Approximately 5% of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) patients develop a secondary aggressive lymphoma, usually of diffuse large B-cell type (DLBCL), termed Richter's transformation (RT). Rarely, classic Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is observed. Published small series suggest that tumor cells in DLBCL and HL can be clonally identical to the B-CLL clone or arise as an independent, secondary lymphoma. We describe the morphology, immunophenotype, and clinical features of 34 classic RT patients with DLBCL, 6 cases of B-CLL with HL, and 8 cases with scattered CD30-positive Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS)-like cells. The clonal relationship of the 2 components was analyzed using sequencing analysis of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgVH) genes. In classic RT, 18/23 B-CLL cases (78%) showed clonal progression to DLBCL with identical IgVH sequences in both lymphoma components, whereas in 5 cases (22%) the DLBCL was clonally unrelated. Among clonally related RT samples, 73% carried unmutated IgVH genes, whereas 4/5 unrelated cases were mutated. Immunophenotypically, most cases of DLBCL irrespective of clonal relatedness showed significant differences in phenotype compared with the B-CLL, with common loss of CD5 and CD23. Using immuno-laser capture microdissection, sequencing of the IgVH CDR3 region of isolated HRS cells showed that 2/2 cases with HL were clonally unrelated, whereas they were clonally identical in 1/2 cases of B-CLL with scattered HRS-like cells. HRS or HRS-like cells in all 3 unrelated cases showed evidence of Epstein-Barr virus infection. Of interest, 5/6 cases of B-CLL with HL, and 5/6 cases of B-CLL with HRS cells showed mutated IgVH genes.

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BackgroundWilms’ tumor 1-associating protein (WTAP) is a nuclear protein, which is ubiquitously expressed in many tissues. Furthermore, in various types of malignancies WTAP is overexpressed and plays a role as an oncogene. The function of WTAP in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), however, remains unclear.MethodsImmunohistochemistry was applied to evaluate the levels of WTAP expression in DLBCL tissues and normal lymphoid tissues. Overexpression and knock-down of WTAP in DLBCL cell lines, verified on mRNA and protein level served to analyze cell proliferation and apoptosis in DLBCL cell lines by flow cytometry. Finally, co-immunoprecipitation (Co-IP), IP, and GST-pull down assessed the interaction of WTAP with Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) as well as determined the extend of its ubiquitinylation.ResultsWTAP protein levels were consistently upregulated in DLBCL tissues. WTAP promoted DLBCL cell proliferation and improved the ability to confront apoptosis, while knockdown of WTAP in DLBCL cell lines allowed a significant higher apoptosis rate after treatment with Etoposide, an anti-tumor drug. The stable expression of WTAP was depended on Hsp90. In line, we demonstrated that WTAP could form a complex with BCL6 via Hsp90 in vivo and in vitro.ConclusionWTAP is highly expressed in DLBCL, promoting growth and anti-apoptosis in DLBCL cell lines. WTAP is a client protein of Hsp90 and can appear in a complex with BCL6 and Hsp90 in DLBCL. Down-regulation of WTAP could improve the chemotherapeutic treatments in DLBCL.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-018-0258-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a human gammaherpesvirus carried by more than 90% of the world's population, is associated with malignant tumors such as Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), Hodgkin lymphoma, post-transplant lymphoma, extra-nodal natural killer/T cell lymphoma, and nasopharyngeal and gastric carcinomas in immune-compromised patients. In the process of infection, EBV faces challenges: the host cell environment is harsh, and the survival and apoptosis of host cells are precisely regulated. Only when host cells receive sufficient survival signals may they immortalize. To establish efficiently a lytic or long-term latent infection, EBV must escape the host cell immunologic mechanism and resist host cell apoptosis by interfering with multiple signaling pathways. This review details the apoptotic pathway disrupted by EBV in EBV-infected cells and describes the interactions of EBV gene products with host cellular factors as well as the function of these factors, which decide the fate of the host cell. The relationships between other EBV-encoded genes and proteins of the B-cell leukemia/lymphoma (Bcl) family are unknown. Still, EBV seems to contribute to establishing its own latency and the formation of tumors by modifying events that impact cell survival and proliferation as well as the immune response of the infected host. We discuss potential therapeutic drugs to provide a foundation for further studies of tumor pathogenesis aimed at exploiting novel therapeutic strategies for EBV-associated diseases.

