Noninvasive Tracking of Donor Cell Homing by Near-Infrared Fluorescence Imaging Shortly after Bone Marrow Transplantation

BACKGROUND: Many diseases associated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) are caused by transplanted hematopoietic cells, and the onset of these diseases occurs after homing of donor cells in the initial phase after BMT. Noninvasive observation of donor cell homing shortly after transplantation is potentially valuable for improving therapeutic outcomes of BMT by diagnosing the early stages of these diseases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Freshly harvested near-infrared fluorescence-labeled cells were noninvasively observed for 24 h after BMT using a photon counting device to track their homing process. In a congenic BMT model, the homing of Alexa Fluor 750-labeled donor cells in the tibia was detected less than 1 h after BMT. In addition, subsequent cell distribution in an intraBM BMT model was successfully monitored for the first time using this method. In the allogeneic BMT model, T-cell depletion decreased the near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) signals of the reticuloendothelial system. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This approach in several murine BMT models revealed that the transplanted cells homed within 24 h after transplantation. NIRF labeling is useful for tracking transplanted cells in the initial phase after BMT, and this approach can contribute to in vivo studies aimed at improving the therapeutic outcomes of BMT

Yキャク フンゴウブ キョウサク オ ガッペイ シタ チョウ コウレイシャ イ ゼンテキ ノ イチレイ

An 88-year-old male patient was referred to our hospital after being diagnosed with gastric cancer during extensive investigations for anemia. The patient underwent total gastrectomy followed by Roux-en Y reconstruction. An esophagus jejunum anastomosis was performed using a Curbed-Shaft Detachable Head Circular Stapler （25 mm）（CDH25）. An anastomosis of the jejunum was performed approximately 40 cm distal to the esophagus jejunum anastomosis using a Straight Shaft Detachable Head Circular Stapler（21 mm）（SDH21）. A seromuscular suture was applied to each anastomotic site. The patient started oral intake on Day 8 after the operation, and was transferred to the urology department on Day 22 for the treatment of renal cancer. Approximately 2 weeks after the transfer, the patient developed fever above 38℃. CT revealed marked enlargement of the duodenum, suggesting stenosis at the Y anastomotic site. The stenosis was successfully treated by endoscopic balloon dilatation without performing. Here, we report a case with favorable outcome

Porphyromonas gingivalis SOD における活性中心近傍に局在するアミノ酸残基の金属特異的活性における関与：Leu ₇2 Trp およびLeu ₇6 Phe の2残基変異による検討

The role of superoxide dismutase (SOD) as a radical scavenger in Porphyromonas gingivalis is well documented. P. gingivalis SOD (Pg SOD), which is characterized by a metal–tolerant activity, can use either iron or manganese as a cofactor. Leu ₇2 and Leu ₇6, located near the active–site metal, are characteristic amino acid sequences of Pg SOD proteins, although they are substituted to Trp in the ₇2 position and Phe in the ₇6 position in most iron–containing SOD (Fe–SOD) proteins. In the present study, we constructed a mutant of the enzyme with changes from Leu ₇2 to Trp and Leu ₇6 to Phe. This mutant SOD was examined with respect to its metal–dependent activity and structural characterization. We herein conclude the integrity of Leu ₇2 and Leu ₇6 is a necessary requisite for the metal–tolerant activity of Pg SOD

Porphyromonas gingivalis スーパーオキシドジスムターゼの構造における72位Leu をTrp に置換した影響

Porphyromonas gingivalis contains a single constitutive superoxide dismutase (SOD) that is active with either iron or manganese at the active site. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of the Leu ₇2 to Trp mutation on the structure of P. gingivalis SOD (Pg SOD) using lectrophoretic characterization. Leu ₇2, which is located near the active site metal, is substituted with Trp in aligned amino acid sequences of iron–containing SOD. The results of electrophoretic characterization and the expressed activity of mutant SOD suggest that mutant SOD have the same gross structure as wild–type SOD. We herein conclude that the integrity of Leu ₇2 is a necessary requisite for the metal–tolerant activity of Pg SOD

