Reference ranges for D-dimer levels in Malaysian women in the three trimesters of pregnancy

INTRODUCTION

Plasma D-dimer levels rise progressively during pregnancy, so one cannot apply normal reference ranges, or the usual cut-off value (500ng/mL), for the exclusion of venous thromboembolism (VTE), in pregnant women. This study was carried out in pregnant Malaysian women in order to build applicable reference ranges for D-dimer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted to measure D-dimer in healthy pregnant women, and a non-pregnant control group, using the quantitative HaemosIL D-dimer HS500 assay. Reference ranges were derived using CLSI 'Robust' methods, and differences between group medians were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS

Plasma D-dimer levels were measured in 92 pregnant women (distributed across the three trimesters)and 31 control women. The medians (and reference ranges) in ng/mL were: control 265 (<799); first trimester 481 (<1070); second trimester 1073 (357-1748); 3rd trimester 1533 (771-2410). There were significant differences between the D-dimer levels of each group and each of the other groups (P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Reference ranges for D-dimer in pregnant Malaysian women have been establised by this study. Whether these ranges can be used to determine cut-off levels for the exclusion of VTE at different stages of pregnancy is doubtful, as the levels rise continuously through pregnancy, and some very high outlying values occur in apparently normal near-term pregnancy.

Surgical intervention for intestinal typhoid perforation

AIM

Typhoid perforation is the most fatal complication of typhoid fever in developing countries and is most often caused by the bacteria Salmonella Typhi. There are conflicting views as to which type of surgical intervention gives the best outcome. The aim of this study was to determine the mortality associated with the different types of surgical interventions employed in patients with typhoid perforation.

METHOD

This was a retrospective review of the medical records of adult and paediatric surgical patients treated in the general and paediatric surgical units of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Information was obtained from medical records at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, Ghana, between January 2009 and April 2012. The data was analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20 and 22.

RESULTS

133 patients (median age of 21 years, 72.2% males) with typhoid perforation were included in the study. The typhoid perforation specific mortality rate was 12.8%. Males had a significantly lower mortality rate (7.3%) compared to females (27%). Simple bowel closure (85.7% of total) was the most common surgical intervention performed and patients operated upon with this method had a significantly lower mortality rate (9.6%) compared to patients with bowel resection (31.6%).

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, patients treated with intestinal resection were more likely to die from typhoid perforation and female gender was a risk factor for death. Simple bowel closure was the predominant surgical procedure.

Abstract PD3-10: Higher serum PD-L1 predicts for increased overall survival to lapatinib vs trastuzumab in the phase 3 CCTG MA.31 trial

Background: In the CCTG (Canadian Clinical Trials Group) MA.31 randomized phase 3 trial, the trastuzumab-taxane combination led to longer PFS than lapatinib-taxane in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We previously reported the prognostic utility of pretreatment serum PD-L1 in the trastuzumab arm of MA.31 (ASCO 2018, #1031), and here we evaluate serum PD-L1 in the lapatinib arm, and in the whole trial. Higher serum PD-L1 has been reported to be associated with reduced response to treatment with the immune checkpoint inhibitors in melanoma and lung cancer.

Methods: MA.31 accrued 652 centrally and/or locally-identified HER2-positivepatients; 186 in the trastuzumab arm, and 202 in the lapatinib armhad pretreatment serum available. TheELLA immunoassay platform (ProteinSimple, San Jose, CA) was used to quantitate serum PD-L1. Step-wise forward Cox multivariate analysis was used for PFS and OS, and testing for treatment-biomarker interaction was based on the local partial-likelihood method (Liu Y, Jiang W, and Chen BE, Statistics in Medicine 34, 3516-3530, 2015).

Results: In the total study population, pretreatment serum PD-L1 concentration had a median of 86.2 pg/ml, and 25% and 75% interquartiles of 64.1 and 134.3 pg/ml, respectively. In univariate analysis in the whole trial, and within both treatment arms, serum PD-L1 was not a significant biomarker for PFS. For OS, higher serum PD-L1 (as a continuous variable) was significant for shorter OS within the trastuzumab arm (HR=3.84, p=0.04), but was not associated with OS in the lapatinib arm (p=0.37). In the whole trial, in multivariate analysis for OS [15 covariates included: age, race, ECOG status, anthracyclines, other chemo, endocrine, radio, other prior adjuvant therapy, disease status, ER status, PR status, Ki67 (log transformed), CK5, EGFR, treatment arm, and serum PD-L1 (with median cut point)], serum PD-L1 remained a significant independent covariate (HR= 2.27, p= 0.001 (Table).There was significant interaction between treatment arm and continuous serum PD-L1 (Bootstrap method, p=0.0025); above 214.2 pg/ml serum PD-L1 (89% percentile), higher pretreatment serum PD-L1 was associated with a shorter OS to trastuzumab treatment, but longer OS to lapatinib treatment.

