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Background: Maternal nutrition represents a critical risk factor for adverse health outcomes in both mother and offspring. We aimed to investigate associations between maternal nutritional habits, biomarker status, and pregnancy outcome among Italian healthy normal-weight pregnancies. Methods: Multicenter prospective cohort study recruiting Italian healthy normal-weight women with singleton spontaneous pregnancies at 20 ± 2 weeks (T1) in Milan and Naples. All patients underwent nutritional evaluations by our collecting a 7-day weighed dietary record at 25 ± 1 weeks (T2) and a Food Frequency Questionnaire at 29 ± 2 weeks (T3). Maternal venous blood samples were collected at T3 to assess nutritional, inflammatory and oxidative biomarker concentrations (RBCs folate, vitamin D, hepcidin, total antioxidant capacity). Pregnancy outcomes were collected at delivery (T4). General linear models adjusted for confounding factors were estimated to investigate associations between maternal dietary pattern adherence, nutrient intakes, biomarker concentrations and delivery outcomes. Results: 219 healthy normal-weight pregnant women were enrolled. Vitamin D and RBCs folate concentrations, as well as micronutrient intakes, were consistently below the recommended range. In a multi-adjusted model, maternal adherence to the most prevalent ‘high meat, animal fats, grains’ dietary pattern was positively associated with hepcidin concentrations and negatively associated with gestational age at delivery in pregnancies carrying female fetuses. Hepcidin plasma levels were further negatively associated to placental weight, whereas vitamin D concentrations were positively associated to neonatal weight. Conclusions: A high adherence to an unbalanced ‘high meat, animal fats, grains’ pattern was detected among Italian normal-weight low-risk pregnancies, further associated with maternal pro-inflammatory status and gestational age at delivery. This evidence underlines the need for a dedicated nutritional counseling even among low-risk pregnancies.

Background: FLT3 mutations occur in approximately 30% of AML patients and are associated with aggressive disease. Despite the approval of midostaurin and gilteritinib, the prognosis for FLT3+ patients with relapsed or refractory disease is poor. NMS-088 is a novel, potent FLT3, KIT and CSF1R inhibitor with superior preclinical activity compared with approved FLT3 inhibitors in different FLT3-driven models. In addition, NMS-088 is active on FLT3 resistance mutation F691L. Dose escalation results from a Phase I/II study to establish safety, dose selection and preliminary clinical activity for NMS-088 in patients with R/R AML and CMML are described. Methods: In the Phase I 3+3 escalations, NMS-088 is administered daily for 21 of 28 days (schedule A) or continuously (schedule B). Patients must have R/R AML or CMML unsuitable for standard therapy. The primary objective is the MTD or MAD as assessed by DLTs. Secondary endpoints include safety, PK and ELN response. Results: as of January 26, 44 R/R AML or CMML patients were treated at doses from 20 to 360 mg/day in A or from 120 to 250 mg/day in B. Median age was 64 yrs, 41 pts had AML and 3 pts had CMML, median number of prior lines was 2 (range 1 to 10). FLT3 mutations were present in 24 out of 41 AML pts (20 FLT3-ITD, 2 FLT3 D835 and 2 FLT3-ITD and D835). The majority of pts with FLT3+ AML had received prior FLT3 inhibitors (86.4%). NMS-088 showed manageable safety with no MTD characterized. One pt had DLT (abnormal posture, decreased activity, dyspnea G3 and eyelid ptosis G1) at 360 mg in A (at day 21) and one pt had DLT (eyelid ptosis G3) at 180 mg in B (at day 29), both suggestive for myasthenic syndrome. Three additional pts experienced possible myasthenic syndrome at doses ≥ 180 mg. Overall the most frequent treatment emergent related adverse events (≥10%) were nausea (any grade 20.5%), vomiting (13.6%), asthenia (11.4%). Discontinuations due to related AEs were as follows: 2 DLT pts per protocol, 2 pts due to nausea (G1; day 161 at 270 mg) and myasthenia gravis (G3; day 39 at 300 mg in a pt with baseline AChR antibodies). There was a dose-dependent trend for response. A total of 5 out of 12 evaluable pts with FLT3+ AML treated at dose ≥ 300 mg achieved a response with 2 CRi, 1 CRi/MLFS and 2 MLFS. Remarkably, all these pts had received prior midostaurin and 2 pts received both midostaurin and gilteritinib. Two pts with response withdrew from treatment to receive HSCT (DoR 1.0+ mos each). For other responding pts DoR was 1.3, 2.8 and 7.9 mos. Conclusions: NMS-088 showed clinical efficacy in pts with FLT3+ R/R AML, including pts who have failed prior FLT3 inhibitors. Together with the manageable safety observed, these results warrant further development of this drug including potential as a novel valuable therapeutic option for pts who have exhausted available treatments. The trial is currently opened for enrollment (NTC03922100). Citation Format: Antonio Curti, Alessandro Rambaldi, Chiara Cattaneo, Roberto Cairoli, Matteo Della Porta, Patrizia Chiusolo, Federico Lussana, Marta Ubezio, Valentina Mancini, Isabel Cano, Carmen Besliu, Christian Hove Claussen, Rosalinda Gatto, Patrizia Crivori, Elena Colajori, Alessio Somaschini, Cristina Davite, Antonella Isacchi, Elena Ardini, Lisa Mahnke, Pau Montesinos. NMS-03592088, a novel, potent FLT3, KIT and CSF1R inhibitor with activity in FLT3 positive acute myeloid leukemia patients with prior FLT3 inhibitor experience [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT025.

