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Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) from a haploidentical (haplo) donor has emerged as a suitable alternative in the absence of a matched donor. However, haplo-HCT patients have a higher risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Hence, bone marrow (BM) stem cell source and post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy) have been routinely used to help mitigate this. Due to ease of collection, peripheral blood (PB) stem cells are increasingly being considered for haplo-HCT. We retrospectively analyzed 74 patients (42 BM and 32 PB) who underwent haplo-HCT at Ohio State University from 2009 to 2018. Median age at transplant was 60 years (yrs) for BM and 54 yrs for PB, (p = 0.45). There was no difference in OS (p = 0.13) and NRM (p = 0.75) as well as PFS (p = 0.10) or GRFS (p = 0.90) between the groups. The BM cohort showed a 3-year OS rate of 63% (95% confidence interval (CI): 46–76), and 3-year PFS of 49% (95% CI: 33–63). For the PB group, 3-year OS and PFS were 78% (95% CI: 59–89) and 68% (95% CI: 49–82), respectively. There were no differences in the incidence of acute GVHD (grade II-IV) (p = 0.31) and chronic GVHD (p = 0.18). Patients receiving BM had a significantly higher risk for relapse with relapse rates by 2 years at 36% (95% CI: 22–50) vs. 16% (95% CI: 6–31) for PB (p = 0.03). The findings from this study suggest that PB is an excellent alternative to BM for haplo-HCT.

BackgroundOver 3,000 species of octocorals (Cnidaria, Anthozoa) inhabit an expansive range of environments, from shallow tropical seas to the deep-ocean floor. They are important foundation species that create coral “forests” which provide unique niches and three-dimensional living space for other organisms. The octocoral genusRenillainhabits sandy, continental shelves in the subtropical and tropical Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans.Renillais especially interesting because it produces secondary metabolites for defense, exhibits bioluminescence, and produces a luciferase that is widely used in dual-reporter assays in molecular biology. Although several cnidarian genomes are currently available, the majority are from hexacorals. Here, we present ade novoassembly of theR. muellerigenome, making this the first complete draft genome from an octocoral.FindingsWe generated a hybridde novoassembly using the Maryland Super-Read Celera Assembler v.3.2.6 (MaSuRCA). The final assembly included 4,825 scaffolds and a haploid genome size of 172 Mb. A BUSCO assessment found 88% of metazoan orthologs present in the genome. An Augustusab initiogene prediction found 23,660 genes, of which 66% (15,635) had detectable similarity to annotated genes from the starlet sea anemone,Nematostella vectensis,or to the Uniprot database. Although theR. muellerigenome is smaller (172 Mb) than other publicly available, hexacoral genomes (256-448 Mb), theR. muellerigenome is similar to the hexacoral genomes in terms of the number of complete metazoan BUSCOs and predicted gene models.ConclusionsTheR. muellerihybrid genome provides a novel resource for researchers to investigate the evolution of genes and gene families within Octocorallia and more widely across Anthozoa. It will be a key resource for future comparative genomics with other corals and for understanding the genomic basis of coral diversity.

Targeting ligands facilitate cell specific drug delivery and improve pharmaceutical properties. Herein, we designed two ligand drug conjugates by conjugating GlcNAc (N-acetylglucosamine) with atorvastatin. These two conjugates, termed G-AT and G-K-AT, exhibited enhanced water solubility and cellular uptake. Moreover, both G-AT and G-K-AT were able to release atorvastatin and consequently achieve significant inhibition against 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase.