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Introduction: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematological malignancy with high mortality rate. The treatment is especially challenging in patients older than 65 years, which is the large majority of those. For patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy regimens, only palliative cytoreduction and basic supportive care used to be the options in our unit. However, from 2018, the azacitidine-venetoclax combination has been a new therapeutic alternative. This treatment resulted in marked survival benefit in clinical trials, however, its impact on the daily clinical practice and the entire patient population is unclear., Objective: Our goal was to evaluate how the application of azacitidine-venetoclax changed the treatment and survival of AML patients in our practice., Method: We retrospectively analyzed the available clinical data of all AML patients treated consecutively between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2021 at the 3rd Department of Internal Medicine (from 2020 onward called Department of Internal Medicine and Hematology), examining their treatment depending on the time period of therapy (2011-2017 and 2018-2021). Patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia were excluded., Results: 423 patients were diagnosed during this period. The number of cases showed a marked increase: in the first 7 years of our study, 184 patients were diagnosed, while this rose to 239 during the subsequent 4 years. The median age of patients was 67.6 years, with more than 60% of patients aged over 65. An improving trend can be observed in the overall survival: between 2011 and 2017, the median overall survival was 4.8 ± 0.9 months, while between 2018 and 2021, it was 8.3 ± 1.4 months (p = 0.051). Moreover, in the case of patients over 65 there was a significant overall survival improvement: 3.1 ± 0.5 vs. 4.9 ± 0.6 months (p = 0,01). The main factor behind this improvement could be that a large proportion of over 65 patients previously only fit for supportive care could now be treated with azacitidine-venetoclax: the percentage of actively treated patients grew from 57.1% to 75.3% in the second period., Conclusion: The survival of patients unfit for curative therapy and older than 65 showed a steady increase which can be attributed to the introduction of new therapeutic alternatives. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(45): 1787-1794.

Adoptive transfer of cultured BMSCs was shown to be immune-suppressive in various inflammatory settings. Many factors play a role in the process, but no master regulator of BMSC-driven immunomodulation was identified. Consequently, an assay that might predict BMSC product efficacy is still unavailable. Below, we show that BMSC donor variability can be monitored by IL-10 production of monocytes/macrophages using THP-1 cells (immortalized monocytic leukemia cells) co-cultured with BMSCs. Using a mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assay, we also compared the ability of the different donor BMSCs to suppress T-cell proliferation, another measure of their immune-suppressive ability. We found that the BMSCs from a donor that induced the most IL-10 production were also the most efficient in suppressing T-cell proliferation. Transcriptome studies showed that the most potent BMSC batch also had higher expression of several known key immunomodulatory molecules such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), PDL1, and numerous members of the PGE2 pathway, including PTGS1 and TLR4. Multiplex ELISA experiments revealed higher expression of HGF and IL6 by the most potent BMSC donor. Based on these findings, we propose that THP-1 cells may be used to assess BMSC immunosuppressive activity as a product characterization assay.

We evaluated the association between germline genetic variants located within the 3'-untranlsated region (polymorphic 3'UTR, ie, p3UTR) of candidate genes involved in multiple myeloma (MM). We performed a case-control study within the International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch (IMMEnSE) consortium, consisting of 3056 MM patients and 1960 controls recruited from eight countries. We selected p3UTR of six genes known to act in different pathways relevant in MM pathogenesis, namely KRAS (rs12587 and rs7973623), VEGFA (rs10434), SPP1 (rs1126772), IRF4 (rs12211228) and IL10 (rs3024496). We found that IL10-rs3024496 was associated with increased risk of developing MM and with a worse overall survival of MM patients. The variant allele was assayed in a vector expressing eGFP chimerized with the IL10 3'-UTR and it was found functionally active following transfection in human myeloma cells. In this experiment, the A-allele caused a lower expression of the reporter gene and this was also in agreement with the in vivo expression of mRNA measured in whole blood as reported in the GTEx portal. Overall, these data are suggestive of an effect of the IL10-rs3024496 SNP on the regulation of IL10 mRNA expression and it could have clinical implications for better characterization of MM patients in terms of prognosis., (© 2020 Union for International Cancer Control.)

