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Objective:To explore the therapeutic efficacy and toxicity of oral Etoposide chemotherapy in children with disseminated medulloblastoma (MB) after the standard treatment plan.Methods:The clinical data of 86 children with disseminated MB admitted in the Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Shijitan Hospital of Capital Medical University from January 2016 to May 2020 were analyzed retrospectively.The median age of children was 8.8 (3.0-16.7) years old.Among them, 33 children treated with maintenance chemotherapy via oral Etoposide were included in the chemotherapy group, and 53 children without oral maintenance chemotherapy were included in the non-chemotherapy group.The gender distribution, surgical resection range, pathological type, molecular classification, postoperative mutism, M-stage and survival[progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)] of the 2 groups were compared.The main adverse events of oral Etoposide chemotherapy were recorded. Chi- square test is used for data comparison, Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot the survival curve of disseminated MB patients, followed by the Log- rank test. Results:There were no significant differences in gender, surgical resection range, pathological type, molecular typing, postoperative mutism and M-stage between the 2 groups (all P>0.05). Of 86 patients, the median PFS and OS were 3.0 (0.2-6.3) years, and 3.6 (0.5-6.3) years, respectively.Twenty five cases (29.1%) relapsed, 13 cases (15.1%) died.The 3-year[(65.8±6.8)% vs.(82.0±7.3)%] and 5-year PFS[(56.8±7.7)% vs.(82.0±7.3)%] in non-chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those of chemotherapy group ( P=0.037). The 3-year[(81.6±5.6)% vs.100.0%] and 5-year OS[(71.2±7.7)% vs.(92.3±7.4)%] in non-chemotherapy group were significantly lower than those of chemotherapy group ( P=0.025). Among the children with the SHH subtype, the PFS of children with oral Etoposide maintenance chemotherapy after a regular treatment was significantly higher than that without oral maintenance chemotherapy (100.0% vs.57.1%)( P=0.021). The major adverse events of oral Etoposide were myelosuppression and gastrointestinal symptoms, which were mostly relieved after a symptomatic treatment.Treatment-related deaths were not reported. Conclusions:The prognosis of disseminated MB in children is relatively poor.Oral Etoposide for maintenance therapy after a standard treatment is beneficial in reducing relapse and improving the 5-year survival, which is well tolerated.
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Objective:To explore the effect of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) at the initial visit on the survival of children with newly diagnosed medulloblastoma (MB).Methods:This was a case-control study involving 61 children with newly diagnosed MB at the Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from August 2018 to January 2020 .The blood cell counts, lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin in the periphe-ral blood were measured to calculate NLR at the initial visit.Based on the cut-off value determined by receiver opera-ting characteristic (ROC) curve, patients were divided into high NLR group (≥ 2.07, n=21) and low NLR group (<2.07, n=40). The progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) between 2 groups were analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method, followed by Log- rank test.The correlation between NLR at the initial visit with clinical characteristics, lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin of children with newly diagnosed MB was analyzed.Differences between groups were compared by the Chi- square test, Mann- Whitney U test and independent sample t test. Results:The survival analysis showed that the relapse rate (38.1% vs.10.0%, χ2=6.879, P=0.016) and mortality rate (19.0% vs.0, χ2=8.154, P=0.011) were significantly higher in high NLR group than those of low NLR group.PFS (12 months vs.19 months, χ2=9.775, P=0.002) and OS (19 months vs.20 months, χ2=8.432, P=0.004) were significantly shorter in high NLR group than those of low NLR group.No significant differences in clinical characteristics were detected between groups (all P>0.05). Compared with low NLR group, the percentage of T lymphocyte[(67.93±6.37)% vs.(73.38±8.08)%, t=2.886, df=48.865, P=0.006], T helper cells (Th)[(30.86±5.53)% vs.(34.29±7.44)%, t=2.037, df=51.981, P=0.047], and T suppressor cells (Ts)[(27.39±5.50)% vs.(30.84±6.58)%, t=2.164, df=47.581, P=0.035] were significantly lower in high NLR group.Spearman correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between NLR and T lymphocyte count ( r=-0.303, P=0.018), and Ts lymphocyte count ( r=-0.260, P=0.043). Conclusions:Children with newly diagnosed MB expressing a high level of NLR had a poor prognosis, which may be associated with T lymphocyte and Ts lymphocyte.
