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Summary: Juvenile myelomonocytic leukaemia (JMML) is a rare myeloproliferative neoplasm requiring haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for potential cure. Relapse poses a significant obstacle to JMML HSCT treatment, as the lack of effective minimal residual disease (MRD)‐monitoring methods leads to delayed interventions. This retrospective study utilized the droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) technique, a highly sensitive nucleic acid detection and quantification technique, to monitor MRD in 32 JMML patients. The results demonstrated that ddPCR detected relapse manifestations earlier than traditional methods and uncovered molecular insights into JMML MRD dynamics. The findings emphasized a critical 1‐ to 3‐month window post‐HSCT for detecting molecular relapse, with 66.7% (8/12) of relapses occurring within this period. Slow MRD clearance post‐HSCT was observed, as 65% (13/20) of non‐relapse patients took over 6 months to achieve ddPCR‐MRD negativity. Furthermore, bone marrow ddPCR‐MRD levels at 1‐month post‐HSCT proved to be prognostically significant. Relapsed patients exhibited significantly elevated ddPCR‐MRD levels at this time point (p = 0.026), with a cut‐off of 0.465% effectively stratifying overall survival (p = 0.007), event‐free survival (p = 0.035) and cumulative incidence of relapse (p = 0.035). In conclusion, this study underscored ddPCR's superiority in JMML MRD monitoring post‐HSCT. It provided valuable insights into JMML MRD dynamics, offering guidance for the effective management of JMML. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are many studies about the prognosis and possible predictive factors of mortality for pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients requiring pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) treatment, but the related study in China is lacking. This study investigates the data of these special patients in our center.Methods: This retrospective analysis is based on data from bone marrow center and PICU of our hospital. A total of 302 patients received allogeneic HSCT from January 2000 to December 2012, 29 of them were admitted to PICU because of various complications developed after transplantation. We collected the clinical data, identified the reasons why the patients to PICU, analyzed the mortality of these patients in PICU, and the prognostic factors of these patients.Results: The main reasons for admission were: respiratory failure (62.07 %), neurological abnormities (13.79 %), renal failure (13.79 %) and others (10.35 %). Twenty-one cases (72.41 %) died. Compared with survivors, the deaths cases had lower pediatric critical illness score (77 vs. 88, p = 0.004); higher levels of lactic acid and serum urea nitrogen (4.02 vs. 1.19 mmol/L, P = 0.008;11.56 vs. 7.13 m moll /L, P = 0.045); more organs damaged (2.05 vs. 1.38, P = 0.01), and required more supportive treatments (1.52 vs. 0.63, P = 0.02). Univariate analysis identified pediatric critical illness score, use of mechanical ventilation, and the number of supportive treatment as the significant predictors to prognosis. Multivariate analysis by regression showed that pediatric critical illness score was the only independent prognostic factor (P = 0.035).Conclusions: In our study, pediatric allogeneic HSCT recipients who had PICU care had a high rate of mortality. Pediatric critical illness score was the independent prognostic factor for these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To explore the long-term efficacy of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) in patients with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS), which has rarely been reported in China., Methods: A 18-month-old boy and a 23-month-old girl undergoing alloHSCT for MPS VI and MPS IH Shanghai Children's Medical Center on March 30, 2006 and September 6, 2006 were selected as the study subjects. A busulfan-based myeloablative regimen was used as the conditioning regimen. Peripheral stem cells were respectively collected from a human leucocyte antigen (HLA) matched sibling carrier donor and a HLA 9/10 matched unrelated donor. Both patients were followed up for more than 15 years. The functions of internal organs before and after the transplantation were compared, and child 1 was also compared with his untreated brother and healthy brother., Results: Both children have achieved full donor chimerism after the transplantation, and their enzymatic activities have remained stable. The enzymatic activity of the child 1 was slightly lower than normal but similar to that of his carrier donor, whilst that of the child 2 was normal. Both children have attended schools with good academic performance. Compared with his untreated brother, the respiratory function and hearing of child 1 have significantly improved. However, his orthopedic and cardiac disorders have still remained and required medical intervention. For child 2, her obstructive pulmonary disease was resolved and cognitive development was well preserved after the HSCT. Her heart disease has become stabilized and even improved with time, though her corneal clouding and skeletal malformation still required surgery., Conclusion: MPS patients can sustain long-term and stable enzymatic activities after successful alloHSCT. Compared with untreated patients, their health can be significantly improved, along with considerably prolonged survival, though the long-term efficacy of HSCT for different organs may vary to a certain extent.

