Hybrid adipocyte-derived exosome nano platform for potent chemo-phototherapy in targeted hepatocellular carcinoma

The high prevalence and severity of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) present a significant menace to human health. Despite the significant advancements in nanotechnology-driven antineoplastic agents, there remains a conspicuous gap in the development of targeted chemotherapeutic agents specifically designed for HCC. Consequently, there is an urgent need to explore potent drug delivery systems for effective HCC treatment. Here we have exploited the interplay between HCC and adipocyte to engineer a hybrid adipocyte-derived exosome platform, serving as a versatile vehicle to specifically target HCC and exsert potent antitumor effect. A lipid-like prodrug of docetaxel (DSTG) with a reactive oxygen species (ROS)-cleavable linker, and a lipid-conjugated photosensitizer (PPLA), spontaneously co-assemble into nanoparticles, functioning as the lipid cores of the hybrid exosomes (HEMPs and NEMPs). These nanoparticles are further encapsuled within adipocyte-derived exosome membranes, enhancing their affinity towards HCC cancer cells. As such, cancer cell uptakes of hybrid exosomes are increased up to 5.73-fold compared to lipid core nanoparticles. Our in vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated that HEMPs not only enhance the bioactivity of the prodrug and extend its circulation in the bloodstream but also effectively inhibit tumor growth by selectively targeting hepatocellular carcinoma tumor cells. Self-facilitated synergistic drug release subsequently promoting antitumor efficacy, inducing significant inhibition of tumor growth with minimal side effects. Our findings herald a promising direction for the development of targeted HCC therapeutics.

Study on the relation of the solar coronal rotation with magnetic field structures

Daily solar spectral irradiances (SSIs) at the spectral intervals 1-40, 116-264 and 950-1600 nm and four categories of solar small-scale magnetic elements ([Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) are used to study the temporal variation of coronal rotation and investigate the relation of the coronal rotation with magnetic field structures through continuous wavelet transform and Pearson correlation analysis. The results reveal the contributions of different magnetic structures to the temporal variation of the rotation for the coronal atmosphere during different phases of the solar cycle. During the solar maximum, the temporal variation of rotation for the coronal plasma atmosphere is mainly dominated by the small-scale magnetic elements of [Formula: see text]; whereas during the epochs of the relatively weak solar activity, it is controlled by the joint effect of the small-scale magnetic elements of both [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The weaker the solar activity, the stronger the effect of [Formula: see text] would be. Furthermore, this study presents an explanation for the inconsistent results for the coronal rotation issue among the previous studies, and also reveals the reason why the coronal atmosphere rotates faster than the lower photosphere.

Biomimetic nanovaccine-mediated multivalent IL-15 self-transpresentation (MIST) for potent and safe cancer immunotherapy

Cytokine therapy, involving interleukin-15 (IL-15), is a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy. However, clinical application has been limited due to severe toxicity and the relatively low immune response rate, caused by wide distribution of cytokine receptors, systemic immune activation and short half-life of IL-15. Here we show that a biomimetic nanovaccine, developed to co-deliver IL-15 and an antigen/major histocompatibility complex (MHC) selectively targets IL-15 to antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), thereby reducing off-target toxicity. The biomimetic nanovaccine is composed of cytomembrane vesicles, derived from genetically engineered dendritic cells (DC), onto which IL-15/IL-15 receptor α (IL-15Rα), tumor-associated antigenic (TAA) peptide/MHC-I, and relevant costimulatory molecules are simultaneously anchored. We demonstrate that, in contrast to conventional IL-15 therapy, the biomimetic nanovaccine with multivalent IL-15 self-transpresentation (biNV-IL-15) prolonged blood circulation of the cytokine with an 8.2-fold longer half-life than free IL-15 and improved the therapeutic window. This dual targeting strategy allows for spatiotemporal manipulation of therapeutic T cells, elicits broad spectrum antigen-specific T cell responses, and promotes cures in multiple syngeneic tumor models with minimal systemic side effects.

A Cost-Effective, Machine Learning-Based New Unified Risk-Classification Score (NU-CATS) for Patients with Endometrial Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Treatment for endometrial cancer (EC) with radiotherapy is increasingly guided by molecular risk classifications. Derived from genomic profiling of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project, several EC risk classification systems, including ProMisE and Leiden/TransPORTEC, have been developed. However, the current systems were developed on a relatively homogeneous population. Black or African American (BOAA) patients have consistently been demonstrated to have worse stage-adjusted prognosis than Caucasians. Given this, we intended to develop a new unified risk classification system (NU-CATS) for EC patients using machine learning (ML) utilizing datasets with demographically diverse populations.

MATERIALS/METHODS

TCGA-Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma (n = 596), Memorial Sloan Kettering-Metastatic Events and Tropisms (MSK-MET, n = 1,315) and the American Association for Cancer Research Project Genomics Evidence Neoplasia Information Exchange (AACR-GENIE, n = 4,561) were used to identify genetic alterations and clinicopathological features, including age, race, stage, histologic grade and features, and distribution of metastatic disease. Software packages including Keras, Pytorch, and Scikit Learn were tested to build artificial neural networks (ANNs) with a binary output as either intra-abdominal metastatic lesions vs. non-metastatic. A 5-layered ANN (5-6-4-2-1) using 5 inputs ('age at surgery', 'histology', 'race', 'mismatch repair status' and 'TP53'). The optimal performing ANN was selected and cross validated. The weights and biases of the trained ANN were used to reconstruct the algorithm.

RESULTS

BOAA patients with EC have worse prognosis than Caucasians, adjusting for TP53 or POLE mutation status. TP53 is the most common gene differentially altered by race in EC. Over 75% of BOAA patients carry TP53 mutations as compared to approximately 40% of Caucasians. Older age is associated with an increasing likelihood of TP53 mutations, high risk histology, and distant metastasis. For patients above age 70, 91% of BOAA and 60% of Caucasian EC patients carry TP53 mutations. The NU-CATS that incorporates age, race, histology, mismatch repair (MMR) status, and TP53 mutation status showed 75% accuracy in prognosticating intra-abdominal metastasis. A higher NU-CATS (>50) is associated with about 2-fold increased risk of having positive pelvic or para-aortic lymph nodes (LNs) and distant. NU-CATS was shown to outperformed TransPORTEC model for estimating risk of FIGO Stage I/II disease progression and survival in BOAA EC patients.

CONCLUSION

Despite adjusting for molecular classification, race and age retain prognostic importance in EC. NU-CATS, a ML-based, cost-effective algorithm, incorporates diverse clinicopathologic and molecular variables of EC, and yields superior prognostication of the risk of nodal involvement, distant metastasis, disease progression, and overall survival as compared to other classification systems.

GlioPredictor: A Deep Learning Model for Identification of High-Risk Low-Grade Glioma toward Adjuvant Treatment Planning

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

High-risk low-grade glioma (LGG) patients are recommended to undergo adjuvant radiotherapy whereas watchful waiting is recommended for low-risk LGG patients per the latest NCCN guidelines. Based on Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) 9802, high-risk features include age >40 or subtotal resection (STR). However, in the era of molecular-based classification for tumors of central neural system, current risk classification criteria based on gross disease and patient demographics may be outdated. Here, we aim to develop a molecular-based glioma risk classification system (GlioPredictor) that could potentially facilitate identification of high-risk LGG patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A total of 507 LGG cases from The Cancer Genome Atlas-low grade glioma (TCGA-LGG), and 1,309 cases from AACR GENIE v13.0 datasets were studied for genetic disparities between IDH1-wildtype and mutated cohorts, and varying age groups. Through a feature selection technique using genomic profiling and correlation analyses, features such as mutation status, copy number variations (CNVs), among other clinicopathologic features prognostic of IDH1 mutation status were selected as potential inputs to train an artificial neural networks (ANNs) that could predict IDH1 mutation status. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) dataset (n = 404) for LGG was used to cross-validate the trained ANN. The optimized ANN model has 6 layers with 6 input nodes, 20 hidden nodes, and a binary output layer. The weights and biases of the hidden layers of the best-performing model were retrieved and reconstructed to yield the GlioPredictor score-the predicted risk of progression for IDH1-wildtype LGG.

RESULTS

Over 81% of glioma patients age less than 40 have IDH1 mutation, as compared with 31% in those age above 60. Using age > 40 as a cutoff failed to identify high-risk IDH1-mutant LGG with early progression. IDH1 mutation is associated with decreased CNVs of EGFR (21 % vs. 3%), CDKN2A (20% vs. 6%) and PTEN (14% vs. 1.7%), and increased percentage of mutations for TP53 (15% vs. 63%), and ATRX (10% vs. 54%) (p<0.001). Using these molecular features, along with the patient's age, an ANN model with 6 layers and 20 hidden nodes can predict IDH1 mutation status with over 90% accuracy and AUC score over 0.91.

CONCLUSION

We have developed an ANN model that is capable of learning the prognostic features of LGG associated with an IDH1-mutated LGG cohort and using the features to predict high-risk patients from the IDH1-wildtype cohort. This ANN model facilitates the selection of LGG patients who could benefit from immediate adjuvant radiotherapy. Future work includes the integration of image features to improve the prediction performance of the GlioPredictor system.

A Pilot Trial of Consolidation Bevacizumab after Hypo-Fractionated Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients with Unresectable Locally Advanced Non-Squamous Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

To assess the feasibility of adding bevacizumab consolidation into hypo-fractionated concurrent chemoradiotherapy (hypo-CCRT) in patients with unresectable locally advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NS-NSCLC).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Eligible patients were treated with hypo-RT (40 Gy in 10 fractions) followed by hypo-boost (24-28 Gy in 6-7 fractions) combined with concurrent weekly chemotherapy. Patients completed the hypo-CCRT without≥G2 toxicities then received consolidation bevacizumab every 3 weeks for up to 1 year, or disease progression or unacceptable treatment related toxicities. The primary endpoint was the risk of G4 or higher hemorrhage. The secondary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), locoregional failure-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and objective response rate (ORR). All time-to-event endpoints (OS, PFS, LRFS and DMFS) were measured from the start of radiotherapy.

RESULTS

From December 2017 to July 2020, a total of 27 patients were analyzed with a median follow-up duration of 28.0 months. One patient (3.7%) developed G5 hemorrhage during bevacizumab consolidation. Besides, there were 7 patients (25.9%) had G3 cough and 3 patients (11.1%) had G3 pneumonitis. The ORR was 92.6% of the whole cohort. The median OS was 37.0 months (95% confidence interval, 8.9-65.1 months), the median PFS was 16.0 months (95% confidence interval, 14.0-18.0 months), the median LRFS was not reached and the median DMFS was 18.0 months.

CONCLUSION

This pilot study met its goal of demonstrating the tolerability of consolidation bevacizumab after hypo-CCRT. Further investigation of antiangiogenic and immunotherapy combinations in LA-NSCLC is warranted while G3 respiratory toxicities is worth considering.

Sarcopenia as a Predictor of Neoadjuvant Therapy-Related Toxicity in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Sarcopenia, characterized by loss of muscle mass, plays a critical role in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Preoperative chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy in ESCC patients has been reported to improve survival. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the predictive value of preoperative sarcopenia for toxicity and pathological tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in ESCC patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed using a prospectively collected patient cohort of an academic cancer center diagnosed with cT2-4N0-3M0 ESCC between 2019-2022 and treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy ± pembrolizumab. Sarcopenia was assessed by skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra in computed tomography scans before NAT (men: 43cm²/m² for body mass index (BMI) < 25kg/m², 53cm²/m² for BMI≥25 kg/m²; women: 41cm²/m²). Logistic regression was performed to assess the association between sarcopenia and preoperative therapy-related toxicity and tumor response.

RESULTS

The study included 59 locally advanced ESCC patients (53 male and 6 female), 48 (81.4%) in the non-sarcopenia group, and 11 (18.6%) in the sarcopenia group. Mean age at diagnosis was 62±8 years. Mean BMI at diagnosis was 22.13±2.85 kg/m². 19 patients (32.2%) were stage ⅢA, 25 patients (42.4%) were ⅢB, 15 patients (25.4%) were ⅣA. No significant differences were found between both groups regarding sex, age, BMI, and clinical stage. Acute grade ≥3 toxicity occurred significantly more frequently in the sarcopenia group (54.5% vs. 22.9%, p = 0.045), which mainly included leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia. The discontinuation of NAT owing to toxicity occurred in 8 patients (13.5%), which was significantly associated with sarcopenia (p = 0.003). All patients proceeded to surgery and 33 patients (55.9%) had a pathological complete response (pCR). Univariate analysis revealed no significant association between sarcopenia and pCR (p = 0.071).

CONCLUSION

Among patients with locally advanced EC, sarcopenia is not a predictor of poor NAT response, but it is strongly associated with discontinuation of NAT due to toxicity.

Clinical application of laparoscopic continuous interposition jejunostomy with double-tract anastomosis and esophagogastric anastomosis: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to compare the early clinical outcomes of laparoscopic-assisted proximal gastrectomy with continuous interposition of jejunal cis-peristaltic dual-channel anastomosis and esophagogastric anastomosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A retrospective analysis of 130 patients who underwent laparoscopic-assisted radical resection of proximal gastric cancer in the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Affiliated Hospital of Chengde Medical College between June 2018 and October 2022 was conducted. Continuous interposition jejunal double-channel anastomosis (double-tract anastomosis) was used in 71 patients and esophagogastric anastomosis (esophagogastrostomy) in 59 patients. The basic clinical data, preoperative and postoperative clinical test indexes, postoperative complications and improvement of symptoms compared to preoperative ones, basic nutritional status and Visick classification of esophageal reflux symptoms at 6 months after surgery were compared between the two groups. Postoperative contrast images of patients in the continuous interposition jejunal double-tract group were collected and analyzed for the ratio of contrast agent remaining in the stomach to that remaining in the small intestinal channel.

RESULTS

A total of 130 cases meeting the criteria were included in this study, including 71 cases involving the double-tract (DT) anastomosis method and 59 cases involving the esophagogastrostomy (EG) anastomosis method. There was no significant difference in preoperative information and perioperative safety between the two groups. Visick score of the DT group was significantly better than that of the EG group.

CONCLUSIONS

Double-tract jejunal anastomosis can effectively improve esophageal reflux symptoms after proximal gastrectomy. At the same time, its anastomotic method also improves the nutritional status in the short term compared to the esophagogastric anastomosis and is a more ideal procedure for reconstructing the digestive tract after proximal gastrectomy.

Emerging platinum(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics: A new epoch for platinum-based cancer therapy

Owing to the unique DNA damaging cytotoxicity, platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapy has long been the first-line choice for clinical oncology. Unfortunately, Pt drugs are restricted by the severe dose-dependent toxicity and drug resistance. Correspondingly, Pt(IV) prodrugs are developed with the aim to improve the antitumor performance of Pt drugs. However, as "free" molecules, Pt(IV) prodrugs are still subject to unsatisfactory in vivo destiny and antitumor efficacy. Recently, Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics, inheriting both the merits of Pt(IV) prodrugs and nanotherapeutics, have emerged and demonstrated the promise to address the underexploited dilemma of Pt-based cancer therapy. Herein, we summarize the latest fronts of emerging Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics. First, the basic outlines of Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics are overviewed. Afterwards, how versatile Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics overcome the multiple biological barriers of antitumor drug delivery is introduced in detail. Moreover, advanced combination therapies based on multimodal Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics are discussed with special emphasis on the synergistic mechanisms. Finally, prospects and challenges of Pt(IV) prodrug nanotherapeutics for future clinical translation are spotlighted.

[Investigate of the etiology and prevention status of liver cirrhosis]

Objective: To investigate the etiology, prevention and treatment status, and their corresponding regional differences of the patients with liver cirrhosis in China, in order to provide scientific basis for the development of diagnosis and control strategies in China. Methods: Clinical data of patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis for the first time through January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020 from 50 hospitals in seven different regions of China were collected and analyzed retrospectively, and the difference of etiology, treatment, and their differences in various regions were analyzed. Results: A total of 11 861 cases with liver cirrhosis were included in the study. Thereinto, 5 093 cases (42.94%) were diagnosed as compensated cirrhosis, and 6 768 cases (57.06%) had decompensated cirrhosis. Notably, 8 439 cases (71.15%) were determined as chronic hepatitis B-caused cirrhosis, 1 337 cases (11.27%) were alcoholic liver disease, 963 cases (8.12%) were chronic hepatitis C, 698 cases (5.88%) were autoimmune liver disease, 367 cases (3.09%) were schistosomiasis, 177 cases (1.49%) were nonalcoholic fatty liver, and 743 cases (6.26%) of other types of liver disease. There were significant differences in the incidence of chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, fatty liver, schistosomiasis liver disease, and autoimmune liver disease among the seven regions (P<0.001). Only 1 139 cases (9.60%) underwent endoscopic therapy, thereinto, 718 cases (6.05%) underwent surgical therapy, and 456 cases (3.84%) underwent interventional therapy treatment. In patients with compensated liver cirrhosis, 60 cases (0.51%) underwent non-selective β receptor blockers(NSBB), including 59 cases (0.50%) underwent propranolol and 1 case (0.01%) underwent carvedilol treatment. In patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis, 310 cases (2.61%) underwent NSBB treatment, including 303 cases (2.55%) underwent propranolol treatment and 7 cases (0.06%) underwent carvedilol treatment. Interestingly, there were significant differences in receiving endoscopic therapy, interventional therapy, NSBB therapy, splenectomy and other surgical treatments among the seven regions (P<0.001). Conclusion: Currently, chronic hepatitis B is the main cause (71.15%) of liver cirrhosis in several regions of China, and alcoholic liver disease has become the second cause (11.27%) of liver cirrhosis in China. The three-level prevention and control of cirrhosis in China should be further strengthened.

