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Despite its often low efficacy and high toxicity, the standard treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is induction chemotherapy with cytarabine and idarubicin. Here, we have investigated the role of transporters and drug-metabolizing enzymes in this poor outcome. The expression levels (RT-qPCR) of potentially responsible genes in blasts collected at diagnosis were related to the subsequent response to two-cycle induction chemotherapy. The high expression of uptake carriers (ENT2), export ATP-binding cassette (ABC) pumps (MDR1), and enzymes (DCK, 5-NT, and CDA) in the blasts was associated with a lower response. Moreover, the sensitivity to cytarabine in AML cell lines was associated with ENT2 expression, whereas the expression of ABC pumps and enzymes was reduced. No ability of any AML cell line to export idarubicin through the ABC pumps, MDR1 and MRP, was found. The exposure of AML cells to cytarabine or idarubicin upregulated the detoxifying enzymes (5-NT and DCK). In AML patients, 5-NT and DCK expression was associated with the lack of response to induction chemotherapy (high sensitivity and specificity). In conclusion, in the blasts of AML patients, the reduction of the intracellular concentration of the active metabolite of cytarabine, mainly due to the increased expression of inactivating enzymes, can determine the response to induction chemotherapy.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in the Western world. Studies of CLL antibody reactivity have shown differential targets to autoantigens and antimicrobial molecular motifs that support the current hypothesis of CLL pathogenesis. Methods: In this study, we conducted a quantitative serum analysis of 7 immunoglobulins in CLL and monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL) patients (bead-suspension protein arrays) and a serological profile (IgG and IgM) study of autoantibodies and antimicrobial antigens (protein microarrays). Results: Significant differences in the IgA levels were observed according to disease progression and evolution as well as significant alterations in IgG1 according to IGHV mutational status. More representative IgG autoantibodies in the cohort were against nonmutagenic proteins and IgM autoantibodies were against vesicle proteins. Antimicrobial IgG and IgM were detected against microbes associated with respiratory tract infections. Conclusions: Quantitative differences in immunoglobulin serum levels could be potential biomarkers for disease progression. In the top 5 tumoral antigens, we detected autoantibodies (IgM and IgG) against proteins related to cell homeostasis and metabolism in the studied cohort. The top 5 microbial antigens were associated with respiratory and gastrointestinal infections; moreover, the subsets with better prognostics were characterized by a reactivation of Cytomegalovirus. The viral humoral response could be a potential prognosis biomarker for disease progression.

In the future, rapid electrical characterization of cells with impedance flow cytometry promises to be a fast and accurate method for the evaluation of cell properties. In this paper, we investigate how the conductivity of the suspending medium along with the heat exposure time affects the viability classification of heat-treated E. coli. Using a theoretical model, we show that perforation of the bacteria membrane during heat exposure changes the impedance of the bacterial cell from effectively less conducting than the suspension medium to effectively more conducting. Consequently, this results in a shift in the differential argument of the complex electrical current that can be measured with impedance flow cytometry. We observe this shift experimentally through measurements on E. coli samples with varying medium conductivity and heat exposure times. We show that increased exposure time and lower medium conductivity results in improved classification between untreated and heat-treated bacteria. The best classification was achieved with a medium conductivity of 0.045 S/m after 30 min of heat exposure.

© 2020 by the authors., ZrO2 (3Y-TZP) matrix composites with 30 vol % Zr metallic particles were obtained by spark plasma sintering (SPS) using a colloidal processing method. The microstructure and mechanical properties of this novel ceramic–metal composite have been studied. The fracture toughness of composites is slightly higher than the values corresponding to monolithic zirconia. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations of the crack path show that the major contributions to toughening are the resulting crack blunting and branching that occurs at crack tips in the metallic particles before the onset of crack propagation. Plastic deformation of the metallic particles is strongly influenced by the constraint induced by the different phase arrangements. This system can be considered as a particulate composite with a periodic residual stress field, in which the metal phase is under strong compression due to the residual thermal stresses as a consequence of the coefficient of thermal expansion mismatch. Therefore, the plastic deformation of the metallic particles in this composite is likely to be reduced to a large extent., We would like to thank the Ministry of Science and High education of the Russian Federation for supporting this work under contract No. 074-11-2018-011.

Acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) are currently genomically characterized by karyotype, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), real-time quantitative PCR, and DNA sequencing. Next-generation sequencing offers the promise of detecting all genomic lesions in a single run. However, technical limitations have hampered the detection of chromosomal rearrangements, so most studies are limited to somatic mutation assessment or require the use of RNA-based strategies. To overcome these limitations, we designed a targeted-DNA capture next-generation sequencing approach associated with easy-to-perform public bioinformatic tools for one-step identification of translocations, inversions, and somatic mutations in AML. Thirty well-characterized newly diagnosed myeloid leukemia patients (27 AML and 3 chronic myeloid leukemia) were tested with the panel. Twenty-three of 24 known rearrangements, as well as one novel fusion gene that could not be detected by karyotype/fluorescence in situ hybridization/real-time quantitative PCR, were detected. This strategy also identified all chromosomal breakpoints as potential targets for future high-sensitive minimal residual disease studies. In addition, mutation analysis revealed the presence of missense protein-coding alterations in at least 1 of the 32 genes evaluated in 21 of 30 patients (70%). This strategy may represent a time- and cost-effective diagnostic method for molecular characterization in AML., Supported by the Fundación Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia (FEHH) (M.I.P.-C. and M.G.-A.); the Spanish Association Against Cancer Scientific Foundation (AECC) (M.C.C.); Miguel Servet program CP13/00080 from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spain (M.E.S.); and the “Beca de investigación FEHH-CRIS 2018” (C.J.). Partially supported by ISCIII research grants PI15/01706, CIBERONCCB16/12/00233, and “Una manera de hacer Europa” Innocampus, CEI-2010-1-0010.

