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The eight papers in this special issue are devoted to the topic of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and applications for its use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: We tested whether blinatumomab (Blina) is effective as a toxicity-sparing alternative to first-line intensive chemotherapy in children and young persons (CYP) with B-ALL who were chemotherapy-intolerant or chemotherapy-resistant., Methods: Data were collected for consecutive CYP (age 1-24 years) with Philadelphia chromosome-positive or Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-ALL who received Blina as first-line therapy. Blina was given as replacement for postremission intensive chemotherapy to patients with chemotherapy intolerance or resistance. Blina responders received further chemotherapy (Blin-CT) or first remission hematopoietic stem-cell transplant (Blin-HSCT) if indicated. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) of the Blin-CT group were compared with those of matched controls treated with standard chemotherapy in the UKALL 2003 trial. Events were defined as death, relapse, or secondary cancer., Results: From February 2018 to February 2023, 105 patients were treated, of whom 85 were in the Blin-CT group and 20 were in the Blin-HSCT group. A majority of Blin-CT patients received Blina for chemotherapy intolerance (70 of 85, 82%), and the group had a higher-risk profile than unselected patients with B-ALL. Blina was well tolerated with only one patient having a grade 3/4-related toxicity event, and of the 60 patients who were minimal residual disease-positive pre-Blina, 58 of 60 (97%) responded. At a median follow-up of 22 months, the 2-year outcomes of the 80 matched Blin-CT group patients were similar to those of 192 controls (EFS, 95% [95% CI, 85 to 98] v 90% [95% CI, 65 to 93] and OS, 97% [95% CI, 86 to 99] v 94% [95% CI, 89 to 96]). Of the 20 in the HSCT group, three died because of transplant complications and two relapsed., Conclusion: Blina is safe and effective in first-line treatment of chemotherapy-intolerant CYP with ALL.

ALK-positive histiocytosis is a rare subtype of histiocytic neoplasm first described in 2008 in 3 infants with multisystemic disease involving the liver and hematopoietic system. This entity has subsequently been documented in case reports and series to occupy a wider clinicopathologic spectrum with recurrent KIF5B-ALK fusions. The full clinicopathologic and molecular spectra of ALK-positive histiocytosis remain, however, poorly characterized. Here, we describe the largest study of ALK-positive histiocytosis to date, with detailed clinicopathologic data of 39 cases, including 37 cases with confirmed ALK rearrangements. The clinical spectrum comprised distinct clinical phenotypic groups: infants with multisystemic disease with liver and hematopoietic involvement, as originally described (Group 1A: 6/39), other patients with multisystemic disease (Group 1B: 10/39), and patients with single-system disease (Group 2: 23/39). Nineteen patients of the entire cohort (49%) had neurologic involvement (7 and 12 from Groups 1B and 2, respectively). Histology included classic xanthogranuloma features in almost one-third of cases, whereas the majority displayed a more densely cellular, monomorphic appearance without lipidized histiocytes but sometimes more spindled or epithelioid morphology. Neoplastic histiocytes were positive for macrophage markers and often conferred strong expression of phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase, confirming MAPK pathway activation. KIF5B-ALK fusions were detected in 27 patients, whereas CLTC-ALK, TPM3-ALK, TFG-ALK, EML4-ALK, and DCTN1-ALK fusions were identified in single cases. Robust and durable responses were observed in 11/11 patients treated with ALK inhibition, 10 with neurologic involvement. This study presents the existing clinicopathologic and molecular landscape of ALK-positive histiocytosis and provides guidance for the clinical management of this emerging histiocytic entity., (© 2022 by The American Society of Hematology.)

Present study was designed to evaluate the effects of coffee on liver function tests and liver antioxidant enzymes in thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis in rats. Experimental study period was consisted of eighteen weeks divided into two phases. Therefore 24 rats were distributed randomly into four groups (n=6). Group I served as control. In phase I, group II and III received thioacetamide (200mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally twice a week) and group IV received saline for 12 weeks. In phase II, group II received saline while group III and IV received an oral dose of coffee (0.4mg/Kg b.w) daily for 6 weeks. At the end of the study period rats were sacrificed and blood was collected to get serum and liver was homogenized for the determination of antioxidant enzymes. Marked increase in serum total and direct bilirubin, ALT, AST whereas reduced ALP was observed in test group. The reduced tissue SOD activity and increased tissue catalase and tissue MDA activity were also observed in test group. However, coffee consumption in group III in phase II significantly restored liver biomarkers and the tissue antioxidant enzymes SOD, catalase and MDA activities. In conclusion, thioacetamide induced liver cirrhosis can be prevented by coffee supplementation.

