Rapid identification of BCR/ABL1-like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients using a predictive statistical model based on quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction: clinical, prognostic and therapeutic implications.

BCR/ABL1-like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a subgroup of B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia that occurs within cases without recurrent molecular rearrangements. Gene expression profiling (GEP) can identify these cases but it is expensive and not widely available. Using GEP, we identified 10 genes specifically overexpressed by BCR/ABL1-like ALL cases and used their expression values - assessed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) in 26 BCR/ABL1-like and 26 non-BCR/ABL1-like cases to build a statistical "BCR/ABL1-like predictor", for the identification of BCR/ABL1-like cases. By screening 142 B-lineage ALL patients with the "BCR/ABL1-like predictor", we identified 28/142 BCR/ABL1-like patients (19·7%). Overall, BCR/ABL1-like cases were enriched in JAK/STAT mutations (P < 0·001), IKZF1 deletions (P < 0·001) and rearrangements involving cytokine receptors and tyrosine kinases (P = 0·001), thus corroborating the validity of the prediction. Clinically, the BCR/ABL1-like cases identified by the BCR/ABL1-like predictor achieved a lower rate of complete remission (P = 0·014) and a worse event-free survival (P = 0·0009) compared to non-BCR/ABL1-like ALL. Consistently, primary cells from BCR/ABL1-like cases responded in vitro to ponatinib. We propose a simple tool based on Q-RT-PCR and a statistical model that is capable of easily, quickly and reliably identifying BCR/ABL1-like ALL cases at diagnosis

Major Radiodiagnostic Imaging in Pregnancy and the Risk of Childhood Malignancy: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Ontario

In a record-linkage study, Joel Ray and colleagues examine the association between diagnostic imaging during pregnancy and later childhood cancers

Nanocomposites from untreated clay: A myth?

Polyamide 6 and pristine montmorillonite have been melt blended in an extruder and water was injected into the melt in order to produce nanocomposites. The pristine clay was found to be exfoliated and dispersed homogenously in the nanocomposites. A mechanism explaining the formation of such nanocomposites is presented

IL7R overexpression in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia is associated to JAK/STAT pathway mutations and identifies patients who could benefit from targeted therapies

The IL7 receptor a chain, encoded by the IL7R gene, heterodimerizes with the IL-2Rc (common gamma) chain to form the IL7 receptor, or with the cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) for the thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) receptor, in both B and T cells . Signals from the IL7 and TSLP receptors activate the JAK/STAT and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways, and are essential for the normal development and maintenance of the immune syste