Next-Generation Sequencing has recently been introduced to efficiently and simultaneously detect genetic variations in acute myeloid leukemia. However, its implementation in the clinical routine raises new challenges focused on the diversity of assays and variant reporting criteria. To overcome this challenge, the PETHEMA group established a nationwide network of reference laboratories aimed to deliver molecular results in the clinics. We report the technical cross-validation results for next-generation sequencing panel genes during the standardization process and the clinical validation in 823 samples of 751 patients with newly diagnosed or refractory/relapse acute myeloid leukemia. Two cross-validation rounds were performed in seven nationwide reference laboratories in order to reach a consensus regarding quality metrics criteria and variant reporting. In the pre-standardization cross-validation round, an overall concordance of 60.98% was obtained with a great variability in selected genes and conditions across laboratories. After consensus of relevant genes and optimization of quality parameters the overall concordance rose to 85.57% in the second cross-validation round. We show that a diagnostic network with harmonized next-generation sequencing analysis and reporting in seven experienced laboratories is feasible in the context of a scientific group. This cooperative nationwide strategy provides advanced molecular diagnostic for acute myeloid leukemia patients of the PETHEMA group.

The role of decentralized assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) for risk stratification in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains largely unknown, and so it does which methodological aspects are critical to empower the evaluation of MRD with prognostic significance, particularly if using multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC). We analyzed 1076 AML patients in first remission after induction chemotherapy, in whom MRD was evaluated by MFC in local laboratories of 60 Hospitals participating in the PETHEMA registry. We also conducted a survey on technical aspects of MRD testing to determine the impact of methodological heterogeneity in the prognostic value of MFC. Our results confirmed the recommended cutoff of 0.1% to discriminate patients with significantly different cumulative-incidence of relapse (-CIR- HR:0.71, P, This study was supported by the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red – Área de Oncología - del Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERONC; CB16/12/00369, CB16/12/00233, CB16/12/00284 and CB16/12/00400), Instituto de Salud Carlos III/Subdirección General de Investigación Sanitaria (FIS No. PI16/01661, PI16/00517 and PI18/01946), Gerencia Regional de Salud de CyL (GRS 1346/A/16) and the Plan de Investigación de la Universidad de Navarra (PIUNA 2014-18). This study was supported internationally by the Cancer Research UK, FCAECC and AIRC under the Accelerator Award Program EDITOR.

The University Hospital of Salamanca, in Spain, had its first COVID-19 case on March 1st and as of May 11th, we had 1,100 positive cases. Based on the vulnerability of patients with blood cancers, on March 9th, the Hematology Department developed a protocol, amended as the new information was available, to maintain the Hematology Unit as a “free COVID-19 island.” The protocol included symptom-based surveys and screening tests to patients, caregivers, and healthcare personnel to identify early potential positive cases and prevent its spread. Between March 9 and April 28, 32 asymptomatic patients and caregivers were tested and 68 rT-PCR diagnostic assays have been performed with two positive results. A 106 healthcare workers have been tested (208 rT-PCR) and seven of them were positive. In summary, the implementation of preemptive measures after the first case appeared allowed us to be able to provide treatment to our patients.

Recommended genetic categorization of acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) includes a favourable‐risk category, but not all these patients have good prognosis. Here, we used next‐generation sequencing to evaluate the mutational profile of 166 low‐risk AML patients: 30 core‐binding factor (CBF)‐AMLs, 33 nucleophosmin (NPM1)‐AMLs, 4 biCEBPα‐AMLs and 101 acute promyelocytic leukaemias (APLs). Functional categories of mutated genes differed among subgroups. NPM1‐AMLs showed frequent variations in DNA‐methylation genes (DNMT3A, TET2, IDH1/2) (79%), although without prognostic impact. Within this group, splicing‐gene mutations were an independent factor for relapse‐free (RFS) and overall survival (OS). In CBF‐AML, poor independent factors for RFS and OS were mutations in RAS pathway and cohesin genes, respectively. In APL, the mutational profile differed according to the risk groups. High‐risk APLs showed a high mutation rate in cell‐signalling genes (P = 0·002), highlighting an increased incidence of FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) (65%, P < 0·0001). Remarkably, in low‐risk APLs (n = 28), NRAS mutations were strongly correlated with a shorter five‐year RFS (25% vs. 100%, P < 0·0001). Overall, a high number of mutations (≥3) was the worst prognostic factor RFS (HR = 2·6, P = 0·003). These results suggest that gene mutations may identify conventional low‐risk AML patients with poor prognosis and might be useful for better risk stratification and treatment decisions., This work was partially supported by the ‘Instituto de Salud Carlos III’ (ISCIII), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness PI15/01706, PI16/00517, PI18/01946, CIBERONC‐CB16/12/00233 and ‘Una manera de hacer Europa’ (Innocampus; CEI‐2010‐1‐0010). MIPC and MGA are supported by the Fundación Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia (FEHH). MCC has been supported by the Spanish Association Against Cancer Scientific Foundation, (AECC). MES is supported by Miguel Servet programme (CP13/00080) from the ISCIII, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain. CJ is supported by the ‘Beca de investigación FEHH‐CRIS 2018’.

We welcome the opportunity to respond and further clarify our study’s findings. We would also like to thank Dr. Brown and her colleagues at SA Pathology (Adelaide, South Australia) for their intere...

