Exploring m6A-linked aging genes in osteoarthritis and broad cancer spectrum: Prospects for diagnostic and therapeutic advancements.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease that significantly impacts individuals and healthcare systems worldwide. However, the exploration of N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-related aging genes in OA pathogenesis remains largely underexplored. This study aimed to elucidate the role of m6A-related aging genes in OA and to develop a robust diagnostic model based on their expression profiles. Leveraging publicly available gene expression datasets, we conducted consensus clustering to categorize OA into distinct subtypes, guided by the expression patterns of m6A-related aging genes. Utilizing XGBoost, a cutting-edge machine learning approach, we identified key diagnostic genes and constructed a predictive model. Our investigation extended to the immune functions of these genes, shedding light on potential therapeutic targets and underlying regulatory mechanisms. Our analysis unveiled specific OA subtypes, each marked by unique expression profiles of m6A-related aging genes. We pinpointed a set of pivotal diagnostic genes, offering potential therapeutic avenues. The developed diagnostic model exhibited exceptional capability in distinguishing OA patients from healthy controls. To corroborate our computational findings, we performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses on two cell lines: HC-OA (representing adult osteoarthritis cells) and C-28/I2 (representative of normal human chondrocytes). The gene expression patterns observed were consistent with our bioinformatics predictions, further validating our initial results. In conclusion, this study underscores the significance of m6A-related aging genes as promising biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis, as well as potential therapeutic targets in OA. Although these findings are encouraging, further validation and functional analyses are crucial for their clinical application.

A Lightweight Detection Method for Remote Sensing Images and Its Energy-Efficient Accelerator on Edge Devices.

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been extensively employed in remote sensing image detection and have exhibited impressive performance over the past few years. However, the abovementioned networks are generally limited by their complex structures, which make them difficult to deploy with power-sensitive and resource-constrained remote sensing edge devices. To tackle this problem, this study proposes a lightweight remote sensing detection network suitable for edge devices and an energy-efficient CNN accelerator based on field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). First, a series of network weight reduction and optimization methods are proposed to reduce the size of the network and the difficulty of hardware deployment. Second, a high-energy-efficiency CNN accelerator is developed. The accelerator employs a reconfigurable and efficient convolutional processing engine to perform CNN computations, and hardware optimization was performed for the proposed network structure. The experimental results obtained with the Xilinx ZYNQ Z7020 show that the network achieved higher accuracy with a smaller size, and the CNN accelerator for the proposed network exhibited a throughput of 29.53 GOPS and power consumption of only 2.98 W while consuming only 113 DSPs. In comparison with relevant work, DSP efficiency at an identical level of energy consumption was increased by 1.1-2.5 times, confirming the superiority of the proposed solution and its potential for deployment with remote sensing edge devices.

Rapid and Severe Idiopathic Aseptic Necrosis of the Contralateral Femoral Head after Unilateral Total Hip Arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a multifactorial disease, and agnogenic ONFH, otherwise known as idiopathic ONFH, is rare in clinic. Idiopathic ONFH that exhibits severe necrosis and progresses extremely rapidly is called rapidly destructive hip disease (RDHD). RDHD greatly affects patients but is rarely reported in clinical practice and literature. CASE PRESENTATION: In this study, a 64-year-old male patient with complete collapse and necrosis of the right femoral head complicated with severe bone destruction at 10 months after left total hip arthroplasty (THA) was reported. The period from the intact structure of the right femoral head to the first discovery of its complete collapse, according to imaging results, was 7 months. The duration from the occurrence of symptoms in the right hip joint to the first discovery of complete collapse and necrosis of the femoral head was only 5 months. At present, the cause has not been determined based on medical history, symptoms, signs, imaging evaluation results, laboratory examination results, and pathological examination results, though it has been identified as severe idiopathic aseptic necrosis of the femoral head with rapid progression, or RDHD. Finally, right THA was performed, and a good outcome was observed in the patient at present. CONCLUSIONS: As a rare hip joint disease, RDHD greatly influences the normal life of patients. RDHD of the contralateral side after unilateral THA is even scarcer. Left THA may be one of the important factors accelerating the necrosis of the right femoral head. Hopefully, with this case report, more attention will be paid to the contralateral hip joint in patients undergoing unilateral THA by clinicians and rehabilitation physicians, and a clinical reference will be provided for the research on RDHD.

