Bioinspired Anti-demineralization Enamel Coating for Orthodontics

White spot lesions and enamel cracks are the 2 most prominent diseases that occur after orthodontic treatment and are caused by enamel demineralization from accumulated bacterial biofilms and/or enamel damage caused by the removal of residual adhesive after bracket debonding. Inspired by the self-assembled amelogenin nanoribbons in enamel, we developed an enamel coating with a self-assembling antimicrobial peptide, D-GL13K, to simultaneously reduce demineralization and residual adhesive. The self-assembled amphiphilic nanoribbons significantly increased the hydrophobicity of the etched enamel, which reduced the permeability of the coated enamel surfaces as desired. The antimicrobial activity of this coating was evaluated against Streptococcus mutans by colony-forming unit counting and live/dead assays. The anti-demineralization effect was demonstrated by the reduced demineralization depth analyzed by optical coherence tomography and the increased Vickers hardness. The coatings did not reduce the shear bond strength but significantly reduced the adhesive remnant index score. This bioinspired enamel coating may provide a new strategy for preventing white spot lesions and enamel cracks after orthodontic treatment.

[Clinicopathological features and diagnosis of pericytic tumors of the kidney]

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathologic features,diagnosis and prognosis of pericytic tumor of the kidney. Methods: Three cases of pericytic tumor of the kidney (two cases were diagnosed as glomangiomyomas and one case as pericytic tumor,unclassified) were collected from the affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University between January 2014 to May 2021; the clinical and morphologic features, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics were analyzed and the relevant literature was reviewed. Results: The three patients included one male and two females, with ages ranging from 21 to 70 years. In two patients the tumors were detected incidentally at physical examination and one patient presented with low back discomfort. Imaging showed a rounded nodular soft tissue density shadow in renal parenchyma, and enhancement scan showed uneven delayed enhancement. Grossly, two tumors were located in the renal hilum and one in the renal parenchyma; all were nodular. The tumors were measured in size from 1.6 cm to 5.1 cm (mean 4.1 cm) and showed gray or gray-red cut surface. Histologic examination showed the tumor cells were arranged in solid sheets or small nodules, closely related to vascular wall. Tumor cells were mostly epithelial-like with abundant cytoplasm, light eosinophilia, obscure boundary and round nuclei with visible nucleoli. Vague bundles and fascicular arrangements of smooth muscle component were noted in some areas, with transition of both components. There was no necrosis. By immunohistochemistry, the tumor cells strongly and diffusely expressed vimentin, SMA and collagen Ⅳ, two cases expressed CD34, all three cases expressed PDGFRB to varying extent, and the Ki-67 index was 2%-3%. PCR tests showed absent K-RAS, BRAF V600E gene mutation in all three cases. PDGFRB mutations in exons 3 and 18, respectively were found in two of the three cases by high-throughput sequencing, and no NOTCH 1/2/3 gene fusions were found in any of them. Follow-up information (range: 6-92 months) showed no evidence of local recurrence or distant metastasis in all three patients. Conclusions: Pericytic tumor of the kidney is a rare mesenchymal tumor originating in the kidney with differentiation to smooth muscle, most commonly glomus tumor. The mild pleomorphism, close relationship with vascular wall and spindled smooth muscle components suggest the diagnosis of the tumor. Expression of both epithelial and muscle-associated markers aids the diagnosis. PDGFRB gene mutations may have an important role in the development of this tumor. Most patients have a good prognosis, and a few cases have malignant biological behavior.

Cognitive impairment and low health literacy are associated with poor health outcomes in patients with heart failure

Background

Cognitive impairment and low health literacy are prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF). Low health literacy is associated with poor health outcomes, such as frequent re-hospitalizations and increased mortality. Little is known about the relationships among cognitive impairment, health literacy, and health outcomes (HF rehospitalization and cardiac death).

Objective

To explore the associations among cognitive impairment, health literacy, and cardiac event-free survival in patients with HF.

Methods

This was a longitudinal study of 614 rural patients with HF (male 59%, age 66±13 NYHA class III/IV: 35%). Cognitive function was measured using the Mini-Cog test. Health literacy was measured by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. HF hospitalizations and cardiac mortality were followed at least 2 years and obtained by patient interview, medical record review, and death certificate review. Chi-squares, t-tests, ANOVA, Kaplan-Meier with log rank tests, logistic and Cox regressions were used for data analysis.

Results

Two hundred and seven patients (34%) had cognitive impairment. Compared to those without cognitive impairment, patients with cognitive impairment were 2.77 times more likely to have low health literacy (P<0.001). Patients were divided into 4 groups based on cognitive impairment or not and adequate/low health literacy: (1) No cognitive impairment with adequate health literacy; (2) cognitive impairment with adequate health literacy; (3) no cognitive impairment with low health literacy; and (4) cognitive impairment with low health literacy. Both cognitive impairment and health literacy independently predicted cardiac event-free survival. Cardiac event-free survival was worst in those with both cognitive impairment and low health literacy compared to patients in any of the other three groups. Patients with cognitive impairment and low health literacy had 3.5 times higher risk of a cardiac event compared to those without cognitive impairment or low health literacy (P<0.001, Figure). Age, income, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor use, beta-blocker use, New York Heart Association functional class, left ventricular ejection fraction, BNP level were significantly different among the four cognitive and literacy groups.

Conclusion

Patients with cognitive impairment with low health literacy were at high risk of experiencing a cardiac event. Interventions need to be developed to target high risk patients with cognitive impairment and low health literacy, such as older, low-income patients, to alleviate poor outcomes in patients with HF.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NIH/NHLBI

Temporal trends and patterns in atrial fibrillation incidence: a population-based study of 3.4 million individuals

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia worldwide; confers an increased risk of adverse outcomes and once diagnosed most patients will require lifelong-treatment. Population-based studies of AF incidence are needed to inform health-service planning. However, few reports refer to a standard population and estimates of incidence in high income countries vary by over 12-fold.

Purpose

We aimed to assess trends in the crude and standardised atrial fibrillation incidence by sex, age, socioeconomic status and region in a large general population cohort from England. We also investigated the comorbidity profile of patients over almost two decades.

Methods

We used linked primary and secondary electronic health records of 3.4 million individuals from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). The CPRD database contains anonymised patient data from approximately 7% of the UK population and is broadly representative in terms of age, sex, and ethnicity. Eligible patients aged 16 years and older contributed data between Jan 1 1998 and Dec 31 2017. We defined incident AF diagnosis as the first record of AF in primary care or hospital admission records from any diagnostic position. For incidence calculations, we excluded all individuals who had a diagnosis of AF before the study start date, or within the first 12 months of registration with their general practice. For patients with incident AF, we extracted baseline characteristics, comorbidities, socioeconomic status and geographic region. We calculated standardised rates by applying direct age and sex standardisation to the 2013 European Standard Population. We inferred crude rates by applying year-specific, age-specific and sex-specific incidence to UK census mid-year population estimates.

Results

From 1998 to 2017 AF incidence (standardised by age and sex) increased by 30% (from 247 to 322 per 100,000 person-years; adjusted incidence ratio [IRR] 1.30, 95% CI 1.27–1.33) (Figure 1). Absolute number of incident AF increased by 72% (from 117,880 in 1998 to 202,333 in 2017), due to an increasing number of older people. Comorbidity burden at diagnosis of AF increased (2.58 [SD 1.83] vs 3.74 [2.29] conditions; adjusted difference 1.26, 95% CI 1.14–1.39). Age-standardised incidence was higher in men than women (IRR 1.49; 95% CI 1.46–1.52), and men were younger at diagnosis (adjusted difference 5.53 years; 95% CI 5.36–5.69). Socioeconomically deprived individuals had more comorbidities and were more likely to develop AF than the most affluent individuals (IRR 1.20; 95% CI 1.15–1.24). Over time, the age of AF diagnosis declined disproportionately in the most deprived individuals (Figure 2).

Conclusion

In England AF incidence has increased, and the socioeconomic gradient in age at diagnosis and comorbidity burden widened. This changing burden of AF requires policy-based interventions to prevent associated morbidity and mortality.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation, National Institute of Health Research

Early pregnancy regulates the expression of prolactin and its receptor in the thymus, the liver, the spleen and lymph nodes in sheep

As a pituitary hormone, prolactin (PRL) is also synthesized by immune system cells, and exerts its effects on the immune system by binding to its receptor (PRLR) via endocrine and paracrine/autocrine pathways. The immune organs adapt to the presence of fetal alloantigens during pregnancy, and the immune system is composed of primary organs and secondary organs. The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of early pregnancy on expression of PRL and PRLR in maternal immune organs in sheep. In this study, the thymus, lymph node, the spleen and the liver were sampled at day 16 of the estrous cycle, and at days 13, 16, and 25 of pregnancy in ewes. Expression of PRL and PRLR was analyzed through quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Our data showed that there were an upregulation of PRL and PRLR in the thymus, lymph node and the spleen, and a downregulation in the liver during early pregnancy in ewes. In conclusion, it is reported for the first time that early pregnancy has tissue specific effects on expression of PRL isoform and PRLR isoform in the thymus, lymph node, the spleen and the liver, which may be owing to these organs exerting different functions during early pregnancy, and necessary for the successful pregnancy in sheep.