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Objective:Summarizing the clinical characteristics of extraneural metastasis in childhood medulloblastoma.Methods:A total of 616 cases with medulloblastoma treated in Beijing Shijitan Hospital from April 2010 to April 2019 were analyzed retrospectively, among which 11 cases developed extraneural metastasis.The age of onset, location and time of extraneural metastasis, pathological and molecular typing, treatment and prognosis were descriptively analyzed.The differences of blood biochemical indexes between medulloblastoma cases with and without extraneural metastasis were statistically analyzed by t test. Results:As of February 2020, the median follow-up period was 16 months (ranging from 3 to 69 months). Eleven cases, including 8 males and 3 females, were diagnosed with extraneural metastasis, with the incidence being about 1.8%.The median age of medulloblastoma was 6 years (2-10 years), and the median age at presentation of extraneural metastasis was 7 years (2-12 years). Extraneural metastasis occurred from 0.5 months to 38.0 months after the operation, and the affected location includes bone (6 cases), bone marrow (3 cases), lung (3 cases), pelvis (2 cases) and abdominal cavity (1 case). In these patients, the range of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) was (2 298.00±1 570.70) U/L and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) was (201.00±68.34) μg/L, which were significantly higher than those in patients without extraneural metastasis [(249.50±46.28) U/L and (22.80±7.12) μg/L, all P<0.05]. Partial patients were treated with chemotherapy, while the majority of them were treated with palliative treatment in the terminal stage, with the survival period mostly less than 10 months. Conclusions:Although there is a low incidence of extraneural metastasis in medulloblastoma pediatric patients, the prognosis of these patients with extraneural metastasis is poor and most of them would die within one year.The most common sites include bone, followed by bone marrow and lungs, which may be related to the spread of cerebrospinal fluid and the increased levels of LDH and NSE.
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Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of children with medulloblastoma (MB) complicated with incomplete intestinal obstruction, and to explore the possible pathogenesis of intestinal obstruction in children with MB.Methods:A total of 409 children with MB admitted to the Department of Pediatrics of Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2014 to January 2019 were recruited into this study, and the clinical data of children with incomplete intestinal obstruction were collected and analyzed retrospectively.A comparison was performed between these children and those without intestinal obstruction who were treated at the same time.The chi- squared test and Logistic regression analysis were adopted to explore the pathogenesis of intestinal obstruction.The overall survival (OS) rate was calculated with the Kaplan-Meier method. Results:There were 11 cases of 409 children with MB complicated with incomplete intestinal obstruction in total, with the morbidity of 2.7%, they were all over 3 years old, with the median age of 8.7 years, and a male-to-female ratio of 4.5∶1.The incomplete intestinal obstruction in all cases occurred during the first cycle of maintenance chemotherapy after radiotherapy.All these patients could be reco-vered after conservative treatment, and no incomplete intestinal obstruction occurred in the subsequent chemotherapy.The results of Logistic regression analysis showed that there was a correlation between age and the development of incomplete intestinal obstruction ( P<0.05). The 2-year OS rate of MB patients complicated with incomplete intestinal obstruction was (87.5±11.7)%, and that of patients without incomplete intestinal obstruction during the same period was (92.8±1.6)%, which showed that the difference between the two group was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Conclusions:Incomplete intestinal obstruction would occur in all MB patients within 2 months after radiotherapy, and children more than 3 years old are more prone to suffer from this disease.Therefore, it can be supposed that gastrointestinal mucosa was damaged under the double attack of radiotherapy and Vincristine, which slowed down the intestinal peristalsis, thus inducing intestinal obstruction.
