Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with regard to its clinical course. The limitations of the methods currently available for prognostic assessment in CLL do not allow accurate prediction of the risk of disease progression in individual patients. The recently developed cDNA array technique provides a unique opportunity to study gene expression in various malignancies. To identify new molecular markers for prognostication of CLL patients, we analyzed cDNA arrays by using hierarchical clustering and standard statistic t-test on 34 CLL patients. We found significant expression differences in 78 genes compared to the reference tonsillar B lymphocytes. A cluster of genes, LCP1, PARP, BLR1, DEK, NPM, MCL1, SLP76, STAM, HIVEP1, EVI2B, CD25, HTLF, HIVEP2, BCL2, MNDA, PBX3, EBI2, TCF1, CGRP, CD14, IL8, GZMK, GPR17 and CD79B, was associated (P Ͻ 0.05) with the unfavorable 11q deletion and also with the unfavorable Binet stages B and C. We present here gene expression profiling that is associated with CLL patients with the 11q23 deletion. Many of the genes in the cluster have not previously been shown to be related to the initiation or progression of CLL. These novel findings provide fundamental information for further attempts to understand the interaction of the clustered genes in the leukomogenesis of CLL in order to better design treatments aimed at specific molecular target(s). Leukemia (2001) 15, 1721-1728.

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Benzimidazole derivativesBenzimidazole derivatives R 0200 Synthesis, Antiprotozoal and Anticancer Activity of Substituted 2-Trifluoromethyl-and 2-Pentafluoroethylbenzimidazoles. -The synthesis of some halogenated benzimidazoles is described. The antiprotozoal and anticancer activity of the newly synthesized and previously obtained benzimidazoles is studied. All benzimidazoles tested show remarkable antiprotozoal activity against Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica and Trichomonas vaginalis. -(ANDRZEJEWSKA, M.; YEPEZ-MULIA, L.; CEDILLO-RIVERA, R.; TAPIA, A.; VILPO, L.; VILPO, J.; KAZIMIERCZUK*, Z.; Eur. J. Med. Chem. 37 (2002) 12, 973-978; Inst. Chem., Agric. Univ., PL-02-787 Wroclaw, Pol.; Eng.) -M. Bohle 20-136

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The genetic basis and molecular pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and the molecular mechanisms responsible for its progression remain poorly understood. Here, karyotyping techniques specifically optimized for CLL, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), and fluorescence in situ hybridization were used to search for CLL‐specific genetic aberrations. CGH and karyotyping both revealed copy number changes in 12 of the 25 CLL cases (48%) analyzed. Loss at 11q emerged as the most common aberration (6 cases), followed by a gain of chromosome 12 (4) and loss at 13q (3). Concordance between CGH and G‐banding was found in 23 of the 25 cases (92%), which is more than reported in a recent similar CGH study of CLL. Owing to the basic differences in G‐banding and CGH, however, their simultaneous clinical application is recommended. The frequent loss of 11q14‐24 suggests that this chromosomal region deserves further attention as a candidate locus involved in the pathogenesis of CLL. Genes Chromosom. Cancer 19:286–290, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.