National Boron Research Institute

This study analyzed the clinical features of central nervous system involvement (CNS3) in pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and evaluated the CNCL-ALCL-2017 treatment protocol efficacy. The clinical data of 215 pediatric ALCL patients aged ≤18years, including 16 with CNS3, treated following the CNCL-ALCL-2017 protocol, were enrolled. Independent risk factors of CNS3 were determined using multi-factor logistic regression analysis, and survival curves were constructed. Brain parenchyma/spinal cord involvement, cranial nerve deficits, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) positivity were found in 11/16, 5/16, and 7/16 CNS3 patients, respectively, the latter including six positive on flow cytometry, one NPM1-ALK positive on PCR. Immunohistochemistry showed ALK and CD3 positivity in 15/16 and 13/16 patients, respectively. Peripheral blood ALK+ and bone marrow ALK+ were found in 10/16 and 9/16 patients, respectively. All CNS3 patients were treated with Regimen C. Multi-factor logistic regression analysis identified ear, nose, and throat involvement and CD3 expression as independent risk factors of CNS involvement. The median follow-up period was 35.4 months (range: 0.5-74.9 months). The 3-year overall and event-free survivals for the CNS3 group were 93.3%±6.4% and 86.2%±9.1%, respectively, with no differences from the whole cohort.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy represents a paradigm shift in treating refractory hematological malignancies. Despite its transformative potential, clinical application is frequently complicated by severe, potentially life-threatening toxicities, with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) being the most prominent. This comprehensive review synthesizes current therapeutic strategies for CRS, integrating recent advancements in multidisciplinary care models, refined risk stratification, and evolving prophylactic protocols. Furthermore, this paper contextualizes CRS management within the broader landscape of CAR T-cell-related adverse event (AE) mitigation, highlighting established best practices and exploring future directions aimed at enhancing the safety profile and optimizing the therapeutic index of CAR T-cell therapies.

Y. Li, L. Jin, Q. Zheng, and Y. Zhang equally contributing authors. Introduction: T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) is a highly aggressive malignancy with a high incidence among children and adolescents. Despite its prevalence, research on fusion genes in T-LBL, particularly their distribution and prognostic implications, remains limited. This study aimed to elucidate the frequency of fusion genes in Chinese pediatric T-LBL patients and explore their potential impact on prognosis, thereby providing new insights for clinical management. Methods: We collected data from 552 pediatric T-LBL patients (aged ≤ 16 years) treated at multiple centers of the China Network of Childhood Lymphoma (CNCL), with fusion gene testing results available for 180 patients. Sequencing-based methods were used to detect fusion genes, and statistical analysis was performed to investigate their associations with patient clinical outcomes. Results: Among the 180 patients analyzed, 105 (58.3%) were found to harbor fusion genes, with a total of 40 distinct fusion genes identified. The higher percentage of fusion genes were SIL::TAL1 (n = 40, 22.2%), MLL fusions (n = 20, 11.1%), TCR partner-related fusions (n = 11, 6.1%), ABL1 fusions (n = 9, 5%), NOTCH1 fusions (n = 7, 3.9%), and SET::CAN (n = 7, 3.9%) (Figure 1a). These findings highlight the genetic heterogeneity of T-LBL in pediatric patients. Prognostic analysis revealed that patients with NOTCH1 fusions had significantly poorer event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to those without NOTCH1 fusions (EFS, p < 0.0001; OS, p = 0.00013, Figure 1b,c). The identified NOTCH1 fusion types included IKZF2::NOTCH1 (n = 4, 57%), MIR142::NOTCH1 (n = 2, 29%) and IKZF1::NOTCH1 (n = 1, 14%), all of which are associated with poor outcomes. We further analyzed the relationship between NOTCH1 mutations and NOTCH1 fusions, and there was no obvious evidence of co-occurrence or mutual exclusivity between these genetic events. Notably, although NOTCH1 mutations are generally associated with favorable outcomes in pediatric T-LBL patients, the cooccurrence of NOTCH1 fusions appeared to diminish this benefit, showing a trend toward poorer prognosis (p = 0.056). These findings indicate that NOTCH1 fusions may serve as potential biomarkers for adverse prognosis in pediatric patients with T-LBL. Additionally, SIL::TAL1 and MLL fusions were observed but showed no prognostic significance in this cohort, warranting further study in larger cohorts. Conclusion: Our study provides the comprehensive overview of fusion gene distribution in Chinese pediatric T-LBL patients and highlights the significant prognostic impact of NOTCH1 fusions. These findings provide a reference for personalized clinical treatment of pediatric T-LBL and emphasize the necessity of further research into the molecular mechanisms underlying these genetic alterations. (Yang Li and Ling Jin contributed equally, Qinlong Zheng and Yonghong Zhang contributed equally). Keywords: non-Hodgkin (Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult); diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers No potential sources of conflict of interest.

