The use of nanoparticles as a delivery system for a specific antigen could solve many limitations of mucosal vaccine applications, such as low immunogenicity, or antigen protection and stabilization. In this study, we tested the ability of nasally administered chitosan nanoparticles loaded with glycoprotein B of murine cytomegalovirus to induce an immune response in an animal model. The choice of chitosan nanoparticle type was made by in vitro evaluation of sorption efficiency and antigen release. Three types of chitosan nanoparticles were prepared: crosslinked with tripolyphosphate, coated with hyaluronic acid, and in complex with polycaprolactone. The hydrodynamic size of the nanoparticles by dynamic light scattering, zeta potential, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, stability, loading efficiency, and release kinetics with ovalbumin were evaluated. Balb/c mice were immunized intranasally using the three-dose protocol with nanoparticles, gB, and adjuvants Poly(I:C) and CpG ODN. Subsequently, the humoral and cell-mediated antigen-specific immune response was determined. On the basis of the properties of the tested nanoparticles, the cross-linked nanoparticles were considered optimal for further investigation. The results show that nanoparticles with Poly(I:C) and with gB alone raised IgG antibody levels above the negative control. In the case of mucosal IgA, only gB alone weakly induced the production of IgA antibodies compared to saline-immunized mice. The number of activated cells increased slightly in mice immunized with nanoparticles and gB compared to those immunized with gB alone or to negative control. The results demonstrated that chitosan nanoparticles could have potential in the development of mucosal vaccines.
- MeSH
- Adjuvants, Immunologic MeSH
- Administration, Intranasal MeSH
- Chitosan * chemistry MeSH
- Glycoproteins MeSH
- Immunization MeSH
- Immunoglobulin A MeSH
- Muromegalovirus * MeSH
- Mice, Inbred BALB C MeSH
- Mice MeSH
- Nanoparticles * chemistry MeSH
- Immunity, Mucosal MeSH
- Vaccines * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Mice MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) accounts for about 15% of pediatric and about 25% of adult ALL cases. Minimal/measurable residual disease (MRD) assessed by flow cytometry (FCM) is an important prognostic indicator for risk stratification. In order to assess the MRD a limited number of antibodies directed against the most discriminative antigens must be selected. We propose a pipeline for evaluating the influence of different markers for cell population classification in FCM data. We use linear support vector machine, fitted to each sample individually to avoid issues with patient and laboratory variations. The best separating hyperplane direction as well as the influence of omitting specific markers is considered. Ninety-one bone marrow samples of 43 pediatric T-ALL patients from five reference laboratories were analyzed by FCM regarding marker importance for blast cell identification using combinations of eight different markers. For all laboratories, CD48 and CD99 were among the top three markers with strongest contribution to the optimal hyperplane, measured by median separating hyperplane coefficient size for all samples per center and time point (diagnosis, Day 15, Day 33). Based on the available limited set tested (CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD8, CD45, CD48, CD99), our findings prove that CD48 and CD99 are useful markers for MRD monitoring in T-ALL. The proposed pipeline can be applied for evaluation of other marker combinations in the future.
- MeSH
- Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma * diagnosis MeSH
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma * diagnosis MeSH
- Flow Cytometry MeSH
- Neoplasm, Residual diagnosis MeSH
- T-Lymphocytes MeSH
- Check Tag
- Child MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
OBJECTIVES: Small extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain various signaling molecules, thus playing a crucial role in cell-to-cell communication and emerging as a promising source of biomarkers. However, the lack of standardized procedures impedes their translation to clinical practice. Thus, we compared different approaches for high-throughput analysis of small EVs transcriptome. METHODS: Small EVs were isolated from 150 μL of serum. Quality and quantity were assessed by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blot. Comparison of RNA extraction efficiency was performed, and expression of selected genes was analyzed by RT-qPCR. Whole transcriptome analysis was done using microarrays. RESULTS: Obtained data confirmed the suitability of size exclusion chromatography for isolation of small EVs. Analyses of gene expression showed the best results in case of samples isolated by Monarch Total RNA Miniprep Kit. Totally, 7,182 transcripts were identified to be deregulated between colorectal cancer patients and healthy controls. The majority of them were non-coding RNAs with more than 70 % being lncRNAs, while protein-coding genes represented the second most common gene biotype. CONCLUSIONS: We have optimized the protocol for isolation of small EVs and their RNA from low volume of sera and confirmed the suitability of Clariom D Pico Assays for transcriptome profiling.