CXD101 and nivolumab in patients with metastatic microsatellite-stable colorectal cancer (CAROSELL): a multicentre, open-label, single-arm, phase II trial

BACKGROUND

Patients with microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal carcinoma (CRC) do not respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Preclinical models suggested synergistic anti-tumour activity combining CXD101 and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 treatment; therefore, we assessed the clinical combination of CXD101 and nivolumab in heavily pre-treated patients with MSS metastatic CRC (mCRC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This single-arm, open-label study enrolled patients aged 18 years or older with biopsy-confirmed MSS CRC; at least two lines of systemic anticancer therapies (including oxaliplatin and irinotecan); at least one measurable lesion; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0, 1 or 2; predicted life expectancy above 3 months; and adequate organ and bone marrow function. Nine patients were enrolled in a safety run-in study to define a tolerable combination schedule of CXD101 and nivolumab, followed by 46 patients in the efficacy assessment phase. Patients in the efficacy assessment cohort were treated orally with 20 mg CXD101 twice daily for 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks, and intravenously with 240 mg nivolumab every 2 weeks. The primary endpoint was immune disease control rate (iDCR).

RESULTS

Between 2018 and 2020, 55 patients were treated with CXD101 and nivolumab. The combination therapy was well tolerated with the most frequent grade 3 or 4 adverse events being neutropenia (18%) and anaemia (7%). Immune-related adverse reactions commonly ascribed to checkpoint inhibitors were surprisingly rare although we did see single cases of pneumonitis, hypothyroidism and hypopituitarism. There were no treatment-related deaths. Of 46 patients assessable for efficacy, 4 (9%) achieved partial response and 18 (39%) achieved stable disease, translating to an immune disease control rate of 48%. The median overall survival (OS) was 7.0 months (95% confidence interval 5.13-10.22 months).

CONCLUSIONS

The primary endpoint was met in this phase II study, which showed that the combination of CXD101 and nivolumab, at full individual doses in the treatment of advanced or metastatic MSS CRC, was both well tolerated and efficacious.

Otoacoustic emission and its application in anesthesia

OBJECTIVE

An otoacoustic emission (OAE) is a low-level sound emitted by the cochlea. OAEs are able to objectively evaluate the auditory perception and reflect the functional status of the auditory system. With the characteristics of non-invasiveness, high reliability, and easy manipulation, OAEs have gained wide popularity in clinical audiology and anesthesiology. This review aims to summarize the application of OAE in anesthesia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study collected data from the databases Web of Science-Clarivate Analytics, PubMed, and Google Scholar in English, covering research in the last 40 years. The keywords were defined as anesthesia, cochlea, OAEs, distortion product otoacoustic emissions, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, bispectral index, auditory evoked potentials, and depth of anesthesia. Documents that matched defined keywords were selected and reviewed.

RESULTS

Research showed that the types and doses of anesthetic drugs impacted OAEs. Ketamine-based anesthesia has a greater effect on OAE sensitivity over time compared to isoflurane. A higher dose of ketamine-xylazine significantly reduced the amplitude of OAEs. According to those characteristics, OAEs could be used as an objective evaluation method for the effect of anesthetics and have great potential to be applied for anesthetic drug dose control during surgery. OAEs also have been used to detect the cochlear function during anesthesia, which may cause irreversible damage to the cochlea.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies reported that OAEs have been used in anesthesia. However, the existing studies have mainly focused on the influence of anesthetic types or dosages on OAEs. Considering the characteristics of OAEs, such as a convenient measurement, less susceptibility to interference, and fast detection speed, the application of OAE has a great potential in the anesthesia field.

[Efficacy comparison among high risk factors questionnaire and Asia-Pacific colorectal screening score and their combinations with fecal immunochemical test in screening advanced colorectal tumor]

Objective: To investigate the effects of high risk factors questionnaire (HRFQ), Asia-Pacific colorectal screening (APCS) score and their combinations with fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in screening advanced colorectal neoplasia, in order to provide an evidence for further optimization of cancer screening program. Methods: A retrospective cohort study method was used to summarize and analyze the results of colorectal tumor screening in Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province from March 2017 to July 2018. Those with severe diseases that were not suitable for colonoscopy and those with mental and behavioral abnormalities who can not cooperate with the screening were excluded. Those who met any one or more of the followings in the HRFQ questionnaire were classified as high-risk people of HRFQ: (1) first-degree relatives with a history of colorectal cancer; (2) subjects with a history of cancer or any other malignant tumor; (3) subjects with a history of intestinal polyps; (4) those with two or more of the followings: chronic constipation (constipation lasted for more than 2 months per year in the past two years), chronic diarrhea (diarrhea lasted for more than 3 months in the past two years, and the duration of each episode was more than one week), mucus and bloody stools, history of adverse life events (occurring within the past 20 years and causing greater trauma or distress to the subject after the event), history of chronic appendicitis or appendectomy, history of chronic biliary disease or cholecystectomy. In this study, those who were assessed as high risk by HRFQ were recorded as "HRFQ (+)", and those who were not at high risk were recorded as "HRFQ (-)". The APCS questionnaire provided risk scores based on 4 risk factors including age, gender, family history and smoking: (1) age: 2 points for 50-69 years old, 3 points for 70 years old and above; (2) gender: 1 point for male, 0 point for women; (3) family history: 2 points for first-degree relatives suffering from colorectal cancer; (4) smoking: 1 point for current or past smoking, 0 point for non-smokers. The population was divided into low-risk (0-1 point), intermediate-risk (2-3 points), and high-risk (4-7 points). Those who were assessed as high risk by APCS were recorded as "APCS (+)", and those with intermediate and low risk were recorded as "APCS (-)". The hemoglobin threshold for a positive FIT was set to 100 μg/L. Those who were assessed as high risk by APCS with positive FIT were recorded as "APCS+FIT (+)". Those who were assessed as high risk by APCS with negative FIT, those who were assessed by APCS as low-middle risk with positive FIT, and those who were assessed by APCS as low-middle with negative FIT were all recorded as "APCS+FIT(-)". Observation indicators in this study were as follows: (1) the screening compliance rate of the cohort and the detection of advanced colorectal tumors; (2) positive predictive value, negative predictive value, sensitivity and specificity of HRFQ and APCS and their combination with FIT for screening advanced colorectal tumors; (3) comparison of the detection rate between HRFQ and APCS questionnaire for different colorectal lesions. Using SPSS 21.0 software, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the clinical value of HRFQ and APCS combined with FIT in screening advanced colorectal tumors. Results: From 2017 to 2018 in Jiashan County, a total of 53 268 target subjects were screened, and 42 093 people actually completed the questionnaire, with a compliance rate of 79.02%. A total of 8145 cases underwent colonoscopy. A total of 3607 cases among HRFQ positive population (5320 cases) underwent colonoscopy, and the colonoscopy compliance rate was 67. 80%; 8 cases were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 88 cases were advanced colorectal adenoma. A total of 2977 cases among APCS positive population (11 942 cases) underwent colonoscopy, and the colonoscopy compliance rate was 24.93%; 17 cases were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 148 cases were advanced colorectal adenoma. The positive rate of HRFQ screening was lower than that of APCS [12.6% (5320/42 093) vs. 28.4% (11 942/42 093), χ²=3195. 547, P<0.001]. In the FIT positive population (6223 cases), a total of 4894 cases underwent colonoscopy, and the colonoscopy compliance rate was 78.64%; 34 cases were diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 224 cases were advanced adenoma. The positive predictive values of HRFQ and APCS and their combination with FIT for screening advanced colorectal tumors were 2.67%, 5.54%, 5.44%, and 8.56%; negative predictive values were 94.89%, 96.85%, 96.11% and 96.99%; sensitivity was 29.27%, 50.30%, 12.20 % and 39.02%; specificity was 55.09%, 64.03%, 91.11% and 82.51%, respectively. The ROC curves constructed by HRFQ, APCS, FIT, HRFQ+FIT and APCS+FIT indicated that APCS+FIT presented the highest efficacy in screening advanced colorectal tumors (AUC: 0.608, 95%CI: 0.574-0.642). The comparison of the detection rates of different colorectal lesions between HRFQ and APCS questionnaires showed that there were no significant differences in detection rate of inflammatory polyps and hyperplastic polyps between the two questionnaires (both P>0.05). However, as compared to HRFQ questionnaire, APCS questionnaire had higher detection rates in non-advanced adenomas [26.10% (777/2977) vs. 19.43% (701/3607), χ²=51.228, P<0.001], advanced adenoma [4.97% (148/2977) vs. 2.44% (88/3607), χ²=30.249, P<0.001] and colorectal cancer [0.57% (17 /2977) vs. 0.22% (8/3607), χ²=5.259, P=0.022]. Conclusions: APCS has a higher detection rate of advanced colorectal tumors than HRFQ. APCS combined with FIT can further improve the effectiveness of advanced colorectal tumor screening.

