Genomics of next generation sequencing in pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its impact on minimal residual disease / 中华儿科杂志

Objective: To describe the gene mutation profile of newly diagnosed pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and analyze its effect on minimal residual disease (MRD). Methods: A total of 506 newly diagnosed B-ALL children treated in Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences from September 2018 to July 2021 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The enrolled children were divided into MRD ≥1.00% group and <1.00% group according to MRD results on the 19th day since chemotherapy, and MRD ≥0.01% group and <0.01% group according to MRD results on the 46th day. Clinical characteristics and gene mutations of two groups were compared. Comparisons between groups were performed with chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Independent risk factors of MRD results on the 19th day and the 46th day were analyzed by Logistic regression model. Results: Among all 506 patients, there were 318 males and 188 females. On the 19th day, there were 114 patients in the MRD ≥1.00% group and 392 patients in the MRD <1.00% group. On the 46th day, there were 76 patients in the MRD ≥0.01% group and 430 patients in the MRD <0.01% group. A total of 187 gene mutations were detected in 487 (96.2%) of 506 children. The most common gene mutations were signal transduction-related KRAS gene mutations in 111 cases (22.8%) and NRAS gene mutations in 99 cases (20.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that PTPN11 (OR=1.92, 95%CI 1.00-3.63), KMT2A (OR=3.51, 95%CI 1.07-11.50) gene mutations and TEL-AML1 (OR=0.48, 95%CI 0.27-0.87), BCR-ABL1 (OR=0.27, 95%CI 0.08-0.92) fusion genes and age >10 years (OR=1.91, 95%CI 1.12-3.24) were independent influencing factors for MRD ≥1.00% on the 19th day. BCORL1 (OR=2.96, 95%CI 1.18-7.44), JAK2 (OR=2.99, 95%CI 1.07-8.42) and JAK3 (OR=4.83, 95%CI 1.50-15.60) gene mutations and TEL-AML1 (OR=0.43, 95%CI 0.21-0.87) fusion gene were independent influencing factors for MRD ≥0.01% on the 46th day. Conclusions: Children with B-ALL are prone to genetic mutations, with abnormalities in the RAS signaling pathway being the most common. Signal transduction related PTPN11, JAK2 and JAK3 gene mutations, epigenetic related KMT2A gene mutation and transcription factor related BCORL1 gene mutation are independent risk factors for MRD.

Clinical features and prognosis of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia: an analysis of 63 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To investigate the clinical features of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and their association with prognosis.@*METHODS@#Clinical and prognosis data were collected from the children with JMML who were admitted from January 2008 to December 2016, and the influencing factors for prognosis were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 63 children with JMML were included, with a median age of onset of 25 months and a male/female ratio of 3.2∶1. JMML genetic testing was performed for 54 children, and PTPN11 mutation was the most common mutation and was observed in 23 children (43%), among whom 19 had PTPN11 mutation alone and 4 had compound PTPN11 mutation, followed by NRAS mutation observed in 14 children (26%), among whom 12 had NRAS mutation alone and 2 had compound NRAS mutation. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was only 22%±10% in these children with JMML. Of the 63 children, 13 (21%) underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The HSCT group had a significantly higher 5-year OS rate than the non-HSCT group (46%±14% vs 29%±7%, P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the 5-year OS rate between the children without PTPN11 gene mutation and those with PTPN11 gene mutation (30%±14% vs 27%±10%, P>0.05). The Cox proportional-hazards regression model analysis showed that platelet count <40×109/L at diagnosis was an influencing factor for 5-year OS rate in children with JMML (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The PTPN11 gene was the most common mutant gene in JMML. Platelet count at diagnosis is associated with the prognosis in children with JMML. HSCT can improve the prognosis of children with JMML.

The characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and its associated factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To investigate the characteristics of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its associated factors in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 385 RA patients [including 72 (18.7%) male and 313 (81.3%) female] who received abdominal sonographic examination from August 2015 to May 2021 at Department of Rheumatology, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital. There were 28 RA patients at 16-29 years old and 32, 80, 121, 99, 25 at 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, ≥ 70 years old, respectively. Demographic and clinical data were collected including age, gender, history of alcohol consumption, disease duration, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, RA disease activity indicators and previous medications. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify the associated factors of NAFLD in RA patients. Results: The prevalence of NAFLD was 24.2% (93/385) in RA patients, 26.3% (21/80) in 40-49 age group and 33.1% (40/121) in 50-59 age group. There were 22.1% (85/385) and 3.6% (14/385) RA patients with overweight and obese, in which the prevalence of NAFLD was 45.9% (39/85) and 78.6% (11/14) respectively, which was 2.6 folds and 4.5 folds that of RA patients with normal BMI. Although there was no significant difference of age, gender and RA disease activity indicators between RA patients with or without NAFLD, those with NAFLD had higher proportions of metabolic diseases including obese (11.8% vs. 1.0%), central obesity (47.3% vs. 16.8%), hypertension (45.2% vs. 29.8%) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (24.7% vs. 12.0%), consistent with higher levels of total cholesterol [(5.33±1.31) mmol/L vs. (4.73±1.12) mmol/L], triglyceride [(1.51±1.08) mmol/L vs. (0.98±0.54) mmol/L] and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [(3.37±0.97) mmol/L vs. (2.97±0.78) mmol/L, all P<0.05]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BMI (OR=1.314) and triglyceride (OR=1.809) were the independent factors positively associated with NAFLD in RA patients. Conclusion: NAFLD is a common comorbidity in RA patients, especially in those with middle-aged, overweight or obese, which is associated with high BMI or high triglyceride. Screening and management of NAFLD in RA patients especially those with overweight, obese or dyslipidemia should be emphasized.

The correlation between serum MMP-3 and bone erosion in rheumatoid arthritis / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the expression of serum matrix metalloproteinase 3 (MMP-3) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and analyze its correlation with bone erosion and disease activity.Methods:100 RA patients diagnosed in the First People's Hospital of Changde from July 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the RA group, and 35 healthy volunteers who came to the hospital for physical examination at the same time were selected as the control group. The clinical data of the patients were collected, and the serum MMP-3 levels of the patients and healthy volunteers were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The serum MMP3 levels of RA patients with different disease activity, different imaging stages and different bone mineral density were compared, and the correlation with clinical indicators were analyzed.Results:⑴ RA patients were grouped according to the Disease Activity Score (DAS) 28. Serum MMP-3 levels in the highly active group (300.87±15.93)ng/ml and in the moderately active group (213.78±12.79)ng/ml were higher than those in the clinical remission group (82.87±8.19)ng/ml increased significantly. ⑵ The serum MMP3 level in the RA group (190.98±13.43)ng/ml was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group (69.97±10.63)ng/ml. ⑶ There were significant differences in serum MMP-3 levels among RA patients with different imaging stages ( P<0.05). The level of MMP-3 in stage Ⅲ (206.18±13.58)ng/ml and stage Ⅳ (301.72±13.43)ng/ml were significantly higher than those in stage Ⅰ (89.16±10.13)ng/ml. ⑷ RA patients were divided into normal group, osteopenia group, and osteoporosis group according to bone mineral density. The serum MMP-3 level in the osteopenia group (180.87±12.69)ng/ml and osteoporosis group (289.54±13.28)ng/ml were significantly higher than that in the normal group (121.05±8.45)ng/ml. ⑸ Serum MMP-3 levels were positively correlated with C-reaction (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), DSA 28, rheumatoid factor (RF), joint swelling index, joint tenderness index, and platelet count in the RA group ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The serum MMP-3 plays an important role in the progression of RA, and is closely related to RA disease activity and bone erosion. It is expected to become a serological indicator for predicting RA bone erosion and radiological progress.