Introduction: The BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (Ven) has been approved on monotherapy or combined with rituximab in relapsed/refractory CLL patients (pts) and combined with obinutuzumab in previously untreated CLL pts. However, evidence from clinical trials can be difficult to generalize to real-world patient populations. The VENARES study assesses the real-world use of Ven following approval to inform of subpopulations underrepresented in clinical trials. Methods: This is Spanish non-interventional retrospective, multicenter post-marketing observational study. The main objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of Ven in adult CLL pts by the overall response rate (ORR) at 9 months (mo) after the first Ven dose administration. Secondary objective was to evaluate the effectiveness for the Ven monotherapy and the Ven combined with rituximab subpopulations. Consecutive adult pts with diagnosis of CLL who have initiated Ven at least 9 mo before the inclusion in the study were included. Data of pts are retrospectively reviewed until the date of last follow-up or death. Results: 125 pts diagnosed with CLL and who met the eligibility criteria were analyzed. The median age was 72 years (67 - 77) with 76.8% being older than 65 years. Most patients were male (68.8%), had a concurrent disease (65.6%). ECOG PS was recorded in 76 pts: 40 pts (32%) had PS 0, 30 pts (24%) PS 1 and 6 pts (4.8%) PS 2. Pts had received a median of 4 prior lines of therapy (range 1-13 lines). At baseline, among the 92 pts with known Binet stage, 31 (33.7%) had stage C and 38 (41.3%) had stage B; bulky nodes ≥ 5 cm were present in 20 of 87 pts; 49 pts (39.2%) had an absolute lymphocyte count ≥ 25 x 10 9/L and 33 of 54 pts (61%) baseline beta-2 microglobulin value above of 3500 ng/mL. In total, 29 of 90 patients (32%) assessed had Cr 17p deletion, 28 of 86 patients (32%) tested had TP53 mutations, and 46 of 56 patients (82%) who were tested had unmutated immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable (IGHV) status. Ven was administered as monotherapy in 71 pts (57.6%), combined with rituximab in 36 pts (28.8%), combined with obinutuzumab in 5 pts (4%) and combined with other drugs in 13 pts (10.4%). 83 of 125 patients included were evaluable for the primary objective of the study: the ORR at 9 mo was 84.3% (70 patients): CR/CRi in 44 (53%) pts, PR/nPR in 26 pts (31.3%), SD in 9 pts (10.8%) and PD in 4 pts (4.8%). By treatment, in the evaluable patients, ORR at 9 months were 79.2% (38 of 48 patients) in the Ven monotherapy group, with 45% of CR/CRi, and 92.3% (24 of 26 patients) in the Ven combined with rituximab, with 61% CR/Cri. The median duration of PFS was not reached at the time of the analysis (1-June-2021). Kaplan-Meier estimates of the probability of PFS at 24 mo was 75.4% (95% CI, 58.2 - 86.3). Disease progression occurred in 21 pts. Assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) was available for 32 patients (25.6%) on the basis of peripheral-blood samples, bone marrow or both. Best undetectable MRD was reached in fourteen patients (43.8%). uMRD was more common in pts treated with Ven combined with R (83.3%, 5 of 6 pts) than in pts treated with Ven monotherapy (33.3%, 7 of 21 pts). Adverse events (AEs) were reported during Ven therapy in all 125 patients, 93 of these pts reported AEs related to Ven. Related to Ven, 67 patients (53.6%) experienced at least one AE: 52 pts (41.6%) had neutropenia being grade 3 and 4 in 22 (42.3%) and 9 (17.3%) pts, respectively. 9 pts (7.2%) had febrile neutropenia. Thrombocytopenia and anemia were less common occurring in 5.6% and 2.4%, respectively. Tumor lysis syndrome (TLS) occurred in 4 of 125 pts during ramp-up (3 laboratory and 1 clinical), 2 of them were related to Ven both lab TLS. None of the pts discontinued therapy due to TLS. Richter transformation was observed in 6 pts (4.8%). Other common AEs was diarrhea (10.4%), but most cases were mild. Conclusions: Our first real-world data show that Ven monotherapy or combined with rituximab is effective in highly pre-treated CLL patients, ORR at 9 mo was 84.3% in all population and PFS estimate at 24 mo was 75.4% with similar outcomes to those in the pivotal clinical trials. The safety profile of Ven was consistent with prior experience of Ven in monotherapy or combined with rituximab and no new safety signals were detected. Disclosures Baltasar: Janssen, Abbvie: Consultancy. Terol: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; BMS: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Hospital Clinico Valencia: Current Employment. Moreno: Janssen, Abbvie: Research Funding; Abbvie, Janssen, AstraZeneca: Speakers Bureau; Abbvie, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Osorio: Janssen, Abbvie, Roche: Consultancy. De la Cruz: Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; EUSA Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; JANSSEN: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa Kirkin: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. de la Serna: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Roche: Speakers Bureau; ABBVIE, ASTRAZENECA,ROCHE: Research Funding; AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Beigene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Jazzpharma, Novartis, Roche: Consultancy. Arguiñano: Takeda, Sanofi, Janssen, BMS-Celgene, Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Takeda, Sanofi, Janssen, BMS-Celgene, Abbvie: Consultancy. Loscertales: Janssen, Abbvie, Roche, Gilead: Speakers Bureau; Janssen, Abbvie, Astra-Zeneca, Beigene, Roche, Gilead: Consultancy. García: Janssen, Roche, Gilead, Celgene: Consultancy; Janssen, AbbVie: Research Funding; Janssen, Roche, Gilead, AbbVie, Celgene: Other: medical meetings funding. Pérez Persona: BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel, Speakers Bureau; Amgen: Consultancy, Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel, Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Other: Support for attending meetings and/or travel, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; AstraZeneca: Speakers Bureau; GSK: Consultancy; Incyte: Consultancy. Pérez-Encinas: Janssen: Consultancy. Caballero: Celgene, Janssen, Novartis, Abbvie: Speakers Bureau; Celgene, Janssen, Amgen: Consultancy. Ruiz-Zorrilla: Abbvie: Current Employment. Moreno: abbvie: Current Employment. Ferrà: Janssen, Roche, Gilead, Takeda, Abbvie: Consultancy; Janssen, Roche, Gilead, AbbVie: Other: medical meetings funding.

