Probing the Effects of Strong Electromagnetic Fields with Charge-Dependent Directed Flow in Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC

The first measurement at the LHC of charge-dependent directed flow (v_{1}) relative to the spectator plane is presented for Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. Results are reported for charged hadrons and D^{0} mesons for the transverse momentum intervals p_{T}>0.2  GeV/c and 3<p_{T}<6  GeV/c in the 5%-40% and 10%-40% centrality classes, respectively. The difference between the positively and negatively charged hadron v_{1} has a positive slope as a function of pseudorapidity η, dΔv_{1}/dη=[1.68±0.49(stat)±0.41(syst)]×10^{-4}. The same measurement for D^{0} and D[over ¯]^{0} mesons yields a positive value dΔv_{1}/dη=[4.9±1.7(stat)±0.6(syst)]×10^{-1}, which is about 3 orders of magnitude larger than the one of the charged hadrons. These measurements can provide new insights into the effects of the strong electromagnetic field and the initial tilt of matter created in noncentral heavy ion collisions on the dynamics of light (u, d, and s) and heavy (c) quarks. The large difference between the observed Δv_{1} of charged hadrons and D^{0} mesons may reflect different sensitivity of the charm and light quarks to the early time dynamics of a heavy ion collision. These observations challenge some recent theoretical calculations, which predicted a negative and an order of magnitude smaller value of dΔv_{1}/dη for both light flavor and charmed hadrons.

Evidence of Spin-Orbital Angular Momentum Interactions in Relativistic Heavy-Ion Collisions

The first evidence of spin alignment of vector mesons (K^{*0} and ϕ) in heavy-ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is reported. The spin density matrix element ρ_{00} is measured at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) in Pb-Pb collisions at a center-of-mass energy (sqrt[s_{NN}]) of 2.76 TeV with the ALICE detector. ρ_{00} values are found to be less than 1/3 (1/3 implies no spin alignment) at low transverse momentum (p_{T}<2  GeV/c) for K^{*0} and ϕ at a level of 3σ and 2σ, respectively. No significant spin alignment is observed for the K_{S}^{0} meson (spin=0) in Pb-Pb collisions and for the vector mesons in pp collisions. The measured spin alignment is unexpectedly large but qualitatively consistent with the expectation from models which attribute it to a polarization of quarks in the presence of angular momentum in heavy-ion collisions and a subsequent hadronization by the process of recombination.

Rapid, serial, non-invasive quantification of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in live mice with a selectable marker-free autoluminescent strain

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an increasingly prevalent pathogen that has become a serious health concern due to an increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) hospital-acquired infections. The emergence of MDR-P. aeruginosa coupled with shrinking antibiotic pipelines has increased the demand for new antimicrobials and therapeutics. An effective tool for drug screening both in vitro and in vivo can facilitate the discovery of drugs and regimens for treating P. aeruginosa infection. Here, for the first time, we combined the mini-Tn7 system and Xer/dif recombinase system to construct a stable and selectable marker-free autoluminescent P. aeruginosa (SfAlPa) by one step. Afterwards, in vitro and in vivo activities of several antibiotics including amikacin, biapenem, levofloxacin and polymyxin B were assessed using SfAlPa. This study demonstrated that the use of SfAlPa could significantly facilitate rapid real-time evaluating the activities of compounds. Compared to prevailing methods, this method reduces the time, effort, animals and costs consumed in the discovery of new drugs against P. aeruginosa. Additionally, the methodology described in this study could be easily modified for construction of selectable marker-free reporter strain in other Gram-negative bacteria.

In vitro Impact of Yeast Expressed Hybrid Peptide CATH-2TP5 as a Prophylactic Measure Toward Sepsis and Inflammation

CATH-2TP5 is a linear cationic hybrid peptide, consequent from naturally occurring antimicrobial peptide (AMPs) Cathelicidin-2 (CATH-2) and Immunomodulatory peptide Thymopentin (TP5) having dynamic and potent anti-inflammatory activities without hemolytic effect. The biocompatible mechanism of CATH-2TP5 is favored to explore new methodologies in the direction of biomedical applications. In this retrospectively study, an antiendotoxin and anti-inflammatory hybrid peptide CATH-2TP5 was emulated into pPICZα-A and successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris). The recombinant CATH-2TP5 was purified through the Ni-affinity column and reversed-phase HPLC. The purified CATH-2TP5 peptide exhibited robust anti-endotoxin activity and significantly (p < 0.05) neutralized the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Furthermore, the down-regulated effect of CATH-2TP was more pronounced (p < 0.05) on LPS-induced cytotoxic effects, nitric oxide secretion and pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β) in murine RAW264.7 macrophages. As associated to control and parental peptide the number of apoptotic cells was also contracted with the treatment of CATH-2TP5. Thus, we concluded that CATH-2TP5 peptide may be used in various biomedical applications as a therapeutic drug.

