Hematology

Article Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems

The Impact of Sex and Gender on Stroke

Kathryn M. Rexrode, Tracy E. Madsen, Amy Y. X. Yu, Cheryl Carcel, Judith H. Lichtman, Eliza C. Miller

Summary: Women bear a disproportionate burden of stroke mortality and disability. Both biological sex and sociocultural gender contribute to differences in stroke risk factors, assessment, treatment, and outcomes. This review outlines the current knowledge of the impact of sex and gender on stroke, while also identifying research gaps and areas for future inquiry.

CIRCULATION RESEARCH (2022)

Article Hematology

Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Ohad Benjamini, Lior Rokach, Gilad Itchaki, Andrei Braester, Lev Shvidel, Neta Goldschmidt, Shirley Shapira, Najib Dally, Abraham Avigdor, Galia Rahav, Yaniv Lustig, Shirley Shapiro Ben David, Riva Fineman, Alona Paz, Osnat Bairey, Aaron Polliack, Ilana Levy, Tamar Tadmor

Summary: Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a suboptimal humoral response to vaccination. In this study, the safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in CLL patients were investigated. The vaccine was found to be safe, but its efficacy was limited, especially in treated patients.

HAEMATOLOGICA (2022)

Review Oncology

Targeting extracellular matrix stiffness and mechanotransducers to improve cancer therapy

Yangfu Jiang, Hongying Zhang, Jiao Wang, Yongliang Liu, Ting Luo, Hui Hua

Summary: The cancer microenvironment plays a critical role in tumorigenesis and cancer progression. The interaction between the extracellular matrix (ECM) and tumor and stromal cells contributes to cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune evasion. Both ECM stiffness itself and ECM stiffening-induced mechanical stimuli can activate cell membrane receptors and mechanosensors, thereby modulating the malignant phenotype of tumor and stromal cells. Understanding how ECM stiffness regulates tumor progression is crucial for the development of new therapeutics.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

The long and short non-coding RNAs modulating EZH2 signaling in cancer

Sepideh Mirzaei, Mohammad Hossein Gholami, Kiavash Hushmandi, Farid Hshemi, Amirhossein Zabolian, Israel Canadas, Ali Zarrabi, Noushin Nabavi, Amir Reza Aref, Francesco Crea, Yuzhuo Wang, Milad Ashrafizadeh, Alan Prem Kumar

Summary: Non-coding RNAs play significant roles in cancer progression by regulating the expression of enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2). Different types of ncRNAs, including miRNAs, lncRNAs, and CircRNAs, modulate EZH2 expression through various mechanisms, affecting downstream signaling pathways and therapy response. These mechanisms have important implications for cancer research and treatment.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT): Update on diagnosis and management considering different resources

Andreas Greinacher, Florian Langer, Mike Makris, Menaka Pai, Sue Pavord, Huyen Tran, Theodore E. Warkentin

Summary: VITT is a rare but severe immunological reaction to non-replicable adenoviral vector-based COVID-19 vaccines, causing extreme activation of platelets and the coagulation system, increasing the risk of death. The World Health Organization provided guidelines for the diagnosis and management of VITT, and authors summarized new clinically relevant information with recommendations for low resource environments.

JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS (2022)

Review Oncology

Immune checkpoint modulators in cancer immunotherapy: recent advances and emerging concepts

Yuchen Wang, Hao Zhang, Chao Liu, Zeyu Wang, Wantao Wu, Nan Zhang, Longbo Zhang, Jason Hu, Peng Luo, Jian Zhang, Zaoqu Liu, Yun Peng, Zhixiong Liu, Lanhua Tang, Quan Cheng

Summary: The discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors is considered a significant breakthrough in tumor therapy, but severe side effects and ineffective treatment outcomes still exist. In addition to known molecules like PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, novel immune checkpoint molecules such as VISTA and CD39 are being widely investigated for potential clinical benefits.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

Recent advances in therapeutic strategies for triple-negative breast cancer

Yun Li, Huajun Zhang, Yulia Merkher, Lin Chen, Na Liu, Sergey Leonov, Yongheng Chen

Summary: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly malignant subtype of breast cancer with a poor prognosis. Current treatment options are limited, but targeted therapies focusing on DNA repair pathways, androgen receptor signaling pathways, kinases, and immunotherapy have shown promise.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Up to 8-year follow-up from RESONATE-2: first-line ibrutinib treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Paul M. Barr, Carolyn Owen, Tadeusz Robak, Alessandra Tedeschi, Osnat Bairey, Jan A. Burger, Peter Hillmen, Steve E. Coutre, Claire Dearden, Sebastian Grosicki, Helen McCarthy, Jian-Yong Li, Fritz Offner, Carol Moreno, Cathy Zhou, Emily Hsu, Anita Szoke, Thomas J. Kipps, Paolo Ghia

Summary: This study reports long-term follow-up data from the RESONATE-2 phase 3 study of ibrutinib in previously untreated CLL patients. The results show that ibrutinib provides sustained benefit in terms of progression-free survival and overall survival, even in patients with high-risk genomic features.