No difference in postoperative efficacy and safety between autograft and allograft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study in 112 patients.

Background: Arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is the best treatment choice for returning to pre-injury activities following ACL rupture. Although allografts are considered an effective alternative to autografts, there is still controversy regarding the safety and effectiveness of this procedure, especially concerning the risk of postoperative infection and disease transmission. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy outcomes and safety between allografts and autografts in primary ACLR. Methods: The retrospective analysis involved 112 patients (58 patients received allogeneic tendons and 54 patients received autologous hamstring tendons) who underwent primary ACLR. All patients were followed up and evaluated on admission and at 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. The efficacy outcome of the ACLR was evaluated by International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score and physical examinations (Lachman test, anterior drawer test, and pivot shift test). The safety outcome of allografts and autografts was compared by investigating the occurrence of postoperative complications, including postoperative inflammation and potential disease transmission. The benefits of each operation for surgeons and patients were also analyzed, including the length of surgical incision and operative time. Results: There was no significant difference in the demographic and clinical characteristics between the allograft and autograft groups. The two cohorts proved to be similar in terms of the acute or chronic nature of the cruciate ligament and the incidence of concomitant meniscal surgery. Arthroscopic ACLR was performed in all patients. The physical examinations were all positive before surgery and negative immediately after the operation. The KT-1000 and IKDC scores of two groups significantly decreased than pre-operative ones (P<0.05), but the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). At final follow-up, all patients had returned to their pre-injury activities. Allografts showed no increased risk for postoperative infection or potential disease transmission relative to autografts. Conclusions: The outcomes of reconstructed ACL with allografts were similar to those of autographs. Moreover, the safety of allografts showed to be comparable to that of autografts, especially concerning postoperative infection and disease transmission. Therefore, the surgical option should be chosen wisely according to the patient's condition.

Antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory PLCL/gelatin nanofiber membranes to promote wound healing.

Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG) is a green biomedical agent for promoting wound healing, which possess excellent antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. For improving the low bioavailability challenges of EGCG in vivo, we had successful created a low-cost and simple wound dressing Poly (L-Lactic-co-caprolactone) (PLCL)/Gelatin/EGCG/Core-shell nanofiber membrane (PGEC) with drug sustained release capacity through coaxial electrospinning technology. In vitro experimental indicated that the core-shell structure wound dressing had excellent biocompatibility, antibacterial and antioxidant ability, which could support cell viability and proliferation, encourage re-epithelialization during the healing process, inhibit subsequent wound infection and thus promote wound regeneration. In vivo experimental demonstrated that PGEC wound dressing could promote wound healing, the histological results further demonstrated that PGEC not only facilitated early wound closure but also influenced cellular differentiation and tissue organization. Meanwhile, PGEC had excellent hemostatic ability. Taken all together, we believed that the PGEC wound dressing, which could localize delivery of EGCG, had high potential clinical application for promoting wound healing, hemostasis or other related clinical applications in the future.