- MeSH
- Extracellular Vesicles * genetics metabolism MeSH
- Chromatography, Gel MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- RNA MeSH
- Gene Expression Profiling * methods MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
In recent years, multifunctional nanocarriers that provide simultaneous drug delivery and imaging have attracted enormous attention, especially in cancer treatment. In this research, a biocompatible fluorescent multifunctional nanocarrier is designed for the co-delivery of capsaicin (CPS) and nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) using the pH sensitive amphiphilic block copolymer (poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone), PEtOx-b-PCL). The effects of the critical formulation parameters (the amount of copolymer, the concentration of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as a stabilizing agent in the inner aqueous phase, and volume of the inner phase) are evaluated to achieve optimal nanoparticle (NP) properties using Central Composite Design. The optimized NPs demonstrated a desirable size distribution (167.8 ± 1.4 nm) with a negative surface charge (-19.9 ± 0.4) and a suitable loading capacity for CPS (70.80 ± 0.05%). The CPS & N-GQD NPs are found to have remarkable toxicity on human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7). The solid fluorescent signal is acquired from cells containing multifunctional NPs, according to the confocal microscope imaging results, confirming the significant cellular uptake. This research illustrates the enormous potential for cellular imaging and enhanced cancer therapy offered by multifunctional nanocarriers that combine drug substances with the novel fluorescent agents.
- MeSH
- Nitrogen * chemistry MeSH
- Fluorescent Dyes chemistry MeSH
- Graphite * chemistry MeSH
- Capsaicin * chemistry pharmacology MeSH
- Quantum Dots * chemistry therapeutic use MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- MCF-7 Cells MeSH
- Nanoparticles * chemistry MeSH
- Drug Carriers chemistry MeSH
- Polymers chemistry MeSH
- Antineoplastic Agents * pharmacology chemistry MeSH
- Theranostic Nanomedicine * MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
INTRODUCTION: While radiotherapy has long been recognized for its ability to directly ablate cancer cells through necrosis or apoptosis, radiotherapy-induced abscopal effect suggests that its impact extends beyond local tumor destruction thanks to immune response. Cellular proliferation and necrosis have been extensively studied using mathematical models that simulate tumor growth, such as Gompertz law, and the radiation effects, such as the linear-quadratic model. However, the effectiveness of radiotherapy-induced immune responses may vary among patients due to individual differences in radiation sensitivity and other factors. METHODS: We present a novel macroscopic approach designed to quantitatively analyze the intricate dynamics governing the interactions among the immune system, radiotherapy, and tumor progression. Building upon previous research demonstrating the synergistic effects of radiotherapy and immunotherapy in cancer treatment, we provide a comprehensive mathematical framework for understanding the underlying mechanisms driving these interactions. RESULTS: Our method leverages macroscopic observations and mathematical modeling to capture the overarching dynamics of this interplay, offering valuable insights for optimizing cancer treatment strategies. One shows that Gompertz law can describe therapy effects with two effective parameters. This result permits quantitative data analyses, which give useful indications for the disease progression and clinical decisions. DISCUSSION: Through validation against diverse data sets from the literature, we demonstrate the reliability and versatility of our approach in predicting the time evolution of the disease and assessing the potential efficacy of radiotherapy-immunotherapy combinations. This further supports the promising potential of the abscopal effect, suggesting that in select cases, depending on tumor size, it may confer full efficacy to radiotherapy.