As the topical use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) has gained popularity recently, adverse reactions related to their application have also become more common. The authors present the case of a 49-year-old man, who used etofenamate gel to treat leg pain. Following sun exposure, haemorrhagic, atypical lesions appeared and after rapid spread of the symptoms, the patient was hospitalized. In the area of the etofenamate application as well as on both legs, arms, trunk and face, confluent, erythematous sero-papules and macules were found, along with petechiae on the oral mucosa. Splenomegaly and thrombocytopenia accompanied the skin symptoms, which prompted an oncohematological workup, and the patient was diagnosed with hairy cell leukaemia. Epicutaneous testing (ET) was performed and found a positive reaction to etofenamate gel as well wood tar, propylen glycol, fragrance mix I, methylisothiazolinone, benzoic acid and balsam of Peru. The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) and CD69 expression were negative for etofenamate. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(38): 1646-1651.

Matriptase-2 (MT-2) is a type II transmembrane serine protease and predominantly attached to the surface of hepatocytes. MT-2 decreases the production of hepcidin, a key regulator of iron homeostasis. In this study, the effects of four 3-amidinophenylalanine-derived combined matriptase-1/matriptase-2 (MT-1/2) inhibitors (MI-432, MI-441, MI-460, and MI-461) on hepcidin production were investigated in hepatocyte mono- and hepatocyte-Kupffer cell co-cultures. In MI-461-treated cell cultures, the extracellular hydrogen peroxide contents and the interleukin-6 and -8 (IL-6 and IL-8) levels were determined and compared to controls. Hepcidin overproduction was observed in hepatocytes upon treatment with MI-432, MI-441 and MI-461 at 50 μM. In contrast, extracellular hydrogen peroxide levels were not elevated significantly after matriptase inhibition with MI-461. Furthermore, MI-461 did not induce increases in IL-6 and IL-8 levels in these hepatic models. A model of the binding mode of inhibitor MI-461 in complex with MT-2 revealed numerous polar contacts contributing to the nanomolar potency of this compound. Based on the in vitro data on hepcidin regulation, treatment with MI-461 might be valuable in pathological states of iron metabolism without causing excessive oxidative stress.

Sarcoidosis is a devastating inflammatory disease affecting many organs, especially the lungs and lymph nodes. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can "reprogram" various types of macrophages towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype. We wanted to determine whether alveolar macrophages from sarcoidosis subjects behave similarly by mounting an anti-inflammatory response when co-cultured with MSCs. Fifteen sarcoidosis and eight control subjects underwent bronchoscopy and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Unselected BAL cells (70-94% macrophages) were isolated and cultured with and without MSCs from healthy adults. Following stimulation of the cultured cells with lipopolysaccharide, the medium was removed to measure interleukin 10 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (IL-10 and TNF-α). In two additional sarcoidosis subjects, flow cytometry was used to study intracellular cytokines and surface markers associated with alveolar macrophages to confirm the results. Unselected BAL cells from sarcoidosis subjects co-cultured with MSCs showed a reduction in TNF-α (pro-inflammatory M1) and an increase in IL-10 (anti-inflammatory M2) in 9 of 11 samples studied. Control subject samples showed few, if any, differences in cytokine production. Unselected BAL cells from two additional patients analyzed by flow cytometry confirmed a switch towards an anti-inflammatory state (i.e., M1 to M2) after co-culture with MSCs. These results suggest that, similarly to other macrophages, alveolar macrophages also respond to MSC contacts by changing towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Based on our results, we hypothesize that mesenchymal stromal cells applied to the airways might alleviate lung inflammation and decrease steroid need in patients with sarcoidosis.