Conclusions: In the CCTG MA.31 trial, serum PD-L1 was a significant predictive factor: higher pretreatment serum PD-L1 was associated with a shorter OS to trastuzumab treatment, but longer OS to lapatinib treatment. Immune evasion may decrease the effectiveness of trastuzumab therapy. Further evaluation of elevated serum PD-L1 in the advanced breast cancer setting is warranted to identify HER2-positive MBC patients who may benefit from novel immune-targeted therapies in addition to trastuzumab.

Multivariate Analysis (whole trial): Significant Independent CovariatesCovariateP-ValueHRLower 95% CIHigher 95% CISerum PD-L1 (pretreatment) (&gt;median vs &lt;median)0.0012.271.403.68EGFR Status (continuous IHC score)0.0031.0121.0041.019Other Chemotherapy (yes vs no)0.0081.911.193.07Treatment Arm (trastuzumab vs. lapatinib)0.0100.530.330.86ECOG Performance Status (0 vs 1 or 2)0.0250.590.370.94Ki67 (log)0.0461.451.0062.081

Citation Format: Moku PR, Shepherd LE, Ali SM, Leitzel K, Parulekar WE, Zhu L, Virk S, Nomikos D, Aparicio S, Gelmon KA, Drabick JJ, Cream L, Halstead SE, Umstead T, Mckeone D, Maddukuri A, Polimera HV, Ali A, Poulose J, Pancholy N, Spiegel H, Nagabhairu V, Chen BE, Lipton A. Higher serum PD-L1 predicts for increased overall survival to lapatinib vs trastuzumab in the phase 3 CCTG MA.31 trial [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 PD3-10.

Critical care usage after major gastrointestinal and liver surgery: a prospective, multicentre observational study

BACKGROUND

Patient selection for critical care admission must balance patient safety with optimal resource allocation. This study aimed to determine the relationship between critical care admission, and postoperative mortality after abdominal surgery.

METHODS

This prespecified secondary analysis of a multicentre, prospective, observational study included consecutive patients enrolled in the DISCOVER study from UK and Republic of Ireland undergoing major gastrointestinal and liver surgery between October and December 2014. The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore associations between critical care admission (planned and unplanned) and mortality, and inter-centre variation in critical care admission after emergency laparotomy.

RESULTS

Of 4529 patients included, 37.8% (n=1713) underwent planned critical care admissions from theatre. Some 3.1% (n=86/2816) admitted to ward-level care subsequently underwent unplanned critical care admission. Overall 30-day mortality was 2.9% (n=133/4519), and the risk-adjusted association between 30-day mortality and critical care admission was higher in unplanned [odds ratio (OR): 8.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.51-19.97) than planned admissions (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.43-3.85). Some 26.7% of patients (n=1210/4529) underwent emergency laparotomies. After adjustment, 49.3% (95% CI: 46.8-51.9%, P<0.001) were predicted to have planned critical care admissions, with 7% (n=10/145) of centres outside the 95% CI.

CONCLUSIONS

After risk adjustment, no 30-day survival benefit was identified for either planned or unplanned postoperative admissions to critical care within this cohort. This likely represents appropriate admission of the highest-risk patients. Planned admissions in selected, intermediate-risk patients may present a strategy to mitigate the risk of unplanned admission. Substantial inter-centre variation exists in planned critical care admissions after emergency laparotomies.

Search for CP Violation in Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations by the T2K Experiment with 2.2×10^{21} Protons on Target

The T2K experiment measures muon neutrino disappearance and electron neutrino appearance in accelerator-produced neutrino and antineutrino beams. With an exposure of 14.7(7.6)×10^{20} protons on target in the neutrino (antineutrino) mode, 89 ν_{e} candidates and seven anti-ν_{e} candidates are observed, while 67.5 and 9.0 are expected for δ_{CP}=0 and normal mass ordering. The obtained 2σ confidence interval for the CP-violating phase, δ_{CP}, does not include the CP-conserving cases (δ_{CP}=0, π). The best-fit values of other parameters are sin^{2}θ_{23}=0.526_{-0.036}^{+0.032} and Δm_{32}^{2}=2.463_{-0.070}^{+0.071}×10^{-3}  eV^{2}/c^{4}.

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

BACKGROUND

The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications.

METHODS

ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery.

RESULTS

The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784.

CONCLUSIONS

This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance.

CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT03044899.

