Targeting Abnormal Cell Cycle in Cancer: A Preface to the Special Issue

The accelerated cell cycle progression is one of the hallmarks of human cancer [...]

Performance Evaluation Study of a Novel Digital Microscopy System for the Quantitative Analysis of Bone Marrow Aspirates

Background. We report here a trial in progress for the evaluation of a novel system aimed to provide an all-digital standardized bone marrow aspirate (BMA) analysis, Scopio Labs X100, empowered by artificial intelligence (AI) based cell pre-classification. Current methods for the analysis and reporting of BMA specimens are based on analog microscopy, as whole slide imaging at x100 magnification is not practically available. The lack of uniformity between experts in the field, originating from a subjective manual review, can lead to inconsistencies in disease diagnosis and classification, and thereby affect treatment and clinical outcomes. For example, ICSH and WHO guidelines require that at least 500 cells should be counted in at least two smears when a precise percentage of an abnormal cell type is required for diagnosis and classification. It is also recommended that in order reduce imprecision from sampling error, the total number of cells counted in the differential should be increased, specifically if the abnormal cell count is very close to a critical threshold for disease stratification or response assessment. For the general evaluation of hematopoiesis, Myeloid to Erythroid (M:E) ratio is reported. Considering the complexity of the manual BMA analysis, even more so in routine laboratory settings with competitive turnaround times, a digital transformation can sustain the desired standardization, and increase sensitivity and efficiency in routine workflow. Study Design and Methods. This multisite study is taking place at: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), and Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (TASMC). BMA analysis is performed with a manual microscope as the reference arm and in Scopio Labs X100 Full Field BMA application as the test arm (Figure 1A). Two hematopathologists at each site independently review 265 BMA specimens, including 205 with a Romanowsky stain and 60 with a Prussian Blue stain, in both the test and the reference arms. There is a 3 week washout period between arms (Figure 1B, right). ICSH guidelines were rigorously translated into a comprehensive report format used in both study arms. The report presents 27 primary and 13 secondary characteristics for the morphological assessment of BMA (Figure 1C). These include evaluation of specimen quality, evaluation of count, maturation and morphology of trilineage hematopoietic elements (myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocytic), as well as lymphocytes and plasma cells. For a repeatability study, 8 representative samples are analyzed through 20 days, 2 daily runs and 2 replicas in one site. For reproducibility study, 8 representative samples are analyzed in all sites for 5 days with 5 replicas (Figure 1B, left). The collected BMA samples hold a distribution of 55.61% males, with 2.02%, 9.46%, 16.39%, 54.73% and 17.40% of ages 13-21, 22-39, 40-55, 56-75 and >75 respectively. All samples were diagnosed by WHO criteria. Diagnoses include AML, ALL, MPN, MDS, PCN, lymphoid neoplasms, aplastic anemia, ITP and normal morphology marrow and hemodiluted samples. All samples were retrieved from the sites' bone marrow sample storage. For the method comparison study, the primary and secondary characteristics are aggregated into three primary and secondary evaluation categories of specimen quality, count, and morphology and maturation assessments (Figure 1B, left, 1C). For the primary groups, confusion matrix will be produced. For the secondary groups, contingency tables will be generated (Figure 1B, left). For the repeatability and reproducibility (R&R) studies, two-way nested ANOVA tables will be created (Figure 1, right). Primary groups will be measured for accuracy in the form of efficiency, sensitivity and specificity. Secondary groups will be measured for overall agreement. R&R will be measured for SD and CV. The introduction of Scopio's full field morphological evaluation of BMA smears, promotes an accurate diagnosis of hematological disorders including hematological malignancies, and enables a remote evaluation of BMA smears. By reviewing the entire BMA smear, and by counting a very large number of cells, this novel approach provides a new and highly accurate tool for early detection of pathological conditions, including residual disease following therapy. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Bagg: Scopio Labs: Research Funding. Raess: Scopio Labs: Research Funding. Jengehino: Scorpio Labs: Other: Partial Salary Support. Wiszniewska: Scopio Labs: Research Funding. Huynh: Scorpio Labs: Other: Salary Support. Fan: Scopio Labs: Research Funding. Bhattacharyya: Scorpio Labs: Other: Partial Salary Support. Avivi: Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Kite, a Gilead Company: Speakers Bureau. Katz: Scopio Labs: Consultancy.