A Hybrid Peptide DEFB-TP5 Expressed in Methylotrophic Yeast Neutralizes LPS With Potent Anti-inflammatory Activities

DEFB-TP5 is a novel auspicious health-beneficial peptide derivative from two naturally occurring peptides, β-Defensin (DEFB) and thymopentin (TP5), and shows strong anti-inflammatory activity and binds to LPS without cytotoxicity and hemolytic effect. Furthermore, the application of DEFB-TP5 peptide is inadequate by its high cost. In the current study, we developed a biocompatible mechanism for expression of the DEFB-TP5 peptide in Pichia pastoris. The transgenic strain of hybrid DEFB-TP5 peptide with a molecular weight of 6.7kDa as predictable was obtained. The recombinant DEFB-TP5 peptide was purified by Ni-NTA chromatography, estimated 30.41 mg/L was obtained from the cell culture medium with 98.2% purity. Additionally, The purified DEFB-TP5 peptide significantly (p< 0.05) diminished the release of nitric oxide (NO), TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages in a dose-dependent manner. This study will not only help to understand the molecular mechanism of expression that can potentially be used to develop an anti-endotoxin peptide but also to serve as the basis for the development of antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory agents as well, which also provides a potential source for the production of recombinant bioactive DEFB-TP5 at the industrial level.

Scattering Studies with Low-Energy Kaon-Proton Femtoscopy in Proton-Proton Collisions at the LHC

The study of the strength and behavior of the antikaon-nucleon (K[over ¯]N) interaction constitutes one of the key focuses of the strangeness sector in low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this Letter a unique high-precision measurement of the strong interaction between kaons and protons, close and above the kinematic threshold, is presented. The femtoscopic measurements of the correlation function at low pair-frame relative momentum of (K^{+}p⊕K^{-}p[over ¯]) and (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) pairs measured in pp collisions at sqrt[s]=5, 7, and 13 TeV are reported. A structure observed around a relative momentum of 58  MeV/c in the measured correlation function of (K^{-}p⊕K^{+}p[over ¯]) with a significance of 4.4σ constitutes the first experimental evidence for the opening of the (K[over ¯]^{0}n⊕K^{0}n[over ¯]) isospin breaking channel due to the mass difference between charged and neutral kaons. The measured correlation functions have been compared to Jülich and Kyoto models in addition to the Coulomb potential. The high-precision data at low relative momenta presented in this work prove femtoscopy to be a powerful complementary tool to scattering experiments and provide new constraints above the K[over ¯]N threshold for low-energy QCD chiral models.

Abstract ES3-2: Sooner or later: considering risk over time, and implications for management

Cancer risk management revolves around the following important areas: genetic evaluation, surveillance recommendations, risk-reducing options, and lifestyle modification. Aspects of time are important for all of these areas, with the possible exception of lifestyle modification. For genetic evaluation, age at onset of affected individuals is a key parameter. Decisions about surveillance and risk-reducing strategies are based on age, and time-dependent estimates of cancer risk, with the most commonly-used time-frames being 5 years, 10 years, and remaining lifetime (to age 85 or 90). However, little attention is generally given to the time-frame of the benefit. For example, surveillance recommendations are based on lifetime risk when in fact the benefit (as defined by cancer detection success) cannot exceed the lead-time of the test. On the other hand, risk reduction (particularly with medication) is often presented based on risk estimated over the next 5 years. As more women are designated high risk, given increased prevalence of MRI surveillance and subsequent biopsies, and increased use of genetic testing with identification of moderate penetrance genetic variants, the question of risk thresholds that should be used for recommendations related to risk management become increasingly important. Surveillance recommendations: Remaining lifetime risk (RLR) estimates for women in their 40s generally project over 40 years or more. However, validation of these very long-term projections remains questionable, and validation is most robust for the 10-year time-frame (PMID 25956172). The lead-time gained with MRI surveillance has been estimated at 1-2 years for carriers of BRCA 1/2 mutations, and 4 years for non-carriers with positive family history of breast cancer (PMID 25820931) The predicted mean preclinical detectable phase (i.e. the time during which a cancer is screen-detectable) is estimated to be 1 to 4 years for BRCA1 and 2 to 7 years for BRCA2 (PMID 22744338). Similar estimates for non-carrier women at increased familial risk are unlikely to be longer than 10 years. Therefore, given the greater reliability of 10-year risk estimates, it appears most reasonable to make recommendations for intensified screening based on 10-year risk rather than RLR. Recommendations for use of risk-reducing medications (RR-meds): In contrast to screening, have been made to non-carrier high risk women based on 5-year risk estimates of 1.7% or greater. Acceptance of medications has been low for a variety of reasons, one of which is the seemingly small risk conveyed by a 5-year risk estimates. Here, it would seem reasonable to extend the time-frame over which risk is calculated, since the protective benefit of tamoxifen is known to extend to ~15 years, and is likely to be in the same range for aromatase inhibitors. New ASCO guidelines on use of RR-meds now includes 10-year estimates of 3% with the NCI BCRAT, or 5% with the Tyrer-Cuzick. In summary, the use of 10-year risk estimates would simplify the management counseling of women at increased risk of breast cancer for both practitioner and patient, and place it on a better evidence base than the use of RLR or the 5-year interval.

