OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of chemotherapy combined with antivirals in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) patients and the prognostic factors. METHODS: Forty nine patients with previously treated or treatment-nave ATLL from January 2018 to January 2021 were included in our study. The patients were divied into two groups according to whether they received antiviral treatment, twenty-seven patients were treated with chemotherapy combined with antivirals, including thirteen patients treated with recombinant interferon alpha-2b and CHOP therapy, eight patients treated with zidovudine combined with CHOP therapy, and 6 patients treated with CHOP regimen combined with interferon and zidovudine. Twenty-two patients were treated with CHOP therapy. The changes of symptom, hematological parameters, lactic dehydrogenase, β2-microglobulin, and the Ki-67 positive rate were compared between the two groups before and after treatments. The clinical efficacy of chemotherapy combined with antiviral therapy for ATLL was evaluated. The antiviral effect was assessed by detecting HTLV-1 virus copy number, and prognostic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 14 months. Compared with the patients treated with chemotherapy alone, the patients treated with chemotherapy combined with antivirals had lower tumor and virus loads, lower white blood cell count, lower lactate dehydrogenase level, lower β2-microglobulin lever, and lower Ki-67 positive rate (all P<0.05). The total effective rate of patients treated with chemotherapy combined with antivirals was significantly higher than those of patients treated with chemotherapy alone (63.0% vs 31.8%, P=0.035). The one-year overall survival (OS) rates of chemotherapy combined with antivirals groups and chemotherapy alone group were (74.1±2.9)％ and (40.9±2.1)％ (P=0.021), respectively. The one-year progress free survival (PFS) rates were (51.9±3.3)％ and (13.6±2.8)％ (P=0.017), respectively. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that HTLV-1 virus load (HR=7.518, 95%CI: 2.517-36.192, P=0.013) and antiviral therapy ［HR=5.617 (95%CI 1.803-11.293), P=0.027］ were independent prognostic factors for the long-term efficacy. CONCLUSION Addition of antivirals to chemotherapy can prolong PFS and OS in ATLL patients. HTLV-1 virus load and antiviral therapy are independent prognostic factors for ATLL patients.
Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use* ; Antiviral Agents/therapeutic use* ; Cyclophosphamide ; Doxorubicin ; Humans ; Interferon alpha-2/therapeutic use* ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Lactate Dehydrogenases ; Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell/drug therapy* ; Lymphoma/drug therapy* ; Oxidoreductases/therapeutic use* ; Vincristine/therapeutic use* ; Zidovudine/therapeutic use*

Cell replacement therapy using neural progenitor cells (NPCs) following ischemic stroke is a promising potential therapeutic strategy, but lacks efficacy for human central nervous system (CNS) therapeutics. In a previous in vitro study, we reported that the overexpression of human arginine decarboxylase (ADC) genes by a retroviral plasmid vector promoted the neuronal differentiation of mouse NPCs. In the present study, we focused on the cellular mechanism underlying cell proliferation and differentiation following ischemic injury, and the therapeutic feasibility of NPCs overexpressing ADC genes (ADC-NPCs) following ischemic stroke. To mimic cerebral ischemia in vitro , we subjected the NPCs to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). The overexpressing ADC-NPCs were differentiated by neural lineage, which was related to excessive intracellular calcium-mediated cell cycle arrest and phosphorylation in the ERK1/2, CREB, and STAT1 signaling cascade following ischemic injury. Moreover, the ADC-NPCs were able to resist mitochondrial membrane potential collapse in the increasingly excessive intracellular calcium environment. Subsequently, transplanted ADC-NPCs suppressed infarct volume, and promoted neural differentiation, synapse formation, and motor behavior performance in an in vivo tMCAO rat model. The results suggest that ADC-NPCs are potentially useful for cell replacement therapy following ischemic stroke.
Animals ; Arginine ; Brain Ischemia ; Calcium ; Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Cell Proliferation ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Neurons ; Phosphorylation ; Plasmids ; Stem Cells ; Stroke ; Synapses ; Zidovudine

