Variables associated with patient-reported outcomes in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms.

We explored variables associated with patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including symptom burden, impact on daily life and work, obstacles during therapy, satisfaction level with therapy, and health-related quality of life in 1500 respondents with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) including essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV) and myelofibrosis (MF) in a multicenter, cross-sectional study across China, a representative of the developing countries. In multivariate analyses, urban household registration and higher education level were significantly-associated with no symptoms at diagnosis in respondents with ET or MF. CALR mutation was significantly-associated with lower MPN-10 scores in respondents with MF. Higher MPN-10 scores were significantly-associated with negative impact on daily life and work as well as lower satisfaction level in respondents with ET, PV and MF. Receiving ruxolitinib was significantly-associated with high satisfaction and satisfaction in respondents with MF. In addition, other demographics and clinical variables were also impacting PROs.

Mental Health in Persons With Chronic Myeloid Leukemia During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: The Need for Increased Access to Health Care Services.

Mental health problems in the general population have been reported during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic; however, there were rare data in persons with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Therefore, we performed a cross-sectional study on mental health evaluated using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; depression), the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7; anxiety), and the 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R; distress), including subscales of avoidance, intrusion, and hyper-arousal in persons with CML, non-cancer persons, and immediate family members of persons with cancer as controls (≥16 years) by an online survey. Data from 3,197 persons with CML and 7,256 controls were collected. In multivariate analyses, CML was significantly associated with moderate to severe depression (OR = 1.6; 95% Confidence Interval [CI], 1.4, 1.9; p < 0.001), anxiety (OR = 1.4 [1.1, 1.7]; p = 0.001), distress (OR = 1.3 [1.1, 1.5]; p < 0.001), and hyper-arousal (OR = 1.5 [1.3, 1.6]; p < 0.001). Moreover, delay in regular monitoring was significantly associated with depression (OR 1.3 [1.0, 1.7]; p = 0.024), anxiety (OR = 1.3 [1.0, 1.8]; p = 0.044), avoidance (OR = 1.2 [1.0, 1.4]; p = 0.017), and intrusion (OR = 1.2 [1.0, 1.4]; p = 0.057); tyrosine kinase-inhibitor dose reduction or discontinuation, depression (OR = 1.9 [1.3, 2.8]; p = 0.001), distress (OR = 2.0 [1.4, 2.8]; p < 0.001), avoidance (OR = 1.6 [1.2, 2.1]; p = 0.004), intrusion (OR = 1.6 [1.1, 2.1]; p = 0.006), and hyper-arousal (OR = 1.3 [1.0, 1.8]; p = 0.088). We concluded that persons with CML during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have worse mental health including depression, anxiety, and distress symptoms. Decreasing or stopping monitoring or dose resulted in adverse mental health consequences.

On Improving 5G Internet of Radio Light Security Based on LED Fingerprint Identification Method.

In this paper, a novel device identification method is proposed to improve the security of Visible Light Communication (VLC) in 5G networks. This method extracts the fingerprints of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to identify the devices accessing the 5G network. The extraction and identification mechanisms have been investigated from the theoretical perspective as well as verified experimentally. Moreover, a demonstration in a practical indoor VLC-based 5G network has been carried out to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of this approach. The fingerprints of four identical white LEDs were extracted successfully from the received 5G NR (New Radio) signals. To perform identification, four types of machine-learning-based classifiers were employed and the resulting accuracy was up to 97.1%.

Variables associated with self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy.

Variables associated with self-reported anxiety and depression symptoms were explored in 1169 adults with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-therapy. The Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale questionnaires were used to measure anxiety and depression symptoms. Two hundred and fifty-one (22.4%) and 415 (37.1%) respondents reported anxiety and depression, respectively. In multivariate analyses, female sex, lower education level, comorbidities, advanced-line TKI-therapy, and longer TKI-therapy duration were significantly associated with more severe anxiety and/or depression. It is concluded that socio-demographics, comorbidities, advanced-line TKI-therapy, and longer TKI-therapy duration were significantly associated with anxiety and/or depression symptoms in CML patients receiving TKI-therapy.