Objective: To enrich our national database with data of rare diseases by analyzing molecular diagnosis and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in children with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes (IBMFS)., Method: Next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based genetic diagnosis panel was applied for the clinical diagnosis and management of IBMFS. Retrospective analysis was performed on clinical and genetic data of 17 consecutive children who received HSCT over a long time interval (November. 2005-June 2015)., Result: Three patients were diagnosed only by clinical manifestation before 2012. After that NGS-based genetic diagnosis panel was used to identify IBMFS-related genes in 12/14.IBMFS patients (except two Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) patients). Two Fanconi anemia (FA) patients were confirmed to be new variations through family-genotype-analysis and 3 families accepted prenatal diagnosis to avoid birth of affected fetuses. Seventeen IBMFS patients (10 FA,5 DBA and 2 dyskeratosis congenital (DKC)) were treated with HSCT from matched sibling donors (n=2), matched unrelated donors (n=8) or mismatched unrelated donors (n=7). The source of stem cells for transplantation included peripheral blood (n=12) and cord blood (n=5). With regard to the conditioning regimens, FA and DKC patients received fludarabine-based reduced intensity conditioning, while DBA patients received classical busulfan-based myeloablative conditioning. Median age at the time of HSCT was 36 months (7-156 months). The number of infused mononuclear cells and CD34⁺ cells was (10.6 ± 6.7) × 10⁸ and (5.9 ± 7.0) × 10⁶ per kilogram of recipient body weight, respectively. The median number of days to neutrophil recovery was 13 days after HSCT (range: 10-19 days). Platelet recovery was faster in the PBSCT group than in the CBT group ((16.3 ± 6.0) days vs. (30.0 ± 17.1) days,t=-2.487,P=0.026). During a median follow-up of 17 months (range: 2-114 months), except one FA patient who was transplanted with HLA-matched unrelated cord blood (CB) died from pneumonia and heart failure because of engraftment failure, other 16 children are alive after the successful HSCT. The failure-free survival rate of the patients three years after HSCT was 94%., Conclusion: NGS-based molecular diagnosis technology and effective HSCT have significantly facilitated the treatment of children with IBMFS in our country, and our national database about this rare disease is to be further exploited.

Objective: To evaluate the long-term outcomes of childhood stage 4 neuroblastoma (NB) and its correlative prognostic factors., Methods: Comprehensive protocols including tumor resection, intensive chemotherapy, radiotherapy, autologous bone marrow transplantation and 13-cis-retinoid were designed and implemented. A total of 112 newly diagnosed NB stage 4 patients at Shanghai Children's Medical Center collected from June 1998 to December 2010 were treated. Their clinical features, therapeutic efficacies, long-term outcomes and prognostic factors were analyzed., Results: There were 69 males and 43 females with an age range of 4 months to 15 years. Among them, 12 improving patients didn't complete treatment because of parental decisions. Among those completing the comprehensive protocols, 62 cases (62.0%) achieved very good partial remission (VGPR), 20 (20.0%) achieved partial remission (PR) while another 18 (18.0%) progressed during treatment. The efficiency rate (including VGPR+PR) of treatment was 82.0 % (n = 82). The median follow-up period was 78 (56, 120) months. And 13 cases were lost after a median follow-up of 16 months. The 2, 3, 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 56.2% (59/105) , 40.8% (40/98) and 21.1% (19/90) respectively. Age (>18 months), poor curative effect (achieving no VGPR at the end of treatment), elevated level of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (> 5 times normal value), bone marrow involvement and brain metastasis were poor prognostic factors (χ(2) = 12.01, 13.66, 6.29, 5.44, 16.18, all P < 0.05) . According to the multivariate estimates of hazards, age, high levels of LDH, poor curative effect and brain metastasis were associated with a worse survival (OR = 3.54, 1.89, 3.08, 3.45, all P < 0.05) . Brain metastasis predicted a worse outcome with 100% mortality rate (n = 6). Compared to traditional chemotherapy, topotecan-based chemotherapy could not improved the efficiency (52.6% (10/19) vs 63.2% (36/57) , P > 0.05) and long-term outcome (2 ys-EFS 42.1% (8/19) vs 56.4% (31/55) , P > 0.05)., Conclusions: The prognosis remains poor for neuroblastoma of stage 4. Age (>18 months), poor curative effect (achieving no VGPR at the end of treatment), elevated LDH level (>5 times normal value) and bone marrow infiltration are associated with worse prognosis. Brain metastasis predicts the worst with 100% death rate. Topotecan included chemotherapy can not be proved more effective in this study.