Introduction: Among the genetic lesions described in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), TP53 and IGHV mutational status are well-established prognostic biomarkers. While mutations resulting in dysregulation of TP53 are associated with chemo-resistance, mutated IGHV (IGHV-M) identifies a good prognosis and unmutated (IGHV-UM) is associated with an aggressive clinical outcome. Thus, molecular assessment of TP53 and IGHV mutational status is recommended to make treatment decisions. Moreover, 30% of CLL patients have a highly homologous complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3), allowing their classification in subsets based on the stereotypical B-cell receptor immunoglobulins (BcR IG), which have been associated with different clinical features and outcomes. This study aimed to assess the mutational status of TP53 and IGHV and the frequency of stereotypical BcR IG subsets, including CLL#2 and CLL#4 associated with poor and good prognosis, respectively, in a large series of CLL patients in Spain. Methods: Observational, retrospective, cross-sectional, multicentric study of data from the RED53 project, a collaborative network between the Spanish Group of CLL (GELLC) and Janssen for the characterization of TP53 and IGVH mutational status in naïve CLL candidate patients to receive treatment. Blood samples from 225 institutions were collected between May 2016 and March 2021. Included patients had confirmed diagnosis of CLL and required first-line treatment. Basic demographic variables, leukocyte and lymphocyte counts, and the number of clonal CD5 +/CD19 + lymphocytes were recorded at sample extraction. Clonotypic IGHV-IGHD-IGHJ gene rearrangements and exons 4 to 10 of TP53 were amplified by PCR and sequenced (Sanger). Four analytical reference centers qualified by the European Initiative for CLL (ERIC) determined the mutational status following the ERIC guidelines. Results: A total of 1097 samples from patients with a median (range) age of 70.0 (27-97) years were analyzed. At sample extraction, patients had a median (range) of 54.5 (2-516) x10 9 leukocytes/mL and 46.1 (0-8810) x10 9 lymphocytes/mL, of which a median (range) of 80.0 (1-100) % (n=754) were clonal CD5 +/CD19 + lymphocytes. The most frequent indications for treatment initiation were progressive/tumoral adenopathy (n=525, 50.4%), progressive lymphocytosis (n=429, 41.2%), cytopenia (n=369, 35.4%), and systemic constitutional symptoms (n=252, 24.2%). Median (IQR) age was 63.0 (55.0, 71.0) years at diagnosis and 70.0 (62.0, 77.0) years at treatment onset. Median (range) time from diagnosis to treatment was 2.7 (0.6-6.1) years. Among 1097 patients, 100 (9.2%) had TP53 mutations with 103 variants, of which only 3 (3.0%) had 2 mutations. Of the 103 mutations, 91 (88.3%), 9 (8.7%), and 3 (2.9%) were pathogenic, likely pathogenic, and of uncertain significance, respectively. Fig. 1 shows mutation localization and type. IGHV was UM in 58% (471/812) and M in 33.1% (269/812) of patients, and unknown/undetermined in 1.8% (15/812), non-productive in 3.2% (26/812), and borderline in 3.8% (31/812) of patients. IGHV rearrangements were undetected in 25.6% (279/1091) of patients and 65.7% (717/1091), 8.5% (93/1091), and 0.2% (2/1091) had 1, 2, and 3 rearrangements, respectively . Of the 30 patients with IGHV3-21 rearrangements, 18 had available data, of which all had CLL#2 subset and, of the 15 patients with IGHV-M, 5 (33.3%) had CLL#2. Minor subsets were found in 7 (46.7%) and 17 (33.3%) of IGHV-M and UM, respectively. The most frequent stereotyped BcR IG subsets were CLL#2, CLL#1, and CLL#6, in 24.3% (18/74), 23% (17/74), and 10.8% (8/74) of patients, respectively. Among the 60 patients with mutated TP53 and IGHV mutational study available, 66.7% (40/60) had IGHV-UM. Conclusions: In our real-world experience, results regarding TP53 M and IGHV UM (9.2% and 58.0% of patients, respectively) are similar to those reported in previous series of patients requiring first-line treatment, with a slightly higher predominance of IGHV-UM over IGHV-M cases. Subset CLL#2 was the most frequently identified, whereas the frequency of CLL#6 was higher than that reported before. Considering the difficulties associated with the analysis of TP53 and IGHV mutational status of most laboratories diagnosing CLL, the RED53 network allows access to these determinations to naïve CLL patients with active disease by a simple, fast, and standardized method. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Terol: Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; BMS: Consultancy; Hospital Clinico Valencia: Current Employment. Ferrer Lores: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Bosch: Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; TAKEDA: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel. Gonzalez Diaz: Astra Zeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lectures; Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lectures; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lectures; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lectures; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lectures. Crespo: Janssen: Consultancy; Astra Zeneca: Research Funding; Roche/Genentech: Research Funding. Alcoceba: Janssen: Consultancy. Esteve: Janssen: Current Employment. Loriente: Janssen: Current Employment. Villanueva: Janssen: Current Employment.

The GAUDI study assessed safety and preliminary efficacy of induction therapy with obinutuzumab plus chemotherapy, followed by maintenance therapy with obinutuzumab alone, in previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma. Assignment to chemotherapy was decided on a per-center basis before the patients’ enrollment. Patients (n=81) received four to six cycles of obinutuzumab plus bendamustine every 4 weeks or six to eight cycles of obinutuzumab plus CHOP every 3 weeks. Patients with an end-of-treatment response were eligible for obinutuzumab maintenance therapy every 3 months for 2 years or until disease progression. Induction treatment was completed by 90% of patients in the obinutuzumab plus bendamustine group and 95% in the obinutuzumab plus CHOP group, while maintenance was completed by 81% and 72% of patients, respectively. All patients experienced at least one adverse event during induction, most commonly infusion-related reactions (58%), the majority of which were grade 1/2. The most common hematologic adverse event was grade 3/4 neutropenia (36% during induction and 7% during maintenance). One treatment-related death occurred during the maintenance phase. At the end of induction, 94% of patients had achieved an overall response, with complete response based on computed tomography in 36%. The progression-free survival rate at 36 months was 90% in the obinutuzumab plus bendamustine group and 84% in the obinutuzumab plus CHOP group. These results demonstrate that induction therapy with obinutuzumab plus bendamustine or obinutuzumab plus CHOP, followed by obinutuzumab maintenance, is associated with tolerable safety and promising efficacy. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT00825149.

Bortezomib- and thalidomide-based therapies have significantly contributed to improved survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. However, treatment-induced peripheral neuropathy (TiPN) is a common adverse event associated with them. Risk factors for TiPN in MM patients include advanced age, prior neuropathy, and other drugs, but there are conflicting results about the role of genetics in predicting the risk of TiPN. Thus, we carried out a genome-wide association study based on more than 300 000 exome single nucleotide polymorphisms in 172 MM patients receiving therapy involving bortezomib and thalidomide. We compared patients developing and not developing TiPN under similar treatment conditions (GEM05MAS65, NCT00443235). The highest-ranking single nucleotide polymorphism was rs45443101, located in the PLCG2 gene, but no significant differences were found after multiple comparison correction (adjusted P = .1708). Prediction analyses, cytoband enrichment, and pathway analyses were also performed, but none yielded any significant findings. A copy number approach was also explored, but this gave no significant results either. In summary, our study did not find a consistent genetic component associated with TiPN under bortezomib and thalidomide therapies that could be used for prediction, which makes clinical judgment essential in the practical management of MM treatment.

