Network pharmacology to decipher the mechanism of Danggui Longhui Wan against chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)is a hematopoietic myeloproliferative disorder.The Chinese prescription Danggui Longhui Wan(DGLHW)has been utilized in CML treatment,but its underlying mechanisms remain unclear.In this study,we gathered 794 constituents,1249 drug targets,1654 disease genes and 129 intersection genes.GO and KEGG were used to analyze the function of these genes.Compatibility of prescription study showed that monarch drug,minister drug,assistant and guide drug played a synergistic role in the treatment of CML.In addition,we obtained 20 hub genes and 12 key components.Molecular docking indicated that the main compounds and core proteins had good binding ability.The results of this study also showed that DGLHW might play a role in the treatment of CML by affecting MAPK,PI3K/AKT,FoxO and p53 signaling pathways.

Unusual presentation of extramedullary blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia:A case report

BACKGROUND Extramedullary blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)is an uncommon occurrence of leukemic blast infiltration in regions other than the bone marrow.Malignant infiltration of the serosal membranes should be considered in cases where CML presents with ascites or pleural effusion.CASE SUMMARY A 23-year-old female with CML presented with progressively worsening ascites and pleural effusion despite first-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment.Her blood work indicated leukocytosis with myelocyte bulge and 2%blasts.Analysis of the patient’s bone marrow confirmed the chronic phase of CML.Abdominal ultrasound revealed hepatosplenomegaly with ascites.The fluid investigation of both ascites and pleural effusion revealed a predominance of neutrophils with exudate.However,no acid-fast bacilli or growth was observed after culturing.Although hydroxyurea reduced cell counts,there was no observed effect on ascites or pleural effusion.Repeat investigation of the ascitic and pleural fluid revealed a polymorphous myeloid cell population consisting of myelocytes,metamyelocytes,band forms,neutrophils and a few myeloblasts.Extramedullary blast crisis was suspected,and mutation analysis was performed.We switched the patient to dasatinib.The patient’s symptoms were relieved,and ascites and pleural effusion diminished.CONCLUSION Serosal membrane involvement in CML is extremely rare.In this case,the patient responded well to dasatinib treatment.

Synchronous diagnosis and treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia:Two case reports

BACKGROUND The concurrence of acute myeloid leukemia(AML)and chronic lymphocytic leukemia(CLL)is rare.Previous reports of such cases have focused mainly on clinical diagnosis and characteristics,so the mechanism remains unclear,and therapy options have been poorly explored.CASE SUMMARY Here,we report two cases of synchronous AML and CLL.Flow cytometry revealed two distinct abnormal cell populations(myeloblasts and lymphoid cells)according to scatter characteristics.CD5-positive B cell lymphoma with myeloid leukemia invasion was observed on lymph node biopsy.Chemotherapy regimens indicated for both AML and CLL were used in our patients,and our patients achieved complete response after chemotherapy.Next-generation sequencing of 88 genes was performed.CONCLUSION We conclude that early mutation and dysregulation at the hematopoietic stem cell stage and the accumulation of multiple rearrangements may cause the concurrence of CLL and AML.The treatment of infection and combination therapy aimed at the CLL component are significant in the management of patients with concurrent CLL and AML.

Gene Expression Pattern of Signal Transduction in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

To explore the transcriptional gene expression profiles of signaling pathway in Chronic myeloid leukemia （CML）, a series of cDNA microarray chips were tested. The results showed that differentially expressed genes related to singal transduction in CML were screened out and the genes involved in Phosphoinositide 3-kinases （PI3K）, Ras-MAPK （mitogen-activated protein kinase） and other signaling pathway genes simultaneously. The results also showed that most of these genes were up-expression genes , which suggested that signal transduction be overactivated in CML. Further analysis of these differentially expressed signal transduction genes will be helpful to understand the molecular mechanism of CML and find new targets of treatment.

