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Treatment for the DLBCL-RS was initiated in 8/12 cases, being 92% death at data cut-off date (median follow-up 6.5 months from DLBCL-RS diagnosis, IQR 2.4-9.7). Three cases were concomitantly diagnosed with CLL and DLBCL-RS; the median time of transformation in the remaining 9/12 was 76 months (IQR 51-112), and all of them had received at least 1 therapeutic line for the CLL (median 2). B Introduction: b Biological mechanisms undergoing Richter Syndrome diffuse large B-cell lymphoma type (DLBCL-RS) from a previous chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) arouse a great scientific interest, but the pattern of markers expressed in DLBCL-RS cases has been scarcely studied. [Extracted from the article]

Syncytin-1 is the envelope protein of the human endogenous retrovirus W (HERV-W). It has been related to multiple sclerosis (MS) but its role in cellular immunity and its pathogenic mechanism in the autoimmune context are not fully understood. We analyzed syncytin-1 levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) subsets from healthy donors, MS patients in relapse or remission, and patients with acute infections by flow cytometry. PBMC cultures were also prepared to analyze protein expression kinetics. MS patients had higher levels of syncytin-1 levels than controls. We found that syncytin-1 is elevated in monocytes during MS relapses and infections. Cells expressing syncytin-1, including monocytes, T and B lymphocytes, and NKs presented mainly an activated phenotype and, upon stimulation with LPS, its levels increased rapidly on antigen-presenting cells. Syncytin-1 ligation promoted the activation of monocytes, as demonstrated by the upregulation of CD80 and the nonclassical subset CD14 low CD16 + . Our results suggest an important role for syncytin-1 in the activation of leukocytes. Given that the expression of syncytin-1 is upregulated in MS patients, this protein might be contributing to the autoimmune cascade in the disease., (© 2020 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Reduction in receptors for epidermal growth factor (EGF) in cancers appears to be one of the principal mechanisms through which peptide hormone analogs can inhibit tumor growth. In this study, hamsters with nitrosamine-induced pancreatic cancers were treated for 8 weeks with bombesin/gastrin-releasing peptide (GRP) antagonist RC-3095, somatostatin analog RC-160 or the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonist Cetrorelix, using sustained delivery systems releasing 20, 35 and 20 microg analog/ day respectively. To establish the pattern of changes in the number and affinity of EGF receptors on tumors, groups of animals were sacrificed at regular intervals during therapy. Chronic treatment with RC-3095 or Cetrorelix resulted in an early (day 10) and sustained reduction (71% or 69% respectively) in EGF receptors on pancreatic tumors. In contrast, RC-160 decreased receptor concentration by 60% only after 20 days. Among the histological characteristics of proliferation, the decrease in argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions, but not apoptotic and mitotic indices, showed a correlation with the fall in EGF receptors. The concentration of the receptors returned to the control level 4 days after cessation of chronic treatment with RC-3095. The effect of single injections of RC-3095, RC-160 and Cetrorelix on EGF receptors was also investigated. RC-160 decreased the number of EGF receptors on pancreatic cancers by 31% 3 h after administration, but the receptors had returned to normal level at 6 h. RC-3095 and Cetrorelix caused a 67% and 59% decline, respectively, in EGF receptors only 6 h after injection and the concentration of receptors remained low for 24 h. Thus, the pattern of downregulation of EGF receptors in pancreatic cancers appears to depend on the peptide used for therapy. Since the antitumor effect may be the result of the fall in EGF receptors in cancers, information on the time course of changes in these receptors during treatment with these analogs may lead to an improvement in therapeutic regimens.