[Current situation and reflection of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine in China]

Clinical trials are of great significance in formulating guidelines or consensus for the diagnosis and treatment of burns. However, the innate advantages of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine in China have not been translated into evidence-based medical data. Our research group counted the literature published in major academic journals in the field of burn medicine at home and abroad from 2010 to 2020 in Chinese and English databases, and found that the number and proportion of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine published in Chinese journals were generally lower than those in English journals. Moreover, the number and proportion of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine published in Chinese journals were lower than those in the field of critical care medicine. On this basis, our research group statistically analyzed the registration status of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine from 2010 to 2020, and found that the registration volume and completion volume of clinical trials in the field of burn medicine in China were not only lower than those in the field of burn medicine in the United States, but also lower than those in the field of critical care medicine in China. The reasons for insufficient clinical trials in the field of burn medicine may be the decrease in the incidence of burns, the decrease in the number of burn specialists and their low income, and the lack of burn research talents. It is necessary for China to integrate the advantages of clinical resources in the field of burn medicine, strengthen clinical trial research, and improve the discourse power in the international community.

Evidence for Nonlinear Gluon Effects in QCD and Their Mass Number Dependence at STAR

The STAR Collaboration reports measurements of back-to-back azimuthal correlations of di-π^{0}s produced at forward pseudorapidities (2.6<η<4.0) in p+p, p+Al, and p+Au collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 200 GeV. We observe a clear suppression of the correlated yields of back-to-back π^{0} pairs in p+Al and p+Au collisions compared to the p+p data. The observed suppression of back-to-back pairs as a function of transverse momentum suggests nonlinear gluon dynamics arising at high parton densities. The larger suppression found in p+Au relative to p+Al collisions exhibits a dependence of the saturation scale Q_{s}^{2} on the mass number A. A linear scaling of the suppression with A^{1/3} is observed with a slope of -0.09±0.01.

Observation of WWW Production in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13 TeV with the ATLAS Detector

This Letter reports the observation of WWW production and a measurement of its cross section using 139  fb^{-1} of proton-proton collision data recorded at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with two same-sign leptons (electrons or muons) and at least two jets, as well as events with three charged leptons, are selected. A multivariate technique is then used to discriminate between signal and background events. Events from WWW production are observed with a significance of 8.0 standard deviations, where the expectation is 5.4 standard deviations. The inclusive WWW production cross section is measured to be 820±100 (stat)±80 (syst)  fb, approximately 2.6 standard deviations from the predicted cross section of 511±18  fb calculated at next-to-leading-order QCD and leading-order electroweak accuracy.

[Effects of cinepazide maleate injection on blood pressure in patients with acute ischemic stroke and hypertension]

Objective: To investigate the blood pressure change in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and hypertension treated with cinepazide maleate injection. Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of post-marketing clinical confirmation study of cinepazide maleate injection for acute ischemic stroke: a randomized, double-blinded, multicenter, placebo-parallel controlled trial, which conducted in China from August 2016 to February 2019. Eligible patients fulfilled the inclusive criteria of acute anterior circulation ischemic stroke with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores of 7-25. The primary endpoints were mean blood pressure of AIS patients treated with cinepazide maleate or control, which were assessed during the treatment period (14 days), and the proportion of the patients with normal blood pressure was analyzed after the treatment period. Furthermore, a subgroup analysis was performed to investigate a possible effect of the history of hypertension on outcomes. Results: This analysis included 809 patients with hypertension. There was no significant difference in patients blood pressure and the proportion of patients with normal blood pressure (60.5% vs. 59.0%,P>0.05) between cinepazide maleate group and control group. Conclusion: Administration of cinepazide maleate injection does not affect the management of clinical blood pressure in patients with AIS.

[Clinical features and risk factors for early relapse of pediatric ulcerative colitis]

Objective: To investigate the clinical features of pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) and analyze the risk factors of disease relapse. Methods: The clinical data of 79 children with UC diagnosed in Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2016 to February 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into early relapse group and non-early relapse group according to the clinical relapse within 12 months after diagnosis. T-test, rank sum test, χ² test or Fisher's exact test were used to compare the variables between the 2 groups, including the clinical features, laboratory examination results and treatments. The Logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of early relapse. The cumulative relapse rate during follow-up was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method. Results: Among the 79 UC children, 46 were males and 33 were females, and the age of onset was 10.6 (6.4, 12.7) years. The children were mainly characterized by extensive disease (E3) and pancolitis (E4) (51/79, 65%), moderate to severe activity (48/79, 61%) and moderate to severe inflammation of colonic mucosa (71/79, 90%). Thirty-eight (48%) patients had atypical phenotype and 17 (22%) had extraintestinal manifestations. The follow-up period was 43.9 (22.8, 61.3) months, and of the 41 patients rechecked with colonoscopy, 7 (17%) had disease progression. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the cumulative relapse rate of the 79 cases at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 2 years after diagnosis were 27% (21/79), 47% (37/79), 57% (45/79) and 73% (53/73), respectively. There were 45 children (57%) in early relapse group and 34 (43%) in non-early relapse group. In early relapse group, hemoglobin and mucosal healing rate were both significantly lower (105 (87, 122) vs. 120 (104, 131) g/L, 28% (7/25) vs. 7/9, Z=-2.38, χ²=4.87, both P<0.05). The rate of steroid-dependent, E3 and step-up therapy during the induction period were all significantly higher than those in non-early relapse group (11/19 vs. 1/12, 24% (11/45) vs. 6% (2/34), 29% (13/45) vs. 6% (2/34), χ²=5.67, 4.85, 6.66, all P<0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that extraintestinal manifestations (OR=4.33, 95%CI 1.05-17.83), E3 (OR=8.27, 95%CI 1.47-46.46) and step-up therapy during the induction period (OR=5.58, 95%CI 1.01-30.77) were independent risk factors for early relapse. Conclusions: Pediatric UC is usually extensive and severe, with atypical phenotype, a high rate of relapse and a risk of disease progression. Extraintestinal manifestations, E3 and step-up therapy during the induction period are independent risk factors for early relapse.

[Cone-beam CT evaluation of the effect of indirect anchorage of mini-screw assisted clear aligner on molar distalization]

Objective: To evaluate the effect of indirect anchorage with mini-screw assisted clear aligner on molar distalization. Methods: Twenty-six adult patients [12 males and 14 females, aged 19 to 31 years, mean age (26.4±4.2) years], who were treated in the Department of Orthodontics, the Affiliated Stomatological Hospital of Nanchang University between January 2018 and September 2021, were included. All the patients were treated with clear aligner and mini-screw indirect anchorage to distalize maxillary molars. In the stage of molar distalization, the mini-implants were implanted between the buccal roots of the maxillary first molar and the second premolar, and rigidly connected to the maxillary second premolar as anchorage reenforcement. Until the first molar had distally moved to the designated position, the mini-implants were transferred to the buccal area between the first and the second molars and similar device was connected to the first molar. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) images were taken before the treatment (T0), at the maxillary first molar distally moved to the designated position (T1), and at the anterior teeth alignment finished (T2). The CBCT data were imported into Mimics 20.0 software for three-dimensional reconstruction. After correcting the head position, each reference point was determined in the multi-plane reconstruction view. The bilateral porion, the right orbitale, the nasion, and the anterior nasal spine were selected as reference points to construct the three-dimensional space coordinate system. The positions of the first molar, the second premolar, and the incisor were analyzed three-dimensionally. The three-dimensional position changes of maxillary first molars and maxillary second premolars during the stages of T0-T1, T1-T2, T0-T2, and the mesiodistal and vertical position changes of maxillary central incisors were analyzed. The statistical analysis was carried out using a one-way repeated measures ANOVA. Results: There was a significant difference in the sagittal position changes of the root and cusp of the maxillary central incisors among three time points (F=24.84, P<0.001; F=27.66, P=0.001), but no difference was observed between T0 and T1 (P>0.05). There was a significant difference in lingual retraction of the maxillary central incisor root [(2.17±0.42) mm] and cusp [(1.81±0.28) mm] between T1 and T2 (P<0.05). A significant difference was noted in the sagittal position changes of the root and crown of the maxillary second premolars among three time points (F=17.16, P=0.001; F=57.99, P<0.001). However, no statistical difference was detected between T0 and T1 (P>0.05) and the difference in maxillary second premolar distalization [root (1.95±0.42) mm, cusp (2.53±0.33) mm] was observed between T1 and T2 (P<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the sagittal position changes of the root and the crown of the maxillary first molar among three time points (F=9.37, P=0.002; F=140.26, P<0.001). The difference in the maxillary first molar distalization [crown (3.51±0.30) mm, root (1.98±0.25) mm] between T0 and T1 was significant (P<0.05). However, no significant difference in the sagittal position of the maxillary first molars was observed between T1 and T2 (P>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the vertical position of the center point of the root in maxillary first molar among three time points (F=59.06, P<0.001), while (2.28±0.24) mm of intrusion between T0 and T1 was exhibited (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found in the vertical position of the maxillary first molars between T1 and T2 (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in other measurements among three time points (P>0.05). Conclusions: The effect of indirect anchorage with mini-screw-assisted clear aligner on molar distalization was positive.