Horn of plenty:Value of the international registry for pediatric chronic myeloid leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)in minors is a rare disease which can be effectively treated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors(TKIs)since the year 2000.A majority of pediatricians will encounter one or two CML patients in the course of their careers and will typically have to rely on written information along with their own intuition to provide care.Knowledge of response to TKIs and of agespecific side effects has an impact on the design of pediatric CML trials in many ways aiming to contribute toward greater predictability of clinical improvements.Information from a registry on a rare disease like CML offers the enormous benefit of enabling treating physicians to interact and share their collective experience.The International Registry on Pediatric CML(IR-PCML)was founded at Poitiers/France almost 10 years ago.Since then,the number of collaboration centers and in parallel of registered patients continuously increased(>550 patients as of December 2019).Ideally,from a given treatment center in a country data are transferred to a national coordinator who interacts with the IR-PCML.In the sense of quality assurance,the registry can offer dissemination of knowledge on state-of-the-art diagnostics(including reference appraisal),optimal treatment approaches,and follow-up procedures within a network that is exerting its strength via participation.With continuous growth during the recent years,very rare subgroups of patients could be identified(e.g.,CML diagnosed at age<3 years,children presenting with specific problems at diagnosis or during course of treatment)which had not been described before.Publications coming from the IR-PCML disseminated this useful information derived from patients who robustly participate and share information about their disease,among themselves and with their caregivers and clinicians.Patient input driving the collection of data on this rare leukemia is the basis for the considerable success of bringing new therapeutics into clinical use.

Identification of cell surface markers for acute myeloid leukemia prognosis based on multi-model analysis

Given the extremely high inter-patient heterogeneity of acute myeloid leukemia(AML),the identification of biomarkers for prognostic assessment and therapeutic guidance is critical.Cell surface markers(CSMs)have been shown to play an important role in AML leukemogenesis and progression.In the current study,we evaluated the prognostic potential of all human CSMs in 130 AML patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)based on differential gene expression analysis and univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis.By using multi-model analysis,including Adaptive LASSO regression,LASSO regression,and Elastic Net,we constructed a 9-CSMs prognostic model for risk stratification of the AML patients.The predictive value of the 9-CSMs risk score was further validated at the transcriptome and proteome levels.Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that the risk score was an independent prognostic factor for the AML patients.The AML patients with high 9-CSMs risk scores had a shorter overall and event-free survival time than those with low scores.Notably,single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis indicated that patients with high 9-CSMs risk scores exhibited chemotherapy resistance.Furthermore,PI3K inhibitors were identified as potential treatments for these high-risk patients.In conclusion,we constructed a 9-CSMs prognostic model that served as an independent prognostic factor for the survival of AML patients and held the potential for guiding drug therapy.

Combination of Rapamycin and Imatinib in Treating Refractory Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Myeloid Blast Crisis:a Case Report

HRONIC myeloid leukemia （CML） is characterized by the presence of the BCR/ABL fusion gene, which is the result of a reciprocal translo cation between chromosomes 9 and 22, calledPhiladelphia （Ph） chromosome. Imatinib mesylate （imatinib）, a specific small molecular inhibitor of BCR/ABL, could improve the prognosis of CML and is now the standard drug applied in all phases of this disease} Despite the efficacy of imatinib, the development of resistance and the persistence of minimal residual disease have seriously impaired the efficiency of this medicine. Resistance may develop through several different mechanisms, such as mutations in the Abl kinase domain, BCR/ABL overexpression, or compensatory phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase （PI3K）/Akt/ mammalian target of rapamycin （mTOR） activation.2,3 Rapamycin, with mTOR as a potential therapeutic target, has been studied in patients with hematologic malignancies. Here we report a case of refractory CML myeloid blast crisissuccessfully treated by the combination of rapamycin and imatinib.

A novel t(3;12)(q21;p13) translocation in a patient with accelerated chronic myeloid leukemia after imatinib and nilotinib therapy

The acquisition of secondary chromosomal aberrations in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) karyotype signifies clonal evolution associated with the progression of the disease to its accelerated or blastic phase. Therefore, these aberrations have clinical and biological significance. T(3;12)(q26;p13), which is a recurrent chromosomal aberration observed in myeloid malignancies, is typically associated with dysplasia of megakaryocytes, multilineage involvement, short duration of any blastic phase, and extremely poor prognosis. We have identified a recurrent reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 3 and 12 with different breakpoint at bands 3q21 in the malignant cells from a 28-year-old man. The patient was initially diagnosed as having Ph+ CML in the chronic phase. The t(3;12)(q21;p13) translocation occurred 4 years after the patient was first diagnosed with CML while undergoing tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. We confirmed the t(3;12)(q21;p13) translocation via fluorescence in situ hybridization assay by using whole-chromosome paint probes for chromosomes 3 and 12. Our findings demonstrate that, similar to other recurrent translocations involving 3q26 such as t(3;3) and t(3;21), the t(3;12)(q21;p13) translocation is implicated not only in myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia but also in the progression of CML. These findings extend the disease spectrum of this cytogenetic aberration.