Enantioselective [3+2] annulation of isatin-derived MBH-carbonates and 3-nitroindoles enabled by a bifunctional DMAP-thiourea.

A highly enantioselective [3+2] annulation of isatin-derived Morita-Baylis-Hillman (MBH) carbonates and 3-nitroindoles was enabled by a chiral DMAP-thiourea bifunctional catalyst, affording the corresponding polycyclic spirooxindoles bearing three consecutive stereocenters with good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities. Transformations of the annulation product were subsequently elaborated and the preliminary biological assays demonstrated that these artificial spirooxindoles potentially inhibited pancreatic lipase in a dose-dependent manner.

Co-Reactivation of Cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr Virus Was Associated With Poor Prognosis After Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Reactivation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) or Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is common after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Previous researches have demonstrated that either CMV or EBV reactivation is associated with poor outcomes of HSCT. However, few studies investigate the impact of CMV and EBV co-reactivation after HSCT. In this study, we described the clinical characteristics of HSCT recipients with CMV and EBV co-reactivation (defined as CMV and EBV viremia occur at the same period of time). We conducted a longitudinal study of 247 patients who underwent HSCT in our center. A total of 24 (9.7%) patients had CMV and EBV co-reactivation. These patients showed higher incidence of viral pneumonitis (P=0.005). Patients with CMV and EBV co-reactivation had significant lower 1-year overall survival (OS) (P=0.004) and lower 1-year leukemia free survival (LFS) (P=0.016). Our further analysis suggested that duration of CMV (P=0.014), EBV (P<0.001), and CD4+CD25+ T cell counts at day 30 post-transplantation (P=0.05) are independent risk factors of virus co-reactivation. In conclusion, patients who developed co-reactivation of CMV and EBV had poor prognosis in terms of lower 1-year OS and LFS, and the CMV and EBV co-reactivation was associated with prolonged CMV or EBV duration and poor CD4+CD25+ T cell reconstitution at day 30 post-transplantation.

Phlegmonous gastritis in a patient with mixed-phenotype acute leukemia in the neutropenia phase during chemotherapy: A case report.

RATIONALE: Phlegmonous gastritis is a rare bacterial infection of the gastric wall with high mortality. However, diagnosis of phlegmonous gastritis is difficult and standard treatment remains unestablished. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a 33-year-old male patient with mixed-phenotype acute leukemia who developed acute phlegmonous gastritis during the neutropenia phase on induction chemotherapy and was successfully treated. DIAGNOSES: The patient was diagnosed with phlegmonous gastritis, which might be caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia on the basis of clinical manifestation, physical examination, enhanced computed tomography scan, histological finding, and microorganism culture of biopsied specimen in endoscopy. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was treated with gastrointestinal decompression and broad-spectrum antibiotics. OUTCOMES: He recovered from phlegmonous gastritis and received the 2nd cycle of chemotherapy with no complaint of abdominal discomfort. LESSONS: Early recognition and proper management including broad-spectrum antibiotics are key approaches to phlegmonous gastritis.

Advances of Coagulation Factor XIII.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a comprehensive literature review on roles of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) in coagulation, wound healing, neoplasm, bone metabolism, and pregnancy. DATA SOURCES: All articles in PubMed with key words "Coagulation factor XIII", "wound", "leukemia", "tumor", "bone," and "pregnancy" with published date from 2001 to 2016 were included in the study. Frequently cited publications before 2000 were also included. STUDY SELECTION: We reviewed the role of FXIII in biologic processes as documented in clinical, animal, and in vitro studies. RESULTS: FXIII, a member of the transglutaminase (TG) family, plays key roles in various biological processes. Besides its well-known function in coagulation, the cross-linking of small molecules catalyzed by FXIII has been found in studies to help promote wound healing, improve bone metabolism, and prevent miscarriages. The study has also shown that FXIII concentration level differs in the blood of patients with leukemia and solid tumors and offers promises as a diagnostic indicator. CONCLUSIONS: FXIII has many more biologic functions besides being known as coagulation factor. The TG activity of FXIII contributes to several processes, including wound healing, bone extracellular matrix stabilization, and the interaction between embryo and decidua of uterus. Further research is needed to elucidate the link between FXIII and leukemia and solid tumors.