Diesel Exhaust Particles Impair Therapeutic Effect of Human Wharton’s Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells against Experimental Colitis through ROS/ERK/cFos Signaling Pathway

Background and Objectives@#Epidemiological investigations have shown positive correlations between increased diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in ambient air and adverse health outcomes. DEP are the major constituent of particulate atmospheric pollution and have been shown to induce proinflammatory responses both in the lung and systemically. Here, we report the effects of DEP exposure on the properties of human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs), including stemness, regeneration, and immunomodulation. @*Methods@#and Results: Non-apoptotic concentrations of DEP (10 μg/ml) inhibited the migration and osteogenic differentiation capacity of WJ-MSCs. Gene expression profiling showed that DEP increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of pro-inflammatory and metabolic-process-related genes including cFos. Furthermore, WJ-MSCs cultured with DEP showed impaired suppression of T cell proliferation that was reversed by inhibition of ROS or knockdown of cFos. ERK inhibition assay revealed that DEP-induced ROS regulated cFos through activation of ERK but not NF-κB signaling. Overall, low concentrations of DEP (10 μg/ml) significantly suppressed the stemness and immunomodulatory properties of WJ-MSCs through ROS/ERK/cFos signaling pathways. Furthermore, WJ-MSCs cultured with DEP impaired the therapeutic effect of WJ-MSCs in experimental colitis mice, but was partly reversed by inhibition of ROS. @*Conclusions@#Taken together, these results indicate that exposure to DEP enhances the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune responses through a mechanism involving the ROS/ERK/cFos pathway in WJ-MSCs, and that DEP-induced ROS damage impairs the therapeutic effect of WJ-MSCs in colitis. Our results suggest that modulation of ROS/ERK/cFos signaling pathways in WJ-MSCs might be a novel therapeutic strategy for DEP-induced diseases.

Role of the Alarmin S100A9 protein in inducing Achilles tendinopathy in rats.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the Alarmin S100A9 protein and Achilles tendinopathy (AT), and to reveal the role of this protein in inducing AT. METHODS: In this study, 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group (received no treatment), Injury group (Achilles tendon tissues were cut intraoperatively), S100A9 group (received a subcutaneous injection of rhS100A9 solution), and S100A9 + Paquinimod group [received a subcutaneous injection of rhS100A9 and Paquinimod (1:1 ratio) into the Achilles tendon]. At 1 week postoperatively, the four groups of rats were euthanized, and the Achilles tendon tissues were isolated for histological staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence, Sirius Red (SR) staining, and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. RESULTS: Compared with both the Control and S100A9 + Paquinimod groups, the Injury and S100A9 groups exhibited higher expression levels of S100A9 protein, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), and inflammatory factors. Regarding histomorphology [hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and Safranin O/fast green (SOFG; fast green and Safranin) training], the Achilles tendon tissues in the Injury and S100A9 groups showed AT-like changes, and the fibers were extremely disorderly, non-bundled, and ruptured, and some nuclei were spindles. As for collagen (Col) remodeling, a large number of fresh collagen fibers had formed, the amounts of Col-I and Col-II were lower, and a large quantity of Col-III was present. Additionally, a large number of tendon cells had died in both the Injury and S100A9 groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that Alarmin S100A9 can induce AT-like morphological changes and local inflammatory reactions, trigger collagen fiber remodeling and tendon cell apoptosis, and ultimately induce AT.

Epidural block associated with improved long-term survival after surgery for colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study with propensity score matching / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the effect of epidural anesthesia on the long-term prognosis of patients after selective colorectal cancer resection surgery.@*METHODS@#This was a retrospective cohort study and approved by local institution review board. Patients who underwent selective colorectal cancer resection surgery from August 2011 to December 2012 in Peking University First Hospital were enrolled. The patients were divided into general anesthesia (GA) group and combined epidural-general anesthesia (EGA) group according to anesthesia type. Primary outcome was patient's long-term survival status. Secondary outcome included the overall incidence of in-hospital complications and length of postoperative in-hospital stay. Propensity score was used to match cases between the two groups based on the probability of receiving EGA. Survival was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared by Log-rank test between the two groups. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between epidural anesthesia and other variables with long-term survival status.@*RESULTS@#A total of 264 patients were entered into final analysis, including 166 cases in GA group and 98 cases in EGA group. Mean age of the patients was (63.3±12.1) years and mean survival time was 47.2 (95%CI 45.7-48.7) months. Before the propensity score match, the mortality in EGA group was 16.9% (28/166) and 9.2% (9/98) in GA group. But comparison between the two groups had no statistical significance (P=0.091). After the propensity score match, 87 paired cases were matched and analyzed. The risk of long-term mortality in EGA group was lower than that of GA group by Kaplan-Meier analysis (5.7% vs.16.1%, HR=0.344, 95%CI 0.124-0.955, P=0.041). Mean survival time of EGA group was longer than that of GA group (50.3 months vs. 42.9 months, P=0.032). Multivariate Cox regression ana-lysis showed that EGA, in comparison with GA, was related with lower risk of long-term mortality (HR=0.326, 95%CI 0.117-0.909, P=0.032). Age (HR=1.042, 95%CI 1.001-1.085, P=0.046) and preoperative lymph node metastasis (HR=2.924, 95%CI 1.162-7.356, P=0.023) were also related with increased risk of long-term mortality.@*CONCLUSION@#Present study found that perioperative use of epidural anesthesia and analgesia was associated with improvement of the patient's long-term survival. Well-designed studies are needed to verify this hypothesis.