Analysis on Death Cases in Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated with the CCLG-ALL 2008 Protocol / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To retrospective analyze the reason of death in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with CCLG-ALL 2008 protocol, and the experience was summarized in order to reduce the mortality.@*METHODS@#916 children diagnosed as ALL and accepted CCLG-ALL 2008 protocol from April 2008 to April 2015 in our hospital were enrolled, the dead cases in them were analyzed retrospectively.@*RESULTS@#169 children died, including 111 (65.7%) males and 58 (34.3%) females. Recurrence was the main reason of death. 150 (88.7%) children died due to recurrence, among them, 86 (57.3%) cases gave up directly. The second reason of death was infection. The main clinical sites of infection were concentrated in respiratory system and digestive system. Bacterial infection was most common (Gram-negative was common).@*CONCLUSION@#Enough finance and improving family compliance can decrease the mortality in children with ALL. Early rational use of antibiotics can reduce infection-related mortality in children with ALL.

Analysis of the Different Therapeutic Effects in 21 Ph / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the outcomes of the children suffered from philadelphia chromosome positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph@*METHODS@#21 cases of firstly diagnosed Ph@*RESULTS@#Among 21 patients, 17 were male and 4 were female with a median age of 8 years old (range, 4-12 years), the median follow-up time was 30 moths (range, 10-133 months). All the patients were treated with chemotherapy induced by the high-risk project of CCLG-ALL 2008. Among 14 patients treated with TKI plus chemotherapy, nine patients achieved complete remission. During 3 months after treatment, patients without complete molecular response or with the second complete remission and intensity desire of transplantation were treated with allo-HSCT, among 9 patients with allo-HSCT, six patients achieved long term survival.@*CONCLUSION@#At TKI era, TKI combined with strong chemotherapy can make Ph

Clinical features and prognosis of childhood acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features and prognosis of childhood acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 14 children who were diagnosed with AML-MRC from June 2014 to March 2020, including clinical features, laboratory examination results, and prognosis.@*RESULTS@#Among the 14 children with AML-MRC, there were 9 boys and 5 girls, with a median age of 11 years (range: 1-17 years), a median leukocyte count of 8.3×10@*CONCLUSIONS@#Childhood AML-MRC is often observed in boys, and AML-M5 is the most common type based on FAB classification. Such children tend to have a poor prognosis. HSCT is expected to improve the poor prognosis of children with AML-MRC. However due to the small number of cases, it is necessary to increase the number of cases for further observation.

CD20 is not a poor prognostic factor for childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia with high white blood cell count / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the significance of CD20 combined with white blood cell (WBC) count at diagnosis in the prognosis assessment in children with B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 821 B-ALL children who were treated with CCLG-ALL2008 regimen from April 2008 to April 2015. Their survival status was followed up.@*RESULTS@#Among the 821 children, 547 (66.6%) were negative, while 274 (33.4%) were positive for CD20 expression. Among 694 children with WBC50×10/L (higher WBC count), the 5-year EFS rates was 64.3%±7.7% and 53.7%±5.5% for CD20 positive and negative patients respectively (P=0.135); the 5-year OS rate was 81.4%±6.4% and 58.6%±5.6% for CD20 positive and negative patients respectively (P=0.022); CD20 positive expression was an independent protective factor for OS (HR=0.367, P=0.016).@*CONCLUSIONS@#In children with B-ALL who are treated with CCLG-ALL2008 regimen, those with CD20 positive expression in lower WBC count at diagnosis have a poor prognosis; however, those with CD20 positive expression in higher WBC count at diagnosis have a better long-time survival.

