Real-world effectiveness of ustekinumab and vedolizumab in TNF-exposed pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis

OBJECTIVES

Vedolizumab (VDZ) and ustekinumab (UST) are second-line treatments in pediatric patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) refractory to antitumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy. Pediatric studies comparing the effectiveness of these medications are lacking. Using a registry from ImproveCareNow (ICN), a global research network in pediatric inflammatory bowel disease, we compared the effectiveness of UST and VDZ in anti-TNF refractory UC.

METHODS

We performed a propensity-score weighted regression analysis to compare corticosteroid-free clinical remission (CFCR) at 6 months from starting second-line therapy. Sensitivity analyses tested the robustness of our findings to different ways of handling missing outcome data. Secondary analyses evaluated alternative proxies of response and infection risk.

RESULTS

Our cohort included 262 patients on VDZ and 74 patients on UST. At baseline, the two groups differed on their mean pediatric UC activity index (PUCAI) (p = 0.03) but were otherwise similar. At Month 6, 28.3% of patients on VDZ and 25.8% of those on UST achieved CFCR (p = 0.76). Our primary model showed no difference in CFCR (odds ratio: 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.41-1.59) (p = 0.54). The time to biologic discontinuation was similar in both groups (hazard ratio: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.76-2.08) (p = 0.36), with the reference group being VDZ, and we found no differences in clinical response, growth parameters, hospitalizations, surgeries, infections, or malignancy risk. Sensitivity analyses supported these findings of similar effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

UST and VDZ are similarly effective for inducing clinical remission in anti-TNF refractory UC in pediatric patients. Providers should consider safety, tolerability, cost, and comorbidities when deciding between these therapies.

Evaluating the Relationship Between Nutrition and Post-colectomy Pouchitis in Pediatric Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

BACKGROUND

Pouchitis is the most frequent complication following restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis (RP-IPAA) in patients with Ulcerative colitis (UC). Pediatric data on nutritional status during RP-IPAA and in patients with pouchitis are limited.

AIMS

We aimed to delineate nutritional changes in children undergoing 2-stage and 3-stage surgeries and to evaluate the association between nutrition and the development of recurrent or chronic pouchitis.

METHODS

This single-center retrospective study involved 46 children with UC who underwent a RP-IPAA. Data were collected at each surgical stage and for up to 2-year post-ileostomy takedown. We used Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test to evaluate the differences in nutritional markers across surgical stages and logistic regression to identify the factors associated with recurrent or chronic pouchitis.

RESULTS

Twenty patients (43.5%) developed recurrent or chronic pouchitis. Children who underwent a 3-stage procedure had improvements in albumin, hematocrit, and body mass index (BMI)-for-age Z-scores (p < 0.01) between the first two stages. A positive trend in BMI-for-age Z-scores (p = 0.08) was identified in children with 2-stage procedures. All patients showed sustained nutritional improvement during the follow-up period. Among patients who underwent 3-stage surgeries, BMI worsened by 0.8 standard deviations (SDs) (p = 0.24) between the initial stages in those who developed recurrent or chronic pouchitis and improved by 1.1 SDs (p = 0.04) in those who did not.

CONCLUSIONS

Early improvement in BMI-for-age Z-scores following the initial stage was associated with lower rates of recurrent or chronic pouchitis. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.

Experience Using Ustekinumab in Pediatric Patients With Medically Refractory Crohn Disease

INTRODUCTION

Ustekinumab (UST), a human monoclonal antibody against interleukin-12 and 23, is approved to treat adult patients with psoriasis or Crohn disease (CD). Outcomes data for off-label use in pediatric patients with CD are limited.

AIM

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to analyze the long-term efficacy of UST, including dose adjustments, in the treatment of pediatric patients with medically refractory CD. Adverse events were documented.

METHODS

We identified 40 pediatric patients with CD treated with UST between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2019. Electronic medical records were reviewed for demographics, Paris Classification, significant comorbidities, previous CD therapy, adverse events after initiation, and surveillance markers at the time of their first dose and most recent clinic visit. A validated abbreviated pediatric CD activity index (aPCDAI) was used to assess response to therapy.