A detailed map of Higgs boson interactions by the ATLAS experiment ten years after the discovery

The standard model of particle physics1-4 describes the known fundamental particles and forces that make up our Universe, with the exception of gravity. One of the central features of the standard model is a field that permeates all of space and interacts with fundamental particles5-9. The quantum excitation of this field, known as the Higgs field, manifests itself as the Higgs boson, the only fundamental particle with no spin. In 2012, a particle with properties consistent with the Higgs boson of the standard model was observed by the ATLAS and CMS experiments at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN10,11. Since then, more than 30 times as many Higgs bosons have been recorded by the ATLAS experiment, enabling much more precise measurements and new tests of the theory. Here, on the basis of this larger dataset, we combine an unprecedented number of production and decay processes of the Higgs boson to scrutinize its interactions with elementary particles. Interactions with gluons, photons, and W and Z bosons-the carriers of the strong, electromagnetic and weak forces-are studied in detail. Interactions with three third-generation matter particles (bottom (b) and top (t) quarks, and tau leptons (τ)) are well measured and indications of interactions with a second-generation particle (muons, μ) are emerging. These tests reveal that the Higgs boson discovered ten years ago is remarkably consistent with the predictions of the theory and provide stringent constraints on many models of new phenomena beyond the standard model.

[Design of wearable auxiliary device based on upper limb lifting workers and ergonomics simulation analysis]

In order to solve the problem of high incidence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) in upper limb lifting workers, a wearable auxiliary device which could be used in upper limb lifting operation was designed. The auxiliary device could be used in upper limb lifting through torsion spring device to reduce the tension of the arm muscles. The back bracket could be adjusted to adapt to the wearers of different height. The 3D model of the auxiliary device was constructed by using SoildWorks software. And the relative position and constraint between the auxiliary device and the digital simulation human were adjusted by using Jack as the main simulation tool. And then the virtual model of upper limb lifting were simulated and analyzed. Through the comparison of Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) scale, Krist comfort score and simulation results of two-handed reachable domain before and after wearing the auxiliary device, which proved that the wearable auxiliary device could reduce the risk of WMSDs in upper limb lifting workers.

Improvement in thyroid ultrasound report quality with radiologists' adherence to 2015 ATA or 2017 TIRADS: a population study

Objectives

There has been slow adoption of thyroid ultrasound guidelines with adherence rates as low as 30% and no population-based studies investigating adherence to guideline-based malignancy risk assessment. We therefore evaluated the impact of adherence to the 2015 ATA guidelines or 2017 ACR-TIRADS guidelines on the quality of thyroid ultrasound reports in our healthcare region.

Methods

We reviewed 899 thyroid ultrasound reports of patients who received fine-needle aspiration biopsy and were diagnosed with Bethesda III or IV nodules or thyroid cancer. Ultrasounds were reported by radiology group 1, group 2, or other groups, and were divided into pre-2018 (before guideline adherence) or 2018 onwards. Reports were given a utility score (0-6) based on how many relevant nodule characteristics were included.

Results

Group 1 had a pre-2018 utility score of 3.62 and 39.4% classification reporting rate, improving to 5.77 and 97.0% among 2018-onwards reports. Group 2 had a pre-2018 score of 2.8 and reporting rate of 11.5%, improving to 5.58 and 93.3%. Other radiology groups had a pre-2018 score of 2.49 and reporting rate of 32.2%, improving to 3.28 and 61.8%. Groups 1 and 2 had significantly higher utility scores and reporting rates in their 2018-onward reports when compared to other groups' 2018-onward reports, pre-2018 group 1 reports, and pre-2018 group 2 reports.

Conclusions

Dedicated adherence to published thyroid ultrasound reporting guidelines can lead to improvements in report quality. This will reduce diagnostic ambiguity and improve clinician's decision-making, leading to overall reductions in unnecessary FNA biopsy and diagnostic surgery.

Prioritized Experience-Based Reinforcement Learning With Human Guidance for Autonomous Driving

Reinforcement learning (RL) requires skillful definition and remarkable computational efforts to solve optimization and control problems, which could impair its prospect. Introducing human guidance into RL is a promising way to improve learning performance. In this article, a comprehensive human guidance-based RL framework is established. A novel prioritized experience replay mechanism that adapts to human guidance in the RL process is proposed to boost the efficiency and performance of the RL algorithm. To relieve the heavy workload on human participants, a behavior model is established based on an incremental online learning method to mimic human actions. We design two challenging autonomous driving tasks for evaluating the proposed algorithm. Experiments are conducted to access the training and testing performance and learning mechanism of the proposed algorithm. Comparative results against the state-of-the-art methods suggest the advantages of our algorithm in terms of learning efficiency, performance, and robustness.

Systemic Multimorbidity Clusters in People with Periodontitis

This study aimed to identify systemic multimorbidity clusters in people with periodontitis via a novel artificial intelligence-based network analysis and to explore the effect of associated factors. This study utilized cross-sectional data of 3,736 participants across 3 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2009 to 2014). Periodontal examination was carried out by trained dentists for participants aged ≥30 y. The extent of periodontitis was represented by the proportion of sites with clinical attachment loss (CAL)≥ 3 mm, split into 4 equal quartiles. A range of systemic diseases reported during the survey were also extracted. Hypergraph network analysis with eigenvector centralities was applied to identify systemic multimorbidity clusters and single-disease influence in the overall population and when stratified by CAL quartile. Individual factors that could affect the systemic multimorbidity clusters were also explored by CAL quartile. In the study population, the top 3 prevalent diseases were hypertension (63.9%), arthritis (47.6%), and obesity (45.9%). A total of 106 unique systemic multimorbidity clusters were identified across the study population. Hypertension was the most centralized disease in the overall population (centrality [C]: 0.50), followed closely by arthritis (C: 0.45) and obesity (C: 0.42). Diabetes had higher centrality in the highest CAL quartile (C: 0.31) than the lowest (C: 0.26). "Hypertension, obesity" was the largest weighted multimorbidity cluster across CAL quartiles. This study has revealed a range of common systemic multimorbidity clusters in people with periodontitis. People with periodontitis are more likely to present with hypertension and obesity together, and diabetes is more influential to multimorbidity clusters in people with severe periodontitis. Factors such as ethnicity, deprivation, and smoking status may also influence the pattern of multimorbidity clusters.

POS0743 CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND BURDEN AMONG PATIENTS WITH SLE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL ORGAN INVOLVEMENT: RESULTS FROM A REAL-WORLD STUDY IN THE US

Background

Limited information exists concerning the clinical burden and unmet need of musculoskeletal (MSK) organ involvement among patients with SLE in clinical practice.

Objectives

To examine demographics, clinical status, treatment patterns, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among patients with SLE in clinical practices and assess the impact of MSK organ involvement.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World Lupus IV (2021) Disease Specific Programme™, a point-in-time survey of 79 US physicians and their patients with SLE. Physicians completed questionnaires regarding patient demographics, clinical status, and treatment. The same patients were invited to complete questionnaires containing the EuroQoL 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Subscale (FACIT-Fatigue) and Work Productivity & Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) PRO tools.

Physicians stated their patients’ organ involvement at the time of data collection (current), in the categories of musculoskeletal, mucocutaneous, renal, cardiorespiratory, constitutional, haematologic, ophthalmologic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, or other.

Two mutually exclusive patient groups were analysed:

A.MSK – Current physician assessed musculoskeletal organ involvement (+/- other organ/tissue involvement).

B.Non-MSK – No current musculoskeletal organ involvement as assessed by the physician

Bivariate analysis was conducted for numeric variables using t-tests; binary categorical variables using a Fisher’s exact test; ordinal categorical variables using a Mann-Whitney test; and other categorical variables were compared using a chi-squared test.

Results

A total of 595 patients were included in this analysis: 64.7% MSK and 35.3% non-MSK. Mean[SD] patient age was 45.2[14.3] years, 83.2% were female, 53.3% were White/Caucasian, 27.9% were African American, and mean[SD] time diagnosed with any SLE was 5.3[6.2] years.

Point-in-time assessment of clinical status, treatment patterns and patient-reported outcomes, revealed that those with MSK organ involvement assessed by their rheumatologist had higher overall SLE disease severity, more flares in the last 12 months, and slightly worse quality of life scores and work impairment.

Table 1.

