ABSTRACT. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a hematopoietic stem cell disorder that causes uncontrolled proliferation of white blood cells. Although the clinical and biological aspects are well documented, little is known about individual susceptibility to this disease. We conducted a case-control study analyzing the prevalence of the polymorphisms MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C, del{GSTM1}, del{GSTT1}, and haptoglobin in 105 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and 273 healthy controls, using PCR-based methods. A significant association with risk of developing CML was found for MTHFR 1298AA (odds ratio (OR) = 1.794; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.14-2.83) and GSTM1 non-null (OR = 1.649; 95%CI = 1.05-2.6) genotypes, while MTHFR 1298AC (OR = 0.630; 95%CI = 0.40-G.S. Lordelo et al. 1014©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 11 (2): 1013-1026 (2012) 0.99) and GSTM1 null (OR = 0.606; 95%CI = 0.21-0.77) genotypes significantly decreased this risk. There appeared to be selection for heterozygosity at the MTHFR 1298 locus. The considerable range of variation in this and other human populations may be a consequence of distinctive processes of natural selection and adaptation to variable environmental conditions. The Brazilian population is very mixed and heterogeneous; we found these two loci to be associated with CML in this population.

Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common respiratory illnesses characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways. The characterization of induced or spontaneously produced sputum is a useful technique to assess airway inflammation. In the present study, we compared the concentrations of CCL2, CCL11, CXCL8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in plasma and induced sputum of patients with severe asthma or COPD and correlated the levels of these mediators with inflammatory cells in sputum. Asthmatic patients had elevated levels of eosinophils (40.1 ± 6.24%) in sputum whereas neutrophils (63.3 ± 4.66%) predominated in COPD patients. The levels of the chemokine CCL11 were markedly increased in sputum (708.7 ± 330.7 pg/ml) and plasma (716.6 ± 162.2 pg/ml) of asthmatic patients and correlated with the percentage of eosinophils in induced sputum. The concentrations of CXCL8 (817.0 ± 105.2 pg/ml) and TNF-α (308.8 ± 96.1 pg/ml) were higher in sputum of COPD patients and correlated with the percentage of neutrophils in induced sputum. There was also an increase in the concentrations of CXCL8 (43.2 ± 6.8 pg/ml) in sputum of asthmatic patients. These results validate that sputum is a suitable method to assess chemokines and cytokines associated with asthma and COPD. Moreover, the mechanisms involved in the synthesis of CCL11 and CXCL8/TNF-α would be helpful to better understand the inflammatory profile associated with asthma and COPD, respectively.

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ABSTRACT. High plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels may be responsible for vaso-occlusive episodes and may have acquired and/or genetic causes. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the role of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; C677T; A1298C) and cystathionine-b-synthase (CBS; T833C/844ins68, G919A) polymorphisms in serum levels of folic acid, vitamin B12 and Hcy, and to verify a possible association between these polymorphisms and the clinical variability. Blood samples of Brazilian patients with a diagnosis of thrombosis were submitted to genotyping by PCR-based methods and serum dosages of folic acid, vitamin B12 and Hcy. Except for the CBS G919A polymorphism, all other genetic markers were in HardyWeinberg equilibrium. An increased risk for venous thrombosis was found for the MTHFR 1298CC carriers (OR = 1.688; 95%CI = 0.839-3.398, P = 0.018) and those homozygously mutant for the CBS haplotype 844ins68/T833C (OR = 2.488; 95%CI = 0.501-12.363, P = 0.031), while heterozygous for this CBS haplotype showed an increased risk for higher Hcy levels (OR = 5.900; 95%CI = 1.003-34.691, P = 0.030). Significant interactions were observed among the MTHFR C677T, MTHFR A1298C and CBS haplotype 844ins68/T833C polymorphisms in the results for Hcy levels (P = 0.000), where heterozygous had higher values. Interactions among these polymorphisms can affect serum Hcy levels, where multiple heterozygosis could be a risk factor for vasoocclusive episodes.

ABSTRACT. We analyzed the results of treatment with imatinib mesylate in 70 patients with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia who had previously been treated (with second-line or higher imatinib), many of them in a late chronic phase. The median followup period was 60.5 months (range 3-100 months). Our objective was to assess the efficacy and safety of treatment. The mean dose was 400 mg per day. The hematologic response rate was 92.1% at six months, while the cumulative rates of major and complete cytogenetic responses were 73.6 and 66.3%, respectively. Molecular response rate improved slowly and steadily over time, reaching 65.8% at 60 months, remaining stable for up to 96 months. The five-year progression-free survival and overall survival were 84 and 89%, respectively. Cytogenetic response by 12 months significantly correlated with overall survival (P = 0.0007) and progression-free survival (P = 0.0280). Sokal risk score did not differ significantly between subgroups. The medication was well tolerated, with only Imatinib mesylate in chronic myeloid leukemia 16% of patients showing hematologic toxicity grades 3 and 4. At the end of the assessment, 57% of the patients were still on imatinib mesylate; most of those who discontinued treatment (17/30) did so because of unsatisfactory response. Treatment with imatinib mesylate in previously treated chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia induced durable responses in a high proportion of patients and was related to satisfactory long-term and event-free survival.