Tumor-on-a-chip model for advancement of anti-cancer nano drug delivery system

Despite explosive growth in the development of nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) targeting tumors in the last few decades, clinical translation rates are low owing to the lack of efficient models for evaluating and predicting responses. Microfluidics-based tumor-on-a-chip (TOC) systems provide a promising approach to address these challenges. The integrated engineered platforms can recapitulate complex in vivo tumor features at a microscale level, such as the tumor microenvironment, three-dimensional tissue structure, and dynamic culture conditions, thus improving the correlation between results derived from preclinical and clinical trials in evaluating anticancer nanomedicines. The specific focus of this review is to describe recent advances in TOCs for the evaluation of nanomedicine, categorized into six sections based on the drug delivery process: circulation behavior after infusion, endothelial and matrix barriers, tumor uptake, therapeutic efficacy, safety, and resistance. We also discuss current issues and future directions for an end-use perspective of TOCs.

Decidual mesenchymal stem/stromal cells from preeclamptic patients secrete endoglin, which at high levels inhibits endothelial cell attachment invitro

INTRODUCTION

In preeclampsia (PE), inadequate remodelling of spiral arterioles in the decidua basalis causes oxidative stress and subsequent increased release of antiangiogenic soluble endoglin (sENG) into the maternal circulation. Decidual mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (DMSCs) reside adjacent to endothelial cells in this vascular niche. Surprisingly, DMSCs express membrane-bound ENG (CD105). PE-affected DMSCs (PE-DMSCs) are abnormal and due to reduced extravillous invasion, more of them are present, but the significance of this is not known.

METHODS

DMSCs were isolated and characterised from normotensive control and severe-PE placentae. Extracellular vesicle (EV) types, shed microvesicles (sMV) and exosomes, were isolated from DMSC conditioned media (DMSC_CM), respectively. Secretion of ENG by DMSCs was assessed by ELISA of DMSC_CM, with and without EV depletion. The effects of reducing ENG concentration, by blocking antibody, on human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) attachment were assessed by xCELLigence real-time functional assays.

RESULTS

ENG was detected in DMSC_CM and these levels significantly decreased when depleted of exosomes and sMV. There was no significant difference in the amount of ENG secreted by control DMSCs and PE-DMSCs. Blocking ENG in concentrated DMSC_CM, used to treat HUVECs, improved endothelial cell attachment.

DISCUSSION

In normotensive pregnancies, DMSC secretion of ENG likely has a beneficial effect on endothelial cells. However, in PE pregnancies, shallow invasion of the spiral arterioles exposes more PE-DMSC derived sources of ENG (soluble and EV). The presence of these PE-DMSCs in the vascular niche contributes to endothelial cell dysfunction.

AB0446 IMPROVEMENT OF BELIMUMAB ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS

Background

Accumulating evidence supports an impaired quality of life in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A study reported the patients concerns centred on fatigue[1].

Objectives

We investigated the effect of belimumab on quality of life in patients with SLE.

Methods

SLE patients from Guangdong Second Provincial General Hospital treated with belimumab (n=19) or control group (n=22) were included. Patients in control group were in traditional treatment without belimumab. Data were collected prospectively at treatment initiation and now, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the SF-36 (Table 1).

Table 1.SLEDAIPPSQIPSF-36PGroupPre-treatmentPost-treatment-Pre-treatmentPost-treatment-Pre-treatmentPost-treatment-Belimumab group11±4.676.11±3.550.0016±3.833.58±2.010.02519.47±187.79685.62±141.780.004Control group8.82±5.693.55±2.110.0006.5±3.525.86±3.240.536541.73±185.22700.42±123.900.002P0.1990.007-0.6650.011-0.7050.723-

Results

Belimumab group showed improvement in SLEDAI, PSQI and the SF-36 (P＜0.05). Control group was improvement in SLEDAI and the SF-36 (P＜0.05), no changes in PSQI (P=0.536). However, the improvement of belimumab group in SLEDAI and PSQI observably outperformed the improvement of control group.

Conclusion

Belimumab effectively improve quality of life in patients with SLE. Further study of pediatric patients with SLE is still warranted.

References

[1]Golder V, Ooi J, Antony A S, et al. Discordance of patient and physician health status concerns in systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus,2018,27(3):501-506.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

RUNX2 Regulates Osteoblast Differentiation via the BMP4 Signaling Pathway

RUNX2 is a master osteogenic transcription factor, and mutations in RUNX2 cause the inherited skeletal disorder cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). Studies have revealed that RUNX2 is not only a downstream target of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway but can also regulate the expression of BMPs. However, the underlying mechanism of the regulation of BMPs by RUNX2 remains unknown. In this project, we diagnosed a CCD patient with a 7.86-Mb heterozygous deletion on chromosome 6 containing all exons of RUNX2 by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were further extracted from patient alveolar bone fragments (CCD-BMSCs), an excellent natural model to explore the possible mechanism. The osteogenic differentiation ability of CCD-BMSCs was severely affected by RUNX2 heterozygous deletion. Also, BMP4 decreased most in BMP ligands, and CHRDL1, a BMP antagonist, was abnormally elevated in CCD-BMSCs. Furthermore, BMP4 treatment essentially rescued the osteogenic capacity of CCD-BMSCs, and RUNX2 overexpression reversed the abnormal expression of BMP4 and CHRDL1. Notably, we constructed CRISPR/Cas9 Runx2^+/m MC3T3-E1 cells, which simulated a variant in CCD-BMSCs, to exclude the interference of other gene deletions and the heterogeneity of the genetic background of primary cells, and verified all findings from the CCD-BMSCs. Moreover, the luciferase reporter experiment showed that RUNX2 could inhibit the transcription of CHRDL1. Through immunofluorescence, the inhibitory effect of CHRDL1 on BMP4/Smad signaling was confirmed in MC3T3-E1 cells. These results revealed that RUNX2 regulated the BMP4 pathway by inhibiting CHRDL1 transcription. We collectively identified a novel RUNX2/CHRDL1/BMP4 axis to regulate osteogenic differentiation and noted that BMP4 might be a valuable therapeutic option for treating bone diseases.

Scattering of surface waves by a vertical truncated structured cylinder

This paper describes the solution to the problem of scattering of plane incident waves on water of constant depth by a bottom mounted circular cylinder, extending partially through the depth, which has an internal structure comprised of closely spaced thin vertical barriers between which fluid is allowed to flow. The problem is solved under full depth-dependent linearized water wave theory using an effective medium equation to describe the fluid motion in cylinder and effective boundary conditions to match that flow to the fluid region outside the cylinder. The interest in this problem lies in the development of novel solution methods for fully three-dimensional water wave interaction with bathymetric plate arrays. Results computed using this theory are compared with a shallow water approximation based on the recent work of Marangos & Porter (2021 Shallow water theory for structured bathymetry. Proc. R. Soc. A477, 20210421.) and with accurate computations of an exact representation of the geometry using a discrete set of plates. Other results highlight the resonant directional lensing effects of this type of cylindrical plate array device.

Urinary complement proteins and risk of end-stage renal disease: quantitative urinary proteomics in patients with type 2 diabetes and biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy

PURPOSE

To investigate the association between urinary complement proteins and renal outcome in biopsy-proven diabetic nephropathy (DN).

METHODS

Untargeted proteomic and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional analyses and targeted proteomic analysis using parallel reaction-monitoring (PRM)-mass spectrometry was performed to determine the abundance of urinary complement proteins in healthy controls, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, and patients with T2DM and biopsy-proven DN. The abundance of each urinary complement protein was individually included in Cox proportional hazards models for predicting progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

RESULTS

Untargeted proteomic and functional analysis using the KEGG showed that differentially expressed urinary proteins were primarily associated with the complement and coagulation cascades. Subsequent urinary complement proteins quantification using PRM showed that urinary abundances of C3, C9, and complement factor H (CFAH) correlated negatively with annual estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline, while urinary abundances of C5, decay-accelerating factor (DAF), and CD59 correlated positively with annual rate of eGFR decline. Furthermore, higher urinary abundance of CFAH and lower urinary abundance of DAF were independently associated with greater risk of progression to ESRD. Urinary abundance of CFAH and DAF had a larger area under the curve (AUC) than that of eGFR, proteinuria, or any pathological parameter. Moreover, the model that included CFAH or DAF had a larger AUC than that with only clinical or pathological parameters.