Sequential therapies after atezolizumab plus bevacizumab or lenvatinib first-line treatments in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Introduction: The aim of this retrospective proof-of-concept study was to compare different second-line treatments for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and progressive disease (PD) after first-line lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab.Materials and methods: A total of 1381 patients had PD at first-line therapy. 917 patients received lenvatinib as first-line treatment, and 464 patients atezolizumab plus bevacizumab as first-line.Results: 49.6% of PD patients received a second-line therapy without any statistical difference in overall survival (OS) between lenvatinib (20.6 months) and atezolizumab plus bev-acizumab first-line (15.7 months; p = 0.12; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.80). After lenvatinib first-line, there wasn't any statistical difference between second-line therapy subgroups (p = 0.27; sorafenib HR: 1; immunotherapy HR: 0.69; other therapies HR: 0.85). Patients who under-went trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) had a significative longer OS than patients who received sorafenib (24.7 versus 15.8 months, p < 0.01; HR = 0.64). After atezolizumab plus bevacizumab first-line, there was a statistical difference between second-line therapy subgroups (p < 0.01; sorafenib HR: 1; lenvatinib HR: 0.50; cabozantinib HR: 1.29; other therapies HR: 0.54). Patients who received lenvatinib (17.0 months) and those who under-went TACE (15.9 months) had a significative longer OS than patients treated with sorafenib (14.2 months; respectively, p = 0.01; HR = 0.45, and p < 0.05; HR = 0.46).Conclusion: Approximately half of patients receiving first-line lenvatinib or atezolizumab plus bevacizumab access second-line treatment. Our data suggest that in patients progressed to atezolizumab plus bevacizumab, the systemic therapy able to achieve the longest survival is lenvatinib, while in patients progressed to lenvatinib, the systemic therapy able to achieve the longest survival is immunotherapy

Adverse Events as Potential Predictive Factors of Activity in Patients with Advanced HCC Treated with Atezolizumab Plus Bevacizumab

Background In the context of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with systemic therapy, the correlation between the appearance of adverse events (AEs) and reported efficacy outcomes is well-known and widely investigated. From other pathological settings, we are aware of the prognostic and predictive value of the occurrence of immune-related AEs in patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Objective This retrospective multicenter real-world study aims to investigate the potential prognostic value of AEs in patients with HCC treated with atezolizumab plus bevacizumab in the first-line setting. Patients and methods The study population consisted of 823 patients from five countries (Italy, Germany, Portugal, Japan, and the Republic of Korea). Results Of the patients, 73.3% presented at least one AE during the study period. The most common AEs were proteinuria (29.6%), arterial hypertension (27.2%), and fatigue (26.0%). In all, 17.3% of the AEs were grade (G) 3. One death due to bleeding was reported. The multivariate analysis confirmed the appearance of decreased appetite G < 2 [versus G >= 2; hazard ratio (HR) 0.60; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.90; p < 0.01] and immunotoxicity G < 2 (versus G >= 2; HR: 0.70; 95% CI 0.24-0.99; p = 0.04) as independent prognostic factors for overall survival, and the appearance of decreased appetite G < 2 (versus G >= 2; HR: 0.73; 95% CI 0.43-0.95; p = 0.01), diarrhea (yes versus no; HR: 0.57, 95% CI 0.38-0.85; p = 0.01), fatigue (yes versus no; HR: 0.82, 95% CI 0.65-0.95; p < 0.01), arterial hypertension G < 2 (versus G >= 2; HR: 0.68, 95% CI 0.52-0.87; p < 0.01), and proteinuria (yes versus no; HR: 0.79, 95% CI 0.64-0.98; p = 0.03) as independent prognostic factors for progression-free survival. Conclusions As demonstrated for other therapies, there is also a correlation between the occurrence of AEs and outcomes for patients with HCC for the combination of atezolizumab plus bevacizumab

Retrospective evaluation of whole exome and genome mutation calls in 746 cancer samples

Funder: NCI U24CA211006Abstract: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) curated consensus somatic mutation calls using whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), respectively. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, which aggregated whole genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancers across 38 tumour types, we compare WES and WGS side-by-side from 746 TCGA samples, finding that ~80% of mutations overlap in covered exonic regions. We estimate that low variant allele fraction (VAF < 15%) and clonal heterogeneity contribute up to 68% of private WGS mutations and 71% of private WES mutations. We observe that ~30% of private WGS mutations trace to mutations identified by a single variant caller in WES consensus efforts. WGS captures both ~50% more variation in exonic regions and un-observed mutations in loci with variable GC-content. Together, our analysis highlights technological divergences between two reproducible somatic variant detection efforts