Long-Term Outcome of 940 Children with Newly Diagnosed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Treated with CCLG-ALL 2008: A Prospective Single Center Study in China / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the long-term efficacy of CCLG-ALL2008 protocol used for treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#Nine hundred and forty children with newly diagnosed ALL from January 2008 to April 2015 were treated with CCLG-ALL2008 protocol. Overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) rates were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox proportional hazards model was used for analyses of prognostic factors.@*RESULTS@#Among the 940 newly diagnosed ALL patients, 570 patients were male, and 370 patients were female, the median age of onset was 5 years old (from 1 to 15 years old). The complete reaction rate (CR) was 96.7%. Survival analysis of 916 ALL patients with CR estimated by follow up [ (median follow up period 64 months (from 3 to 123 months) ] showed that, the expected 10 year OS rate was (78.6±1.5)% and the EFS rate was (66.0±1.8)%. The long-term OS rate of standard risk, intermediate risk and high risk patients was (93.0±1.5)%, (77.6±2.7)%, and (59.3±3.7)%, respectively, and the long-term EFS rate in standard risk, intermediate risk and high risk patients was (84.2±2.2)%. (67.8±2.9)%, and (42.1±3.9)% respectively. 10 year OS rate in B-ALL patients (79.8±1.6)% was significantly higher than that in T-ALL patients (53.5±6.3)% (P＜0.01). Among of all the patients, patients 201 (21.9%) relapsed, the median relapse time was 19 months (from 2 months to 81 months). The 10 year EFS rate was (81.7±3.7）% in the patients with MRD rate ＜0.01% after induction therapy, which was significantly higher than that in the patients with MRD rate＞0.01% (48.4±9.8)%.@*CONCLUSION@#The therapeutic efficacy of the CCLG-ALL2008 protocol is closed to the level of supior study group in the world. Risk stratification can improve the outcome for childhood ALL. Immunophenotyping shows the outcome of B-ALL is better than that of T-ALL. MRD negative patients after induction therapy shows better prognosis compared with that of MRD positive patients.

Perinatal antibiotics exposure causes increase in serum 5-hydroxytryptamine level as well as changes in behavior and gastrointestinal motility in the male offspring in mice / 生理学报

The current study was aimed to investigate the potential effects of perinatal exposure to therapeutic dose of penicillin and cefixime on the cognitive behaviors, gastrointestinal (GI) motility and serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) level in the offspring. Pregnant rats were continuously treated with cefixime or penicillin in the period between 1 week before and 1 week after labor. Behavior tests, including social preference, self-grooming and elevated plus maze tests, and intestinal motility tests were carried out on the offspring at age of 4 to 10 weeks. Serum 5-HT levels were detected with ELISA, and potassium/sodium hyperpolarization activated cyclic nucleotide-gated channel 2 (HCN2) and tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1) expression levels in colon epithelium of offspring were detected by Western blot and RT-qPCR. The results showed that, compared with the naive group, cefixime increased social behavior in the female offspring, but did not affect the male offspring. Compared with the naive group, cefixime significantly decreased colonic and intestinal transits, and increased cecum net weight and standardized cecum net weight in the male offspring, but did not affect the female offspring. The serum 5-HT levels in the male offspring, rather than the female offspring, in cefixime and penicillin groups were significantly increased compared with that in the naive group. The protein expression level of HCN2 in colon epithelium of the offspring in cefixime group was significantly down-regulated, and the TPH1 expression level was not significantly changed, compared with that in the naive group. These results suggest that perinatal antibiotics exposure may affect neural development and GI functions of the offspring, and the mechanism may involve peripheral 5-HT and gender-dependent factor.

