A phase 2, multicenter study investigating ofatumumab and bendamustine combination in patients with untreated or relapsed CLL

The purpose of this study is to assess the safety and efficacy of the combination of ofatumumab and bendamustine in patients with previously untreated or relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Patients received IV ofatumumab (cycle 1: 300 mg day 1 and 1,000 mg day 8; cycles 2–6: 1,000 mg on day 1 every 28 days) and IV bendamustine 90 mg m−2 (previously untreated) or 70 mg m−2 (relapsed) on days 1 and 2 of each 28-day cycle, for up to 6 cycles. Forty-four previously untreated and 53 relapsed patients were enrolled. Median age was 62.5 years (previously untreated) and 68 years (relapsed); relapsed patients had received a median of 1 (range 1–11) prior therapy. The investigator-assessed overall response rate was 95% (43% complete response [CR]) for the previously untreated, and 74% (11% CR) for the relapsed patients. The regimen was well tolerated with 89% (previously untreated) and 85% (relapsed patients) receiving all 6 cycles. No unexpected toxicities were reported. Grade 3/4 events occurred in 57% of previously untreated, and 72% of relapsed patients. At ∼29 months’ follow-up, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was not reached for the previously untreated population, and the 28-month PFS estimate was 72.3%. The median PFS for the relapsed population was 22.5 months (95% CI: 14.0–27.3 months). The combination of ofatumumab and bendamustine was well tolerated and effective in these previously untreated or relapsed populations. Am. J. Hematol. 91:900–906, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Growth, sucrose synthase, and invertase activities of developing Phaseolus vulgaris L. fruits

Activities of the sucrose-cleaving enzymes, acid and neutral invertase and sucrose synthase, were measured in pods and seeds of developing snap bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) fruits, and compared with 14C-import, elongation and dry weight accumulation. During the first 10 d post-anthesis, pods elongated rapidly with pod dry weight increase lagging behind by several days. The temporal patterns of acid invertase activity and import coincided closely during the first part of pod development, consonant with a central role for this enzyme in converting imported sucrose during pod elongation and early dry weight accumulation. Later, sucrose synthase became the predominant enzyme of dry weight accumulation and was possibly associated with the development of phloem in pod walls. Sucrose synthase activity in seeds showed two peaks, corresponding to two phases of rapid import and dry weight accumulation; hence, sucrose synthase was associated with seed sink growth. Acid invertase activities in seeds were low and did not show a noticeable relationship with import or growth. All neutral invertase activities, during pod and seed development, were too low for it to have a dominant role in sucrose cleavage. Changes in activities of certain sucrose-cleaving enzymes appear to be correlated with certain sink functions, including import, storage of reserves, and biosynthetic activities. The data supports the association of specific sucrose-cleaving enzymes with the specific processes that occur in the developing pods and seeds of snap bean fruits; for example, acid invertase with pod elongation and sucrose synthase with fruit dry matter accumulation