Effect of the dietary combination of flaxseed and Ricinodendron heudelotii or Punica granatum seed oil on the fatty acid profile of eggs.

The health promoting omega-3, -7, and -5 fatty acids, α-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), rumenic acid (RmA), and α-eleostearic acid (α-ESA)/punicic acid (PunA), are not currently combined in frequently consumed food items. We have evaluated the impact of supplementing laying hens' feeds with flaxseeds combined with oil derived from seeds of either Ricinodendron heudelotii, an α-ESA source, or Punica granatum, a PunA source, on the egg fatty acid profile. The supplemented diets increased the egg content in ALA, DHA, RmA, as well as α-ESA or PunA. The combination of dietary lipids did not affect the conversion rate of ALA into DHA. Hens fed on R. heudelotii or P. granatum seed oil both accumulated RmA in egg yolk, indicating an efficient conversion from the α-ESA or PunA precursors through a Δ-13 reductase activity. The accumulation of PunA in eggs was largely higher than that of α-ESA.

Outcomes and mutational analysis of patients with lower-risk non-del5q myelodysplastic syndrome treated with antithymocyte globulin with or without ciclosporine A.

Immunosuppressive treatment is a disease-modifying therapy for lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, IST is relatively rarely used and long-term outcomes of patients are seldom reported. We retrospectively studied outcomes of 20 patients with lower-risk non del 5q MDS with transfusion dependency, with horse or rabbit antithymocyte globulin ±â€¯ciclosporine A, and frontline eltrombopag in two of them. IPSS-R was low, intermediate and high in 30%, 55% and 10% of the patients, respectively. Fifty-five percent of the patients had hypocellular bone marrow (BM). Baseline mutations were detected in 31.5% of the patients and were more frequent in patients with normo/hypercellular MDS than in patients with hypocellular MDS. Transfusion independence rate for both red blood cells (RBC) and platelets was achieved in 45% of patients. RBC transfusion duration ≤6 months, B-cell counts >0.2 G/L and, marginally, BM blasts ≤2% were associated with higher transfusion independence rate. Age and cellularity did not influence the response rate. Median transfusion independence duration was 53 months. Cumulative incidence of progression to a more aggressive myeloid disease was 0 in patients without baseline mutations and 33% in patients with baseline mutations (P = .008). Median progression-free and overall survival after treatment onset and median overall survival after loss of transfusion independence were 45.5 months, 68 months and not reached, respectively. In conclusion, antithymocyte globulin ±â€¯ciclosporine A results in durable responses in MDS, irrespective of age, in patients with lower-risk disease without B-cell lymphopenia and treated early in the course of the disease.

Powder-based 3D printing for bone tissue engineering.

Bone tissue engineered 3-D constructs customized to patient-specific needs are emerging as attractive biomimetic scaffolds to enhance bone cell and tissue growth and differentiation. The article outlines the features of the most common additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing, stereolithography, fused deposition modeling, and selective laser sintering) used to fabricate bone tissue engineering scaffolds. It concentrates, in particular, on the current state of knowledge concerning powder-based 3D printing, including a description of the properties of powders and binder solutions, the critical phases of scaffold manufacturing, and its applications in bone tissue engineering. Clinical aspects and future applications are also discussed.

Lenalidomide with or without erythropoietin in transfusion-dependent erythropoiesis-stimulating agent-refractory lower-risk MDS without 5q deletion.

After failure of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), lenalidomide (LEN) yields red blood cell (RBC) transfusion independence (TI) in 20-30% of lower-risk non-del5q myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Several observations suggest an additive effect of ESA and LEN in this situation. We performed a randomized phase III study in 131 RBC transfusion-dependent (TD, median transfusion requirement six RBC units per 8 weeks) lower-risk ESA-refractory non-del5q MDS. Patients received LEN alone, 10 mg per day, 21 days per 4 weeks (L arm) or LEN (same schedule) + erythropoietin (EPO) beta, 60,000 U per week (LE arm). In an intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, erythroid response (HI-E, IWG 2006 criteria) after four treatment cycles (primary end point) was 23.1% (95% CI 13.5-35.2) in the L arm and 39.4% (95% CI 27.6-52.2) in the LE arm (P=0.044), while RBC-TI was reached in 13.8 and 24.2% of the patients in the L and LE arms, respectively (P=0.13). Median response duration was 18.1 and 15.1 months in the L and LE arms, respectively (P=0.47). Side effects were moderate and similar in the two arms. Low baseline serum EPO level and a G polymorphism of CRBN gene predicted HI-E. Combining LEN and EPO significantly improves erythroid response over LEN alone in lower-risk non-del5q MDS patients with anemia resistant to ESA.