RESULTS

Thirty-eight pediatric patients with CD, including 34.2% with stricturing or penetrating disease, were analyzed after initiation of treatment with UST. Median age at diagnosis of CD was 12.5 years, and median age at UST induction was 17.2 years. No patients were anti-TNF-naive, and 34.2% were previously exposed to 2 or more anti-TNF agents. At time of last follow-up, 84.2% of patients remained on UST for a median duration on UST of 62.1 weeks, and 60.5% achieved clinical remission. Patients had significant improvement in aPCDAI scores, clinical remission rates, albumin, and hematocrit, and 89.5% of patients had no significant adverse events. Similar results were observed among those who required dose adjustment, including 61.1% achieving clinical remission, and among those with perianal disease, including 38.5% achieving clinical remission.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggest that, within our cohort of pediatric patients with CD, UST has long-term efficacy with no observed safety concerns. Dose adjustment may be helpful in achieving clinical remission.

Continued Statural Growth in Older Adolescents and Young Adults With Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis Beyond the Time of Expected Growth Plate Closure

BACKGROUND

Cessation of statural growth occurs with radiographic closure of the growth plates, radiographically defined as bone age (BA) 15 years in females and 17 in males.

METHODS

We determined the frequency of continued growth and compared the total height gain beyond the time of expected growth plate closure and the chronological age at achievement of final adult height in Crohn's disease (CD) vs ulcerative colitis (UC) and described height velocity curves in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) compared with children in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We identified all females older than chronological age (CA) 15 years and males older than CA 17 years with CD or UC in the ImproveCareNow registry who had height documented at ≥3 visits ≥6 months apart.

RESULTS

Three thousand seven patients (48% female; 76% CD) qualified. Of these patients, 80% manifested continued growth, more commonly in CD (81%) than UC (75%; P = 0.0002) and in females with CD (83%) than males with CD (79%; P = 0.012). Median height gain was greater in males with CD (1.6 cm) than in males with UC (1.3 cm; P = 0.0004), and in females with CD (1.8 cm) than in females with UC (1.5 cm; P = 0.025). Height velocity curves were shifted to the right in patients with IBD vs NHANES.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric patients with IBD frequently continue to grow beyond the time of expected growth plate closure. Unexpectedly, a high proportion of patients with UC exhibited continued growth, indicating delayed BA is also common in UC. Growth, a dynamic marker of disease status, requires continued monitoring even after patients transition from pediatric to adult care.

Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling and Metabolism Gene Signature in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Matched-case Control Pilot Study

GOAL

The aim of this study was to investigate gene expression levels of proteins involved in sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) metabolism and signaling in a pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient population.

BACKGROUND

IBD is a debilitating disease affecting 0.4% of the US population. The incidence of IBD in childhood is rising. Identifying effective targeted therapies that can be used safely in young patients and developing tools for selecting specific candidates for targeted therapies are important goals. Clinical IBD trials now underway target S1PR1, a receptor for the pro-inflammatory sphingolipid S1P. However, circulating and tissue sphingolipid levels and S1P-related gene expression have not been characterized in pediatric IBD.

METHODS

Pediatric IBD patients and controls were recruited in a four-site study. Patients received a clinical score using PUCAI or PCDAI evaluation. Colon biopsies were collected during endoscopy. Gene expression was measured by qRT-PCR. Plasma and gut tissue sphingolipids were measured by LC-MS/MS.

RESULTS

Genes of S1P synthesis (SPHK1, SPHK2), degradation (SGPL1), and signaling (S1PR1, S1PR2, and S1PR4) were significantly upregulated in colon biopsies of IBD patients with moderate/severe symptoms compared with controls or patients in remission. Tissue ceramide, dihydroceramide, and ceramide-1-phosphate (C1P) levels were significantly elevated in IBD patients compared with controls.

CONCLUSIONS

A signature of elevated S1P-related gene expression in colon tissues of pediatric IBD patients correlates with active disease and normalizes in remission. Biopsied gut tissue from symptomatic IBD patients contains high levels of pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory sphingolipids. A combined analysis of gut tissue sphingolipid profiles with this S1P-related gene signature may be useful for monitoring response to conventional therapy.

Bisphenol a increases risk for presumed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Hispanic adolescents in NHANES 2003-2010

BACKGROUND

Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a ubiquitous chemical and recognized endocrine disruptor associated with obesity and related disorders. We explored the association between BPA levels and suspected non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).