Clinical features and gene mutations of children with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome and malignant myeloid transformation / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features and genetic mutations of children with Shwachman-Diamond syndrome (SDS) and malignant myeloid transformation.@*METHODS@#Next-generation sequencing was used to analyze the gene mutations in 11 SDS children with malignant myeloid transformation, and their clinical features and genetic mutations were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Of the 11 children with SDS, 9 (82%) presented with refractory cytopenia of childhood (RCC), 1 (9%) had myelodysplastic syndrome with excess blasts (MDS-EB), and 1 (9%) had acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC). The median age of onset of malignant myeloid transformation was 48 months (ranged 7 months to 14 years). Of the 11 children, 45% had abnormalities in the hematological system alone. Mutations of the SBDS gene were detected in all 11 children, among whom 5 (45%) had c.258+2T>C homozygous mutation and 3 (27%) had c.184A>T+c.258+2T>C compound heterozygous mutation. The new mutations of the SBDS gene, c.634_635insAACATACCTGT+c.637_638delGA and c.8T>C, were rated as "pathogenic" and "possibly pathogenic" respectively. The 3-year predicted overall survival rates of children transformed to RCC and MDS-EB/AML-MRC were 100% and 0% respectively (P=0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#SDS children may have hematological system symptoms as the only manifestation, which needs to be taken seriously in clinical practice. The type of malignant transformation is associated with prognosis.

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.

Clinical and molecular characteristics of GATA2 related pediatric primary myelodysplastic syndrome / 中华血液学杂志

Objective: To clarify the prevalence, clinical features and molecular characteristics of germline GATA2 mutations in pediatric primary myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) . Methods: Next-generation sequencing technology was used to detect mutations in GATA2 and other myeloid malignancy genes in 129 children with primary MDS from Jan. 2007 to Jan. 2018. The relationship between genotypes and phenotypes was analyzed. Results: Germline GATA2 mutations accounted for 8.5% (11/129) of all primary MDS cases, and 14.0% (11/50) of MDS with excess blasts (MDS-EB) and acute myeloid leukaemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) . Compared with GATA2 wild-type patients, GATA2 mutated patients were older at diagnosis[8 (1-16) years old vs 6 years old (range: 1 month old-18 years old) , P=0.035]and higher risk of monosomy 7 (72.7%vs 5.2%, P<0.001) and classified into MDS-EB and AML-MRC compared with refractory cytopenia of childhood (RCC) (63.6%vs 36.4%, P=0.111) . The multivariate analysis showed SETBP1 mutation (P=0.041, OR=9.003, 95%CI 1.098-73.787) and isolated monosomy 7 (P=0.002, OR=24.835, 95%CI 3.305-186.620) were significantly associated with germline mutated GATA2. Overall survival (OS) and outcomes of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) were not influenced by GATA2 mutational status. Conclusions: Our data identify germline GATA2 mutations have a high prevalence in older pediatric patients with monosomy 7, and high risk of progression into advanced MDS subtypes. GATA2 mutation status does not affect OS in pediatric primary MDS.