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Objective@#To investigate the prognostic factors and survival status of children with medulloblastoma (MB) by using retrospective analysis.@*Methods@#From February 2011 to December 2017, 224 children with newly-diagnosed MB were enrolled in this study, which was carried out at Department of Pediatrics, Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University.The overall survival (OS) rate and progression-free survival (PFS) rate were calcula-ted by using Kaplan-Meier method, the difference between 2 groups was tested by Log-rank method, and prognostic factors were analyzed by COX regression.@*Results@#Until December 30, 2018, the median survival time of all these 224 children was 4.1 years, the survival rate was 74.6%, complete response (CR) rate was 60.3%, and the relapse rate was 1.7%. The 5-year PFS rate and 5- year OS rate of all patients were (58.2±3.6)% and (72.5±3.3)%, respectively. Survival rates of children in the high-risk group, with metastatic disease, aged <3 years, and with positive tumor cells in the cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) were very low. The 5-year OS rates were (54.8±5.3)%, (57.7±5.9)%, (41.6±8.7)%, and (53.0±7.3)%, respectively.Compared to others, the children with MB large-cell/anaplastic histology [5-year OS rate was (35.3±13.6)%] and MB group 3 subtype [3-year OS rate was (25.0±13.0)%] lived a miserable life.Meanwhile, the children in the stand-risk group, without metastatic disease, no large-cell/anaplastic histology, age older than 3 years, and with tumor cell negative in CSF, lived a better life. The 5-year OS rates were (87.5±3.5)%, (80.3±3.7)%, (70.6±5.5)%, (78.3±3.3)%, and (78.4±3.5)%, respectively, and all of them were over 70.0%. No WNT tumors progressed or relapsed, and 5- year OS rate was 100.0%. The survival status of SHH subgroup was inferior to that of group 4 subtype[(64.8±5.8)% vs.(83.5±3.8)%, χ2=5.417, P=0.015]. With COX analysis, age and tumor cells in CSF at the time of diagnosis were independent risk factors for OS and PFS of MB (PFS: Wald=8.485, P=0.004; Wald=11.702, P=0.001; OS: Wald=16.274, P=0.000; Wald=7.191, P=0.007).@*Conclusions@#Survival of children with MB more than 3 years old has been reached a perfectly high level.Age and tumor cells in CSF are independent risk factors for the OS and PFS. However, the prognosis of large-cell/anaplastic histology, malignancy cell positive in CSF, group 3 and children under 3 years old, is still poor, and intensive treatment is needed urgently for those patients.
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Objective To analyze the survival rate and adverse effect of therapy of childhood supratentorial primitive neuroectoderma (sPNET)patients in order to investigate a suitable therapy. Methods Between December 2012 and December 2014,18 children,aged from 0. 6 to 13. 6 years old,were treated with pediatric himtumor(HIT)-2000 protocol in Beijing Shijitan Hospital,Capital Medical University. All patients were performed tumor gross total re-section,and someone accepted irradiation therapy firstly. The adverse effect of radiotherapy and chemotherapy was ana-lyzed,and the 3 - year progression - free survival (PFS)rate and overall survival (OS)rate were calculated by using Kaplan - Meier method. Results Till September 2017,the mean follow - up time was 3. 0 years (0. 2 - 4. 8 years), and the survival rate was 72. 2％ (13 / 18 cases). Eleven cases(11 / 18 cases,61. 1％)were complete remission,but 7 cases (7 / 18 cases,38. 9％)relapsed during or after therapy. The 3 - year PFS and OS rates were (66. 7 ± 11. 1)％and (71. 8 ± 10. 7)％,respectively. Moreover,14 patients received craniospinal irradiation,and their 3 - year PFS and OS rates were (68. 8 ± 13. 3)％ and (85. 7 ± 9. 4)％,respectively,there was no significant difference between the overall rates(all P >0. 05). During the follow - up period,all patients were not involved radiation - reduced brain necro-sis,myelitis,and pancreatic injury. During the whole central radiotherapy,14 children had different degree of blood rou-tine abnormalities,mainly manifested in leukocytes and thrombocytopenia,and the blood routine was restored to normal after subcutaneous injection of granulocyte stimulating factor. The adverse reactions of the gastrointestinal tract were re-latively mild,mainly nausea and vomiting,and the improvement of the gastric mucosa and the protection of the gastric mucosa were all improved. The gastrointestinal tract adverse reactions caused by HIT - 2000 were mainly nausea,vomi-ting,abdominal pain,diarrhea,constipation,and so on. The incidence of hematological adverse reactions was high,up to 100％,of which 2 cases were cured by active anti infection and symptomatic treatment due to the lack of granulocytic and fever. Conclusion HIT - 2000 protocol is a feasible and efficient therapy method for sPNET of Chinese children patients,and the adverse effects are tolerable.