Upregulated expression of human alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 in hypercholesteremia and its relationship with serum lipid levels.

Human alpha-defensins are natural antimicrobial peptides of neutrophils evolved in host defense reactions and circulating nonstressed alpha-defensins may be associated with serum lipid levels. The aim of this work was to examine whether the expression of alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 genes are changed and whether this changes are reversed following treatment in patients with hypercholesteremia. A total of 40 individuals of hypercholesteremia group were studied, compared with 40 individuals of normal control group. Protein levels and gene expression levels of alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 were significantly higher in patients with hypercholesteremia compared with subjects in normal control group. In patients with hypercholesteremia, protein levels of alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 correlated positively with the levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Protein levels and gene expression levels of alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 were decreased significantly after a treatment with atorvastatin calcium 20mg daily compared with the patients before the treatment. Our results suggest that the expression of alpha-defensins 1, 2 and 3 genes is involved in dyslipidemia in patients with hypercholesteremia.

Wedelia chinensis inhibits nasopharyngeal carcinoma CNE-1 cell growth by inducing G2/M arrest in a Chk1-dependent pathway.

Although Wedelia chinensis, an herb in traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used for the treatment of inflammation, the effects of W. chinensis on cancer cell growth and the related molecular mechanisms behind these effects have largely remained unexplored to date. In the present study, W. chinensis plant extracts were obtained using either ethanol (E), petroleum ether (PE), ethyl acetate (EA) or butyl alcohol (BA). Then, extracts were examined for bioactivity in vitro via MTT assay in five human cancer cell lines. Our results showed that one subfraction of the EA extract (EA6) was cytotoxic to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) CNE-1 cells, among all cell lines evaluated. Treatment of CNE-1 cells with EA6 resulted in significant G2/M cell cycle arrest and modest apoptosis. EA6 induced Chk1 activation and inhibition of Chk1 in CNE-1 cells by RNA interference (RNAi) markedly abrogated EA6-mediated G2/M arrest and abolished EA6-induced cytotoxicity. EA6 treatment resulted in notable reduction of c-myc expression in CNE-1 cells, whereas silencing Chk1 inhibited such effects of EA6. Our results indicate that Chk1 is a novel molecular target of EA6 in NPC cells and also suggest an intervention strategy for NPC by EA6 exploring its molecular mechanisms of action.

Scientific evaluation of the subchronic toxicity of Musca domestica larvae extracts in Sprague Dawley rats.

Musca domestica larvae extracts (MDLE) is a potential drug used to treat lipopolysaccharide-induced atherosclerosis pro-inflammatory responses. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety of MDLE via a 13-week repeated dose subchronic toxicity test in rats. Both male and female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups, eight animals each from the control and high-dose group (33.0 g/kg) were allocated into recovery groups. The four groups of rats were administrated with MDLE (0, 13.2, 22.0, 33.0 g/kg) in the diet for 13weeks respectively. During the experimental period, the rats were observed for symptoms and signs of gross toxicity daily, food consumption and body weight were measured weekly. Urinalysis, thrombotest, blood biochemical and hematological analyses were performed regularly; Expression of peroxide dismutase gene in liver was quantified and a histopathological examination was also performed. There were no MDLE-induced abnormalities in any of the groups during or after the 13 weeks except the relative weight of liver of high-dose group and middle-dose group was significantly higher than that of control group in male rats (P<0.05). The results indicate a no observed adverse effect level for MDLE is 13.2 and 33.0 g/kg bw/day in male and female rats, respectively.