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Sharma D, Kozanoğlu I, Ataga KI, Benachi A, Büyükkurt S, Lanzkron S, Ozdogu H, Pancham S, Pecker LH, Robinson SE, Yilmaz Baran S, Howard J. Managing sickle cell disease and related complications in pregnancy: results of an international Delphi panel. Blood Adv 2024; 8:1018-1029. [PMID: 38206762 PMCID: PMC10879679 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 12/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Data to guide evidence-based management of pregnant people with sickle cell disease (SCD) are limited. This international Delphi panel aimed to identify consensus among multidisciplinary experts for SCD management during pregnancy. The 2-round Delphi process used questionnaires exploring 7 topics (antenatal care, hydroxyurea use, transfusion, prevention of complications, treatment of complications, delivery and follow-up, and bottlenecks and knowledge gaps) developed by a steering committee. Thirteen panelists (hematologists, physiologists, obstetricians, maternal fetal medicine, and transfusion medicine physicians) from the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and France completed the first survey; 12 panelists completed the second round. Anonymized responses were collected and summarized by a contract research organization (Akkodis Belgium). Consensus and strong consensus were predefined as 75% to 90% (9-10 of 12) and >90% (≥11 of 12) of panelists, respectively, agreeing or disagreeing on a response to a predefined clinical scenario or statement. In several areas of SCD management, consensus was achieved: experts recommended performing at least monthly multidisciplinary antenatal follow-up, administering prophylactic aspirin for preeclampsia prevention between gestational weeks 12 and 36, initiating prophylactic transfusion therapy in certain cases, or choosing automated red blood cell exchange over other transfusion methods for patients with iron overload or severe acute chest syndrome. No consensus was reached on several topics including the prophylactic aspirin dose, indications for starting infection prophylaxis, routine use of prophylactic transfusions, or use of prophylactic transfusions for preventing fetal complications. These recommendations could inform clinical care for patients with SCD who are pregnant in the absence of large clinical trials involving this population; the identified knowledge gaps can orient future research.
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Chakravorty S, Drasar E, Kaya B, Kesse-Adu R, Velangi M, Wright J, Howard J. UK Haemoglobin Disorders Peer Review: A Quality Standards-based review programme for sickle cell disease and thalassaemia. Br J Haematol 2024; 204:668-676. [PMID: 37786398 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.19114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
We evaluated the impact of peer reviews in driving improvement in healthcare quality for people with haemoglobinopathy in the United Kingdom. We analysed compliance to four Quality Standards (QS)-based peer reviews from 2010 to 2020 to evaluate its impact in driving healthcare quality. Seventeen paediatric and 29 adult haemoglobinopathy centres were reviewed in 2010/11 and 2012/13 respectively; 33 paediatric and 33 adult centres were reviewed in 2014/16, and 32 paediatric and 32 adult centres were reviewed in 2018/2020. Compliance with QS and participant feedback were analysed to assess the impact of peer review programmes to drive improvement in quality of care. We noted that haemoglobinopathy centres significantly improved their compliance to QS between the first two review programmes, but not in the final review programme. In comparison to other disease-group reviews, the haemoglobinopathy departments were less able to address critical peer review recommendations in their own institutions. The peer review programme was unable to drive sustained improvement in healthcare quality, underscoring the need for sustained development and support for haemoglobinopathy services in the National Health Service. Further work is needed to understand why disparities exist among peer review-driven improvement initiatives within different disease groups.