Genetic variants in genes acting during the maturation process of immature B-cell to differentiated plasma cell could influence the risk of developing multiple myeloma (MM). During B-cell maturation, several programmed genetic rearrangements occur to increase the variation of the immunoglobulin chains. Class switch recombination (CSR) is one of the most important among these mechanisms. Germline polymorphisms altering even subtly this process could play a role in the etiology and outcome of MM. We performed an association study of 30 genetic variants in the key CSR genes, using 2632 MM patients and 2848 controls from the International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch (IMMEnSE) consortium, the Heidelberg MM Group and the ESTHER cohort. We found an association between LIG4 -rs1555902 and decreased MM risk, which approached statistical significance, as well as significant associations between AICDA- rs3794318 and better outcome. Our results add to our knowledge on the genetic component of MM risk and survival.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic progenitor cells and the most common malignant myeloid disorder in adults. Several gene mutations such as in NPM1 (nucleophosmin 1) are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of AML. The aim of this study was to identify genes whose expression is associated with driver mutations and survival outcome. Genotype data (somatic mutations) and gene expression data including RNA-seq, microarray, and qPCR data were used for the analysis. Multiple datasets were utilized as training sets (GSE6891, TCGA, and GSE1159). A new clinical sample cohort (Semmelweis set) was established for in vitro validation. Wilcoxon analysis was used to identify genes with expression alterations between the mutant and wild type samples. Cox regression analysis was performed to examine the association between gene expression and survival outcome. Data analysis was performed in the R statistical environment. Eighty-five genes were identified with significantly altered expression when comparing NPM1 mutant and wild type patient groups in the GSE6891 set. Additional training sets were used as a filter to condense the six most significant genes associated with NPM1 mutations. Then, the expression changes of these six genes were confirmed in the Semmelweis set: HOXA5 ( P  = 3.06E-12, FC = 8.3), HOXA10 ( P  = 2.44E-09, FC = 3.3), HOXB5 ( P  = 1.86E-13, FC = 37), MEIS1 ( P  = 9.82E-10, FC = 4.4), PBX3 ( P  = 1.03E-13, FC = 5.4) and ITM2A ( P  = 0.004, FC = 0.4). Cox regression analysis showed that higher expression of these genes - with the exception of ITM2A - was associated with worse overall survival. Higher expression of the HOX genes was identified in tumors harboring NPM1 gene mutations by computationally linking genotype and gene expression. In vitro validation of these genes supports their potential therapeutic application in AML.

Central nervous system involvement is a rare complication of multiple myeloma with extremely poor prognosis as it usually fails to respond to therapy. We present 13 cases diagnosed at two centers in Budapest and review the current literature. The majority of our cases presented with high-risk features initially; two had plasma cell leukemia. Repeated genetic tests showed clonal evolution in 3 cases. Treatments varied according to the era, and efficacy was poor as generally reported in the literature. Only one patient is currently alive, with 3-month follow-up, and the patient responded to daratumumab-based treatment. Recent case reports show promising effectivity of pomalidomide and marizomib.

Authors report on a case of a male patient of systemic mastocytosis that was associated with extensive cutaneous lesions. Chronic diarrhoea worsening his quality of life was well managed by the administration of antihistamines. The pleural fluid recurrence soon after drainage has been controlled by the administration of alpha interferon. 40 years after the onset of the first skin signs progression has been manifested in the development of "B" (bone marrow infiltration rate >30%, dysmyelopoiesis, serum tryptase >20 μg/L, hepato- and splenomegaly) and "C" symptoms (liver function test abnormalities, cytopenia, malabsorption, osteoporosis). The patient died at age of 87. The authors' aim was to attract attention on this rare disease and emphasize that symptomatic therapy with antihistamines and drugs available based on customised rights by the National Health Insurance Fund might provide good quality of life. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(5): 192-196.