CONCLUSION

Urinary abundance of complement proteins was significantly associated with ESRD in patients with T2DM and biopsy-proven DN, indicating that therapeutically targeting the complement pathway may alleviate progression of DN.

Imaging organelle membranes in live cells at the nanoscale with lipid-based fluorescent probes

Understanding how organelles interact, exchange materials, assemble, disassemble, and evolve as a function of space, time, and environment is an exciting area at the very forefront of chemical and cell biology. Here, we bring attention to recent progress in the design and application of lipid-based tools to visualize and interrogate organelles in live cells, especially at super resolution. We highlight strategies that rely on modification of natural lipids or lipid-like small molecules ex cellula, where organelle specificity is provided by the structure of the chemically modified lipid, or in cellula using cellular machinery, where an enzyme labels the lipid in situ. We also describe recent improvements to the chemistry upon which lipid probes rely, many of which have already begun to broaden the scope of biological questions that can be addressed by imaging organelle membranes at the nanoscale.

Zwitterion-Driven Shape Program of Prodrug Nanoassemblies with High Stability, High Tumor Accumulation, and High Antitumor Activity

Prodrug nanoassemblies have emerged as a promising platform for the delivery of anticancer drugs. PEGylation is a "gold standard" to improve colloidal stability and pharmacokinetics of nanomedicines. However, the clinical application of PEG materials is challenged by in vivo oxidative degradation and immunogenicity. Rational design of advanced biomaterials for the surface modification of nanomedicines is the hot spot of research. Here, a zwitterionic sulfobetaine surfactant is constructed as a novel surface modifier to coassemble with 10-hydroxycamptothecin-linoleic acid conjugate, with the classical PEGylated material as control. Interestingly, both the type and ratio of surfactants have profound impacts on the molecular mechanisms of the assembly of prodrugs, thereby affecting the pharmaceutical properties. Compared with PEGylated spherical prodrug nanoassemblies, zwitterion-modified prodrug nanoassemblies have distinct rod shape and superhydrophilic surface, and exhibit potent antitumor activity due to the combination of multiple advantages in terms of colloidal stability, cellular uptake, and pharmacokinetics. The findings illustrate the crucial role of zwitterionic surfactants as the surface modifier in the determination of in vivo fate of the prodrug nanoassemblies, and pave the way for the development of advanced nanomedicines.

Triglyceride-Mimetic Structure-Gated Prodrug Nanoparticles for Smart Cancer Therapy

Off-target drug release and insufficient drug delivery are the main obstacles for effective anticancer chemotherapy. Prodrug-based self-assembled nanoparticles bioactivated under tumor-specific conditions are one of the effective strategies to achieve on-demand drug release and effective tumor accumulation. Herein, stimuli-activable prodrugs are designed yielding smart tumor delivery by combination of the triglyceride-mimic (TG-mimetic) prodrug structure and disulfide bond. Surprisingly, these prodrugs can self-assemble into uniform nanoparticles (NPs) with a high drug loading (over 40%) and accumulate in tumor sites specifically. The super hydrophobic TG structure can act as a gate that senses lipase to selectively control over NP dissociation and affect the glutathione-triggered prodrug activation. In addition, the impacts of the double bonds in the prodrug NPs on parent drug release and the following cytotoxicity, pharmacokinetics, and antitumor efficiency are further demonstrated. Our findings highlight the promising potential of TG-mimetic structure-gated prodrug nanoparticles for tumor-specific drug delivery.

Outcomes and phenotypic expression of rare variants in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy genes in over 200,000 adults

Background

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is caused by rare variants in sarcomere-encoding genes, but little is known about the clinical significance of these variants in the general population.

Purpose

To determine the population prevalence of HCM-associated sarcomeric variants, characterise their phenotypic manifestations, estimate penetrance, and identify associations between sarcomeric variants and clinical outcomes, we performed an observational study of 218,813 adults in the UK Biobank (UKBB), of whom 200,584 have whole exome sequencing (WES).

Methods

We carried out an integrated analysis of WES and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging in UK Biobank participants stratified by sarcomere-encoding variant status. Computer vision techniques were used to automatically segment the four chambers of the heart (Figure 1). Cardiac motion analysis was used to derive strain and strain rates. Regional analysis of left ventricular wall thickness was performed using three-dimensional modelling of these segmentations.

Results

Median age at recruitment was 58 (IQR 50–63 years), and participants were followed up for a median of 10.8 years (IQR 9.9–11.6 years) with a total of 19,507 primary clinical events reported.

The prevalence of rare variants (allele frequency &lt;0.ehab724.17314) in HCM-associated sarcomere-encoding genes in 200,584 participants was 2.9% (n=5,727; 1 in 35), and the prevalence of pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants (SARC-P/LP) was 0.24% (n=474, 1 in 423).

SARC-P/LP variants were associated with increased risk of death or major adverse cardiac events (MACE) compared to controls (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.37–2.06, p&lt;0.001), mainly due to heart failure endpoints (Figure 2: cumulative hazard curves with zoomed plots for lifetime risk of A) death and MACE or B) heart failure, stratified by genotype; genotype negative (SARC-NEG), carriers of indeterminate sarcomeric variants (SARC-IND) or SARC-P/LP; C) Forest plot of comparative lifetime risk of clinical endpoints by genotype).

While males had a higher overall risk of adverse outcomes, the incremental genetic risk from SARC-P/LP mutations was greater in females (HR for females: 2.18 CI 1.65–2.89, p&lt;0.001; HR for males: 1.42 CI 1.05–1.9, p=0.02).

In 21,322 participants with CMR, SARC-P/LP were associated with asymmetric increase in left ventricular maximum wall thickness (10.9±2.7 vs 9.4±1.6 mm, p&lt;0.001) but hypertrophy (≥13mm) was only present in 16% (n=7/43, 95% CI 7–31%). Other rare sarcomere-encoding variants had a weak effect on wall thickness (9.5±1.7 vs 9.4±1.6 mm, p=0.002) with no combined excess cardiovascular risk.

Conclusions

In the general population, SARC-P/LP variants have low aggregate penetrance for overt HCM but are associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes and a sub-clinical cardiomyopathic phenotype. Although absolute event rates are low, identification of these variants may enhance risk stratification beyond familial disease.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): The study was supported by the Medical Research Council, UK (MC-A651-53301); National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre; NIHR Royal Brompton Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Unit; British Heart Foundation (NH/17/1/32725, RG/19/6/34387, RE/18/4/34215).

Deep learning for automatic calcium scoring in population based cardiovascular screening

Background

High volumes of standardized coronary artery calcium (CAC) scans are generated in screening that need to be scored accurately and efficiently to risk stratify individuals.

Purpose

To evaluate the performance of deep learning based software for automatic coronary calcium scoring in a screening setting.

Methods

Participants from the Robinsca trial that underwent low-dose ECG-triggered cardiac CT for calcium scoring were included. CAC was measured with fully automated deep learning prototype and compared to the original manual assessment of the Robinsca trial. Detection rate, positive Agatston score and risk categorization (0–99, 100–399, ≥400) were compared using McNemar test, ICC, and Cohen's kappa. False negative (FN), false positive (FP) rate and diagnostic accuracy were determined for preventive treatment initiation (cut-off ≥100 AU).

Results

In total, 997 participants were included between December 2015 and June 2016. Median age was 61.0 y (IQR: 11.0) and 54.4% was male. A high agreement for detection was found between deep learning based and manual scoring, κ=0.87 (95% CI 0.85–0.89). Median Agatston score was 58.4 (IQR: 12.3–200.2) and 61.2 (IQR: 13.9–212.9) for deep learning based and manual assessment respectively, ICC was 0.958 (95% CI 0.951–0.964). Reclassification rate was 2.0%, with a very high agreement with κ=0.960 (95% CI: 0.943–0.997), p&lt;0.001. FN rate was 0.7% and FP rate was 0.1% and diagnostic accuracy was 99.2% for initiation of preventive treatment.

