Rationally construction of 2D & 3D material on h-BN @ SnO2/TiO2 micro-sphere enables for photocatalytic debasement of textile cloth dyes in waste water treatment

Affordable and swiftly available h-BN@SnO2/TiO2 photocatalysts are being developed through an easy hydrothermally approach was used urea as boric acid precursors. With their constructed photo catalysts, the effect of h-BN@SnO2/TiO2 has been investigated under the assessment of Adsorption agents utilizing X-ray diffraction pattern (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy, Energy dispersive spectroscopic analysis (SEM/EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), and Burner Emit Teller (BET) isotherm testing methods, which also indicated that SnO2/TiO2 and h-BN have been tightly bound together. Because turquoise blue (TB) and Methyl orange (MO) fabric dyes can be found in the industrial wastewater being processed, the photo catalytic degradation process happens to be applied. According to the advantageous linkages of h-BN@SnO2/TiO2 photocatalysts, fantastic efficacy in breakdown towards hazardous compounds has been found. For the decomposition of Turquoise blue (TB) and Methyl orange (MO), the h-BN@SnO2/TiO2 catalysts proved the best performance stability (0.0386 min-1 and 1.524min-1) but were significantly 22 times quicker. Optical catalysis has additionally demonstrated extraordinary resilience and durability throughout five reprocessed efforts. On top of that, an approach enabling photocatalytic breakdown of harmful substances upon h-BN@SnO2/TiO2 has been presented.

Pyto-Architechture of Ag, Au and Ag-Au bi-metallic nanoparticles using waste orange peel extract for enable carcinogenic Congo red dye degradation

Ecologically inspired to develop silver, gold and silver/gold bimetallic nanoparticles from discarded orange peel extract. The plant-derived compounds included in discarded orange peel extract have been accountable for the development of Ag, Au and Ag-Au bimetallic nanoparticles, that might be used in the biosynthetic process. The qualitative assessment of developed silver, gold and silver/gold bimetallic nanoparticles has been performed by UV-visible, XRD pattern, FT IR analysis, TEM/HRTEM, EDX and BET isotherm analysis. In this investigation, the photocatalytic effect of developed silver, gold and silver/gold bimetallic nanoparticles on Congo red dye breakdown efficiency was achieved at 96%, 94%, and 99.2%, respectively. Due to prolonged electron-hole recombination process was investigated using UV irradiation and reused for up to 5 consecutive runs without significant loss of photocatalytic activity. Moreover, silver, gold, and silver/gold bimetallic nanoparticles manufactured in an environmentally benign manner could potentially contribute to the ecological cleanup.

Green waste immobilized Ag/Cu feather like Bi-matrix on garment dye decomposes and their bio-efficacy

This paper describes a simple phyto-remediation of feather-like silver/copper bi-matrix (BMs) was constructed by employing pommagrant waste peel (PWP) extract as crucial role of reducing agent and chelating agents. Numerous strategies, including UV-Visible, XRD, SEM-EDX, and TEM and BET isotherm were used to analysis the optical, structural, surface area and functional properties. Ag/Cu BPNMs of TEM characterization shows feather-like architectural features with constrained size and shape. The Ag/Cu co-catalytic nanoparticles have a particle size of 34-64 nm. The photocatalytic efficiency of Ag/Cu BMs was investigated using a garment dye, Congo red (CR), at successive time intervals under halogen lamp exposure. For Ag/Cu bimetallic nanoparticles, the photocatalytic degradation rate was recorded to be 100% after 40 min which is caused by adsorption of Congo red dye molecules on Ag/Cu and their degradation by reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS are free hydroxyl radicals such as •OH and O2• ions that have high oxidizing capacity. The developed Ag/Cu BMs shown effective bacteriostatic action against many infections.

Toward Burnout Prevention: Can One Short Virtual Reality Relaxation and Mindfulness Training Session for Staff and Patients Decrease Stress and Improve Subjective Sense of Wellbeing?

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Mental wellness of healthcare workers has deteriorated recently, increasing burnout rates. Cancer patients are also often highly distressed, reporting fear, pain, and fatigue. Relaxation and mindfulness training have been shown to decrease stress and anxiety. Currently, the use of virtual reality (VR) for relaxation and mindfulness for cancer patients and oncology clinical staff is an ongoing area of research. We aimed to test the preliminary efficacy of incorporating an innovative digital therapeutic (DTx) we developed at our center in this population.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Cancer patients and clinic staff from one institution's Gastrointestinal and Radiation Oncology departments participated in the immersive VR-enhanced relaxation and mindfulness experience for this IRB-exempt study. Users completed a pre-VR survey via iPad assessing baseline knowledge and practice of stress reduction techniques, baseline stress, and familiarity with VR. In the VR app deployed on an Oculus Quest 2, users chose a relaxing water scene (e.g., stream, beach) and optional soothing background music. Users could also choose a relaxation or mindfulness training audio track. A post-VR survey assessed whether the experience affected their subjective stress and sense of wellbeing ("Yes" or "No") as well as the feasibility of using the app. A binomial test on a single proportion was used to test whether more participants (>50%) indicated their stress was reduced following the VR training than did not. Post-VR qualitative verbal feedback was also collected to identify future changes to the VR app.

RESULTS

Six patients, a patient's son, and forty-three employees used the VR app. Users were aged ≤ 30 years old (18%), 30-50 years (60%), and 50-70 years (22%). Users completed the VR experience in a median of 14 min (IQR: 11-19 min). In the pre-survey, most (78%) reported they felt stress at this point in their lives. In the post-survey, significantly more than the expected proportion of participants (>50%) reported feeling less stressed after using the VR app (88%, n = 44, p <0.001). Most (90%) reported that the VR app improved their subjective sense of wellbeing. All (100%) users reported it was easy to learn the VR controls. Nearly all (96%) reported they would be interested in using this VR app again, including 30% and 38% who reported they would be "extremely likely" and "very likely," respectively, to use the app again.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest our VR relaxation and mindfulness training was well accepted and could be integrated into the hospital setting in short sessions. Further work should be done based on participant feedback to expand the offerings of this VR app to offer a wider range of relaxation experiences and gamified psychological interventions that can help de-stress, recharge, and build resiliency.

Childhood-Onset Lupus Nephritis in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry: Short-Term Kidney Status and Variation in Care

OBJECTIVE

The goal was to characterize short-term kidney status and describe variation in early care utilization in a multicenter cohort of patients with childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) and nephritis.

METHODS

We analyzed previously collected prospective data from North American patients with cSLE with kidney biopsy-proven nephritis enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry from March 2017 through December 2019. We determined the proportion of patients with abnormal kidney status at the most recent registry visit and applied generalized linear mixed models to identify associated factors. We also calculated frequency of medication use, both during induction and ever recorded.

RESULTS

We identified 222 patients with kidney biopsy-proven nephritis, with 64% class III/IV nephritis on initial biopsy. At the most recent registry visit at median (interquartile range) of 17 (8-29) months from initial kidney biopsy, 58 of 106 patients (55%) with available data had abnormal kidney status. This finding was associated with male sex (odds ratio [OR] 3.88, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.21-12.46) and age at cSLE diagnosis (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.01-1.49). Patients with class IV nephritis were more likely than class III to receive cyclophosphamide and rituximab during induction. There was substantial variation in mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab ever use patterns across rheumatology centers.

CONCLUSION

In this cohort with predominately class III/IV nephritis, male sex and older age at cSLE diagnosis were associated with abnormal short-term kidney status. We also observed substantial variation in contemporary medication use for pediatric lupus nephritis between pediatric rheumatology centers. Additional studies are needed to better understand the impact of this variation on long-term kidney outcomes.

Automatic Segmentation of Psoriasis Skin Images Using Adaptive Chimp Optimization Algorithm-Based CNN

Psoriasis is a severe skin disease that is surveyed outwardly by dermatologists. In recent years, computer vision is the major solution for diagnosing the psoriasis skin disease by segmenting the infected skin images. Besides, many researchers had presented efficient machine learning techniques for segmenting the psoriasis skin images. Nevertheless, accuracy and time consumption of the model are further to be improved. Thus, in this work, we present adaptive chimp optimization algorithm (AChOA)-based convolutional neural network (CNN) which is introduced for automatic segmentation of psoriasis skin images. After pre-processing, the input images are segmented using AChOA-CNN model where weight and bias values of CNN are optimized with the AChOA. The search ability of ChOA is enhanced by adapting the chaotic sequence based on tent map. At final, from the segmented output images, artifacts are removed by applying the threshold module. From the simulation, we attain 97% of accuracy.