Azacitidine frontline therapy for unfit acute myeloid leukemia patients: clinical use and outcome prediction.

Hypomethylating agents are able to prolong the overall survival of some patients diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical use of azacitidine as front-line therapy in unfit acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and to develop a clinical prediction model to identify which patients may benefit more from the drug. One hundred and ten untreated unfit AML patients received front-line azacitidine therapy in Spain, and response and survival were evaluated in them following European LeukemiaNet (ELN) guidelines. A clinical prediction rule was obtained from this population that was validated and refined in 261 patients treated in France, Austria and Italy. ELN response was achieved in 21.0% of the 371 patients (CI95% 17.0-25.5) and did not depend on bone marrow blast cell percentage. Median overall survival was 9.6 months (CI95% 8.5-10.8) and 40.6% of the patients were alive at 1 year (CI95% 35.5-45.7). European ALMA score (E-ALMA), based on performance status, white blood cell counts at azacitidine onset and cytogenetics, discriminated three risk groups with different survival and response rates. Azacitidine seems a reasonable therapeutic option for most unfit AML patients, i.e. those displaying a favorable or intermediate E-ALMA score.

Matched unrelated or matched sibling donors result in comparable outcomes after non-myeloablative HSCT in patients with AML or MDS.

The impact of allelic HLA matching in patients with AML and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who receive allogeneic PBSC after a reduced-intensity conditioning (RIC) regimen is unclear. From January 2000 to December 2010, 108 consecutive patients with AML (n=63) and MDS (n=45) received PBSC after RIC in our center, either from siblings (n=70) or from matched unrelated donors (MUD; 10/10 high resolution, n=38). Conditioning regimen was fludarabine based in 95% of patients and GvHD prophylaxis was mostly cyclosporine plus mycophenolate. Patient characteristics were similar between sibling and MUD for age (median 57 years), gender and disease distribution. Conditioning regimen (more anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) in MUD), donor age (younger for MUD) and number of CD34+ cells infused (higher in MUD) were different. The median follow-up was 36 months (range 2-72). Engraftment, GvHD, TRM, relapse rate and OS at 3 years were comparable between sibling and MUD. After adjustment for age, cytogenetic risk, ATG and number of CD34+ cells infused, donor type still did not influence OS. In patients with AML or MDS, HSCT from MUD using PBSC after a RIC regimen led to similar outcomes than from Siblings.

Evaluation of allogeneic hematopoietic SCT in younger adults with adverse karyotype AML.

To illustrate methodological issues, we compared donor vs no-donor to transplant vs no-transplant comparisons in a cohort of 107 patients aged 50 years with adverse karyotype AML in first CR. Adverse karyotypes were defined as -7, del(7q), -5, del(5q), t(9;22), 11q23, 3q26 or complex abnormalities. Mantel-Byar estimations and hematopoietic SCT (HSCT) as a time-dependent variable were used to compare transplant vs no-transplant cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), relapse-free survival (RFS) and OS. In all, 52 patients had a sibling donor, but only 35 of them were transplanted in first CR, whereas 9 patients received HSCT from alternative stem cell sources. Donor-based analysis showed lower CIR in the donor group, not translating in prolonged RFS or OS. Conversely, transplant-based analysis showed that HSCT in the first CR improved the three CIR (multivariate hazard ratio (HR), 0.31; P<0.001), RFS (multivariate HR, 0.57; P=0.047) and OS (multivariate HR, 0.54; P=0.03) endpoints. At 5 years, OS was estimated at 33% in transplanted vs 18% in non-transplanted patients. The positive effect of HSCT was more pronounced in patients aged 35 years and/or in those transplanted in the more recent years. These results confirm that HSCT is likely the best curative option in younger patients with adverse karyotype AML.

Prognostic significance of DNA methyltransferase 3A mutations in cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia: a study by the Acute Leukemia French Association.