Point-in-time clinical status, treatment patterns and PROs among patients with SLE MSK organ involvement

TotalMSKNon-MSKp value(n=595)(n=385)(n=210)Physician-Reported Patient Clinical Status & Treatment HistoryCurrent SLE severity, n(%)Mild405 (68.1)243 (63.1)162 (77.1)<0.001Moderate169 (28.4)128 (33.3)41 (19.2)Severe21 (3.5)14 (3.6)7 (3.3)Current joint symptoms, n(%)Joint tenderness251 (42.2)210 (54.6)41 (19.5)<0.001Joint stiffness255 (42.9)212 (55.1)43 (20.5)<0.001Joint swelling135 (22.7)111 (28.8)24 (11.4)<0.001Mean [SD] Flares in the last 12 months1.6 [1.7]1.7 [1.8]1.2 [1.3]0.015Currently prescribed, n(%)Belimumab113 (19.0)79 (20.5)34 (16.2)0.198Immunosuppressant164 (27.6)105 (27.3)59 (28.1)0.830Corticosteroids333 (56.0)228 (59.2)105 (50.0)0.030Antimalarials429 (72.1)268 (69.6)161 (76.7))0.067Mean [SD] years on current treatment2.9 [3.6]2.5 [3.0]3.6 [4.4]<0.001Patient-Reported OutcomesMean [SD] EQ5D-5L Utility score (0= death to 1= full health)0.79 [0.20]0.76 [0.22]0.85 [0.16]0.002Mean [SD] FACIT-Fatigue score (0 worst fatigue to-52= no fatigue)32.4 [12.0]31.0 [11.5]35.4 [12.6]0.005Mean [SD] WPAI, overall work impairment score(0= no impact to 100= completely impacted)29.0 [21.0]30.5 [18.6]25.9 [25.2]0.223

Conclusion

In this large sample of patients with SLE followed in clinical practices in the U.S., compared to those with little or no rheumatologist assessed MSK involvement, those with MSK involvement, had lower quality of life, with higher impact on their work productivity. These results highlight the heterogeneity of SLE and the impact of major MSK manifestations on quality of life in SLE.

References

N/A

Disclosure of Interests

Aisha Vadhariya Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Julie Birt Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Jianmin Wu Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Kirstin Griffing Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Fiona Bailey: None declared, James Hetherington: None declared, Elke Rottier: None declared, Sophie Barlow: None declared, Karen Costenbader Consultant of: Lilly, Astra Zeneca, Janssen, Amgen, Glaxo Smith Kline, Grant/research support from: Exagen, Gilead, Merck

AB0554 CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND BURDEN AMONG PATIENTS WITH SLE STRATIFIED BY SLEDAI DERIVED SEVERITY: RESULTS FROM A REAL-WORLD STUDY IN THE US

Background

Data are limited concerning the distribution of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scores among patients with SLE in clinical practice and the characteristics of patients with specific SLEDAI scores.

Objectives

To investigate SLE patient demographics, clinical status, treatment patterns, and patient reported outcomes (PROs), overall and stratified by SLEDAI score.

Methods

Data were drawn from the Adelphi Real World Lupus IV (2021) Disease Specific Programme™, a point-in-time survey of 79 US rheumatologists and patients with SLE. Rheumatologists completed questionnaires regarding patient demographics, clinical status, and treatment. The same patients were invited to complete questionnaires containing the EuroQoL 5-Dimensions (EQ-5D), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Subscale (FACIT-Fatigue) and Work Productivity & Activity Impairment questionnaire (WPAI) Patient-Reported Outcomes (PRO) tools.

Physicians completed 24 questions based on the SLEDAI-2K questionnaire regarding their patients’ current clinical manifestations, from which a SLEDAI score was derived1. Patients were grouped based on their score: SLEDAI=0 (none), SLEDAI=1-6 (mild), SLEDAI=7-12 (moderate), and SLEDAI>12 (severe)2.

Data from patients without rheumatologist-perceived renal organ involvement and ≥ 1 year of SLE duration were included for analysis using bivariate tests.

Results

A total of 273 patients were included in this analysis. Mean [SD] patient age was 47.0[14.2] years, 83.9% were female, 57.1% were White/Caucasian, and 24.9% were African American.

Table 1.

Point-in-time clinical status, treatment patterns and PROs among patients with SLE stratified by SLEDAI score

Table 1.Total Sample (n=273)SLEDAI=0 (n=60, 22%)SLEDAI=1-6 (n=79, 28.9%)SLEDAI=7-12 (n=70, 25.6%)SLEDAI>12 (n=64, 23.4%)p valuePhysician-Reported Clinical Status and Treatment HistoryCurrent SLE severity, n(%)Mild221 (81.0)51 (85.0)70 (88.6)53 (75.7)47 (73.4)0.057Moderate49 (18.0)9 (15.0)9 (11.4)16 (22.9)15 (23.4)Severe3 (1.1)0 (0.0)0 (0.0)1 (1.4)2 (3.1)Current joint symptoms, n(%)Joint tenderness109 (39.9)24 (40.0)27 (34.2)28 (40.0)30 (46.9)0.498Joint stiffness121 (44.3)22 (36.7)33 (41.8)37 (52.9)29 (45.3)0.293Joint swelling60 (22.0)17 (28.3)13 (16.5)19 (27.1)11 (17.2)0.190Mean [SD] Flares in the last 12 months1.6 [1.5]1.3 [1.2]1.7 [1.7]1.5 [1.3]1.8 [1.5]0.550Currently prescribed, n(%)Belimumab58 (21.3)14 (23.3)18 (12.9)8 (10.1)15 (21.4)0.011Immunosuppressants48 (17.6)7 (11.7)26 (18.6)10 (12.7)13 (18.6)0.052Corticosteroids138 (50.6)35 (58.3)62 (44.3)29 (36.7)32 (45.7)0.003Antimalarials206 (75.5)28 (46.7)108 (77.1)64 (81.0)59 (84.3)<0.001Patient-Reported OutcomesMean [SD] EQ5D-5L Utility score (0=death to 1= full health)0.79 [0.19]0.83 [0.12]0.82 [0.21]0.79 [0.14]0.69 [0.25]0.024Mean [SD] FACIT-Fatigue score (0=worst fatigue to 52= no fatigue)32.7 [12.2]36.8 [8.7]36.1 [12.5]29.1 [9.8]26.4 [14.3]<0.001Mean [SD] WPAI overall (0= no impact to 100= completely impacted)26.8 [21.2]25.2 [15.8]19.5 [23.6]35.7 [20.2]31.9 [26.7]0.131

49% of SLE patients were categorized as SLEDAI 7-12 or >12 (moderate or severe).

Among the SLEDAI 7-12 (moderate) patients, 75.7% were subjectively categorized by their physician as having mild SLE. Of the SLEDAI >12 patients (severe), 73.4% were categorized as having mild SLE.

Joints symptoms and flaring in the last 12 months were not significantly different across SLEDAI groups.

Patients with greater SLEDAI reported lower EQ5D and greater FACIT-Fatigue scores. There was no statistical difference in WPAI between the SLEDAI groups.

Conclusion

A disconnect between point-in-time SLEDAI and physician-perceived severity exists. Patients with SLE, irrespective of SLEDAI, had high prevalence of joint symptoms, but higher SLEDAI impacted quality of life.

References

[1]Gladman D et al., Journal of Rheumatology, 2002.

[2]Fanouriakis A et al., Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 2019.

Disclosure of Interests

Aisha Vadhariya Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Julie Birt Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Jianmin Wu Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Kirstin Griffing Shareholder of: Eli Lilly and Company, Employee of: Eli Lilly and Company, Fiona Bailey: None declared, James Hetherington: None declared, Elke Rottier: None declared, Sophie Barlow: None declared, Karen Costenbader Consultant of: Lilly, Astra Zeneca, Janssen, Amgen, Glaxo Smith Kline, Grant/research support from: Exagen, Gilead, Merck

[The quality control standards and principles of the application and training of critical ultrasonography]

Critical ultrasonography is widely used in ICU and has become an indispensable tool for clinicians. However, besides operator-dependency of critical ultrasonography, lack of standardized training mainly result in the physicians' heterogenous ultrasonic skill. Therefore, standardized training as well as strict quality control plays the key role in the development of critical ultrasonography. We present this quality control standards to promote better development of critical ultrasonography.

POS1002 DIAGNOSTIC DELAY AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN CHINESE AXIAL SPONDYLOARTHRITIS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background

Few data on the prolonged diagnosis and its associated factors in Chinese axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is available.

Objectives

To delineate the landscape of diagnostic delay in Chinese axSpA, investigate its associated factors and explore its potential impact on medication modalities.

Methods

A total of 1,295 patients fulfilling the ASAS classification criteria were obtained. Demographic and clinical data were collected through predesigned questionnaires and available medical records. Logistic regression analyses in univariate and multivariable model were performed, using the median of diagnostic delay as cut-off point for group classification. Differences between early and late diagnosed group were subsequently compared by the Pearson chi-square test or Mann-Whitney U test.

Results

The median (IQR) diagnostic delay in Chinese axSpA was 3.0 (1.0~7.0) years and 24.8% of them reported a history of misdiagnosis. Older age at onset (OR=0.97, P<0.001) and higher education attainment (P=0.001) were correlated with early diagnosis of axSpA, whereas coming from less developed areas (P=0.002), a history of peripheral arthritis at the time of diagnosis (OR=1.58, P=0.002) and history of misdiagnosis (OR=1.98, P<0.001) increased the risk of diagnostic delay. Medication modalities were similar between two groups, but the proportion with no medication ever and percentage without regular medication in recent 3 months were higher in the late diagnosed group than early group (26.5% vs. 20.7%, P=0.02; 34.7% vs. 28.6%, P=0.02).

