The harmonization of Red Lists for threatened species in Europe

Environment and Developmen

Malignant transformation of an abdominal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor with distant metastases in a child

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMT) are lesions that mostly affect young adults and children. The tumor is made up of myofibroblasts and a mixed inflammatory infiltrate and rarely undergoes malignant transformation. We present a case of a 13-year-old boy with a pelvic mass diagnosed as IMT which underwent malignant transformation and metastasised to the liver. We report the ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) findings of this rare disorder

Randomized controlled trial on the effect of 1-hour infusion of vincristine versus push injection on neuropathy in children with cancer (final analysis)

Introduction: Vincristine is an integral component of treatment for children with cancer. Its main dose-limiting side effect is vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN). The VINCA trial was a randomized controlled trial that explored the effect of 1-hour infusion compared with push injection of vincristine on the development of VIPN in children with cancer. The short-term outcomes (median follow-up 9 months) showed that there was no difference in VIPN between the randomization groups. However, 1-hour infusion was less toxic in children who also received azoles. We now report the results of the final analyses (median follow-up 20 months), which includes treatment outcome as a secondary objective (follow-up 3 years). Methods: VIPN was measured 1–7 times per participant using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) and the pediatric-modified total neuropathy score. Poisson mixed model and logistic generalized estimating equation analysis for repeated measures were performed.Results: Forty-five participants per randomization group were included. There was no significant effect of 1-hour infusion compared with push injection on VIPN. In participants receiving concurrent azoles, the total CTCAE score was significantly lower in the one-hour group (rate ratio 0.52, 95% confidence interval 0.33–0.80, p = 0.003). Four patients in the one-hour group and one patient in the push group relapsed. Two patients in the one-hour group died. Conclusion:1-hour infusion of vincristine is not protective against VIPN. However, in patients receiving concurrent azoles, 1-hour infusion may be less toxic. The difference in treatment outcome is most likely the result of differences in risk profile.</p

Results of successive EORTC-CLG 58 881 and 58 951 trials in paediatric T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL)

Outcomes in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) are steadily improving due to intensive therapy. Between 1989 and 2008, 599 children with newly diagnosed T-ALL were enrolled in two successive European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer - Children's Leukaemia Group trials (58881 and 58951), both based on the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster protocol and without cranial irradiation. In the latter trial induction chemotherapy was intensified. The most important randomizations were Medac Escherichia coli asparaginase versus Erwinia asparaginase in trial 58881, and dexamethasone (6 mg/m(2)/day) versus prednisolone (60 mg/m(2)/day) and prolonged versus conventional asparaginase duration in trial 58951. 8-year event-free survival (EFS) increased from 65 center dot 1% to 74 center dot 0% in trial 58951. Improvement was most profound for patients with white blood cell (WBC) counts E. coli asparaginase was associated with longer EFS [hazard ratio (HR) 0 center dot 54, P = 0 center dot 0015] and overall survival (HR 0 center dot 51, P = 0 center dot 0018). Induction therapy with dexamethasone did not improve EFS compared to prednisolone. Remarkably, intensification of central nervous system (CNS)-directed therapy in trial 58951 resulted in fewer bone marrow relapses, while the incidence of CNS relapses remained low. In summary, we showed that adequate asparaginase therapy, intensified induction treatment and intensification of CNS-directed chemotherapy can result in an improvement of outcome in T-ALL patients with good prephase response and initial WBC counts <100 x 10(9)/l, representing approximately 50% of T-ALL patients

CD200/BTLA deletions in pediatric precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated according to the EORTC-CLG 58951 protocol

DNA copy number analysis has been instrumental for the identification of genetic alterations in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Notably, some of these genetic defects have been associated with poor treatment outcome and might be relevant for future risk stratification. In this study, we characterized recurrent deletions of CD200 and BTLA genes, mediated by recombination-activating genes, and used breakpoint-specific polymerase chain reaction assay to screen a cohort of 1154 cases of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia uniformly treated according to the EORTC-CLG 58951 protocol. CD200/BTLA deletions were identified in 56 of the patients (4.8%) and were associated with an inferior 8-year event free survival in this treatment protocol [70.2% +/- 1.2% for patients with deletions versus 83.5% +/- 6.4% for non-deleted cases (hazard ratio 2.02; 95% confidence interval 1.23-3.32; P=0.005)]. Genetically, CD200/BTLA deletions were strongly associated with ETV6-RUNX1-positive leukemias (P<0.0001), but were also identified in patients who did not have any genetic abnormality that is currently used for risk stratification. Within the latter population of patients, the presence of CD200/BTLA deletions was associated with inferior event-free survival and overall survival. Moreover, the multivariate Cox model indicated that these deletions had independent prognostic impact on event-free survival when adjusting for conventional risk criteria. All together, these findings further underscore the rationale for copy number profiling as an important tool for risk stratification in human B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy in pediatric oncology: A randomized controlled trial comparing push injections with one-hour infusions (the vinca trial)

