Blood
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Review Case Reports
How I manage ibrutinib-refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
The introduction of the Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib has dramatically changed the management of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Although responses have been durable in the majority of patients, relapses do occur, especially in the high-risk patient population. Most relapses occur as the result of acquired mutations in BTK and PLCG2, which may facilitate success with alternative targeted therapies. ⋯ Because there is no established standard of care, I discuss currently available options for standard therapy and existing clinical data. I also discuss new agents with the potential to be effective in patients refractory to ibrutinib. Finally, I discuss strategies for long-term disease control in this patient population.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Nonneutralizing antibodies against factor VIII and risk of inhibitor development in severe hemophilia A.
The development of anti-factor VIII (FVIII) neutralizing antibodies (inhibitors) is the major complication in hemophilia A. Nonneutralizing antibodies (NNAs) have been detected in hemophilia patients and also in unaffected individuals. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of NNAs and to evaluate whether their presence is associated with the development of inhibitors in a cohort of previously untreated or minimally treated patients with hemophilia A; plasma samples of 237 patients with severe hemophilia A enrolled in the SIPPET trial were collected before any exposure to FVIII concentrates and analyzed for the presence of anti-FVIII NNAs. ⋯ For high-titer inhibitors, the incidence rate had an almost threefold increase (HR, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.23-6.12). These associations did not materially change after adjustment. The presence of anti-FVIII NNAs in patients with severe hemophilia A who were not previously exposed to FVIII concentrates is associated with an increased incidence of inhibitors.
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Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs; webs of DNA coated in antimicrobial proteins) are released into the vasculature during sepsis where they contribute to host defense, but also cause tissue damage and organ dysfunction. Various components of NETs have also been implicated as activators of coagulation. Using multicolor confocal intravital microscopy in mouse models of sepsis, we observed profound platelet aggregation, thrombin activation, and fibrin clot formation within (and downstream of) NETs in vivo. ⋯ NET-induced intravascular coagulation was dependent on a collaborative interaction between histone H4 in NETs, platelets, and the release of inorganic polyphosphate. Real-time perfusion imaging revealed markedly improved microvascular perfusion in response to the blockade of NET-induced coagulation, which correlated with reduced markers of systemic intravascular coagulation and end-organ damage in septic mice. Together, these data demonstrate, for the first time in an in vivo model of infection, a dynamic NET-platelet-thrombin axis that promotes intravascular coagulation and microvascular dysfunction in sepsis.
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Eculizumab inhibits the terminal, lytic pathway of complement by blocking the activation of the complement protein C5 and shows remarkable clinical benefits in certain complement-mediated diseases. However, several reports suggest that activation of C5 is not always completely suppressed in patients even under excess of eculizumab over C5, indicating that residual C5 activity may derogate the drug's therapeutic benefit under certain conditions. By using eculizumab and the tick-derived C5 inhibitor coversin, we determined conditions ex vivo in which C5 inhibition is incomplete. ⋯ However, by employing different C5 inhibitors simultaneously, residual hemolytic activity could be abolished. The importance of AP-produced C3b clusters for C5 activation in the presence of eculizumab was corroborated by the finding that residual hemolysis after forceful activation of the classical pathway could be reduced by blocking the AP. By providing insights into C5 activation and inhibition, our study delivers the rationale for the clinically observed phenomenon of residual terminal pathway activity under eculizumab treatment with important implications for anti-C5 therapy in general.