Clinical features of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome: an analysis of 13 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) in children.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 13 children with WAS.@*RESULTS@#All 13 children were boys, with a median age of onset of 3 months (range 1-48 months) and a median age of 24 months (range 1-60 months) at the time of diagnosis. Of the 13 children, only 3 had typical WAS and the remaining 10 children had X-linked thrombocytopenia (XLT). The mean WAS score was 2 (range 1-3), the mean platelet count was 20.5×10/L [range (13-46)×10/L], and the mean platelet volume was 8.1 fl (range 6.7-12.1 fl). Lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulins were measured for 4 children, among whom 1 (25%) had a reduction in both the percentage of CD3T cells per lymphocyte and lymphocyte per nuclear cells, 1(25%) had a reduction in CD3CD56 NK cells. Among these 4 children, 1 (25%) had an increase in IgG, 2 (50%) had a reduction in IgM, 1 (25%) had a reduction in IgA, and 4 (100%) had an increase in IgE. A total of 14 gene mutations belonging to 13 types were found in 13 children, among which there were 9 missense mutations (65%), 2 splicing mutations (14%), 2 nonsense mutation (14%), and 1 frameshift mutation (7%). The median follow-up time was 39 months (range 3-62 months), and all 13 children survived.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Children with WAS often have a young age of onset, and most of them are boys. Major clinical features include thrombocytopenia with a reduction in platelet volume. Missense mutation is the main type of gene mutation.

Clinical features and gene mutation spectrum in children with sideroblastic anemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features and gene mutation spectrum of children with sideroblastic anemia (SA) and the clinical value of targeted next-generation sequencing in the molecular diagnosis of children with SA.@*METHODS@#Clinical data were collected from 36 children with SA. Targeted next-generation sequencing was used to detect mutations in SA-related pathogenic genes and genes associated with heme synthesis and mitochondrial iron metabolism. The association between genotype and clinical phenotype was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Of the 36 patients, 32 had congenital sideroblastic anemia (CSA) and 4 had myelodysplastic syndrome with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS). Mutations in CSA-related genes were detected in 19 children (19/36, 53%), among whom 9 (47%) had ALAS2 mutation, 4 (21%) had SLC25A38 mutation, and 6 (32%) had mitochondrial fragment deletion. No pathogenic gene mutation was detected in 4 children with MDS-RS. Among the 19 mutations, 89% (17/19) were known mutations and 11% (2/19) were novel mutations. The novel mutation of the ALAS2 gene c.1153A>T(p.I385F) was rated as "possibly pathogenic" and the novel mutation of the SLC25A38 gene c.175C>T(p.Q59X) was rated as "pathogenic".@*CONCLUSIONS@#ALAS2 and SLC25A38 gene mutations are commonly seen in children with CSA, but mitochondrial gene fragment deletion also accounts for a relatively high proportion. For children with hypoplastic anemia occurring in infancy, mitochondrial disease should be considered.