Marie M, Stickney K, VanBuecken D, Vellek B, Webber C, Allen L, Bollyk J, Hilderman N, Ismail H, Lamola S, Sanda S, Vendettuoli H, Tridgell D, Monzavi R, Bock M, Fisher L, Halvorson M, Jeandron D, Kim M, Wood J, Geffner M, Kaufman F, Parkman R, Salazar C, Goland R, Clynes R, Cook S, Freeby M, Gallagher MP, Gandica R, Greenberg E, Kurland A, Pollak S, Wolk A, Chan M, Koplimae L, Levine E, Smith K, Trast J, DiMeglio L, Blum J, Evans-Molina C, Hufferd R, Jagielo B, Kruse C, Patrick V, Rigby M, Spall M, Swinney K, Terrell J, Christner L, Ford L, Lynch S, Menendez M, Merrill P, Pescovitz M, Rodriguez H, Alleyn C, Baidal D, Fay S, Gaglia J, Resnick B, Szubowicz S, Weir G, Benjamin R, Conboy D, deManbey A, Jackson R, Jalahej H, Orban T, Ricker A, Wolfsdorf J, Zhang HH, Wilson D, Aye T, Baker B, Barahona K, Buckingham B, Esrey K, Esrey T, Fathman G, Snyder R, Aneja B, Chatav M, Espinoza O, Frank E, Liu J, Perry J, Pyle R, Rigby A, Riley K, Soto A, Gitelman S, Adi S, Anderson M, Berhel A, Breen K, Fraser K, Gerard-Gonzalez A, Jossan P, Lustig R, Moassesfar S, Mugg A, Ng D, Prahalod P, Rangel-Lugo M, Sanda S, Tarkoff J, Torok C, Wesch R, Aslan I, Buchanan J, Cordier J, Hamilton C, Hawkins L, Ho T, Jain A, Ko K, Lee T, Phelps S, Rosenthal S, Sahakitrungruang T, Stehl L, Taylor L, Wertz M, Wong J, Philipson L, Briars R, Devine N, Littlejohn E, Grant T, Gottlieb P, Klingensmith G, Steck A, Alkanani A, Bautista K, Bedoy R, Blau A, Burke B, Cory L, Dang M, Fitzgerald-Miller L, Fouts A, Gage V, Garg S, Gesauldo P, Gutin R, Hayes C, Hoffman M, Ketchum K, Logsden-Sackett N, Maahs D, Messer L, Meyers L, Michels A, Peacock S, Rewers M, Rodriguez P, Sepulbeda F, Sippl R, Steck A, Taki I, Tran BK, Tran T, Wadwa RP, Zeitler P, Barker J, Barry S, Birks L, Bomsburger L, Bookert T, Briggs L, Burdick P, Cabrera R, Chase P, Cobry E, Conley A, Cook G, Daniels J, DiDomenico D, Eckert J, Ehler A, Eisenbarth G, Fain P, Fiallo-Scharer R, Frank N, Goettle H, Haarhues M, Harris S, Horton L, Hutton J, Jeffrrey J, Jenison R, Jones K, Kastelic W, King MA, Lehr D, Lungaro J, Mason K, Maurer H, Nguyen L, Proto A, Realsen J, Schmitt K, Schwartz M, Skovgaard S, Smith J, Vanderwel B, Voelmle M, Wagner R, Wallace A, Walravens P, Weiner L, Westerhoff B, Westfall E, Widmer K, Wright H, Schatz D, Abraham A, Atkinson M, Cintron M, Clare-Salzler M, Ferguson J, Haller M, Hosford J, Mancini D, Rohrs H, Silverstein J, Thomas J, Winter W, Cole G, Cook R, Coy R, Hicks E, Lewis N, Marks J, Pugliese A, Blaschke C, Matheson D, Sanders-Branca N, Sosenko J, Arazo L, Arce R, Cisneros M, Sabbag S, Moran A, Gibson C, Fife B, Hering B, Kwong C, Leschyshyn J, Nathan B, Pappenfus B, Street A, Boes MA, Eck SP, Finney L, Fischer TA, Martin A, Muzamhindo CJ, Rhodes M, Smith J, Wagner J, Wood B, Becker D, Delallo K, Diaz A, Elnyczky B, Libman I, Pasek B, Riley K, Trucco M, Copemen B, Gwynn D, Toledo F, Rodriguez H, Bollepalli S, Diamond F, Eyth E, Henson D, Lenz A, Shulman D, Raskin P, Adhikari S, Dickson B, Dunnigan E, Lingvay I, Pruneda L, Ramos-Roman M, Raskin P, Rhee C, Richard J, Siegelman M, Sturges D, Sumpter K, White P, Alford M, Arthur J, Aviles-Santa ML, Cordova E, Davis R, Fernandez S, Fordan S, Hardin T, Jacobs A, Kaloyanova P, Lukacova-Zib I, Mirfakhraee S, Mohan A, Noto H, Smith O, Torres N, Wherrett D, Balmer D, Eisel L, Kovalakovska R, Mehan M, Sultan F, Ahenkorah B, Cevallos J, Razack N, Ricci MJ, Rhode A, Srikandarajah M, Steger R, Russell WE, Black M, Brendle F, Brown A, Moore D, Pittel E, Robertson A, Shannon A, Thomas JW, Herold K, Feldman L, Sherwin R, Tamborlane W, Weinzimer S, Toppari J, Kallio T, Kärkkäinen M, Mäntymäki E, Niininen T, Nurmi B, Rajala P, Romo M, Suomenrinne S, Näntö-Salonen K, Simell O, Simell T, Bosi E, Battaglia M, Bianconi E, Bonfanti R, Grogan P, Laurenzi A, Martinenghi S, Meschi F, Pastore M, Falqui L, Muscato MT, Viscardi M, Castleden H, Farthing N, Loud S, Matthews C, McGhee J, Morgan A, Pollitt J, Elliot-Jones R, Wheaton C, Knip M, Siljander H, Suomalainen H, Colman P, Healy F, Mesfin S, Redl L, Wentworth J, Willis J, Farley M, Harrison L, Perry C, Williams F, Mayo A, Paxton J, Thompson V, Volin L, Fenton