Recently, DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) mutations have been identified in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the highest frequency being found within cytogenetically normal (CN) AML. In this study, diagnostic samples from 123 adults younger than 60 years with primary CN-AML homogeneously treated in the Acute Leukemia French Association-9801 and -9802 trials were screened for mutations in DNMT3A-conserved domains by direct sequencing. Patients were also assessed for the presence of FLT3 (fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3), NPM1 (nucleophosmin), CEBPA, WT1 (Wilms tumor 1), IDH1 (isocitrate dehydrogenase 1) and IDH2 mutations. Thirty-eight mutations were detected in 36 patients (29%): 36 nucleotide substitutions, mostly affecting amino-acid residue R882 and two frameshift deletions. DNMT3A mutations were significantly associated with the French-American-British subtypes M4/M5 and the presence of NPM1 mutations. In the whole cohort, DNMT3A mutated patients had a shorter event-free survival (5-year EFS: 13% vs 32%, P = 0.02) and overall survival (5-year OS: 23% vs 45%, P = 0.02) compared with DNMT3A wild-type patients. In multivariate analysis including age, white blood cell count, NPM1/FLT3-internal tandem duplication/CEBPA risk group and DNMT3A mutational status, the presence of a DNMT3A mutation remained an independent adverse prognostic factor for EFS and OS, suggesting that testing for DNMT3A mutations could help further improve risk stratification in CN-AML.

Does addition of erythropoiesis stimulating agents improve the outcome of higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes treated with azacitidine?

We studied a retrospective cohort of 282 higher-risk MDS treated with azacitidine, including 32 patients who concomitantly received an ESA for a median of 5.8 months after azacitidine onset. Forty-four percent of ESA and 29% of no-ESA patients reached HI-E (p=0.07); 48% and 20% achieved transfusion independence (p=0.01). Median OS was 19.6 months in the ESA and 11.9 months in the no-ESA groups (p=0.04). Addition of an ESA significantly improved OS (p=0.03) independently of azacitidine schedule and duration, and of our proposed azacitidine risk score (Blood 2011;117:403-11). Adding an ESA to azacitidine in higher-risk MDS should be studied prospectively.

[The specific pulmonary manifestations of acute myeloid leukaemia]. / Les manifestations pulmonaires spécifiques des hémopathies myéloïdes aiguës et des hémopathies lymphoplasmocytaires. Partie I : les manifestations pulmonaires spécifiques des leucémies aiguës myéloïdes.

INTRODUCTION: In the course of acute myeloid leukaemias, pulmonary manifestations constitute diagnostic and therapeutic emergencies and contribute to the morbidity and mortality at all stages of these diseases. BACKGROUND: Specific lung involvement mainly affects patients at the onset of their disease. The characteristics of such manifestations are poorly known and have rarely been the object of dedicated publications. VIEWPOINT: The purpose of this work thus is to review the literature on the various specific lung manifestations occurring in the course of acute myeloid leukaemias.

[Lung involvement in lymphoid and lympho-plasmocytic proliferations (except lymphomas)]. / Les manifestations pulmonaires spécifiques des hémopathies myéloïdes aiguës et des hémopathies lymphoïdes et lymphoplasmocytaires. Partie II : les manifestations pulmonaires spécifiques des hémopathies lymphoïdes et lymphoplasmocytaires (hors lymphomes).

UNLABELLED: INTRODUCTION - BACKGROUND: The non infectious pulmonary manifestations occurring in lymphoplasmocytic proliferations others than lymphomas are poorly understood and have rarely been the object of dedicated publications. VIEWPOINTS: The purpose of this work is to review the literature of the various specific lung manifestations occurring during these malignant haematological diseases. We will also consider acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and hairy cell leukaemia, as well as malignant plasmocytic disorders such as myeloma, POEMS syndrome and Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia. CONCLUSION: During the course of lymphoplasmocytic diseases, lung manifestations are variable and sometimes require invasive techniques for definitive diagnosis.

Suppression of the DNA damage response in acute myeloid leukemia versus myelodysplastic syndrome.