Citation Format: SA Khan. Sooner or later: considering risk over time, and implications for management [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2019 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2019 Dec 10-14; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(4 Suppl):Abstract nr ES3-2.

Measurement of ϒ(1S) Elliptic Flow at Forward Rapidity in Pb-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

The first measurement of the ϒ(1S) elliptic flow coefficient (v_{2}) is performed at forward rapidity (2.5<y<4) in Pb-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ALICE detector at the LHC. The results are obtained with the scalar product method and are reported as a function of transverse momentum (p_{T}) up to 15  GeV/c in the 5%-60% centrality interval. The measured ϒ(1S)v_{2} is consistent with 0 and with the small positive values predicted by transport models within uncertainties. The v_{2} coefficient in 2<p_{T}<15  GeV/c is lower than that of inclusive J/ψ mesons in the same p_{T} interval by 2.6 standard deviations. These results, combined with earlier suppression measurements, are in agreement with a scenario in which the ϒ(1S) production in Pb-Pb collisions at LHC energies is dominated by dissociation limited to the early stage of the collision, whereas in the J/ψ case there is substantial experimental evidence of an additional regeneration component.

Evaluation of bioherbicidal potential of Carica papaya leaves

Due to increased number of herbicide resistant weeds, it is needed to explore the allelopathic potential of plants as an alternative. The research was conducted to investigate allelopathic effects of Carica papaya L. leaf powder and aqueous extract on seeds as well as pre-germinated seeds of Avena fatua L., Helianthus annuus L., Rumex dentatus L., Zea mays L. and Triticum aestivum L. on filter paper and soil in Weed Management Program Laboratory, Department of Plant and Environmental Protection at PARC Institute of Advanced Studies in Agriculture, National Agriculture Research Centre, Islamabad, Pakistan. Germination percentage (%), radicle length (cm) and plumule length (cm) were parameters observed for 'Plant leaf powder bioassay' and 'Aqueous extract method'. Most significant growth inhibition was observed in A. fatua seedlings in filter paper method. A. fatua radicle length was reduced by C. papaya aqueous extract (80%) and leaf powder (89%) bioassays. Plumule length was reduced under the influence of aqueous extract (57-73%) and powdered material (59-77%). The inhibitory effects on other test species were in sequence of H. annuus followed by Z. mays and R. dentatus. The aqueous extract showed non-significant effect on wheat seed germination, radicle and plumule growth. It is suggested that C. papaya aqueous extract can be used as source of weed management in wheat crop.

An outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in a non-endemic region of north-east India

Background There are few comprehensive reports of epidemic Japanese encephalitis in a previously unaffected region. We report our experience of a first-ever outbreak of it in Sonitpur District, Assam, India, with 45 laboratorycon confirmed cases at a single hospital. Method Between 2 July and 11 August 2008, patients meeting the WHO definition of acute encephalitis syndrome were assessed in a single hospital and had tests including blood and cerebrospinal fluid for Japanese encephalitis antibody titres. Results Ninety-six cases meeting the definition of acute encephalitis syndrome were identified with 45 cases of Japanese encephalitis confirmed by cerebrospinal fluid or blood results. For Japanese encephalitis positive patients, mean age was 36 (range 4-80). Of the 45, 11 (24%) died and a further 21 (47%) had significant residual deficits. Focal neurological signs (40%) and seizures (25%) were common. Conclusion An effective Japanese encephalitis vaccine is the key intervention for limiting the population impact of this disease. Identification of these cases led to a district-wide mass vaccination campaign.

Investigations of Anisotropic Flow Using Multiparticle Azimuthal Correlations in pp, p-Pb, Xe-Xe, and Pb-Pb Collisions at the LHC

Measurements of anisotropic flow coefficients (v_{n}) and their cross-correlations using two- and multiparticle cumulant methods are reported in collisions of pp at sqrt[s]=13  TeV, p-Pb at a center-of-mass energy per nucleon pair sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV, Xe-Xe at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.44  TeV, and Pb-Pb at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV recorded with the ALICE detector. The multiplicity dependence of v_{n} is studied in a very wide range from 20 to 3000 particles produced in the midrapidity region |η|<0.8 for the transverse momentum range 0.2<p_{T}<3.0  GeV/c. An ordering of the coefficients v_{2}>v_{3}>v_{4} is found in pp and p-Pb collisions, similar to that seen in large collision systems, while a weak v_{2} multiplicity dependence is observed relative to nucleus-nucleus collisions in the same multiplicity range. Using a novel subevent method, v_{2} measured with four-particle cumulants is found to be compatible with that from six-particle cumulants in pp and p-Pb collisions. The magnitude of the correlation between v_{n}^{2} and v_{m}^{2}, evaluated with the symmetric cumulants SC(m,n) is observed to be positive at all multiplicities for v_{2} and v_{4}, while for v_{2} and v_{3} it is negative and changes sign for multiplicities below 100, which may indicate a different v_{n} fluctuation pattern in this multiplicity range. The observed long-range multiparticle azimuthal correlations in high multiplicity pp and p-Pb collisions can neither be described by pythia 8 nor by impact-parameter-Glasma, music, and ultrarelativistic quantum molecular dynamics model calculations, and hence, provide new insights into the understanding of collective effects in small collision systems.

