Effect of Expansion and Tumor Challenge on Chemokine Receptor Expression in Cord Blood-Derived CAR-NK Cells

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1055/thumbnail.jp

A Rare Cause of Epistaxis: Nasopharyngeal Leech Infestation

Leeches are rare cause of foreign body in airways. A 23-year-old male, experiencing epistaxis and difficulty in swallowing is presented. During nasopharyngoscopy, a moving leech was observed on the nasopharynx posterior wall in midline location, and removal of the leech was decided under general anaesthesia. The flexible nasopharyngoscopy was inserted, but removal was unsuccessful due to the leech’s movements. Leeches are blood-sucking parasites, so neuromuscular blocking agent was given to prevent the movement. After administration, motion of the leech was lost and easily removed undamaged. In patients presenting with unexplained epistaxis, hemoptysis, dyspnea, and foreign body sensation in the airway, leech infestation should be included as the differential diagnosis and history of contact with stream water should be questioned. We concluded that use of low dose neuromuscular blocking agents facilitates the gentle removal, and could be necessary for successful management of removal of leech under general anaesthesia

Multimodal Analysis of the Interaction Between CD70-Directed Chimeric Antigen Receptor Natural Killer Cells and Target Tumors

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp22/1062/thumbnail.jp

Donor NKG2C Copy Number: An Independent Predictor for CMV Reactivation After Double Cord Blood Transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a major cause of morbidity following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Natural killer cells expressing NKG2C have been shown to play a role in the immune surveillance of human CMV. We studied NKG2C copy number in the donor graft and the risk of CMV reactivation after double umbilical cord blood transplantation (DUCBT) in 100 CMV seropositive DUCBT recipients and their corresponding cord blood (CB) grafts (n = 200). In the setting of DUCBT, the combined graft may contain 0–4 functional copies of NKG2C gene. Sixteen patients received a combined graft with 1 or 2 NKG2C copies and 84 patients were recipients of a combined graft with 3 or 4 NKG2C copies. The 6-month cumulative incidence of CMV reactivation for the two groups was 93.7 and 58.4%, respectively (p = 0.0003). In multivariate analysis, low NKG2C copies in the graft was an independent predictor of CMV reactivation (HR = 2.72, CI = 1.59–4.64; p < 0.0001). Our study points to an important role for donor NKG2C for protection against CMV reactivation after DUCBT. These novel findings may help identify patients at a higher risk of CMV reactivation after DUCBT. Donor NKG2C genotype may be used as a potential criterion in the algorithm for graft selection for DUCBT

Anti–miR-93-5p therapy prolongs sepsis survival by restoring the peripheral immune response

Sepsis remains a leading cause of death for humans and currently has no pathogenesis-specific therapy. Hampered progress is partly due to a lack of insight into deep mechanistic processes. In the past decade, deciphering the functions of small noncoding miRNAs in sepsis pathogenesis became a dynamic research topic. To screen for new miRNA targets for sepsis therapeutics, we used samples for miRNA array analysis of PBMCs from patients with sepsis and control individuals, blood samples from 2 cohorts of patients with sepsis, and multiple animal models: mouse cecum ligation puncture–induced (CLP-induced) sepsis, mouse viral miRNA challenge, and baboon Gram+ and Gram– sepsis models. miR-93-5p met the criteria for a therapeutic target, as it was overexpressed in baboons that died early after induction of sepsis, was downregulated in patients who survived after sepsis, and correlated with negative clinical prognosticators for sepsis. Therapeutically, inhibition of miR-93-5p prolonged the overall survival of mice with CLP-induced sepsis, with a stronger effect in older mice. Mechanistically, anti–miR-93-5p therapy reduced inflammatory monocytes and increased circulating effector memory T cells, especially the CD4+ subset. AGO2 IP in miR-93–KO T cells identified important regulatory receptors, such as CD28, as direct miR-93-5p target genes. In conclusion, miR-93-5p is a potential therapeutic target in sepsis through the regulation of both innate and adaptive immunity, with possibly a greater benefit for elderly patients than for young patients

Assessment of Left Ventricular Function using a Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography in Asymptomatic Survivors of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Long-Term Follow-Up

Introduction: Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) is sensitive in the assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic function and may aid in diagnosis of late cardiac effects in asymptomatic Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) survivors in long-term follow-up

Combination therapy of oncolytic adenovirus with NK cells for the treatment of aggressive solid tumors

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp21/1021/thumbnail.jp

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ ГОРОДСКИХ ПАССАЖИРСКИХ ПЕРЕВОЗОК

WOS: 000393490700003The association of Helicobacter pylori (HP) with cardiovascular disease remain inconclusive. Studies regarding arterial-stiffness (AS) in patients with HP infection are limited. We aimed to evaluate AS and QTc dispersion in patients with HP infection and the effect of eradication treatment on these outcomes. We enrolled patients with HP infection and healthy subjects. We measured AS and QTc dispersion in the baseline visit and after eradication treatment. We compared baseline measurements between the patients and controls. We compared baseline and follow-up variables to observe the effect of eradication treatment on AS and QTc dispersion. Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. There was no significant difference in AS measures between the groups. QTc dispersion was significantly higher in the HP group compared with controls. After eradication, QTc dispersion tended to normalize. There was also a statistically significant improvement in augmentation index and a tendency towards improvement in pulse wave velocity. The findings of this study indicate possible influence of HP infection on ventricular repolarization and a potential benefit of eradication on ventricular repolarization and measures of arterial stiffness

Therapeutic apheresis for severe hypertriglyceridemia in pregnancy.

During pregnancy, a progressive increase in serum triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels is observed whereas TG levels mostly remain < 300 mg/dl. In women with genetic forms of hypertriglyceridemia, pregnancy may cause extremely elevated TG levels leading to potentially life-threatening pancreatitis attacks and chylomicronemia syndrome. The only safe medical treatment option during pregnancy is omega-3 fatty acids, which have moderate TG lowering effects. Therapeutic apheresis could be used as primary treatment approach during pregnancy