- MeSH
- Immunotherapy * methods MeSH
- Combined Modality Therapy MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Neoplasms * therapy immunology radiotherapy MeSH
- Radiotherapy methods MeSH
- Models, Theoretical MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of adjuvant therapy on oncological outcomes in patients with intermediate-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), as due to the poorly-defined and overlapping diagnostic criteria optimal decision-making remains challenging in these patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this multicentre study, patients treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumour for Ta disease were retrospectively analysed. All patients with low- or high-risk NMIBC were excluded from the analysis. Associations between adjuvant therapy administration with recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were assessed in Cox regression models. RESULTS: A total of 2206 patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC were included in the analysis. Among them, 1427 patients underwent adjuvant therapy, such as bacille Calmette-Guérin (n = 168), or chemotherapeutic agents, such as mitomycin C or epirubicin (n = 1259), in different regimens up to 1 year. The median (interquartile range) follow-up was 73.3 (38.4-106.9) months. The RFS at 1 and 5 years in patients treated with adjuvant therapy and those without were 72.6% vs 69.5% and 50.8% vs 41.3%, respectively. Adjuvant therapy was associated with better RFS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.89, P < 0.001), but not with PFS (P = 0.09). In the subgroup of patients aged ≤70 years with primary, single Ta Grade 2 <3 cm tumours (n = 328), adjuvant therapy was not associated with RFS (HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.50-1.02, P = 0.06). While in the subgroup of patients with at least one risk factor including patient age >70 years, tumour multiplicity, recurrent tumour and tumour size ≥3 cm (n = 1878), adjuvant intravesical therapy was associated with improved RFS (HR 0.78, 95% CI 0.68-0.88, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In our study, patients with intermediate-risk NMIBC benefit from adjuvant intravesical therapy in terms of RFS. However, in patients without risk factors, adjuvant intravesical therapy did not result in a clear reduction in the recurrence rate.
- MeSH
- Chemotherapy, Adjuvant MeSH
- Administration, Intravesical MeSH
- BCG Vaccine therapeutic use administration & dosage MeSH
- Cystectomy methods MeSH
- Epirubicin administration & dosage MeSH
- Neoplasm Invasiveness MeSH
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Mitomycin administration & dosage therapeutic use MeSH
- Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Neoplasms MeSH
- Urinary Bladder Neoplasms * pathology therapy drug therapy mortality MeSH
- Disease-Free Survival MeSH
- Retrospective Studies MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Check Tag
- Middle Aged MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Aged MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Multicenter Study MeSH
PURPOSE: There is a significant unmet need for new and efficacious therapies in urothelial cancer (UC). To provide recommendations on appropriate clinical trial designs across disease settings in UC, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) and the International Bladder Cancer Group (IBCG) convened a multidisciplinary, international consensus panel. METHODS: Through open communication and scientific debate in small- and whole-group settings, surveying, and responses to clinical questionnaires, the consensus panel developed recommendations on optimal definitions of the disease state, end points, trial design, evaluations, sample size calculations, and pathology considerations for definitive studies in low- and intermediate-risk nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), high-risk NMIBC, muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings, and metastatic UC. The expert panel also solicited input on the recommendations through presentations and public discussion during an open session at the 2021 Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) Think Tank (held virtually). RESULTS: The consensus panel developed a set of stage-specific bladder cancer clinical trial design recommendations, which are summarized in the table that accompanies this text. CONCLUSION: These recommendations developed by the SITC-IBCG Bladder Cancer Clinical Trial Design consensus panel will encourage uniformity among studies and facilitate drug development in this disease.