Rare occurrence of IgVH gene translocations and restricted IgVH gene repertoire in ocular MALT-type lymphomaFISH studies on 37 ocular MALT-type lymphomas yielded chromosomal translocations affecting MALT1 and BCL10 in 1 case each, no evidence for a break in the FOXP1 locus, and trisomy 3 in 14 out of 34 cases (41%). Three out of 8 cases analyzed used the highly mutated VH3-23 gene and showed ongoing somatic hypermutations. Haematologica 2008 Feb; 93:(2) 319-320. DOI: 10.3324/haematol.11950 Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type (eMZBCL) arise, amongst other organs, in the ocular adnexa. Interestingly, frequency and distribution of genetic alterations, use and specifity of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region (IgVH) genes, and the association with chronic inflammatory processes vary remarkably between affected organs and geographic regions.2 In ocular adnexal eMZBCL, some data suggest an association with chronic Chlamydia psittaci infection. 3We studied 37 biopsies of ocular adnexal eMZBCL diagnosed between 1999 and 2004 at the Reference Centre for Lymph Node Pathology in Würzburg, Germany. Cases were classified according to WHO criteria.1 For fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies, representative tissue cores from each case were assembled into a tissue microarray (TMA). FISH analyses for the detection of chromosomal breaks in BCL10 (from DakoCytomation, Germany), IgH and MALT1 loci and for trisomy 3 (all Abbott, Germany) as well as for FOXP1 4 were performed. PCR was successfully used to amplify rearranged IgVH genes in 8 cases. After subcloning, the mutational status of IgVH gene was determined using a 2% somatic mutation cut-off and compared with the corresponding germline sequences. The study was approved by the local ethics committee.Results are summarized in Table 1. FISH studies provided evidence of chromosomal breaks affecting the IGH locus in 3 cases only. In 1 case each, MALT1 and BCL10 were the putative translocation partners. In the third case, no candidate translocation partner was indicated by the FISH results. However, in this case, the BCL10 (Table 1). The VH3 family was used in 6 cases. Remarkably, VH3-23 was used in 3 cases and all of these showed evidence of intraclonal heterogeneity (ongoing mutations), whereas the remaining 5 cases carried a high load of somatic mutations without detectable intraclonal heterogeneity. Neither of the 2 cases with a detectable IgVH translocation (cases 35 and 37) showed ongoing mutations. © F e r r a t a S t o r t i F o u n d a t i o nThese results shed further light on the varying genetic and immunological features in ocular MALT-type lymphomas. In contrast to Streubel et al.2 who reported the presence of the t(14;18) involving MALT1 in 24% of ocular MALT-type lymphomas, we could only detect a single case (1 out of 34 cases, 3%) carrying this genetic alteration, whereas the frequency of trisomy 3 in our series was almost identical to the published data.2 In addition, the revelation of a prefere...

ObjectiveTo observe the effects of Xuanbai Chengqi decoction on lung compliance for patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome.Subjects and methodsA total of 53 patients with exogenous pulmonary acute respiratory distress syndrome, who were admitted to the intensive care unit of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from March 2009 to February 2013, were selected. They were randomly divided into the treatment group (25 cases) and the control group (28 cases). Both the groups were treated with conventional treatment and lung-protective ventilation strategy; apart from these, enema therapy with Xuanbai Chengqi decoction was given to the treatment group. Meanwhile, static lung compliance, dynamic lung compliance, peak airway pressure, plateau pressure, and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) for patients in both the groups were observed and recorded at 24, 48, and 72 hours after the drug was used. Moreover, variations in the duration of parenteral nutrition, incidence rate of complications, and case fatality rate in patients after treatment were recorded.ResultsFor patients in the treatment group, at 48 and 72 hours after treatment, the static lung compliance and dynamic lung compliance were significantly higher than those in the control group, while plateau pressure, peak airway pressure, and PEEP were significantly lower than those before treatment. At the same time, PEEP for patients in the treatment group at 72 hours after treatment was remarkably lower than that in the control group, showing significant difference (P<0.05). The duration of parenteral nutrition in the treatment group was significantly shorter than that in the control group (P<0.05). Both the incidence rate and the fatality rate of complications, such as abdominal distension and ventilator-associated pneumonia, for patients in the treatment group were distinctly smaller than those in the control group (P<0.05).ConclusionXuanbai Chengqi decoction not only can improve the static lung compliance and dynamic compliance of patients with exogenous pulmonary distress syndrome but also can shorten the parenteral nutrition duration, as well as reducing the complication incidence rate and fatality rate.

The variants of IL-10 -1082 A allele and IL-6 -174 C allele contributed to an increased risk of pneumonia-induced sepsis.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most frequent and commonly diagnosed subtype of NHL, which is characterized by high heterogeneity and malignancy, and most DLBCL patients are at advanced stages. The serine/threonine kinase NEK2 (NIMA-related kinase 2), a member of NIMA-related kinase (NEK) family that regulates cell cycle, is upregulated in a variety of malignancies, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. However, the role and underlying mechanisms of NEK2 in DLBCL have seldom been discussed. In this study, we identified that NEK2 is upregulated in DLBCL compared to normal lymphoid tissues, and overexpression of NEK2 predicted a worse prognosis of DLBCL patients. Gene set enrichment analysis indicates that NEK2 might participate in regulating glycolysis. Knockdown of NEK2 inhibited growth and glycolysis of DLBCL cells. The interaction between NEK2 and PKM2 was discovered by tandem affinity purification and then was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining, coimmunoprecipitation, and immunoprecipitation. NEK2 bounds to PKM2 and regulates PKM2 abundance via phosphorylation, which increases PKM2 stability. The xenograft tumor model checks the influence of NEK2 on tumor growth in vivo. Thus, NEK2 could be the novel biomarker and target of DLBCL, which remarkably ameliorates the diagnosis and treatment of DLBCL.