BLOOD ADVANCES (2022)

Article Hematology

Azacitidine for patients with Vacuoles, E1 Enzyme, X-linked, Autoinflammatory, Somatic syndrome (VEXAS) and myelodysplastic syndrome: data from the French VEXAS registry

Thibault Comont, Mael Heiblig, Etienne Riviere, Louis Terriou, Julien Rossignol, Didier Bouscary, Virginie Rieu, Guillaume Le Guenno, Alexis Mathian, Achille Aouba, Julien Vinit, Jeremie Dion, Olivier Kosmider, Benjamin Terrier, Sophie Georgin-Lavialle, Pierre Fenaux, Arsene Mekinian

Summary: Azacitidine may be effective in MDS associated with inflammatory/autoimmune diseases. A study on 116 VEXAS patients in France found that azacitidine treatment achieved clinical response in 46% of patients, suggesting its potential effectiveness in selected VEXAS patients with MDS.

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

Immunosuppressive cells in cancer: mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets

Yan Tie, Fan Tang, Yu-quan Wei, Xia-wei Wei

Summary: Immunotherapies are effective for treating advanced cancers, but some patients are resistant to these therapies. Targeting immunosuppressive cells and related signals is a promising strategy to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapies.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

T-cell immune response after mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccines is frequently detected also in the absence of seroconversion in patients with lymphoid malignancies

Vincenzo Marasco, Cristiana Carniti, Anna Guidetti, Lucia Farina, Martina Magni, Rosalba Miceli, Ludovica Calabretta, Paolo Verderio, Silva Ljevar, Fabio Serpenti, Daniele Morelli, Giovanni Apolone, Giuseppe Ippolito, Chiara Agrati, Paolo Corradini

Summary: The study evaluated the serological and T-cell responses of lymphoid malignancy patients after mRNA vaccination, finding that some patients, especially those receiving anti-CD20 antibody treatment, may not effectively develop protective antibodies. T-cell responses were detected in most patients, even in seronegative individuals, but a small percentage of cases had no cellular or humoral responses. This raises concerns about the vaccine efficacy for LM patients, highlighting the need for continued protective measures.

BRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Association of clonal hematopoiesis with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Peter G. Miller, Dandi Qiao, Joselyn Rojas-Quintero, Michael C. Honigberg, Adam S. Sperling, Christopher J. Gibson, Alexander G. Bick, Abhishek Niroula, Marie E. McConkey, Brittany Sandoval, Brian C. Miller, Weiwei Shi, Kaushik Viswanathan, Matthew Leventhal, Lillian Werner, Matthew Moll, Brian E. Cade, R. Graham Barr, Adolfo Correa, L. Adrienne Cupples, Sina A. Gharib, Deepti Jain, Stephanie M. Gogarten, Leslie A. Lange, Stephanie J. London, Ani Manichaikul, George T. O'Connor, Elizabeth C. Oelsner, Susan Redline, Stephen S. Rich, Jerome I. Rotter, Vasan Ramachandran, Bing Yu, Lynette Sholl, Donna Neuberg, Siddhartha Jaiswal, Bruce D. Levy, Caroline A. Owen, Pradeep Natarajan, Edwin K. Silverman, Peter van Galen, Yohannes Tesfaigzi, Michael H. Cho, Benjamin L. Ebert

Summary: Somatic mutations in blood cells are associated with the development and severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), independent of age and smoking.
Article Hematology

Odronextamab, a human CD20xCD3 bispecific antibody in patients with CD20-positive B-cell malignancies (ELM-1): results from the relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma cohort in a single-arm, multicentre, phase 1 trial

Rajat Bannerji, Jon E. Arnason, Ranjana H. Advani, Jennifer R. Brown, John N. Allan, Stephen M. Ansell, Jeffrey A. Barnes, Susan M. O'Brien, Julio C. Chavez, Johannes Duell, Andreas Rosenwald, Jennifer L. Crombie, Melanie Ufkin, Jingjin Li, Min Zhu, Srikanth R. Ambati, Aafia Chaudhry, Israel Lowy, Max S. Topp

Summary: The study evaluated the safety and antitumour activity of Odronextamab in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The results demonstrated manageable safety and encouraging preliminary activity. The objective response rate was 51% in patients treated with Odronextamab.