Conclusion

Deep learning based software for automatic CAC scoring can be used in a cardiovascular CT screening setting with high accuracy for risk categorization and initiation of preventive treatment.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – EU funding. Main funding source(s): Robinsca trial was supported by advanced grant of European Research Council

[Effects of ambient particulate matter (PM10) on prevalence of diabetes and fasting plasma glucose]

Objective: To explore the effect of long-term exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM₁₀) on the prevalence of diabetes and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). Methods: The subjects of the study were from the baseline population of "Jinchang Cohort", and 24 285 subjects were finally included after excluding incomplete home address information and diabetic diagnosis information. The demographic characteristics, lifestyle and health status of the survey subjects were collected through questionnaire, physical examination and laboratory tests. ArcGIS software was used to match the nearest environmental monitoring stations for each subject according to residential address. Two-year average concentrations of PM₁₀ were calculated to estimate exposure level. The logistic regression and the multiple linear regression were conducted to assess the effects of ambient PM₁₀ on the prevalence of diabetes and FPG. The restricted cubic spline was used to quantify the dose-response relationship. Stratified analysis and effect modification analysis were also performed. Results: The age of 24 285 participants was (49.32±8.60) years, and the BMI was (24.22±6.09) kg/m². There were 13 950 (57.44%) males and 2 066 (8.51%) diabetic patients. After adjusting for confounders, for every 10 μg/m³ increase in the average PM₁₀ concentration in the first two years of the survey, the prevalence of diabetes increased [OR (95%CI) =1.05 (1.01-1.09)]and the FPG level elevated [β (95%CI) = 0.061 (0.047-0.076) mmol/L]. The results of the restricted cubic spline analysis showed a nonlinear relationship between PM₁₀ concentration and FPG level (P<0.001). Further subgroup analysis showed that female [OR (95%CI) =1.10 (1.03-1.18)], people over 50 years old [OR (95%CI) =1.06 (1.02-1.11) ], subjects with family history of diabetes [OR (95%CI) = 1.13 (1.04-1.23) ], and with hypertension [OR (95%CI) = 1.07 (1.02-1.12) ] had a stronger association between the prevalence of diabetes and PM₁₀ exposure (all P interaction values were<0.05). The effects of PM₁₀ on FPG were more significant in people older than 50 years[β (95%CI) = 0.080 (0.050-0.109) mmol/L], with family history of diabetes [β (95%CI) = 0.087 (0.036-0.137) mmol/L], and hypertension [β (95%CI) = 0.077 (0.046-0.108) mmol/L] (all P interaction values were<0.05). Conclusions: Long-term exposure to ambient PM₁₀ increases the diabetes prevalence and FPG. People older than 50 years old, with family history of diabetes and hypertension could be more sensitive to the effects of PM₁₀ exposure.

[Screening and analysis of Treponema pallidum specific antibody among childbearing age people in rural areas of Yunnan province, 2013-2017]

Objective: To determine the prevalence, epidemiological characteristics, and related factors of syphilis infection among rural childbearing age people to promote medical interventions on pre-pregnancy aristogenesis and syphilis infection in Yunnan province. Methods: The subjects in this study were 18-49-year-old rural couples of childbearing age from the National Free Preconception Health Examination Project in Yunnan province during 2013-2017. The descriptive study was carried out to determine the positive rate of Treponema pallidum specific antibody (TPsAb) and related sociodemographic characteristics. Results: The overall positive rate of TPsAb was 0.38% (8 204/2 160 455) in 2 160 455 rural childbearing age people in Yunnan. The positive rate of TPsAb was 0.39% (4 019/1 040 981) in men,higher than that in women (0.37%,4 185/1 119 474). The positive rate of TPsAb was highest in the age group 45-49 years (0.70%,158/22 511). The positive rate of TP antibody in the minority ethnic groups and Han ethnic groups appeared the same (0.38%). However,the highest positive rate of TPsAb was 0.77% (461/60 153) in Hani ethnic group among all the 17 minority ethnic groups. People with education level of primary education had the highest anti-TP positive rate (0.54%,2 327/431 275). The positive rate of TPsAb appeared the highest in Zhaotong (0.73%, 2 049/281 614) area among all the 16 prefectures of the province. The positive rate of TPsAb in the population from the impoverished regions (0.50%,2 963/590 039) was higher than in other disadvantaged areas (0.34%, 3 115/929 368) or areas with average income (0.33%,2 126/641 048). Significant differences appeared in the positive rate of TPsAb among populations of different ages, ethnic, education level, and economic level groups (trend χ² test, P<0.001). Conclusions: The positive rate of TP antibody in rural childbearing age people in Yunnan was related to multi factors,including sex,age,ethnic group,education level,area, residence, and local economic situation. The positive rate of TPsAb was higher in men than in women. And people with elder age, lower education level, being Hani or Lahu ethnic group, and Zhaotong areas had higher TPsAb positive rates and higher syphilis infection risk.

[Relapse of ankylosing spondylitis and its predictors after withdrawal of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors: a 52-week follow-up study]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the recurrence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that has been relieved by standard-dose adalimumab (ADA) after dose reduction or withdrawal of tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor (TNFi) and explore the factors that predict AS occurrence.

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted among 63 patients with AS who reduced the dose of or discontinued TNFi after completing at least 12 treatment cycles with ADA (40 mg/2 weeks) to achieve ASAS20 improvement with a BATH disease activity index (BASDAI) < 4 for more than 8 weeks. The patients were followed up every 12 weeks for a total of 52 weeks, and the recurrence of AS, changes of BASDAI, C-reactive protein (CRP)-based disease activity score (ASDASCRP), low back pain (LBP) score, Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI), CRP and ESR were recorded and analyzed. Cox regression model and ROC curve analyses were performed to analyze the risk factors of AS relapse after dose reduction or discontinuation of TNFi.

OBJECTIVE

Of the 63 patients enrolled, 57 completed the follow-up study, among whom 22 (38.6%) patients experienced AS relapse within 52 weeks, with a median clinical recurrence time of 31 weeks. The recurrence rate of AS was significantly higher in patients with complete withdrawal of medications (89.0%) than in those with TNFi dose reduction and TNFi discontinuation (P < 0.001), and did not differ significantly between the latter two groups of patients (χ²= 0.071, P=0.791). The Cox regression model showed that a high baseline LBP score (HR=1.438, P=0.027) and a high BASMI score (HR=1.29, P=0.049) were the risk factors for AS recurrence after TNFi dose reduction or discontinuation, while maintenance of medication during follow-up was a protective factor (HR=0.209, P=0.001). ROC curve analysis showed that the combination of baseline LBP score, BASMI and medication during follow-up had a good predictive value for AS relapse (AUC=0.819) with a sensitivity of 0.772 and a specificity of 0.718.

OBJECTIVE

Dose reduction or discontinuation of TNFi is associated with a high recurrence rate of AS that has been relieved by TNFi treatment. A high LBP score, a high BASMI score and discontinuation of maintenance medication are the risk factors for AS recurrence in patients after dose reduction or withdrawal of TNFi.

POS0081 CLINICAL FEATURES OF PEDIATRIC BEHÇET’S DISEASE IN CHINA

Background:

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disease involving primarily the oral and genital mucosa, skin and eyes. Some patients exhibit broader involvement with multi-organ system inflammation, causing significant morbidity and mortality. With much of the literature focused on adult-onset BD, the clinical spectrum of BD in children is not well studied. The diagnosis of pediatric BD is difficult to make due to its rarity in childhood, the paucity of experience among pediatricians and the lack of validated diagnostic criteria.

Objectives:

We aim to describe the clinical characteristic of children with Behçet’s disease in China.

Methods:

We performed a cross-sectional cohort analysis of patients with BD recruited between June 2017 and May 2020. We enrolled a total of 848 patients with pediatric BD (onset prior to age 18 years) and 1531 patients with adult-onset BD. Clinical data were collected by retrospective chart review.

Results:

From a cohort of 848 patients with pediatric BD (412 males, 436 females), the average age of disease onset was 11.59 ± 4.11 years and the earliest case was appeared the first symptom at 7 months of age. Clinical manifestations in this group included recurrent oral aphtosis (100%), genital ulcers (77.71%), ocular involvement (30.19%), skin involvement (63.56%), neurological involvement (4.60%), gastrointestinal involvement (20.05%), vascular involvement (9.79%), heart valve involvement (3.66%), arthritis / arthralgia (32.43%), fever (0.35%) and positive pathergy test (21.11%; Table 1). The prevalence of these clinical findings was largely similar to that of adult BD patients with the exception of mild differences in the frequency of gastrointestinal, heart valve, joint involvement and fever. However, the time from symptom onset to diagnosis was significantly longer in children with BD compared to adults (13.34±9.13 years vs. 6.73±33.21 years, P<0.001). The most common initial symptom in pediatric BD was recurrent oral aphtosis (91.57% vs. 86.28% in adults, P<0.001).