BackgroundWeight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome has positive effects on cardiovascular and type 2 diabetes risks, but its effects on peripheral cytokines and lipid profiles in patients are still unclear.AimTo determine the effects of diet-induced weight loss on metabolic parameters, lipids and cytokine profiles.MethodsEighteen adult males with metabolic syndrome (defined according to IDF 2009) and Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 35 kg/m2were subjected to a balanced hypocaloric diet for 6 months to reach at least a 5% body weight loss.ResultsAfter weight loss, a significant improvement in BMI, waist circumference, insulin, fasting blood glucose and HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance) was observed. The analysis of LDL (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and HDL (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) lipoproteins showed a change in their composition with a massive transfer of triacylglycerols from HDL to LDL. This was associated with a significant reduction in peripheral pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α, IL-8 and MIP-1β, leading to an overall decreased inflammatory score. An interesting positive correlation was also observed among peripheral cytokines levels after diet and peripheral levels of CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein), an enzyme with a key role in lipid change.ConclusionWeight loss through caloric restriction is associated with an improvement in peripheral lipid and cytokine profiles that may play a major role in improving cardiovascular risk.Graphic abstract

Magnesium (Mg2+) deficiency is probably the most underestimated electrolyte imbalance in Western countries. It is frequent in obese patients, subjects with type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, both in adulthood and in childhood. This narrative review aims to offer insights into the pathophysiological mechanisms linking Mg2+ deficiency with obesity and the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Literature highlights critical issues about the treatment of Mg2+ deficiency, such as the lack of a clear definition of Mg2+ nutritional status, the use of different Mg2+ salts and dosage and the different duration of the Mg2+ supplementation. Despite the lack of agreement, an appropriate dietary pattern, including the right intake of Mg2+, improves metabolic syndrome by reducing blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. This occurs through the modulation of gene expression and proteomic profile as well as through a positive influence on the composition of the intestinal microbiota and the metabolism of vitamins B1 and D.

Disease progression of myeloproliferative neoplasms is the result of increased genomic complexity. Since the ability to predict disease evolution is crucial for clinical decisions, we studied single-cell genomics and transcriptomics of CD34-positive cells from a primary myelofibrosis (PMF) patient who progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) while receiving Ruxolitinib. Single-cell genomics allowed the reconstruction of clonal hierarchy and demonstrated that TET2 was the first mutated gene while FLT3 was the last one. Disease evolution was accompanied by increased clonal heterogeneity and mutational rate, but clones carrying TP53 and FLT3 mutations were already present in the chronic phase. Single-cell transcriptomics unraveled repression of interferon signaling suggesting an immunosuppressive effect exerted by Ruxolitinib. Moreover, AML transformation was associated with a differentiative block and immune escape. These results suggest that single-cell analysis can unmask tumor heterogeneity and provide meaningful insights about PMF progression that might guide personalized therapy.