[Introduction]: Molecular testing of Inherited bleeding coagulation disorders (IBCDs) not only offers confirmation of diagnosis but also aids in genetic counselling, prenatal diagnosis and in certain cases genotype–phenotype correlations are important for predicting the clinical course of the disease and to allow tailor-made follow-up of individuals. Until recently, genotyping has been mainly performed by Sanger sequencing, a technique known to be time consuming and expensive. Currently, next-generation sequencing (NGS) offers a new potential approach that enables the simultaneous investigation of multiple genes at manageable cost. [Aim]: The aim of this study was to design and to analyse the applicability of a 23-gene NGS panel in the molecular diagnosis of patients with IBCDs. [Methods]: A custom target enrichment library was designed to capture 31 genes known to be associated with IBCDs. Probes were generated for 296 targets to cover 86.3 kb regions (all exons and flanking regions) of these genes. Twenty patients with an IBCDs phenotype were studied using NGS technology. [Results]: In all patients, our NGS approach detected causative mutations. Twenty-one pathogenic variants were found; while most of them were missense (18), three deletions were also identified. Six novel mutations affecting F8, FGA, F11, F10 and VWF genes, and 15 previously reported variants were detected. NGS and Sanger sequencing were 100% concordant. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that this approach could be an accurate, reproducible and reliable tool in the rapid genetic diagnosis of IBCDs.

Background Idelalisib is a PI3-kinase inhibitor specific for the delta isoform, approved (in combination with rituximab or ofatumumab) for the treatment of adult patients with Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (R/R CLL). Although the efficacy of idelalisib was reported in clinical trials, it is unclear how this translates into Real World. Methods A non-interventional retrospective study was conducted in Spain to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients diagnosed with R/R CLL that started treatment with idelalisib between 1 February 2015 and 31 December 2017. The Time from start of idelalisib treatment to either the start of a new anti CLL therapy or death (Time to Next Treatment or Death - TNTD) was defined as primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), time to discontinuation (TTD) and safety, especially Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESI): ≥ grade 3 transaminase elevations, diarrhea /colitis, pneumonitis, neutropenia,Cytomegalovirus, bacterial, fungal and respiratory virus infections (RVI),Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PjP). Results Investigators from 21 centers included 77 patients in the study. The median age was 72.1 years (48-86) and 67.5% (n=52) were male. The main baseline characteristics were: Binet stage B-C in 32.5% (n=25), 17p deletion or TP53 mutation in 35.1% (n=27) and the median number previous lines of therapy was 4 (1-16). With a median follow up time of 14.4 months (1.2-44.4), 27 patients (35.1%) had started a new treatment and 19 (24.7%) had died. The median TNTD was 17.1 months (95% CI 14.0-22.3) in the overall population and 13.8 months (95% CI 7.9-15.2) in patients that discontinued idelalisib. The median OS has not been reached, with a cumulative probability of surviving at 1 and 2 years of 0.84 (95% CI 0.73-0.91) and 0.67 (95% CI 0.52-0.78). During follow-up 54 patients (70.1%) discontinued idelalisib: 39 (72.3%) due to toxicity and 10 (18.5%) due to disease progression. The median TTD was 13.0 months (95% CI 7.7-15.8); 5.3 months (95%CI 3.8-8.0) in patients who discontinued treatment due to serious adverse events (SAE) or AESI and 10.5 months (95% CI 0.5-16.0) in those who did so due to progressive disease. A total of 355 AEs were reported, of which 29.0% (n=103) were SAE. 181 AESIs were recorded: the most frequent were neutropenia (n=67; 22 grade >3), diarrhea/colitis (n=37; 14 grade >3) and bacterial infections (n=24; 14 grade >3). Other AESI were CMV infections (n=11), grade ≥ 3 pneumonitis (n=7), RVI (n=6), fungal infections (n=5), grade ≥ 3 transaminase elevations (n=3) and PjP (n=1). The median time from Idelalisib start to first AESI was 9.5 months (95%CI 5.5-15.3). During follow-up, 19 deaths were registered, 10 of which were caused by idelalisib-related SAEs (4 respiratory infections, 2 pneumonitis, 1 diarrhea/colitis). The time from SAE related to idelalisib that led to death, to death was 0.8 months (95% CI 0.7-1.7). Conclusions This real world study shows results of effectiveness of idelalisib consistent with the efficacy findings of the 312-0116 clinical trial. Toxicity was the most common reason for idelalisib discontinuation. Findings of adverse events were consistent with the known safety profile of idelalisib and no new drug-related adverse events were identified. This is a Gilead Sciences sponsored study. Disclosures Perez Encinas: GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding; CELGENE: Consultancy; JANSSEN: Consultancy. Lopez Jimenez:GILEAD SCIENCES: Honoraria, Other: Education funding. Ortiz:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Cordoba:Pfizer: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; FUNDACION JIMENEZ DIAZ UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL: Employment; Roche: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Kyowa-Kirin: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Servier: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Ramirez Payer:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. González-Barca:Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celtrion: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Kiowa: Consultancy; Takeda: Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy. Martín Sánchez:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Sanchez:Gilead Sciences: Research Funding. Baltasar Tello:JANSSEN: Consultancy, Honoraria; ABBVIE: Honoraria; ROCHE: Honoraria; GILEAD: Honoraria. Amutio:NOVARTIS: Consultancy; JANSSEN: Consultancy, Honoraria; CELGENE: Consultancy, Honoraria; ROCHE: Honoraria; GILEAD SCIENCES: Consultancy, Honoraria; TAKEDA: Consultancy; GSK: Honoraria; BMS: Honoraria; JAZZ PHARMACEUTICALS: Honoraria; MUNDIPHARMA: Consultancy. Vidal Maceñido:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Fernandez:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Loscertales:Gilead: Honoraria; AbbVie: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Roche: Honoraria. Rodríguez:GILEAD SCIENCES: Research Funding. Alaez:ROCHE: Consultancy. Ramroth:Gilead Sciences: Employment. Palla:Gilead Sciences: Employment.