Assessment of the efficacy of olopatadine 0.1% in the treatment of vernal keratoconjunctivitis in terms of clinical improvement based on total ocular symptom score and ocular surface disease index

Purpose

The main objective of this study is to explore the efficacy of olopatadine 0.1% treatment in the resolution of symptoms of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) among the Indian population.

Methods

This single-center, prospective cohort study involved 234 patients with VKC. Patients were treated with olopatadine 0.1%, twice daily for a period of 12 weeks and then followed up in 1^st week, 4^th week, 3^rd month, and 6^th month. The extent of relief in the symptoms of VKC was measured using total ocular symptom score (TOSS) and ocular surface disease index (OSDI).

Results

In the present study, the dropout rate was 5.6%. Total of 136 males and 85 females with a mean age of 37.68 ± 11.35 years completed the study. TOSS score reduced from 58.85 to 5.06 and the OSDI score reduced from 75.41 to 11.2 with statistical significance (P < 0.01) from 1^st week to 6^th week after olopatadine 0.1% treatment. The data showed relief in subjective symptoms of itching, tearing, and redness, and relief in discomfort in functions related to ocular grittiness, visuals like reading, and environmental like tolerability in dry conditions. Further, olopatadine 0.1% was effective in both males and females, and patients across ages 18-70 years.

Conclusion

Based on TOSS and OSDI scores, the findings of this study validate safety and tolerability as revealed by low adverse effects and moderate efficacy of olopatadine 0.1% in reducing VKC symptoms in a broader age group (18-70 years) of both genders.

Outcome of Management of Mandibular Sub condylar Fractures Based on Classification System Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine the amount of ramal height shortening and degree of displacement of sub condylar fracture that should be considered for effective management of mandibular sub condylar fractures using cone-beam computed tomography.

Patients and Methods

A prospective study of forty-two patients, who presented with unilateral sub condylar fracture was done. All patients were classified into Class I, II and III based on the degree of displacement of fractured segment and amount of ramal height shortening measured using cone-beam computed tomography. The treatment protocol was closed reduction and maxillomandibular fixation for Class I patients and open reduction and internal fixation for Class II and III patients. Outcomes of treatment were measured postoperatively 2 weeks, 1 and 3 months clinically. The variables, such as mouth opening, lateral and protrusive movements, deviation, pain and occlusion were studied.

Results

Among forty-two patients, twenty had Class I fractures, twelve had Class II fractures and ten had Class III fractures. Overall, no statistically significant differences were found between Class I and Class II groups in terms of functional outcomes and there were statistically significant differences between Class I and III groups. Class I fractures can be considered for closed method and open reduction is recommended for Class II and III fractures. The sample was composed of 42 patients grouped as follows: Class I (n = 20), Class II (n = 12), and Class III (n = 10) for treatment of sub condylar fractures. There were no significant differences between the three groups for the study variables at baseline, except for mouth opening and pain. There was significant difference in mouth opening between Class I and III cases (p 0.001) and insignificant difference in mouth opening in Class I and II cases (p 0.98). Persistent pain was elicited more in surgical Class II and III (n = 5) than non-surgical cases Class I (n = 0) on 3 months follow-up.

Conclusion

The study emphasises on use of three-dimensional diagnostic modality like cone-beam computed tomography for accurately classifying sub condylar fractures. The results favour closed reduction for mildly displaced Class I cases and surgical management of significantly displaced Class III fractures. The need for open reduction for Class II patients classified using CBCT is negligible assessing risks associated with surgical procedure which is contradictory to our protocol which requires a further comparative evaluation among Class II group.

Spectral characterization and biological evaluation of biomolecules from the peels of three orange fruits: a comparative study

The present work was designed to investigate the presence of bioactive chemicals in the reaction mixtures (RMs) of peels of Valencia, Mandarin, and African navel oranges, through GC-MS and FT-IR studies. Limonene, a unique compound, is present in the RMs of the three orange peels. Moreover, hexadecanoic acid 2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethyl ester was identified in the RMs of all the three-orange peels. The RM of Mandarin orange exhibited potent cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 ATCC human breast cancer cells (HBC). All the three RMs exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against the human pathogenic bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Klebsiella pneumoniae (ATCC 700603), Salmonella choleraesis (ATCC 10708), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 299).

Spinal Cord Sarcoidosis Occurring at Sites of Spondylotic Stenosis, Mimicking Spondylotic Myelopathy: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disease, with intramedullary spinal cord involvement seen in <1% of cases. This case series illustrates the clinical presentations and imaging findings of 5 patients with intramedullary spinal neurosarcoidosis occurring at sites of spondylotic spinal canal stenosis, which can be indistinguishable from spondylotic myelopathy with cord enhancement. Both entities are most common in middle-aged men and present with weeks to months of motor and sensory symptoms. On imaging, both can have focal spinal cord enhancement and longitudinally extensive signal abnormality centered at or just below the level of spinal canal stenosis. On the basis of our experience, we suggest that in patients with cord enhancement centered at or just below a site of spinal canal stenosis, consideration should be given to chest imaging and lymph node biopsy when applicable, to assess for the possibility of underlying sarcoidosis before surgical decompression.

Embedded Foreign Bodies in the Maxillofacial Region: Our Experience

Impacted Foreign Bodies (FB) within the maxillofacial region are often inadequately diagnosed during the initial examination. Proper evaluation and management are mandatory to avoid untoward consequences. We depict a series of five cases with impacted FBs, managed case-specifically, along with an algorithm for dealing FBs in the maxillofacial region.

Intraarticular steroids as DMARD-sparing agents for juvenile idiopathic arthritis flares: Analysis of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry

BACKGROUND

Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who achieve a drug free remission often experience a flare of their disease requiring either intraarticular steroids (IAS) or systemic treatment with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). IAS offer an opportunity to recapture disease control and avoid exposure to side effects from systemic immunosuppression. We examined a cohort of patients treated with IAS after drug free remission and report the probability of restarting systemic treatment within 12 months.

METHODS

We analyzed a cohort of patients from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Registry who received IAS for a flare after a period of drug free remission. Historical factors and clinical characteristics and of the patients including data obtained at the time of treatment were analyzed.

RESULTS

We identified 46 patients who met the inclusion criteria. Of those with follow up data available 49% had restarted systemic treatment 6 months after IAS injection and 70% had restarted systemic treatment at 12 months. The proportion of patients with prior use of a biologic DMARD was the only factor that differed between patients who restarted systemic treatment those who did not, both at 6 months (79% vs 35%, p < 0.01) and 12 months (81% vs 33%, p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

While IAS are an option for all patients who flare after drug free remission, it may not prevent the need to restart systemic treatment. Prior use of a biologic DMARD may predict lack of success for IAS. Those who previously received methotrexate only, on the other hand, are excellent candidates for IAS.

New Thiazole Acetic Acid Derivatives: A Study to Screen Cardiovascular Activity Using Isolated Rat Hearts and Blood Vessels

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of mortalities worldwide. In the present research, new synthetic derivatives of thiazole were studied using isolated hearts and blood vessels of rats. The heart and thoracic aorta were tested with six new synthesized thiazole acetic acid derivatives (SMVA-10, SMVA-35, SMVA-40, SMVA-41, SMVA-42 and SMVA-60), and the data obtained were statistically analyzed and compared. Isolated rat hearts were used to record the changes in developed tension and heart rate, while thoracic aortas were used to measure the contractile response, before and after treatments. Analysis of the results indicated a significant (p < 0.01) increase in developed tension with the addition of SMVA-35, SMVA-40, SMVA-41 and SMVA-42, which was augmented in the presence of adrenaline without affecting the heart rate. On the other hand, acetylcholine significantly decreased the developed tension, which was significantly reversed (p < 0.01) in the presence of compounds (SMVA-35 and SMVA-60). However, in the presence of SMVA-35 and SMVA-40, acetylcholine-induced bradycardia was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced. Furthermore, only SMVA-42 induced a dose-dependent contractile response in the isolated blood vessel, which was abolished in the presence of prazosin. Therefore, it can be concluded that some of the new synthesized thiazole derivatives exhibited promising results by raising the developed tension without changing the heart rate or blood vessel function, which could be helpful in failing heart conditions. However, more research is required to fully comprehend the function, mechanism and effectiveness of the compounds.

POS0267 OUTCOMES DURING AND AFTER LONG-TERM TOCILIZUMAB TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH GIANT CELL ARTERITIS

Background

Data on the long-term efficacy and safety of tocilizumab (TCZ) for giant cell arteritis (GCA), including incidence and timing of disease relapse after TCZ discontinuation, is limited.

