Effect of adding gemtuzumab ozogamicin to induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia: a meta-analysis of prospective randomized phase III trials

BACKGROUND

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) is a targeted antineoplastic agent comprised of a recombinant anti-CD33 humanized antibody linked to calicheamicin. Previous trials have showed conflicting results concerning the efficacy and toxicity of adding GO to induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to resolve this controversial issue.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Summary data from five randomized phase III trials compared adding GO to induction chemotherapy with induction chemotherapy alone for newly diagnosed AML were meta-analyzed. Pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), and pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for complete remission (CR) rate, incidences of resistance disease, relapse and toxicity were calculated.

RESULTS

Data of 3596 patients (1798 GO and 1798 controls) from five randomized phase III trials were analyzed. Compared with induction chemotherapy alone, adding GO significantly prolonged OS (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.86-1.00, P=0.05) and RFS (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.79-0.95, P=0.003), decreased the incidences of resistant disease (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.55-0.93, P=0.01) and relapse (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.63-0.90, P=0.002), but had no effect on CR rate (OR 1.15, 95% CI 0.91-1.46, P=0.24). Sensitivity analysis yielded similar results. Subgroup analysis identified that cytogenetics might be an influencing factor for the effect of adding GO. In addition, the risks of grade 3-4 nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and liver aspartate transaminase (AST) elevation were increased in GO arm.

CONCLUSIONS

Adding GO to induction chemotherapy for newly diagnosed AML can significantly prolong OS and RFS, decrease incidences of resistant disease and relapse, but may increase risks of grade 3-4 nausea/vomiting, diarrhea and liver AST elevation.

Modification of carbon derived from Sargassum sp. by lanthanum for enhanced adsorption of fluoride

Excessive fluoride in water causes serious environmental issues and adverse impacts on human health. In this study, an innovative lanthanum-modified carbon (LMC) adsorbent rooted in Sargassum sp. was developed for fluoride removal. Excellent removal efficiency was observed over a wide pH range of 3-9. Almost 90% of fluoride adsorption occurred within the first 1h; the equilibrium was established within 4h. The maximum adsorption capacity of LMC could reach 94.34 mg/g at neutral pH, much higher than many commercial adsorbents. Although the presence of such competitive anions as SiO3(2-), SO4(2-), HCO3(-), PO4(3-) and AsO3(-) had certain interference on fluoride uptake, it was noticed that there was no significant impact in the presence of humic acid. Furthermore, according to the instrumental analysis, the fluoride removal was majorly controlled by outer-sphere complex adsorption, while electrostatic attraction and ion exchange mechanisms could also be observed in the fluoride adsorption process. The findings from this study suggest that our adsorbent may have a great potential in industrial applications.

Real-space anisotropic dielectric response in a multiferroic skyrmion lattice

A magnetic skyrmion lattice is a microstructure consisting of hexagonally aligned skyrmions. While a skyrmion as a topologically protected carrier of information promises a number of applications, an easily accessible probe of the skyrmion and skyrmion lattice at mesoscopic scale is of significance. It is known that neutron scattering, Lorentz transmission electron microscopy, and spin-resolved STM as effective probes of skyrmions have been established. In this work, we propose that the spatial contour of dielectric permittivity in a skyrmion lattice with ferromagnetic interaction and in-plane (xy) Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction can be used to characterize the skyrmion lattice. The phase field and Monte Carlo simulations are employed to develop the one-to-one correspondence between the magnetic skyrmion lattice and dielectric dipole lattice, both exhibiting the hexagonal symmetry. Under excitation of in-plane electric field in the microwave range, the dielectric permittivity shows the dumbbell-like pattern with the axis perpendicular to the electric field, while it is circle-like for the electric field along the z-axis. The dependences of the spatial contour of dielectric permittivity on external magnetic field along the z-axis and dielectric frequency dispersion are discussed.

