Soil organic carbon data comparison after 85 years and new 13 C/12 C compositions: The case study of the Ferrara province (Northeastern Italy)

The main causes of soil organic matter (SOM) loss are land use (e.g., conventional agriculture) and land-use change (e.g., conversion of wetlands into croplands). Before World War II and until 1960s, the Ferrara province in the Emilia-Romagna region (Northeast Italy) enlarged its agricultural production area through drainage of wetlands. After that, the newly drained area was put into intensive agricultural production with practices that proved to be unsustainable, and whose negative effects (depletion of soil organic carbon [SOC] and emissions of greenhouse gases [GHGs], e.g., CO2 ) have never been quantified. In this work, we estimated the changes in SOC 85 years after the drainage of the palustrine environment, by comparing 1937 SOC measurements with those made in 2022. Comparison of SOC maps from 1937 and 2022 indicates that most of the area suffered a significant SOC loss (∆OC85 years from 0.05 to 18.57 wt%), except for northern areas in which the peat nature of the soil has been preserved. We also measured the 13 C/12 C on the 2022 soil samples and generated a present-day map of the SOC isotopic ratios, which could be used in future as a benchmark to evaluate changes in soil carbon stocks and fluxes.

The trace element distribution in peat soils affected by natural burning events: A proxy of the original composition and metals mobility assessment

This work evaluates for the first time the effects on the trace element composition of peat soils affected by natural burning events, a recurrent phenomenon in the reclaimed wetland of the Mezzano Lowland (Padanian plain, NE Italy). The trace element distribution of two neighboring soil profiles, one pristine and one deeply affected by burning events, were compared to identify the original geochemical fingerprint of saltmarsh peat environment. The pre-combustion composition of the fired profile was reconstructed to infer the physico-chemical changes occurred as a consequence of the burning event, with a special attention to the mobility of elements of environmental concern, such as potentially toxic trace metals. The increase in concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTE) was particularly evident in two layers of the fired profile. V, Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, and As contents progressively increase toward intermediate depths (30-75 cm) together with Th, Sr, Ba, U. On the contrary, Tl, Bi and Cd show a concentration peak in a thin, shallower (14-17 cm depth) horizon. The trace element composition of the unfired profile allowed the identification of specific ratios between immobile elements that can be used as geochemical fingerprint of the soils horizons with different soil organic matter (SOM) content. On the basis of Sr/Rb, Th/U and Ba/Sr it was possible to classify three types of sedimentary deposits characterizing both the unfired and fired profile, as well as to delineate the fire severity trends occurred in the different soil horizons of the fired profile. The distribution of immobile trace element, representative of the organic (U) and mineral (silicate, Th, Ba, REE and non-silicate, Sr) soil fractions with organic matter and bulk density in the non-fired profile, allowed the reconstruction of the original physico-chemical composition of the fired/burned profile and the accurate determination of the relative CO2 lost during the burning event. Moreover, the distribution of PTE with respect to immobile trace elements, used to estimate the element redistribution and mobility after burning in the fired profile, suggested that elements such as Cr, Ni, Zn, V were mainly immobile, whereas Pb, Mo and in particular Tl and Bi suffered a significant redistribution along the burned profile. Nonetheless, results of the gain/loss calculation for the whole soil profile suggested that no significant entry or leak of these elements occurred, limiting their redistribution inside the investigated soil system.

High temperature behaviour of Ag-exchanged Y zeolites used for PFAS sequestration from water

Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) are anthropogenic compounds which have recently drawn great attention due to their high biological, chemical and physical stability and lipid/water repelling properties. The present work aims to provide for the first time insights on the thermal behaviour of Ag-exchanged Y zeolite loaded with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, C₈HF₁₅O₂) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, C₈HF₁₇O₃S) emphasizing the close link between crystal structure and desorption/dehydration processes. Elemental and isotopic abundance of carbon analysis, thermal analysis, and in situ high-temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction were used to evaluate critically if the thermal regeneration affects the initial zeolites structural features. Rietveld refinements revealed that PFAS sites are emptied in the 550-650 °C temperature range, when the thermal degradation of PFOA and PFOS are reached. The crystallinity of the samples is not affected by the adsorption/desorption processes. Upon heating, the removal of both PFAS and coadsorbed water molecules induced a cation migration of the silver ions and changes of initial geometry of the framework. The dimensions of the channels remain comparable to those of the pristine materials thus suggesting the potential re-use of the samples in other adsorption PFAS cycles. Additionally, once regenerated and reloaded Ag-exchanged Y can re-adsorb PFAS in amounts comparable to that adsorbed in the first cycle with clear benefits on the costs of the whole water treatment process.

Ketoprofen, lysine and gabapentin co-crystal magnifies synergistic efficacy and tolerability of the constituent drugs: Pre-clinical evidences towards an innovative therapeutic approach for neuroinflammatory pain

Chronic pain is an enormous public health concern, and its treatment is still an unmet medical need. Starting from data highlighting the promising effects of some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in combination with gabapentin in pain treatment, we sought to combine ketoprofen lysine salt (KLS) and gabapentin to obtain an effective multimodal therapeutic approach for chronic pain. Using relevant in vitro models, we first demonstrated that KLS and gabapentin have supra-additive effects in modulating key pathways in neuropathic pain and gastric mucosal damage. To leverage these supra-additive effects, we then chemically combined the two drugs via co-crystallization to yield a new compound, a ternary drug-drug co-crystal of ketoprofen, lysine and gabapentin (KLS-GABA co-crystal). Physicochemical, biodistribution and pharmacokinetic studies showed that within the co-crystal, ketoprofen reaches an increased gastrointestinal solubility and permeability, as well as a higher systemic exposure in vivo compared to KLS alone or in combination with gabapentin, while both the constituent drugs have increased central nervous system permeation. These unique characteristics led to striking, synergistic anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of KLS-GABA co-crystal, as well as significantly reduced spinal neuroinflammation, in translational inflammatory and neuropathic pain rat models, suggesting that the synergistic therapeutic effects of the constituent drugs are further boosted by the co-crystallization. Notably, while strengthening the therapeutic effects of ketoprofen, KLS-GABA co-crystal showed remarkable gastrointestinal tolerability in both inflammatory and chronic neuropathic pain rat models. In conclusion, these results allow us to propose KLS-GABA co-crystal as a new drug candidate with high potential clinical benefit-to-risk ratio for chronic pain treatment.

Optimizing choices and sequences in the diagnostic-therapeutic landscape of advanced triple-negative breast cancer: An Italian consensus paper and critical review

Triple-negative (TN) metastatic breast cancer (mBC) represents the most challenging scenario withing mBC framework, and it has been only slightly affected by the tremendous advancements in terms of drug availability and survival prolongation we have witnessed in the last years for advanced disease. However, although chemotherapy still represents the mainstay of TN mBC management, in the past years, several novel effective agents have been developed and made available in the clinical practice setting. Within this framework, a panel composed of a scientific board of 17 internationally recognized breast oncologists and 42 oncologists working within local spoke centers, addressed 26 high-priority statements, including grey areas, regarding the management of TN mBC. A structured methodology based on a modified Delphi approach to administer the survey and the Nominal Group Technique to capture perceptions and preferences on the management of TN mBC within the Italian Oncology community were adopted. The Panel produced a set of prioritized considerations/consensus statements reflecting the Panel position on diagnostic and staging approach, first-line and second-line treatments of PD-L1-positive/germline BRCA (gBRCA) wild-type, PD-L1-positive/gBRCA mutated, PD-L1-negative/gBRCA wild-type and PD-L1-negative/gBRCA mutated TN mBC. The Panel critically and comprehensively discussed the most relevant and/or unexpected results and put forward possible interpretations for statements not reaching the consensus threshold.