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>

Clinical characteristics of clonal evolution after immunosuppressive therapy in children with severe/very severe aplastic anemia / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical characteristics and risk factors of clonal evolution after immunosuppressive therapy (IST) in children with severe/very severe aplastic anemia (SAA/VSAA).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 231 children with newly-diagnosed SAA/VSAA who received IST were retrospectively studied. The incidence and risk factors of clonal evolution after IST were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 5-year overall survival rate of the 231 patients was 82.7%. Except for 18 cases of early deaths, 213 patients were evaluated for IST efficacy. Among the 231 patients, cytogenetic abnormalities for at least two chromosome metaphase were detectable in 14 (7.4%) patients, and PNH clones were detectable in either peripheral red blood cells or neutrophils for 95 patients. Among the 213 patients evaluated for IST efficacy, 15 patients experienced clonal evolution after IST. Five patients had PNH and trisomy 8 which were defined as favorable progressions, and ten patients experienced monosomy 7 and MDS/AML as unfavorable progressions. The 5-year accumulative incidence of favorable and unfavorable progression were (2.2±2.2)% and (4.8±3.3)%, respectively. Until the last follow-up, 100% (5/5) of patients with favorable progressions and 50% (5/10) of patients with unfavorable progressions survived. WBC>3.5×10/L, CD3T cell percentage>80%, dosage of antithymocyte globulin >3.0 mg/(kg·d) and no response to IST were related to unfavorable progressions by univariate analysis. Cox multivariate analysis revealed that an increased CD3T cell percentage (>80%) and no response to IST were independent risk factors for unfavorable progressions.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The children with SAA/VSAA who have an increased CD3T cell percentage at diagnosis or have no response to IST are in high risks of unfavorable progressions.</p>

Prevalence of Mutations in Discoidin Domain-Containing Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 2 (DDR2) in Squamous Cell Lung Cancers in Korean Patients / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The discoidin domain-containing receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (DDR2) is known to contain mutations in a small subset of patients with squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) of the lung. Studying the DDR2 mutations in patients with SCC of the lung would advance our understanding and guide the development of therapeutic strategies against lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We selected 100 samples through a preliminary genetic screen, including specimens from biopsies and surgical resection, and confirmed SCC by histologic examination. DDR2 mutations on exons 6, 15, 16, and 18 were analyzed by Sanger sequencing of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The functional effects of novel DDR2 mutants were confirmed by in vitro assays. RESULTS: We identified novel somatic mutations of DDR2 in two of the 100 SCC samples studied. One mutation was c.1745T>A (p.V582E) and the other was c.1784T>C (p.L595P), and both were on exon 15. Both patients were smokers and EGFR/KRAS/ALK-triple negative. The expression of the mutant DDR2 induced activation of DDR2 by the collagen ligand and caused enhanced cell growth and tumor progression. Moreover, dasatinib, a DDR2 inhibitor, showed potential efficacy against DDR2 L595P mutant–bearing cells. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that a mutation in DDR2 occurs naturally with a frequency of about 2% in Korean lung SCC patients. In addition, we showed that each of the novel DDR2 mutations were located in a kinase domain and induced an increase in cell proliferation rate.

Clinical features of childhood refractory cytopenia / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical features of patients with refractory cytopenia of childhood (RCC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 1 420 children (0-14 years old) with an initial diagnosis of non-severe aplastic anemia between January 1990 and June 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. Bone marrow cell morphology and histopathology were re-evaluated, and the patients were re-classified using the criteria proposed in the 2008 edition of the World Health Organization classification of RCC in hematopoietic and lymphoid tumor tissues. The clinical outcomes were followed up every 3-6 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among all the 1 420 cases, 152 (10.7%) were reassessed as RCC. Patients with RCC had a lower level of hemoglobin and a higher percentage of fetal hemoglobin than those with non-severe aplastic anemia. Of the patients with RCC, 21.5% showed abnormal karyotypes at diagnosis. The median follow-up period for all patients was 36 months (ranging from 1 to 283 months). The rates of complete response, partial response, and no response to cyclosporine and androgen treatment in RCC patients were 19.0%, 26.7%, and 54.3%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year prospective overall survival rates of RCC patients were 87.9% and 72.4%, respectively. The 5- and 10-year prospective clonal evolution rates were 15.3% and 20.0%, respectively. The 2-year prospective incidence of newly diagnosed karyotype abnormality after the initial diagnosis was 3.6%. The 5- and 10-year prospective leukemia transformation rates were 10.0% and 20.0%, respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>RCC shows clinical features similar to adult myelodysplastic syndrome. Children with RCC have a poor prognosis, an increased risk of transformation to leukemia, and a low response rate to cyclosporine treatment.</p>

