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Background The optimal dose of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG, ImtixSangstat) minimizing infections without increasing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is unknown in T cell-replete, G-CSF-primed haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (haplo-HSCT). Methods Four hundred and eight patients were enrolled in this multicenter study to evaluate the effect of 7.5 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg rabbit ATG on viral infections and GVHD prophylaxis after haplo-HSCT. The primary endpoint was EBV DNAemia within 1 year posttransplantation. Results The 1-year incidence of EBV DNAemia was 20.7% (95% confidence interval, 15.4–26.5) and 40.0% (33.3–46.6) in the 7.5 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg groups, respectively ( P < 0.001). The 100-day cumulative incidence of grade II to IV aGVHD was 27.1% (21.1–33.4) and 25.4% (19.6–31.5) in the 7.5 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg ATG groups, respectively ( P = 0.548). The 2-year incidence of chronic GVHD was 34.6% (27.8–41.4) and 36.2% (29.1–43.2) in the 7.5 mg and 10.0 mg groups ( P = 0.814). The 1-year incidence of CMV DNAemia was 73.4% (67.2–79.4) and 83.4% (77.5–87.9) in the 7.5 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg groups ( P = 0.038). The 3-year overall survival posttransplantation was 69.5% (63.2–75.8) and 63.5% (56.2–70.8), and the disease-free survival was 62.2% (55.3–69.1) and 60.3% (53.0–67.6) in the 7.5 mg/kg and 10.0 mg/kg groups, respectively (OS: P = 0.308; DFS: P = 0.660). The counts of EBV- and CMV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) were higher in the 7.5 mg/kg group than in the 10.0 mg/kg group early posttransplantation. Conclusions Compared with 10.0 mg/kg, 7.5 mg/kg ATG for GVHD prophylaxis was associated with reduced EBV and CMV infections without increased incidence of GVHD in haplo-HSCT, probably by affecting EBV- and CMV-specific CTLs. Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01883180 . Registered 14 June 2013. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12916-019-1393-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease and remains clinically challenging. Currently chemotherapies are frequently associated with treatment-related death and long-term side effects. Therefore, alternative approaches with lower toxicity are highly desired. Ginsenosides and metabolites are the main ingredients responsible for the multiple pharmaceutical functions of ginseng, which is one of the most commonly consumed herbal medicines world widely. In the present study, we demonstrated that compound K, a major ginsenoside metabolite, inhibited the growth of the clinically relevant pediatric AML cell lines in a time- and dose-dependent manner. This growth inhibitory effect was attributable to suppression of DNA synthesis during cell proliferation. Furthermore, we observed significant G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by compound K. The induction of apoptosis was accompanied by DNA double strand breaks. Our findings suggest that as a low toxic natural reagent, compound K could be a potential drug for pediatric AML intervention and to improve the outcome of pediatric AML treatment.