A simple and cost effective RPLC-UV bio-analytical method was developed and used for tenoxicam quantification on ODS Hypersil C-18 column using classical liquid-liquid extraction technique for sample preparation. Acetonitrile was used as precipitating agent for plasma proteins and supernatant was taken for injection without any further modification. The bio-analytical method depends upon isocratic elution using binary mixture of aqueous 0.1 M potassium dihydrogen phosphate and acetonitrile in 6 : 4 ratio. The pH of mobile phase was adjusted to 2.8 which favor tenoxicam to remain undissociated throughout the analysis. The optimized flow rate of 1.0 mL/min provided proper separation of peaks and column clean up within 5 min. The UV detection was achieved at 381 nm and 4.29 min. Reproducible calibration curve gave 0.325 μg/mL LOQ, linear dynamic range from 0.325 to 20 μg/mL and recovery from plasma was 98.5% with %CV 0.2314 achieved. After validation, the method was applied in pharmacokinetic study in healthy human volunteers (n = 8). The pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated using kinetica version 4.1.1. The values of C. and area under curve for current study were 1.776 ± 0.003 pg/mL and 179.97 ± 0.0681 (mean ± SEM) pg x h/mL. The values of t, and volume of distribution for tenoxicam in current study were 74.103 0.167 h (mean ± SEM) and 11.962 ± 0.0677 L/kg (mean ± SEM), respectively. This method was simple, sensitive and successfully applied in pharmacokinetic studies. It can be extended to bioequivalence studies and evaluation of tenoxicam in different clinical situations.

A series of fourteen (A1-A14) new qunioline based chalcones were synthesized by condensing 2,7-dichloro-8-methyl-3-formyl quinoline with acetophenone and acetylthiophenes, and subsequently characterized by IR, NMR and Mass spectroscopy. All the compounds were screened for antibacterial activities and found potentially active antibacterial agents. Bioassay, theoretical and dockings studies with DNA gyrase (the enzyme required for super coiling of DNA of bacteria) results showed that the type and positions of the substituents seemed to be critical for their antibacterial activities. The bromo and chloro substituted chalcone displayed high anti-bacterial activity. The A4 and A6 showed high interaction with DNA gyrase, contributing high free binding energy (ΔG -8.18 and -8.88 kcal)., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

For centuries microbial biotransformation has proved to be an imperative tool in alleviating the production of various chemicals used in food, pharmaceutical, agrochemical and other industries. In the field of phar- maceutical research and development, biotransformation studies have been extensively applied to investigate the metabolism of compounds (leads, lead candidates, etc.) using animal models. The microbial biotransfor- mation phenomenon is then commonly employed in comparing metabolic pathways of drugs and scaling up the metabolites of interest discovered in these animal models for further pharmacological and toxicological evaluation. Microorganisms can conveniently afford drugs difficult obtained via synthesis. The plethora of reported microbial biotransformations along with its added benefits has already invoked further research in bioconversion of novel and structurally complex drugs. This review alternatively discusses the prospect of microbial biotransformation studies as a significant element ameliorating drug discovery and design in terms of cost-effectiveness, environment protection and greater structural diversity as compared to animal models used to study metabolism. To explicate the microbial biotransformation paradigm in drug designing 3 main areas in this aspect have been analyzed: 1--lead expansion: obtaining pharmacologically improved metabo- lites from bioactive molecules; 2--biosynthesis of precursors/intermediates involved in the production of bioactive molecules; 3--resolution of racemic mixture to obtain enantiomers possessing different pharma- cological profiles.

Fragmentation of nortricyclyloxychlorocarbene 5 in pentane occurs by an S(N)i-like process which yields nortricyclyl chloride 3g. In more polar solvents, fragmentation leads to nortricyclyl cation chloride anion pairs (9) that give mainly 3g, accompanied by approximately 10% of exo-2-norbornenyl chloride 4g. From exo-2-norbornenyloxychlorocarbene 6 in hydrocarbon solvents, "S(N)i" reactions lead mainly to exo- (4g) and endo-2-chloro-5-norbornenes (4g'). Leakage to ion pairs adds approximately 16% of nortricyclyl chloride 3g. In more polar solvents, the main product remains chloride 4g, but increasing quantities of 3g appear due to enhanced participation of ion pairs. Fragmentations of 5 and 6 in MeOH afford chlorides 3g and 4g as well as the corresponding methyl ethers 3b and 4b. Nortricyclyl cation and norbornenyl cation chloride anion pairs and methanol-solvated nortricyclyl cations are invoked to rationalize the results.