Measurement of double-polarization asymmetries in the quasielastic (3)He[→](e[→],e(')d) process

We present a precise measurement of double-polarization asymmetries in the ^{3}He[over →](e[over →],e^{'}d) reaction. This particular process is a uniquely sensitive probe of hadron dynamics in ^{3}He and the structure of the underlying electromagnetic currents. The measurements have been performed in and around quasielastic kinematics at Q^{2}=0.25(GeV/c)^{2} for missing momenta up to 270  MeV/c. The asymmetries are in fair agreement with the state-of-the-art calculations in terms of their functional dependencies on p_{m} and ω, but are systematically offset. Beyond the region of the quasielastic peak, the discrepancies become even more pronounced. Thus, our measurements have been able to reveal deficiencies in the most sophisticated calculations of the three-body nuclear system, and indicate that further refinement in the treatment of their two-and/or three-body dynamics is required.

Introduction and demonstration of a novel Pb(II)-imprinted polymeric membrane with high selectivity and reusability for treatment of lead contaminated water

Lead contaminant in water has become an issue of great concern due to its high toxicity and easy accumulation in human body. In this study, a novel Pb(II)-imprinted polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/polyacrylic acid (PAA) membrane (Pb-IM) was prepared based on semi-interpenetrating polymer network for selective lead removal. The chemical stability and lead adsorption performance of the Pb-IM were evaluated. The results revealed that the Pb-IM exhibited high adsorption capacity of 1.003mmol/g for lead, fast adsorption equilibrium within 1.5h, and the adsorption process obeyed Langmuir isotherm model and intraparticle pore diffusion model. The Pb-IM retained high adsorption of lead in the presence of competitive factor, i.e. cadmium. In comparison with non-imprinted PVA/PAA membrane, the Pb-IM possessed a much higher selectivity toward lead versus cadmium, with selectivity coefficient of 70.7. Furthermore, the Pb-IM displayed a high reusability for lead uptake and could maintain 96.32% of the adsorption capacity of virgin Pb-IM after six adsorption/desorption cycles. The FTIR and XPS analyses indicated that carboxyl groups in PAA and hydroxyl groups in PVA were mainly associated with the lead adsorption. Finally, the stability study showed that Pb-IM was quite stable and suitable for water treatment. It can be concluded that the Pb-IM can be provided as a powerful material for the selective removal of lead from aqueous solution.

Performance of an optimized Zr-based nanoparticle-embedded PSF blend hollow fiber membrane in treatment of fluoride contaminated water

Consumption of water that has excessive fluoride can cause adverse health impacts on human beings. A Zr-based nanoparticle-embedded PSF blend hollow fiber membrane was successfully prepared and optimized for removal of fluoride from the aqueous solution. Both static and dynamic adsorption of fluoride on the membrane was investigated. It was showed that the membrane could effectively remove fluoride within a wide pH ranging from 3 to 10. At neutral pH, the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 24 h. The maximum adsorption capacity of the optimized membrane was 60.65 mg/g, much higher than many commercial adsorbents. The presence of NO3(-), SiO3(2-) or HA has insignificant effects on the fluoride removal. However, the removal was retarded as the concentration of HCO3(-) or PO4(3-) was increased. Furthermore, the membrane could remove fluoride efficiently through the continuous filtration, even in presence of natural organic matters. The spent membrane could be regenerated and then reused for the removal of fluoride with great efficiency. The adsorption history could be well described by an intraparticle diffusion model. The XPS analysis showed that the adsorption of fluoride was mainly associated with the ion-exchange between SO4(2-) and F(-) ions. Finally, the toxicity analysis revealed that the treated water was safe for human consumption.

A comprehensive review on biosorption of heavy metals by algal biomass: materials, performances, chemistry, and modeling simulation tools

Heavy metals contamination has become a global issue of concern due to their higher toxicities, nature of non-biodegradability, high capabilities in bioaccumulation in human body and food chain, and carcinogenicities to humans. A series of researches demonstrate that biosorption is a promising technology for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. Algae serve as good biosorbents due to their abundance in seawater and fresh water, cost-effectiveness, reusability and high metal sorption capacities. This article provides a comprehensive review of recent findings on performances, applications and chemistry of algae (e.g., brown, green and red algae, modified algae and the derivatives) for sequestration of heavy metals. Biosorption kinetics and equilibrium models are reviewed. The mechanisms for biosorption are presented. Biosorption is a complicated process involving ion-exchange, complexation and coordination. Finally the theoretical simulation tools for biosorption equilibrium and kinetics are presented so that the readers can use them for further studies.