Esophageal lipoma is a rare neoplasm with heterogeneous and sometimes life-threatening clinical presentation. We report the case of two patients, a 77-year-old man and a 69-year-old woman presenting with heartburn and dysphagia, and with recurrent vomiting and asphyxia, respectively. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and computed tomography were highly suggestive of the diagnosis of esophageal lipoma and identified an intramural and an intraluminal pedunculated mass originating, respectively, from the distal and the cervical esophagus. The first patient was treated by laparoscopic transhiatal enucleation and the second by transoral endoscopic resection under general anesthesia. Both had an uneventful postoperative course and were discharged home on postoperative day 2. Minimally invasive excision of esophageal lipoma is feasible and effective. It may be life-saving in patients with pedunculated tumors who suffer from intermittent regurgitation of a bulky polypoid mass in the mouth causing asphyxia.

Background: Type II endoleaks from a patent inferior mesenteric artery (IMA) occur in up to one-third of patients undergoing endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms. In the majority of pa...

Trabajo presentado al: 71st Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP), 241. 1-4 de diciembre, Virtual meeting (2020).

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterized by a constellation of reversible major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). While it has been widely demonstrated that weight reduction by 5–10% decreases CVD and T2DM risk factors, including atherogenic dyslipidemia, on the other hand, its effects on comprehensive serum cytokine profile and endotoxemia are less investigated. Furthermore, the impact of weight loss on these parameters was studied especially in subjects with morbid obesity, often after bariatric surgery; while the studies on the effects of a physiological weight reduction with a balanced hypocaloric diet in overweight and moderately obese subjects showed contradictory results.The aim of this pilot study was to investigate in overweight and obese men with MetS the effects of caloric restriction on the MetS-associated risk factors, chemical composition of lipoproteins and serum concentration of a wide spectrum of inflammation markers. In addition, the second purpose of this work was to study the possible correlation between lipoprotein chemical composition and these inflammation markers.Eighteen adult Caucasian males (25 kg/m2 < BMI < 35 kg/m2) with MetS losing at least 5% of their initial weight after six months of a Mediterranean-style balanced hypo-caloric diet were included in the study. Lipoproteins were isolated from plasma by ultracentrifugation in a discontinuous KBr gradient. Lipoprotein concentrations of proteins, cholesterol, phospholipids, and triacylglycerols were determined by colorimetric assays. Peripheral cytokine levels (IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-17, GM-CSF, MCP-1, MIP-1b, IL1-b, IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, G-CSF, INF-g, TNF-a) were determined by Bioplex multiplex immunoassay. Endotoxemia was measured by Limulus Amebocyte lysate assay. The effects of weight-loss were analysed by Wilcoxon's test, the correlations between covariates by Spearman's test (significance: p-value ≤ 0.05).After weight loss, we observed an improvement of MetS-associated risk factors and changes in lipoproteins composition. In particular, together with a reduction of triglyceridemia, we detected a massive transfer of triacylglycerols from HDLs toward LDLs. Furthermore, a significant decrease of IL-6 (0.9 ± 0.7 vs 0.5 ± 0.6), TNF-α (0.7 ± 0.3 vs 0.3 ± 0.18), IL-8 (1.6 ± 0.7 vs 1.3 ± 0.3) and MIP-1β (19.2 ± 1.5 vs 18.5 ± 1.5) was observed. Finally, peripheral levels of TNF-α and IL-8 were directly correlated with all lipid species of VLDL, whereas the concentration of MIP-1β and endotoxin with HDL lipids.Weight loss improved cardio-metabolic risk factors and decreased inflammatory state by reduction of cytokine levels. The relationships between lipoprotein composition and serum inflammation markers deserve to be deepened by studying broader populations.

Maternal dietary intake during pregnancy needs to meet increased nutritional demands to maintain metabolism and to support fetal development. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for fetal neuro-/visual development and in immunomodulation, accumulating rapidly within the developing brain and central nervous system. Levels available to the fetus are governed by the maternal diet. In this multicenter, parallel, randomized controlled trial, we evaluated once-daily supplementation with multiple micronutrients and DHA (i.e., multiple micronutrient supplementation, MMS) on maternal biomarkers and infant anthropometric parameters during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy compared with no supplementation. Primary efficacy endpoint: change in maternal red blood cell (RBC) DHA (wt% total fatty acids) during the study. Secondary variables: other biomarkers of fatty acid and oxidative status, vitamin D, and infant anthropometric parameters at delivery. Supplementation significantly increased RBC DHA levels, the omega-3 index, and vitamin D levels. Subscapular skinfold thickness was significantly greater with MMS in infants. Safety outcomes were comparable between groups. This first randomized controlled trial of supplementation with multiple micronutrients and DHA in pregnant women indicated that MMS significantly improved maternal DHA and vitamin D status in an industrialized setting&mdash, an important finding considering the essential roles of DHA and vitamin D.