C, Carr L, Lemon E, Swank M, Luidens M, Salgam M, Sharma V, Schade D, King C, Carano R, Heiden J, Means N, Holman L, Thomas I, Madrigal D, Muth T, Martin C, Plunkett C, Ramm C, Auchus R, Lane W, Avots E, Buford M, Hale C, Hoyle J, Lane B, Muir A, Shuler S, Raviele N, Ivie E, Jenkins M, Lindsley K, Hansen I, Fadoju D, Felner E, Bode B, Hosey R, Sax J, Jefferies C, Mannering S, Prentis R, She J, Stachura M, Hopkins D, Williams J, Steed L, Asatapova E, Nunez S, Knight S, Dixon P, Ching J, Donner T, Longnecker S, Abel K, Arcara K, Blackman S, Clark L, Cooke D, Plotnick L, Levin P, Bromberger L, Klein K, Sadurska K, Allen C, Michaud D, Snodgrass H, Burghen G, Chatha S, Clark C, Silverberg J, Wittmer C, Gardner J, LeBoeuf C, Bell P, McGlore O, Tennet H, Alba N, Carroll M, Baert L, Beaton H, Cordell E, Haynes A, Reed C, Lichter K, McCarthy P, McCarthy S, Monchamp T, Roach J, Manies S, Gunville F, Marosok L, Nelson T, Ackerman K, Rudolph J, Stewart M, McCormick K, May S, Falls T, Barrett T, Dale K, Makusha L, McTernana C, Penny-Thomas K, Sullivan K, Narendran P, Robbie J, Smith D, Christensen R, Koehler B, Royal C, Arthur T, Houser H, Renaldi J, Watsen S, Wu P, Lyons L, House B, Yu J, Holt H, Nation M, Vickers C, Watling R, Heptulla R, Trast J, Agarwal C, Newell D, Katikaneni R, Gardner C, Del Rio A, Logan A, Collier H, Rishton C, Whalley G, Ali A, Ramtoola S, Quattrin T, Mastrandea L, House A, Ecker M, Huang C, Gougeon C, Ho J, Pacuad D, Dunger D, May J, O’Brien C, Acerini C, Salgin B, Thankamony A, Williams R, Buse J, Fuller G, Duclos M, Tricome J, Brown H, Pittard D, Bowlby D, Blue A, Headley T, Bendre S, Lewis K, Sutphin K, Soloranzo C, Puskaric J, Madison H, Rincon M, Carlucci M, Shridharani R, Rusk B, Tessman E, Huffman D, Abrams H, Biederman B, Jones M, Leathers V, Brickman W, Petrie P, Zimmerman D, Howard J, Miller L, Alemzadeh R, Mihailescu D, Melgozza-Walker R, Abdulla N, Boucher-Berry C, Ize-Ludlow D, Levy R, Swenson Brousell C, Scott R, Heenan H, Lunt H, Kendall D, Willis J, Darlow B, Crimmins N, Edler D, Weis T, Schultz C, Rogers D, Latham D, Mawhorter C, Switzer C, Spencer W, Konstantnopoulus P, Broder S, Klein J, Bachrach B, Gardner M, Eichelberger D, Knight L, Szadek L, Welnick G, Thompson B, Hoffman R, Revell A, Cherko J, Carter K, Gilson E, Haines J, Arthur G, Bowen B, Zipf W, Graves P, Lozano R, Seiple D, Spicer K, Chang A, Fregosi J, Harbinson J, Paulson C, Stalters S, Wright P, Zlock D, Freeth A, Victory J, Maheshwari H, Maheshwari A, Holmstrom T, Bueno J, Arguello R, Ahern J, Noreika L, Watson V, Hourse S, Breyer P, Kissel C, Nicholson Y, Pfeifer M, Almazan S, Bajaj J, Quinn M, Funk K, McCance J, Moreno E, Veintimilla R, Wells A, Cook J, Trunnel S, Transue D, Surhigh J, Bezzaire D, Moltz K, Zacharski E, Henske J, Desai S, Frizelis K, Khan F, Sjoberg R, Allen K, Manning P, Hendry G, Taylor B, Jones S, Couch R, Danchak R, Lieberman D, Strader W, Bencomo M, Bailey T, Bedolla L, Roldan C, Moudiotis C, Vaidya B, Anning C, Bunce S, Estcourt S, Folland E, Gordon E, Harrill C, Ireland J, Piper J, Scaife L, Sutton K, Wilkins S, Costelloe M, Palmer J, Casas L, Miller C, Burgard M, Erickson C, Hallanger-Johnson J, Clark P, Taylor W, Galgani J, Banerjee S, Banda C, McEowen D, Kinman R, Lafferty A, Gillett S, Nolan C, Pathak M, Sondrol L, Hjelle T, Hafner S, Kotrba J, Hendrickson R, Cemeroglu A, Symington T, Daniel M, Appiagyei-Dankah Y, Postellon D, Racine M, Kleis L, Barnes K, Godwin S, McCullough H, Shaheen K, Buck G, Noel L, Warren M, Weber S, Parker S, Gillespie I, Nelson B, Frost C, Amrhein J, Moreland E, Hayes A, Peggram J, Aisenberg J, Riordan M, Zasa J, Cummings E, Scott K, Pinto T, Mokashi A, McAssey K, Helden E, Hammond P, Dinning L, Rahman S, Ray S, Dimicri C, Guppy S, Nielsen H, Vogel C, Ariza C, Morales L, Chang Y, Gabbay R, Ambrocio L, Manley L, Nemery R, Charlton W, Smith P, Kerr L, Steindel-Kopp B, Alamaguer M, Tabisola-Nuesca E, Pendersen A, Larson N, Cooper-Olviver H, Chan D, Fitz-Patrick D, Carreira T, Park Y, Ruhaak R, Liljenquist D. A Type 1 Diabetes Genetic Risk Score Predicts Progression of Islet Autoimmunity and Development of Type 1 Diabetes in Individuals at Risk