Time-series Analysis in Imatinib-resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia K562-cells under Different Drug Treatments

Chronic myeloid leukemia（CML） is characterized by the accumulation of active BCR-ABL protein. Imatinib is the first-line treatment of CML; however, many patients are resistant to this drug. In this study, we aimed to compare the differences in expression patterns and functions of time-series genes in imatinib-resistant CML cells under different drug treatments. GSE24946 was downloaded from the GEO database, which included 17 samples of K562-r cells with（n=12） or without drug administration（n=5）. Three drug treatment groups were considered for this study： arsenic trioxide（ATO）, AMN107, and ATO＋AMN107. Each group had one sample at each time point（3, 12, 24, and 48 h）. Time-series genes with a ratio of standard deviation/average（coefficient of variation） 〉0.15 were screened, and their expression patterns were revealed based on Short Time-series Expression Miner（STEM）. Then, the functional enrichment analysis of time-series genes in each group was performed using DAVID, and the genes enriched in the top ten functional categories were extracted to detect their expression patterns. Different time-series genes were identified in the three groups, and most of them were enriched in the ribosome and oxidative phosphorylation pathways. Time-series genes in the three treatment groups had different expression patterns and functions. Time-series genes in the ATO group（e.g. CCNA2 and DAB2） were significantly associated with cell adhesion, those in the AMN107 group were related to cellular carbohydrate metabolic process, while those in the ATO＋AMN107 group（e.g. AP2M1） were significantly related to cell proliferation and antigen processing. In imatinib-resistant CML cells, ATO could influence genes related to cell adhesion, AMN107 might affect genes involved in cellular carbohydrate metabolism, and the combination therapy might regulate genes involved in cell proliferation.

Synergistic Effects of Glutamine Deprivation and Metformin in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Objective The metabolic reprogramming of acute myeloid leukemia(AML)cells is a compensatory adaptation to meet energy requirements for rapid proliferation.This study aimed to examine the synergistic effects of glutamine deprivation and metformin exposure on AML cells.Methods SKM-1 cells(an AML cell line)were subjected to glutamine deprivation and/or treatment with metformin or bis-2-(5-phenylacetamido-1,2,4-thiadiazol-2-yl)ethyl sulfide(BPTES,a glutaminase inhibitor)or cytarabine.Cell viability was detected by Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)assay,and cell apoptosis and reactive oxygen species(ROS)by flow cytometry.Western blotting was conducted to examine the levels of apoptotic proteins,including cleaved caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase(PARP).Moreover,the human long noncoding RNA(lncRNA)microarray was used to analyze gene expression after glutamine deprivation,and results were confirmed with quantitative RT-PCR(qRT-PCR).The expression of metallothionein 2A(MT2A)was suppressed using siRNA.Cell growth and apoptosis were further detected by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry,respectively,in cells with MT2A knockdown.Results Glutamine deprivation or treatment with BPTES inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in SKM-1 cells.The lncRNA microarray result showed that the expression of MT family genes was significantly upregulated after glutamine deprivation.MT2A knockdown increased apoptosis,while proliferation was not affected in SKM-1 cells.In addition,metformin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in SKM-1 cells.Both glutamine deprivation and metformin enhanced the sensitivity of SKM-1 cells to cytarabine.Furthermore,the combination of glutamine deprivation with metformin exhibited synergistic antileukemia effects on SKM-1 cells.Conclusion Targeting glutamine metabolism in combination with metformin is a promising new therapeutic strategy for AML.

Adult rhabdomyosarcoma combined with acute myeloid leukemia: A case report

BACKGROUND Rhabdomyosarcoma is a tumor of mesenchymal origin.Secondary leukemia is a complication of previous transformation to other hematologic disorders or is a treatment-related acute myeloid leukemia secondary to cytotoxic chemotherapy or radiation therapy for other malignancies.CASE SUMMARY We present the case of a 36-year-old female patient who was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma and acute myeloid leukemia.Further disease progression was observed after multiline chemotherapy.Eventually,the patient suffered cerebral hemorrhage,which resulted in death.CONCLUSION The incidence of rhabdomyosarcoma in adults is extremely low,and secondary leukemia caused by rhabdomyosarcoma is even rarer.Secondary leukemia has a very poor prognosis and a low overall survival rate.