First Observation of an Attractive Interaction between a Proton and a Cascade Baryon

This Letter presents the first experimental observation of the attractive strong interaction between a proton and a multistrange baryon (hyperon) Ξ^{-}. The result is extracted from two-particle correlations of combined p-Ξ^{-}⊕p[over ¯]-Ξ[over ¯]^{+} pairs measured in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV at the LHC with ALICE. The measured correlation function is compared with the prediction obtained assuming only an attractive Coulomb interaction and a standard deviation in the range [3.6, 5.3] is found. Since the measured p-Ξ^{-}⊕p[over ¯]-Ξ[over ¯]^{+} correlation is significantly enhanced with respect to the Coulomb prediction, the presence of an additional, strong, attractive interaction is evident. The data are compatible with recent lattice calculations by the HAL-QCD Collaboration, with a standard deviation in the range [1.8, 3.7]. The lattice potential predicts a shallow repulsive Ξ^{-} interaction within pure neutron matter and this implies stiffer equations of state for neutron-rich matter including hyperons. Implications of the strong interaction for the modeling of neutron stars are discussed.

Assessing a thermal spike model of swift heavy ion-matter interactions via Pd1-xNix/Si interface mixing

The thermal spike model (TSM), a widely accepted mechanism of swift heavy ion (SHI)-matter interactions, provides explanation for various SHI induced effects, including mixing across interfaces. We assess the validity of the model via tuning the electron-phonon coupling strength (G) by taking a series Pd_1-xNi_x of a completely solid soluble binary, and then observing Pd_1-xNi_x/Si interface mixing induced by a combination of 100 MeV Au ion irradiation and 4 keV Ar ion sputtering. If the TSM truly describes the SHI-matter interaction mechanism, any non-linearity in x-variation of G must also result in a similar non-linearity in the x-dependence of mixing. Experimentally, the extent of mixing has been parametrized by the irradiation induced change Δσ² in variances of Pd and Ni depth profiles derived from XPS. Computationally, G determined using density functional theory has been used to solve the equations appropriate to the TSM, and then an equivalent quantity L², proportional to Δσ², has been calculated. Both Δσ²(x) and L²(x) show non-linearities, albeit in slightly dissimilar ways, leading to a conjecture that the present work at least does not invalidate the TSM.

Azimuthal Anisotropy of Heavy-Flavor Decay Electrons in p-Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02 TeV

Angular correlations between heavy-flavor decay electrons and charged particles at midrapidity (|η|<0.8) are measured in p-Pb collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV. The analysis is carried out for the 0%-20% (high) and 60%-100% (low) multiplicity ranges. The jet contribution in the correlation distribution from high-multiplicity events is removed by subtracting the distribution from low-multiplicity events. An azimuthal modulation remains after removing the jet contribution, similar to previous observations in two-particle angular correlation measurements for light-flavor hadrons. A Fourier decomposition of the modulation results in a positive second-order coefficient (v_{2}) for heavy-flavor decay electrons in the transverse momentum interval 1.5<p_{T}<4  GeV/c in high-multiplicity events, with a significance larger than 5σ. The results are compared with those of charged particles at midrapidity and those of inclusive muons at forward rapidity. The v_{2} measurement of open heavy-flavor particles at midrapidity in small collision systems could provide crucial information to help interpret the anisotropies observed in such systems.

Abstract P6-21-12: Local transdermal therapy (LTT): Drug permeation and distribution of telapristone acetate (TPA) in a pre-surgical window study of women undergoing mastectomy

Background: Low uptake and poor adherence to oral drugs for breast cancer prevention and ductal carcinoma in situ has led to an interest in local routes of delivery with the intent of decreasing systemic exposure and reducing toxicity. LTT has emerged as a possible alternative; previous studies have shown selectively higher concentrations in the breast than in the serum with this delivery route. A question related to LTT is whether or not the drug will permeate and distribute throughout the breast, as is expected with oral delivery.

Methods: We conducted a double-blind study of oral versus LTT delivery of the selective progesterone receptor modulator, telapristone acetate (TPA), in a presurgical window setting, enrolling 82 women planning therapeutic or prophylactic mastectomy. We randomized 67 women 1:1, to oral TPA 12 mg daily, or gel TPA applied to both breasts daily (12 mg/breast), for 4 weeks ±1 week. Mastectomy specimens were sampled at 5 non-tumor locations as well as the tumor and lymph node when available. Samples were split in two: drug concentration (conc.) assay using LC-MS/MS and histological evaluation of tissue composition (fat, fibrous stroma, epithelium). The primary endpoint was mean drug conc. across all breast locations (anticipating that the gel would deliver a mean concentration that was &gt;50% of the mean in the oral group). A secondary endpoint was the drug distribution pattern across the breast, expecting that the distribution would be similar. The tumor sample was saved for biomarker assays related to TPA action; these are ongoing, for a pre-planned pooled analysis of data with NCT01800422 (reported in SABCS abstract 851863).