OBJECTIVE

We tested the ability of a type 1 diabetes (T1D) genetic risk score (GRS) to predict progression of islet autoimmunity and T1D in at-risk individuals.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

We studied the 1,244 TrialNet Pathway to Prevention study participants (T1D patients' relatives without diabetes and with one or more positive autoantibodies) who were genotyped with Illumina ImmunoChip (median [range] age at initial autoantibody determination 11.1 years [1.2-51.8], 48% male, 80.5% non-Hispanic white, median follow-up 5.4 years). Of 291 participants with a single positive autoantibody at screening, 157 converted to multiple autoantibody positivity and 55 developed diabetes. Of 953 participants with multiple positive autoantibodies at screening, 419 developed diabetes. We calculated the T1D GRS from 30 T1D-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms. We used multivariable Cox regression models, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves, and area under the curve (AUC) measures to evaluate prognostic utility of T1D GRS, age, sex, Diabetes Prevention Trial-Type 1 (DPT-1) Risk Score, positive autoantibody number or type, HLA DR3/DR4-DQ8 status, and race/ethnicity. We used recursive partitioning analyses to identify cut points in continuous variables.

RESULTS

Higher T1D GRS significantly increased the rate of progression to T1D adjusting for DPT-1 Risk Score, age, number of positive autoantibodies, sex, and ethnicity (hazard ratio [HR] 1.29 for a 0.05 increase, 95% CI 1.06-1.6; P = 0.011). Progression to T1D was best predicted by a combined model with GRS, number of positive autoantibodies, DPT-1 Risk Score, and age (7-year time-integrated AUC = 0.79, 5-year AUC = 0.73). Higher GRS was significantly associated with increased progression rate from single to multiple positive autoantibodies after adjusting for age, autoantibody type, ethnicity, and sex (HR 2.27 for GRS >0.295, 95% CI 1.47-3.51; P = 0.0002).

CONCLUSIONS

The T1D GRS independently predicts progression to T1D and improves prediction along T1D stages in autoantibody-positive relatives.