PERTUMBUHAN TANAMAN SAWI (Brassica juncea L) DENGAN PERENDAMAN KOLKISIN

Brassica juncea is one of vegetable consumed by many people. One of chemical have been successful to induce mutation is colchicine. The aim of this research was to determine effect of colchicine on Brassica growth. The result show that soaking brassica seeds using colchicine make a decrease in the average plant height, leaf widht and number of leaves compare to control cause abnormal cell division.Keyword: Brassica juncea, Colchicine, Growth response

A Rare Variant of Turner Syndrome With Isodicentric X Chromosome Resulting in Trisomy: A Case Report

Introduction: Turner syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by the loss of an X-chromosome affecting approximately 1 in every 2,500 females. A constitutional karyotype of 45, X accounts for nearly 50% of patients, while mosaicism and other chromosomal structural abnormalities such as deletions, duplications, ring, isodicentric chromosomes, inversions and translocations, have been reported. Isodicentric X chromosomes are formed presumably by end-to-end fusion of chromatids after a break, with subsequent loss of an acentric fragment. These chromosomes in general have phenotypes characteristic of the resultant X deletions. We present a case of a 14-year-old female diagnosed with Turner syndrome and with 2 abnormal cell lines. Case Presentation: This is a case of a 14-year-old female referred to pediatric endocrinology for concerns of short stature and delayed puberty. She denied any food intolerance, bloating and diarrhea. She is otherwise healthy with unremarkable past medical history. Her weight was normal at 15th percentile. Her height was 137cm or 0.01 percentile with a Z score of –3.6. Work up revealed hypothyroidism with TSH 16.3 mcIU/mL (0.4-4.7 mcIU/mL), positive thyroid peroxidase antibody >900 IU/ml and thyroglobulin antibody 14 IU/mL (< 1.8IUm/mL) and celiac disease (tissue transglutaminase IgA > 100 U/mL) both without associated symptoms. Estradiol level was undetectable, and LH and FSH were 9.89 mIU/ml and 52.69 mIU/ml respectively. The rest of her labs including growth factors were normal. Bone age was normal at 13 years for chronological age of 14 years old. Chromosomal microarray revealed 2 abnormal cell lines: one with monosomy X, the other with a normal X chromosome and an isodicentric X chromosome involving the Xp11.22-q28 region resulting in trisomy of the latter cell line. Levothyroxine was started. Plan is to start growth hormone therapy and initiate puberty after. Patient referred to necessary subspecialties for hearing evaluation as well as cardiac evaluation Conclusion Turner syndrome usually presents as females with short stature, gonadal dysgenesis and 45,X cell line that is either singly or in combination with another mosaic cell line. Our patient presented with short stature and absence of puberty. Initial investigation revealed hypothyroidism and highly positive celiac antibodies, but unable to attribute her short stature to both diagnoses given the lack of other symptoms. This case emphasizes the importance of checking the karyotype in females presenting with short stature and more importantly delayed puberty as part of the diagnostic algorithm. In addition, checking thyroid and celiac panel are also imperative as treatment of these are treatable etiologies of short stature.

Inactivation of GalU leads to a cell wall-associated polysaccharide defect that reduces the susceptibility of Enterococcus faecalis to bacteriolytic agents.

Enterococcal plasmid-encoded bacteriolysin Bac41 is a selective antimicrobial system that is considered to provide a competitive advantage to Enterococcus faecalis cells that carry the Bac41-coding plasmid. The Bac41 effector consists of the secreted proteins BacL1 and BacA, which attack the cell wall of the target E. faecalis cell to induce bacteriolysis. Here, we demonstrated that galU, which encodes UTP-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase, is involved in susceptibility to the Bac41 system in E. faecalis. Spontaneous mutants that developed resistance to the antimicrobial effects of BacL1 and BacA were revealed to carry a truncation deletion of the C-terminal 288–298 a.a. region of the translated GalU protein. This truncation resulted in the depletion of UDP-glucose, leading to a failure to utilize galactose and produce the enterococcal polysaccharide antigen (EPA), which is expressed abundantly on the cell surface of E. faecalis. This cell surface composition defect that resulted from galU or EPA-specific genes caused an abnormal cell morphology, with impaired polarity during cell division and alterations of the limited localization of BacL1. Interestingly, these mutants conferred reduced susceptibility to beta-lactams besides Bac41, despite their increased susceptibility to other bacteriostatic antimicrobial agents and chemical detergents. These data suggest that a complex mechanism of action underlies lytic killing, as exogenous bacteriolysis induced by lytic bacteriocins or beta-lactams requires an intact cell physiology in E. faecalis. IMPORTANCE Cell wall-associated polysaccharides of bacteria are involved in various physiological characteristics. Recent studies demonstrated that the cell wall-associated polysaccharide of Enterococcus faecalis is required for susceptibility to bactericidal antibiotic agents. Here, we demonstrated that a galU mutation resulted in resistance to the enterococcal lytic bacteriocin Bac41. The galU homologue is reported to be essential for biosynthesis of species-specific cell wall-associated polysaccharides in other Firmicutes. In E. faecalis, the galU mutant lost the E. faecalis-specific cell wall-associated polysaccharide EPA (enterococcal polysaccharide antigen). The mutant also displayed reduced susceptibility to antibacterial agents and an abnormal cell morphology. We firstly demonstrated that galU was essential for EPA biosynthesis in E. faecalis, and EPA production might underlie susceptibility to lytic bacteriocin and antibiotic agents by undefined mechanism.