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Several recent studies have claimed that cancer cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). However, in most cases, cancer cells seem to be resistant to cellular reprogramming. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms of limited reprogramming in cancer cells are largely unknown. Here, we identified the candidate barrier genes and their target genes at the early stage of reprogramming for investigating cancer reprogramming.METHODS: We tried induction of pluripotency in normal human fibroblasts (BJ) and both human benign (MCF10A) and malignant (MCF7) breast cancer cell lines using a classical retroviral reprogramming method. We conducted RNA-sequencing analysis to compare the transcriptome of the three cell lines at early stage of reprogramming.RESULTS: We could generate iPSCs from BJ, whereas we were unable to obtain iPSCs from cancer cell lines. To address the underlying mechanism of limited reprogramming in cancer cells, we identified 29 the candidate barrier genes based on RNA-sequencing data. In addition, we found 40 their target genes using Cytoscape software.CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that these genes might one of the roadblock for cancer cell reprogramming. Furthermore, we provide new insights into application of iPSCs technology in cancer cell field for therapeutic purposes.
Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Line ; Cellular Reprogramming ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Methods ; Transcriptome ; Zidovudine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cancer is known to be a disease by many factors. However, specific results of reprogramming by pluripotency-related transcription factors remain to be scarcely reported. Here, we verified potential effects of pluripotent-related genes in hepatocellular carcinoma cancer cells. METHODS: To better understand reprogramming of cancer cells in different genetic backgrounds, we used four liver cancer cell lines representing different states of p53 (HepG2, Hep3B, Huh7 and PLC). Retroviral-mediated introduction of reprogramming related genes (KLF4, Oct4, Sox2, and Myc) was used to induce the expression of proteins related to a pluripotent status in liver cancer cells. RESULTS: Hep3B cells (null p53) exhibited a higher efficiency of reprogramming in comparison to the other liver cancer cell lines. The reprogrammed Hep3B cells acquired similar characteristics to pluripotent stem cells. However, loss of stemness in Hep3B-iPCs was detected during continual passage. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that reprogramming was achieved in tumor cells through retroviral induction of genes associated with reprogramming. Interestingly, the reprogrammed pluripotent cancer cells (iPCs) were very different from original cancer cells in terms of colony shape and expressed markers. The induction of pluripotency of liver cancer cells correlated with the status of p53, suggesting that different expression level of p53 in cancer cells may affect their reprogramming.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cell Line ; Genetic Background ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells* ; Liver Neoplasms* ; Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Transcription Factors ; Zidovudine

CXCR5⁺ T follicular helper (Tfh) cells are associated with aberrant autoantibody production in patients with antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases including lupus. Follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells expressing CXCR5 and Bcl6 have been recently identified as a specialized subset of Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells that control germinal center reactions. In this study, we show that retroviral transduction of CXCR5 gene in Foxp3⁺ Treg cells induced a stable expression of functional CXCR5 on their surface. The Cxcr5-transduced Treg cells maintained the expression of Treg cell signature genes and the suppressive activity. The expression of CXCR5 as well as Foxp3 in the transduced Treg cells appeared to be stable in vivo in an adoptive transfer experiment. Moreover, Cxcr5-transduced Treg cells preferentially migrated toward the CXCL13 gradient, leading to an effective suppression of antibody production from B cells stimulated with Tfh cells. Therefore, our results demonstrate that enforced expression of CXCR5 onto Treg cells efficiently induces Tfr cell-like properties, which might be a promising cellular therapeutic approach for the treatment of antibody-mediated autoimmune diseases.
Adoptive Transfer ; Antibody Formation ; Autoimmune Diseases ; B-Lymphocytes ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; T-Lymphocytes* ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Zidovudine