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, progresses rapidly and is typically fatal within weeks or months if left untreated. Asparaginases are a class of enzymatic anti-leukemia agents that induce apoptosis in leukemia cell lines; however, the role of L-asparaginase in the induction of apoptosis in AML cells has not been investigated. In this study, we investigated the apoptosis-inducing effect of L-asparaginase and its underlying mechanism in AML U937 cells. The results showed that L-asparaginase significantly inhibited the proliferation of U937 cells by inducing apoptosis. Furthermore, the low baseline expression level of asparaginase synthase (ASNS) demonstrated the sensitivity of U937 cells and AML M5, a rare subtype of AML, to L-asparaginase. Apoptosis induced by L-asparaginase is mediated by apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). Our findings show the potential of L-asparaginase as an effective approach in treating AML via the induction of apoptosis mediated by AIF.

Objective: Mucopolysaccharidosis(MPS) is a congenital hereditary disease. Only a few patients with this disease can be controlled by enzyme replacement therapy. Most of them are short of effective interference. To exploit the effect of treatment with allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, two children were treated with the transplantation., Methods: The two patients included a 23 month MPS-IH and an 18 month old MPS-VI at the time of transplantation. Busulfan of 20 mg/kg plus 200 mg of Cyclophosphamide were used as the conditioning regimen. Peripheral stem cells were collected from a 9/10 high resolution matched unrelated donor and a matched sibling carrier donor, respectively. The heart and lung were affected in the patient with MPS-IH. Medium obstructed pulmonary impairment was found by pulmonary function test at the time of transplantation. Medium mitral valve countercurrent and patent ductus arteriosis(PDA) were found by Doppla examination., Results: The number of hematopoietic stem cells was comparative between the two donors with total nucleated cells and CD34+ cells of 11 x 10(8)/kg and 17 x 10(8)/kg, and 7.6 x 10(6)/kg and 7.2x 10(6)/kg respectively. Neutrophil engrafted at day 11. The process of transplantation in the MPS-VI patient went smoothly with grade II graft versus host disease(GVHD) briefly and only 1 U RBC and 2 U platelet were transfused. For the MPS-IH patient, the process of transplantation was tough with platelet reaching to 20 x 10(9)/L till day 40 and 5 U RBC and 7 U platelet were transfused during transplantation. Grade III GVHD was resolved by steroid, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and CD25 antibody. Pneumonia recurred 3 times with 2 times rescued by trachea intubation and mechanical ventilation because of accompanying acute heart failure. At day 14 the lymphocytes in both patients were 100% from donors as evidenced by short tandem repeat-PCR(STR-PCR). MPS associated enzyme activity was increased to 70 nmol/h.mg and 66 nmol/h.mg at 3 month and still remained 50.9 nmol/h.mg and 44.5 nmol/h.mg at 2 years post transplantation. Till now the 2 patients have been followed up for 25 months and 28 months with good general condition. The cardiac and pulmonary functions have improved obviously in the MPS-IH patient. The cornea became clear in this patient., Conclusion: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is an effective measure to treat patient with MPS-IH and MPS-VI. Transplantation at earlier stage of age can decrease transplant related complications. It requires longer time follow up for observing the clinical effects for these patients.