The aging behavior of 3-mol%-yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia (3Y-TZP) ceramics sintered in air and in reducing conditions was investigated at 140{\deg}C in water vapor. It was observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) that 3Y-TZP samples sintered in reducing conditions exhibited significantly higher tetragonal-to-monoclinic transformation than samples with similar density and average grain size values but obtained by sintering in air. This fact is explained by the increase of the oxygen vacancy concentration and by the presence at the grain boundary region of a new aggregate phase formed because of the exolution of Fe2+ ions observed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy., Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures

© 2018 Moreno et al., The CXCR4/CXCL12 axis has been extensively associated with different types of cancer correlating with higher aggressiveness and metastasis. In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the expression of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 is involved in the dissemination of malignant B cells and is a marker of poor prognosis. CXCR7 is a chemokine receptor that binds to the same ligand as CXCR4 and regulates de CXCR4-CXCL12 axis. These findings together with the report of CXCR7 prognostic value in several tumor types, led us to evaluate the expression of CXCR7 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma biopsies. Here, we describe that CXCR7 receptor is an independent prognostic factor that associates with good clinical outcome. Moreover, the expression of CXCR7 associates with increased survival in CXCR4+ but not in CXCR4- DLBCL patients. Thus, the combined immunohistochemical evaluation of both CXCR7 and CXCR4 expression in DLBCL biopsies may improve their prognostic value as single markers. Finally, we show that CXCR7 overexpression in vitro is able to diminish DLBCL cell survival and increase their sensitivity to antitumor drugs. Hence, further studies on the CXCR7 receptor may establish its role in DLBCL and the molecular mechanisms that modulate CXCR4 activity., This work was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (co-founding from FEDER) [ FIS PI11/00872, RD12/0036/0071, FIS PI14/00450 to J.S., FIS PI15/00378 to R.M., PIE15/00028 to R.M. and J.S., RD12/0036/0069, PS09/01382 to M.G.D, PI15/01393 to M.A, CD13/00074 to V.P.]; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER) [CB06/01/1031 and Nanomets3 to R.M. and CB16/12/00233 to M.G.D.]; Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) [2014-SGR-1041, 2014PROD0005 to R.M and 2014-SGR-1281 to J.S]; Fundació La Marató TV3 [416/C/2013-2030 to R.M, 100830/31/32 to J.S and M.G.D.]; Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute [P/AG 2014 to R.M.]; the Health Council of Castilla y León (BIO/SA56/13 and BIO/SA78/15 to M.A.); Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca (AGAUR) [2017FI_B00680 to A.F.].

[Background]: Despite recent advances in the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), the prognosis of most patients remains poor, and resistance to traditional and new drugs frequently occurs. EDO-S101 is a novel therapeutic agent conceived as the fusion of a histone deacetylase inhibitor radical to bendamustine, with the aim of potentiating its alkylating activity. [Methods]: The efficacy of EDO-S101 was evaluated in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo, alone, and in combination with standard anti-myeloma agents. The underlying mechanisms of action were also evaluated on MM cell lines, patient samples, and different murine models. [Results]: EDO-S101 displayed potent activity in vitro in MM cell lines (IC 1.6-4.8 μM) and ex vivo in cells isolated from MM patients, which was higher than that of bendamustine and independent of the p53 status and previous melphalan resistance. This activity was confirmed in vivo, in a CB17-SCID murine plasmacytoma model and in de novo Vk∗MYC mice, leading to a significant survival improvement in both models. In addition, EDO-S101 was the only drug with single-agent activity in the multidrug resistant Vk12653 murine model. Attending to its mechanism of action, the molecule showed both, a HDACi effect (demonstrated by α-tubulin and histone hyperacetylation) and a DNA-damaging effect (shown by an increase in γH2AX); the latter being again clearly more potent than that of bendamustine. Using a reporter plasmid integrated into the genome of some MM cell lines, we demonstrate that, apart from inducing a potent DNA damage, EDO-S101 specifically inhibited the double strand break repair by the homologous recombination pathway. Moreover, EDO-S101 treatment reduced the recruitment of repair proteins such as RAD51 to DNA-damage sites identified as γH2AX foci. Finally, EDO-S101 preclinically synergized with bortezomib, both in vitro and in vivo. [Conclusion]: These findings provide rationale for the clinical investigation of EDO-S101 in MM, either as a single agent or in combination with other anti-MM drugs, particularly proteasome inhibitors., This work was in part funded by Mundipharma-EDO GmbH, the Spanish Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII-FIS), (PI 15/0067 and PI 15/2156) and FEDER, the Spanish RTICC (RD12/0036/0058), Spanish Association Against Cancer (AECC, GCB120981SAN), and the Regional Council of Castilla y León (GRS 1175/A/15 and FIC335U14). All this funding was employed for the execution of experiments and the analysis of data. AALI was supported by a grant from the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy. MMS is supported by the Network of Centers for Regenerative Medicine and Cellular Therapy from Castilla y León, Spain.

Letter to the Editor., These data were presented in part at the 56th American Society of Hematology meeting, San Francisco, December 2014.

Prospective identification of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) destined to progress would greatly facilitate their clinical management. Recently, whole-genome DNA methylation analyses identified three clinicobiologic CLL subgroups with an epigenetic signature related to different normal B-cell counterparts. Here, we developed a clinically applicable method to identify these subgroups and to study their clinical relevance. Using a support vector machine approach, we built a prediction model using five epigenetic biomarkers that was able to classify CLL patients accurately into the three subgroups, namely naive B-cell-like, intermediate and memory B-cell-like CLL. DNA methylation was quantified by highly reproducible bisulfite pyrosequencing assays in two independent CLL series. In the initial series (n=211), the three subgroups showed differential levels of IGHV (immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus) mutation (P

Mutations in Toll-like receptor (TLR) and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MYD88) genes have been found in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) at low frequency. We analyzed the incidence, clinicobiological characteristics, and outcome of patients with TLR/MYD88 mutations in 587 CLL patients. Twenty-three patients (3.9%) had mutations, 19 in MYD88 (one with concurrent IRAK1 mutation), 2 TLR2 (one with concomitant TLR6 mutation), 1 IRAK1, and 1 TLR5. No mutations were found in IRAK2 and IRAK4. TLR/MYD88-mutated CLL overexpressed genes of the nuclear factor κB pathway. Patients with TLR/MYD88 mutations were significantly younger (83% age ≤50 years) than those with no mutations. TLR/MYD88 mutations were the most frequent in young patients. Patients with mutated TLR/MYD88 CLL had a higher frequency of mutated IGHV and low expression of CD38 and ZAP-70. Overall survival (OS) was better in TLR/MYD88-mutated than unmutated patients in the whole series (10-year OS, 100% vs 62%; P = .002), and in the subset of patients age ≤50 years (100% vs 70%; P = .02). In addition, relative OS of TLR/MYD88-mutated patients was similar to that in the age- and gender-matched population. In summary, TLR/MYD88 mutations identify a population of young CLL patients with favorable outcome.