Abstract Establishing a robust interfacial bond between hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) plates and the epoxy matrix is essential for enhancing heat transfer, which is difficult because of h‐BN's low‐surface energy, tendency to clump together, and the chemical inertness of the epoxy matrix. This research shows different techniques for treating the surface of h‐BN fillers by applying acids and thermal processes to activate the surface. The silanization process was used to increase the silane content on the surface of activated h‐BN in order to make it more compatible with the epoxy matrix. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed silicon peaks (Si2s peak at 150.1 eV and Si2p peak at 100.3 eV) in the spectrum of silane‐treated samples. Heat treatment resulted in the production of more oxygen molecules on the shell of h‐BN compared to the acid treatment. Here, the primary focus was on examining how surface treatment affects thermal conductivity (TC) performance in both in‐plane and through‐thickness paths. There was an increase in the epoxy's TC perpendicular to the plane, going from 0.21 to 0.47 (W/mK), showing a remarkable 123.8% enhancement by adding 10 wt% of silane‐modified‐thermal treated h‐BN particles. The improvement resulted from effectively silanizing the exterior boundary of h‐BN particles, enhancing connection and distribution in the epoxy matrix. Surface modification of h‐BN‐epoxy composites improves TC, leading to better heat conduction in thermal management systems, benefiting industries like aerospace, automotive, and energy systems.Highlights Silanization of h‐BN for better filler‐matrix bonding leading to improved heat transfer Boosting thermal conductivity in the through‐thickness direction with surface‐modified h‐BN Significant improvement in through‐thickness thermal conductivity with treated h‐BN. Thermal treatment of h‐BN produced better oxygenation than acid treatment. Application in aerospace and automotive through improved heat transfer.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy. The cure rate has reached 90% after conventional chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but the prognosis of patients with relapsed and refractory (R/R) leukemia is still poor after conventional treatment. Since FDA approved CD19 CAR-T cell (Kymriah) for the treatment of R/R B-ALL, increasing studies have been conducted on CAR-T cells for R/R ALL. Herein, we report the treatment of a patient with ALL who relapsed after allogeneic HSCT, had a complete remission (CR) to murine scFv CD19 CAR-T but relapsed 15 months later. Partial response was achieved after humanized CD19 CAR-T treatment, and the patient finally achieved disease-free survival after sequential CD22 CAR-T treatment. By comparing the treatment results of different CAR-T cells in the same patient, this case suggests that multiple CAR-T therapies are effective and safe in intramedullary and extramedullary recurrence in the same patient, and the expansion of CAR-T cells and the release of inflammatory cytokines are positively correlated with their efficacy. However, further clinical studies with large sample sizes are still needed for further clarification.

In this study, the leaching behaviour of lithium, together with cesium and rubidium, from a clay sample of Kırka borate deposit in sulfuric acid solutions was investigated with chemical, XRD, FTIR, DTA analyses methods and specific surface area measurements. It was observed that the leaching behaviours of lithium, cesium and rubidium were quite similar in character in that their extent of leaching, and their leaching markedly increased with the increase of sulfuric acid concentration from 0.1 to 2 M at 90°C. Further increase in the concentration of sulfuric acid to 4 M appeared to have a limited improvement on their leaching ratios. In 2 M H2SO4 solution and at 90°C, the optimum conditions, the leaching ratio values obtained for lithium, cesium and rubidium were 97.2, 83.7 and 65.2%, respectively. The results of XRD, FTIR and DTA analyses applied to the clay sample and the leaching residue obtained after leaching of the clay sample under the optimum conditions collectively showed that almost complete destruction of crystalline smectite structure(s) in the clay sample caused by acid leaching resulted in the formation of amorphous silica phase in the leaching residue. During this transformation, as expected, the specific surface area of the clay sample increased, from 59 to 406 m2/g. The results obtained in this preliminary study may be used in hydrometallurgical treatment of very high tonnages of clay containing processing waste of the Kırka boron plant as a potential lithium (cesium and/or rubidium) resource in the future.

In this study, hydroxyapatite-B2O3-La2O3 composites (with ? 20 wt.%B2O3 and ? 2 wt.% La2O3) were synthesized via wet precipitation method and calcined at 1100?C for 1 h. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the existence of the pure hydroxyapatite (HA) phase with high crystallinity. Characteristic absorption bands of HA were also observed in Fourier transform infrared spectra. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy images demonstrated that the addition of B2O3 and La2O3 into HA enhanced the particle growth. Mechanical properties of the composites were studied by diametral tensile test and the results showed that incorporation of 10 wt.% B2O3 and 2 wt.% La2O3 led to a 39% increase in tensile strength (compared to the pure HA). In vitro cytocompatibility of HA-B2O3-La2O3 composites was investigated using Osteosarcoma Cell Lines (Saos-2). Incorporation of B2O3 and La2O3 into HA had no toxic effect towards the cells. Based on its tensile strength properties and biological response, composite of 88 wt.% HA, 10 wt.% B2O3 and 2 wt.% La2O3 was suggested as a promising composite for bone tissue engineering applications.