Background: Proteasome subunit beta type 1 (PSMB1) rs12717 polymorphism, a single nucleotide polymorphism with unknown functional effect, was recently reported to influence response to bortezomib-based therapy in follicular lymphoma., Patients and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the prognostic impact of this polymorphism in 211 consecutively diagnosed multiple myeloma cases, and performed in vitro experiments to look into its functional consequences., Results: On univariate analysis, patients carrying the variant G allele showed significantly shorter progression-free survival (PFS) with a pattern suggestive of a gene-dose effect (PFS 26.4, 22.3, and 16.4 months in C/C, C/G, and G/G patients, respectively, P = .002). On multivariate analysis, carrying the G/G genotype was a significant independent risk factor for relapse (hazard ratio [HR] 2.29, P < .001) with a similar trend in C/G carriers (HR 1.33, P = .097) when compared with the major allele carrier C/C cohort. Our subsequent in vitro analyses demonstrated significantly reduced protease activity in proteasomes of individuals with G/G genotype compared with that of C/C carriers, despite that PSMB1 expression and proteasome assembly remained unaltered. Bortezomib exhibited a lower inhibitory capacity on the caspase- and trypsin-like activity of proteasomes from G/G individuals., Conclusion: Our results show that carriership of PSMB1 rs12717 minor allele is predictive for suboptimal response with bortezomib treatment, which could be explained by less active proteasomes that are less sensitive to bortezomib, and myeloma cells consequently relying on other escape mechanisms to cope with the abundance of misfolded proteins., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a high-grade lymphoproliferative disease, is the most common lymphoma in adults, representing 31% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). In elderly patients treatment is problematic because of the high toxicity of standard chemotherapy protocols, especially in relapsed cases, where high-dose chemotherapy and haematopoietic stem cell transplantation would be the best choice. More and more data is becoming available on alternative treatment of refractory/relapsed NHL, including studies on the positive effect of thalidomide and second generation IMiDs in DLBCL, which are already part of the standard treatment protocol in myeloma multiplex and myelodysplasia. The broadening use of IMiDs is due to their anti-angiogenetic, immunmodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, a component of the E3-ubiquitin ligase complex, named cereblon, has been described in 2010 as the molecular effector of the thalidomide signal transduction pathway. We initiated thalidomide treatment in three elderly patients with relapsed DLBCL. In two cases, patients had CNS involvement, in the third case the patient had primary mediastinal disease. Patients received 100 mg thalidomide in combination with corticosteroids. Two patients showed an excellent response reaching complete remission on imaging; these patients are progression-free 12 and 20 months after the beginning of treatment. One patient with CNS involvement progressed and deceased despite therapy. According to the literature, IMiDs have significant activity in relapsed DLBCL. Our case-report presents promising results in an elderly patient population with aggressive relapsed NHL that usually has very poor outcome, as high-toxicity treatment cannot be given to these patients. Consequently, because of its efficiency, low-cost and low-toxicity, it is recommended to consider thalidomide therapy in elderly patients with high-grade DLBCL. Orv Hetil. 2017; 158(41): 1642-1648.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a malignancy of plasma cells usually infiltrating the bone marrow, associated with the production of a monoclonal immunoglobulin (M protein) which can be detected in the blood and/or urine. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that genetic factors are involved in MM pathogenesis, and several studies have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with the susceptibility to the disease. SNPs within miRNA-binding sites in target genes (miRSNPs) may alter the strength of miRNA-mRNA interactions, thus deregulating protein expression. MiRSNPs are known to be associated with risk of various types of cancer, but they have never been investigated in MM. We performed an in silico genome-wide search for miRSNPs predicted to alter binding of miRNAs to their target sequences. We selected 12 miRSNPs and tested their association with MM risk. Our study population consisted of 1,832 controls and 2,894 MM cases recruited from seven European countries and Israel in the context of the IMMEnSE (International Multiple Myeloma rESEarch) consortium. In this population two SNPs showed an association with p < 0.05: rs286595 (located in gene MRLP22) and rs14191881 (located in gene TCF19). Results from IMMEnSE were meta-analyzed with data from a previously published genome-wide association study (GWAS). The SNPs rs13409 (located in the 3'UTR of the POU5F1 gene), rs1419881 (TCF19), rs1049633, rs1049623 (both in DDR1) showed significant associations with MM risk. In conclusion, we sought to identify genetic polymorphisms associated with MM risk starting from genome-wide prediction of miRSNPs. For some mirSNPs, we have shown promising associations with MM risk., (© 2016 UICC.)

