App, Cloud, and more: in reply to Prof. Coelho Carrard and Prof. Trevizani Martins

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Dynamics of the Fermentation Process and Chemical Profiling of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) Wines Obtained by Different Cultivar×Yeast Combinations

Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) is one of the historical tree crops in the Mediterranean region and is nowadays commercialized for its beneficial properties in the form of fruits, juice, jams and, in some East countries, as fermented juice (pomegranate wine). However, pomegranate wines are not established as a common beverage in Western countries. In this work, we produced pomegranate wines using two cultivars and two yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain Clos and S. cerevisiae ex-bayanus strain EC1118) with contrasting characteristics. A comprehensive chemical profile of the wines was obtained. Notable differences were observed in the function of the cultivars and the yeasts. Different cultivar×yeast combinations provided wines with clearly different chemical profiles and specific features in the patterns of organic acids, phenolics, and volatile compounds. This highlights the opportunity to obtain tailored pomegranate wines with desired chemical profiles and, consequently, sensory properties, through management optimization of pomegranate winemaking. In this view, pomegranate wines have the potential to become an established beverage in Western countries

The clonal evolution of two distinct T315I-positive BCR-ABL1 subclones in a Philadelphia-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia failing multiple lines of therapy: a case report

BACKGROUND: The treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Ph+ ALL) patients who harbor the T315I BCR-ABL1 mutation or who have two or more mutations in the same BCR-ABL1 molecule is particularly challenging since first and second-generation Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) are ineffective. Ponatinib, blinatumomab, chemotherapy and transplant are the currently available options in these cases. CASE PRESENTATION: We here report the case of a young Ph+ ALL patient who relapsed on front-line dasatinib therapy because of two independent T315I-positive subclones, resulting from different nucleotide substitutions -one of whom never reported previously- and where additional mutant clones outgrew and persisted despite ponatinib, transplant, blinatumomab and conventional chemotherapy. Deep Sequencing (DS) was used to dissect the complexity of BCR-ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutation status and follow the kinetics of different mutant clones across the sequential therapeutic approaches. CONCLUSIONS: This case presents several peculiar and remarkable aspects: i) distinct clones may acquire the same amino acid substitution via different nucleotide changes; ii) the T315I mutation may arise also from an 'act' to 'atc' codon change; iii) the strategy of temporarily replacing TKI therapy with chemo or immunotherapy, in order to remove the selective pressure and deselect aggressive mutant clones, cannot always be expected to be effective; iv) BCR-ABL1-mutated sub-clones may persist at very low levels (undetectable even by Deep Sequencing) for long time and then outcompete BCR-ABL1-unmutated ones becoming dominant even in the absence of any TKI selective pressure

In chronic myeloid leukemia patients on second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, deep sequencing of BCR-ABL1 at the time of warning may allow sensitive detection of emerging drug-resistant mutants

BACKGROUND: Imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients receiving second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy with dasatinib or nilotinib have a higher risk of disease relapse and progression and not infrequently BCR-ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutations are implicated in therapeutic failure. In this setting, earlier detection of emerging BCR-ABL1 KD mutations would offer greater chances of efficacy for subsequent salvage therapy and limit the biological consequences of full BCR-ABL1 kinase reactivation. Taking advantage of an already set up and validated next-generation deep amplicon sequencing (DS) assay, we aimed to assess whether DS may allow a larger window of detection of emerging BCR-ABL1 KD mutants predicting for an impending relapse. METHODS: a total of 125 longitudinal samples from 51 CML patients who had acquired dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations during second-line therapy were analyzed by DS from the time of failure and mutation detection by conventional sequencing backwards. BCR-ABL1/ABL1%(IS) transcript levels were used to define whether the patient had 'optimal response', 'warning' or 'failure' at the time of first mutation detection by DS. RESULTS: DS was able to backtrack dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations to the previous sample(s) in 23/51 (45 %) pts. Median mutation burden at the time of first detection by DS was 5.5 % (range, 1.5-17.5 %); median interval between detection by DS and detection by conventional sequencing was 3 months (range, 1-9 months). In 5 cases, the mutations were detectable at baseline. In the remaining cases, response level at the time mutations were first detected by DS could be defined as 'Warning' (according to the 2013 ELN definitions of response to 2nd-line therapy) in 13 cases, as 'Optimal response' in one case, as 'Failure' in 4 cases. No dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations were detected by DS in 15 randomly selected patients with 'warning' at various timepoints, that later turned into optimal responders with no treatment changes. CONCLUSIONS: DS enables a larger window of detection of emerging BCR-ABL1 KD mutations predicting for an impending relapse. A 'Warning' response may represent a rational trigger, besides 'Failure', for DS-based mutation screening in CML patients undergoing second-line TKI therapy

Esophageal Eosinophilia and Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Celiac Children: A Ten Year Prospective Observational Study

The association between eosinophilic esophagitis and celiac disease is still controversial and its prevalence is highly variable. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of esophageal eosinophilia and eosinophilic esophagitis in a large group of children with celiac disease, prospectively followed over 11 years. Methods: Prospective observational study performed between 2008 and 2019. Celiac disease diagnosis was based on ESPGHAN criteria. At least four esophageal biopsies were sampled in patients who underwent endoscopy. The presence of at least 15 eosinophils/HPF on esophageal biopsies was considered suggestive of esophageal eosinophilia; at the same time, eosinophilic esophagitis was diagnosed according to the International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria for Eosinophilic Esophagitis. Results: A total of 465 children (M 42% mean age 7.1 years (range: 1–16)) were diagnosed with celiac disease. Three hundred and seventy patients underwent endoscopy, and esophageal biopsies were available in 313. The prevalence of esophageal eosinophilia in children with celiac disease was 1.6% (95% CI: 0.54–2.9). Only one child was diagnosed as eosinophilic esophagitis; we calculated a prevalence of 0.3% (95% CI: 0.2–0.5%). The odds ratio for an association between eosinophilic esophagitis and celiac disease was at least 6.5 times higher (95% CI: 0.89–47.7; p = 0.06) than in the general population. Conclusion: The finding of an increased number of eosinophils (>15/HPF) in celiac patients does not have a clinical implication or warrant intervention, and therefore we do not recommend routine esophageal biopsies unless clinically indicated

Response to: WhatsApp: a telemedicine platform for facilitating remote oral medicine consultation and improving clinical examinations

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WhatsApp: a telemedicine platform for facilitating remote oral medicine consultation and improving clinical examinations

Increased use of smartphone and related software applications has created a new era in clinical data exchange among patients and clinicians. This study describes use of the smartphone-based application WhatsApp to share clinical oral medicine information