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Objective To investigate the treatment value of intensified chemotherapy combined with intrathe-cal Methotrexate(ITMTX)in the treatment of children with relapsed medulloblastoma.Methods From February 2011 to February 2014,40 relapsed patients in Beijing Shijitan Hospital,Capital Medical University,aged 10.6 years(2.7 to 17.7 years),were received 4 cycles of carboplatin and Etoposide continuously infusion for 96 h,and sequentially fo-llowed with Ifosfamide,Etoposide and Nedaplatin for 3 cycles,then administrated oral Temozolomide(TMZ)and Etopo-side for 12 cycles.All patients were divided into ITMTX group,which were performed ITMTX during every chemothera-py or every 3 weeks,and no intrathecal Methotrexate(no-ITMTX)group,which were not performed with ITMTX.Re-sponses were evaluated,and the objective response time,time to tumor progress(TTP),time to treatment failure (TTF),and recurrence-free interval(RFI)of the two groups were contrasted.The side-effects of chemotherapy and ITMTX were analyzed,overall survival was calculated using Kaplan-Meier method,and chi-square test or t test was used to compare the difference between two groups.Results Until 30thDecember 2016,the follow-up time was 29.4 months(ranging from 2 to 57 months). The 3-year overall survival(OS)rate was(53.5 ± 8.1)%,and 45.0% pa-tients were objective response,and the mean objective response time was 2 months,and the RFI was 18 months.For IT-MTX patients,the 3-year OS rate was(66.6 ± 11.5)%,the objective response ratio was 70.0%,and mean objective response time was 1.5 months,24 months free-event of TTP and TTF was 70.0% and 90.0%,respectively,and the RFI was 22.5 months.For no-ITMTX patients,the 3-year OS rate was(40.0 ± 11.0)%,objective response ratio was 20.0%,and mean objective response time was 2.5 months(1.5-4.0 months),24 months free-event of TTP and TTF was 35.0% and 50.0%,respectively,and the RFI was 5 months(0-40 months).Compared with those of no-ITMTX patients,the RFI,24 months TTP and TTF of ITMTX patients were much better,there were statistical signi-ficances(all P<0.05).The main side-effects of chemotherapy was gastrointestinal hematologic side-effects,and re-covered quickly with supportive treatment.No obvious Methotrexate induced neurotoxicity was found.Conclusion Based on high-dose chemotherapy,ITMTX can further improve the long-term survival of patients with relapsed medulloblas-toma,and it is more feasible and suitable for relapsed MB children in China.
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Objective To investigate the early diagnosis and treatment of craniospinal irradiation(CSI)in-duced lung injury (RILI)in children with malignant brain tumors.Methods From January 2014 to January 2016,a total of 145 children with malignant brain tumors from Beijing Shijitan Hospital,Capital Medical University were enrolled in this study.All children received postoperative CSI.Ten children were diagnosed as RILI by high－resolution computed tomography (HRCT)scanning before the start of subsequent chemotherapy and 42 days after CSI.Oral Pred-nisone acetate tablets 0.5－1.0 mg/(kg·d)were given to treat RILI and compound Sulfamethoxazole to prevent sec-ondary lung inflammation.Antibiotic treatment and symptomatic support were given to 2 patients because of the com-bined infection.Then every 4 weeks HRCT was performed and the dosage of Prednisone was adjusted.Clinical charac-teristics and treatment effects were observed synthetically.Results Up to January 2018,the median follow－up time was 28 months (ranged from 26 to 48 months),only 10 patients suffered from RILI,and the morbidity was 6.9%.Eight of 10 patients had medulloblastoma,1 case with pineoblastoma,and 1 case with atypical teratoma/rhabdomyoid tumor. They were 6 boys and 4 girls,and the median age was 8 years old (ranged from 5 to 13 years old).The time points of diagnosis of lung damage were 39－52 days after the end of radiotherapy,and lesions were located in the dorsal or basal segments of lower lobe of unilateral or bilateral lung in HRCT scanning.No obvious respiratory symptoms or other dis-comfort was found except for frequent cough in 2 patients.Lung lesions were gradually reduced and disappeared within 2 to 8 months after treatment with Prednisone and compound Sulfamethoxazole.Two cases suffered severe infection be-fore or during the subsequent chemotherapy,and the condition was gradually improved after anti－infection treatment based on drug sensitivity test.Then subsequent chemotherapy underwent successfully.Conclusions RILI presents mild symptoms or asymptomatic.Routine lung imaging after radiotherapy is beneficial to the early diagnosis of lung damage, and early treatment with Prednisone and prophylaxis with compound Sulfamethoxazole has a good prognosis.