The Correlation of Minimal Residual Disease with Prognosis in TCF3-PBX1 / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the consistency between FCM and PCR on the detecting of MRD in TCF3-PBX1@*METHODS@#55 cases of paediatric TCF3-PBX1@*RESULTS@#Among the 55 children with TCF3-PBX1@*CONCLUSION@#The detection result of MRD in TCF3-PBX1 detect by FCM and PCR shows better consistency. MRD positivity detected by FCM at the end of induction therapy (day 33) predicts a high risk of relapse in TCF3-PBX1 ALL patients.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a prospective control trial / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the pharmacokinetic characteristics, clinical effect, and safety of pegylated recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (PEG-rhG-CSF) in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#A prospective study was performed on children with ALL who cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, and 6-mercaptopurine were used for consolidation therapy. PEG-rhG-CSF (PEG-rhG-CSF group) or rhG-CSF (rhG-CSF group) was injected after chemotherapy. The plasma concentration of PEG-rhG-CSF was measured, and clinical outcome and safety were observed for both groups.@*RESULTS@#A total of 17 children with ALL were enrolled, with 9 children in the PEG-rhG-CSF group and 8 children in the rhG-CSF group. In the PEG-rhG-CSF group, the peak concentration of PEG-rhG-CSF was 348.2 ng/mL (range 114.7-552.0 ng/mL), the time to peak was 48 hours (range 12-72 hours), and the half life was 14.1 hours (range 11.1-18.1 hours). The plasma concentration curve of PEG-rhG-CSF was consistent with the mechanism of neutrophil-mediated clearance. Compared with the rhG-CSF group, the PEG-rhG-CSF group had a significantly shorter median time to absolute neutrophil count (ANC) recovery (P0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#The pharmacokinetic characteristics of PEG-rhG-CSF in children with ALL receiving consolidation chemotherapy are consistent with the mechanism of neutrophil-mediated clearance, with a short half life and fast recovery of ANC, and there are no significant differences in safety between PEG-rhG-CSF and rhG-CSF.

The Outcome of Severe Aplastic Anemia Children Treated with Reduced Dose of Cyclophosphamide Combined Cyclosporine A / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the clinical efficacy and side effects of reduced-dose of cyclophosphamide combined cyclosporine A for severe aplastic anemia(SAA) children.@*METHODS@#Ten pediatric patients with SAA from January 2008 to May 2012 were enrolled. All the patients were treated with reduced dose of cyclophosphamide combined cyclosporine A. The dose of cyclophosphamide was 30 mg/(kg·d)×4 d, the dose of cyclosporine A gradually increased >15 mg/L accroding to the blood concentration.@*RESULTS@#The median follow-up time of the 10 pediatric patients was 100 months (6-126 months). Among 10 children with SAA, 4 cases achieved complete response(CR), 3 cases obtained partial response (PR) and the overall response rate was 70%, the remaining 3 cases showed no response (NR). One refractory patient treated by cyclophosphamide was progressed to paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria(PNH) at 25 months and was dead at 42 months after therapy.@*CONCLUSION@#The results show that reduced-dose cyclophosphamide (30 mg/kg·d for 4 consecutive days) combinated with CsA (initial dose 4 mg/kg·d, and drugvallery concentration >150 ng/ml) can make 7 of 10 children with severe aplastic anemia achieve complete response or partial response, and this regimen may be the second line regimen selected for some SAA children.

Mitoxantrone-cytarabine-etoposide induction therapy in children with acute myeloid leukemia: a single-center study of complications and clinical outcomes / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the complications and clinical outcome of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) undergoing mitoxantrone-cytarabine-etoposide (MAE) induction therapy.@*METHODS@#A total of 170 children with AML were given MAE induction therapy, and the complications and remission rate were analyzed after treatment.@*RESULTS@#The male/female ratio was 1.33:1 and the mean age was 7.4 years (range 1-15 years). Leukocyte count at diagnosis was 29.52×10/L [range (0.77-351)×10/L]. Of all children, 2 had M0-AML, 24 had M2-AML, 2 had M4-AML, 48 had M5-AML, 3 had M6-AML, 7 had M7-AML, 69 had AML with t(8;21)(q22;q22), and 15 had AML with inv(16)(p13.1q22) or t(16;16)(p13.1;q22). The most common complication was infection (158/170, 92.9%). Among these 158 patients, 22 (13.9%) had agranulocytosis with pyrexia (with no definite focus of infection), and 136 (86.1%) had definite focus of infection (including bloodstream infection). Other complications included non-infectious diarrhea, bleeding, and drug-induced hepatitis. Treatment-related mortality was observed in 10 children, among whom 8 had severe infection, 1 had multiple organ failure, and 1 had respiratory failure. Remission rate was evaluated for 156 children and the results showed a complete remission rate of 85.3%, a partial remission rate of 4.5%, and a non-remission rate of 10.3%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Induction therapy with the MAE regimen helps to achieve a good remission rate in children with AML after one course of treatment. Infection is the main complication and a major cause of treatment-related mortality.

