Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative treatment for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPN). However, post-HSCT relapse remains a major cause of treatment failure. Here we assessed the efficacy of a new conditioning regimen comprising decitabine (Dec), busulfan (Bu), cyclophosphamide (Cy), fludarabine (Flu), and cytarabine (Ara-c) for allo-HSCT in patients with MDS and MDS/MPN. A total of 48 patients were enrolled, including 44 with MDS and 4 with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). Patients received Dec 20 mg/m 2 /day on days -9 to -5, combined with a Bu/Cy/Flu/Ara-c-modified preparative regimen. At a median follow-up of 522 days (range, 15 to 1313 days), the overall survival (OS) was 86%, relapse incidence was 12%, and nonrelapse mortality was 12%. The incidence of severe acute (grade III-IV) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was 23% and that of chronic GVHD was 15%. At 2 years, OS was 74% and 86%, respectively for high-risk and very-high-risk patients with MDS. Survival was promising in patients with poor-risk gene mutations, such as TP53 and ASXL1 (88%), and in those with 3 gene mutations (79%). Results of immunomonitoring studies revealed that proper natural killer cells made essential contributions to these favorable clinical outcomes. Overall, this new regimen was associated with a low relapse rate, low incidence and severity of GVHD, and satisfactory survival in allo-HSCT recipients with MDS and MDS/MPN.

The new regimen was associated with a low relapse rate, low incidence and severity of graft versus host disease and satisfactory survival for patients with myeloid malignancies.

Background We aimed to analyze the differences in the peripheral blood cells and tumor biomarkers between the patients with endometriosis and healthy people, and establish a more efficient combined diagnostic model. Methods We retrospectively analyzed the differences in the peripheral blood cells and tumor biomarkers between the patients with endometriosis and healthy people. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to establish a combined diagnostic model. We plotted the receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve to analyze the diagnostic efficiency of different diagnostic indexes. Results Compared with patients in the control group, patients in the endometriosis group had significantly lower eosinophil% (p = 0.045), neutrophil (p = 0.001), lymphocyte (p < 0.001), red blood cells (RBCs) (p < 0.001), and hemoglobin (HGB) (p < 0.001), and had significantly higher monocyte% (p = 0.008), monocyte‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (MLR) (p = 0.001), platelet‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (PLR) (p < 0.001), carbohydrate antigen (CA)‐199 (p < 0.001), CA125 (p < 0.001), human epididymis protein (HE)‐4 (p < 0.001), and the risk of ovarian malignancy algorithm (ROMA) (p < 0.001). The combined diagnostic model of HGB, CA199, CA125, and HE4 was established by binary logistic regression analysis. The ROC curve showed that the combined diagnostic model reached a sensitivity of 85.4%, a specificity of 78.83%, and an area under the curve of 0.900, which was significantly higher than that of the individual index in endometriosis diagnosis. Conclusion The combined diagnostic model of HGB, CA199, CA125, and HE4 may provide a new approach for the early non‐invasive diagnosis of endometriosis.

After studying the Sarcoscypha specimens deposited in the herbarium of the National Museum of Natural Science, Taiwan (TNM), four species of Sarcoscypha, S. humberiana, S. mescoscyatha, S. minuta and S. tatakensis were recognized by morphological and molecular characteristics. Sarcoscypha mescoscyatha is new to Taiwan, and S. minuta and S. tatakensis are new to science. Sarcoscypha minuta is characterized by small apothecia and asci, and a single large guttule in each ascospore while S. tatakensis is characterized by sessile to subsessile apothecia, and small ascospores with truncate ends.

The delayed platelet engraftment associated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a common complication and often results in increased transplant-related complications. A single-center, prospective, investigator-initiated pilot study was conducted to explore whether herombopag, a second generation thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, would promote platelet engraftment after allo-HSCT. Between 2/2022 and 06/2022, 17 individuals (median age 39; range 15-58 years) with hematological malignancies were enrolled. Herombopag was given for a median of 22 (range 14-61) days at a dose of 7.5 mg/d. The median time to neutrophil >500/μl was 11 (range 9-19) days. The median time to platelet >20 000/ μl and >50 000/μl was 13 (range 8-22), and 20 (range 14-45) days, respectively.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a malignant neoplasm of the bile ducts, being the second most common type of cancer in the liver, and most patients are diagnosed at a late stage with poor prognosis. Targeted therapy aiming at receptors tyrosine kinases (RTKs) such as c-Met or EGFR have been developed but with unsatisfactory outcomes. In our recent report, we found several oncogenic molecules downstream of RTKs, including hydrogen peroxide clone-5 (Hic-5), Src, AKT and JNK, were elevated in tissues of a significant portion of metastatic CCAs. By inhibitor studies and a knockdown approach, these molecules were found to be within the same signal cascade responsible for the migration of HuCCT1 cells, a conventionally used CCA cell line. Herein, we also found Src inhibitor dasatinib and Hic-5 siRNA corporately suppressed HuCCT1 cell invasion. Moreover, dasatinib inhibited the progression of the HuCCT1 tumor on SCID mice skin coupled with decreasing the expression of Hic-5 and EGFR and the activities of Src, AKT and JNK. In addition, we found a glycolytic enzyme glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and several cytoskeletal molecules such as tubulin and cofilin were dramatically decreased after a long-term treatment of the HuCCT1 tumor with a high dose of dasatinib. Specifically, GAPDH was shown to be a downstream effector of the Hic-5/Src/AKT cascade involved in HuCCT1 cell migration. On the other hand, TFK1, another CCA cell line without Hic-5 expression, exhibited very low motility, whereas an ectopic Hic-5 expression enhanced the activation of Src and AKT and marginally increased TFK1 migration. In the future, it is tempting to investigate whether cotargeting Src, Hic-5 and/or GAPDH is efficient for preventing CCA progression in future clinical trials.

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Background The Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 5 (LGR5), which is used as a marker of adult stem cells and colorectal cancer stem cells (CSCs), is closely associated with the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study aimed to identify the clinical significance and biological function of LGR5 in NSCLC. Methods Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was applied to detect the expression of LGR5 and stemness-related genes in 22 NSCLC patients, and the clinical significance of LGR5 in NSCLC progression was estimated by statistical analysis. LGR5 overexpressing A549- and H1299-transfected cells were established, and CCK-8 and clone formation assays were used to test the proliferation ability. A wound-healing assay was utilized to clarify the migration ability. The invasion ability was confirmed via the Transwell assay kit. Results LGR5 expression was markedly higher in NSCLC tissues than in the matched adjacent normal tissues, and had a trend to associate with tumor size, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. The proliferation rates, clone formation rates, wound healing rates, number of invasive cells, and the NOTCH1 expression of the LGR5 overexpressing groups, were significantly higher than those of the control groups. Conclusions LGR5 plays an essential role in NSCLC tumorigenesis and is closely associated with the proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of NSCLC cells. LGR5 may promote NSCLC progression via NOTCH1 and could be a new target for gene-targeted therapies for NSCLC.