Battlevaughn1968

Background Inherited retinal diseases with cone dysfunction can be accompanied by severe visual loss and a marked loss of color vision despite relatively normal fundus appearance. Autosomal dominant occult macular dystrophy (RP1L1 gene) and X‑chromosomal retinitis pigmentosa (RPGR gene, including heterozygous female carriers) are important examples. New examination techniques enable quantification of the extent of color vision disturbances. Methods After a thorough clinical examination, color discrimination and cone function were quantified. The Cambridge color test is a computer-based test that generates pseudo-isochromatic plates with Landolt C figures for quantifying color discrimination along several axes in color space. Examination of photorecepor-specific temporal contrast sensitivity is performed by subtle cyclic modulation of the spectral composition of a light stimulus. Molecular diagnostics were carried out by next generation sequencing (NGS)-based targeted gene panel analysis and Sanger sequencing. Results Markedly reduced color discrimination as well as reduced photoreceptor-specific temporal contrast sensitivity could be demonstrated in two patients with occult macular dystrophy and two heterozygous female carriers of RPGR mutations. Conclusion The demonstration of dyschromatopsia is very helpful in the diagnosis of inherited retinal diseases, in addition to modern imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fundus fluorescence. New functional techniques enable quantification of color vision disturbances and could be useful as outcome parameters in clinical trials of new gene and stem cell-based therapies.Sleep disturbance is common among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) and is related to neurocognitive difficulties. this website However, research on sleep disturbances and related variables among adults with SCD is extremely limited. The present study examined the relationship between sleep, executive functioning, and emotional functioning among 62 adults (29 females; M age = 32 years, SD = 7.79) with SCD preparing to undergo a stem cell transplant. Participants were administered a neurocognitive evaluation that included objective and subjective measures of executive functioning, and they completed PROMIS self-report measures of anxiety, depression, and pain intensity. Results showed that about 17% of participants endorsed clinically significant sleep disruptions, while 16.1% and 8% endorsed clinically significant symptoms of anxiety and depression, respectively. Sleep disturbance in these adults was not significantly correlated with objective or subjective measures of executive functioning. Moreover, anxiety, but not depression, was a significant mediator between self-reported sleep difficulties and both objective and subjective measures of executive functioning while controlling for pain intensity. Future research on sleep interventions will be essential for ameliorating the effects of sleep disturbance on executive functioning and anxiety among adults with SCD.Neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (NLR) and platelets to lymphocytes ratio (PLR) are considered as laboratory markers of inflammation. They can be potentially useful in predicting the course of multiple neoplasms including selected hematological cancers. The aim of the study was to assess the value of NLR and PLR in predicting the effects of therapy and prognosis in multiple myeloma patients treated with thalidomide-based regimen. The study group consisted of 100 patients treated with the first line CTD (cyclophosphamide, thalidomide, and dexamethasone) chemotherapy. The NLR and PLR were calculated before treatment. High NLR was observed in patients with higher stage of the disease, with poor performance status, hypercalcemia, and high CRP. High PLR was associated with low BMI and high CRP. In patients with high NLR, significantly shorter PFS was observed (17 vs. 26 months, p = 0.0405). In addition, high values of NLR and PLR were associated with significantly shorter OS (38 vs. 79 months, p = 0.0010; 40 vs. 78 months, p = 0.0058). Summarizing, NLR and PLR have a significant independent prognostic value for multiple myeloma patients. Furthermore, the NLR can be a predictive marker for the outcome of thalidomide-based chemotherapy.To explore the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of central nervous system (CNS) relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to compare the differences in CNS relapse between haploidentical donor HSCT (HID-HSCT) and HLA-identical sibling donor HSCT (ISD-HSCT). We performed a retrospective nested case-control study on patients with CNS relapse after allo-HSCT. The cumulative incidence of CNS relapse was 4.06% after allo-HSCT in ALL, with a significantly poor prognosis. The incidence was 3.91% and 5.36% in HID-HSCT and ISD-HSCT, respectively (p = .227). Among the patients with CNS relapse, the overall survival (OS) at 3 years was 56.2 ± 6.8% in the HID-HSCT subgroup and 76.9 ± 10.2% in the ISD-HSCT subgroup (p = .176). The 3-year cumulative incidence of systemic relapse was also comparable between the two subgroups (HID-HSCT, 40.6 ± 7.4%; ISD-HSCT, 13.3 ± 8.7%, respectively, p = .085). Younger age (p = .045), T-ALL (p = .035), hyperleukocytosis at diagnosis (p less then .001), advanced disease stage at transplant (p less then .001), pre-HSCT CNS involvement (p less then .001), and absence of chronic graft vs host disease (cGVHD) (p less then .001) were independent risk factors for CNS relapse after allo-HSCT. In conclusion, CNS relapse was a significant complication after allo-HSCT in ALL and was associated with poor prognosis. The incidences and outcomes were comparable between HID-HSCT and ISD-HSCT.WNT signaling pathway regulates several processes involved in the homeostasis of normal cells. Its dysregulation is associated with pathological outcomes like cancer. We previously demonstrated that downregulation of WNT7A correlates with higher proliferation rates in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, the regulation of this gene in pathological and normal conditions remains unexplored. In this work, we aimed to analyze the transcriptional regulation of WNT7A in leukemic cells and in normal T lymphocytes after a proliferative stimulus. WNT7A expression was measured in blood cells and in T lymphocytes after phytohemagglutinin-L (PHA-L) treatment or T-cell receptor (TCR) activation by qPCR and Western blot. Promoter methylation was assessed using methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes, and histone modifications were determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation and qPCR. In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), WNT7A expression is silenced through DNA methylation of CpG island in the promoter region.