Quartz-bearing rhyolitic melts in the Earth's mantle

The occurrence of rhyolite melts in the mantle has been predicted by high pressure-high temperature experiments but never observed in nature. Here we report natural quartz-bearing rhyolitic melt inclusions and interstitial glass within peridotite xenoliths. The oxygen isotope composition of quartz crystals shows the unequivocal continental crustal derivation of these melts, which approximate the minimum composition in the quartz-albite-orthoclase system. Thermodynamic modelling suggests rhyolite was originated from partial melting of near-anhydrous garnet-bearing metapelites at temperatures ~1000 °C and interacted with peridotite at pressure ~1 GPa. Reaction of rhyolite with olivine converted lherzolite rocks into orthopyroxene-domains and orthopyroxene + plagioclase veins. The recognition of rhyolitic melts in the mantle provides direct evidence for element cycling through earth's reservoirs, accommodated by dehydration and melting of crustal material, brought into the mantle by subduction, chemically modifying the mantle source, and ultimately returning to surface by arc magmatism.

Isotope Geochemistry for Seafood Traceability and Authentication: The Northern Adriatic Manila Clams Case Study

In Italy, the production of manila clams (Ruditapes philippinarum, Adams and Reeve, 1850) is mainly localized in northern Adriatic lagoons in the Po River delta, where shellfish farming provides important socio-economic revenue. However, in our globalized world, the seafood market is threated by fraudulent activities, in which agri-food products whose provenance is not certified are sold, posing a risk to consumer health. Multi-isotope ratio analysis is commonly used to trace the provenance of goods produced in different countries with different climatic and environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the reliability of this approach in terms of tracing the exact provenance of manila clams harvested in three Adriatic northern lagoons that are close to each other. We also verified the origin of samples bought at a local supermarket with a certificate of provenance. We carried out elemental analyses of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and sulfur (S) and the respective isotopic ratios (¹³C/¹²C; ¹⁵N/¹⁴N; ³⁴S/³²S) on manila clam tissues, plus isotopic analyses of carbon (¹³C/¹²C), oxygen (¹⁸O/¹⁶O), and strontium (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr) on manila clam shells. Each isotopic parameter can be used to identify the marine and continental contributions of water and/or nutrient supplies occurring in the lagoons. Therefore, the combination of isotopic parameters in a linear discriminant analysis (LDA) allowed for the identification of the lagoons in which the manila clams were produced.

Inflammation-Independent Antinociceptive Effects of DF2755A, a CXCR1/2 Selective Inhibitor: A New Potential Therapeutic Treatment for Peripheral Neuropathy Associated to Non-Ulcerative Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain Syndrome

Interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a chronic bladder disease of unknown etiology characterized by urinary frequency and episodic and chronic pain. Analgesic treatments for IC/BPS are limited, especially for patients with non-Hunner (non-ulcerative) type IC who usually have poor overall outcomes. Here, we demonstrate that oral treatment with DF2755A, a potent and selective inhibitor of chemokine receptors CXCR1/2, can prevent and reverse peripheral neuropathy associated to non-Hunner IC/BPS by directly inhibiting chemokine-induced excitation of sensory neurons. We tested DF2755A antinociceptive effects in a cyclophosphamide (CYP)-induced non-ulcerative IC rat model characterized by severe peripheral neuropathy in the absence of bladder inflammatory infiltrate, urothelial hyperplasia, and hemorrhage. Treatment with DF2755A prevented the onset of peripheral neuropathy and reversed its development in CYP-induced IC rats, showing a strong and long-lasting anti-hyperalgesic effect. Ex vivo and in vitro studies showed that DF2755A treatment strongly inhibited the expression of CXCR2 agonists, CXCL1/KC, and CXCL5 and of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) compared to vehicle, suggesting that its effects can be due to the inhibition of the nociceptive signaling passing through the CXCL1/CXCR1-2 axis and TRPV1. In conclusion, our results highlight the key pathophysiological role played by the CXCL1/CXCR1-2 axis and TRPV1 in the onset and development of peripheral neuropathy in non-Hunner IC and propose DF2755A as a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of not only inflammatory painful conditions but also neuropathic ones and in particular non-Hunner IC/BPS.

How I treat HER2-positive early breast cancer: how long adjuvant trastuzumab is needed?

Since its first approval in 2006, 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab has been the standard of care for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer. Nevertheless, the optimal duration of adjuvant trastuzumab was uncertain, and the standard 12-month duration has been questioned by a number of different trials. Although most of these studies were formally negative, a patient-level meta-analysis presented at the 2021 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) meeting first showed the non-inferiority of 6-month trastuzumab. Through this review, we sought to take a closer look at the meta-analysis and the included trials to explain why we believe that non-inferiority should be interpreted with caution. Indeed, here we underline how the meta-analysis’ results were mainly driven by the PERSEPHONE study, an old trial that tested non-standard chemo-trastuzumab regimens in a relatively low-risk population with doubtful endpoints. In summary, considering all the limitations of this analysis and the increasing use of effective anthracycline-free de-escalation strategies, we are convinced that 1-year trastuzumab should remain the standard of care.

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The standard 1-year duration of adjuvant trastuzumab has been questioned by a number of trials.

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At ESMO 2021, the meta-analysis by Earl et al. showed that 6-month adjuvant trastuzumab is not inferior to 12-month.

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The PERSEPHONE trial was the main driver of the meta-analysis’ results, but it has several limitations.

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Alternative anthracycline-free de-escalation strategies proved to be effective for HER2+ early breast cancer patients.

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12-month adjuvant trastuzumab should remain the standard of care.

Pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant treatment with or without atezolizumab in triple negative, early high-risk and locally advanced breast cancer. NeoTRIP Michelangelo randomized study

BACKGROUND

High-risk triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) are characterized by poor prognosis, rapid progression to metastatic stage and onset of resistance to chemotherapy, thus representing an area in need of new therapeutic approaches. PD-L1 expression is an adaptive mechanism of tumour resistance to tumour infiltrating lymphocytes, which in turn are needed for response to chemotherapy. Overall, available data support the concept that blockade of PD-L1/PD-1 check-point may improve efficacy of classical chemotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Two-hundred-eighty patients with TNBC were enrolled in this multicentre study (NCT002620280) and randomized to neoadjuvant carboplatin AUC 2 and nab-paclitaxel 125 mg/m² iv on days 1 and 8, without (N = 142) or with (N = 138) atezolizumab 1200 mg iv on day 1. Both regimens were given q3 weeks for 8 cycles before surgery and 4 cycles of an adjuvant anthracycline regimen. The primary aim of the study is to compare event-free survival, an important secondary aim was the rate of pathological complete remission (pCR defined as absence of invasive cells in breast and lymph nodes). The primary population for all efficacy endpoints is the intention-to-treat population.

RESULTS

The intention-to-treat analysis revealed that pCR rate after treatment with atezolizumab (48.6%) did not reach statistical significance compared to no atezolizumab [44.4%: odds ratio (OR) 1.18; 95% CI 0.74-1.89; P = 0.48]. Treatment-related adverse events were similar with either regimen except for a significantly higher overall incidence of serious adverse events and liver transaminases abnormalities with atezolizumab.