Raman spectroscopy has been vastly employed for the characterization of different bio-molecular species spanning from single protein to the in-vivo analysis of tissues. However, despite the huge work done, a detailed description of the Raman spectra acquired from the main classes of plasma lipoproteins is still missing. In this work, we extracted, the major classes of lipoproteins: the triacylglycerol-rich very low density lipoproteins (VLDL); the more cholesterol-rich low density lipoproteins (LDL); and the high density lipoproteins (HDL); from human plasma of six fasting healthy volunteers. The extracted lipoproteins were dried on CaF2 slides and analysed using a 633 nm laser line non-in resonance with the carotenoids present in the sample. The obtained spectra showed peaks relative to the different biomolecules composing lipoproteins: cholesterol, triglycerides, membrane lipids, carotenoids, and apolipoproteins (proteins). The intensity of the peaks from lipids and proteins are well in accordance with the measured composition of lipoproteins; but the information is acquired in a much faster way by Raman spectroscopy. Besides, Raman spectroscopy provides easily information on the levels of carotenoids and unsaturated fatty acid present in the samples. Overall, our data provide a clear comprehension of the Raman spectra from lipoproteins ad suggest that Raman spectroscopy could be a viable approach for the fast characterization of lipoproteins.

Use of the magnetic sphincter augmentation (MSA) device for the laparoscopic treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease is increasing since the first clinical implant performed a decade ago. The MSA procedure is a minimally invasive and highly standardized surgical option for patients who are partially responders to proton-pump inhibitors, which have troublesome regurgitation or develop progressive symptoms despite continuous medical therapy. The procedure has proven to be highly effective in improving typical reflux symptoms, reducing the use of proton-pump inhibitors, and decreasing esophageal acid exposure. Observational cohort studies have shown that MSA compares well with fundoplication in selected patients and has an acceptable safety profile. The device can be easily removed if necessary, thereby preserving the option of fundoplication in the future. The majority of the removals have occurred within 2 years after implant and have been managed non-emergently, with no complications or long-term consequences. “Expanded” indications to MSA (large hiatal hernia and Barrett’s esophagus) need to be tested in further comparative studies with classic fundoplication procedures.

N-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) seem to prevent endothelial dysfunction, a crucial step in atherogenesis, by modulating the levels of vasoactive molecules and by influencing Na,K-ATPase activity of vascular myocytes. The activity of endothelial Na,K-ATPase controls the ionic homeostasis of the neighboring cells, as well as cell function. However, controversy exists with respect to the vascular protective effect of EPA and DHA. We argue that this dispute might be due to the use of different concentrations of EPA and DHA in different studies. Therefore, this study was designed to define an optimal concentration of EPA and DHA to investigate endothelial function. For this purpose, human endothelial cells were exposed for 24 h to different concentrations of DHA or EPA (0&ndash, 20 &mu, M) to study membrane fluidity, peroxidation potential and Na,K-ATPase activity. EPA and DHA were linearly incorporated and this incorporation was mirrored by the linear increase of unsaturation index, membrane fluidity, and peroxidation potential. Na,K-ATPase activity peaked at 3.75 &mu, M of EPA and DHA and then gradually decreased. It is noteworthy that DHA effects were always more pronounced than EPA. Concluding, low concentrations of EPA and DHA minimize peroxidation sensitivity and optimize Na,K-ATPase activity.

Using quantitative fluorescence in situ hybridisation and flow cytometry (flow-FISH), we investigated the biological and clinical relevance of telomere length in 55 patients affected by myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) compared with 55 sex- and age-matched controls. We found that telomere fluorescence in MDS granulocytes, and CD34+ cells did not decline with age as in normal controls and that MDS granulocytes and CD34+ cells had significantly shorter telomeres than healthy controls. A significant higher incidence of cases with intermediate-unfavourable cytogenetics and International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS) int-2/high-risk group was observed among patients with lower telomere fluorescence. We also found that apoptosis in CD34+ cells was significantly higher in IPSS int-1 low-risk patients when compared with IPSS int-2 high-risk cases and healthy controls and that CD34+ cell telomere fluorescence directly correlated with CD34+ cell apoptosis. Reduced telomere fluorescence was associated with a history of occupational exposure to toxic agents and with worse survival in univariate and multivariate analyses. Our results suggest that flow-cytometry assessment of telomere dynamics may represent a valuable tool in the biological and clinical-prognostic characterisation of MDS disorders.