Background: Hepatosplenický T-lympfom (hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma – HSTCL) je vzácný podtyp periferního T-lymfomu. U pacientů je obyvkle přítomna splenomegalie a pancytopenie, ale bez lymfadenopatie. Imunohistochemické (IHC) barvení vzorků z biopsie kostní dřeně ukazuje intrasinusoidální infiltraci CD3 and CD56 T-lymfocytů. Mezi současné léčebné strategie při HSTCL patří režim CHOP (cyklofosfamid, adriamycin, vinkristin, prednison), po kterém následuje autologní transplantace. Případ: Přijali jsme 28letého muže s pocitem plnosti v břiše, úbytkem na váze a masivní splenomegalií. Laboratorní vyšetření odhalila pancytopenii. CT snímek břicha ukázal hepatomegalii and masivní splenomegalii. Patologické vyšetření kostní dřeně ukázalo monotónní středně veliké lymfocyty se shlukem atypických lymfocytů s volně kondenzovaným chromatinem a světlou cytoplazmou. Intrasinusoidální umístění bylo patrnější po použití IHC barvení CD3 a CD56, které jsou pro HSTCL charakteristické. Podávali jsme chemoterapii v režimu CHOP každé 3 týdny, a to ve 3 cyklech; odpovědí bylo nicméně stabilní onemocnění. Jelikož splenomegalie byla stále masivní a pacienta omezovala, multidisciplinární tým rozhodl o provedení splenektomie. Pacient bohužel zákrok nepřežil. Závěr: Hepatosplenický T-lymfom je vzácné agresivní onemocnění, které spadá pod periferní T-lymfom. Chemoterapie v režimu CHOP se ukázala neúčinná a pro stanovení optimální léčby HSTCL je zapotřebí dalších studií.
Background: Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL) is a rare subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. Patients usually present with splenomegaly and pancytopenia but without lymphadenopathy. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining of bone marrow biopsy shows intra-sinusoidal infiltration of CD3 and CD56 T-lymphocytes. Current treatment strategy of HSTCL includes a CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, adriamycine, vincristine, prednisone) followed by autologous transplantation. Case: A 28-year-old male presented with abdominal fullness, weight loss, and massive splenomegaly. Laboratory findings revealed pancytopenia. A CT scan of the abdomen displayed hepatomegaly and massive splenomegaly. The bone marrow pathology examination showed monotonous medium-sized lymphocytes with some cluster of atypical lymphocytes with loosely condensed chromatin and pale cytoplasm. The intra-sinusoidal location was more prominent after using IHC staining of CD3 and CD56, which are characteristics of HSTCL. We administered CHOP-based regiment every 3 weeks for 3 cycles; however, the response was a stable disease. Since the splenomegaly was still massive and compromised the patient, the multidisciplinary team decided to perform splenectomy. Unfortunately, the patient did not survive the surgery. Conclusion: Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma is a rare aggressive disease, which is part of peripheral T-cell lymphoma. CHOP-based chemotherapy appeared to be ineffective, and we need further studies to find the optimal treatment of HSTCL.
- MeSH
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Lymphoma, T-Cell * diagnosis complications therapy MeSH
- Liver Neoplasms diagnosis MeSH
- Splenic Neoplasms diagnosis complications therapy MeSH
- Pancytopenia etiology MeSH
- Antineoplastic Protocols MeSH
- Splenomegaly etiology pathology MeSH
- Treatment Outcome MeSH
- Check Tag
- Adult MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Male MeSH
- Publication type
- Case Reports MeSH
Nanodiamonds are innovative nanocrystalline carbon particles able to deliver chemically conjugated miRNAs. In oncology, the use of miRNA-based therapies may represent an advantage, based on their ability to simultaneously target multiple intracellular oncogenic targets. Here, nanodiamonds were tested and optimized to deliver miR-34a, a miRNA playing a key role in inhibiting tumor development and progression in many cancers. The physical-chemical properties of nanodiamonds were investigated suggesting electrical stability and uniformity of structure and size. Moreover, we evaluated nanodiamond cytotoxicity on two breast cancer cell models and confirmed their excellent biocompatibility. Subsequently, nanodiamonds were conjugated with miR-34a, using the chemical crosslinker polyethyleneimine; real-time PCR analysis revealed a higher level of miR-34a in cancer cells treated with the different formulations of nanodiamonds than with commercial transfectant. A significant and early nanodiamond-miR-34a uptake was recorded by FACS and fluorescence microscopy analysis in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, nanodiamond-miR-34a significantly inhibited both cell proliferation and migration. Finally, a remarkable anti-tumor effect of miR-34a-conjugated nanodiamonds was observed in both heterotopic and orthotopic murine xenograft models. In conclusion, this study provides a rationale for the development of new therapeutic strategies based on use of miR-34a delivered by nanodiamonds to improve the clinical treatment of neoplasms.