Objectives

We aimed to evaluate the long-term outcomes of GCA patients treated with TCZ in a real-world setting.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of GCA patients treated with TCZ for >9 months at a single center between 2010-2021. Time to relapse and annualized relapse rate during and after TCZ treatment, prednisone use and safety were assessed. Relapse was defined as the re-appearance of clinical manifestations of GCA that required treatment intensification regardless of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) or C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The duration of TCZ treatment was determined as per the best clinical judgement of the treating rheumatologist.

Results

A total of 57 GCA patients were followed for a mean (SD) period of 3.4 (1.7) years. Baseline characteristics and treatments received are shown in Table 1. Patients were maintained on their initial TCZ course for a mean (SD) period of 2.0 (1.3) years. The initial TCZ course lasted >12 months in 50 (88%) patients. During the initial TCZ course, 8 (14.0%) patients relapsed. Kaplan-Meier (KM) estimated relapse rates on TCZ were 10.5% and 14.9% at 12 and 18 months, respectively (Figure 1A). TCZ was discontinued due to long-term remission in 37 (64.9%) patients and after an adverse event in 6 (10.5%) patients. Of the 43 patients stopping TCZ due to remission or adverse event, 19 (44.2%) subsequently relapsed. KM estimated relapse rates after TCZ discontinuation were 30.4% and 44.0% at 12 and 18 months, respectively (Figure 1B). Overall, 12 patients received more than one TCZ course. The aggregation of all TCZ courses (mean 2.5 years) and all periods off TCZ following the initial TCZ treatment (mean 0.9 years) showed that 11 (19.3%) patients relapsed while on TCZ and 20 (35.1%) patients relapsed during time off TCZ. An analysis adjusting for age, sex, prednisone dose at initiation of first TCZ course, and disease type (new onset vs. relapsing) at initiation of first TCZ course showed an annualized relapse rate (95% CI) of 0.1 (0.0-0.2) during TCZ treatment and 0.4 (0.3-0.7) off TCZ (rate ratio 0.2, p<0.0001). By the end of follow up, 42 (73.7%) patients were able to wean off prednisone. During the study, 12 serious adverse events occurred in 11 (19.3%) patients. Among those 12 events, 3 (25%) were related or possibly related to TCZ exclusively (i.e., soft tissue infection, bacteremia, and COVID-19), 3 (25%) to prednisone exclusively (i.e., osteoporotic fracture, diabetic ketoacidosis and stroke), and 2 (16.7%) to either TCZ or prednisone (i.e., pneumonia and sepsis).

Table 1.

Baseline characteristics and treatments

GCA patients(n = 57)Age, mean (SD)70.1 (9.3)Female sex39 (68.4)New onset disease at TCZ initiation18 (31.6)Initial TCZ treatment 4 mg/Kg intravenously monthly2 (3.5) 8 mg/Kg intravenously monthly13 (22.8) 162 mg subcutaneously every 2 weeks6 (10.5) 162 mg subcutaneously weekly36 (63.2)On prednisone at TCZ initiation57 (100)Prednisone dose (mg) at TCZ initiation, mean (SD)32.3 (21.7)Patients receiving >1 TCZ course12 (21.1)Duration of initial TCZ course (years), mean (SD)2.0 (1.3)Total duration of TCZ treatment (years), mean (SD)2.5 (1.6)*

Values represent number and (%) unless otherwise specified. *Aggregated time on tocilizumab (TCZ)

for those patients that received more than 1 TCZ course. GCA, giant cell arteritis; SD, standard deviation.

Conclusion

Long-term TCZ treatment was efficacious in maintaining disease remission and sparing the use of prednisone in patients with GCA. Over 40% of patients stopping TCZ after long-term remission or adverse event relapsed following TCZ discontinuation.

Acknowledgements

This study was sponsored by Genentech, Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Mark Matza: None declared, Nicholas Dagincourt Employee of: Working for Genentech, Inc., as employees of Everest Clinical Research, Shalini Mohan Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., Andrey Pavlov Employee of: Working for Genentech, Inc. as an employee of Everest Clinical Research, Jian Han Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., John H. Stone Consultant of: Roche, Grant/research support from: Roche, Sebastian Unizony Grant/research support from: Research funding from Genentech, Inc.

Strategic analysis of intimate partner violence (IPV) and cycle of violence in the autobiographical text -When I Hit You

Objectives

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a globally recognized societal problem that requires intensive research to raise public awareness.

Aim

Accordingly, the purpose of the study is to analyze IPV at the physical, psychological, and social aspects of abuse.

Method

The methodology of the study correlates IPV to the personal experiences of notable Indian writer, Meena Kandasamy, according to the autobiographical account of her abusive married life in the award-winning novel When I Hit You, which depicts the horrible treatment of women by their perpetrators within a closed sphere. To substantiate, the selected autobiographical work is compared with Lenore Edna Walker’s prominent Cycle of Violence theory, which best describes why women become victims and also the abuser’s tactics in controlling the women in a violent relationship.

Results

The study’s findings suggest that IPV, a serious global problem, requires government intervention and severe legal enforcement to protect women’s lives from the clutches of the abuser.

Social determinants of health influence disease activity and functional disability in Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

BACKGROUND

Social determinants of health (SDH) greatly influence outcomes during the first year of treatment in rheumatoid arthritis, a disease similar to polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA). We investigated the correlation of community poverty level and other SDH with the persistence of moderate to severe disease activity and functional disability over the first year of treatment in pJIA patients enrolled in the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Registry.

METHODS

In this cohort study, unadjusted and adjusted generalized linear mixed effects models analyzed the effect of community poverty and other SDH on disease activity, using the clinical Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score-10, and disability, using the Child Health Assessment Questionnaire, measured at baseline, 6, and 12 months.

RESULTS

One thousand six hundred eighty-four patients were identified. High community poverty (≥20% living below the federal poverty level) was associated with increased odds of functional disability (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.28-2.60) but was not statistically significant after adjustment (aOR 1.23, 95% CI 0.81-1.86) and was not associated with increased disease activity. Non-white race/ethnicity was associated with higher disease activity (aOR 2.48, 95% CI: 1.41-4.36). Lower self-reported household income was associated with higher disease activity and persistent functional disability. Public insurance (aOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.06-2.29) and low family education (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.14-3.12) was associated with persistent functional disability.

CONCLUSION

High community poverty level was associated with persistent functional disability in unadjusted analysis but not with persistent moderate to high disease activity. Race/ethnicity and other SDH were associated with persistent disease activity and functional disability.

Development of nanoporous textile sludge based adsorbent for the dye removal from industrial textile effluent

The development of a novel textile sludge based activated carbon (TSBAC) adsorbent and its performance for the treatment of textile dyeing effluent, have been explained in this paper. TSBAC was prepared by the thermal treatment of textile effluent treatment sludge followed by the chemical activation using phosphoric acid. Characterization of TSBAC resulted in enhanced specific surface area (123.65 m²/g) along with the presence of active surface functional groups including -OH, -COOH, -CO. TSBAC showed superior adsorption capacity for methylene blue (123.6 mg/g), reactive red 198 (101.4 mg/g), and reactive yellow 145 (96.8 mg/g) individually, and from the synthetic textile effluent (106 mg/g). The pseudo-second order model and Langmuir isotherm model were found to be fitted well with batch experimental data. The results of the continuous column studies showed that adsorption capacity for methylene blue, reactive red 198, reactive yellow 145 are 101.8 mg/g, 76.6 mg/g, and 75.1 mg/g respectively, and the synthetic textile effluent resulted in an adsorption capacity value of 79.1 mg/g. The reuse potential of TSBAC was proved by effective dye removal up to six reuse cycles. The leachability studies proved that the used adsorbent could be safely disposed of without any harmful effect to the environment.

COVID-19 and tobacco cessation: lessons from India

OBJECTIVES

The Government of India prohibited the sale of tobacco products during the COVID-19 lockdown to prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. This study assessed the tobacco cessation behaviour and its predictors among adult tobacco users during the initial COVID-19 lockdown period in India.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 801 adult tobacco users (both smoking and smokeless tobacco) in two urban metropolitan cities of India over a 2-month period (July to August 2020). The study assessed complete tobacco cessation and quit attempts during the lockdown period. Logistic and negative binomial regression models were used to study the correlates of tobacco cessation and quit attempts, respectively.