Clinical features and prognosis of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and different platelet levels / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the association of platelet level at diagnosis with prognosis in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#A total of 892 children with ALL who underwent chemotherapy with the CCLG-ALL 2008 regimen were enrolled. According to the platelet count at diagnosis, these children were divided into normal platelet count group (platelet count ≥100×109/L; n=263) and thrombocytopenia group (platelet count 0.05). The normal platelet count group still had a significantly higher 10-year EFS rate than the thrombocytopenia group after the children with MLL gene rearrangement were excluded (P0.05). The <20×10/L subgroup had significantly lower 10-year EFS and OS rates than the normal platelet count group, the (50- <100)×10/L subgroup, and the (20- <50)×10/L subgroup (P<0.05). After the children with MLL gene rearrangement were excluded, the <20×10/L subgroup still had significantly lower 10-year EFS and OS rates than the normal platelet count group, the (50-<100)×10/L subgroup, and the (20- <50)×10/L subgroup (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#ALL children with MLL gene rearrangement often have the clinical manifestation of thrombocytopenia. Platelet level at diagnosis is associated with the prognosis of ALL children. The children with normal platelet count have a low recurrence rate and good prognosis, and those with a platelet count of <20×10/L have the worst prognosis.

Long-term clinical effect of the CCLG-ALL2008 regimen in treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with different molecular biological features / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the long-term clinical effect of the CCLG-ALL2008 regimen in the treatment of children newly diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with different molecular biological features.@*METHODS@#A total of 940 children who were newly diagnosed with ALL were enrolled in this study. The children were treated with the CCLG-ALL2008 regimen. A retrospective analysis was performed for the long-term outcome of ALL children with different molecular biological features.@*RESULTS@#Among the 940 children with ALL, there were 570 boys and 370 girls, with a median age of onset of 5 years (range 1-15 years) and a median follow-up time of 65 months (range 3-123 months). The complete response (CR) rate was 96.7%, the predicted 10-year overall survival (OS) rate was 76.5%±1.5%, and the event-free survival (EFS) rate was 62.6%±3.0%. After CR was achieved after treatment, the overall recurrence rate was 21.9%. The children with positive ETV6-RUNX1 had the lowest recurrence rate and were prone to late recurrence, and those with positive MLL rearrangement had the highest recurrence rate and were prone to early recurrence. The children with positive ETV6-RUNX1 had a significantly higher predicted 10-year OS rate than those with positive TCF3-PBX1, BCR-ABL, or MLL rearrangement and those without molecular biological features (P<0.05). The children with positive ETV6-RUNX1 had a significantly higher predicted 10-year EFS rate than those with positive BCR-ABL or MLL rearrangement (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Molecular biological features may affect the long-term prognosis of children with ALL, and positive MLL rearrangement and BCR-ABL fusion gene are indicators of poor prognosis. Children with positive ETV6-RUNX1 fusion gene have the highest long-term survival rate.

Clinical effect of CCLG-ALL2008 regimen in treatment of children and adolescents aged >10 years with acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the long-term clinical effect of CCLG-ALL2008 regimen in the treatment of children and adolescents, aged >10 years, with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 150 ALL children and adolescents aged >10 years who were treated with CCLG-ALL2008 regimen from April 2008 to April 2015. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze overall survival (OS) rate and event-free survival (EFS) rate.@*RESULTS@#Among the 150 children and adolescents, there were 87 (58.0%) boys and 63 (42.0%) girls, with a median age of 11 years (range 10-15 years). Of the 150 children and adolescents, 84 (56.0%) had intermediate risk and 66 (44.0%) had high risk; 122 (81.3%) had B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and 28 (18.7%) had T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The fusion gene test yielded positive results in 51 children and adolescents (34.0%), among whom 16 (31%) had positive BCR-ABL, 11 (22%) had positive TEL-AML1, 8 (16%) had positive E2A-PBX1, and 16 (31%) were positive for other fusion genes. The complete remission rate was 96.0% (144/150) after one course of treatment with CCLG-ALL2008 regimen. The median follow-up time was 52 months (range 3-122 months). The 5-year OS rate was 79.0%±3.5%, and the 5-year EFS rate was 67.3%±4.1%. There were no significant differences in 5-year OS and EFS rates between the children with intermediate or high risk, as well as between the children with B-ALL or T-ALL (P>0.05). The children and adolescents who achieved complete remission of bone marrow at the end of induction therapy had significantly higher 5-year OS and EFS rates than those who did not achieve complete remission (P10 years, CCLG-ALL2008 regimen can help to achieve high complete remission rate, 5-year OS rate and 5-year EFS rate. The children and adolescents failing to achieve complete remission at the end of induction therapy tend to have a poor prognosis.