In spite of frequent usage of primary human foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs) in the study of skin biology, senescence-induced blockage of in vitro proliferation has been a big hurdle for their effective utilization. In order to overcome this passage limitation, we first isolated ten HFK lines from circumcision patients and successfully immortalized four of them via a retroviral transduction of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) E6 and E7 oncogenes. We confirmed expression of a keratinocyte marker protein, keratin 14 and two viral oncoproteins in these immortalized HFKs. We also observed their robust responsiveness to various exogenous stimuli, which was evidenced by increased mRNA expression of epithelial differentiation markers and pro-inflammatory genes in response to three reactive chemicals. In addition, their applicability to cytotoxicity assessment turned out to be comparable to that of HaCaT cells. Finally, we confirmed their differentiation capacity by construction of well-stratified three dimensional skin cultures. These newly established immortalized HFKs will be valuable tools not only for generation of in vitro skin disease models but also for prediction of potential toxicities of various cosmetic chemicals.
Antigens, Differentiation ; Biology ; Foreskin* ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Keratin-14 ; Keratinocytes* ; Oncogene Proteins ; Oncogenes ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; Zidovudine

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the function of Zinc finger protein 488 (ZNF488) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The endogenous expression of ZNF488 in NPC tissues, normal nasopharyngeal epithelium tissues and NPC cell lines were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. ZNF488 over-expressing and knock-down NPC cell line models were established through retroviral vector pMSCV mediated over-expression and small interfering RNA (siRNA) mediated knock-down. The invasion and migration capacities were evaluated by wound healing and transwell invasion assays in ZNF488 over-expressing and control cell lines. Soft-agar colony formation and a xenograft experiment were performed to study tumorigenic ability in vitro and in vivo. Immunofluorescence and western blotting analysis were used to examine protein changes followed by ZNF488 over-expression. Microarray analysis was performed to explore gene expression profilings, while luciferase reporter assay to evaluate the transcriptive activity of Tcf/Lef. RESULTS: ZNF488 was over-expressed in NPC tissues compared with normal tissues, especially higher in 5-8F and S18, which are well-established high metastatic NPC clones. Functional studies indicate that over-expression of ZNF488 provokes invasion, whereas knock-down of ZNF488 alleviates invasive capability. Moreover, over-expression of ZNF488 promotes NPC tumor growth both in vitro and in vivo. Our data further show that over-expression of ZNF488 induces epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) by activating the WNT/beta-catenin signaling pathway. CONCLUSION: Our data strongly suggest that ZNF488 acts as an oncogene, promoting invasion and tumorigenesis by activating the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway to induce EMT in NPC.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinogenesis* ; Cell Line ; Clone Cells ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition* ; Epithelium ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Heterografts ; Luciferases ; Microarray Analysis ; Oncogenes ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Wnt Signaling Pathway* ; Wound Healing ; Zidovudine ; Zinc Fingers

Programmed death-1 (PD-1) is a strong negative regulator of T lymphocytes in tumor-microenvironment. By engaging PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) on tumor cells, PD-1 on T cell surface inhibits anti-tumor reactivity of tumor-infiltrating T cells. Systemic blockade of PD-1 function using blocking antibodies has shown significant therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials. However, approximately 10 to 15% of treated patients exhibited serious autoimmune responses due to the activation of self-reactive lymphocytes. To achieve selective activation of tumor-specific T cells, we generated T cells expressing a dominant-negative deletion mutant of PD-1 (PD-1 decoy) via retroviral transduction. PD-1 decoy increased IFN-γ secretion of antigen-specific T cells in response to tumor cells expressing the cognate antigen. Adoptive transfer of PD-1 decoy-expressing T cells into tumor-bearing mice potentiated T cell-mediated tumor regression. Thus, T cell-specific blockade of PD-1 could be a useful strategy for enhancing both efficacy and safety of anti-tumor T cell therapy.
Adoptive Transfer ; Animals ; Antibodies, Blocking ; Autoimmunity ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic* ; Zidovudine

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Emodin combined with 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine (AZT) on the proliferation and apoptosis of concentrated leukemia stem cells (CLSC)-human acute myeloid leukemia KG-la cells and expression of BCL-2, NF-κB and TGF-β.