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Objective To explore the protective effect of creatine phosphate sodium and compound coenzyme on tumor children with Adriamycin(ADM)-induced myocardial injury.Methods From Feb.2012 to Feb.2014,there were 153 tumor children administered in Shijitan Hospital,the Capital Medical University,among which there were 112 male and 41 female,aged from 10 months to 5 years,and the median age was 2.3 years.All the cases were randomly divided into 3 groups,with the dose of ADM at 20-30 mg/(m2 · d) for 3 days,and for 3 to 6 courses of treatment.All cases were rolled in the ADM chemotherapy:group A,intravenous infusion of creatine phosphate sodium(1.0 g/d) and compound coenzyme(1 injection/d),at a total of 7 days;group B with only intravenous infusion of creatine phosphate sodium(1.0 g/d) for a total of 7 days;group C with only intravenous infusion compound coenzyme(1 injection/d) for a total of 7 days.Two days before ADM chemotherapy,creatine phosphate sodium and / or compound coenzyme were administrated to protect the musculus cardiacus.One day before chemotherapy and two days after chemotherapy,the peripheral blood was taken to determine levels of malondialdehyde (MDA),creatine kinase (CK),creatine kinase MB (CK-MB),cardiac troponin(cTnT),N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide(NT-proBNP),high-sensitivity C-reactive protein(hsCRP),electrocardiogram,echocardiogram and so on.Then the changes of all those indicators before and after the chemotherapy between the groups were compared.Results The morbidity of myocardial damage induced by ADM was increased significantly with its dose accumulation (x2 =18.462,P ＜ 0.05).Creatine phosphate sodium combined with compound coenzyme could decrease the morbidity of myocardial damage induced by ADM (x2 =4.883,5.971,all P ＜ 0.05).Compared with those before chemotherapy,the cTnT (t =2.561,P ＜ 0.05),NT-proBNP (t =6.654,P ＜ 0.01) and hsCRP(t =3.149,P ＜ 0.01) levels of group A decreased markedly.Serum levels of MDA (t =2.170,P ＜0.05),CK-MB(t =2.596,P ＜0.05) and hsCRP(t =2.604,P ＜0.05) of group B increased obviously.Serum levels of MDA (t =2.151,P ＜ 0.05) and CK-MB (t =4.109,P ＜ 0.05) of group C also increased obviously.After chemotherapy,the detection of serum indexes of all groups showed as below.Contracted with those of group A,the serum MDA(t =4.461,P ＜ 0.01),CK-MB (t =3.273,P ＜ 0.01),cTnT (t =3.476,P ＜ 0.01),NT-proBNP (t =7.081,P ＜ 0.01) and hsCRP(t =5.941,P ＜ 0.01) levels of group B increased distinctly.Meanwhile,the MDA (t =4.064,P ＜0.01),CK-MB(t =5.452,P ＜0.01),cTnT(t =2.768,P ＜0.05),NT-proBNP(t =4.806,P ＜0.01)and hsCRP(t =3.436,P ＜ 0.05) levels of group C also increased significantly.Conclusions Both creatine phosphate and compound coenzyme could reduce the myocardial damage induced by ADM.Combination of them has important clinical value for better prevention of cardiac toxicity of ADM,enhancement of the prognosis of childhood tumor,and improvement of the long-term quality life of those children.