This study was supported by research funding from (Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation MICINN) through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and Red Temática de Investigación del Cáncer (RTICC) (RD06-0020-0039 to E Campo and RD06-0020-0051 to AL-G), Fondo de investigaciones sanitarias (PI07/0301, MA) and Botín Foundation (CL-O)., Villamor, N., Conde, L., Martínez-Trillos, A., Cazorla, M., Navarro, A., Beà, S., López, C., Colomer, D., Pinyol, M., Aymerich, M., Rozman, M., Abrisqueta, P., Baumann, T., Delgado, J., Giné, E., González-Díaz, M., Hernández, J.M., Colado, E., Payer, A.R., Rayon, C., Navarro, B., JoséTerol, M., Bosch, F., Quesada, V., Puente, X.S., López-Otín, C., Jares, P., Pereira, A., Campo, E., López-Guillermo, A.

Bortezomib- and thalidomide-based therapies have significantly contributed to improved survival of multiple myeloma (MM) patients. However, treatment-induced peripheral neuropathy (TiPN) is a common adverse event associated with them. Risk factors for TiPN in MM patients include advanced age, prior neuropathy, and other drugs, but there are conflicting results about the role of genetics in predicting the risk of TiPN. Thus, we carried out a genome-wide association study based on more than 300 000 exome single nucleotide polymorphisms in 172 MM patients receiving therapy involving bortezomib and thalidomide. We compared patients developing and not developing TiPN under similar treatment conditions (GEM05MAS65, NCT00443235). The highest-ranking single nucleotide polymorphism was rs45443101, located in the PLCG2 gene, but no significant differences were found after multiple comparison correction (adjusted P = .1708). Prediction analyses, cytoband enrichment, and pathway analyses were also performed, but none yielded any significant findings. A copy number approach was also explored, but this gave no significant results either. In summary, our study did not find a consistent genetic component associated with TiPN under bortezomib and thalidomide therapies that could be used for prediction, which makes clinical judgment essential in the practical management of MM treatment.

6 páginas.-- El pdf del artículo es el manuscrito de autor., Silver-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites containing 1 wt.% of metallic silver have been obtained by a colloidal chemical route and subsequent chemical reduction process. The silver nanoparticles are supported on the hydroxyapatite surface without a high degree of agglomeration. The bactericidal effect against common Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as antifungal activity against yeast have been investigated. The results indicated a high antimicrobial activity for E. coli, M. Luteus and I. Orientalis, so this material can be a promising antimicrobial biomaterial for implant and reconstructive surgery, among other applications.

Purpose The addition of monoclonal antibodies to chemotherapy has significantly improved treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Based on excellent results with the chemotherapy-only regimen fludarabine, cyclophosphamide, and mitoxantrone (FCM), we built a new chemoimmunotherapy combination—rituximab plus FCM (R-FCM). We report a phase II clinical trial consisting of an initial treatment with R-FCM followed by rituximab maintenance. Patients and Methods Seventy-two untreated CLL patients age 70 years or younger received rituximab 500 mg/m2 on day 1 (375 mg/m2 the first cycle), fludarabine 25 mg/m2 IV on days 1 to 3, cyclophosphamide 200 mg/m2 on days 1 to 3, and mitoxantrone 6 mg/m2 IV on day 1, given at 4-week intervals with up to six cycles supported with colony-stimulating factor. Patients achieving response received maintenance with rituximab 375 mg/m2 every 3 months for 2 years. Results The overall response, minimal residual disease (MRD) –negative complete response (CR), MRD-positive CR, and partial response rates were 93%, 46%, 36%, and 11%, respectively. Severe neutropenia developed in 13% of patients. Major and minor infections were reported in 8% and 5% of cycles, respectively. Advanced clinical stage, del(17p), or increased serum β2-microglobulin levels correlated with a lower CR rate. Conclusion R-FCM is highly effective in previously untreated CLL, with an 82% CR rate and a high proportion of MRD-negative CRs (46%). Treatment toxicity is acceptable. Parameters correlating with a lower response rate were advanced clinical stage, high serum β2-microglobulin levels, and del(17p). Based on these results, R-FCM warrants further investigation in randomized clinical trials.

Two refractory metals were chosen as a second phase to fabricate mullite-metal composites: (a) molybdenum which is thermodynamically compatible with mullite up to 1650 °C and (b) niobium, a metal which is solid state incompatible with mullite giving rise to compounds such as NbO and Nb5Si3 which are both electrical conductors and more oxidation resistant than the Nb metal. The mullite-refractory metal electrically conductive composites with a content of metal (30-50 vol%) were obtained by a wet-processing route and subsequent hot pressing at 1650 °C. The effect of Mo particle size and volume fraction on the mechanical properties (σf, damage resistance, crack growth resistance i.e., R-curve behaviour, etc.) and wear resistance of the mullite-Mo composites have been assessed. Additionally these composites could be machined by electro discharge machining (EDM) technique. In the case of mullite-Nb system mullite-Al2O3-Nb5Si3-NbO composites showed electrically conducting properties. Its microstructural feature, mechanical properties (σf and R-curve behaviour) and EDM were studied and compared with the results obtained for the mullite-Mo system., This work was supported by EU under project reference FP6-515784-2, by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology under projects numbers MAT2003-04199-C02 and MAT2006-10249-C02-01. J.F.B. has been supported by Ministry of Science and Technology and CSIC under the “Ramón y Cajal” Program co-financed by European Social Fund. M. Díaz has been supported by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science and CSIC under I3P Program financed by European Social Fund.

The rheology of zirconia (3Y-TZP) and nickel particles suspended in aqueous medium in the presence of a surfactant have been systematically investigated. A detailed characterization of the powders has allowed understanding the stability of metal and ceramic powders in aqueous medium. By controlling the rheological parameters such as solid content and surfactant content it is possible to obtain different microstructures. Their optimization has led to homogeneous materials suitable for structural and multifunctional applications. The sintering cycle has been adjusted in order to avoid the presence of nickel oxide in the final compacts.