Circ_0012152 Accelerates Acute Myeloid Leukemia Progression through the miR-652-3p/SOX4 Axis

Objective Acute myeloid leukemia(AML)is an aggressive hematological malignancy characterized by abnormal myeloid blast expansion.Recent studies have demonstrated that circular RNAs play a role in AML pathogenesis.In this study,we aimed to investigate the clinical significance of circ_0012152 in AML and elucidate its underlying molecular mechanism in the pathogenesis of this condition.Methods Circ_0012152 expression was detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in samples obtained from 247 patients with AML and 40 healthy controls.A systematic analysis of clinical characteristics and prognostic factors was also conducted.Cell growth was assessed using the Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)assay,and apoptosis and cell cycle progression were evaluated by flow cytometry.Moreover,RNA pull-down was performed to identify target microRNAs,and transcriptome RNA sequencing and bioinformatics analyses were utilized to identify downstream mRNA targets.Results Circ_0012152 was significantly upregulated in samples from patients with AML and served as an independent adverse prognostic factor for overall survival(OS)(hazard ratio:2.357;95%confidence interval 1.258–4.415).The circ_0012152 knockdown reduced cell growth,increased apoptosis,and inhibited cell cycle progression in AML cell lines.RNA pull-down and sequencing identified miR-652-3p as a target microRNA of circ_0012152.Cell growth inhibition by circ_0012152 knockdown was significantly relieved by miR-652-3p inhibitors.We suggested that miR-652-3p targeted SOX4,as the decrease in SOX4 expression resulting from circ_0012152 knockdown was upregulated by miR-652-3p inhibitors in AML cells.Conclusion Circ_0012152 is an independent poor prognostic factor for OS in AML,and it promotes AML cell growth by upregulating SOX4 through miR-652-3p.

Quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity analysis of haploidentical-related donor vs.identical sibling donor hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in acute myeloid leukemia

Objective:We aimed to compare the quality-adjusted time without symptoms or toxicity(Q-TWiST)in acute myeloid leukemia(AML)patients who received haploidentical-related donor(HID)and identical sibling donor(ISD)hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HSCT).Methods:Five clinical health states were defined:toxicity(TOX),acute graft-versus-host disease(GVHD),chronic GVHD(cGVHD),time without symptoms and toxicity(TWiST)and relapse(REL).The equation used in this study was as follows:Q-TWiST=UTOX×TOX+UTWiST×TWiST+UREL×REL+UaGVHD×aGVHD+UcGVHD×cGVHD.Results:A total of 239 AML patients were enrolled.We established a mathematical model,i.e.,Q-TWiST HID HSCT>Q-TWiST ISD HSCT,to explore the range of utility coefficients satisfying the inequality.Based on the raw data,the utility coefficient is equivalent to the following inequality:10.57067UTOX-46.27733UREL+105.9374+3.388078UaGVHD-210.8198UcGVHD>0.The model showed that when UTOX,UREL,and UaGVHD were within the range of 0-1,as well as when UcGVHD was within the range of 0-0.569,the inequality Q-TWiST HID HSCT>Q-TWiST ISD HSCT was valid.According to the results of the ChiCTR1800016972 study,the median coefficients of TOX,acute GVHD(aGVHD),and cGVHD were 0.56(0.41-0.76),0.56(0.47-0.72),and 0.54(0.37-0.79),respectively.We selected a series of specific examples of the coefficients,i.e.,UTOX=0.5,UREL=0.05,UaGVHD-0.5,and UcGVHD-0.5.The Q-TWiST values of ISD and HID HSCT were 896 and 900 d,respectively(P=0.470).Conclusions:We first observed that Q-TWiST was comparable between AML patients receiving HID HSCT and those receiving ISD HSCT.

MDR1 Haplotypes and G2677T/A Polymorphism Predict Imatinib Response in Tunisian Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Background: The role of human multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) SNPs in the interindividual variability of imatinib mesylate (IM) response has received considerable attention. We aimed to study the association between SNPs of the MDR1 gene (C1236T, G2677T/A, C3435T) and IM response in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Method: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on 48 patients with CML undergoing IM therapy. All patients were genotyped using PCR-RFLP method. Results: The genotype and allele frequencies of C1236T and C3435T were not significantly different between CML patients responders and non-responders to IM (p > 0.05). The frequencies of 2677T allele and 2677TT genotype were significantly increased in CML patients IM responders which as compared with IM non-responders (50% vs 26.9%, p = 0.013 and 27.3% vs 3.8%, p = 0.029 respectively). Whereas the 2677AA genotype and CAC haplotype were found only in CML patients IM non-responders (15.4%). Conclusion: Pretreatment genotyping of G2677A/T appears to be useful for predicting IM resistance, which may allow the best choice of drug treatment for CML patients.