Conclusion

Our findings depicted a detailed spectrum of diagnostic delay in Chinese axSpA, verified five associated factors and pinpointed a remarkable treatment delay even after diagnosis, especially in late diagnosis group.

References

[1]Masson Behar V, Dougados M, Etcheto A, Kreis S, Fabre S, Hudry C, et al. Diagnostic delay in axial spondyloarthritis: A cross-sectional study of 432 patients. Joint bone spine. 2017;84(4):467-71.

Figure 1.

Cumulative distribution of age at onset and age at diagnosis in Chinese axSpA

(A) the entire group. (B) stratified by early and late diagnosed group. (C) stratified by education level (college, middle school, secondary school). (D) stratified by history of peripheral arthritis when diagnosed. (E) stratified by history of misdiagnoses when diagnosed. (F) stratified by native place, as statistical significance was found between eastern coastal and western China, only these two groups were presented.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0674 RISK FACTORS FOR MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN PATIENTS AGED ≥50 YEARS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND ≥1 ADDITIONAL CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTOR: A POST HOC ANALYSIS OF ORAL SURVEILLANCE

Background

ORAL Surveillance (NCT02092467) was a post-approval safety study of tofacitinib vs TNF inhibitors (TNFi) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients (pts) aged ≥50 yrs with ≥1 additional cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX).

Objectives

To identify independent risk factors for major adverse CV events (MACE) in ORAL Surveillance.

Methods

Pts on stable MTX were randomised 1:1:1 to receive tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily (BID) or a TNFi (adalimumab 40 mg every 2 weeks or etanercept 50 mg once weekly). Incidence rates (IRs; pts with first events/100 pt-yrs) and hazard ratios (HRs; tofacitinib vs TNFi) were assessed for adjudicated MACE (total/fatal/non-fatal), sudden cardiac death, and total/fatal/non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. Post hoc univariate Cox model analyses identified potentially independent baseline (BL) risk factors for MACE across treatments; those with p<0.10 were entered into a multivariate Cox model using backward selection (p<0.10 stay criteria). MACE HRs were produced for subgroups for BL risk factors with p<0.05 in the final multivariate Cox model.

Results

4362 pts were included (tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=1455; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=1456; TNFi, n=1451). IRs for total/fatal/non-fatal MACE, sudden cardiac death, and total/non-fatal MI were higher with tofacitinib vs TNFi (Table 1). Fatal MI and stroke (including fatal/non-fatal events) IRs were similar across treatments (Table 1). Total MACE and MI IRs and risk were higher with tofacitinib vs TNFi (HRs >1) and higher for non-fatal MI for tofacitinib 5 mg BID (Table 1). Current smoking, aspirin use, history of chronic lung disease, history of diabetes, male sex and older age were BL risk factors for MACE. While MACE risk was generally higher with tofacitinib vs TNFi across all BL risk factors, increased risk was clearest in current/past smokers (vs never smoked) and aspirin users (vs non-users) (Figure 1). When age and smoking status were considered in combination, pts aged ≥65 yrs or who had ever smoked had a particularly elevated MACE risk vs never smokers aged ≥50–<65 yrs (Figure 1).

Table 1.

MACE, MI and stroke IRs (pts with first events/100 pt-yrs; 95% CI) and HRs (tofacitinib vs TNFi; 95% CI)

Tofacitinib 5 mg BID(N=1455)Tofacitinib 10 mg BID(N=1456)TNFi(N=1451)nIRHRnIRHRnIR(95% CI)(95% CI)(95% CI)(95% CI)(95% CI)MACE470.911.24511.051.43370.73(0.67, 1.21)(0.81, 1.91)(0.78, 1.38)(0.94, 2.18)(0.52, 1.01)Fatal MACE140.271.14190.391.63120.24(0.15, 0.45)(0.53, 2.47)(0.23, 0.60)(0.79, 3.36)(0.12, 0.41)Non-fatal MACE330.641.29320.661.33250.50(0.44, 0.90)(0.77, 2.17)(0.45, 0.93)(0.79, 2.24)(0.32, 0.73)Sudden cardiac death100.191.22130.261.6780.16(0.09, 0.35)(0.48, 3.10)(0.14, 0.45)(0.69, 4.04)(0.07, 0.31)MI190.371.69190.391.80110.22(0.22, 0.57)(0.80, 3.55)(0.23, 0.61)(0.85, 3.77)(0.11, 0.39)Fatal MI00NI30.061.0330.06(0.00, 0.07)(0.01, 0.18)(0.21, 5.11)(0.01, 0.17)Non-fatal MI190.372.32160.332.0880.16(0.22, 0.57)(1.02, 5.30)a(0.19, 0.53)(0.89, 4.86)(0.07, 0.31)Stroke180.351.03180.371.10170.34(0.21, 0.55)(0.53, 2.00)(0.22, 0.58)(0.57, 2.13)(0.20, 0.54)Fatal stroke40.08NI20.04NI00.00(0.02, 0.20)(0.00, 0.15)(0.00, 0.07)Non-fatal stroke140.270.80160.330.97170.34(0.15, 0.45)(0.40, 1.63)(0.19, 0.53)(0.49, 1.93)(0.20, 0.54)

aHR 95% CI excludes 1.

Data collected after pts who were randomised to tofacitinib 10 mg BID had their dose reduced to 5 mg. BID were included in the tofacitinib 10 mg BID group

. HRs (95% CI) were not informative when one of the treatments in the comparison had 0 events.

Risk period was defined as time from first dose to last dose +60 days or to the last contact date, whichever was earlier.

CI, confidence interval; NI, non-informative

Conclusion

MACE IRs and risk were higher with tofacitinib vs TNFi in ORAL Surveillance. BL risk factor findings could aid identification of RA pts with potentially highest risk for MACE, with a view to informing treatment decisions.

Acknowledgements

Study sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support was provided by Kirsten Woollcott, CMC Connect, and funded by Pfizer Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Christina Charles-Schoeman Consultant of: AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer Inc and Sanofi-Regeneron, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Inc, Maya H Buch Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, MSD, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Maxime Dougados Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Deepak L Bhatt Grant/research support from: Abbott, Afimmune, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cardax, Chiesi, CSL Behring, Eli Lilly, Eisai, Ethicon, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, HLS Therapeutics, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Janssen, Lexicon, Medtronic, MyoKardia, Novo Nordisk, Owkin, Pfizer Inc, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Synaptic and The Medicines Company, Jon T Giles Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Gilead Sciences and UCB, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Steven R. Ytterberg Consultant of: Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Kezar Life Sciences and Pfizer Inc, Gary G Koch Shareholder of: IQVIA, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Acceleron, Amgen, Arena, AstraZeneca, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Gilead, GSK, Huya Bioscience International, Johnson & Johnson, Landos Biopharma, Merck, Momentum, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi and vTv Therapeutics, Employee of: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ivana Vranic Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Ltd, Joseph Wu Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Cunshan Wang Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Sujatha Menon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Jose L. Rivas Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer SLU, Arne Yndestad Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Carol A. Connell Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Zoltán Szekanecz Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi, Paid instructor for: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi

OP0264 IMPACT OF BASELINE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK ON THE INCIDENCE OF MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN THE TOFACITINIB RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS CLINICAL PROGRAMME

Background

Results from ORAL Surveillance, a post-authorisation safety study, indicated that patients (pts) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aged ≥50 yrs with ≥1 additional cardiovascular (CV) risk factor have an increased risk of major adverse CV events (MACE) with tofacitinib vs tumour necrosis factor inhibitors.1

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of baseline (BL) CV risk on MACE in the wider tofacitinib RA clinical programme.

Methods

Data for pts who received ≥1 tofacitinib dose in 21 Phase 1–3b/4 (excluding ORAL Surveillance) and 2 long-term extension tofacitinib RA studies were pooled and analysed post hoc as two cohorts: (1) overall cohort and (2) CV risk-enriched cohort (pts aged ≥50 yrs with ≥1 additional CV risk factor [current smoker, hypertension, HDL-cholesterol <40 mg/dL, diabetes mellitus, history of myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary heart disease (CHD)]). Data were summarised by average tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily (BID; average total daily dose of <15 or ≥15 mg, respectively). Incidence rates (IRs; pts with first events/100 pt-yrs) for adjudicated MACE were calculated. MACE IRs were stratified by pts’ BL CV risk profile: pts were first categorised by history of coronary artery disease (HxCAD), then pts without a HxCAD were categorised by 10-yr risk of MACE, per the ASCVD-PCE risk calculator2 with a 1.5 multiplier applied.3

Results

The overall cohort included 7964 pts (average tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=3969; average tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=3995); of these, 3125 (39.2%) pts were included in the CV risk-enriched cohort (average tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=1614; average tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=1511). In both treatment arms, as expected, higher proportions of pts in the CV risk-enriched cohort had a HxCAD or a high or intermediate 10-yr predicted risk of MACE at BL vs the overall cohort (Table 1). MACE IRs (95% CIs) were lower in the overall cohort (0.38 [0.26, 0.54] and 0.37 [0.27, 0.48] for average tofacitinib 5 and 10 mg BID, respectively) vs the CV risk-enriched cohort (0.72 [0.46, 1.09] and 0.67 [0.46, 0.93], respectively), and were similar between treatment arms. MACE IRs were lower than reported in ORAL Surveillance.1 In the overall cohort, adjudicated MACE most commonly occurred in pts with a HxCAD (IR [95% CI] 0.98 [0.02, 5.47] and 1.05 [0.13, 3.78] for average tofacitinib 5 and 10 mg BID, respectively), or in pts with a high 10-yr risk of MACE at BL (Figure 1). A lower predicted 10-yr MACE risk was associated with lower MACE IRs (Figure 1); trends were similar for the CV risk-enriched cohort (data not shown).