In the pediatric group, clinical manifestations also differed between males and females. In addition to oral ulcers, the most common clinical manifestations in male patients were ocular involvement (42.23%), vascular involvement (15.53%), heart valve involvement (5.10%) and epididymitis (9.95%). Among female patients, the frequency of genital ulcers is significantly higher than that of men (86.24% vs. 68.69%, P<0.001).

Conclusion:

We described the clinical characteristics of a large cohort of pediatric BD patients in China. While the clinical manifestations are largely similar to adult BD, the time from symptom onset to diagnosis is significantly delayed in pediatric patients. Our study highlights the need to improve awareness of BD among pediatric providers to facilitate rapid diagnosis and treatment in children.

References:

[1]Yildiz et al. Pediatric Behçet’s disease- clinical aspects and current concepts. Eur J Rheumatol 2020; 7(Suppl 1): S38-S47.

[2]Koné-Paut. Behçet’s disease in children, an overview. Pediatric Rheumatology (2016) 14:10.

Table 1.

Comparison of clinical features of BD in children and adults

Children(n=848)Adult(n=1531)PAge of first symptom (y)11.59±4.1127.08±7.91Sex(M/F)412/436Years of diagnosis (y)13.34±9.136.73±33.21<0.001Recurrent oral aphthosis848 (100%)1518 (99.15%)0.007Genital Ulcers659 (77.71%)1891152 (75.24%)3790.176Ocular signs256 (30.19%)592508 (33.18%)10230.134Cutaneous signs539 (63.56%)3091020 (66.62%)5110.132Neurological signs39 (4.60%)80982 (5.36%)14490.421Gastrointestinal signs170 (20.05%)678244 (15.94%)13870.001Vascular signs83 (9.79%)765162 (10.58%)13690.542Heart valve signs31 (3.66%)817110 (7.18%)1421<0.001Joint signs275 (32.43%)573612 (39.97%)919<0.001Fever3 (0.35%)84522 (1.44%)15090.013Positive pathergy test179 (21.11%)669347 (22.66%)11840.381

Acknowledgements:

China Behcet’ Disease Patients Assossiation.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared.

POS0833 A RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY IN CHINESE PATIENTS WITH ADULT POLYMYOSITIS AND DERMATOMYOSITIS: RISK OF COMORBIDITIES AND SUBCLASSIFICATION USING MACHINE LEARNING

Background:

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), also known as myositis, refers to a group of heterogeneous disorders including polymyositis (PM), dermatomyositis (DM), inclusion body myositis and immune-mediated necrotising myopathy. Phenotype, pathogenesis, and prognosis vary due to multi-organ involvement and comorbidities. With the clinical application of MSAs, a new classification system for myositis was explored to reduce confusion between subgroups. But it is far from showing the full picture of myositis due to high heterogeneity. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically evaluate the relevant risk factors of myositis for ILD, other rheumatic diseases, and malignancy for better clinical vigilance. And further exploring the subclassification of myositis is critical.

Objectives:

To identify the risk factors in Chinese patients with adult polymyositis and dermatomyositis for their comorbidities and explore a subclassification system.

Methods:

Clinical records of 397 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies were retrospectively reviewed. Logistic regression was used to identify potential risk factors for interstitial lung disease (ILD), other rheumatic diseases, and malignancy after bivariate analysis. Hierarchical clustering and decisional tree were utilized to identify subgroups and explore a subclassification system.

Results:

A total of 119 polymyositis and 191 dermatomyositis patients were included. Anti-PM/Scl, anti-Ro52, anti-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase and anti-MDA5 (adjusted odds ratios (AOR)=4.779, 1.917, 5.092 and 7.714 respectively) antibodies were risks (p<0.05), whereas overlapping malignancy was protective (AOR=0.107; p=0.002) for ILD across polymyositis, dermatomyositis and the total group. In subgroup models, Raynaud’s phenomenon, arthralgia and semi-quantitative anti-nuclear antibody (AOR=51.233, 4.261, 3.047 respectively) were risks for other overlapping rheumatic diseases (p<0.05). For overlapping malignancy, male and anti-TIF1γ antibodies (AOR=2.533, 16.949) were risks (p<0.05), whereas disease duration and combination of ILD (AOR=0.954, 0.106) were protective in the total group (p<0.05); while anti-NXP2 antibodies were identified as risk factors (AOR=73.152; p=0.038) in polymyositis. Hierarchical clustering suggested a subclassification with 6 subgroups: malignancy overlapping dermatomyositis, classical dermatomyositis, polymyositis with severe muscle involvement, dermatomyositis with ILD, polymyositis with ILD, and overlapping of myositis with other rheumatic diseases according to the characteristics of grouped patients. Accuracy of the classification and regression trees model was 0.768 (95% CI 0.711 to 0.819) on training set and 0.633 (95%CI 0.499 to 0.754) on test set.

Conclusion:

Accompanying ILD, other rheumatic diseases and malignancy are strongly associated with clinical manifestation and myositis-specific or myositis-associated autoantibodies among Chinese polymyositis and dermatomyositis patients. The subclassification system proposed a more precise phenotype defining toward stratified treatments.

Acknowledgements:

The study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 81803932] and the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province [No. 2018030310025 and 2017A030313868]. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

The cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of dietary patterns with knee symptoms and MRI detected structure in patients with knee osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVES

To examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of dietary patterns with knee symptoms and structures in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

Participants with symptomatic knee OA were recruited from a randomised, placebo-controlled trial conducted in Tasmania (N = 259) and Victoria (N = 133). Diet was assessed by the Anti-Cancer Council of Victoria food frequency questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns. Knee symptoms were assessed using Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and structures using MRI. Multivariable linear regressions were used to examine associations.

RESULTS

Three dietary patterns ("high-fat", "healthy" and "mixed") were identified in whole sample. Participants with higher "healthy pattern" score had lower total WOMAC, pain, function and stiffness scores at baseline but the associations were not significant over 24 months. Three ("western", "vegetable and meat" and "mediterranean") and two ("processed" and "vegetable") patterns were identified in Tasmania and Victoria, respectively. Cross-sectionally, only "mediterranean pattern" and "vegetable pattern" scores were significantly and negatively associated with total WOMAC or function scores. Longitudinally, participants with higher "western pattern" had worsening function (β: 0.35, 95%CI: 0.03, 0.67) and total WOMAC (β: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.07, 0.72) scores; furthermore, "vegetable pattern" was associated with decreased WOMAC stiffness score (β: -0.47, 95%CI: -0.93, -0.02). In contrast, dietary patterns were largely not associated with structural changes.

CONCLUSION

Some healthy dietary patterns were associated with reduced joint symptoms but dietary patterns were not associated with joint structure in this sample with knee OA. Further studies are required to confirm these findings.

MicroRNA-26b-5p alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats via inhibiting the N-myc/PTEN axis by downregulating KLF10 expression

MicroRNAs plays important role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (CIR). However, the role of miR-26b-5p in CIR injury remains unclear. PC12 cells were treated with oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) for 0 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h, and then reoxygenated for 24 h to construct an in vitro I/R model. Then, miR-26b-5p mimic, small interfering RNA of KLF10 and KLF10 overexpression plasmid were transfected into cells respectively for mechanism study. Our results showed that miR-26b-5p was downregulated in OGD/R-induced PC12 cells. After overexpression of miR-26b-5p, cell proliferation ability was enhanced, apoptosis, ROS and inflammatory mediators were inhibited. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that miR-26b-5p was directly bound to the 3' UTR of KLF10, and downregulated the expression of KLF10. KLF10 was upregulated in OGD/R cells, and transfection with si-KLF10 promoted cell proliferation and reduced apoptosis, NO concentration and inflammatory factor secretion. Moreover, pcDNA-KLF10 reversed the inhibitory effects of miR-26b-5p mimic on apoptosis, NO content and inflammatory factor secretion, as well as the downregulation of N-myc and PTEN expression. Meanwhile, I/R rat models were constructed and divided into sham operation group (femoral artery isolation only), model group (middle cerebral artery occlusion model of rats was prepared by thread embolization), treatment group (200 µL of miR-26b-5p mimic was injected into the brain of model rats). We observed that the infarct size of brain tissue was reduced, KLF10 expression was downregulated, and apoptosis and inflammatory response were reduced. These results suggest that miR-26b-5p had protective effects on CIRI and it may be a potential treatment target.

Tafolecimab, a novel potential long-acting PCSK9 monoclonal antibody: efficacy and safety in healthy and hypercholesterolemia subjects

Background

LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) is a well-established risk factor for cardiovascular disease. PCSK9 binds LDL receptors, targeting them for degradation. The dosing intervals for currently available PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies are once every 2 or 4 weeks. Tafolecimab, a novel recombinant human PCSK9 monoclonal antibody, was found to have higher affinity with PCSK9 and show longer LDL-C reduction compared to evolocumab in preclinical studies.