Transforming growth factor-β1 and vascular endothelial growth factor levels in senile acute myeloid leukemia and correlation with prognosis

BACKGROUND Acute myeloid leukemia(AML)is a disease in which immature hematopoietic cells accumulate in the bone marrow and continuously expand,inhibiting hematopoiesis.The treatment and prognosis of this disease have always been unsatisfactory.AIM To investigate the correlation between vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)and transforming growth factor-β1(TGFβ1)expression and prognosis in older adults with AML.METHODS This study enrolled 80 patients with AML(AML group),including 36 with complete response(AML-CR),23 with partial response(AML-PR),and 21 with no response(AML-NR).The expression levels of VEGF and TGFβ1 were detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in bone marrow mononuclear cells isolated from 56 healthy controls.Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to assess overall survival(OS)and progression-or disease-free survival(DFS).Prognostic risk factors were analyzed using a Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS The AML group showed a VEGF level of 2.68±0.16.VEGF expression was lower in patients with AML-CR than those with AML-PR or AML-NR(P<0.05).TGFβ1 expression in the AML group was 0.33±0.05.Patients with AML-CR showed a higher TGFβ1 expression than those with AML-PR or AML-NR(P<0.05).VEGF and TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML was significantly correlated with the counts of leukocytes,platelets,hemoglobin,and peripheral blood immature cells(P<0.05);Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with high TGFβ1 expression had better OS and DFS than those with low TGFβ1 expression(P<0.05),whereas patients with low VEGF levels showed better OS and DFS than those with high VEGF levels(P<0.05).VEGF,TGFβ1,and platelet count were identified by the Cox proportional hazards model as independent risk factors for OS(P<0.05),while VEGF,TGFβ1,and white blood cell count were independent risk factors for DFS(P<0.05).CONCLUSION Decreased VEGF expression and increased TGFβ1 expression in patients with AML provide valuable references for determining and individualizing clinical treatment strategies.

Priapism secondary to chronic myeloid leukemia treated by a surgical cavernosa-corpus spongiosum shunt: Case report

Priapism secondary to chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)is rarely observed in the clinic.Here,we present an 18-year-old patient with priapism for over 72 h due to hyperleukocytosis.Emergent interventions such as therapeutic aspiration and intracorporal injection of phenylephrine failed before a surgical corpora cavernosa-corpus spongiosum shunt was inserted to relieve symptoms.During hospitalization,bone marrow aspiration confirmed the diagnosis of CML.

Development of plasma cell dyscrasias in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia:A case report

BACKGROUND Chronic myeloid leukemia(CML)is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder.Plasma cell dyscrasias are a rare heterogeneous group of hematological disorders.The co-occurrence of CML and plasma cell dyscrasias in the same patient is an extremely rare incident and has been reported in several cases in the literature.CASE SUMMARY In the present report,we described a rare case of the co-occurrence of CML and plasma cell dyscrasias in a 48-year-old man,and we discussed the reason why monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance progressed to smoldering multiple myeloma and eventually to multiple myeloma while being treated with dasatinib for CML.The tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment and cytogenetic change may contribute to this phenomenon,and clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential may lead to both CML and multiple myeloma cells in a patient.Future studies are warranted to further explain the hidden reasons.CONCLUSION This case highlights that gene translocation may contribute to initiation and sustainability of clonal proliferation.Moreover,the treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitor and cytogenetic change may contribute to progression from monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance to smoldering multiple myeloma and eventually to multiple myeloma.

The combination therapy of imatinib and dasatinib achieves long-term molecular response in two imatinib-resistant and dasatinibintolerant patients with advanced chronic myeloid leukemia

For patients with chronic myeloid leukemia（CML） failing imatinib therapy,second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors（TKIs） are recommended.Here,we describe two patients with advanced CML who failed imatinib therapy and did not tolerate the recommended dose of dasatinib,but then achieved a major molecular response with the combination of imatinib and dasatinib with no significant extramedullar/ toxicity.Our observations suggest that combination of TKIs may provide an additive/synergistic antileukemic effect.

About a Case of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Pregnancy

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) associated with pregnancy is a very rare situation (less than one case per 100,000 pregnancies). It raises a serious ethical and therapeutic problem because chemotherapy during pregnancy can expose the fetus to various complications such as congenital malformations, abortion and intra uterine growth restriction. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinase are the most widely used molecules but without much certainly about their non-teratogenic effects. This is a report case of pregnancy occurring in a patient with Imatinib for CML replaced by Hydrea who gave birth to a healthy newborn with no congenital malformation.