Multiple myeloma (MM) pathogenesis has been explained for many years by the cancer biology dogma introduced in 1976 by Peter Nowell:1 first, a single plasma cell would be immortalized by an error in the immunoglobulin genes rearrangement process; then, a progressive stepwise acquisition of somatic cell mutations would induce a sequential selection, leading to domination by the fittest clone.2 In line with this idea of ‘myeloma stability’, single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays studies in diagnostic-relapse paired samples have revealed the presence of common clonal characteristics.3 Biologically, the M-protein remains usually constant across MM evolution, to the point that it is conventionally used to monitor treatment response and disease progress. Further, the variable domain of the rearranged immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes (or CDR3 region) has been used as a patient-specific myeloma fingerprint in minimal residual disease (MRD) studies.

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 has been implicated in the migration and trafficking of malignant B cells in several haematological malignancies. Over-expression of CXCR4 has been identified in haematological tumours, but data concerning the role of this receptor in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are lacking. CXCR4 is a marker of poor prognosis in various neoplasms, correlating with metastatic disease and decreased survival of patients. We studied CXCR4 involvement in cell migration in vitro and dissemination in vivo. We also evaluated the prognostic significance of CXCR4 in 94 biopsies of DLBCL patients. We observed that the level of expression of CXCR4 in DLBCL cell lines correlated positively with in vitro migration. Expression of the receptor was also associated with increased engraftment and dissemination, and decreased survival time in NOD/SCID mice. Furthermore, administration of a specific CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, decreased dissemination of DLBCL cells in a xenograft mouse model. In addition, we found that CXCR4 expression is an independent prognostic factor for shorter overall survival and progression-free survival in DLBCL patients. These results show that CXCR4 mediates dissemination of DLBCL cells and define for the first time its value as an independent prognostic marker in DLBCL patients., This study was supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grant No. FI10/00758 to MJM), Sara Borrell (Grant Nos CD09/00014, to RDG; RD06/0020/0101, EC07/90065, FIS PI11/00872 and RD12/0036/0071, to JS; FIS PII2/01861, to RM; RD12/0036/0069 and PS09/01382, to MGD); MiCINN (Grant No. PIB2010BZ-00563, to RM); CIBER-BBN (Grant No. CBV6/01/1031, to RM); AGAUR (Grant Nos 2014-SGR-1041, to RM, and 2014-SGR-1281, to JS); Fundació La Marató TV3 (Grant Nos 416/C/2013-2030, to RM, and 100830, to JS); Fundació d’Investigació Sant Pau; the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (Grant No. P/AG 2014, to RM); Fundació Cellex; and the Health Council of Castilla y León (Grant Nos GRS265/A/08 and BIO/SA56/13, to MA).

Follicular mucinosis (FM) is an uncommon reaction pattern in which the accumulation of mucin in the follicular epithelium is the main pathologic finding. FM may be idiopathic (primary follicular mucinosis [PFM]), in association with mycosis fungoides or cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, or in association with other neoplastic and inflammatory conditions. Herein we report a case of PFM with identical T-cell clone rearrangement at anatomically distinct sites, supporting the idea that some authors have proposed, that FM may represent a low-grade lymphoproliferative disease related to mycoses fungoides with favorable prognosis.

The microstructure and strength of Mo/mullite interfaces formed by diffusion bonding at 1650oC has been analyzed. Interfacial metal-ceramic interlocking contributes to flexural strength of approx. 140 MPa as measured by 3 point bending. Saturation of mullite with MoO2 does not affect the interfacial strength.

In this paper, a new method that allows the study of the hydriding process of fuel claddings from the inner surfaces is presented. The hydriding is performed by heating the cladding in an ultra-high vacuum chamber while hydrogen flows inside the tube. The external H 2 partial pressure, the tube electrical resistance and the power dissipated by the reaction are measured throughout the process. These measurements at different hydriding stages are complemented with an optical microscopy analysis of the claddings give insight into the main physical processes. As a consequence a description of the hydriding first stages is provided. The method allows the measurement of the incubation and failure times and the total energy dissipated by the hydriding reaction.

The wear resistance of ceramics and ceramic/metal hybrid composites against steel was studied under dry sliding condition by the use of a pin-on-disc type wear test. The results were compared not only on the basis of the specific wear rates of the various ceramic based materials, but also on the basis of the total cumulative wear rates, which show accumulated wear losses of both sample material as a sliding body and its steel counterpart. From this point of view, it can be considered whether the tribo-materials are optimised with regard to the whole tribo-system or not. The specific wear rates of metal and ceramic/metal composites showed roughly 1.7–16 times higher values than the monolithic ceramics. But the total cumulative wear rate of the ceramic/metal composite, which contained larger sized metal particles, exhibited more than twice better total wear performance than the other systems. The mechanisms responsible for these behaviours were discussed by means of microscopical observations on the worn surfaces and the microstructures of the samples.

Letter to the Editor.-- El pdf del artículo es el manuscrito de autor.-- et al.

The objective of this work is to study the morphological, micro-chemical and micro-mechanical characteristics of the thick zirconium oxide layer formed on a zircaloy-4 clad after a standard water corrosion test (ASTM G2-67). The oxidized samples were analyzed by Raman and Auger spectroscopy, SEM–EDS, XRD and the mechanical properties of the oxide film were evaluated using the Vickers microindentation method. The results reveal the formation of a textured oxide layer constituted of m-ZrO 2 crystals oriented primarily in the direction perpendicular to the (002) crystallographic plane. In addition, a not previously reported thin zirconium carbide film on the top surface of the oxide layer was detected by SEM–EDS, XRD and Auger spectroscopy.

The main objective of this work is to show that the difficulties involving substantial differences in particle size and density of commercial molybdenum and mullite powders, when attempts are made to produce homogeneous and/or functionally graded materials, can be overcome by intelligent choice of processing parameters. The flocculant effect of an anionic polyelectrolyte on Mo particles in water and in alcohol media has been shown. On this basis, an appropriate selection of solids loading and surfactant addition allows us to achieve the processing of mullite/molybdenum composites with a controlled metal distribution and microstructure.