RESULTS

In total, 90 (11.3%) tobacco users reported that they had quit using tobacco after the COVID-19 lockdown period. Overall, a median of two quit attempts (interquartile range 0-6) was made by tobacco users. Participants with good knowledge on the harmful effects of tobacco use and COVID-19 were significantly more likely to quit tobacco use (odds ratio [OR] 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-4.0) and reported more quit attempts (incidence risk ratio 5.7; 95% CI 2.8-11.8) compared to those with poor knowledge. Participants who had access to tobacco products were less likely to quit tobacco use compared to those who had no access (OR 0.3; 95% CI 0.2-0.5].

CONCLUSIONS

Access restrictions and correct knowledge on the harmful effects of tobacco use and COVID-19 can play an important role in creating a conducive environment for tobacco cessation among users.

Treatment of triclosan through enhanced microbial biodegradation

Triclosan (TCS) is extensively used in healthcare and personal care products as an antibacterial agent. Due to the persistent and toxic nature of TCS, it is not completely degraded in the biological wastewater treatment process. In this research work, identification of TCS degrading bacteria from municipal wastewater sludge and applying the same as bioaugmentation treatment for wastewater have been reported. Based on the 16S rRNA analysis of wastewater sludge, it was found that Providencia rettgeri MB-IIT strain was active and able to grow in higher TCS concentration. The identified bacterial strain was able to use TCS as carbon and energy source for its growth. The biodegradation experiment was optimized for the operational parameters viz. pH (5-10), inoculum size (1-5% (v/v)) and different initial concentration (2, 5, and 10 mg/L) of TCS. During the TCS degradation process, manganese peroxidase (MnP) and laccase (LAC) enzyme activity and specific growth rate of P. rettgeri strain were maximum at pH=7% and 2% (v/v) inoculum size, resulting in 98% of TCS removal efficiency. A total of six intermediate products were identified from the Liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) analysis, and the two mechanisms responsible for the degradation of TCS have been elucidated. The study highlights that P. rettgeri MB-IIT strain could be advantageously used to degrade triclosan present in the wastewater.

Diabetic ketoacidosis and mortality in COVID-19 infection

Aim

- Patients with diabetes have increased morbidity and mortality from COVID-19. Case reports describe patients with simultaneous COVID-19 and diabetic acidosis (DKA), however there is limited data on the prevalence, predictors and outcomes of DKA in these patients.

Methods

- Patients with COVID-19 were identified from the electronic medical record. DKA was defined by standardized criteria. Proportional hazard regression models were used to determine risk factors for, and mortality from DKA in COVID-19.

Results

- Of 2366 patients admitted for COVID-19, 157 (6.6%) patients developed DKA, 94% of whom had antecedent type 2 diabetes, 0.6% had antecedent type 1 diabetes, and 5.7% patients had no prior diagnosis of diabetes. Patients with DKA had increased hospital length of stay and in-patient mortality. Higher HbA1c predicted increased risk of incident DKA (HR 1.47 per 1% increase, 95% CI 1.40–1.54). Risk factors for mortality included older age (HR 1.07 per 5 years, 95% CI 1.06–1.08) and need for pressors (HR 2.33, 95% CI 1.82–2.98). Glucocorticoid use was protective in patients with and without DKA.

Conclusion

- The combination of DKA and COVID-19 is associated with greater mortality, driven by older age and COVID-19 severity.

Spectral analysis, in vitro cytotoxicity and antibacterial studies of bioactive principles from the leaves of Conocarpus lancifolius, a common tree of Jazan, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the present study was to analyse the bioactive compounds of the leaves of Conocarpus lancifolius (C. lancifolius). The GC-MS analysis of the hot methanolic extract of the leaves (HMEL) of C. lancifolius exhibited the bioactive compounds such as 1-(3-Methoxy-2-nitrobenzyl) iso quinoline, morphin-4-ol-6,7-dione, 1-bromo-N-methyl-, phytol, hexadecanoic acid, 2,3-dihydroxypropyl ester, 2,2':4',2"-terthiophene, ethyl iso-allocholate, caryophyllene oxide, campesterol, epiglobulol, cholestan-3-ol, 2-methylene-, (3á,5à)-, dasycarpidan-1-methanol, acetate (ester) and oleic acid, eicosyl ester. The FT-IR analysis of HMEL of C. lancifolius showed a unique peak at 3184, 2413, 1657 cm-1 representing coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid and ferulic acid. The HMEL of C. lancifolius was actively inhibiting the proliferation of breast cancer cells MCF-7 ATCC at the concentration of 72.66 ± 8.21 µg/ml as IC50 value. The HMEL of C. lancifolius also revealed a good spectrum of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cultures screened in this work. The activity observed has shown more or less similar effects against screened bacteria. However, the magnitude of potentiality was significantly lesser compared to standard ciprofloxacin disc at p< 0.001 level (99% confidence intervals). Furthermore, the study demonstrating the bioactive compounds can be isolated from the leaves of C. lancifolius.

Formulation and design optimization of nano-transferosomes using pioglitazone and eprosartan mesylate for concomitant therapy against diabetes and hypertension

Hypertension, a form of cardiovascular diseases, is considered a major risk factor associated with deaths in type 2 diabetes patients. The current medication systems for treating such chronic coexisting diseases are limited and challenging due to the difficulties in overcoming the side effects from complex therapeutic and treatment regimen. The objective of the present study is to design and optimize pioglitazone (PIO) and eprosartan mesylate (EM)-loaded nano-transferosomes (NTs) using Design-Expert software, aiming its transdermal delivery as a novel combination therapy for concomitant treatment of hypertensive diabetic patients. The developed formulations were characterized for various parameters, including in-vitro skin permeation, skin irritation, in-vivo antidiabetic, and antihypertensive activities. NTs were prepared using PIO and EM as the two model drugs and optimized using Box-Behnken design by considering phospholipid (X1), surfactant (X2), ratio of solvents (X3), and sonication time (X4), as independent variables, each at three levels. Entrapment efficiency (Y1 and Y2) and flux (Y3 and Y4) of PIO and EM, respectively, were selected as dependent variables. Among all the prepared formulations, one optimized formulation was chosen by the point prediction method and evaluated for drug-polymer compatibility, particle size, and surface charge analysis, followed by skin permeation and pharmacodynamic studies. The optimized nano-transferosomal gel (ONTF) showed all responses which confirm with the values predicted by the design. Pharmacodynamic studies showed improved and prolonged management of diabetes and hypertension in Wistar rats after the ONTF was applied, compared to oral and drug-loaded NT formulations. Results of the current study suggest that the development of such combinational delivery system can result in a rational therapeutic regimen for effective treatment of concomitant disease conditions of diabetic hypertensive patients.

POS0799 THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF TOCILIZUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH GIANT CELL ARTERITIS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

Background:

Tocilizumab (TCZ) has been proven to be safe and effective for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in 2 randomized controlled trials; however, data from additional types of studies provide valuable information related to the treatment of GCA with TCZ.

Objectives:

To review and analyze efficacy and safety data for TCZ in GCA based on peer-reviewed publications to date.

Methods:

A systematic literature review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Publications were retrieved from the MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus and Web of Science databases. Publications of clinical trials and retrospective or prospective observational studies (April 11, 2005-October 8, 2019) including patients with GCA (classified based on ACR criteria and/or positive biopsy vs imaging) treated with TCZ and reporting a measure of efficacy were eligible for inclusion. Extracted data included year of publication, year(s) when the study was conducted, number of patients with GCA, method of GCA diagnosis, age and sex, TCZ treatment details (dose, route of administration, frequency, duration), clinical outcome (remission, relapse), serious adverse events (SAEs) following treatment with TCZ, corticosteroid dose before and following TCZ initiation and imaging data following TCZ treatment. Results are presented for the studies (unweighted) and as the weighted population mean. Unweighted mean proportions were calculated as the average of the proportions reported from each study; unweighted means were calculated by computing the mean of individual reported study means. The weighted population proportion was estimated by calculating the total number of patients achieving an outcome and dividing by the total number of patients in all of the studies. The weighted population mean was equivalent to the sum of the individual patient’s outcome values divided by the total number of patients in all of the studies.