Results: Of 63 evaluable women (33 oral and 30 gel group), 27 had unilateral and 36 had bilateral mastectomy. The mean drug conc. in the oral group was 166.3 ng/G (SE 11.7), and in the gel group was 10.6 ng/G (SE 10.8), (p&lt;.0001). The conc. was variable across the 7 locations tested in both groups. High concentrations were found in the superficial and deep central locations, retroareolar and lateral locations ranked in the middle, and the medial location was discrepant, being high in the oral and low in the gel group. The variation in drug concentration across all locations was not significantly different between groups (Kolmogorov-Smirnov p=0.99). Among women with bilateral mastectomy, drug concentrations were similar between breasts in both oral and gel groups. In the gel group, despite low TPA concentrations, there was evidence of drug metabolism. The major metabolite, CDB 4453 was detectable in 192/193 samples with detectable parent drug. Analysis of drug concentration adjusted for tissue composition is ongoing.

Conclusions: The gel formulation of TPA did not permeate the skin well. However, the drug delivered to the breast was distributed throughout the breast, similar to the oral delivery route, with the highest concentration in the deep central location. These drug distribution data are novel; drug distribution at multiple locations throughout the breast has not previously been shown. Further work is needed to understand breast distribution with formulations known to have good dermal permeation.

Citation Format: Lee O, Pilewskie M, Xu Y, Benante K, Blanco L, Helenowski I, Tull MB, Muzzio M, Jovanovic B, Karlan S, Hansen N, Bethke K, Kulkarni S, Perloff M, Dimond EP, Heckman-Stoddard BM, Khan SA. Local transdermal therapy (LTT): Drug permeation and distribution of telapristone acetate (TPA) in a pre-surgical window study of women undergoing mastectomy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-21-12.

Abstract OT1-04-01: A phase IIB pre-surgical trial of oral tamoxifen (TAM) versus transdermal 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) in women with DCIS of the breast

Background

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is diagnosed in 60,000 women annually in the US. TAM is proven to reduce risk of local recurrence and new primary breast cancer in women with estrogen receptor (ER) positive DCIS. However, acceptance of TAM has been low, primarily because of toxicity related to systemic exposure. Local delivery to the breast is an attractive alternative since low systemic levels could minimize toxicity. 4-OHT is an active metabolite of TAM. When formulated as a gel and applied to the breast skin, it is well tolerated, and results in 4-OHT breast tissue drug levels comparable oral TAM. In small pilot studies, its anti-proliferative effects on invasive breast tumors and DCIS are also similar to oral TAM [Lee O, et al. PMID 25028506]. The goal of our study is to validate these results in preparation for a Phase III trial of 4-OHT gel in comparison to oral TAM.

Methods

We are conducting a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, Phase IIB pre-surgical trial to demonstrate that daily application of 4-OHT gel will result in a reduction in the Ki-67 labeling index of DCIS lesions that is not inferior to that seen in women receiving daily oral TAM 20 mg daily. Ki-67 of the base-line diagnostic core needle biopsy will be compared to that of the therapeutic surgical excision sample after oral TAM or 4-OHT gel for 8 ± 2 weeks. Secondary endpoints include changes in Oncotype DCIS-Score, IHC markers (CD68, COX2, p16), hormone levels, coagulation markers, drug concentration in the plasma and breast tissue, the fraction of women with no residual DCIS in the surgical sample, and experienced symptoms. 100 women (assuming 20% non-evaluable samples or compliance issues) with DCIS (10% ER-positive) will be enrolled across six institutions into two intervention arms: oral TAM 20 mg daily, placebo gel and 4-OHT gel 4mg daily (2mg/breast), placebo capsule. All participants will be evaluable for toxicity from their first dose. All samples from all participants who receive drug will be evaluated and included in the primary analysis, which will be based on intent to treat principle. To date 15 of 100 participants have been enrolled across six institutions including: Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, St. Elizabeth Healthcare in Edgewood, KY, Duke University Medical Center in Durham, NC, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, OH, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, NY, and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Since study open, 69 potential participants have been contacted, 52 did not consent for screening, 17consented for screening, 2 are pending consent, and 15 have started study intervention. The most common reasons potential participants chose not to consent are wanting to schedule surgery as soon as possible, attitudes toward medical research, and current use of a prohibited concomitant medication such as a potent inhibitor of tamoxifen metabolism or exogenous sex steroid.

Funding Source: NCI Contract # HHSN2612201200035I.

Citation Format: Benante KA, Xu Y, Tull MB, Segura AJ, Alber KM, Kalinichenko K, Hou L, Jovanovic B, Perloff M, Heckman-Stoddard B, Dimond E, Khan SA. A phase IIB pre-surgical trial of oral tamoxifen (TAM) versus transdermal 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) in women with DCIS of the breast [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-04-01.