Table 1.

Proportions of pts with a HxCAD and pts without a HxCAD categorised by 10-yr risk of MACE, per ASCVD-PCE risk calculator2 with a 1.5 multiplier applied3

Average tofacitinib 5 mg BIDAverage tofacitinib 10 mg BIDOverall cohort(N=3969)CV risk-enriched cohort(N=1614)Overall cohort(N=3995)CV risk-enriched cohort(N=1511)HxCAD, n (%)61 (1.5)61 (3.8)65 (1.6)60 (4.0)No HxCAD: 10-yr risk of MACE, n (%)High (≥20%)440 (11.1)365 (22.6)337 (8.4)276 (18.3)Intermediate (≥7.5–<20%)853 (21.5)593 (36.7)788 (19.7)530 (35.1)Borderline (≥5–<7.5%)435 (11.0)234 (14.5)404 (10.1)195 (12.9)Low (<5%)2133 (53.7)342 (21.2)2058 (51.5)307 (20.3)Missing data47 (1.2)19 (1.2)343 (8.6)143 (9.5)

CAD is defined as any of MI or CHD.

n, number of pts with specified characteristic; N, number of evaluable pts

Conclusion

In the tofacitinib RA clinical programme, MACE were largely associated with BL CV risk in the overall cohort, consistent with results of ORAL Surveillance, although results should be interpreted with caution due to low pt-yrs of exposure in some pt groups. Noting this limitation, these findings emphasise the importance of assessing and addressing BL CV risk when treating pts with RA.

References

[1]Ytterberg et al. New Engl J Med 2022; 386: 316-326.

[2]American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association. ASCVD risk estimator. https://tools.acc.org/ldl/ascvd_risk_estimator/index.html#!/calulate/estimator/.

[3]Agca et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2017; 76: 17-28.

Acknowledgements

Study sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support was provided by Kirsten Woollcott, CMC Connect, and funded by Pfizer Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Maxime Dougados Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Christina Charles-Schoeman Consultant of: AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer Inc and Sanofi-Regeneron, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Inc, Zoltán Szekanecz Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi, Paid instructor for: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Jon T Giles Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Gilead Sciences and UCB, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Steven R. Ytterberg Consultant of: Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Kezar Life Sciences and Pfizer Inc, Deepak L Bhatt Grant/research support from: Abbott, Afimmune, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cardax, Chiesi, CSL Behring, Eisai, Eli Lilly, Ethicon, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, HLS Therapeutics, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Janssen, Lexicon, Medtronic, MyoKardia, Novo Nordisk, Owkin, Pfizer Inc, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Synaptic and The Medicines Company, Gary G Koch Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Acceleron, Amgen, Arena, AstraZeneca, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Huya Bioscience International, Johnson & Johnson, Landos Biopharma, Merck, Momentum, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi and vTv Therapeutics, Employee of: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ivana Vranic Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Ltd, Joseph Wu Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Cunshan Wang Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Kenneth Kwok Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Sujatha Menon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Carol A. Connell Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Arne Yndestad Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Jose L. Rivas Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer SLU, Maya H Buch Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, MSD, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB

POS0520 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BASELINE STATIN TREATMENT AND MAJOR ADVERSE CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: A POST HOC ANALYSIS OF ORAL SURVEILLANCE

Background

ORAL Surveillance (NCT02092467) was a post-authorisation safety study of tofacitinib vs tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in patients (pts) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) aged ≥50 years (yrs) with ≥1 additional cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and an inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX). Statins are used to treat coronary artery disease (CAD) and are recommended by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) for the management of pts at risk of atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD),1 such as those with ≥7.5% 10-yr risk of major adverse CV events (MACE) or diabetes mellitus.

Objectives

To examine the association between baseline (BL) statin use and MACE in ORAL Surveillance.

Methods

Pts with RA on stable MTX were randomised 1:1:1 to receive tofacitinib 5 or 10 mg twice daily (BID) or TNFi (adalimumab 40 mg every 2 weeks or etanercept 50 mg once weekly). Pts were stratified post hoc by BL statin use (yes/no). Pts were further categorised by history of CAD (HxCAD), BL CV risk score per ACC/AHA guidelines1 (for pts without HxCAD; 10-yr risk of MACE per the ASCVD-pooled cohort equations risk calculator2 with a 1.5 multiplier applied3), and separately by BL diabetes status. CV risk score/BL diabetes status categories were: high (≥20%)/HxCAD (yes), intermediate (≥7.5–<20%) or low-borderline (<7.5%), and diabetes status (yes). For the overall population and each treatment group, risk of MACE was compared between BL statin use (yes vs no) via Cox analyses for each CV risk category and diabetes status (yes). Incidence rates (IRs; pts with first events/100 pt-yrs) and hazard ratios (HRs; BL statin use: yes vs no) were evaluated for adjudicated MACE.

Results

Of 4362 pts (tofacitinib 5 mg BID, n=1455; tofacitinib 10 mg BID, n=1456; TNFi, n=1451), 497 had a HxCAD, and 3813 without a HxCAD had CV risk scores determined; 789 had BL diabetes. Overall, 1020 (23.4%) pts reported BL statin use. Across CV risk score categories for all treatment groups, <50% of pts received statins at BL, with statin use highest in the high/HxCAD category pts (35.7–40.6%) and pts with diabetes (35.7–44.2%) (Table 1). Across categories, no interpretable associations between BL statin use and MACE were found. However, in the overall population, MACE IRs were lower in pts with vs without BL statin use in the high/HxCAD category, and in pts with diabetes (Figure 1). In pts receiving tofacitinib 5 mg BID and TNFi, MACE IRs were lower in pts with vs without BL statin use across all categories (Figure 1).

Table 1.

Proportion of pts receiving statins at BL, by CV risk category and presence of diabetes

n/N (%)OverallTofacitinibTofacitinibTNFi5 mg BID10 mg BIDHigh (≥20%)/HxCAD525/1370 (38.3)168/435 (38.6)193/475 (40.6)164/460 (35.7)Intermediate (≥7.5–<20%)302/1511 (20.0)110/490 (22.4)94/516 (18.2)98/505 (19.4)Low-borderline (<7.5%)178/1429 (12.5)66/513 (12.9)57/446 (12.8)55/470 (11.7)Diabetes (yes)320/789 (40.6)111/251 (44.2)114/272 (41.9)95/266 (35.7)

N, number of pts in each category; n, number of pts receiving BL statins

Conclusion

In this post hoc analysis of data from ORAL Surveillance, most pts did not receive BL statin treatment. This suggests suboptimal CV risk management, particularly in pts at high risk of CV events. There was no interpretable association between BL statin use and MACE. However, pts in the higher risk categories, particularly those receiving tofacitinib 5 mg BID, had lower MACE IRs with vs without BL statin use. This analysis did not take into account initiation or dose adjustment of statin treatment during the study, and had low yrs of exposure in some categories.

References

[1]Arnett et al. J Am Coll Cardiol 2019; 74: e177-232.

[2]American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association. ASCVD risk estimator. https://tools.acc.org/ldl/ascvd_risk_estimator/index.html#!/calulate/estimator/.

[3]Agca et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2017; 76: 17-28.

Acknowledgements

Study sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support was provided by Lauren Hogarth, CMC Connect, and funded by Pfizer Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Jon T Giles Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Gilead Sciences and UCB, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Christina Charles-Schoeman Consultant of: AbbVie, Gilead Sciences, Pfizer Inc and Sanofi-Regeneron, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer Inc, Maya H Buch Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gilead Sciences, MSD, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Maxime Dougados Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and UCB, Zoltán Szekanecz Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi, Paid instructor for: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lily, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche and Sanofi, Steven R. Ytterberg Consultant of: Corbus Pharmaceuticals, Kezar Life Sciences and Pfizer Inc, Gary G Koch Shareholder of: IQVIA, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Acceleron, Amgen, Arena, AstraZeneca, Cytokinetics, Eli Lilly, Gilead Scienes, GlaxoSmithKline, Huya Bioscience International, Johnson & Johnson, Landos Biopharma, Merck, Momentum, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi and vTv Therapeutics, Employee of: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Joseph Wu Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Cunshan Wang Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Kenneth Kwok Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Sujatha Menon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Yan Chen Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Teoman Yusuf Cesur Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Jose L. Rivas Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer SLU, Arne Yndestad Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Annette Diehl Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Deepak L Bhatt Grant/research support from: Abbott, Afimmune, Amarin, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cardax, Chiesi, CSL Behring, Eisai, Ethicon, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Forest Laboratories, Fractyl, HLS Therapeutics, Idorsia, Ironwood, Ischemix, Janssen, Lexicon, Lilly, Medtronic, MyoKardia, Novo Nordisk, Owkin, Pfizer Inc, PhaseBio, PLx Pharma, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Synaptic and The Medicines Company.