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Lakritz J, Aarnes TK, Alva B, Howard J, Magnin G, Lerche P, Kukanich B. Pharmacokinetics of oral tapentadol in cats. J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2024; 47:14-20. [PMID: 37350452 DOI: 10.1111/jvp.13399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023]
Abstract
To evaluate pharmacokinetics of one dose of tapentadol hydrochloride orally administered to cats. Prospective experimental study. Five healthy adult mixed-breed cats. Each cat received 18.8 ± 1.0 mg/kg tapentadol orally. Venous blood samples were collected at time 0 (immediately prior to administration of tapentadol) 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 min, and 2, 4, 8, 12 to 24 h after drug administration. Plasma tapentadol concentrations and its metabolites were determined using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Geometric mean Tmax of tapentadol, desmethyltapentadol, tapentadol-O-glucuronide, and tapentadol-O-sulfate was 2.3, 7.0, 6.0, and 4.6 h, respectively. Mean Cmax of tapentadol, desmethyltapentadol, tapentadol-O-glucuronide, and tapentadol-O-sulfate was 637, 66, 1134, and 15,757 ng/mL, respectively, after administration. Mean half-life of tapentadol, desmethyltapentadol, tapentadol-O-glucuronide, and tapentadol-O-sulfate was 2.4, 4.7, 2.9, and 10.8 h. The relative exposure of tapentadol and its metabolites were tapentadol 2.65%, desmethyltapentadol 0.54%, tapentadol-O-glucuronide 6.22%, and tapentadol-O-sulfate 90.6%. Tapentadol-O-sulfate was the predominant metabolite following the administration of oral tapentadol in cats. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the association of analgesia with plasma concentrations of tapentadol.
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Wolfer LA, Basso WU, Frey CF, Schuller S, Amphimaque B, Jankovic J, Howard J, Peters LM. Biliary Enterocytozoon bieneusi infection in a dog under immunomodulatory therapy. J Small Anim Pract 2023. [PMID: 37017013 DOI: 10.1111/jsap.13612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
An 8-year-old female spayed Labrador retriever was presented for the evaluation of severe weight loss 10 weeks after starting an immunomodulatory treatment, including prednisolone and cyclosporine, for meningoencephalitis of unknown origin. Plasma biochemistry analysis showed mild to moderate increases in liver enzyme activities and a moderate decrease in urea concentration. Abdominal ultrasound revealed mild hepatomegaly and a large gall bladder with unremarkable wall and content. Cholecystocentesis was performed and bile was examined both cytologically and by molecular methods, which revealed the presence of Enterocytozoon bieneusi. Treatment was initiated with albendazole but was discontinued due to the development of severe neutropenia. The medical management was subsequently changed to fenbendazole and the dog made a complete recovery. This report describes the first case of clinical manifestation and successful treatment of biliary E. bieneusi infection in a dog.
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Stieber F, Allen N, Carpenter K, Hu P, Alagna R, Rao S, Manissero D, Howard J, Nikolayevskyy V. Durability of COVID-19 vaccine induced T-cell mediated immune responses measured using the QuantiFERON SARS-CoV-2 assay. Pulmonology 2023; 29:151-153. [PMID: 36402704 PMCID: PMC9671490 DOI: 10.1016/j.pulmoe.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Howard J, Awad M, Ma Y, Abdelwahab M, Poomkonsarn S, Riley R, Yung-Chuan Liu S. Quality of Life after Large Maxillomandibular Advancement Surgery for Obstructive Sleep Apnea using a Single-Item Global Instrument. Sleep Med 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2022.05.729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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Howard J, Levinger C, Wang W, Takata H, Nathanson S, Fromentin R, Chomont N, Trautmann L, Bosque A. PP 1.10 – 00069 Isotretinoin enhances IL-15 mediated HIV latency reversal and reduces the inducible latent reservoir. J Virus Erad 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jve.2022.100115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
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Ashkir Z, Teoh Z, Ganesananthan S, Ahmed-Jushuf F, Beattie CJ, Asher A, Kelshiker M, Howard J, Al-Lamee R. Medication adherence assessment and reporting in cardiovascular randomised controlled trials. Eur Heart J 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac544.2865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Despite the knowledge that suboptimal adherence to medications may have an impact on the impact of treatment interventions, the assessment and reporting of medication adherence in cardiovascular randomised controlled trials has not been well studied. In this review we sought to study the differences in medication adherence assessment and reporting in cardiovascular randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing interventional procedures to medical therapy alone in four major cardiovascular conditions: coronary disease (CAD), atrial fibrillation (AF), heart failure (HF) and hypertension (HTN).