Abstract P3-09-02: CRISPR-Cas9 mediated BRCA1 mutation in primary cells: Mutation efficiency and effects

Background: Germline mutations in Breast Cancer Associated (BRCA) 1 or 2 genes confer an increased risk of the development of breast and ovarian cancer. Germline mutation is followed by somatic loss of heterozygosity (LOH) resulting in biallelic inactivation. BRCA1 is involved in multiple homeostatic functions including control of chromatin organization, gene transcription, protein stability and cell division. Recent studies have demonstrated heterogeneity in LOH within and between premalignant and malignant breast tissues of BRCA1 mutation carriers. We hypothesize that LOH does not have a unitary effect on phenotype but differs by the function that is abrogated.

Methods: To test our hypothesis, we adopted CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology. The guide RNAs for targeting the exon sequence in the RING finger, nuclear export signal (NES), nuclear localization signal (NLS) and BRCA1 C Terminus (BRCT) domain/motif of BRCA1 were designed and synthesized. MCF10A cells were transfected with a complex of guide RNA and Cas9 protein (RNP) to cause in/del mutation. The mutation was analyzed by both T7E1 assay, and an innovative and more precise method developed in our lab that utilizes linked nucleic acids (LNA) and qPCR. Proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed using the transfected cells. Organoids prepared from BRCA1 mutation carriers also were transfected with RNPs and the mutation burden determined.

Results: Since single cell clones of the transfected MCF10A cells could not be selected and expanded, a pool of transfected cells was used for the analyses. T7E1 assay and qPCR analysis using LNAs demonstrated the presence of the mutations. A standard curve was created to enable the calculation of the mutation burden. IncuCyte analysis revealed increased proliferation and apoptosis, induced by irradiation, in cells with the mutation in Exon 10, where the extent of increase varied from 11% to 48% depending on the degree of mutation. In contrast, cells with the mutation in Exon 5 displayed diminished proliferation with no change in apoptosis. That mutations in exon10 and 5 have distinct biological effects when compared to the mutations in other exons is intriguing, and modification of binding proteins will be investigated. Organoids generated from BRCA1 mutation carriers (primary and nonmalignant cells) were able to be successfully transfected using the NEON electroporation system. Mutations were introduced by the CRISPR-Cas9 system and their extent quantified by our LNA-mediated qPCR method.

Conclusions: CRISPR-Cas9-mediated gene editing of BRCA1 in MCF10A resulted in a change in the proliferation rate and the extent of apoptosis that is dependent on the location of the de novo mutation within the gene. The development of a novel method, LNA-mediated qPCR, provides quantitative information regarding the mutations that may be used to correlate mutation burden with biological functional change. Successful establishment of this BRCA1 tumorigenesis model has provided us with a method to test other putative tumor suppressors.

Citation Format: Choi MR, Yadav S, Shidfar A, Khan SA, Clare SE. CRISPR-Cas9 mediated BRCA1 mutation in primary cells: Mutation efficiency and effects [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-09-02.

Abstract P3-06-06: Novel breast cancer mutational signatures

Background: Our understanding of the biological processes that generate somatic mutations in breast cancer has increased markedly over the past five years. Using the catalog of somatic mutations present in cancer genomes, over 30 “mutational signatures” have been produced. While these provide important insights into the processes responsible for somatic mutation, gaps remain, and the etiology of several signatures remains unknown.

Methods: We have developed a new method in which the specific nucleotide change (e.g., C&gt;T), the codon that each mutation falls in (e.g., GCT), the position in the codon (e.g., 2), and the nucleotides immediately 5' and 3' of the mutation (e.g., 5': C; 3': G) are all considered. The summary of these mutation characteristics forms a mutational profile for each tissue sample. Putting multiple samples' profiles together forms a sparse matrix with the number of samples as rows and the mutation characteristics as columns. Nonsmooth nonnegative matrix factorization was then applied to enable the discovery of intrinsic patterns in this sparse matrix.

Results: Using somatic mutations identified in 1017 breast cancer tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we have identified four mutational signatures. Signature A correlates with the well-defined APOBEC signatures and signature B with the “aging” signature, which is the result 5-methylcytosine hydrolysis. Signature C and signature D are potentially new signatures. Signature D is enriched with C:G&gt;A:T mutations; these mostly occur in the middle position of codons, and are enriched with GG(CC) either 5' or 3' of the mutation's sequence context. G&gt;T mutations are known to occur as a consequence of oxidative damage that is not repaired. Guanines are vulnerable as they have the highest vertical oxidation potential of the nucleobases. The 5' guanines in GG sites are especially reactive. We hypothesize that Signature D results from oxidative mutagenesis.

When correlated with clinical phenotypes, the basal subtype is clearly enriched for tumors with the Signature D mutation pattern (exposure level is in 169 basal tumors and in 797 non-basal tumors, p=&lt;0.01), suggesting an etiologic link with basal-like breast cancer. G&gt;T somatic mutations in breast cancer mainly take place during cell replication rather than during transcription. In the normal breast, epithelial cell replication occurs during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy, primarily under the direction of progesterone (P). P binds to its receptor (PR) in a subpopulation of PR positive cells where it initiates the transcription of genes including RANKL, with resultant paracrine stimulation (through RANK), of the NF-κB signaling pathway in neighboring cells. The four RANKL genes (TOP2A, MKI67, PBK, CDK1), defined by Nolan et al., are all positively associated with the signature D (P-values &lt; 0.05), suggesting that this type of mutagenesis is associated with RANKL pathway upregulation.