CONCLUSIONS

The addition of atezolizumab to nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin did not significantly increase the rate of pCR in women with TNBC. In multivariate analysis the presence of PD-L1 expression was the most significant factor influencing rate of pCR (OR 2.08). Continuing follow up for the event-free survival is ongoing, and molecular studies are under way.

Petrography of construction and demolition waste (CDW) from Abruzzo region (Central Italy)

The density, colour and texture, plus mineral and chemical features of 18 ceramic-like CDW samples from the Abruzzo region (Central Italy) were characterised. The concretes, natural stones, tiles, roof-tiles, bricks and perforated bricks are either aphanitic to porphyric. Concretes and natural stones are grey to white and tend to be > 2.0 g/cm³; the masonries are brown to reddish and close to < 2.0 g/cm³. Concrete and natural stone are rich or even exclusively made up of calcite, with high amounts of CaO (>40 wt%) and LOI (volatiles, CO₂ + H₂O). The masonries are instead calcite-, CaO- (<25 wt%) and LOI-poor (<8 wt%) but enriched in SiO₂ (45 to 70 wt%) stabilised as quartz and/or cristobalite, with significant amount of Al₂O₃ (12 to 20 wt%). S and Cl contents are similar among concrete, bricks and perforated bricks. The petrography of CDW concretes is similar among geographical areas with abundance of limestones used as aggregates. However, in limestone-poor areas CDW are SiO₂- and Al₂O₃-rich, reflecting the prevalent use of masonry and/or silicate-rich construction materials, implying that each geographical area is characterised by peculiar CDW composition. Therefore, the knowledge of mesoscopic, physical and petrographic aspects has to be known for planning adequate sorting methods, promoting upcycling reusing applications. Some of the studied CDW samples are susceptible to release relative high Cr and As content.

The occurrence of 2-methylhopanoids in modern bacteria and the geological record

The 2-methylhopanes (2-MeHops) are molecular fossils of 2-methylbacteriohopanepolyols (2-MeBHPs) and among the oldest biomarkers on Earth. However, these biomarkers' specific sources are currently unexplained, including whether they reflect an expansion of marine cyanobacteria. Here, we study the occurrence of 2-MeBHPs and the genes involved in their synthesis in modern bacteria and explore the occurrence of 2-MeHops in the geological record. We find that the gene responsible for 2-MeBHP synthesis (hpnP) is widespread in cyano- and ⍺-proteobacteria, but absent or very limited in other classes/phyla of bacteria. This result is consistent with the dominance of 2-MeBHP in cyano- and ⍺-proteobacterial cultures. The review of their geological occurrence indicates that 2-MeHops are found from the Paleoproterozoic onwards, although some Precambrian samples might be biased by drilling contamination. During the Phanerozoic, high 2-MeHops' relative abundances (index >15%) are associated with climatic and biogeochemical perturbations such as the Permo/Triassic boundary and the Oceanic Anoxic Events. We analyzed the modern habitat of all hpnP-containing bacteria and find that the only one species coming from an undisputed open marine habitat is an ⍺-proteobacterium acting upon the marine nitrogen cycle. Although organisms can change their habitat in response to environmental stress and evolutionary pressure, we speculate that the high sedimentary 2-MeHops' occurrence observed during the Phanerozoic reflect ⍺-proteobacteria expansion and marine N-cycle perturbations in response to climatic and environmental change.

Discovery of Novel TRPM8 Blockers Suitable for the Treatment of Somatic and Ocular Painful Conditions: A Journey through pKa and LogD Modulation

Transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) is crucially involved in pain modulation and perception, and TRPM8 antagonists have been proposed as potential therapeutic approaches for pain treatment. Previously, we developed two TRPM8 antagonists and proposed them as drug candidates for topical and systemic pain treatment. Here, we describe the design and synthesis of these two TRPM8 antagonists (27 and 45) and the rational approach of modulation/replacement of bioisosteric chemical groups, which allowed us to identify a combination of narrow ranges of pK_a and LogD values that were crucial to ultimately optimize their potency and metabolic stability. Following the same approach, we then pursued the development of new TRPM8 antagonists suitable for the topical treatment of ocular painful conditions and identified two new compounds (51 and 59), N-alkoxy amide derivatives, that can permeate across ocular tissue and reduce the behavioral responses induced by the topical ocular menthol challenge in vivo.

BCAAs and Di-Alanine supplementation in the prevention of skeletal muscle atrophy: preclinical evaluation in a murine model of hind limb unloading

Skeletal muscle atrophy occurs in response to various pathophysiological stimuli, including disuse, aging, and neuromuscular disorders, mainly due to an imbalance of anabolic/catabolic signaling. Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, valine) supplements can be beneficial for counteracting muscle atrophy, in virtue of their reported anabolic properties. Here, we carried out a proof-of-concept study to assess the in vivo/ex vivo effects of a 4-week treatment with BCAAs on disuse-induced atrophy, in a murine model of hind limb unloading (HU). BCAAs were formulated in drinking water, alone, or plus two equivalents of L-Alanine (2 ALA) or the dipeptide L-Alanyl-L-Alanine (Di-ALA), to boost BCAAs bioavailability. HU mice were characterized by reduction of body mass, decrease of soleus - SOL - muscle mass and total protein, alteration of postural muscles architecture and fiber size, dysregulation of atrophy-related genes (Atrogin-1, MuRF-1, mTOR, Mstn). In parallel, we provided new robust readouts in the HU murine model, such as impaired in vivo isometric torque and ex vivo SOL muscle contractility and elasticity, as well as altered immune response. An acute pharmacokinetic study confirmed that L-ALA, also as dipeptide, enhanced plasma exposure of BCAAs. Globally, the most sensitive parameters to BCAAs action were muscle atrophy and myofiber cross-sectional area, muscle force and compliance to stress, protein synthesis via mTOR and innate immunity, with the new BCAAs + Di-ALA formulation being the most effective treatment. Our results support the working hypothesis and highlight the importance of developing innovative formulations to optimize BCAAs biodistribution.

Peat Soil Burning in the Mezzano Lowland (Po Plain, Italy): Triggering Mechanisms and Environmental Consequences

The effects of peat burning on organic-rich agricultural soils of the Mezzano Lowland (NE Italy) were evaluated on soil profiles variously affected by smoldering. Profiles were investigated for pH, electrical conductivity, bulk density, elemental and isotopic composition of distinct carbon (and nitrogen) fractions. The results suggest that the horizons affected by carbon loss lie at depths 10-70 cm, where the highest temperatures are developed. We suggest that the exothermal oxidation of methane (mediated by biological activity) plays a significant role in the triggering mechanism. In the interested soils we estimated a potential loss of Soil Organic Carbon of approximately 110 kg m -2 within the first meter, corresponding to 580 kg CO2 m -3. The released greenhouse gas is coupled with a loss of soil structure and nutrients. Moreover, the process plausibly triggers mobility of metals bound in organometallic complexes. All these consequences negatively affect the environment, the agricultural activities and possibly also health of the local people.