Purposes

The objectives for the SAD and MAD studies were to investigate the safety and efficacy of tafolecimab and explore the optimal dosing schedule.

Methods

The phase 1 study was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, single-ascending dose study (SAD) in Chinese healthy subjects, who were randomized 3:1 to tafolecimab and placebo (n=58). SAD subjects received tafolecimab subcutaneously at 25/75/150/300/450/600mg, or intravenously at 75/450mg, monitored up to day 84. The phase 2 study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, repeated-dosing, multiple ascending dose (MAD) study in patients with hypercholesterolemia, who were randomized 4:1 to tafolecimab and placebo (n=60). MAD subjects received tafolecimab subcutaneously at 75/140mg every 2 weeks, 300/420mg every 4weeks, 450/600mg every 6 weeks up to day 84 or 98 with 3 months follow-up.

Results

In the SAD, the maximum mean reduction in LDL-C ranged from 52.2% to 72.1% and was achieved as early as 5 days (figure 1a). The duration of LDL-C reduction was tafolecimab dose dependent. In the MAD, the mean LDL-C concentrations were reduced by tafolecimab for each dose at 12 weeks relative to baseline (ranging from 54.30% to 72.26%; p&lt;0.001). Particularly, a 56.52% (−72.50%, −40.54%) reduction of LDL-C was observed in the cohort of 600mg Q6W. The effect sustained till week 14 (8 weeks after the last dose) where there was still a 43.46% (−60.96%, −25.96%) reduction from baseline (figure 1b). The mean reduction of Lp(a) at week 12 ranged from 24.04% to 50.59% relative to baseline. Tafolecimab reduced the other lipids when comparing with placebo. The pharmacokinetics/pharmadynamics (LDL-C) profiles of tafolecimab were well characterised and support the potential dosing interval of 6–8 weeks subcutaneously.

Both healthy and hypercholesterolemia subjects are generally tolerable to tafolecimab. Reported treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were: tafolecimab 23 (52.3%) vs. placebo 8 (57.1%); tafolecimab 34 (70.8%) vs. placebo 9 (75.0%) in the SAD and MAD respectively. There were no serious TEAEs or events leading to death or treatment discontinuation in both SAD and MAD.

Conclusions

Tafolecimab was well tolerated in both healthy and hypercholesterolemia in Chinese subjects, and improved lipid profile including LDL-C, Lp(a) and other lipids. The sustained effects on LDL-C suggests the potential of tafolecimab as a long-lasting PCSK9 inhibitor with dosing interval of 6–8 weeks or beyond.

Figure 1. LDL-C: Percent change from baseline

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): Innovent Biologics (Suzhou), China

LncRNA MALAT1 inhibits osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells in osteoporosis rats through MAPK signaling pathway

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore whether long non-coding ribonucleic acid metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (lncRNA MALAT1) could lead to osteoporosis (OP) by stimulating the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The OP model was first successfully established in rats. The expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in OP rats and normal rats was detected via quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were cultured and transfected to establish the MALAT1 knockdown model. Subsequently, the apoptosis of mesenchymal stem cells in MALAT1 siRNA group and NC siRNA group was detected via flow cytometry. Meanwhile, the expressions of the MAPK signaling pathway proteins related to OP were detected via Western blotting. After alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining in cells of both groups, early osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs was observed.

RESULTS

The results of qPCR showed that the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in OP rats was significantly lower than that of normal rats. It was observed under a fluorescence microscope that there were a large number of siRNA particles in BMSCs. The expression of lncRNA MALAT1 in cells was detected via Real Time-fluorescence qPCR as well. The results indicated that siRNA transfection could effectively inhibit the expression of lncRNA MALAT1, indicating successful transfection. Flow cytometry revealed that no significant difference was observed in the apoptosis of BMSCs between the MALAT1 siRNA group and NC siRNA group. Besides, the results of Western blotting showed that the expression levels of the MAPK signaling pathway-related proteins extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) and P38 in MALAT1 siRNA group were significantly higher than those of the NC siRNA group. This indicated that inhibiting the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 might promote the activation of the OP-related MAPK pathway. According to the results of ALP staining, the depth of staining in MALAT1 siRNA group was markedly declined when compared with the NC siRNA group. Quantification of ALP activity demonstrated that ALP activity in the MALAT1 siRNA group was markedly declined compared with the NC siRNA group. The above results suggested that suppressing the expression of lncRNA MALAT1 could reduce the ALP activity of BMSCs. Furthermore, lncRNA MALAT1 inhibited osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs.

CONCLUSIONS

LncRNA MALAT1 was lowly expressed in OP rats. Moreover, it inhibited osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs by enhancing the activation of the MAPK signaling pathway, thereby promoting OP progression.

Second harmonic generation microscopy using pixel reassignment

Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy is expected to be a powerful tool for observing the cellular-level functionality and morphology information of thick tissue owe to its unique imaging properties. However, the maximum attainable resolution obtainable by SHG microscopy is limited by the use of long-wavelength, near-infrared excitation. In this paper, we report the use of pixel reassignment to improve the spatial resolution of SHG microscopy. The SHG signal is imaged onto a position-sensitive camera, instead of a point detector typically used in conventional SHG microscope. The data processing is performed through pixel reassignment and subsequent deblurring operation. We present the basic principle and a rigorous theoretical model for SHG microscopy using pixel reassignment (SHG-PR). And for the first time, the optimal reassignment factor for SHG-PR is derived based on the coherent characteristics and the dependence of wavelength in SHG microscopy. To evaluate the spatial resolution improvement, images of nano-beads separated by different distances and of a microtubule array have been simulated. We gain about a 1.5-fold spatial resolution enhancement compared to conventional SHG microscopy. When a further deblurring operation is implemented, this method allows for a total spatial resolution enhancement of about 1.87. Additionally, we demonstrate the validity of SHG-PR for raw data with noise. LAY DESCRIPTION: Second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy has emerged as a powerful imaging technique in clinical diagnostics and biological research. SHG microscopy is label-free and provides intrinsic optical sectioning for three-dimensional (3D) imaging. However, a near-infrared excitation wavelength results a restriction in the maximum attainable spatial resolution of SHG microscopy. In this paper, we present a simple resolution-enhanced SHG imaging method, SHG microscopy using pixel reassignment (SHG-PR). We demonstrate a rigorous theoretical model for SHG-PR and derive the optimal reassignment factor. The simulation result shows the clear improvement of the image resolution and contrast in the SHG-PR after deblurring operation. The FWHM value of single microtubule shows that SHG-PR enables a spatial resolution enhancement by a factor of 1.5, compared to conventional SHG microscopy. After a proper deblurring operation, this method allows for a total spatial resolution enhancement of about 1.87. The improvements of spatial resolution and contrast are still valid for raw data with noise. It is expected that this method can contribute towards new insights in unstained tissue morphology, interaction of cells, and diseases diagnosis.

[Progress of cohort studies in countries from Asia and Europe]

Objective: To share related knowledge and experiences with countries along the line, literature regarding current cohort studies was summarized. Distribution, establishment and development of cohort studies among large prospective general population were analyzed in 17 countries of Western Asia and the 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Methods: Literature review was conducted to collect basic information on cohort studies, with descriptive study used to analyze the characteristics of these cohort studies. Results: There were 562 cohort studies with sample size as more than 1 000 stated in Western Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, including 468 (83.27%) carried out in the nation itself and 94 (16.73%) with international multicentered collaboration. According to the nature of cohort studies, 347 (61.74%) were etiologically based. As for the contents involved, 310 (55.16%) of them targeted on chronic/non-communicable diseases, 125 (22.24%) concentrated on maternal and child health. Among those on chronic/non-communicable diseases, 51 (16.45%) were on cancers and 83 (26.77%) on cardiovascular disease studies. There appeared 10 large prospective cohort studies targeting on general population, mainly ongoing in Iran and European countries, with a duration of 8-29 years, including 4 of them with sample size as more than 50 000. In terms of the contents, epidemiological investigation, physical examination and biological samples collection took the major parts. Few papers were published in 9 out of the 10 cohort studies at the early stage of those projects but the number of papers increased annually and stabilized to certain extent. Conclusions: The regional distribution of cohort studies carried out in countries from the Western Asia and Central and Eastern European areas appeared unbalanced. Contents of these designs would mainly involve etiological studies, with focus on non-communicable diseases as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, respiratory diseases, mental and psychological diseases, and maternal and infant health etc.. However, only few large prospective cohort studies would base on general population.