Results:

The search retrieved 664 references; 55 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility, and 36 studies were included in the meta-analysis (Figure 1); the once-weekly and every-2-weeks subcutaneous (SC) TCZ arms of the GiACTA trial were counted as separate studies. A total of 519 patients were included. The median (IQR) duration of treatment with intravenous and SC TCZ was 26.0 (20.0-37.3) and 52.0 (26.0-52.0) weeks, respectively, across all studies in the unweighted analysis and 25.8 (20.8-41.9) and 38.9 (32.4-45.5) weeks in the weighted analysis. The mean (SE) proportion of patients achieving investigator-defined remission at the end of the study was 86.3% (4.3%) and 79.3% (6.0%) in the unweighted and weighted analyses, respectively (Table 1). The mean (SE) proportion of patients who relapsed while receiving TCZ was 2.6% (1.3%) and 12.0% (4.5%) in the unweighted and weighted analyses, respectively. The median prednisone dose at the end of the study was < 5 mg/day, and the mean proportion of patients with SAEs after TCZ initiation was ≈ 14.0%.

Conclusion:

A high proportion of patients with GCA treated with TCZ were in investigator-defined remission at the end of the study across all studies analyzed. These meta-analysis findings add to the evidence of the efficacy and safety of TCZ in GCA.

Table 1.

Summary of Remission, Relapse and Adverse Events

Mean (SE) [95% CI]Across GCA Studies; Unweighted(n = 36 studies)Weighted Population Mean(n = 519 patients)Percentage of patients in investigator-defined remission at the end of the studyn=35n=41186.3 (4.3)79.3 (6.0)[77.6 to 94.9][67.2 to 91.4]Percentage of patients who relapsed while receiving TCZn=31n=392.6 (1.3)12.0 (4.5)[−0.18 to 5.3][2.8 to 21.2]Percentage of patients who relapsed after TCZ discontinuationn=20n=4126.4 (7.8)14.8 (5.8)[10.1 to 42.7][2.7 to 26.9]Percentage of patients receiving no steroids at the end of follow-upn=31n=17041.8 (6.8)49.4 (8.1)[27.8 to 55.8][32.8 to 66.0)Percentage of patients with SAEs after TCZ initiationn=35n=7214.0 (4.1)14.3 (1.3)[5.5 to 22.4][11.7 to 17.0]

Acknowledgements:

This study was sponsored by Genentech, Inc. Support for third-party writing assistance, furnished by Health Interactions, Inc., was provided by Genentech, Inc.

Disclosure of Interests:

Matthew Koster: None declared, Kenneth J Warrington Grant/research support from: Lilly and Kiniksa.(clinical trial support), Jian Han Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., Shalini Mohan Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc.

POS0808 CHARACTERISTICS OF GIANT CELL ARTERITIS FLARES AFTER SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT WITH TOCILIZUMAB: RESULTS FROM THE LONG-TERM EXTENSION OF A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED PHASE 3 TRIAL

Background:

GiACTA investigated tocilizumab (TCZ) for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Objectives:

To investigate disease flare characteristics after successful treatment with TCZ in GiACTA.

Methods:

We report a post hoc analysis from part 2 of GiACTA. Part 1 was a 52-week, double-blind, randomized controlled period and part 2 was a 2-year open-label follow-up. In part 1, patients received TCZ 162 mg subcutaneously every week or every other week with a 26-week prednisone taper or placebo plus a 26- or 52-week prednisone taper. Patients who were in remission at week 52 were to enter part 2 on no TCZ treatment. Part 2 treatment was at the investigator’s discretion. We report characteristics of first disease flare in patients assigned to TCZ in part 1 who were in sustained remission at week 52 and experienced flare in part 2. Flare was defined as reappearance of cranial symptoms (headaches, jaw claudication, visual manifestations, scalp tenderness) or polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) symptoms or elevation of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) ≥30 mm/h attributable to GCA that required treatment.

Results:

Of 149 patients assigned to TCZ in part 1, 81 (54%) were in sustained remission on entering part 2. Of these 81 patients, 37 (46%) experienced at least one flare in part 2, including 17 with new-onset GCA and 20 with relapsing GCA at baseline. Median time to flare was 26.6 weeks. In patients with new-onset GCA, flares included cranial (53%) more often than PMR symptoms (18%). Cranial and PMR symptoms were balanced (both 60%) at the time of flare in patients with relapsing GCA. Visual manifestations occurred in two patients (5%) (Table 1). ESR and CRP were elevated in 65% and 36% of patients, respectively, at the time of flare. Three (8%) flares occurred with elevated ESR without clinical symptoms.

Table 1.

Clinical manifestations during flare in part 2

Part 1 TreatmentaTCZ QW+PredTCZ Q2W+PredAll TCZNew-onset diseasePatients, n281442Patients with ≥1 flare, n (%)b9 (32.1)8 (57.1)17 (40.5)Patients with ESR ≥30 mm/h during flare, n (%)b6 (66.7)6 (75.0)12 (70.6)Patients with CRP ≥10 mg/L during flare, n (%)b4 (44.4)2 (25.0)6 (35.3)Patients with GCA signs or symptoms during flare, n (%)c7 (77.8)7 (87.5)14 (82.4)PMR symptoms1 (11.1)2 (25.0)3 (17.6)Cranial symptomsd4 (44.4)5 (62.5)9 (52.9) Amaurosis fugax000 Blurred vision1 (11.1)01 (5.9) Diplopia000 Blindness000 Ischemic optic neuropathy000Fever1 (11.1)01 (5.9)Othere3 (33.3)2 (25.0)5 (29.4)Relapsing diseasePatients, n281139Patients with ≥1 flare, n (%)b14 (50.0)6 (54.5)20 (51.3)Patients with ESR ≥30 mm/h during flare, n (%)b8 (57.1)4 (66.7)12 (60.0)Patients with CRP ≥10 mg/L during flare, n (%)b5 (35.7)3 (50.0)8 (40.0)Patients with GCA signs or symptoms during flare, n (%)c14 (100)6 (100)20 (100)PMR symptoms8 (57.1)4 (66.7)12 (60.0)Cranial symptomsd8 (57.1)4 (66.7)12 (60.0)Amaurosis fugax1 (7.1)01 (5.0)Blurred vision000Diplopia000Blindness000Ischemic optic neuropathy1 (7.1)01 (5.0)Fever000Othere6 (4.3)1 (16.7)7 (35.0)

aPatients from part 1 TCZ+Pred groups who were in sustained remission at week 52 entered part 2 on no treatment.

bPercentage based on N in disease-onset group.

cPercentage based on number of flare patients in disease-onset group. Individual signs or symptoms are shown as number of patients with each symptom; patients could have ≥1 sign or symptom at the time of flare.

dNew-onset localized headache, scalp tenderness, temporal artery tenderness or decreased pulsation, ischemia-related vision loss, or jaw pain claudication.

eIncludes fatigue, malaise, subjective weakness, and night sweats.

Conclusion:

Overall, 46% of GCA patients successfully treated with TCZ for 1 year experienced disease flare within the next 2 years. Flares in patients with new-onset disease occurred more often with cranial than PMR symptoms. Visual manifestations were rare, and no blindness occurred. ESR and CRP were normal in a sizable percentage of patients experiencing flare.

Disclosure of Interests:

Sebastian Unizony Consultant of: Sanofi and Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals, Grant/research support from: Genentech, Inc., Shalini Mohan Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., Jian Han Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., John H. Stone Consultant of: Roche/Genentech and Sanofi

Transferring Occlusal Anatomy from Worn Temporary Crowns to Zirconium Oxide Crowns

Purpose/Aim: To evaluate the accuracy of transferring the occlusal anatomy of provisional crowns to monolithic zirconium oxide crowns. Materials and Methods: From a prepared typodont-tooth (#36), ten CAD/CAM provisional polymethylethacrylate crowns were fabricated with the E4D system. Each provisional crown had its occlusion adjusted. They were scanned (E4D) and the .stl files of the crown preparations were merged with the files from the adjusted crowns (3 shape software) to produce ten polished monolithic zirconium oxide crowns. For comparison, provisional and monolithic zirconium oxide crowns were scanned (True-Definition scanner), the .stl files aligned, converted into a normalized 76x76-matrix, analyzed with ANOVA with repeated measures and Tukey's test. To generate deviation distribution tables and difference plots, .stl files (provisional crowns and monolithic zirconium oxide crowns) were merged with Geomagic software. Results: There were significant differences between provisional crowns and monolithic zirconium oxide crowns. The differences were manly in the fissure area. 86% of the calculated deviations were between + 0.06mm and - 0.04mm, 42.4% of all data points were within ± 0.022mm with a SD of 0.005mm. The main differences were in the fissures, requiring clinically none or only minimal occlusal adjustments for these zirconium oxide crowns.