A new synthetic dual agonist of GPR120/GPR40 induces GLP-1 secretion and improves glucose homeostasis in mice

G-protein coupled receptors 40 and 120 (GPR40 and GPR120) are increasingly emerging as potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of altered glucose homeostasis, and their agonists are under evaluation for their glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1)-mediated therapeutic effects on insulin production and sensitivity. Here, we characterized a new dual GPR40 and GPR120 agonist (DFL23916) and demonstrated that it can induce GLP-1 secretion and improve glucose homeostasis. Resulting from a rational drug design approach aimed at identifying new dual GPR120/40 agonists able to delay receptor internalization, DFL23916 had a good activity and a very high selectivity towards human GPR120 (long and short isoforms) and GPR40, as well as towards their mouse orthologous, by which it induced both Gαq/11-initiated signal transduction pathways with subsequent Ca2+ intracellular spikes and G protein-independent signaling via β-arrestin with the same activity. Compared to the endogenous ligand alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a selective GPR120 agonist (TUG-891) and a well-known dual GPR40 and GPR120 agonist (GW9508), DFL23916 was the most effective in inducing GLP-1 secretion in human and murine enteroendocrine cells, and this could be due to the delayed internalization of the receptor (up to 3 h) that we observed after treatment with DFL23916. With a good pharmacokinetic/ADME profile, DFL23916 significantly increased GLP-1 portal vein levels in healthy mice, demonstrating that it can efficiently induce GLP-1 secretion in vivo. Contrary to the selective GPR120 agonist (TUG-891), DFL23916 significantly improved also glucose homeostasis in mice undergoing an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT).

Petrographic and mineral-glass chemical dataset of igneous rock clasts from Early Oligocene Aveto-Petrignacola Formation (Northern Italy)

This dataset article contains petrographic and mineral-glass chemical data of igneous rock clasts from Early Oligocene Aveto-Petrignacola Formation (APF; Northern Italy). Methods for obtaining the dataset include optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron probe microanalysis. The APF volcanic rocks are basalts, basaltic andesites, andesites, dacites and rhyolites. Rare gabbroic cumulate nodules complete the dataset. Basalts are porphyritic, with calcic plagioclase (An_72–92Ab_7–27Or_0–1), ferroan enstatite (En_59–68Fs_29–37Wo_3–4) and augite (En_38–39Fs_18–20Wo_41–44) phenocrysts, in a hypocrystalline groundmass made up of bytownite (An_71–85Ab_14–28Or₁), augite (En_37–38Fs₁₉Wo_43–44), ferroan enstatite (En_62–68Fs_30–35Wo_1–4) and rare pigeonite (En_46–50Fs_37–42Wo_7–17). The basaltic andesites are porphyritic to glomeroporphyritic with phenocrysts of zoned plagioclase (An_44–67Ab_32–55Or₁), orthopyroxene, Mg-rich augite (En_38–42Fs_15–17Wo_43–45), rare pargasite to edenite amphibole (Mg# 69–59) and very rare biotite in a hypocrystalline to holohyaline groundmass. Andesites are highly porphyritic with phenocrysts of plagioclase (An_47–79Ab_20–52Or_0–1), pargasite to magnesio-hornblende (Mg# 72–67), Mg-rich augite (En_43–46Fs_12–17Wo_41–43), subordinate ferroan enstatite (En_68–74Fs_23–29Wo_3–4), biotite (Mg# 53) and Ti-magnetite (Usp_29–41). Dacites (massive lavas and ignimbrites) are porphyritic, with phenocrysts and phenoclasts of plagioclase (An_33–79Ab_20–62Or_0–4), calcic amphibole (Ti-pargasite, Mg-hornblende and edenite; Mg# 81–46), biotite (Mg# 67–56), very rare Mg-rich augite (En_41–42Fs_16–18Wo_40–43) and resorbed quartz in hypohyaline to holohyaline groundmass with a dense mat of anhedral quartz, labradorite-andesine (An_36–66Ab_33–61Or_1–4) and rare anorthoclase (An₂₂Ab₆₆Or₁₂). Rhyolitic compositions have been found both as volcanic clasts (massive lava and ignimbrites) with andesine to oligoclase phenoclasts (An_25–38Ab_61–71Or_1–4), quartz, biotite (Mg# 55–53) and Ti-magnetite (Usp_18–77), and as interstitial glasses (residual melt drops) in other APF volcanic rocks. The cumulate nodules are olivine-gabbro and amphibole-gabbro/gabbronorite with a mineral paragenesis dominated by plagioclase (An_41–73Ab_26–57Or_1–3), olivine (Fo_68–72), Mg-rich augite to ferroan diopside (En_41–45Fs_12–15Wo_42–45; Mg# 79–74), ferroan enstatite (En_65–74Fs_24–33Wo_2–3; Mg# 76–68), magnetite (Usp_15–28) and titanian pargasite (Mg# 67–65). The main cumulus phases are plagioclase, olivine and pyroxene, while intercumulus/postcumulus phases are titanian pargasite and magnetite. The dataset can be used to compare petrographic features and chemical compositions of calc-alkaline rocks emplaced in other subduction-related settings. Above all, it can represent a useful contribution in solving the problem linked to the identification of a hidden Early-Oligocene source of the thick volcaniclastic APF succession in the Alpine-Apennine belt geodynamic evolution.

Catalyst-Free Synthesis of Polysubstituted 5-Acylamino-1,3-Thiazoles via Hantzsch Cyclization of α-Chloroglycinates

A catalyst-free heterocyclization reaction of α-chloroglycinates with thiobenzamides or thioureas leading to 2,4-disubstituted-5-acylamino-1,3-thiazoles has been developed. The methodology provides straightforward access to valuable building blocks for pharmaceutically relevant compounds.

DF2726A, a new IL-8 signalling inhibitor, is able to counteract chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a common dose-limiting side effect of several anti-neoplastics and a main cause of sensory disturbances in cancer survivors, negatively impacting patients' quality of life. Peripheral nerve degeneration or small fibre neuropathy is generally accepted as the underlying mechanism in the development of CIPN. Recent evidence has contributed to clarify the determinant role of cytokines and chemokines in the process leading to neuronal hyperexcitability. Exposure to oxaliplatin triggers alterations in peripheral neuropathic pathways previously linked to IL-8 pathway. We investigated a novel selective inhibitor of IL-8 receptors, DF2726A, and showed its effects in counteracting CINP pathways, extending the relevance of the activation of IL-8 pathway to the class of platinum chemotherapeutics. Based on our results, we suggest that DF2726A might be a promising candidate for clinical treatment of CIPN conditions due to its efficacy and optimized pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profile.

Heavy oxygen recycled into the lithospheric mantle

Magmas in volcanic arcs have geochemical and isotopic signatures that can be related to mantle metasomatism due to fluids and melts released by the down-going oceanic crust and overlying sediments, which modify the chemistry and mineralogy of the mantle wedge. However, the effectiveness of subduction-related metasomatic processes is difficult to evaluate because the composition of arc magmas is often overprinted by interactions with crustal lithologies occurring during magma ascent and emplacement. Here, we show unequivocal evidence for recycling of continental crust components into the mantle. Veined peridotite xenoliths sampled from Tallante monogenetic volcanoes in the Betic Cordillera (southern Spain) provide insights for mantle domains that reacted with Si-rich melts derived by partial melting of subducted crustal material. Felsic veins crosscutting peridotite and the surrounding orthopyroxene-rich metasomatic aureoles show the highest ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios measured to date in upper mantle assemblages worldwide. The anomalously high oxygen isotope compositions, coupled with very high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values, imply the continental crust origin of the injected melts. Isotopic anomalies are progressively attenuated in peridotite away from the veins, showing ¹⁸O isotope variations well correlated with the amount of newly formed orthopyroxene. Diffusion may also affect the isotope ratios of mantle rocks undergoing crustal metasomatism due to the relaxation of ¹⁸O isotope anomalies to normal mantle values through time. Overall, the data define an O isotope “benchmark” allowing discrimination between mantle sources that attained re-equilibration after metasomatism (>5 Myr) and those affected by more recent subduction-derived enrichment processes.

