Iranian Journal of Blood and Cancer
Volume:11 Issue: 1, Mar 2019

Pregabalin, a selective inhibitor of voltage dependent calcium channels has been used for treatment of epilepsy, fibromyalgia, generalized anxiety disorder and especially neuropathic pains. The anti-inflammatory properties of pregabalin in some pathologic conditions like orofacial pain and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice have been reported. Effectiveness of pregabalin in treatment of pain in some cancer patients has been shown. The aim of this study was to investigate the cytotoxic effect of pregabalin on U937 and Molt-4 leukemic cells in vitro. Human leukemic monocyte (U937) and T cell (MOLT-4) were cultured in Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI)-1640 complete medium. Next, different concentrations of pregabalin (1, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 μg/ml) were add to cultured U937 and MOLT-4 cells and incubated for 24, 48 and 72 hours. The cytotoxic effect of pregabalin was assessed by MTT (3-[4, 5 dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) test. Pregabalin significantly reduced U937 and Molt4 cells viability at 1000 μg/ml (6280.26 μM) concentration after 24 hours treatment (P<0.001, P=0.029, respectively). In addition, pregabalin also decreased U937 and Molt-4 cells viability at ≥500 μg/ml (≥3140.13 μM) concentrations after 48 hours incubation (P<0.001). Besides, pregabalin significantly reduced leukemic U937 cells viability at ≥ 100 μg/ml (628.02 μM) (P<0.005) after 72 hours incubation. Whereas, pregabalin significantly diminished Molt-4 cells viability at ≥1 μg/ml (6.28 μM, P<0.001) after 72 hours incubation.            Our findings demonstrated that pregabalin was cytotoxic for U937 and Molt-4 cells in a time and dose dependent pattern. So Pregabalin might be a useful candidate as a therapeutic substance for treatment of leukemic patients.

Thrombopoietin is a glycoprotein produced by liver and kidney which is responsible for regulating the platelet production. Thrombopoietin is a key ligand with impact on regulating the self-renewal of Hematopoietic stem cells and the regulation of Megakaryocytes progenitors. Previous studies have indicated that only N-terminal domain of this protein has receptor promoting ability. The goal of this study was to express the recombinant form of the soluble Thrombopoietin by using Rosetta gami strain of Escherichia coli as the expression host and pET vectors system to produce this cytokine in a cost-effective manner. After isolating the genomic sequence of Thrombopoietin from HepG2 cDNA, it was inserted into the pET32 vector and colonized by DH5α. Then, recombinant plasmids were transformed into Rosetta gami to express the recombinant protein. Expression was analyzed through SDS-PAGE and western blotting assays. Finally, the optimized time for induction and the suitable concentrations of IPTG were determined.  DNA sequencing of recombinant plasmid proved that the sequence was indicative of variant 2 of Thrombopoietin. SDS-PAGE and western blotting showed a 36-kDa protein band which was compatible with the inserted sequence. Optimized time for expression was 6 h and optimized concentration of IPTG was 0.1 mM. Although different methods are available to produce recombinant Thrombopoietin, low yield and costly setup are major obstacles in the production of Thrombopoietin. Also the products of usual bacterial systems are mostly inclusion bodies which is due to lacking disulfide bond formation. In this study, mutant strain of E. coli was used to provide a high level of water-soluble Thrombopoietin expression.

Cisplatin is an antineoplastic agent used to treat many malignancies; however, the main side effect of cisplatin is nephrotoxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydration therapy with and without magnesium on prevention of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity. This retrospective study was performed on 46 patients with malignancy who were candidate to receive cisplatin as their protocol for chemotherapy during years 2011-2016. Of these, 22 patients were treated with hydration and magnesium sulfate (1 gr magnesium sulfate 50% and 10 mEq potassium chloride 15% in 1000 ml normal saline before and after cisplatin administration) and 24 patients were treated with hydration alone. Cisplatin was administered in cycles every 21 days. Serum sodium, Potassium, creatinine (sCr) and creatinine clearance (CrCl) were assessed before each chemotherapy cycle and after the last course of chemotherapy. There was significant difference between two studied groups in post chemotherapy sCr and Potassium (P<0.05); however, no significant difference was observed between two groups in serum magnesium and sodium levels (P>0.05). In terms of sCr, as nephrotoxicity index, the absolute risk of nephrotoxicity in patients receiving hydration with magnesium was 19% more than the other group. The relative risk of nephrotoxicity in patients receiving hydration with magnesium was 4.4 fold more than another group. Risk of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity in patients receiving hydration with magnesium sulfate was higher than group of patients not receiving magnesium besides hydration.

Infection is one of the most serious complications and leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological-oncological disorders. We aimed to assess distribution of pathogens and their antibiotic resistance pattern in patients admitted to hematology-oncology department of Namazi Hospital, Shiraz from April 2016 to March 2017.  The current cross-sectional study found out 234 patients with positive culture from different sites. Patients with all kind of malignancies were included in the study. Isolation of the pathogens and antibiotic resistance pattern was conducted using disc diffusion Method. Among 234 subjects with positive culture, gram negative and gram positive bacteria, and fungi comprised 45.3%, 32.4%, and 22.2% of the cases, respectively. The most common pathogens were E. coli (20.9 %) and Non-albicans Candida (20.9 %). Data analysis found E. coli, Acinetobacter, Enterococci, and catheter-related coagulase-negative Staphylococci highly resistant to fluoroquinolones, imipenem, vancomycin and ceftazidime, respectively. New strategies in prescribing antibiotics are demanded due to altered pathogenic sensitivity to the conventional antibiotics. Meanwhile, measures such as standard precautions and transmission-based precautions (i.e., contact, droplet, and airborne precautions) should be taken more seriously to decrease the emergence of bacterial and fungal infections.

The purpose of this randomized study was to examine the effects of a supervised aerobic training program on anthropometry, lipid profile and body composition of obese adult leukemia survivors. Fifty-four obese adult leukemia survivors were allocated randomly into two groups of equal number. The intervention group underwent a supervised aerobic training program for 30-40 minutes, 3 days per week for 12 weeks while the control group did not receive any specific supervised type of exercise and only did the usual daily routine activities. Anthropometry, lipid profile and body composition assessments were performed at baseline and after 12 weeks using a standard calibrated digital scale, digital stadiometer, blood sample analysis and densitometry (DEXA), respectively. The study showed marked reduction in the mean values of anthropometric measurements (weight, Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) at the end of the study in intervention compared with control group (P<0.05). The results of the study showed a favourable lipid profile at the end of the study. The mean values of triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were decreased markedly, while high-density lipoprotein (HDL) mean values were increased significantly after aerobic training program in intervention group compared with control group. Regarding body composition, the mean values of fat-free mass (FFM) were increased significantly while the percentage of total fat mass (TFM) and trunk fat (TF) were markedly reduced after receiving the training program in intervention group compared with control group (P<0.05). 12 weeks of supervised aerobic training program can significantly reduce body weight, BMI, WC, HC, WHR in adult subjects who are obese leukemia survivors. In addition, it could result in a favourable lipid profile and a change in body composition.

BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is frequent in patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, but it rarely occurs among other immunosuppressed patients particularly in those who are receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies. Herein, we report three children with malignancies suffering from hemorrhagic cystitis due to BK virus infection who were successfully improved.
Early detection of BK virus using RT-PCR technique was undertaken. With administration of antiviral agents; specifically, IVIG or leflunomide, BK virus-associated HC could be successfully managed in children affected by malignancies and consequently, chemotherapy of underlying disorder might be continued after virus elimination.