Conclusions: We have identified a potentially new somatic mutational signature, which we have designated as Signature D, which appears to result from exposure of DNA to oxidative stress during replication. It is associated with the basal subtype of breast cancer as well as RANKL- NF-κB pathway upregulation.

Citation Format: Zeng Z, Vo AH, Luo Y, Khan SA, Clare SE. Novel breast cancer mutational signatures [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-06-06.

Abstract P2-02-06: Deregulated lipid metabolism fuels the genesis of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer

Background:

There are no targeted pharmacologic interventions currently available for the prevention of hormone receptor negative breast cancer. Primary prevention with endocrine agents decreases the risk of ER positive disease with no effect against ER negative (ER-) disease. Thus, there is a compelling need to identify women at high risk for ER-negative breast cancer and to uncover the molecular mechanisms involved in its genesis. Our recent observation that a set of lipid metabolism (LiMe) genes are over-expressed in the contralateral unaffected breasts of women with unilateral ER- breast cancer suggests the novel hypothesis that specific lipid metabolism pathways in the breast produce a physiological milieu favoring the development of ER- breast cancer. We are now testing the specific hypothesis that lipids are the source of the acetyl-coA that is utilized to acetylate histones, an epigenetic modification that reprograms transcription.

Methods:

We developed an in-vitro model that relies on octanoic acid, a medium chain fatty acid that freely diffuses though the plasma and mitochondrial membranes. MCF-10A cells were plated and allowed to adhere overnight and then exposed to an increasing dose of sodium octanoate for 24 hours in complete media. Acetylation of Lysine 9 of Histone 3 (H3K9) was analyzed by Western blot and RNA was extracted for qPCR and RNA-seq. Chromatin packing density at the nanoscale was quantified bypartial wave spectroscopic (PWS) microscopy. Mammary organoids were prepared from breast tissue by collagenase digestion and similarly treated.

Results:

We found a striking, dose-dependent increase of H3K9 acetylation in octanoate treated MCF-10A cells. The acetylation is specific to the lipids as no acetylation was observed in cells treated with the same concentration of the alcohol 1,4-Cyclohexanedimethanol. RNA-Seq revealed the differential expression of LiMe genes together with a significant upregulation of Hedgehog and Notch signaling pathways. Individual genes from various pathways were further verified by qPCR which revealed, for example, a four-fold increase in SHH expression and 25-fold increase in DLL4. The expression of two of the previously identified LiMe genes, HMGCS2 and ACSL3, was increased four-fold in the octanoate treated MCF10A cells. We repeated the octanoate treatment in organoids and found similar effects. PWS in live cells showed a dose-dependent increase in chromatin packing scaling (D) in cells exposed to octanoate, suggesting that accessibility of chromatin to transcription factors is increased upon fatty acid treatment.

Conclusion:

A lipid rich microenvironment affects metabolism in ER- MCF10A cells and stimulates pro-neoplastic signaling via histone modifications. This supports our hypothesis that perturbed lipid metabolism plays an important role in the development of ER- breast cancer. Further mechanistic studies will determine if the genes differentially expressed in cell culture are also differentially expressed in antecedent benign breast biopsies from women eventually diagnosed with ER+ and ER- cancer.

Citation Format: Yadav S, Choi M, VanDerway D, Bauer G, Backman V, Khan SA, Clare SE. Deregulated lipid metabolism fuels the genesis of estrogen receptor negative breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-02-06.

Abstract P5-04-02: Progesterone receptor (PR) antagonism by telapristone acetate (TPA): A randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIB pre-surgical window trial in women with stage 0-II breast cancer

Background: In vitro and preclinical data indicate that TPA, a selective PR modulator, has activity against hormone-sensitive early breast cancer. We conducted a pre-surgical window trial of oral TPA in Stage 0-II breast cancer to assess the effect of TPA on suppression of cell proliferation (Ki67), and on differential gene expression in responsive and non-responsive tumors.

Methods: We enrolled 70 pre and postmenopausal women into a 1:1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral TPA 12mg (Repros Therapeutics Inc.) for 2-10 weeks. The primary endpoint was Ki67 labelling, comparing diagnostic core needle biopsy to post-therapy surgical specimens. Ki67 changes were quantitated by dual immunohistochemistry (Ki67/pan-cytokeratin) and image analysis (Aperio ImageScope and Definiens Tissue Studio®). RNA-sequencing (using RNA extracted from the paraffin blocks) was performed with Illumina TruSeq RNA Coding Access method. Differential gene expression pre-post therapy was assessed, followed by Gene Set Enrichment Analysis for pathway analysis. Ki67 changes from baseline were tested with Paired signed-rank test. For gene expression analysis, p values were calculated by Wald test and adjusted for multiple comparisons by Benjamini-Hochberg method (adjusted p &lt;0.05 and 2-fold gene expression cut-off).