Genotype analysis and telomere length measure in patients with dyskeratosis congenita / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analysze genotype and measure telomere length in two Chinese patients with dyskeratosis congenita(DC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The peripleral blood DNA was extracted in two patients characterized by mucocutaneous abnormalities (abnormal nails, lacy reticulated skin pigmentation, and oral leukoplakia), bone marrow failure, DC genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), including DKC1, TERT, TERC, TINF2, NOP10, NHP2, then DNA sequencing was performed for abnormal exons. Lymphocyte telomere length was measured by flow cytometry-fluorescence in situ hybridization(Flow-FISH).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Abnormal peaks were found in exon 6 of TINF2 gene of the two patients and a 811C→T transition in TINF2 gene in one patient. DNA sequencing showed a 848C→A transition in TINF2 gene in another patient. Relative telomere length was remarkable less than that of normal children with same age.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Physician should think about DC if the young patients with mucocutaneous abnormalities and marrow failure. Early detection of related genes and measurernant of tolomere length may contribute to avoid misdiagnosis. TINF2 c.811C→T (Q271X) and TINF2 c.848C→A (P283H) exist in the two patients, it is reported in China for the first time.</p>

Mini-open repair for the treatment of acute closed achilles tendon ruptures / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the clinical efficacy of mini-open repair for the treatment of acute closed achilles tendon ruptures.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From April 2012 and October 2013,14 patients (14 feet) with acute closed achilles tendon ruptures were treated in our department. They were 9 males and 5 females, with an average age of 30.5 years old (ranged, 25 to 49 years old). The interval between injury and operation ranged from 1 to 13 days (8 days on average). A longitudinal incision approximately 1.5 to 2.0 cm in length was made around the ruptured achilles tendon for mini-open repair after insertion of oval clamp. Postoperative rehabilitation was carried out.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The wounds healed at the first stage except 2 cases with slow recovery. All the patients were followed up for 6 to 24 months, with an average of 11 months. According to the ankle-hindfoot scoring system of American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS),the score was 92.71 ± 6.58 (82 to 100).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The surgical treatment of acute achilles tendon rupture with mini-open repair has advantages of little invasion, a low rate of incision problems, quick function recovery, and simple operation, and it is suitable for primary hospital.</p>

Prognostic Value of Prednisone Response in CCLG-ALL 2008 / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To ovaluate the prognostic value of prednisone response in treatment regimes of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 598 newly diagnosed ALL patients were enrolled and received prednisone pre-treatment. Based on the peripheral lymphoblast count on day 8, these patients were divided into 2 groups: prednisone good response (PGR) and prednisone poor response (PPR). PPR patients were classified into high risk group immediately and then received intensed chemotherapy. The all enrolled patients were followed up and the clinical features and treatment outcomes of the two groups were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with PGR group, PPR group had different characteristics. They were older in age and had higher initial white blood cell count (P<0.05). T-cell ALL (T-ALL) and Philadelphia chromosome positive ALL (Ph+ ALL) were frequent in PPR group (P<0.05). Event-free survival (EFS) rate of PPR group was significantly lower than that of PGR group (P<0.05). 2 year event-free survival(EFS) rate of PGR group was (88.3±1.5)%, while the 2-year EFS rate of PPR group was (58.4±5.3)%. 5 year EFS rates of PGR and PPR were (80.8±2.1)% and (53.4±6.0)%, respectively. The EFS rate of PPR group was falling rapidly within 2 years. PPR group had higher relapse rate, and most relapses occurred within 18 months (P<0.05). PPR group had more high incidence of minimal residual disease (MRD) both on day 33 and on week 12 (P<0.05). No significant difference of EFS and relapse time was found between PPR and high risk PGR patients (P>0.05). In multi-variate regression analysis, the PPR, the presence of BCR-ABL1 and MLL were significantly unfavorable factors (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Prednisone response has been confirmed to be still great prognostic value and PPR children patients have poor outcomes generally. It is likely that the response to prednisone does not make much sense to high risk ALL patients.</p>