Outcome of children with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with Chinese Children Leukemia Group acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CCLG-ALL) 2008 protocol / 中华儿科杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the efficacy of the Chinese Children′s Leukemia Group (CCLG) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) 2008 protocol (CCLG-ALL 2008) in the treatment of children′s T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).@*Methods@#Clinical characteristics and outcomes of 84 newly diagnosed T-ALL children (63 males and 21 females) treated with CCLG-ALL 2008 protocol from April 2008 to April 2015 in the Department of Pediatric Hematology, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were analyzed retrospectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to evaluate the overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS), and COX regression was used to evaluate the influencing factors of OS and EFS.@*Results@#(1) Baseline data: 84 children were included, 56 cases (67%) of children were younger than 10 years old. Patients whose white blood cell count≥50×109/L ranked 70% (59/84). Karyotype: 58% (49/84) with normal karyotype, 10% (8/84) with abnormality of chromosome 11, 8%(7/84) with abnormality of chromosome 9, 2%(2/84) with abnormality in both chromosome 11 and chromosome 9, 8% (7/84) with other complex karyotypes. Fusion gene: 33%(28/84) were SIL-TAL1 positive. The patients were grouped by CCLG-ALL 2008 risk score, 40% (34/84) were in the intermediate risk group and 60% (50/84) in the high risk group. (2) Treatment efficacy: 84 cases were followed up until May 30, 2018. The follow-up time was 42.0 (0.3-120.0) months. The sensitivity rate of prednisone treatment was 56% (47/84); the complete response (CR) rate after the induction therapy of vincristine+daunoblastina+L-asparaginase+dexamethasone (VDLD)(d 33) was 88% (74/84); the total CR rate after VDLD induction combined with cyclophosphamide+cytarabine+6-mercaptopurine (CAM) treatment (d80) was 94% (79/84); the recurrence rate was 24% (20/84). Among the 20 recurrent cases, there were 13 cases (65%) with ultra-early recurrence (within 18 months after diagnosis), 6 cases (30%) with early recurrence (18 to 36 months after diagnosis); 1 patient (5%) with late recurrence (over 36 months after diagnosis). During the follow-up period, twenty-eight children (33%) died (22 cases with recurrence or suspending treatment without remission, 2 cases with infection, 1 case of sudden death in chemotherapy, 1 patient failed in transplantation, 1 patient with severe cirrhosis, and 1 patient with unknown cause). (3) Kaplan-Meier analysis: the 5-year OS and EFS of the 84 children were (63±6)% and (60±6)% respectively. (4) Efficacy in different risk groups: prednisone sensitivity rates in the two different risk groups were 100% (34/34) and 26% (13/50), respectively (χ2=3.237, P<0.05). The CR rates at the end of VDLD induction therapy (d 33) were 100% (34/34) and 80% (40/50), respectively (χ2=2.767, P<0.05). The recurrence rate of children in the two groups was 12% (4/34) and 32% (16/50), respectively (χ2=4.245, P<0.05).The mortality rates of the two groups were 21% (7/34) and 42% (21/50), respectively (χ2=3.198, P<0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 5-year OS of the two groups were (77±7)% and (53±8)%; and the 5-year EFS of the two groups were (75±8)% and (49±8)% (χ2=4.235, 3.875, both P<0.05) . (5) COX multivariate regression analysis showed that the classification of risk according to CCLG-ALL 2008 was an important factor influencing the prognosis of children with T-ALL (OR=3.313, 95% CI 1.165-9.422, P=0.025).@*Conclusions@#The results of the risk group treatment according to the CCLG-ALL 2008 protocol showed that the long-term survival of children with middle risk was significantly better than that of children at high risk.