The molecular mechanisms responsible for the evolution from the preleukemic entities of low-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) to the less favorable forms of high-risk MDS, as well as those enabling transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), are still incompletely understood. Abundant evidence from solid tumors demonstrates that preneoplastic lesions activate signaling pathways of a DNA damage response (DDR), which functions as an 'anticancer barrier' hindering tumorigenesis. Testing the hypothesis that subgroups of MDS and AML differ with respect to DDR, we first assessed markers of DDR (phosphorylation of ATM, Chk-1, Chk-2 and H2AX) in cell lines representing different entities of MDS (P39, MOLM-13) and AML (MV4-11, KG-1) before and after gamma-irradiation. Although gamma-irradiation induced apoptosis and G(2)/M arrest and a concomitant increase in the phosphorylation of ATM, Chk-1 and H2AX in MDS-derived cell lines, this radiation response was attenuated in the AML-derived cell lines. It is noteworthy that KG-1, but not P39 cells exhibit signs of an endogenous activation of the DDR. Similarly, we found that the frequency of P-ATM(+) cells detectable in bone marrow (BM) biopsies increased in samples from patients with AML as compared with high-risk MDS samples and significantly correlated with the percentage of BM blasts. In contrast, the frequency of gamma-H2AX(+) cells was heterogeneous in all subgroups of AML and MDS. Whereas intermediate-1 MDS samples contained as little P-Chk-1 and P-Chk-2 as healthy controls, staining for both checkpoint kinases increased in intermediate-2 and high-risk MDS, yet declined to near-to-background levels in AML samples. Thus the activation of Chk-1 and Chk-2 behaves in accord with the paradigm established for solid tumors, whereas ATM is activated during and beyond transformation. In conclusion, we demonstrate the heterogeneity of the DDR response in MDS and AML and provide evidence for its selective suppression in AML because of the uncoupling between activated ATM and inactive checkpoint kinases.

Meeting report: myelodysplastic syndromes at ASH 2007.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remain challenging to both clinicians and biologists. This year's edition of the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology has provided several breakthroughs in the biology and therapeutics of MDS, such as uncovering of the molecular genetics of the 5q- syndrome and clear evidence of a survival advantage with a hypomethylating agent in high-risk MDS. We summarize those advances and delineate some perspectives for these diseases.

Effect of priming with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in younger adults with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia: a trial by the Acute Leukemia French Association (ALFA) Group.

In a multicenter trial, 259 young adults (15-49 years) with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were first randomized to receive a timed-sequential induction regimen given either alone (135 patients) or concomitantly with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) (124 patients). Patients reaching complete remission (CR) were then randomized to compare a timed-sequential consolidation to a postremission chemotherapy including four cycles of high-dose cytarabine followed by maintenance courses. In the appropriate arm, GM-CSF was given concurrently with chemotherapy during all cycles of consolidation. CR rates were significantly better in the GM-CSF arm (88 vs 78%, P<0.04), but did not differ after salvage. Patients receiving GM-CSF had a higher 3-year event-free survival (EFS) estimate (42 vs 34%), but GM-CSF did not impact on overall survival. Patients with intermediate-risk cytogenetics benefited more from GM-CSF therapy (P=0.05) in terms of EFS than patients with other cytogenetics. This was also confirmed when considering only patients following the second randomization, or subgroups defined by a prognostic index based on cytogenetics and the number of courses required for achieving CR. Priming of leukemic cells with hematopoietic growth factors is a means of enhancing the efficacy of chemotherapy in younger adults with AML.

High efficacy and safety profile of fractionated doses of Mylotarg as induction therapy in patients with relapsed acute myeloblastic leukemia: a prospective study of the alfa group.

Pivotal phase II studies in acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) patients in first relapse have used gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) (Mylotarg) at a dose of 9 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 14. These studies showed a 26% response rate (13% complete remission (CR) and 13% CRp (complete remission with incomplete platelet recovery)) but with high degree of hematological and liver toxicities. Based on in vitro studies showing a re-expression of CD33 antigenic sites on the cell surface of blasts cells after exposure to GO, we hypothesized that fractionated doses of GO may be efficient and better tolerated. Fifty-seven patients with AML in first relapse received GO at a dose of 3 mg/m(2) on days 1, 4 and 7 for one course. Fifteen patients (26%) achieved CR and four (7%) CRp. Remission rate correlated strongly with P-glycoprotein and MRP1 activities. The median relapse-free survival was 11 months, similar for CR or CRp patients. Median duration of neutropenia < 500/microl and thrombocytopenia < 50,000/microl were, respectively, 23 and 21 days. No grade 3 or 4 liver toxicity was observed. No veno-occlusive disease occurred after GO or after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation given after GO in seven patients. Mylotarg administered in fractionated doses demonstrated an excellent efficacy/safety profile.