IL-4/13 Blockade and sleep-related adverse drug reactions in over 37,000 Dupilumab reports from the World Health Organization Individual Case Safety reporting pharmacovigilance database (VigiBase™): a big data and machine learning analysis

OBJECTIVE

Atopic dermatitis displays a relevant sleep burden sustained by clinical (i.e., itch), psychological (i.e., inadequate coping strategies) and therapeutic (i.e., frequent loss of drug response) triggers. Dupilumab, the first biologic approved for atopic dermatitis, showed excellent effects on improving pruritus and sleep after only two weeks of treatment but, in some cases, may have paradoxical effects. The rate of sleep-related side-effects remains unknown. More specifically, adverse-drug reactions (ADRs) related to dupilumab have been investigated during the safety phase of randomized clinical trials or in small retrospective epidemiological surveys, but little is known about sleep-related ADRs in real-life settings. Therefore, we took advantage of a global large-scale pharmacovigilance database, carrying out a comprehensive data mining analysis to look at different sleep-related ADRs reported among patients under anti IL-4/13 therapy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analyzed individual case study reports (ICSRs) in VigiBaseTM, the World Health Organization (WHO) global pharmacovigilance database of ADRs collected by national drug authorities in > 140 countries (> 90% of the world population). We looked for patterns of potentially sleep-related ADRs and we applied a disproportionality analysis based on Bayesian Confidence Propagation Neural Network (BCPNN). A meta-analytical approach was used to synthesize the overall effect size of sleep-related ADRs potentially associated to Dupilumab administration.

RESULTS

From inception up to March 9, 2021, 94,065 ADRs from 37,848 unique reports were included and analyzed in the present paper: 1,294 of them (1.4%) concerned sleep disturbances (n=27). Most of sleep-related complaints were generic sleep disorders (n=630), followed by insomnia (n=312), somnolence (n=81), lethargy (n=60), night sweats (n=30), middle insomnia (n=39), hypersomnia (n=25), poor-quality sleep (n=21), initial insomnia (n=17), sleep apnea syndrome (n=13), nightmares (n=11) and sleep deficit (n=11). Interestingly, restlessness and restless leg syndrome, nocturnal dyspnea, narcolepsy and bruxism were reported in 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3 cases, respectively. Only sleep deficit [OR 15.67 (95% CrI 8.61-28.51); IC 3.24 (95% CrI 2.26-3.97)], generic sleep disorder [OR 6.22 (95% CrI 5.74-6.73); IC 2.60 (95% CrI 2.48-2.71)], nocturnal dyspnea [OR 3.68 (95% CrI 1.53-8.87); IC 1.56 (95% CrI 0.03-2.56)] and middle insomnia [OR 1.87 (95% CrI 1.36-2.56); IC 0.88 (95% CrI 0.39-1.30)] achieved the statistical significance threshold.

CONCLUSIONS

In this work, we identified over 37,000 unique case-reports of Dupilumab side-effects reported on the WHO pharmacovigilance database. We specifically categorized those related to sleep issues, which were 1,294. Our findings from large numbers of cases provide data supporting the clinical observations that Dupilumab is usually effective in improving sleep quality and sleep disturbances/impairments, given the lack of statistical significance of several sleep-related ADRs. Further work is needed to closely scrutinize the impact of Dupilumab on sleep, in terms of underlying mechanisms, and to better understand residual sleep disorders in patients with atopic dermatitis and other allergic diseases treated with Dupilumab. Thus, sleep monitoring may be helpful for dermatologists in managing atopic dermatitis patients treated with dupilumab. The limitations of spontaneous reporting systems including underreporting and reporting bias, heterogeneity of sources and impossibility to infer any causal relationship merit consideration and further research is needed.

POS0296 INTEGRATED SAFETY ANALYSIS OF TOFACITINIB IN ANKYLOSING SPONDYLITIS CLINICAL TRIALS

Background

Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of adults with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).

Objectives

To describe the tofacitinib safety profile from an integrated analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in patients (pts) with active AS.

Methods

Pooled data from Phase (P)2 (NCT01786668) and P3 (NCT03502616) RCTs in pts with AS were analysed in 3 cohorts (Table 1): the 16-Week (Wk) placebo (PBO)-controlled cohort (pts receiving tofacitinib 5 mg twice daily [BID] or PBO from Wks 0–12 [P2 RCT] or Wks 0–16 [P3 RCT]), the 48-Wk all tofacitinib 5 mg BID cohort and the 48-Wk all tofacitinib cohort (pts receiving ≥1 dose of tofacitinib 2, 5 or 10 mg BID), including pts receiving tofacitinib from Wks 0–12 (P2 RCT) or Wks 0–48 (P3 RCT). Pts receiving tofacitinib 5 mg BID were included in the 16-Wk PBO-controlled cohort and both 48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts. Adverse event (AE)/AEs of special interest incidence rates (IRs; pts with events/100 pt-yrs) were reported based on a 28-day risk period (time of first to last study drug dose +28 days). Baseline (BL) cardiovascular (CV) risk was calculated post hoc by the atherosclerotic CV disease (ASCVD)-pooled cohort equations calculator for pts without history of coronary artery disease (48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts).

Results

At BL, most pts (>76%) in the 48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts had <5% (low) 10-yr ASCVD risk (Figure 1). The most common treatment-emergent AEs were nasopharyngitis/upper respiratory tract infection. Serious AE IRs were higher with tofacitinib 5 mg BID vs PBO in the 16-Wk PBO-controlled cohort, and similar in the 48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts (Table 1). Discontinuation due to AEs was similar between groups in the 16-Wk PBO-controlled cohort and between the 48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts (Table 1). One pt receiving tofacitinib 5 mg BID (included in the 16-Wk PBO-controlled and both 48-Wk tofacitinib cohorts) had a serious infection (SI; meningitis; Table 1). No SIs with PBO. Herpes zoster (HZ; all non-serious) occurred in the 48-Wk all tofacitinib 5 mg BID (5 pts [1.6%]) and 48-Wk all tofacitinib cohorts (7 pts [1.7%]; Table 1) only. Most cases involved a single dermatome, but 1 pt (tofacitinib 10 mg BID) had HZ involving 2 adjacent dermatomes. Across cohorts, there were no deaths or adjudicated opportunistic infections (OIs), OIs excluding tuberculosis (TB), TB, malignancies excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), NMSC, major adverse CV events, thromboembolic events, gastrointestinal perforation or interstitial lung disease. Uveitis was reported in 1 (0.5%), 3 (1.6%), 4 (1.3%) and 6 (1.4%) pts in the tofacitinib 5 mg BID, PBO, 48-Wk all tofacitinib 5 mg BID and 48-Wk all tofacitinib groups, respectively; all but 1 pt (tofacitinib 2 mg BID) had history of uveitis. Psoriasis occurred in 1 (0.5%) pt (PBO) with history of psoriasis. There were no AEs of inflammatory bowel disease.

Table 1.

AEs and AEs of special interest

16-Wk PBO-controlled cohort48-Wk tofacitinib cohortsTofacitinib 5 mg BID N=185PBO N=18748-Wk all tofacitinib 5 mg BID N=31648-Wk all tofacitinib N=420AE, n (%), IR [95% CI per 100 pt-yrs]Serious AE3 (1.6) 5.28 [0.00, 11.25]2 (1.1) 3.56 [0.00, 8.49]8 (2.5) 3.49 [1.51, 6.87]9 (2.1) 3.45 [1.58, 6.55]Discontinuation due to AEs4 (2.2) 7.04 [0.14, 13.94]4 (2.1) 7.10 [0.14, 14.05]11 (3.5) 4.77 [2.38, 8.54]12 (2.9) 4.58 [2.37, 8.00]SI1 (0.5) 1.77 [0.00, 5.89]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]1 (0.3) 0.43 [0.01, 2.41]1 (0.2) 0.38 [0.01, 2.12]HZ0 0.00 [0.00, 3.28]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]5 (1.6) 2.18 [0.71, 5.08]7 (1.7) 2.68 [1.08, 5.53]All-cause mortality0 0.00 [0.00, 3.28]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.59]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.40]Malignancies excluding NMSC0 0.00 [0.00, 3.28]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.59]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.40]Major adverse CV event0 0.00 [0.00, 3.28]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.59]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.40]Venous thromboembolism0 0.00 [0.00, 3.28]0 0.00 [0.00, 3.31]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.59]0 0.00 [0.00, 1.40]

CI, confidence interval; n, number of pts with event within 28-day risk period

Conclusion

Tofacitinib 5 mg BID was well tolerated over 48 Wks in pts with AS, and safety was consistent with the established safety profile of tofacitinib.