Vincristine (VCR) is a frequently used chemotherapeutic agent. However, it can lead to VCR-induced peripheral neuropathy (VIPN). In this study we investigated if one-hour infusions of VCR instead of push-injections reduces VIPN in pediatric oncology patients. We conducted a multicenter randomized controlled trial in which participants received all VCR administrations through push injections or one-hour infusions. VIPN was measured at baseline and 1–5 times during treatment using Common Terminology Criteria of Adverse Events (CTCAE) and pediatric-modified Total Neuropathy Score. Moreover, data on co-medication, such as azole antifungals, were collected. Overall, results showed no effect of administration duration on total CTCAE score or ped-mTNS score. However, total CTCAE score was significantly lower in patients receiving one-hour infusions concurrently treated with azole antifungal therapy (β = −1.58; p = 0.04). In conclusion, generally VCR administration through one-hour infusions does not lead to less VIPN compared to VC

Modélisation du poly-époxy DGEBA-EDA et de sa réactivité vis-à-vis du cuivre : approche expérimentale et numérique

Grâce à la métallisation de leur surface, des pièces en polymères peuvent substituer certains composants métalliques dans les industries de l'aérospatiale et du transport. Les polymères ont des masses volumiques plus faibles que les métaux et une réactivité chimique limitée, ce qui en fait des candidats idéaux pour les applications spatiales. En combinant techniques expérimentales et simulations numériques, nous avons étudié les mécanismes fondamentaux de la métallisation de surface d'un polymère poly-époxy (DGEBA / EDA). L'objectif de notre étude était de développer un modèle non empirique prenant en compte les mécanismes régissant la nucléation et la croissance des films minces métalliques. Notre groupe a une longue expérience des dépôts chimiques en phase vapeur, CVD. Mais cette technique n'a pas été choisie pour la métallisation de nos surfaces de polymères car les températures requises dans le réacteur étaient trop élevées. Comme alternative, nous avons effectué une évaporation sous ultravide de Cu à température ambiante, conduisant à une diffusion des atomes en phase gazeuse sans énergie cinétique. Les processus d'adsorption et de diffusion sont donc plus proches des conditions thermodynamiques associées aux calculs. Un protocole expérimental a été mis en place afin de créer une surface polymère chimiquement homogène présentant une faible rugosité. Le polymère obtenu a été caractérisé (i) par spectroscopie infrarouge à transformée de Fourier, pour déterminer le taux de polymérisation (supérieur à 90%), (ii) par calorimétrie différentielle à balayage pour obtenir la température de transition vitreuse (Tg) ( 118,1 °C), (iii) par microscopie à force atomique (AFM) pour estimer la rugosité de la surface (Ra ˜ 1 nm), et (iv) par spectroscopie de photoélectrons X (XPS) pour caractériser les liaisons chimiques de surface. La surface de polymère a ensuite été métallisée. Grâce à des analyses AFM, l'épaisseur du film mince a été estimée à 6 nm. Nous avons ensuite utilisé l'XPS pour caractériser les liaisons interfaciales Cu / Poly-époxy. Nous avons déduit de l'interprétation des spectres XPS que le Cu est adsorbé préférentiellement sur un atome d'oxygène spécifique du polymère. Pour identifier clairement ces sites d'adsorption de Cu, nous avons ensuite simulé les spectres XPS du polymère non revêtu, par des calculs quantiques, en utilisant un modèle moléculaire (dimère : 1 molécule de DGEBA liée à 1 molécule d'EDA). Les méthodes Hartree-Fock (HF) et de la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT) nous ont permis de simuler des spectres XPS pour la surface nue, en prenant en compte les effets d'état final et initial. Grâce à ces résultats, nous avons pu décomposer le spectre expérimental en 8 contributions, ce qui conduit à des résultats beaucoup plus précis que les résultats habituels obtenus par l'utilisation exclusive des expériences et de la littérature. Nous avons ensuite effectué des simulations de dynamique moléculaire classique (MD) pour passer d'un modèle moléculaire (dimère) à un modèle de polymère amorphe. Nous avons utilisé le champ de force Amber généralisé (GAFF) et nous avons développé un code de réticulation des molécules de monomères. Le système initial était un mélange stœchiométrique de molécules DGEBA et EDA qui a été équilibré à 700K. Lorsque l'équilibre a été atteint, certaines propriétés structurales (par exemple, la distribution des liaisons) ont été extraites des simulations NPT. À partir de