Cellulose-based hydrogel materials: chemistry, properties and their prospective applications

Hydrogels based on cellulose comprising many organic biopolymers including cellulose, chitin, and chitosan are the hydrophilic material, which can absorb and retain a huge proportion of water in the interstitial sites of their structures. These polymers feature many amazing properties such as responsiveness to pH, time, temperature, chemical species and biological conditions besides a very high-water absorption capacity. Biopolymer hydrogels can be manipulated and crafted for numerous applications leading to a tremendous boom in research during recent times in scientific communities. With the growing environmental concerns and an emergent demand, researchers throughout the globe are concentrating particularly on naturally derived hydrogels due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability and abundance. Cellulose-based hydrogels are considered as useful biocompatible materials to be used in medical devices to treat, augment or replace any tissue, organ, or help function of the body. These hydrogels also hold a great promise for applications in agricultural activity, as smart materials and some other useful industrial purposes. This review offers an overview of the recent and contemporary research regarding physiochemical properties of cellulose-based hydrogels along with their applications in multidisciplinary areas including biomedical fields such as drug delivery, tissue engineering and wound healing, healthcare and hygienic products as well as in agriculture, textiles and industrial applications as smart materials.

Safety and tolerability of Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve stimulation in humans; a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve stimulation (tVNS) may be an alternative to surgically implanted VNS for epilepsy and other diseases. However, its safety and tolerability profile is unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We performed a systematic review of treatment harms from tVNS in humans.

METHODS

A systematic published and grey literature search was carried out to identify studies which deployed tVNS in human subjects. Study authors were contacted for safety/tolerability data if these were not available in the publication. Databases were searched from 1966 to May 2017. We noted study type, population, stimulation parameters, type and prevalence of side effects and/or serious adverse events (SAE). We also noted whether side effects/SAE were considered to be related to the tVNS and the proportion of participants dropping out of studies due to side effects.

RESULTS

51 studies were included comprising a total of 1322 human subjects receiving tVNS. The most common side effects were: local skin irritation from electrode placement (240 participants, 18.2%), headache (47, 3.6%) and nasopharyngitis (23, 1.7%). Whilst heterogeneity in overall side effect event rates between studies was not accounted for by the frequency (Hz) or pulse width (ms) of stimulation, a minority (35 participants (2.6%)) dropped out of studies due to side effects. Overall, 30 SAE occurred but only 3 were assessed by the relevant researchers to be possibly caused by tVNS.

CONCLUSION

tVNS is safe and well tolerated at the doses tested in research studies to date.

Sclerosing polycystic adenosis of the oral cavity

Minor salivary glands are ubiquitous in the oral cavity, and related diseases are often indolent and asymptomatic. We describe the unusual features of sclerosing polycystic adenosis, and its similarities to more sinister conditions of the minor salivary glands. Its importance is currently uncertain and research points to a pathogenesis that is neoplastic, which can create ambiguity. Sclerosing polycystic adenosis is a newly-discovered condition that merits further discussion and research to evaluate its full impact.

Molecular epidemiology, associated risk factors, and phylogenetic analysis of anaplasmosis in camel

Camel Anaplasmosis is caused by members of family Anaplasmatacae, a tick transmitted, obligate intracellular bacteria. The etiological bacteria are transmitted by ixodid tick species. The species have multi host range distribution that is why it is crucial to diagnose it timely. The aim of present study was to investigate the molecular epidemiology i.e. prevalence and risk factors analysis of camel anaplasmosis. Furthermore, variations in hematological standards were also evaluated. The study found an overall 13.33% prevalence in camels. The confirmation of PCR positive samples for Anaplasma spp. was made through sequencing, the study isolatesshowed high homology with Iranian, Chinese, Philippines and South African isolates of Anaplasmatacae (Accession numbers'; KX765882, KP062964, KY242456, LC007100 and U54806) on BLAST queries. The phylogenetic analysis revealedthree study isolates of present study clustered with each other and the cluster was found closer to Chinese isolate of A. phagocytophilum (KY242456), A. marginale (KU586048), and Mongolian isolates of A. ovis (LC194134). Two of the isolates resembled Iranian isolate of Candidatus Anaplasmacamelii (KX765882), while one isolate resembled with Chinese isolates of A. Platys (KX987336) and Croatian isolates of A. Platys (KY114935). The key risk factors odds ratio (OR>1) identified for occurrence of camel anaplasmosis using regression model found sex and age of animal, previous tick history, tick infestation and tick control status, housing type, cracks in walls, rearing system and other species in surrounding as the key risk factors. The hematological parameters like lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes and platelets count were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in diseased camels than healthy. This is the first ever molecular data on camel anaplasmosis in Pakistan. The disease should be monitored unceasingly as the etiologies have multi host distribution. Prompt attention should be offered to animals because neutropenia, lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia can exacerbate the disease by making the animal predisposed to otherdiseases.

A gesture-based design tool: Assessing 2DOF vs. 4DOF steerable instrument control

Iterative prototyping is costly and time-consuming. Particularly when designing medical instruments, human factors related design choices significantly impact performance and safety. A tool is presented that allows for the evaluation of steerable instrument controls before the onset of the prototyping stage. The design tool couples gestural input to virtually simulated instrument motions using hand motion tracking. We performed a human-subject evaluation of two manual control strategies that differed in their degrees of freedom (DOF). 2DOF thumb control was compared to 4DOF thumb-index finger control. Results identified regions within the instrument workspace that are difficult to reach and showed participants to favor using the thumb for gross and fine-tuning motions at both control strategies. Index finger ab/adduction was found to be least functional. A strong learning effect was observed at 4DOF control. Based on the results, gesture-based instrument design is a viable design tool.