Correction to: The Novel C5aR Antagonist DF3016A Protects Neurons Against Ischemic Neuroinflammatory Injury

The article The Novel C5aR Antagonist DF3016A Protects Neurons Against Ischemic Neuroinflammatory Injury, written by Laura Brandolini, Marta Grannonico, Gianluca Bianchini, Alessia Colanardi, Pierluigi Sebastiani, Antonella Paladini, Alba Piroli, Marcello Allegretti, and Giustino Varrassi.

Abstract OT1-12-04: A phase IIIb, open-label, local, multicenter study of the molecular features of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) HER2-negative advanced breast cancer on first-line treatment with ribociclib and letrozole (BioItaLEE)

Background: characterizing the molecular features associated with prolonged benefit from CDK 4/6 inhibitors in HR+ HER2- BC and the acquired genomic alterations following treatment progression remains an unmet need and is crucial for leveraging the efficacy of CDK4/6 inhibitors and for elucidating resistance mechanisms. Identifying pre-treatment or pharmacodynamic predictive markers of treatment benefit, as well as predictive markers of toxicity by correlating pharmacogenomics with adverse events, could help physicians to select patients who may benefit the most from these therapies and improve the clinical management.

Trial design: this is an Italian, multicenter, open-label, single-arm trial (NCT03439046) enrolling approximately 350 HR+ HER2- aBC first line patients in 48 sites. Patients are treated with ribociclib and letrozole and eligibility criteria are similar to the MONALEESA-2 trial. Patients will be followed for safety and efficacy outcomes. An extensive prospective collection of biological samples at different time points will be performed as follow: whole blood and plasma at baseline, cycle 1-D15, cycle 2-D1, at first imaging evaluation, at cycle 24-D1, as well as upon progression of disease; newly obtained tissue biopsies at baseline and at progression; a buccal swab for pharmacogenetics at baseline. Efficacy and safety data will be collected for all patients.

Aims: the primary objective of this study is to identify circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) alterations at baseline, to describe their evolution during treatment and to evaluate the association with clinical outcome. An optimized Next Generation Sequencing approach for the detection of low abundance events in ctDNA will be adopted. Single nucleotide variants and copy number alterations in a customized panel of genes relevant for BC will be analyzed. Secondary objectives include the evaluation of: serum thymidine kinase 1 activity over time as blood marker of early response; ctDNA alterations across different patient profiles and clonal evolution of ctDNA alterations under treatment; ctDNA alterations at time of tumor progression; correlation between mutational status detected in ctDNA and matched tissue samples; features of tumor microenvironment before and after treatment; association of pharmacogenomics patterns with adverse events and clinical outcomes. Clinical efficacy and safety of ribociclib + letrozole will be correlated with all biological endpoints.

Statistical methods: the study is descriptive in nature and no formal statistical testing is necessary or applicable. Sample size is aligned with other biomarker studies and is based on a feasibility analysis of the trial and relative timelines.

Present accrual: The first study patient was screened in Feb 2018, as in June 2018, 126 patients have been screened and 78 patients have been enrolled.

Citation Format: De Laurentiis M, Arpino G, Bianchini G, Malorni L, Castelletti D, De Vecchi R, Grasso D. A phase IIIb, open-label, local, multicenter study of the molecular features of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) HER2-negative advanced breast cancer on first-line treatment with ribociclib and letrozole (BioItaLEE) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr OT1-12-04.

Antinociceptive effect of two novel transient receptor potential melastatin 8 antagonists in acute and chronic pain models in rat

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels are a superfamily of non-selective cation permeable channels involved in peripheral sensory signalling. Animal studies have shown that several TRPs are important players in pain modulation. Among them, the TRP melastatin 8 (TRPM8) has elicited more interest for its controversial role in nociception. This channel, expressed by a subpopulation of sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and trigeminal ganglia (TG), is activated by cold temperatures and cooling agents. In experimental neuropathic pain models, an up-regulation of this receptor in DRG and TG has been observed, suggesting a key role for TRPM8 in the development and maintenance of pain. Consistent with this hypothesis, TRPM8 knockout mice are less responsive to pain stimuli.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

In this study, the therapeutic potential and efficacy of two novel TRPM8 antagonists, DFL23693 and DFL23448, were tested.

KEY RESULTS

Two potent and selective TRPM8 antagonists with distinct pharmacokinetic profiles, DFL23693 and DFL23448, have been fully characterized in vitro. In vivo studies in well-established models, namely, the wet-dog shaking test and changes in body temperature, confirmed their ability to block the TRPM8 channel. Finally, TRPM8 blockage resulted in a significant antinociceptive effect in formalin-induced orofacial pain and in chronic constriction injury-induced neuropathic pain, confirming an important role for this channel in pain perception.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

Our findings, in agreement with previous literature, encourage further studies for a better comprehension of the therapeutic potential of TRPM8 blockers as novel agents for pain management.

Natural vs anthropogenic components in sediments from the Po River delta coastal lagoons (NE Italy)

The Sacca di Goro and Sacca di Scardovari are two coastal lagoons of the Po River delta facing the northern Adriatic Sea. They are sensitive ecosystems both from the naturalistic and socio-economic point of view, since they are included in a natural park and are high productivity shellfish sites. Bottom sediments from the two lagoons have been analysed for their textural and geochemical (major and trace elements by XRF) composition in order to identify natural backgrounds and anthropogenic inputs. OC, N and δ¹³C_OC data have been also carried out by EA-IRMS to highlight the association of heavy metals with inorganic or organic sedimentary components. Results show that abundances of siderophile (Cr, Ni, Co) heavy metals in samples from the two lagoons are generally in the range of those recorded in alluvial sediments from the neighbours and are associated with the finest (clayey) fraction. Among chalcophile heavy metals, Pb and Zn display significant enrichments relative to the local geochemical backgrounds suggesting anthropogenic sources. They appear to be preferentially associated with the sedimentary organic matter that, according to the isotopic composition, is mainly formed by the incorporation of different proportions of macroalgae and macrophytes that have a significant bioaccumulation capacity. Taking into consideration that the extent of the algal biomass is sensitive to anthropogenic pressure and climatic changes, the trace element budget of sediments from these lagoons has to be monitored in the future, also to assess the impact of heavy metals on shellfish production.

Abstract P2-04-13: Difference of immune microenvironment between primary and recurrent tumours in breast cancer patients

Background

Immune checkpoint therapy only benefits a fraction of patients, thus huge efforts have been made to develop predictive biomarkers to identify those patients. Immune biomarkers like PD-L1 expression are extremely dynamic and the timing of evaluation, on primary or metastatic disease, may be critical. We have already shown that tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) decrease during metastatic progression in triple-negative (TN) and human epidermal growth factor-2 positive (HER2+) breast cancers (Ogiya R, ASCO 2015), suggesting that mechanisms of immune escape contribute and favour the metastatic progression. In this work we aimed to characterize the modulation and changes of specific immune markers during the metastatic spread comparing paired samples from primary and recurrent breast cancers.