Methods
Comprehensive searches of PUBMED/MEDLINE, Clinicaltrials.gov and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were performed. Two independent authors screened and extracted general study data, adherence assessment methodology and adherence reporting characteristics from eligible RCTs.
Results
A total of 568 studies (257 HTN, 120 HF, 116 CAD and 75 AF RCTs) published between 2014–2019 were included in the review. Overall, only 44.7% of RCTs assessed adherence, 14.1% defined “good” adherence and 21.1% reported adherence results. HTN and CAD trials performed significantly better than HF and AF studies in all three parameters. Compared to drug trials, procedural trials were significantly less likely to assess adherence (21.1% vs 45.7%, p<0.001), define good adherence (7% vs 15.5%, p<0.001) or report adherence results (10.5% vs 21.3%, p=0.046). Adherence assessment practices were further significantly influenced by funding, placebo status and study outcome. Pill count/return of packaging was the most utilised method (49.5%) and direct observation the least utilised (1.1%). Adherence was calculated in 55.9% of RCTs with studies using different formulas and setting different thresholds for “good” adherence but most setting this at 80% adherence. Adherence reporting practices also varied significantly between RCTs. Most studies (53%) that assessed adherence, did not in fact report their results.
Conclusion
Our findings expose significant inconsistencies in adherence assessment and reporting practices amongst cardiovascular RCTs. This is a systemic problem with important implications on research quality and reliability. We therefore recommend the incorporation of mandatory adherence assessment and reporting into international reporting guidelines for RCTs such as the CONSORT statement. We also propose a grading system which once validated may be used to appraise standards of adherence assessment and reporting in RCTs.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
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Vimalesvaran K, Uslu F, Zaman S, Howard J, Bharath A, Cole G. Machine learning can accurately detect abnormal aortic valves in CMR. Eur Heart J 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehac544.236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Improving the efficiency of CMR by acquiring fewer, and more targeted sequences, would improve the diagnostic yield and reduce patient recalls. An AI-assisted clinical decision support system (CDSS) could deliver this efficiency using adaptive scanning protocols which replicate the expertise of highly trained clinicians. Normal aortic valve anatomy on the three-chamber (3CH) cine CMR is a guide to rationalising subsequent sequences, and therefore is a suitable base case for developing an AI-CDSS for CMR.
Purpose
We propose a machine learning approach to differentiate between normal and abnormal aortic valves from the 3CH cine.
Methods
We curated a unique expert-annotated dataset of 1221 frames from eighty CMR studies. For each frame, AV landmarks (two hinge points and two leaflets), and stenotic and regurgitant jets were labelled by three cardiologists.
We then tested two AI models (Figure 1) to detect these AV abnormalities: A) a convolutional neural network (CNN), and B) a random forest approach.
A) Using heat map regression, the AV was localised, and the jets (if present) were identified as pathological curves. We then tracked and quantified the curves in the estimated heatmaps based on their proximity, the length, orientation and angle with respect to the hinge points.
B) We used a random forest approach to classify cases as normal or abnormal by using the characteristics of estimated pathological curves obtained from the heat map regression output.
We trained and evaluated our models on an unseen dataset of 1017 CMR studies obtained from different scanner types across three NHS hospitals. Each CMR study report was manually assigned a binary ground truth label for a normal or abnormal AV. In total 496/1017 patients had an abnormal AV. Of those abnormal cases, 184 patients had aortic stenosis, 222 aortic regurgitation and 90 cases had mixed valve disease.
We assessed the classification performance of our method with accuracy and an F1 score – a composite of precision and recall, where 1 is perfect; and heatmap regression performance for curves with mean absolute error.
Results
This machine learning approach classified abnormal aortic valves with good agreement to the ground truth labels with mean accuracy of 0.93 (representing approximately 451/496 patients) and mean F1 score of 0.91. The AV hinge points were localised with a mean distance error of 3.5 pixels. This was despite the small size of expert labelled data.