Results: Among 61 evaluable women, (29 placebo and 32 TPA) 97% of tumors were ER or PR positive and 91% were ER and PR positive (balanced across arms). A significant 6% decrease in mean %Ki67 was seen in the TPA arm (p= 0.003). When stratified by menopause, the significance held in premenopausal women (n= 22, p= 0.03) but not in postmenopausal women (n=10, p= 0.08). However, a Ki67 decrease (4%) was also observed in placebo group (p = 0.04); this was non-significant after pre- postmenopausal stratification. Overall, differential gene expression analysis showed no significant modulation of genes in either group. Using a pre-specified response parameter (50% relative reduction in Ki67), we identified 12/32 (38%) “responders” in the TPA, and 9/29 (31%) in the placebo arm. In sub-group analysis of these responders, we found 103 genes to be significantly modulated by treatment in the TPA “responders”, but saw no significant change in any gene expression in placebo “responders”. Gene set enrichment analysis for the 103 genes showed that TPA blocked the progression of cell cycle genes (PTTG1, PLK1, UBE2C, HIST1H3F, PSMD3, and etc.) and suppressed PGR and ERBB2 expression. In a pre-planned pooled analysis, these results will be combined with NCT02314156, reported in SABCS abstract 851790.

Conclusions: An anti-proliferative (Ki67) signal of TPA was observed in early stage breast cancer patients, but interpretation was limited by placebo group changes. The TPA group demonstrated differential suppression of proliferation-related genes among Ki67 responders, but the placebo group did not. Ongoing analysis will examine signatures related to stemness, metastasis, and immune suppression (potentially better endpoints in trials targeting P signaling). These analyses may help us select the right population and the right biomarkers for future trials.

Citation Format: Lee O, Sullivan ME, Xu Y, Shidfar A, Ivancic D, Zeng Z, Singhal H, Helenowski I, Jovanovic B, Hansen N, Bethke K, Gann P, Gradishar WJ, Clare SE, Khan SA. Progesterone receptor (PR) antagonism by telapristone acetate (TPA): A randomized, placebo-controlled phase IIB pre-surgical window trial in women with stage 0-II breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-04-02.

Dietary quercetin maintains the semen quality in rabbits under summer heat stress

This study focused to determine beneficial impact of feeding quercetin supplemented diet on semen quality in summer heat imposed rabbits. Twelve heat stressed (HS) adult rabbits bucks were either fed with basal diet (HS; n = 06) or quercetin supplemented diet (QU-HS; n = 06) for a period of 56 days. Semen samples were collected and evaluated for volume, osmolality, morphology, concentration, motility, motion kinetics, viability, acrosome integrity, mitochondrial potential, and seminal plasma MDA level. Semen volume, concentration, motility and sperm kinetics parameters were affected by diet supplementation. Diet affected the sperm mitochondrial potential and day of treatment affected the viable sperm percentage. There was an effect of diet, day of treatment and diet by day interaction on acrosome reaction rate. Sperm head abnormalities were influenced by diet provision, sperm mid-piece abnormalities were affected by diet and day of treatment, whereas, the effect of diet and diet by day of treatment interaction were observed for total sperm abnormalities. There was an effect of diet and diet by day interaction for seminal plasma MDA level. In conclusions, quercetin reduces the damaging effects of HS and maintains the semen quality by lowering the oxidative stress in rabbits.

Adiposity Results in Metabolic and Inflammation Differences in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women Consistent with the Difference in Breast Cancer Risk

Obesity is associated with increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal but not in premenopausal women. Many factors may be responsible for this difference. The aim of this study was to determine the mechanisms by which the genes related to the AMPK pathway, inflammation, and estrogen actions are affected by adiposity in breast tissue with the objective of identifying differences that may explain the different breast cancer risk in premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Random fine needle aspirates (rFNAs) of breast tissue were collected from 57 premenopausal and 55 postmenopausal women and were classified as normal weight, overweight, or obese. Expression levels of 21 target genes were determined using a TaqMan Low Density Array procedure. Breast tissue estradiol levels were measured by a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry procedure, and serum estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were measured by a radioimmunoassay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. We found that in postmenopausal women, serum and tissue estradiol levels were increased in those who were overweight, and serum FSH levels were decreased in obese status. Interestingly, RPS6KB1, an AMPK downstream-responsive gene for protein synthesis and cell growth, and estrogen receptor α (encoded by the ESR1 gene) and its target gene GATA3 were significantly decreased in rFNA of premenopausal, obese women. In postmenopausal women, RPS6KB1, ESR1, and GATA3 expression remained unchanged in relation to adiposity. However, prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2), cyclin D1 (CCND1), and another ESR1 target gene, TFF1, were elevated in rFNA of obese postmenopausal women. Thus, as bodyweight increases, gene expression is indicative of increased proliferation in postmenopausal women but decreased proliferation in premenopausal women. Overall, our data reveal a novel process by which obesity promotes the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal but not premenopausal women.