METHODS

Unweighted analyses were used to study the relationship between urinary BPA levels and suspected NAFLD (alanine aminotransferase (ALT). > 30 U/L, body mass index (BMI) Z-score > 1.064 and evidence of insulin resistance) using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (2003-2010) on 12-19 year olds. Unweighted and weighted analyses were used to evaluate the risk with only elevated ALT.

RESULTS

We included 944 adolescents with urinary BPA and fasting laboratory tests from a total of 7168 adolescents. Risk of suspected NAFLD was increased in the second quartile of BPA levels (1.4-2.7 ng/mL) when compared to the first (< 1.4 ng/mL) (Odds Ratio (OR) 4.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.44-12.41). The ORs for the third and second quartiles were positive but did not reach statistical significance. The association was stronger in Hispanics (n = 344) with BPA levels in the second (OR 6.12, 95% C.I. 1.62-23.15) quartile and when limiting the analyses to overweight/obese adolescents (n = 332), in the second (OR 5.56, 95% C.I. 1.28-24.06) and fourth BPA quartiles (OR 6.85, 95% C.I. 1.02-46.22) compared to the first quartile. BPA levels were not associated with ALT elevation.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of suspected NAFLD is increased in participants in higher quartiles of BPA exposure, particularly in those of Hispanic ethnicity. Further studies are required to fully understand the potential role of BPA in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

A Risk Score for Childhood Obesity in an Urban Latino Cohort

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether individual obesity risk factors, present during gestation, and the first 6 months of life, can be combined into a simple prognostic model that has the ability to accurately predict childhood obesity at age 5 years in a high-risk cohort.

STUDY DESIGN

A total of 201 Latina women were recruited during pregnancy, and their infants followed longitudinally. Ten risk factors for childhood obesity were included in an initial logistic model; a second reduced model was created via stepwise deletion (confirmed with nonparametric conditional random forest classifier), after which 5 risk factors remained. From each model, an obesity risk equation was derived, and an obesity risk score was generated for each patient. Derived algorithms were assessed using discrimination, calibration, and via predictive statistics.

RESULTS

Of the 166 children followed through age 5 years, 56 (32%) met criteria for childhood obesity. Discrimination accuracy for both derivation models was excellent, and after optimism-corrected bootstrapping, both models showed meaningful clinical performance. Both models were adequately calibrated, showed strong sensitivity and negative predictive value at conservatively set obesity risk thresholds, and displayed excellent specificity among those classified as highest risk. Birth weight z-score and change in weight-for-age z-score between birth and 6 months were the risk factors with the strongest contribution to the obesity risk score.

CONCLUSIONS

Obesity risk algorithms are reliable in their prediction of childhood obesity and have the potential to be integrated into the electronic medical record. These models could provide a filter for directing early prevention resources to children with high obesity risk but should be evaluated in a larger external dataset.

Breastfeeding offers protection against obesity in children of recently immigrated Latina women

Breastfeeding has been found to have a protective effect on subsequent development of obesity in childhood, particularly in white, non-Hispanic populations. The protective effect of nursing for more than 12 months in children of Latina women is less clear, which may be due to differences in levels of acculturation in previously studied populations. We evaluated the association between breastfeeding for 12 months or more and risk for obesity in a cohort of children of recently immigrated relatively unacculturated Latina mothers. Maternal characteristics at birth, including length of stay in the United States, breastfeeding habits at 4-6 weeks of age, 6 months, and 1 year, and anthropometric measurements were obtained for a cohort of 196 children participating in a prospective study. At 1 year of age 39.0% of infants were being breastfed. Being breastfed at 1 year of age was associated with a decreased risk of obesity in both univariate (odds ratio (OR) 0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.21-0.83) and multivariate models (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.02-0.93) adjusting for maternal BMI, marital status, education level, country of origin, age, years of living in the United States, and child's birth weight at 3 years of age, regardless of mother's acculturation status using length of stay in the United States as a proxy for acculturation. The association with breastfeeding persisted at 4 years of age as a protective factor for obesity (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.11-0.80). Breastfeeding for longer than 12 months provides a significant protective effect on the development of obesity in early childhood in a cohort of children of high-risk recently immigrated Latina women in San Francisco who were relatively unacculturated to the United States.