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<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and chemotherapy can cause immune imbalance, and gaseous molecule hydrogen sulfide (H2S) can participate in the process of immune response. This study aimed to investigate the immune regulation of H2S in pediatric ALL.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Children (n = 78) with ALL admitted during 2010-2013 were included in this study. Two blood samples were collected in period of before chemotherapy, bone marrow remission and two days after chemotherapy, respectively. Serum contents of H2S and cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-2 (IL-2), interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin-4 (IL-4), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1α (MIP-1α), were detected using ELISA method. Stepwise regression was used to analyze the correlation between H2S and cytokines. Furthermore, human Jurkat cells were cultured in vitro, and nucleoprotein of Jurkat cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected, contents of cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) and certain cytokines were measured by Western blotting.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum concentrations of H2S, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10 and MIP-1a in children with ALL were increased significantly (P < 0.01), while concentrations of IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-4 decreased obviously (P < 0.01). In patients after chemotherapy, concentrations of H2S and IL-10 were decreased significantly (P < 0.05), but IL-4 and IFN-γ concentrations increased markedly (P < 0.05). At remission stage, H2S, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and MIP-1α concentrations were further decreased markedly (P < 0.05), but concentrations of IL-2, TNF-α and IFN-γ increased again (P < 0.05). Protein contents of CSE, IL-10, IL-4 and IL-2 of PBMCs also increased markedly in children with ALL. Moreover, changes of CSE protein contents of PBMCs were consistent with serum H2S contents, and there were significant correlation between H2S and certain cytokines based on stepwise regression analysis. Furthermore, compared with those of PBMCs group, in vitro study indicated that Jurkat cells of H2S group expressed IFN-γ, IL-10, IL-4 and IL-2 protein increased obviously (P < 0.05), while IL-4, IL-2 and CSE expression of PPG group decreased markedly (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gaseous molecule H2S might participate in the process of immune regulation in pediatric ALL through modulating transcription and expression of cytokines.</p>
Subject(s)
Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Cystathionine gamma-Lyase , Blood , Hydrogen Sulfide , Blood , Interferon-gamma , Blood , Interleukin-10 , Blood , Interleukin-1beta , Blood , Interleukin-2 , Blood , Interleukin-4 , Blood , Interleukin-6 , Blood , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Metabolism , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma , Blood , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha , BloodABSTRACT
<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Bacterial inflammation is a common complication in patients with leukemia, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a bioactive molecule in modulating Gram-negative bacilli infection. This study aimed to examine the changes in SO2, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) levels in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with Gram-negative bacterial inflammation.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty-five ALL children were enrolled in this study, including 30 males and 25 females, aged 3-13 years, and the median age was 7.8 years. All these children who accepted chemotherapy for ALL were divided into the control group (before chemotherapy), the infection group (after chemotherapy with infection), and the recovery group (the infection was controlled after 1 week). The serum level of SO2 was detected using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence assay, and NF-κB and IL-8 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Human THP-1 cells were cultured, induced, and differentiated into macrophages, which were divided into five groups and each group was cultured with different stimulators: lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group, LPS+L-aspartate-β-hydroxamate (HDX) group, LPS+SO2 group, SO2, and control groups. NF-κB level and IL-8 protein contents by ELISA were examined in each group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In comparison with those of the control group, levels of serum SO2, NF-κB, and IL-8 of the infection group were significantly increased (P < 0.05), while those of the recovery group were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between levels of serum SO2 and intracellular NF-κB/IL-8, and the correlation coefficients were 0.671 and 0.798 (P < 0.05), respectively. According to the results found in human THP-1 cells, levels of NF-κB and IL-8 in LPS group were significantly increased compared with those of the control group (P < 0.05); when compared with those in LPS group, levels of NF-κB in LPS+HDX group further increased significantly (P < 0.05); however, the NF-κB levels of LPS+SO2 group decreased significantly (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>SO2 may play an anti-inflammatory role during the process of inflammation by inhibiting the activation and transcription of NF-κB.</p>