HER2 Expression in Childhood ETV6/RUNX1 Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Its Correlation with Clinical Features / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the HER22 expression in children with ETV6/RUNX1 (E/R)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) and to investigate the relationship between the HER2 expression and clinical features.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-seven newly diagnosed E/R-positive ALL children and 6 controls (4 cases of ITP and 2 healthy children) were selected in Institute of hematology and blood disease hospital. The 37 patients were divided into standard risk (SR), intermediate risk(IR), high risk(HR) groups according to risk stratification; and they were divided into relapse and non-relapse groups according to follow-up result. The CD10CD19 cells were sorted by flow cytometry. The mRNA was extracted from these cells. Real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR was used to detect the expression level of HER2.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among the 37 cases, 51.35% (n=19) were boys and 48.65% (n=18) were girls and their median age was 4.72 (1.72-11.99) years old. Among the 6 controls, 50% (n=3) were boys and 50% (n=3) were girls and the median age was 5.24 (1.53-13.17) years old. The expression level of HER2 in E/R-positive ALL patients were lower than that in controls (P<0.05). Although the difference of HER2 expression level between the 2 groups failed to achieve statistical significance, the expression level of HER2 in relapse patients were significantly lower than that in non-relapse patients, and the HER2 expression in HR group patients were lower than that in SR and IR groups. In addition, there was no significant correlation between the expression level of HER2 and the sex, age, initial white blood cell count, blast cell percentage and the level of LDH (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The expression level of HER2 in E/R ALL patients is lower than that in controls, and in relapse group lower than that in non-relapse patient. Thus, HER2 may play important roles in the pathogenesis and relapse mechanism of pediatric E/R-positive ALL patients.</p>

Value of multiparameter flow cytometry in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of childhood myelodysplastic syndrome / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the value of multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC) and flow cytometric scoring system (FCSS) in the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of childhood myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 42 children who were diagnosed with MDS. MFC was performed to investigate the phenotype and proportion of each lineage of bone marrow cells. The correlations of FCSS score with MDS type, International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) score, and revised IPSS (IPSS-R) score were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of all the 42 children, 20 (48%) had an increase in abnormal marrow blasts, 19 (45%) had a lymphoid/myeloid ratio of >1, 14 (33%) had abnormal cross-lineage expression of lymphoid antigens in myeloid cells, 8 (19%) had abnormal CD13/CD16 differentiation antigens, 5 (12%) had abnormal expression of CD56, 3 (7%) had reduced or increased side scatter of granulocytes, 3 (7%) had reduced expression of CD36 in nucleated red blood cells, 2 (5%) had reduced expression of CD71 in nucleated red blood cells, 1 (2%) had absent expression of CD33 in myeloid cells, 1 (2%) had reduced or absent expression of CD11b in granulocytes, and 1 (2%) had absent expression of CD56 and CD14 in monocytes. There were significant differences in the median overall survival time and event-free survival time among the low-, medium-, and high-risk FCSS groups (P<0.05). Among the low-, medium-, and high-risk FCSS groups, the low-risk FCSS group had the highest 2-year overall survival rate, while there was no significant difference between the medium- and high-risk FCSS groups (P>0.05). The three groups had a 2-year event-free survival rate of 95%, 60%, and 46% respectively (P<0.05). FCSS score was positively correlated with MDS type, IPSS score, and IPSS-R score (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MFC and FCSS help with the diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of childhood MDS.</p>