ce mélange liquide de monomères, notre code de réticulation a identifié et relié les atomes réactifs (à une distance interatomique prédéfinie < 3 Å). Après chaque étape de polymérisation, le système a été rééquilibré à 700K (simulations NPT). Après plusieurs cycles de réticulation/simulation de dynamique moléculaire, nous avons pu atteindre un taux de polymérisation de 93% et la fonction de distribution radiale (RDF), la masse volumique (1.115 à 300K) et la température de transition vitreuse Tg (115,5 °C) ont été calculées. La Tg est en accord avec la valeur expérimentale de 118,1 °C, validant notre approche numérique pour développer un modèle pour les polymères poly-époxy.Metallization of polymer surfaces can lead to the substitution of metallic components. Polymers have lower densities and limited chemical reactivity, making them ideal candidates for the space applications. Through experiments and calculations, we studied the fundamental mechanisms of surface metallization of a poly-epoxy polymer (DGEBA/EDA). The objective of our study was to develop a non-empirical model that could take into account the mechanisms governing the nucleation and growth of thin metal films. Our group has a long experience in chemical vapor deposition, CVD, and metallization of polymer composites. But we did not applied CVD at first because of the high temperatures required in the reactor. We alternatively used ultrahigh vacuum evaporation of Cu at ambient temperature. Therefore, we make sure that atoms diffuse in the gas phase without kinetic energy. Adsorption and diffusion processes are thus closer to thermodynamic conditions that prevails in calculations. An experimental protocol was refined in order to create a chemically homogeneous polymer surface with a low roughness (Ra<1nm). The bulk and the surface of the pristine polymer were characterized (i) by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, to determine the polymerization rate (above 90%), (ii) by differential scanning calorimetry in order to obtain the glass transition temperature (Tg) (118.1 °C), (iii) by atomic force microscopy (AFM) to calculate surface roughness (Ra ˜ 1 nm), and (iv) by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to characterize surface chemical bonding. The surface was then metallized. Through AFM, the thickness of the thin film was estimated at 6 nm. We then used XPS to characterize the Cu/Poly-epoxy interfacial bonding. We deduced that Cu adsorbed preferentially on a specific oxygen atom of the polymer. To clearly identify this Cu adsorption site, we further simulated the XPS spectra of our clean or metallized polymer by quantum calculations, using a dimer model (1 molecule of DGEBA connected to 1 molecule of EDA). In the Hartree-Fock (HF) and Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework, we first simulated the XPS spectra for the pristine surface taking into account initial and final state effects. Thanks to these results, we were able to analyze the experimental spectrum with 8 contributions, leading to much more accurate results than the usual results obtained by the exclusive use of experiments and literature. We then performed classical Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations to move from a dimer model to an amorphous polymer model. We used the general Amber force field (GAFF) and we developed a code to mimic the reticulation of monomers molecules. We started from a stoichiometric mixture of DGEBA and EDA molecules. When equilibration was reached, structural properties at 700K (e.g. distribution of bonds) were extracted from the results of the NPT simulations. From this melt of monomers, the homemade reticulation code identified and connected reactive atoms (at a pre-defined inter-atomic distance < 3Å). After each step of polymerization, the system was equilibrated at 700K (NPT simulations). After multiple reticulation/MD cycles we could achieve a polymerization rate of 93% and the Radial Distribution Function (RDF), the density and the glass transition temperature Tg were calculated. The value of the computed density was 1.115 at 300K and the calculated Tg (115.5 °C) was in good agreement with the experimental Tg of 118.1 °C, validating our numerical approach to develop a model for poly-epoxies

Risk of malignancy in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

22q11.2DS is a significant health problem because of its fairly high incidence. It is relevant to be vigilant regarding the diagnosis of cancer amongst 22q11.2 patients as there might be an increased risk, especially amongst patients with the 22q11.2 distal deletion syndrome