METHODSThe tumor stem cell-like subpopulation in human leukemia cell line KG-1a was enriched with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The CD34⁺ CD38⁻ subpopulation in the KG-1a cells was detected with flow cytometry, the cell proliferation was detected by MTT method to study the of Emodin and AZT in the CLSC. The cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry. The expression of NF-κB, BCL-2 and TGF-β mRNA and proteins were measured with RT-PCR and Western blot respectively.

RESULTSAs compared with cells treated with mentioned above drugs alone, the inhibition of proliferation potential and apoptosis rate of cells in combination group markedly increase with time and concentration dependent member (P < 0.01), the expression of NF-κB, BCL-2 and TGF-β mRNA and proteins decreased.

CONCLUSIONEmodin combined AZT can synergistically inhibit the proliferation, induce cell apoptosis, and down regulate the expression of NF-κB, BCL-2 and TGF-β mRNA and proteins in the CLSC, the possible mechanism of synergistic effect may be associated with inhibiton of BCL-2 activation and down-regulation of the expression of NF-κB, and TGF-β.

Apoptosis ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Down-Regulation ; Emodin ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Leukemia ; NF-kappa B p50 Subunit ; metabolism ; Neoplastic Stem Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism ; Zidovudine ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the survival rate of AIDS patients after receiving antiretroviral therapy(ART) in Henan province and to determine factors associated with survival status.

METHODSDatabase of AIDS patients receiving ART were downloaded from China Information System for Disease Preventioin and Control-AIDS, retrospective study method was conducted to analyze the information.

INCLUSION CRITERIAinitially received national free ART during January, 2005 to December, 2014; aged 15 years or above; and with relatively complete baseline information and follow-up information. The accumulated survival rate of AIDS patients was calculated by life table method and the influencing factors were analyzed by Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTSTotal 30 376 AIDS patients were enrolled in this study. During the follow-up period, a total of 3 927 cases died from HIV/AIDS related diseases. The mortality of all patients was 3.2/100 person year. After 1, 5, 10 years after the initiation of ART, the rates of accumulate survival rate were 93.7%, 85.3%, and 78.4%, respectively. Stepwise regression was used to conduct the time multiple factors analysis, the results showed that man (HR=1.28, 95%CI: 1.20-1.37), older age (HR=1.20, 95% CI: 1.16-1.24), others marital status except marrage or cohabitation (HR=1.20,95% CI: 1.12-1.29), more number of symptoms (HR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.07-1.14), initial treatment were main stavudine (D4T) or zidovudine (AZT)+ didanosine(DDI)+ nevirapine (NVP) or efevirenz (EFV) (HR=1.12, 95% CI: 1.04-1.20), missing drug in the past 7 days (HR=18.36,95%CI: 17.08-19.74) among AIDS patients had high mortality risk, homosexuality sexual transmission (HR=0.59, 95% CI: 0.40-0.87), higher baseline count of CD4(+)T lymphocyte (relative to 0-200 cells/µl group, HR (95%CI) were 0.57 (0.53-0.62), 0.43(0.37-0.49), 0.33 (0.27-0.40) in 201-350 cells/µl group, 351-500 cells/µl group, and ≥501 cells/µl group, respectively), higher educations (HR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.95) had low mortality risk.

CONCLUSIONSurvival rate was higher after initial antiretroviral treatment among AIDS patients in Henan province. AIDS patient will have shorter survival time after antiviral treatment under one or more following conditions: higher age, male, initial treatment with D4T or AZT + DDI + NVP or EFV, lower baseline CD4 (+) T lymphocyte count, ever missed antiviral drugs in past 7 days of latest follow-up.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; drug therapy ; epidemiology ; Anti-Retroviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; China ; epidemiology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Count ; Male ; Nevirapine ; therapeutic use ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stavudine ; therapeutic use ; Survival Analysis ; Survival Rate ; Zidovudine ; therapeutic use