Methods

We retrospectively identified 25 patients with HER2+ (n = 14) and TN (n = 11) early breast cancer diagnosed between 1990 and 2009 at Tokai University Hospital, and who subsequently experienced a first regional or distant recurrence confirmed by tumour biopsy/resection. Haematoxylin and eosin-stained slides of these paired samples were evaluated for stromal TILs. Immunohistochemical staining was performed using primary antibodies against CD4, CD8, Foxp3, PD-L1, PD-L2, and HLA-class I.

Results

The sites of first recurrence was the skin (n = 7), brain (n = 6), lymph node (n = 4), lung (n = 3), bone (n = 2), and one of each of bone marrow, liver and muscle. Immunohistochemical evaluations could not be performed in 5 primary tumours and 2 recurrent tumours because of the small quantity of the specimens. The percentage of CD8+ T cells staining in the primary tumours was significantly higher (median 16%) than that in recurrent tumours (median 10%) (paired t-test, p = 0.008) Similarly, the percentage of CD4+ T cells staining in the primary tumours was significantly higher (median 40%) than that in recurrent tumours (median 25%) (p = 0.026). The percentage of Foxp3+ T cells was low (&lt;10%) and similar in both primary and recurrent tumours (p = 0.16). PD-L1, PD-L2, and HLA class I antibody expression was not statistically different between primary and recurrent tumours, but conversions from positive to negative and vice versa were observed. PD-L1+ staining (≥1%) was 90% and 85% in primary and metastatic tumours, respectively.

Comparison of positivity rate between primary and recurrent tumours for each antibody Primary tumourRecurrent tumourPTotal breast tumours (N)2023 TILs positivity rate, median (%)   CD440%25%.03CD816%10%.01Foxp3&lt;10%&lt;10%.16Expression in tumour cells (N)   PD-L1   Strong85.46Weak1015 Negative23 PD-L2   Strong69.78Weak1011 Negative43 HLA   Strong46.89Weak1415 Negative22 

Conclusions

Tumours at first metastatic recurrence in HER2+ and TN breast cancers have a lower percentage of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells compared to primary tumours, confirming a potential role of immune escape in tumour progression. Other immune markers, including PD-L1, were not found to change significantly, but negative/positive conversions were observed. This suggest that an evaluation of disease at the time of immunotherapy administration might be more informative. These findings warrant larger confirmation studies.

Citation Format: Ogiya R, Niikura N, Kumaki N, Bianchini G, Kitano S, Iwamoto T, Hayashi N, Yokoyama K, Oshitanai R, Terao M, Morioka T, Tsuda B, Okamura T, Saito Y, Suzuki Y, Tokuda Y. Difference of immune microenvironment between primary and recurrent tumours in breast cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-04-13.

Abstract P1-09-04: Proliferation and p21 refine risk of relapse in residual disease after HER2-directed therapies

Background: Patients (pts) with residual disease (RD) after neoadjuvant therapy are at higher risk of relapse. We investigated whether biomarkers assessed at surgery in patients pts with RD in the NeoSphere study were informative for risk of distant event free survival (DEFS)

Methods: In NeoSphere 417 HER2+ pts were randomized to neoadjuvant TD, TPD, TP or PD (T=trastuzumab, P=pertuzumab, D=docetaxel), and received FAC/FEC and trastuzumab after surgery. 296 pts had RD. Affymetrix derived gene expression profiles (GEPs) were available at surgery for 201 pts (67.9%). 176 pts (60.1%) had paired samples before and after treatment with available GEPs. We investigated the prognostic value of proliferation evaluated by Mitosis Kinase Score (MKS) (Bianchini G Cancer Res 2010), and performed a gene discovery for association between gene expression at surgery and DEFS.

Results: MKS as continuous marker was associated with significantly higher risk of relapse when assessed at surgery (HR 1.80 [1.23-2.65]; p=0.002), but not before treatment (HR 1.50 [0.80-2.78]; p=0.20). In paired samples, there was an average decrease (p=9.2E-11) of MKS after treatment, which was prominent in ER+ and chemotherapy-containing arms. In ER- and TP arm there were cases of increase and of decrease of MKS. In ER+ the 5 years DEFS was 94.3% in the Low/Int MKS tertiles group (pooled) vs 70.5% in the High MKS tertile group (HR 5.41 [1.87-15.6]; p=0.002). In ER-, the 5 years DEFS was 85.0% in the Low/Int vs 64.1% in the High group (HR 2.89 [1.08-7.76]; p=0.035). Notably, MKS at surgery after the two monoclonal alone was also prognostic.

In the gene discovery approach only the expression of CDKN1A (p21)at surgery was associated with DEFS after correction for false discovery rate (FDR=0.01). Pre-treatment p21 was not associated with DEFS. Paired comparison showed significant upregulation of p21 in all patients, treatment arms and ER groups. The Int/High p21 tertiles group (pooled) had lower risk of recurrence than the low tertile in ER+ (HR 4.31 [1.60-11.6]; p=0.004) and in ER- (HR 5.81 [1.87-18.1]; p=0.002) groups. p21 in TP arm was also prognostic. MKS and p21 expression provided independent prognostic information and remained significant after correction for clinico-pathological variables (nodes and T stage) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Combining the two markers, there was a group at very low risk (Low/Int MKS and Int/High p21) and one at high risk (High MKS and Low p21). The other tertiles combinations had intermediate risk. In ER+, the 5 yrs DEFS was 94.9% in the low risk group and 52.9% in the high risk (p=1.9E-05). In ER-, the 5 yrs DEFS was 96.5% in the low and 45.5% in the high risk group (p=0.001).The markers' combination was also prognostic in the two monoclonal only arm.

Conclusions: Proliferation (MKS) and p21 expression are modulated by trastuzumab and/or pertuzumab regimens. Tumors with high MKS and low p21 in RD after neoadjuvant therapy defined a group at very high risk of relapse. Tumors with low/int proliferation and int/high p21 had low risk of recurrence similar to that of patients achieving pCR. Whether the pharmacodynamic modulation of p21 could be used as surrogate marker of long term benefit in patients with RD deserves additional investigation.

Citation Format: Bianchini G, Pienkowski T, Im Y-H, Bianchi GV, Tseng L-M, Liu M-C, Lluch A, de la Haba-Rodríguez J, Semiglazov V, Oh D-Y, Poirier B, Pedrini JL, Valagussa P, Gianni L. Proliferation and p21 refine risk of relapse in residual disease after HER2-directed therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-09-04.

Abstract S1-07: Immune sculpting of the triple negative breast cancer genome

Background: Tumors with infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrate a better prognosis particularly in TNBC and HER2 positive breast cancer. Two competing hypothesis predict contrasting relationships of TILs and genomic heterogeneity. On one hand, a strong immune response may lead to “pruning” of intratumor heterogeneity by eliminating immunogenic clones resulting in a near equilibrium, hence better prognosis, while cancers that escape the surveillance may evolve towards greater clonal heterogeneity and genomic complexity. In some cancers, the predicted neoantigens are less frequent than expected by chance also suggesting immune mediated elimination of neoplastic clones (Rooney et al. 2015). Studies also showed an inverse association between immune cell infiltration and intratumor clonal heterogeneity (Morris et al. 2016). On the other hand, cancers with greater genomic instability and mutational burden will have larger clonal heterogeneity and therefore more neoantigens and greater immune infiltration. Indeed, a positive correlation between overall mutation load and immune activity in the tumor microenvironment was observed in pooled data across a broad range of cancer types (Brown et al. 2014, Rooney et al. 2015, Schumacher and Schreiber 2015).