Effect of metformin on plasma metabolite profile in the Copenhagen Insulin and Metformin Therapy (CIMT) trial

AIM

Metformin is the first-line treatment for Type 2 diabetes. However, not all people benefit from this drug. Our aim was to investigate the effects of metformin on the plasma metabolome and whether the pretreatment metabolite profile can predict HbA_1c outcome.

METHODS

Post hoc analysis of the Copenhagen Insulin and Metformin Therapy (CIMT) trial, a multicentre study from May 2008 to December 2012, was carried out. We used a non-target method to analyse 87 plasma metabolites in participants with Type 2 diabetes (n = 370) who were randomized in a 1 : 1 ratio to 18 months of metformin or placebo treatment. Metabolites were measured by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry at baseline and at 18-month follow-up and the data were analysed using a linear mixed-effect model.

RESULTS

At baseline, participants who were on metformin before the trial (n = 312) had higher levels of leucine/isoleucine and five lysophosphatidylethanolamines (LPEs), and lower levels of carnitine and valine compared with metformin-naïve participants (n = 58). At follow-up, participants randomized to metformin (n = 188) had elevated levels of leucine/isoleucine and reduced carnitine, tyrosine and valine compared with placebo (n = 182). At baseline, participants on metformin treatment with the highest levels of carnitine C10:1 and leucine/isoleucine had the lowest HbA_1c (P-interaction = 0.02 and 0.03, respectively). This association was not significant with HbA_1c at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Metformin treatment is associated with decreased levels of valine, tyrosine and carnitine, and increased levels of leucine/isoleucine. None of the identified metabolites can predict the HbA_1c -lowering effect of metformin. Further studies of the association between metformin, carnitine and leucine/isoleucine are warranted.

Acute-right-ventricular-failure post-cardiotomy: RVAD as a bridge to a successful recovery

This is the case of a 57-year-old woman who underwent coronary-artery-bypass-grafting following a diagnosis of NSTEMI with triple-coronary-vessel-disease. During separation from cardiopulmonary-bypass she developed acute severe-right-ventricular-failure refractory to inotropic support and intra-aortic-balloon-pump-counterpulsation. Therefore VA-ECMO was established in order to separate the patient from cardiopulmonary-bypass. VA-ECMO was then transitioned to RVAD support which allowed complete recovery of RV-function and subsequent explantation. The patient was eventually discharged home.

Surgical management of iatrogenic left main coronary artery dissection

This is the case of a 40-year-old female diagnosed with NSTEMI. She underwent coronary angiography and suffered from type F left main coronary artery dissection. After hemodynamic stabilization, she was transferred to the nearest cardiothoracic surgery unit and underwent emergency coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. This report highlights important concepts in the management of a rare complication and emphasizes the surgical treatment decision-making, underlying an unusual but effective treatment approach.

Peptidase inhibitors in tick physiology

Peptidase inhibitors regulate a wide range of physiological processes involved in the interaction between hematophagous parasites and their hosts, including tissue remodeling, the immune response and blood coagulation. In tick physiology, peptidase inhibitors have a crucial role in adaptation to improve parasitism mechanisms, facilitating blood feeding by interfering with defense-related host peptidases. Recently, a larger number of studies on this topic led to the description of several new tick inhibitors displaying interesting novel features, for example a role in pathogen transmission to the host. A comprehensive review discussing these emerging concepts can therefore shed light on peptidase inhibitor functions, their relevance to tick physiology and their potential applications. Here, we summarize and examine the general characteristics, functional diversity and action of tick peptidase inhibitors with known physiological roles in the tick-host-pathogen interaction.

DNA Barcoding for Identification of Sugarcane Borers in China

Sugarcane borers are economically damaging insects with species that vary in distribution patterns both geographically and temporally, and vary based on ecological niche. Currently, identification of sugarcane borers is mostly based on morphological characters. However, morphological identification requires taxonomic expertise. An alternative method to identify sugarcane borers is the use of molecular data. DNA barcoding based on partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequences has proven to be a useful tool for rapid and accurate species determination in many insect taxa. This study was conducted to test the effectiveness of DNA barcodes to discriminate among sugarcane borer species in China. Partial sequences of the COI gene (709 bp) were obtained from six species collected from different geographic areas. Results showed that the pairwise intraspecies genetic distance was < 0.02, whereas the interspecies genetic distance ranged from 0.117 to 0.182. Results from a neighbor-joining tree showed that the six sugarcane borer species were certainly separated. These results suggested that the partial COI sequences had high barcoding resolution in discriminating among sugarcane borer species. Our study emphasized the use of DNA barcodes for identification of the analyzed sugarcane borer species and represents an important step for building a comprehensive barcode library for sugarcane borers in China.