Acknowledgements

Study sponsored by Pfizer Inc. Medical writing support was provided by Jennifer Arnold, CMC Connect, and funded by Pfizer Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Atul Deodhar Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Aurinia, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celegene, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, MoonLake, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB, Servet Akar Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB, Grant/research support from: Pfizer Inc, Jeffrey Curtis Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CorEvitas, LLC (formerly Corrona, LLC), Eli Lilly, Janssen, Myriad, Pfizer Inc, Radius, Roche and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, CorEvitas, LLC (formerly Corrona, LLC), Eli Lilly, Janssen, Myriad, Pfizer Inc, Radius, Roche and UCB, Bassel Zorkany Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eva, Eli Lilly, Hekma, Janssen, MSD, New Bridge, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and Servier, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eva, Eli Lilly, Hekma, Janssen, MSD, New Bridge, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and Servier, Marina Magrey Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie and UCB, Cunshan Wang Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Joseph Wu Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Solomon B Makgoeng Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Ivana Vranic Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Ltd, Sujatha Menon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Dona Fleishaker Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Annette Diehl Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Lara Fallon Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Arne Yndestad Shareholder of: Pfizer Inc, Employee of: Pfizer Inc, Robert B.M. Landewé Consultant of: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos NV, Novartis, Pfizer Inc and UCB

AB0390 COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF IGURATIMOD IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) BY USING A CLAIMS-BASED ALGORITHM: RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF REAL‑WORLD DATA

Background

Iguratimod (IGU), as one of the conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), has been approved by National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) to treat Rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Objectives

This study aimed to compare the cost-effectiveness of well-established RA therapies using a claims-based algorithm in RA patients.

Methods

An electronic medical record (EMR) database from Zhujiang Hospital was utilized to estimate the cost-effectiveness of medication for RA patients, including IGU with MTX, biological DMARDs (bDMARDs) with MTX, and MTX alone for more than 6 months from 2014 to 2020. Patients who were deemed effective must meet all the following criteria according to the algorithm, high adherence; no bDMARDs or IGU switch or addition; no prescription of new csDMARDs; no increase in dose or frequency of index drug; no new use of chronic glucocorticoids or increase in glucocorticoid dose; and no more than one glucocorticoid injection. Average cost was calculated by summing total cost of effective treatment and dividing by number of patients achieving efficacy in each group.

Results

A total of 263 patients were included in the analysis. Based on a claims-based algorithm, the effective rate was 27.1 % (26/96) for IGU with MTX group, 11.2% (7/62) for bDMARDs with MTX group, and 13.3% (14/105) for MTX alone group, respectively. Average cost of effective treatment was $833.46 for IGU with MTX therapy, $2554.57 for bDMARDs with MTX therapy, and $171.48 for MTX alone (Table 1).

Table 1.

Effectiveness and Cost per Effectively Treated Patient with RA

CriteriaAll patients (n=263)IGU with MTX group(n=96)bDMARDs with MTX group (n=62)MTX (n=105)Effectiveness:no. of patients (%)a47(17.87%)26 (27.1%)7 (11.2/%)14 (13.3%)Cost of all RA-related medication per effectively treated patient(SD)$892.75(911.57)$833.46 (252.67)$2554.5 (1273.13)$171.4 (110.33)Average cost of all RA medications postindex (excluding biologic DMARDs) per patient (SD)b$146.38(114.60)$148.81 (123.12)$86.90 (74.53)$171.4 (110.33)Average cost of only biologicDMARDs postindex per patient (SD)b$746.38(926.35)$684.27(188.67)$2468.67(1285.91)/

a χ2showed significant difference in percentage effectiveness for the original algorithm (p<0.05).

bMedication cost was 2020 U.S. dollars.

Conclusion

IGU with MTX therapy was revealed to be both effective and modestly priced, which seemed to be a cost-effective strategy for RA therapy and warranted further cost-effectiveness investigation.

References

[1](2018) [2018 Chinese guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis]. Zhonghua Nei Ke Za Zhi 57 (4), 242-251. https://doi.org/10.3760/cma.j.issn.0578-1426.2018.04.004

[2]Hitchon, C. A., & El-Gabalawy, H. S. (2011). The synovium in rheumatoid arthritis. The open rheumatology journal, 5, 107–114. https://doi.org/10.2174/1874312901105010107

[3]Smolen, J. S., Landewé, R., Bijlsma, J., Burmester, G. R., Dougados, M., Kerschbaumer, A., McInnes, I. B., Sepriano, A., van Vollenhoven, R. F., de Wit, M., Aletaha, D., Aringer, M., Askling, J., Balsa, A., Boers, M., den Broeder, A. A., Buch, M. H., Buttgereit, F., Caporali, R., Cardiel, M. H., … van der Heijde, D. (2020). EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with synthetic and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs: 2019 update. Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 79(6), 685–699. https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216655

[4]Fraenkel, L., Bathon, J. M., England, B. R., St Clair, E. W., Arayssi, T., Carandang, K., Deane, K. D., Genovese, M., Huston, K. K., Kerr, G., Kremer, J., Nakamura, M. C., Russell, L. A., Singh, J. A., Smith, B. J., Sparks, J. A., Venkatachalam, S., Weinblatt, M. E., Al-Gibbawi, M., Baker, J. F., … Akl, E. A. (2021). 2021 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis care & research, 73(7), 924–939. https://doi.org/10.1002/acr.24596

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Measurements of Proton High-Order Cumulants in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions and Implications for the QCD Critical Point

We report cumulants of the proton multiplicity distribution from dedicated fixed-target Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV, measured by the STAR experiment in the kinematic acceptance of rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (p_{T}) within -0.5<y<0 and 0.4<p_{T}<2.0  GeV/c. In the most central 0%-5% collisions, a proton cumulant ratio is measured to be C_{4}/C_{2}=-0.85±0.09 (stat)±0.82 (syst), which is 2σ below the Poisson baseline with respect to both the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The hadronic transport UrQMD model reproduces our C_{4}/C_{2} in the measured acceptance. Compared to higher energy results and the transport model calculations, the suppression in C_{4}/C_{2} is consistent with fluctuations driven by baryon number conservation and indicates an energy regime dominated by hadronic interactions. These data imply that the QCD critical region, if created in heavy-ion collisions, could only exist at energies higher than 3 GeV.

Measurements of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H Lifetimes and Yields in Au+Au Collisions in the High Baryon Density Region

We report precision measurements of hypernuclei _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H lifetimes obtained from Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV and 7.2 GeV collected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the first measurement of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H midrapidity yields in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV. _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H, being the two simplest bound states composed of hyperons and nucleons, are cornerstones in the field of hypernuclear physics. Their lifetimes are measured to be 221±15(stat)±19(syst)  ps for _{Λ}^{3}H and 218±6(stat)±13(syst)  ps for _{Λ}^{4}H. The p_{T}-integrated yields of _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H are presented in different centrality and rapidity intervals. It is observed that the shape of the rapidity distribution of _{Λ}^{4}H is different for 0%-10% and 10%-50% centrality collisions. Thermal model calculations, using the canonical ensemble for strangeness, describes the _{Λ}^{3}H yield well, while underestimating the _{Λ}^{4}H yield. Transport models, combining baryonic mean-field and coalescence (jam) or utilizing dynamical cluster formation via baryonic interactions (phqmd) for light nuclei and hypernuclei production, approximately describe the measured _{Λ}^{3}H and _{Λ}^{4}H yields. Our measurements provide means to precisely assess our understanding of the fundamental baryonic interactions with strange quarks, which can impact our understanding of more complicated systems involving hyperons, such as the interior of neutron stars or exotic hypernuclei.

FIND-AF: a widely applicable artificial intelligence algorithm to target systematic screening for atrial fibrillation in older individuals through primary care electronic health records

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): British Heart Foundation

Background

Systematic screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) in people ≥75 years of age can improve detection rates, anticoagulant prescription and clinical outcomes but is inefficient.(1) A large proportion of European populations are registered in primary care with a routinely-collected electronic health record (EHR).(2) An algorithm embedded in this system to identify people at higher risk of incident AF could facilitate targeted AF screening.

Purpose

To develop and internally validate a widely-applicable artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm for predicting incident AF in people ≥75 years of age using primary care EHRs.

Methods

We identified people who were ≥75 years of age (1998 – 2018), in the nationwide Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD)-GOLD primary care EHR dataset and followed them until a diagnosis of AF, or withdrawal from CPRD, or 6 months. Each subject had 81 features including age, sex, ethnicity and comorbidities. Algorithms developed with random forest (RF) and multivariable logistic regression (MLR), were compared by area under receiver operating curve (AUROC) and the proportion of patient EHRs to which the algorithms could be applied

Results

440,000 patients were studied, with 3922 occurrences of AF. The RF algorithm achieved an AUROC of 0.77 after 10 fold cross-validation, 12% better than the MLR algorithm (0.68). Notably the RF algorithm could be applied to all EHRs. At 75% sensitivity, the RF algorithm would reduce the potential number needed to screen for one new case of AF to 11, an improvement of over 6-fold compared to using age alone.

Conclusions

This study showed a novel AI algorithm that can be widely applied in nationwide European primary care EHRs to target screening for AF in a population that derives clinical benefit.