular response was defined as a three-log reduction from the standardized baseline value. Major molecular response values were adjusted to international scale using a conversion factor of 1.19. The results are reported as a BCR-ABL/ABL ratio ( percent). RESULTS: Hematological, major cytogenetic and complete cytogenetic responses were achieved by 57 (95 percent), 45 (75 percent) and 38 (63 percent) patients, respectively. Twenty-four out of sixty patients achieved a major molecular response (40 percent) in a median time of 8.5 months. Overall survival and event free survival were higher for patients with (100 percent) versus patients without (77 percent) a complete cytogenetic response (p-value = 0.01) at 48 months. Patients with complete cytogenetic response and major molecular response had a higher event free survival compared to patients with complete cytogenetic response but without major molecular response (p-value = 0.007). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the prognostic impact of achieving complete cytogenetic response and a major molecular response and also the importance of molecular monitoring in the follow-up of chronic myeloid leukemia patients were demonstrated.

Genetic control of orange hilum corona of carioca beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)

The purpose of this research was to elucidate the genetic control of orange corona color in carioca common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). We made four crosses between carioca group cultivars that differed in respect to the presence or absence of an orange hilum corona color. The F2, F3, F1BC11, F1BC21, F2BC11 and F2BC21 phenotypic segregations were evaluated with a chi-square test which fitted with the hypothesis that one gene with a dominant allele is responsible for the orange corona color. All generations resulting from the four different crosses showed segregation patterns which agreed with the expected proportions. Our results show that the dominant G allele controls orange corona color in the carioca bean group.