Am I Ready to Be an Independent Neuroradiologist? Objective Trends in Neuroradiology Fellows' Performance during the Fellowship Year

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Aside from basic Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education guidelines, few metrics are in place to monitor fellows' progress. The purpose of this study was to determine objective trends in neuroradiology fellowship training on-call performance during an academic year.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the number of cross-sectional neuroimaging studies dictated with complete reports by neuroradiology fellows during independent call. Monthly trends in total call cases, report turnaround times, relationships between volume and report turnaround times, and words addended to preliminary reports by attending neuroradiologists were evaluated with regression models. Monthly variation in frequencies of call-discrepancy macros were assessed via χ² tests. Changes in frequencies of specific macro use between fellowship semesters were assessed via serial 2-sample tests of proportions.

RESULTS

From 2012 to 2017, for 29 fellows, monthly median report turnaround times significantly decreased during the academic year: July (first month) = 79 minutes (95% CI, 71-86 minutes) and June (12th month) = 55 minutes (95% CI, 52-60 minutes; P value = .023). Monthly report turnaround times were inversely correlated with total volumes for CT (r = -0.70, F = 9.639, P value = .011) but not MR imaging. Words addended to preliminary reports, a surrogate measurement of report clarity, slightly improved and discrepancy rates decreased during the last 6 months of fellowship. A nadir for report turnaround times, discrepancy errors, and words addended to reports was seen in December and January.

CONCLUSIONS

Progress through fellowship correlates with a decline in report turnaround times and discrepancy rates for cross-sectional neuroimaging call studies and slight improvement in indirect quantitative measurement of report clarity. These metrics can be tracked throughout the academic year, and the midyear would be a logical time point for programs to assess objective progress of fellows and address any deficiencies.

A Double-Edged Sword: Neurologic Complications and Mortality in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Therapy for COVID-19-Related Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome at a Tertiary Care Center

In this clinical case series, we report our experience to date with neurologic complications of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy for COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. We have found an unexpectedly increased rate of complications as demonstrated by neuroimaging compared with meta-analysis data in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy for all Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome etiologies over the past few decades and compared with the most recent baseline data describing the incidence of neurologic complication in all patients with COVID-19. For our 12-patient cohort, there was a rate of intracranial hemorrhage of 41.7%. Representative cases and images of devastating intracranial hemorrhage are presented. We hypothesize that the interplay between hematologic changes inherent to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and inflammatory and coagulopathic changes that have begun to be elucidated as part of the COVID-19 disease process are responsible. Continued analysis of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy in this disease paradigm is warranted.

Retrospective, dual-centre review of imaging findings in neurosarcoidosis at presentation: prevalence and imaging sub-types

AIM

To assess the prevalence of various imaging manifestations in neurosarcoidosis (NS) patients at presentation and to explore if specific imaging findings may cluster in different sub-groups.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective, dual-institution, systematic imaging review was undertaken of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in 100 consecutive NS patients who presented over a 15-year period. Clustering analysis (k-mode) was performed to evaluate co-occurrence of imaging findings.

RESULTS

Non-enhancing white matter (NEWM) lesions were the most common imaging abnormality (56%), followed by leptomeningeal (47%) and pachymeningeal (32%) involvement. Other common manifestations included cranial nerve involvement (30%), parenchymal granulomas (27%), hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis involvement (26%), and hydrocephalus (14%). Additionally, a higher prevalence of perivascular enhancement (23%), cerebrovascular events (including ischaemic and haemorrhagic events; 17%), and ependymal involvement (20%) were noted than recognised previously. Additional k-mode analysis was performed to explore underlying disease sub-clusters. This was evaluated for clusters varying between two though five (k=2-5). For k=4, the analysis revealed that the imaging findings may possibly be divided into disease sub-sets of four groups, each with varying distribution of imaging manifestations and clinical manifestations.

CONCLUSION

Overall, NEWM lesions and meningeal involvement are the most common imaging manifestations of NS. The prevalence of perivascular enhancement, cerebrovascular events, and ependymal involvement is likely higher than reported previously. Additionally, different imaging findings in NS may cluster together and imaging subtypes in NS possibly exist.

FRI0220 EFFICACY OF ADJUNCTIVE METHOTREXATE IN PATIENTS WITH GIANT CELL ARTERITIS TREATED WITH TOCILIZUMAB PLUS PREDNISONE TAPERING: SUBANALYSIS OF THE GIACTA TRIAL

Background:

There is conflicting evidence regarding the efficacy of methotrexate (MTX) in giant cell arteritis (GCA).1,2The benefit of adjunctive treatment with MTX remains to be determined in these patients. Data are presented from a subanalysis of the 52-week, double-blind, randomized controlled GiACTA trial in a subgroup of patients with GCA who received MTX in addition to tocilizumab (TCZ) or placebo (PBO) in combination with prednisone tapering.

Objectives:

Assess the efficacy of adjunctive MTX in patients with GCA.

Methods:

In part 1 of GiACTA, patients were randomly assigned to TCZ administered subcutaneously every week (QW) or every other week (Q2W) plus 26-week prednisone tapering or PBO plus 26-week (PBO+26) or 52-week (PBO+52) prednisone tapering.3MTX could be initiated at a stable dose during screening, continued during the double-blind period, and reduced or discontinued at the investigator’s discretion according to disease status. Efficacy was determined as the achievement of sustained remission (absence of GCA flare and C-reactive protein <1 mg/dL from weeks 12 to 52 and adherence to the prednisone taper).3

Results:

During part 1 of GiACTA, 28 of 250 (11%) treated patients received adjunctive MTX for a median duration of 52.1 weeks: 14 of 149 (9%) TCZ-treated patients received MTX for a median of 52.1 weeks, and 14 of 101 (14%) PBO-treated patients received MTX for a median of 51.9 weeks. Baseline characteristics (Table 1) were balanced between patients who received and did not receive MTX, except for longer disease duration and a higher proportion of patients with relapsing GCA among those who received MTX. The MTX-treated patients tended to have lower prednisone doses at baseline. The median cumulative glucocorticoid dose received over 52 weeks was similar between PBO-treated patients who received MTX and those who did not (3033 mg and 3672 mg, respectively) and between TCZ-treated patients who received MTX and those who did not (1339 mg and 1862 mg, respectively). Sustained remission was achieved by 6 of 14 (43%) patients treated with TCZ + MTX and by 76 of 135 (56%) patients treated with TCZ without MTX (Figure 1). None of the 14 PBO + MTX-treated patients achieved sustained remission, whereas 16 of 87 (18%) patients who received PBO without MTX achieved sustained remission (among all patients in the primary analysis,382 of 149 [55%] in the TCZ groups and 16 of 101 [16%] in the PBO groups achieved sustained remission). The mean annualized relapse rate at 52 weeks was not different between the MTX-treated and MTX-untreated groups for the TCZ (0.76 with MTX vs 0.47 without MTX;p= 0.2549) or PBO (1.89 vs 1.46;p= 0.4611) groups (pvalues based onttests). Rates of adverse events per 100 patient-years were numerically higher in MTX-treated than MTX-untreated patients: 1267 and 858, respectively, in the TCZ groups and 1331 and 952, respectively, in the PBO groups.

Conclusion:

Preliminary data from a small subgroup of patients suggest that adjunctive MTX does not increase the likelihood of sustained remission, reduce disease relapse rate, or improve steroid sparing in patients with GCA. Response rates in TCZ-treated patients appear to be independent of treatment with MTX. The results from this post hoc analysis in a small sample of GCA patients treated with MTX should be confirmed in larger studies.

References:

[1]Hoffman GS et al.Arthritis Rheum2002;46:1309-18. 2. Mahr AD et al.Arthritis Rheum2007;56:2789-97. 3. Stone JH et al.N Engl J Med2017;377:317-28.

Baseline Demographics and Disease CharacteristicsPBO+PredTCZ+PredMTXn=14No MTXn=87MTXn=14No MTXn=135Age, y, median71.568.063.071.0Female, %93717176White, %1009810096Body mass index, kg/m2, median27.524.825.625.5GCA duration, days, median303.042.0306.542.0Relapsing GCA, %93487948Pred dose ≤30 mg/day, %71498647CRP, mg/L, median5.83.43.74.1ESR, mm/h, median16.020.015.517.5Pred, prednisone.

Disclosure of Interests:

Shalini Mohan Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., Jian Han Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., John H. Stone Grant/research support from: Roche, Consultant of: Roche

SAT0121 PAIN AND OTHER PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS WHO DID OR DID NOT ACHIEVE TREATMENT RESPONSE BASED ON IMPROVEMENT IN SWOLLEN JOINTS IN TOCILIZUMAB CLINICAL TRIALS

Background:

Significant improvements in pain and other patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown in large clinical trials in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who receive tocilizumab (TCZ) compared with placebo (PBO). Recent data suggest that pain in RA may be noninflammatory as well as inflammatory, and improvement in pain scores and other PROs may be seen in patients who do not respond to treatment based on disease activity measures that evaluate inflammation.