Wang-Landau sampling with logarithmic windows for continuous models

We present a modified Wang-Landau sampling (MWLS) for continuous statistical models by partitioning the energy space into a set of windows with logarithmically shrinking width. To demonstrate its necessity and advantages, we apply this sampling to several continuous models, including the two-dimensional square XY spin model, triangular J1-J2 spin model, and Lennard-Jones cluster model. Given a finite number of bins for partitioning the energy space, the conventional Wang-Landau sampling may not generate sufficiently accurate density of states (DOS) around the energy boundaries. However, it is demonstrated that much more accurate DOS can be obtained by this MWLS, and thus a precise evaluation of the thermodynamic behaviors of the continuous models at extreme low temperature (kBT<0.1) becomes accessible. The present algorithm also allows efficient computation besides the highly reliable data sampling.

Study of lipids, insulin metabolism, and paraoxonase-2-311 polymorphism in patients with different subtypes of Alzheimer's disease (translated version)

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics of blood lipids, insulin metabolism, and paraoxonase-2-311 (PON2-311) polymorphism among patients with Alzheimer's disease with different types of dementia.

METHODS

A total of 84 patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, and the Alzheimer's disease and Related Disorders Association clinical criteria for 'possible Alzheimer's disease', and with no family history of the condition, were enrolled. They were then categorised into 3 groups (senile dementia, presenile dementia, and mixed dementia) according to the diagnostic criteria of the Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders, third edition. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to determine the presence of PON2-311 polymorphism. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and fasting blood sugar were measured. Fasting plasma insulin was measured using chemiluminescence. The basal-state method was used to assess insulin resistance expressed as insulin sensitivity index. The cognitive rating scale of the Mini-Mental State Examination, Activities of Daily Living scale, and Hachinski Ischemic Scale were used to establish the clinical features and severity of cognitive impairment. Differences in PON2-311C/S polymorphism, serum insulin, blood glucose, blood lipids, and neuropsychological score were analysed.

RESULTS

The serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels of the presenile dementia group were significantly higher than those of the senile and mixed dementia groups (p < 0.01). The high-density lipoprotein level of the senile dementia group was significantly higher than that of the mixed dementia group (p < 0.05). The serum insulin level of the presenile dementia group was significantly higher than that of the senile (p < 0.05) and mixed dementia groups (p < 0.01). There were no significant differences in distribution of the PON2-311 genotypes C/C, C/S, and S/S between the senile and mixed dementia groups, and no significant differences in C-allele and S-allele frequency between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The differences in serum triglycerides, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, and insulin levels between Alzheimer patients with senile, presenile, and mixed dementia found in this study suggest that patients with presenile dementia should monitor their lipid and insulin metabolism. No significant differences were found for PON2-311 genotypes or allele frequencies in patients with dementia due to Alzheimer's disease.

Characterization of microsatellite loci in the lesser dawn bat (Eonycteris spelaea)

We constructed a genomic DNA library enriched for CA repeat motifs in Eonycteris spelaea. Nine microsatellite loci were isolated and tested on a population of 39 samples from Yunnan Province, China. These nine loci had three to 22 alleles per locus. Observed and expected heterozygosity values ranged from 0.079 to 0.963 and from 0.078 to 0.959. Two loci revealed significant departure from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and no linkage disequilibrium was found between loci pairs. These microsatellites can be a powerful molecular tool for population-level studies of E. spelaea.

Importance of wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix in Si Wu Tang, a traditional herbal formula for treating women's ailments

Si Wu Tang (Four Agents Decoction), a traditional Chinese decoction composed of Angelica Sinensis Radix, Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Paeoniae Radix Alba, and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata in a ratio of 1 : 1 : 1 : 1, has been used to treat women's diseases for more than a thousand years. According to the original description of Si Wu Tang, Angelica Sinensis Radix should be treated with wine. However, the importance of this wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix in Si Wu Tang's function has not been identified. In this article, the chemical and biological properties of two decoctions processed in different ways (Si Wu Tang with crude Angelica Sinensis Radix and Si Wu Tang with wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix) were compared for examination. The herbal decoction Si Wu Tang prepared from wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix contained much different amounts of its active compounds. Compared with Si Wu Tang using crude Angelica Sinensis Radix, Si Wu Tang prepared from wine-treated Angelica Sinensis Radix had better biological responses. Therefore, these findings accentuate the functional importance of herbs treated with wine in the Chinese decoction.