LANCET HAEMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

Targeting cell death pathways for cancer therapy: recent developments in necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and cuproptosis research

Xuhui Tong, Rong Tang, Mingming Xiao, Jin Xu, Wei Wang, Bo Zhang, Jiang Liu, Xianjun Yu, Si Shi

Summary: This article discusses the molecular processes and effects of necroptosis, pyroptosis, ferroptosis, and cuproptosis on tumor cell proliferation and cancer metastasis, as well as the complex effects of these novel types of tumor cell death on the tumor microenvironment and regulated death of other cells in the microenvironment.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Resuscitation with blood products in patients with trauma-related haemorrhagic shock receiving prehospital care (RePHILL): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial

Nicholas Crombie, Heidi A. Doughty, Jonathan R. B. Bishop, Amisha Desai, Emily F. Dixon, James M. Hancox, Mike J. Herbert, Caroline Leech, Simon J. Lewis, Mark R. Nash, David N. Naumann, Gemma Slinn, Hazel Smith, Iain M. Smith, Rebekah K. Wale, Alastair Wilson, Natalie Ives, Gavin D. Perkins

Summary: This study investigated the efficacy of prehospital blood transfusion in trauma-related hemorrhagic shock and found that the use of packed red blood cells and lyophilized plasma was not superior to 0.9% sodium chloride. Further research is needed to identify which patients may benefit from prehospital transfusion and to determine the optimal outcomes for transfusion trials in major trauma.

LANCET HAEMATOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

The potential role of N-7-methylguanosine (m7G) in cancer

Yuejun Luo, Yuxin Yao, Peng Wu, Xiaohui Zi, Nan Sun, Jie He

Summary: N-7-methylguanosine (m7G) is a prevalent RNA modification that actively participates in biological and pathological functions. It plays a critical role in cancer development and is closely associated with tumorigenesis and progression. The underlying molecular mechanisms of m7G in cancer are not fully understood.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Excess heme upregulates heme oxygenase 1 and promotes cardiac ferroptosis in mice with sickle cell disease

Archita Venugopal Menon, Jing Liu, Hanting Phoebe Tsai, Lingxue Zeng, Seungjeong Yang, Aarti Asnani, Jonghan Kim

Summary: This study identified ferroptosis as a key mechanism of cardiomyopathy in sickle cell disease (SCD). SCD causes heme overload, leading to cardiovascular complications. Increased heme upregulates heme oxygenase 1 (Hmox1), which drives cardiomyopathy through ferroptosis. Inhibiting or inducing Hmox1 regulates the severity of cardiac damage.
Review Oncology

Hypoxia-inducible factors: master regulators of hypoxic tumor immune escape

Qinghua Wu, Li You, Eugenie Nepovimova, Zbynek Heger, Wenda Wu, Kamil Kuca, Vojtech Adam

Summary: Hypoxia in the tumor microenvironment weakens cytotoxic T cell function and promotes recruitment of regulatory T cells, thereby reducing tumor immunogenicity. Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs), especially HIF1A and HIF2A, play important roles in tumor immune escape through various mechanisms. Understanding these mechanisms can lead to the development of targeted therapies for tumor treatment.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Review Oncology

The molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of EMT in tumor progression and metastasis

Yuhe Huang, Weiqi Hong, Xiawei Wei

Summary: This review describes the molecular mechanisms, signaling pathways, and stages of tumorigenesis involved in the EMT process and discusses the role of EMT in tumor metastasis. It provides new insights and strategies for tumor therapy targeting EMT.

JOURNAL OF HEMATOLOGY & ONCOLOGY (2022)

Article Hematology

Distinguishing AML from MDS: a fixed blast percentage may no longer be optimal

Elihu Estey, Robert P. Hasserjian, Hartmut Doehner

Summary: Including patients with 10% to 30% blasts (AML/MDS) in both AML and MDS studies would allow for testing the independent effect of blast percentage on outcome, provide more treatment options for patients, and potentially simplify the regulatory approval process.