Objectives:

To assess changes in pain scores and other PROs in patients with RA who did or did not achieve ≥ 20% improvement in SJC in TCZ clinical trials.

Methods:

Data from patients with active RA who received intravenous TCZ 8 mg/kg + MTX or PBO + MTX in 3 Phase III studies (OPTION [NCT00106548], TOWARD [NCT00106574] and LITHE [NCT00109408]) were included. All patients had moderate to severe RA with an inadequate response or intolerance of MTX (OPTION, LITHE) or conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs; TOWARD). Changes in pain (visual analog scale [VAS], 0-100 mm), Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ-DI, 0-3), 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) physical component score (PCS) and mental component score (MCS; 0-50) and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue score (0-52) from baseline to Week 24 were evaluated. Results were compared between patients receiving TCZ + MTX and those receiving PBO + MTX in both patients who achieved ≥ 20% improvement in SJC (responders) and those who did not (nonresponders). The changes from baseline were analyzed using a mixed model with repeated measures, including the following covariates and interactions: treatment, visit, baseline of endpoint, region, baseline DAS28 and interactions of visit with treatment and baseline of endpoint.

Results:

Data from 1254 responders (TCZ + MTX, n = 831; PBO + MTX, n = 423) and 620 nonresponders (TCZ + MTX, n = 225; PBO + MTX, n = 395) were included. Patients receiving TCZ + MTX had significantly greater improvement in pain scores and HAQ-DI compared with PBO + MTX in the responder group (–27.19 vs –16.77 and –0.55 vs –0.34, respectively;P< 0.0001 for both) and nonresponder group (–9.59 vs 2.53 and –0.20 vs 0.01;P< 0.0001 for both) at Week 24 (Figure 1). Similar results were seen at Week 16 in the nonresponder group (–11.06 vs –2.38 and –0.23 vs –0.04;P< 0.0001 for both) prior to initiation of rescue treatment. At Week 24 in the responder group, patients receiving TCZ + MTX had significantly greater improvements compared with PBO + MTX in SF-36 PCS and MCS (9.16 vs 5.71 and 6.55 vs 3.79, respectively;P< 0.0001 for both) (Figure 2) and FACIT-Fatigue (8.39 vs 5.11;P< 0.0001). In the nonresponder group, patients receiving TCZ + MTX had significantly greater improvements compared with PBO + MTX in SF-36 PCS at Week 16 (3.81 vs 1.65;P= 0.0006) and Week 24 (4.42 vs 1.01;P< 0.0001) (Figure 2) and FACIT-Fatigue at Week 16 (3.82 vs 1.32;P= 0.0039) and Week 24 (3.90 vs 1.40;P= 0.0111).

Conclusion:

Patients with RA who received TCZ + MTX had significantly greater improvements in pain score and other PROs than those who received PBO + MTX regardless of whether they achieved ≥ 20% improvement in SJC. Clinical outcome at Week 24 correlated well with PROs, with a relatively larger improvement in pain score and other PROs in the responder group than in the nonresponder group; relative to PBO + MTX, these improvements appear numerically similar in the responder and nonresponder groups with consistently smaller difference between the groups in TCZ-treated arms. The consistent effect of TCZ on PROs in both responder and nonresponder groups warrants further study on the impact of TCZ on sources of pain independent of that caused by joint inflammation.

Figure:

Acknowledgments:

This study was sponsored by Genentech, Inc. Support for third-party writing assistance, furnished by Health Interactions, Inc, was provided by Genentech, Inc.

Disclosure of Interests:

Anthony Sebba Consultant of: Genentech, Gilead, Lilly, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sanofi, Speakers bureau: Lilly, Roche, Sanofi, Jian Han Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc., Shalini Mohan Shareholder of: Genentech, Inc., Employee of: Genentech, Inc.

Intracranial vessel wall imaging: applications, interpretation, and pitfalls

Vessel wall imaging (VWI) is being increasingly used as a non-invasive diagnostic method to evaluate the intra- and extracranial vascular bed. Whereas conventional vascular imaging primarily assesses the vessel lumen, VWI changes the focus of analysis toward the vessel wall. As the technical challenges of high spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and contrast-to-noise ratio and long scans times are addressed, interest in the clinical applications of this technique has steadily increased over the years. In this review, the authors will discuss the various applications of VWI as well as principles of interpretation and common imaging findings, focusing on intracranial atherosclerosis, vascular dissection, vasculitides (such as primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS) and neurosarcoidosis), vasculopathies (such as reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS), cocaine-induced vasculopathy, moyamoya disease, and radiation-induced arteriopathy), aneurysms, and post-thrombectomy changes. The authors will also discuss the potential pitfalls of VWI and helpful cues to avoid being tricked.

A multicentre observational study on the epidemiology, risk factors, management and outcomes of mucormycosis in India

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiology, management and outcome of individuals with mucormycosis; and to evaluate the risk factors associated with mortality.

METHODS

We conducted a prospective observational study involving consecutive individuals with proven mucormycosis across 12 centres from India. The demographic profile, microbiology, predisposing factors, management and 90-day mortality were recorded; risk factors for mortality were analysed.

RESULTS

We included 465 patients. Rhino-orbital mucormycosis was the most common (315/465, 67.7%) presentation followed by pulmonary (62/465, 13.3%), cutaneous (49/465, 10.5%), and others. The predisposing factors included diabetes mellitus (342/465, 73.5%), malignancy (42/465, 9.0%), transplant (36/465, 7.7%), and others. Rhizopus species (231/290, 79.7%) were the most common followed by Apophysomyces variabilis (23/290, 7.9%), and several rare Mucorales. Surgical treatment was performed in 62.2% (289/465) of the participants. Amphotericin B was the primary therapy in 81.9% (381/465), and posaconazole was used as combination therapy in 53 (11.4%) individuals. Antifungal therapy was inappropriate in 7.6% (30/394) of the individuals. The 90-day mortality rate was 52% (242/465). On multivariate analysis, disseminated and rhino-orbital (with cerebral extension) mucormycosis, shorter duration of symptoms, shorter duration of antifungal therapy, and treatment with amphotericin B deoxycholate (versus liposomal) were independent risk factors of mortality. A combined medical and surgical management was associated with a better survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Diabetes mellitus was the dominant predisposing factor in all forms of mucormycosis. Combined surgical and medical management was associated with better outcomes. Several gaps surfaced in the management of mucormycosis. The rarer Mucorales identified in the study warrant further evaluation.

P1945High levels of unawareness and suboptimal management of hypertension in India: data from a large community based study

Background

Hypertension is the most common cause of the rising cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemic in India. However, despite availability of proven therapies management remains sub-optimal.

Purpose

To determine the hypertension control rates and associated factors among adults with known hypertension in urban and rural India.

Methods

We conducted a representative population based cross-sectional survey among 12243 participants aged ≥30 years residing in rural and urban North and South India. Participants were selected using a multistage cluster random sampling technique. Trained personnel collected the data using an interviewer administered questionnaire, measured blood pressure, conducted anthropometry and collected bio-samples. Hypertension was defined as known hypertension (self-report of physician diagnosis) or systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥90 mmHg. Control was defined as SBP <140 mmHg and DBP <90 mmHg among those with known hypertension. The associations were measured using logistic regression.

Results

The mean (±SD) age of participants was 47.7 (±12.5) years, women comprised 54%. The age-standardized prevalence of hypertension was 29.0% (95% CI: 28.2- 29.8) and known hypertension was 14.0% (13.4- 14.6). Among all hypertensives 38.6% (37.0–40.2) were on treatment and 26.2% (24.6–28.0) had their blood pressure controlled, while among known hypertensives 79.8% (77.8–81.7) were on treatment and 55.7% (53.3–58.1) had their blood pressure controlled. In multivariate analysis, participants from North Indian site [OR: 1.9 (1.6–2.3)], urban residents [1.3 (1.1–1.6)], younger participants [1.5 (1.2–1.8)], men [2.0 (1.5–2.6)], those with low socio-economic status [1.6 (1.1–2.3)], without comorbidities and those without a family history hypertension were more likely to be unaware about their hypertensive status and less likely to take treatment. Hypertension control was significantly higher in participants from South Indian site [1.5 (1.2–1.0)], the highly educated [1.6 (1.1–2.4)], those without heart diseases [1.8 (1.1–3.1)], those without central obesity [1.4 (1.1–1.9)], physically active individuals [1.5 (1.1–2.0)] and current non-alcohol users [1.9 (1.3–2.6)].