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Východiska: Radiologické onkologické intervenční výkony patří mezi důležité metody terapie hepatocelulárního karcinomu. V časných stadiích lze vedle chirurgických postupů využít termální ablační metody. Při středně pokročilém onemocnění hrají významnou roli metody založené na transarteriálním přístupu, zejména transarteriální chemoembolizace. Úspěšnost intervenčních zákroků závisí nejen na biologické povaze a velikosti nádoru, na technickém provedení a reakci organizmu na léčbu, ale také na molekulárních změnách spojených s těmito procedurami. Kromě klasických prediktivních a prognostických faktorů, mezi které se řadí věk, komorbidity pacienta, Child-Pugh skóre, vlastnosti tumoru, přítomnost velkých cév v okolí a trombóza portální žíly, se ve studiích stále častěji zmiňují prognostické a prediktivní faktory molekulární a také sérové biomarkery. Rutinně užívaným prognostickým biomarkerem je v současnosti pouze a-fetoprotein. Přesto se objevují studie poukazující na nové sérové biomarkery, které mají potenciál v budoucnu pomoci ke stanovení prognózy onemocnění a predikci úspěšnosti terapie klasickým markerům a zobrazovacím metodám. Mezi tyto biomarkery se nejčastěji řadí g-glutamyltranspeptidáza, des- g-karboxyprotrombin, některé typy mikroRNA, zánětlivé a hypoxické látky, jejichž sérové hladiny jsou ovlivněny samotnými intervenčními výkony. Hodnocení těchto molekul by mohlo vést k optimalizaci lékařské intervence (volby metody terapie, načasování léčby) nebo změně managementu sledování pacientů po intervenčních výkonech. Ačkoli několik biomarkerů ukázalo slibné výsledky, většina sérových biomarkerů stále vyžaduje ověření ve velkých studiích fáze III. Cíl: Cílem této práce je podat ucelený přehled klasických a molekulárních biomarkerů, které by potenciálně mohly pomoci v prognostické stratifikaci pacienta a umožnit tak lépe predikovat úspěšnost a efekt radiologických intervenčních metod.
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the most common malignant liver tumor in adults and thermal ablation and transarterial embolization are important methods of therapy. Thermal ablation can be used in early stages. Methods based on the transarterial approach, especially transarterial chemoembolization, play an important role in intermediate stage diseases. The success of procedures depends not only on the biological nature and the size of the tumor, on the technical design of the procedure and on the patient‘s response to treatment, but also on the molecular changes associated with these procedures. In addition to classic predictive and prognostic factors including age, patient comorbidities, Child-Pugh score, tumor characteristics, presence of large surrounding vessels, and portal vein thrombosis, molecular prognostic and predictive factors (serum biomarkers) are often mentioned in studies. Currently, only a-fetoprotein is routinely used as a prognostic biomarker; however, there are studies referring to new serum biomarkers that can potentially help to classical markers and imaging methods to determine the cancer prognosis and predict the success of therapy. These biomarkers most often include g-glutamyltranspeptidase, des- g-carboxyprothrombin, some types of microRNAs, inflammatory and hypoxic substances, whose serum levels are changed by the intervention therapies. Evaluation of these molecules could lead to the optimization of the medical intervention (choice of therapy method, timing of treatment) or change the management of patient follow-up after interventions. Although several biomarkers have shown promising results, most serum biomarkers still require validation in phase III studies. Purpose: The aim of this work is to present a comprehensive overview of classical and molecular biomarkers that could potentially help in the prognostic stratification of patients and better predict the success and effect of radiological intervention methods.
- Keywords
- transarteriální chemoembolizace, termální ablace,
- MeSH
- Chemoembolization, Therapeutic methods MeSH
- Carcinoma, Hepatocellular * surgery diagnosis MeSH
- Humans MeSH
- Biomarkers, Tumor MeSH
- Prognosis MeSH
- Radiotherapy adverse effects MeSH
- Check Tag
- Humans MeSH
- Publication type
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
- Review MeSH