Purpose. Dysfunction of matriptase-2 can be involved in iron regulatory disorder via downregulation of hepcidin expression. In the present study, we investigated the effects of 3-amidinophenylalanine-derived matriptase inhibitors on porcine hepatic inflammatory cell models. Methods. Hepatocyte-Kupffer cell cocultures (ratio of 2 : 1 and 6 : 1) were treated with four structurally related matriptase inhibitors at 50 μM. Cell cytotoxicity and relative expressions of IL-6 and IL-8 and the levels of hepcidin were determined by MTS and porcine-specific ELISA. The extracellular H2O2 contents were analyzed by Amplex Red method. Results. Matriptase inhibitors at 50 µM for 24 h did not increase cell death rate. The elevated ROS production observed after short-term application of inhibitor MI-441 could be correlated with lowered hepcidin expression. MI-460 could significantly enhance hepcidin levels in the supernatants of cocultures (by 62.21 ± 26.8% in hepatocyte-Kupffer cell, 2 : 1, and by 42.6 ± 14.3% in hepatocyte-Kupffer cell, 6 : 1, cocultures, resp.). No significant changes were found in IL-6 and IL-8 levels in cocultures exposed to matriptase inhibitors. Conclusions. Based on in vitro findings, administration of MI-460 via modulation of hepcidin expression without cytotoxic and oxidative stress inducing properties might be a reliable alternative to treat iron overload in human and veterinary clinical practice.

Background: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the mainstay of 1st-line treatment in younger patients with multiple myeloma (MM), but statistical confirmation of its superiority over other therapies, especially in the era of novel agents, is still lacking., Methods: We reviewed the results of all 548 myeloma ASCTs performed in our institute over the past 18 years., Results: More than one-half of the patients had access to novel agents before their transplantations. Although the age of the transplanted patients increased significantly over the years, treatment-related mortality (TRM) was remarkably low, especially in 1st-line transplanted patients (100-day TRM, 0.3%). The median overall survival (OS) of the entire cohort was 98.4 months. Patients transplanted within 12 months from the start of their therapy had significantly better responses than those having delayed ASCT (complete response rate, 58.1% vs 46.8%; P = .016) and significant post-ASCT progression-free survival (PFS) benefit (30.2 [26.1-34.3] mo vs 23.3 [16.8-29.8] mo; P = .036), but we found no significant overall survival difference. The results were similar in patients treated with or without novel agents before ASCT. During a period of time, interferon maintenance was our standard approach to post-ASCT maintenance. Our analysis showed not only a significant PFS advantage with interferon, but also a highly significant overall survival benefit (150.4 [105.1-195.8] mo vs 86.1 [72.5-99.7] mo; P = .003)., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that delayed ASCT can be feasible in selected patients., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) often transform into acute leukemia (AL-MDS), although its prognostic details have not been examined thoroughly. We retrospectively analyzed the prognosis of 189 AL-MDS patients. Ninety-four patients received best supportive care (BSC), and 94 patients received disease-modifying therapies (DMT) that included chemotherapy (CHT) for 65 patients, allogeneic stem-cell transplantation (allo-SCT) for 21 patients, and other therapies for 8 patients. The median survival time was 142 days. In patients treated with BSC, platelet count alone was an independent prognostic factor. In younger patients treated with DMT (<60 years, N=25), allo-SCT was an independent prognostic factor associated with longer survival. In older patients treated with DMT (≥60 years, N=69), the therapy type did not affect survival, and performance status and MDS-specific comorbidity index were independent prognostic factors., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)