Conclusions

Many individuals with hypertension remain unaware and sub-optimally managed. This warrants the implementation of tailored public education to raise awareness, complemented by active screening for the early detection and effective management of hypertension, in order to stem the rising tide of preventable CVD in India.

Acknowledgement/Funding

Unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly under the Lilly NCD Partnership

Assessment of tropospheric ozone at an industrial site of Chennai megacity

This paper presents the temporal variation in surface-level ozone (O₃) measured at Gummidipoondi near Chennai, Tamilnadu. The site chosen for the present study has high potential for ozone generation sources, such as vehicular traffic and industrial activities. The site is also located near a hazardous waste management facility. The key sources of nitrogen oxides (NO_x), which are considered to be an important precursor of O₃, include hazardous waste incineration, trucks bringing the hazardous wastes, and vehicles plying on the nearby National Highway 16 (NH 16). The measurements clearly showed diurnal variation, with maximum values observed during the noon hours and minimum values observed when solar radiation was less. The data showed a marked seasonal variation in O₃, with the highest hourly average O₃ concentration (497.2 µg/m³) in the summer season. Consequently, in order to identify the long-range transport sources adding to the increased O₃ levels, backward trajectories were computed using the Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. It was found that the polluted air mass originated from the Southeast Asian region and the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The polluted air mass, which advected large amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) plumes, was analyzed using the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) retrievals. The correlations of O₃ with temperature (r = 0.746; P < 0.01) and solar radiation (r = 0.751; P < 0.01) were strongly positive, and that with NO_x was found to be negative. Stronger correlation of O₃ with NO_x was observed during pre-monsoon months (r = 0.627; P < 0.01) and following hours of photochemical reactions. There were substantial differences in concentrations between weekdays and weekends, with higher nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), but lower O₃, concentrations on weekdays. A substantial weekday-weekend difference in O₃, which was higher on weekends, appears to be attributable to lower daytime traffic activity and hence reduced emissions of NO_x to a "NO_x-saturated" atmosphere. Implications: The assessment of ground-level ozone in an industrial area with hazardous waste management facility is very important, as there is high possibility for more generation of tropospheric ozone. Since the location of the study area is coastal, wind plays a major role in O₃ transportation; hence, the effects of wind speed and wind direction have been studied in different seasons. When compared with the other studies carried out in different places across India, the present study area has recorded much greater O₃ mixing ratio. This study can be useful for setting up control strategies in such industrial areas.

Quantum chemical studies and spectroscopic investigations on 22-amino-3-methyl-5-nitropyridine by density functional theory

Quantum chemical calculations on energy and molecular structure of 2-amino-3-methyl-5-nitropyridine (2A3M5NP) have been attempted by implementing DFT/B3LYP method using 6-311G (d,p), 6-311G++ (d,p) and cc-pVTZ basis sets. The optimized geometry and the vibrational analysis for energetically most stable configuration, are carried out theoretically by using B3LYP/cc-pVTZ basis set. The computed vibrational frequencies were scaled by using scaling factors and compared with the experimental Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) solid phase spectrum in the region 4000-400 cm⁻¹ and FT-Raman spectrum in the region 4000-100 cm⁻¹. The complete vibrational assignments, analysis and correlation of fundamental modes of the compound have been carried out using the potential energy distribution (PED). The intramolecular charge transfer, hyperconjugative interaction of the compound is investigated from natural bonding orbital (NBO) analysis. The UV-Visible spectrum of 2A3M5NP was obtained with ethanol as a solvent. The electronic properties such as HOMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital) and LUMO (Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) energies are determined by B3LYP/cc-pVTZ basis set. The electronic absorption spectrum of the compound was studied from UV-Visible analysis by using time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT). The electron density distribution and chemical reactive sites of 2A3M5NP were analyzed from molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) analysis and frontier molecular orbital (FMO) analysis.

Convolutional Neural Network for Automated FLAIR Lesion Segmentation on Clinical Brain MR Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Most brain lesions are characterized by hyperintense signal on FLAIR. We sought to develop an automated deep learning-based method for segmentation of abnormalities on FLAIR and volumetric quantification on clinical brain MRIs across many pathologic entities and scanning parameters. We evaluated the performance of the algorithm compared with manual segmentation and existing automated methods.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We adapted a U-Net convolutional neural network architecture for brain MRIs using 3D volumes. This network was retrospectively trained on 295 brain MRIs to perform automated FLAIR lesion segmentation. Performance was evaluated on 92 validation cases using Dice scores and voxelwise sensitivity and specificity, compared with radiologists' manual segmentations. The algorithm was also evaluated on measuring total lesion volume.

RESULTS

Our model demonstrated accurate FLAIR lesion segmentation performance (median Dice score, 0.79) on the validation dataset across a large range of lesion characteristics. Across 19 neurologic diseases, performance was significantly higher than existing methods (Dice, 0.56 and 0.41) and approached human performance (Dice, 0.81). There was a strong correlation between the predictions of lesion volume of the algorithm compared with true lesion volume (ρ = 0.99). Lesion segmentations were accurate across a large range of image-acquisition parameters on >30 different MR imaging scanners.

CONCLUSIONS

A 3D convolutional neural network adapted from a U-Net architecture can achieve high automated FLAIR segmentation performance on clinical brain MR imaging across a variety of underlying pathologies and image acquisition parameters. The method provides accurate volumetric lesion data that can be incorporated into assessments of disease burden or into radiologic reports.

Nanoscopic insights of saline water in carbon nanotube appended filters using molecular dynamics simulations

Nanotube appended membranes are shown to be very promising due to their ultrafast water transport and very high salt rejection ability. Using classical molecular dynamics, the present study reports the nanoscopic assessment of various molecular events for nanotube-based desalination, which might be useful for nanoscale devices during process operation at the macroscopic scale. The characteristics of water and ion flow are discussed with varied strength of pressure gradient and salt concentration for different scales of confinement. The results revealed that the membranes comprising nanotubes of 1.0-1.1 nm diameter can be optimized for efficient water desalination with more than >95% salt rejection. Furthermore, the anomalies in water flux through nanotubes are linked with the hydration characteristics of ions inside CNTs. The results show the maximum hydration of confined ions inside the nanotubes, which indicated the minimum permeability of water due to freezing effects. Furthermore, the MD results revealed that akin to bulk phases, the mass transport through nanotubes can be linked with the component diffusivity in the medium. It has been demonstrated that not only the diffusivities of water and ions, but even the gradient of water to ion diffusivity might be utilized to predict and explore the experimental observations, which might be helpful in optimizing the operational regime in nanotube-based filtrations. Moreover, the thermodynamic characteristics of the flow are discussed in terms of the entropy of water and ions using the robust two-phase thermodynamic (2PT) method. The results reflect that the entropy of water is linked to the distortion of the hydrogen bond network inside the nanotube confinement, at the nanotube-water interface and at the bulk solution, whereas the entropy of ions seems to be majorly dominated by their oscillation. Also, the interconnection of hydration structure, mass flux and the diffusivity of water and ions along with their thermodynamic origin are discussed.

Tuberculosis-diabetes screening: how well are we doing? A mixed-methods study from North India

Setting

Public health care facilities in Sonipat District, Haryana State, India.

Objectives

To assess 1) the proportion of tuberculosis (TB) patients screened for diabetes mellitus (DM) and vice versa, 2) factors associated with screening, and 3) the enablers, barriers and solutions related to screening.

Design

A mixed-methods study with quantitative (cohort study involving record reviews of patients registered between November 2016 and April 2017) and qualitative (interviews of patients, health care providers [HCPs] and key district-level staff) components.

Results

Screening for TB among DM patients was not implemented, despite documents indicating that it had been. Of 562 TB patients, only 137 (24%) were screened for DM. TB patients registered at tertiary and secondary health centres were more likely to be screened than primary health centres. Low patient awareness, poor knowledge of guidelines among HCPs, lack of staff and inadequate training were barriers to screening. Enablers were the positive attitude of HCPs and programme staff. The key solutions suggested were to improve awareness of HCPs and patients regarding the need for screening, training of HCPs and wider availability of DM testing facilities.

Conclusion

The implementation of bidirectional screening was poor. Adequate staffing, regular training, continuous laboratory supplies for DM diagnosis and widespread publicity should be ensured.