Methods: We assessed these two competing hypothesis and examined the relationship between genomic complexity and immune gene expression in different breast cancer subtypes. We used previously described immune metagene expression (DNA microarray n=655) as measures of immune infiltration in the TCGA data set (RNA-Seq n=1215). We compared somatic mutations, mutation count, neoantigen load, clonal heterogeneity metrics and the distribution of mutations in 119 canonical cancer genes and 12 cancer pathways between good and poor prognosis TNBC (n=208) corresponding to high and low immune infiltration.

Results:A positive but weak correlation between mutation count and immune metagene expression was observed when all breast cancer subtypes were analyzed together (P=0.08). This was driven by the generally higher mutation count and immune infiltration in TNBC. When TNBC was analyzed separately, good prognosis TNBC with high immune infiltration had lower total mutation count (P=0.021) and predicted neo-antigen count (P=0.035). Clonal heterogeneity was also lower in good prognosis TNBC (P=0.001). There was a strong inverse relationship of dispersion in mutation variant allele frequencies and immune metagene expression. CASP8 was the top enriched mutation in TNBC with high immune infiltration (P=0.007 with no adjustment for multiple testing).

Conclusions:High immune infiltration is associated with reduced intratumor heterogeneity in TNBC suggesting immune sculpting of the tumor and a near equilibrium between the cancer and immune surveillance. Surgical resection of the primary tumor may tilt the balance towards the immune system resulting in the better prognosis of high-TIL TNBC. TNBC with low immune infiltration has greater clonal heterogeneity and mutation load and may represent the consequence of escape from immune surveillance. Mutation of CASP8 may be one way to evade tumor cell killing in high-TIL TNBC as previously noted.

Citation Format: Karn T, Jiang T, Hatzis C, Sänger N, El-Balat A, Holtrich U, Becker S, Bianchini G, Pusztai L. Immune sculpting of the triple negative breast cancer genome [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr S1-07.

Natural and anthropogenic variations in the Po river waters (northern Italy): insights from a multi-isotope approach

Po is the main Italian river and the δ(18)O and δ(2)H of its water reveal a similarity between the current meteoric fingerprint and that of the past represented by groundwater. As concerns the hydrochemisty, the Ca-HCO3 facies remained constant over the last 50 year, and only nitrate significantly increased from less than 1 mg/L to more than 10 mg/L in the 1980s, and then attenuated to a value of 9 mg/L. Coherently, δ(13)CDIC and δ(34)SSO4 are compatible with the weathering of the lithologies outcropping in the basin, while extremely variable δ(15)NNO3 indicates contribution from pollutants released by urban, agricultural and zootechnical activities. This suggests that although the origin of the main constituents of the Po river water is geogenic, anthropogenic contributions are locally significant. Noteworthy, the associated aquifers have the same nitrogen isotopic signature of the Po river, but are characterized by significantly higher NO(-) 3 concentration. This implies that aquifers' pollution is not ascribed to inflow of current river water, and that the attenuation of the nitrogen load recorded in the river is not occurring in the aquifers, due to their longer water residence time and delayed recovery from anthropogenic contamination.

Geochemistry of the Adige River water from the Eastern Alps to the Adriatic Sea (Italy): evidences for distinct hydrological components and water-rock interactions

The Adige River flows from the Eastern Alps to the Adriatic Sea and the understanding of its fluvial dynamics can be improved by geochemical and O-H isotopic investigation. The most negative isotopic compositions are recorded close to the source (δ(18)O between -14.1 and -13.8 ‰, δD between -100.3 and -97.0 ‰), and δD and δ(18)O values generally increase downstream through the upper part (UP, the mountainous sector), stabilizing along the lower part (LP, the alluvial plain) of the river with δ(18)O between -12.4 and -11.8 ‰, δD between -86.9 and -83.7 ‰. The isotopic variations along the stream path (δ(18)O-δD vs distance from the source) depict subparallel distributions for all the investigated periods, with less negative values recorded in winter. Total dissolved solids (TDS) concentration shows the lowest value (<100 mg/l) at the river source, jumping to 310 mg/l at the Rio Ram inflow, then decreasing down to the Isarco River confluence; from here, we observed an increase toward the river mouth, with different values in the distinct sampling periods. The lowest values (140-170 mg/l) were recorded during high discharge in spring, whereas higher TDS values (up to 250 mg/l) were recorded during winter low flow conditions. Extreme TDS values were observed in the estuarine samples (up to 450 mg/l), as result of mixing with seawater. The results allow for the identification of distinct water end-members: glacio-nival component(s) characterized by the most negative isotopic composition and extremely low TDS, a rainfall component characterized by intermediate isotopic and elemental composition and groundwater characterized by the less negative isotopic composition and comparatively higher TDS. An additional component is represented by seawater, which is recorded at the lowest reach of the river during drought periods. These contributions variously mix along the stream path in the distinct hydrological periods, and the presented data are a snapshot of the current hydroclimatic conditions. Future investigations will evaluate possible hydrological variations related to meteo-climatic changes. Monitoring is fundamental for future water management to overcome the vanishing of a significant water end-member of the basin, i.e., the glacio-nival reservoir that is severely affected by the ongoing climatic changes.

Abstract P5-08-14: Tumor Infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) related genomic signature associated with chemotherapy response and prognosis in subtypes of breast cancer

Background: Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in subtypes of breast cancer may provide clinically important information on chemotherapy response and prognosis. However, the standardized methodology for immunohistochemical (IHC)-TIL has not yet been established, reproducible and objective method of evaluation of TIL such as gene expression profiles is warranted. We evaluated whether IHC-TIL level was associated with gene expression profiles and whether such profiles could be used to predict chemotherapy response and prognosis according to subtypes of breast cancers.

Methods: To select TIL associated genes, we used 40 samples with both IHC-TIL information and gene expression profiling data. The degree of TIL at the edges of the tumor mass, in the tumor mass, or in the stroma surrounding the expanding mammary ducts packed by carcinoma cells was evaluated as score 0, 1, and 2, when TIL was not unrecognizable (0%), sparse (0 &lt;&lt; 50%) and dense (50% ≤), respectively. We selected 22 genes as the TIL-gene signature (GS), by comparing expression profiles between TIL score 2 and 0 tumors. We showed the associations between the TIL-GS levels and subtypes of breast cancers (Estrogen receptor: ER / Human Epidermal growth factor 2: HER2). The chemotherapy sensitivity analysis was performed on cohorts of 625 patients with stage I–III breast cancer who received neo adjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) based on Anthracycline and Taxane containing regimen. Data from 1,586 tumors were used to evaluate the association between distant metastasis free survival (DMFS) and the TIL-GS in a Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Results: The TIL-GS for ER negative (-)/HER2- and HER2 positive (+) cases were significantly higher expression level than luminal types (p-value &lt;0.001). All breast cancer subtypes except luminal-low proliferation had significantly higher differential TIL-GS level in cases with pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC than residual disease (luminal-high: p-value = 0.013, HER2+: 0.005, and ER-/HER2-: 0.016). With no adjuvant chemo or only tamoxifen treated breast cancer data set, the TIL-GS had no prognostic power in luminal cases regardless of proliferative level. In HER2+ breast cancers, cases with the high TIL-GS had significantly better prognosis than low cases (p-value =0.001), but no significance in ER-/HER2- cases (p-value = 0.621).