Meeting the urgent need for rabies education in Haiti

The highest rate of human rabies deaths reported in the Americas is in Haiti, and most of these deaths result from rabies virus infections that occur after individuals are bitten by infected dogs and do not receive rabies post-exposure prophylaxis. One barrier to rabies prevention in Haiti is a lack of knowledge about this disease among healthcare professionals and community members. During the past 4 years, The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has collaborated with public health officials and partners to develop, test and refine educational materials aimed at filling this need for rabies education. This report summarizes the use of feedback from knowledge, attitudes and practises surveys; key informant interviews; and focus groups to develop culturally appropriate rabies prevention materials for community members, health officials, clinicians, laboratory professionals, veterinary professionals, government officials and national and local district leaders about ways to prevent rabies. These formative research methods were critically important in ensuring that the materials would be culturally appropriate and would stand the greatest likelihood of motivating Haitians to protect themselves from rabies. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is using lessons learned in Haiti to develop and test materials in other countries with high rates of canine rabies.

Abstract P1-07-09: Serum activin A and outcomes in HR+ /HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients treated with everolimus: Results from BOLERO-2

Background: Everolimus (EVE) plus exemestane (EXE) doubled progression-free survival (PFS) while maintaining quality of life versus EXE alone in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive (HR+), HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (mBC) (BOLERO-2 phase 3; NCT00863655). Pretreatment serum activin A was previously reported as a prognostic factor in first-line hormone therapy (letrozole vs tamoxifen) (Novartis P025) and anti-HER2 mBC (lapatinib vs trastzmab) (CCTG MA.31) trials. Here we investigate the prognostic and predictive ability of activin A in BOLERO-2.

Methods: Activin A levels were determined on pretreatment serum samples using ELISA. Cox-proportional hazards model was used to assess the efficacy of EVE in the activin A low and high subgroups (median cut-point), and the prognostic effect of activin A on PFS and overall survival (OS).

Results: Baseline activin A levels were determined in 513 patients (71% of 725 BOLERO-2 patients randomized 2:1 to EVE+EXE or EXE). Predictive and prognostic signals are shown in the table below

Predictive and prognostic signalsPredictive/PrognosticEnd-pointAct-ivin ATreatmentNEventsMedian PFSHR (95% CI); p valuepredictivePFSHEXE93832.5 (1.5-2.8)-predictivePFSHEVE+EXE1631325.4 (4.1-6.8)0.46 (0.34 - 0.60); &lt;0.0001predictivePFSLEXE89774.2 (2.0 -5.4)-predictivePFSLEVE+EXE1681059.9 (8.1-12.5)0.38 (0.28 - 0.51); &lt;0.0001predictiveOSHEXE936820.1 (13.8-22.6)-predictiveOSHEVE+EXE16312917.7 (15.7-22.3)1.04 (0.78 - 1.40); 0.78predictiveOSLEXE8939NA (34.7-NA)-predictiveOSLEVE+EXE1687241.4 (36.4-NA)1.02 (0.69 - 1.50); 0.93prognosticPFSH 2562154.1 (2.9-4.2)-prognosticPFSL 2571826.9 (6.7-8.5)0.54 (0.45 - 0.66); &lt;0.0001prognosticOSH 25619718.0 (16.5-21.1)-prognosticOSL 25711142.3 (38.5-NA)0.34 (0.27 - 0.42); &lt;0.0001

.

In multivariate analysis (including sensitivity to prior hormone therapy and visceral disease), activin A remained a significant independent prognostic factor for PFS and OS [HR 0.57 (0.46-0.69) and 0.34 (0.27-0.43), respectively].

Conclusions: Higher serum activin A was strongly associated with shorter PFS and OS in HR+/HER2- mBC patients. Everolimus was efficacious regardless of serum activin A level. These results are similar to our previous studies in phase 3 trials of letrozole-tamoxifen (Novartis P025), and HER2-targeted therapy, lapatinib vs trastuzmab (CCTG MA.31): pretreatment serum activin A was prognostic for outcome, but was not a predictive factor for treatment arm selection.

Citation Format: Ali SM, Chen D, Ali A, Krecko L, Leitzel K, Vasekar M, Nagabhairu V, Marks E, Polimera H, Richardson A, May M, He W, Patel P, Lavin M, Hofsess S, Sweetman R, Hortobagyi G, Baselga J, Lipton A. Serum activin A and outcomes in HR+ /HER2- metastatic breast cancer patients treated with everolimus: Results from BOLERO-2 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2017 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2017 Dec 5-9; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-07-09.