Combination of electroreduction with biosorption for enhancement for removal of hexavalent chromium

Hexavalent chromium is one of the most toxic heavy metals in aqueous solutions. It has been well documented that the brown seaweed can be used as a promising biosorbent for the sequestration of this heavy metal from wastewater. However, the uptake of Cr(VI) is reportedly a rather slower process; the sorption equilibrium can only be established after a few days, much slower than a few hours for the trivalent chromium ion. In this study, we developed a novel technology of electrochemically assisted biosorption (ECAB) system for the enhancement of the treatment efficiency. It was found through our study that the removal efficiencies of Cr(VI) and total chromium were greatly enhanced by 48.1% and 51.3%, respectively, with the application of -1.0 V in the ECAB system. The conversion of Cr(III) due to the electroreduction of Cr(VI) and the higher pH due to the cathodic H(2) evolution created a favorable condition for the uptake of chromium onto the modified seaweed (MSW). The reduction and adsorption of Cr(VI) by MSW was proved to play a minor role in the removal. Both direct electroreduction and indirect electroreduction by atomic H* contributed to the reduction of Cr(VI).

Application of a nanotechnology antimicrobial spray to prevent lower urinary tract infection: a multicenter urology trial

Background

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a common nosocomial device-associated infection. It is now recognized that the high infection rates were caused by the formation of biofilm on the surface of the catheters that decreases the susceptibility to antibiotics and results in anti-microbial resistance.

In this study, we performed an in vitro test to explore the mechanism of biofilm formation and subsequently conducted a multi-center clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of CAUTI prevention with the application of JUC, a nanotechnology antimicrobial spray.

Methods

Siliconized latex urinary catheters were cut into fragments and sterilized by autoclaving. The sterilized sample fragments were randomly divided into the therapy and control group, whereby they were sprayed with JUC and distilled water respectively and dried before use.

The experimental standard strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) were isolated from the urine samples of patients. At 16 hours and 7 days of incubation, the samples were extracted for confocal laser scanning microscopy.

A total of 1,150 patients were accrued in the clinical study. Patients were randomized according to the order of surgical treatment. The odd array of patients was assigned as the therapy group (JUC), and the even array of patients was assigned as the control group (normal saline).

Results

After 16 hours of culture, bacterial biofilm formed on the surface of sample fragments from the control group. In the therapy group, no bacterial biofilm formation was observed on the sample fragments. No significant increase in bacterial colony count was observed in the therapy group after 7 days of incubation.

On the 7th day of catheterization, urine samples were collected for bacterial culture before extubation. Significant difference was observed in the incidence of bacteriuria between the therapy group and control group (4.52% vs. 13.04%, p < 0.001).

Conclusions

In this study, the effectiveness of JUC in preventing CAUTI in a hospital setting was demonstrated in both in vitro and clinical studies.

A low-energy intensive electrochemical system for the eradication of Escherichia coli from ballast water: process development, disinfection chemistry, and kinetics modeling

The invasion of biological organisms via ballast water has created threats to the environment and human health. In this study, a cost-effective electrochemical disinfection reactor was developed to inactivate Escherichia coli, one of the IMO-regulated indicator microbes, in simulated ballast water. The complete inactivation of E. coli could be achieved within a very short time (150, 120, or 60 s) with an energy consumption as low as 0.0090, 0.0074 or 0.0035 kWh/m(3) for ballast water containing E. coli at concentrations of 10(8), 10(7) and 10(6) CFU/100 mL, respectively. Electrochemical chlorination was the major disinfection mechanism in chloride-abundant electrolytes, whereas oxidants such as ozone and free radicals contributed to 20% of the disinfection efficiency in chloride-free electrolytes. Moreover, a disinfection kinetics model was successfully developed to describe the inactivation of E. coli.