The in vivo effect of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) combined treatment on CD34(+) cells was evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in 13 myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients with known cytogenetic abnormalities. After treatment, responsive patients presented a significantly lower proportion of FISH abnormal CD34(+) cells than before treatment (P = 0.003), and in comparison with unresponsive cases (P = 0.007). Response to treatment was associated with a reduced degree of apoptosis in CD34(+) cells (P = 0.021): however, no difference in telomere length was observed in responsive patients after growth factor administration. Although the number of patients analysed was relatively small, the present data suggest that, in MDS patients, response to rHuEpo and G-CSF may be related to the proliferation of karyotypically normal but potentially defective CD34(+) progenitor cells.

We have analyzed the kinetics of reconstitution of circulating dendritic cell (DC) subsets (myeloid-DC1 and lymphoid-DC2) in 19 patients affected by acute leukemia undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). We have found that pretransplant DC1 and DC2 were lower in leukemic patients than in healthy subjects (P = 0.003 and P = 0.004, respectively) and that the number of DC2 (but not DC1) infused with the graft was higher in patients receiving peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) (P = 0.03). Patients recovered to the pretransplant DC1 and DC2 levels within day +60; however, a normal DC1 number was reached on day +365, while DC2 remained lower than in controls up to 1 yr after transplant. DC1 reconstitution did not differ significantly between patients receiving bone marrow stem cells (BMSC) or PBSC, while patients receiving PBSC presented increased levels of DC2 on day +30 (P = 0.008) and +100 (P = 0.047) and a higher number of T lymphocytes and natural killer cells until day +365. The occurrence of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) was not influenced in our cases by DC1/DC2 graft composition, but patients with acute GVHD when compared with patients without acute GVHD presented a significantly less rapid DC recovery (DC1 P = 0.03, DC2 P = 0.009 on day +30, and DC1 P = 0.012, DC2 P = 0.006 on day +100). At the moment of relapse, a decrease of DC1/DC2 numbers was observed in four patients and the presence of two different DC populations one with a normal karyotype, and the other with the same cytogenetic abnormality as the malignant clone was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. In conclusion, these observations suggest that in allogeneic HSCT recipients, DC recovery is a slow process possibly contributing to the high risk of infections in the post-transplant period and is possibly influenced by the source of HSC, the occurrence of GVHD and relapse. Further studies are warranted to investigate the significance of DC reconstitution in the transplant setting.

In a rare case of follicluar dendritic cell sarcoma, malignant cells were isolated and cultured in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin 4 (IL-4) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). After 14 d, 15% of neoplastic cells differentiated into myeloid-dendritic cell-like elements as demonstrated by immunological and functional characteristics. These cells showed the same cytogenetic abnormality of the malignant clone (fluorescence in situ hybridisation analysis performed on CD1a+ cells) and were able to induce allogenic T-cell proliferation in the mixed leucocyte reaction. These data may indicate that antigen presenting capacity could be a functional state inducible in cellular elements which are believed not to be of hemopoietic origin. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings and to clarify the possibility to use these cells to generate specific anti-tumoral immune responses.

The urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) system, which consists of a proteinase (uPA), a receptor (uPAR or CD87) and inhibitors, is involved in proteolysis, cell migration, tissue remodelling, angiogenesis and cell adhesion. Recent findings suggest that malignant plasma cells express uPA and uPAR. The expression of these factors could represent a process by which myeloma plasma cells interact with the bone marrow (BM) environment and influence important biological events such as bone matrix degradation, plasma cell invasion and homing and, possibly, clinical evolution. We evaluated uPAR (CD87) and its soluble form (suPAR) in 49 multiple myeloma (MM) patients and correlated their expression and levels with clinico-biological characteristics of the disease. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that CD87 was expressed in all MM patients. High CD87 expression was associated with higher intensity of expression of CD56 (P = 0.038), CD38 (P = 0.058) and CD138 (P = 0.054) and CD45bright positivity (P = 0.014). suPAR levels correlated positively with soluble serum CD138 (P = 0.001), creatinine (P = 0.001), beta2-microglobulin (P0.001), disease stage (P = 0.017) and extra-BM involvement (P = 0.002). In the 46 evaluable patients, multivariate analysis showed that high levels of suPAR (P = 0.0214) and disease stage (P = 0.0064) were predictive of extra-BM involvement. In multivariate Cox analysis, 13q deletion (P = 0.0278), high soluble serum CD138 (P = 0.0201) and high suPAR (P = 0.0229) were the only parameters that independently affected survival. We conclude that CD87 is expressed on myeloma plasma cells and that suPAR, which predicts extra-BM involvement and poor prognosis, possibly represents a molecule with a relevant role in the biology of MM.

The issue of whether, in patients affected by myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), haematological response to cytokines, particularly to recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo), is a phenomenon related to the stimulation of normal haemopoietic cells or to the differentiation of cells belonging to the abnormal clone remains an open question. To assess the pattern of response to rHuEpo treatment of bone marrow (BM) cells, we evaluated in 13 low-risk MDS patients with known cytogenetic abnormalities the number of cytogenetically normal and abnormal cells by conventional cytogenetic analysis (CCA) and by a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, enabling the simultaneous visualization of FISH chromosomal abnormalities in morphologically and immunophenotypically identifiable BM elements. Patients responding to rHuEpo presented a lower number of abnormal metaphases at diagnosis in comparison with patients who did not respond (22.74% vs 76.23%, P =0.001). This was confirmed by the combined morphological FISH analysis, showing that, before treatment, BM samples from patients responding to rHuEpo had a lower proportion of both FISH abnormal erythroid (36.48% vs 66.93%, P = 0.002) and myeloid (40.76% vs 67.70%, P = 0.014) elements than unresponsive patients. After rHuEpo treatment, responding patients presented a significantly lower proportion of FISH abnormal erythroid precursors than observed before treatment (16.93%vs 36.48%, P = 0.017). Likewise, in responding patients, a significantly lower proportion of FISH abnormal erythroid elements (16.93% vs 66.30%, P0.001) was detected in comparison with unresponsive patients. These findings provide evidence that, in low-risk MDS patients with known cytogenetic abnormalities, response to rHuEpo may be due to the proliferation of karyotypically normal erythroid precursors, possibly representing residual normal erythroid elements.

Chromosome 11q22.3-23.1 deletions involving the ataxia-teleangiectasia mutated (ATM) locus (11q-/ATM+/-) are detected at diagnosis in 10-20% of cases of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and are associated with a relatively aggressive disease. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether 11q-/ATM+/- may appear late during the course of the disease and to analyze its possible correlation with disease evolution.Eighty-two patients with CLL and related disorders, i.e. CLL/PL and prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL), without 11q- at diagnosis were sequentially ascertained at 1-2 year intervals by conventional cytogenetic analysis (CCA) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), using an ATM-specific probe.Eight patients acquired a submicroscopic 11q deletion 13-43 months after diagnosis: the diagnosis at presentation was CLL in 3 cases, CLL/PL in 3 cases and PLL in 2 cases. A 13q14 deletion preceded the development of 11q- in four patients; additional aberrations included +12 (three cases), 17p13 deletion and 6q21 deletion (one case each). The acquisition of the 11q deletion was more frequently found in those patients presenting with CLL/PL and PLL than typical CLL (p=0.0016) and with splenomegaly (p=0.003). Follow-up data showed that karyotype evolution (p=0.009) and cytological transformation (p0.001) were associated with the acquisition of this cytogenetic lesion. The variables predicting for a shorter survival in this series included the 11q deletion (p=0.03), along with other classical clinicobiological parameters (performance status, advanced stage, splenomegaly, elevated serum beta2 microglobulin and lactate dehydrogenase levels.a) Submicroscopic 11q deletion involving the ATM locus may, in some instances, represent a secondary change in CLL, CLL/P and PLL, suggesting that sequential FISH analyses are necessary to detect this chromosome anomaly in some patients; b) the acquisition of 11q-/ATM deletion may play a role in determining cytological transformation and disease progression of CLL and related disorders.