Conclusions: Higher TIL-gene signature of 22 genes appeared to be associated with aggressive subtypes and pCR rate (except luminal-low) of breast cancers. This approach may improve the reproducibility of assessment on tumor TIL level and thus serve the clinical applications for breast cancers.

Citation Format: Kochi M, Niikura N, Iwamoto T, Bianchini G, Mizoo T, Nogami T, Shien T, Motoki T, Taira N, Masuda S, Doihara H, Fujiwara T, Tokuda Y, Matsuoka J. Tumor Infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) related genomic signature associated with chemotherapy response and prognosis in subtypes of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-08-14.

Abstract P4-04-20: Subtype specific differential expression and immunogenicity of endogenous retrovirus elements in breast cancer

Background: Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are germline encoded DNA sequences that entered the human genome millions of years ago. While they are mostly inactivated due to accumulated termination codons and deletions, previous studies have demonstrated overexpression and antibody-targeted immunotherapeutic potential, of ERV-related env proteins in breast cancer. We sought to elucidate subtype specificity, immunogenicity, and correlation with innate immunity related gene signatures of ERVs in breast cancer.

Methods: We utilized publically available RNASeq gene expression data of breast cancer samples along and corresponding matched normals from TCGA. The dataset included 191 ER-/HER2- (TN), 197 HER2+, and 627 ER+/HER2- (Luminal) breast cancers. ERV expression was obtained by mapping bowtie2-aligned reads of recently annotated to be transcriptionally active to the RNAseq bam files (Rooney et al 2015, Mayer et al 2011). ERVs preferentially expressed in tumors compared normal tissue were identified as those for which the 5th percentile of ERV expression in the tumors exceeded the 95th percentile of ERV expression in the normal samples. A gene signature involving GZMB, PRF1, CXCL13, IRF1, IKZF1, and HLA-E was used as a measure of immune activity. To assess the immunogenic potential of the tumor-specific ERVs, we compared the expression level of the ERV within the lower and higher immune signature tertiles using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. To elucidate mechanism of potential immune response, ERVs found to be significantly associated with immune response at a false discovery rate of &lt; 10% were further analyzed for association with specific toll-like receptor (TLR) gene expression.

Results: Out of the 66 original annotated ERVs, 47 were found to be expressed at significantly higher levels in breast cancer compared to normal tissue and 22 were immunogenic. Examples include members of the ERV-K family, as have also been previously detected by flow cytometry and IHC. Subtype-specific immunogenic potential was demonstrated in 4 ERVs in TNBC (ERVK10, ERVK17, ERVFRD.1, ERVPABLB.1) and in 7 ERVs in the luminal subtype (ERV3.1, ERVE.4, ERVFRD.2, ERVK.15, ERVK.19, ERVK.20, ERVK.25, ERVW.3). Twelve of the 22 immunogenic ERVs were significantly correlated with expression of all ten TLR evaluated, while four ERVs showed more specific correlation patterns with TLRs. High ERV3.1 expression was associated with high TLR3, TLR8, TLR9 that specifically target double stranded or single stranded RNA, suggesting a potential mechanism for mediation of ERV related immune response.

Conclusion: Our results suggest breast cancer subtype specific ERV dysregulation and immunogenicity. The potentially immunogenic ERVs were generally not self-correlated or located in the same amplicon as HLA genes, suggesting an independent immune response pathway. Furthermore, ERV expression correlates with specific endosomal nucleic-acid recognizing toll-like receptors, which may prompt further investigation into subtype-specific TLR-targeted therapy.

Citation Format: Safonov A, Bianchini G, Jiang T, Pusztai L, Hatzis C. Subtype specific differential expression and immunogenicity of endogenous retrovirus elements in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-20.

Abstract P4-04-04: Triple-negative (TN) and HER2+ breast cancers (BC) have different immune milieu in primary and metastatic tumors

Background: In TN and HER2+ early BCs, a high immune infiltration is linked to good prognosis and improved treatment benefit. Little is known about the characteristics of the immune milieu of BCs in metastatic disease. We aimed to investigate differences of the immune microenvironment between cohorts of primary early breast cancer (EBC) and metastatic (MBC) tumors according to molecular subtypes.

Methods: We identified publicly available gene expression profiles (GEPs) of MBCs profiled either on Agilent (n=12, cohort I) or AffymetrixU133A (n=36, cohort II). These included 21 ER-/HER2- (TN), 10 HER2+ and 17 ER+/HER2- (Luminal). From GEPs of EBC profiled on the same platforms, we randomly selected two cohorts with the same molecular subtype composition (n=65 and n=230) and compared them with MBCs. We assessed differential expression of 40 pre-selected immune genes belonging to six immune-related metagenes [CD8, IGG and MHC2, related to T cells, plasma cells and antigen presenting cells respectively; MHC1, STAT1 and IF.I related to HLA class I genes; and genes modulated by interferon (Gianni L SABCS 2012)]. We also evaluated β2-microglobulin (B2M), for its role in the MHC1 complex, and an immune signature associated with benefit from pembrolizumab in melanoma (Ribas A ASCO 2015).

Results: In cohort I (Agilent), only 33 genes were annotated. Overall, 16/33 (48.4%) genes had a significantly lower expression in MBC (p&lt;0.05). In TN and HER2+ MBCs 18 and 11 genes were significantly lower than in EBC, respectively (p&lt;0.05) (6 in both), while only one was lower in luminal MBCs (IGHM). In cohort II (Affymetrix), 26/40 genes (65%) had lower expression in MBC (p&lt;0.05). Considering molecular subtypes, 25 and 19 genes were lower in TN and HER2+, respectively (17 in both), and only one in ER+/HER2- (IL7R). In ER+/HER2- one gene was higher in MBC (IFIT2). In TN and HER2+ the genes with lower expression in MBC belong to all immune functional categories, in particular MHC1 (HLA-A, B and C), STAT1 (STAT1, CXCL10, CXCL11, GBP1), MHC2 (HLA-DQB1 and DRB4) and T cells (CD52, IL7R and TRBC1). B2M was significantly lower in all MBC patients, and in HER2+ and TN groups both in cohort I (p=0.0002; p=0.006 and p=0.0005, respectively) and in cohort II (p&lt;1E10-6; p=0.0008 and p=0.00004, respectively), while it was modestly lower in ER+/HER2- in cohort II only (p=0.027). The signature associated with benefit from pembrolizumab in melanoma was significantly lower in TN and HER2+ MBC in both cohort I (p=0.003) and cohort II (p=0.001), but not in luminal cases.

Conclusions: TN and HER2+ MBCs have a "colder" immune microenvironment than primary tumors, with significantly lower expression of genes related to immune response and to antigen presentation (B2M and MHC1). This is consistent with the lower TILs we have described in a small series of paired EBC-MBC (Ogiya R ASCO 2015), suggesting the engagement of mechanisms of immune escape during the metastatic process. However, the "cold" immune milieu observed in MBC could also result from selection of low immunogenic tumors more likely to relapse. Our findings suggest that use of immune-checkpoints inhibitors in MBCs may require the combination with agents able to turn on an immunogenic response.

Citation Format: Bianchini G, Riba M, Zambelli S, Safonov A, Ogiya R, Jiang T, Hatzis C, Niikura N, Zambetti M, Iwamoto T, Pusztai L, Gianni L. Triple-negative (TN) and HER2+ breast cancers (BC) have different immune milieu in primary and metastatic tumors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-04-04.