Genome affinity and meiotic behaviour in trigenomic hybrids and their doubled allohexaploids between three cultivated Brassica allotetraploids and Brassica fruticulosa

The wild species Brassica fruticulosa Cyr. (FF, 2n = 16) is closely related to the cultivated Brassica species. Through interspecific reciprocal crosses between B. fruticulosa and three cultivated Brassica allotetraploids (AABB, AACC, and BBCC where A = 10, B = 8, and C = 9), four trigenomic hybrids (F.AC, 2n = 27; F.AB, 2n = 26; F.BC, 2n = 25; BC.F, 2n = 25) were produced. By chromosome doubling of respective hybrids, three allohexaploids (FF.AACC, 2n = 54; FF.AABB, 2n = 52; BBCC.FF, 2n = 50) were synthesized. In pollen mother cells (PMCs) of the trigenomic hybrids, 1–2 autosyndetic bivalents were detected within A, B, and C genomes but only one within F genome; 1–3 allosyndetic bivalents between any two genomes were observed, and a closer relationship of F and B genomes than F and A genomes or F and C genomes was revealed. The allohexaploids showed a generally low but different pollen fertilities. The chromosomes in PMCs were predominantly paired as bivalents but some univalents and multivalents at variable frequencies were observed. The bivalents of homologous pairing for each genome prevailed, but allosyndetic quadrivalents and hexavalents involving any two genomes were observed, together with autosyndetic quadrivalents for A, B, and C genomes but not the F genome. The nondiploidized cytological behaviour of these allohexaploids contributed to their low fertility. The relationships between the genome affinity and meiotic behavior in these allohexaploids were discussed.

Probing the high momentum component of the deuteron at high Q2

The (2)H(e,e'p)n cross section at a momentum transfer of 3.5 (GeV/c)(2) was measured over a kinematical range that made it possible to study this reaction for a set of fixed missing momenta as a function of the neutron recoil angle θ(nq) and to extract missing momentum distributions for fixed values of θ(nq) up to 0.55  GeV/c. In the region of 35°≤θ(nq)≤45° recent calculations, which predict that final-state interactions are small, agree reasonably well with the experimental data. Therefore, these experimental reduced cross sections provide direct access to the high momentum component of the deuteron momentum distribution in exclusive deuteron electrodisintegration.

Functionalization of regenerated cellulose membrane via surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization for boron removal from aqueous solution

In this study, an adsorptive membrane was prepared for efficient boron removal. Poly(glycidyl methacrylate) was grafted on the surfaces of the regenerated cellulose (RC) membrane via surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization, and N-methylglucamine was used to further react with epoxide rings to introduce polyhydroxyl functional groups, which served as the major binding sites for boron. The pristine and modified membranes were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), dynamic water contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that the designed functional groups were successfully grafted onto the RC membrane, and surface modification contributed to higher boron binding capability. The optimal pH range for boron adsorption was 4-8. Under a neutral pH condition, the maximum adsorption capacity of the modified membrane was determined to be 0.75 mmol/g, which was comparable with those of commercial resins. Studies of electrolyte influence indicated the formation of inner-sphere surface complexes on the membrane surface. The ATR-FTIR and XPS analyses showed that secondary alcohol and tertiary amine groups were mainly involved in boron adsorption, and tetrahedral boron complexes were found on the membrane surface.

Characterization of hexavalent chromium interaction with Sargassum by X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and quantum chemistry calculation

Hexavalent chromium represents higher toxicity in aqueous solutions. It can be removed by such low-cost biosorbents as Sargassum sp. In this study, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and quantum chemistry (QC) calculation were used to study the interactions between hexavalent chromium and Sargassum sp. during the biosorption. It was found that most of the adsorbed Cr(VI) ions were reduced to Cr(III) after the biosorption. The electrons for the reduction of Cr(VI) were possibly supplied from the Sargassum biomass, some organic compounds of which were oxidized. Cr(III) ions were coordinated with the oxygen atoms from either carboxyl or hydroxyl functional groups to form an octahedral structural metal complex. The coordination numbers of the formed Cr complex were 4-6, and bond length of Cr-O was 1.98Å. QC calculation proved the possible formation of the Cr(III) metal complex, and revealed that carboxyl from biomass could be strongly bound with Cr(III). A three-step removal mechanism of Cr(VI) by Sargassum was proposed.