Recent developments in immunotherapy of acute myeloid leukemia

The advent of new immunotherapeutic agents in clinical practice has revolutionized cancer treatment in the past decade, both in oncology and hematology. The transfer of the immunotherapeutic concepts to the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is hampered by various characteristics of the disease, including non-leukemia-restricted target antigen expression profile, low endogenous immune responses, and intrinsic resistance mechanisms of the leukemic blasts against immune responses. However, considerable progress has been made in this field in the past few years. Within this manuscript, we review the recent developments and the current status of the five currently most prominent immunotherapeutic concepts: (1) antibody-drug conjugates, (2) T cell-recruiting antibody constructs, (3) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, (4) checkpoint inhibitors, and (5) dendritic cell vaccination. We focus on the clinical data that has been published so far, both for newly diagnosed and refractory/relapsed AML, but omitting immunotherapeutic concepts in conjunction with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Besides, we have included important clinical trials that are currently running or have recently been completed but are still lacking full publication of their results. While each of the concepts has its particular merits and inherent problems, the field of immunotherapy of AML seems to have taken some significant steps forward. Results of currently running trials will reveal the direction of further development including approaches combining two or more of these concepts

Avaliação do treinamento e expectativas profissionais em residentes de cirurgia

Os programas de residência médica, em especial na cirurgia, vêm passando por modificações constantes, não só em nosso meio, como internacionalmente. Em virtude da deterioração da valorização e remuneração médica, as expectativas e perfil do médico residente na área cirúrgica vêm mudando. A avaliação das atitudes, experiência durante o treinamento e expectativas profissionais nos residentes é tópico importante. Recentes trabalhos internacionais publicados na área demonstram tal fato. É digno de nota a ausência de trabalhos semelhantes em nosso meio e a raridade em outros países. O presente estudo tem por objetivo avaliar em médicos residentes da área de cirurgia, através de questionário, atitudes, experiências durante o treinamento e expectativas profissionais. Foram aplicados e analisados questionários adaptados e traduzidos para o Português em 50 residentes de ambos os sexos e diferentes anos de residência. Os resultados deste trabalho mostram alta satisfação com a especialidade, porém grande preocupação financeira e opiniões conflitantes quanto ao futuro da especiliadade

Postmating Reproductive isolation between strains of <i>Drosophila willistoni</i>

<p>Speciation can occur through the presence of reproductive isolation barriers that impede mating, restrict cross-fertilization, or render inviable/sterile hybrid progeny. The <i>D. willistoni</i> subgroup is ideally suited for studies of speciation, with examples of both allopatry and sympatry, a range of isolation barriers, and the availability of one species complete genome sequence to facilitate genetic studies of divergence. <i>D. w. willistoni</i> has the largest geographic distribution among members of the <i>Drosophila willistoni</i> subgroup, spanning from Argentina to the southern United States, including the Caribbean islands. A subspecies of <i>D. w. willistoni, D. w. quechua</i>, is geographically separated by the Andes mountain range and has evolved unidirectional sterility, in that only male offspring of <i>D. w. quechua</i> females × <i>D. w. willistoni</i> males are sterile. Whether <i>D. w. willistoni</i> flies residing east of the Andes belong to one or more <i>D. willistoni</i> subspecies remains unresolved. Here we perform fecundity assays and show that F1 hybrid males produced from crosses between different strains found in Central America, North America, and northern Caribbean islands are reproductively isolated from South American and southern Caribbean island strains as a result of unidirectional hybrid male sterility. Our results show the existence of a reproductive isolation barrier between the northern and southern strains and suggest a subdivision of the previously identified <i>D. willistoni willistoni</i> species into 2 new subspecies.</p

Postmating Reproductive isolation between strains of Drosophila willistoni

Speciation can occur through the presence of reproductive isolation barriers that impede mating, restrict cross-fertilization, or render inviable/sterile hybrid progeny. The D. willistoni subgroup is ideally suited for studies of speciation, with examples of both allopatry and sympatry, a range of isolation barriers, and the availability of one species complete genome sequence to facilitate genetic studies of divergence. D. w. willistoni has the largest geographic distribution among members of the Drosophila willistoni subgroup, spanning from Argentina to the southern United States, including the Caribbean islands. A subspecies of D. w. willistoni, D. w. quechua, is geographically separated by the Andes mountain range and has evolved unidirectional sterility, in that only male offspring of D. w. quechua females × D. w. willistoni males are sterile. Whether D. w. willistoni flies residing east of the Andes belong to one or more D. willistoni subspecies remains unresolved. Here we perform fecundity assays and show that F1 hybrid males produced from crosses between different strains found in Central America, North America, and northern Caribbean islands are reproductively isolated from South American and southern Caribbean island strains as a result of unidirectional hybrid male sterility. Our results show the existence of a reproductive isolation barrier between the northern and southern strains and suggest a subdivision of the previously identified D. willistoni willistoni species into 2 new subspecies