Conclusion
This machine learning solution successfully differentiated between normal and abnormal aortic valves from routine 3CH cine CMR views. More labelled datasets will enable further classification of pathology and severity, and greater accuracy. Our results represent an important stepping stone towards an AI-assisted CDSS for CMR.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): This work was supported by the UKRI CDT in AI for Healthcare http://ai4health.io
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Stotesbury H, Kawadler JM, Clayden JD, Saunders DE, Hood AM, Koelbel M, Sahota S, Rees DC, Wilkey O, Layton M, Pelidis M, Inusa BPD, Howard J, Chakravorty S, Clark CA, Kirkham FJ. Quantification of Silent Cerebral Infarction on High-Resolution FLAIR and Cognition in Sickle Cell Anemia. Front Neurol 2022; 13:867329. [PMID: 35847220 PMCID: PMC9277177 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.867329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Research in sickle cell anemia (SCA) has used, with limited race-matched control data, binary categorization of patients according to the presence or absence of silent cerebral infarction (SCI). SCI have primarily been identified using low-resolution MRI, with radiological definitions varying in lesion length and the requirement for abnormality on both fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T1-weighted images. We aimed to assess the effect of published SCI definitions on global, regional, and lobar lesion metrics and their value in predicting cognition. One hundred and six patients with SCA and 48 controls aged 8-30 years underwent 3T MRI with a high-resolution FLAIR sequence and Wechsler cognitive assessment. Prevalence, number, and volume of lesions were calculated using a semi-automated pipeline for SCI defined as: (1) Liberal: any length (L-SCI); (2) Traditional: >3 mm in greatest dimension (T-SCI); (3) Restrictive; >3 mm in greatest dimension with a corresponding T1-weighted hypo-intensity (R-SCI). Globally, as hypothesized, there were large effects of SCI definition on lesion metrics in patients and controls, with prevalence varying from 24-42% in patients, and 4-23% in controls. However, contrary to hypotheses, there was no effect of any global metric on cognition. Regionally, there was a consistent distribution of SCI in frontal and parietal deep and juxta-cortical regions across definitions and metrics in patients, but no consistent distribution in controls. Effects of regional SCI metrics on cognitive performance were of small magnitude; some were paradoxical. These findings expose the challenges associated with the widespread use of SCI presence as a biomarker of white-matter injury and cognitive dysfunction in cross-sectional high-resolution MRI studies in patients with SCA. The findings indicate that with high-resolution MRI: (1) radiological definitions have a large effect on resulting lesion groups, numbers, and volumes; (2) there is a non-negligible prevalence of lesions in young healthy controls; and (3) at the group-level, there is no cross-sectional association between global lesion metrics and general cognitive impairment irrespective of lesion definition and metric. With high-resolution multi-modal MRI, the dichotomy of presence or absence of SCI does not appear to be a sensitive biomarker for the detection of functionally significant pathology; the search for appropriate endpoints for clinical treatment trials should continue.
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Stotesbury H, Hales PW, Koelbel M, Hood AM, Kawadler JM, Saunders DE, Sahota S, Rees DC, Wilkey O, Layton M, Pelidis M, Inusa BPD, Howard J, Chakravorty S, Clark CA, Kirkham FJ. Venous cerebral blood flow quantification and cognition in patients with sickle cell anemia. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab 2022; 42:1061-1077. [PMID: 34986673 PMCID: PMC9121533 DOI: 10.1177/0271678x211072391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Prior studies have described high venous signal qualitatively using arterial spin labelling (ASL) in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), consistent with arteriovenous shunting. We aimed to quantify the effect and explored cross-sectional associations with arterial oxygen content (CaO2), disease-modifying treatments, silent cerebral infarction (SCI), and cognitive performance. 94 patients with SCA and 42 controls underwent cognitive assessment and MRI with single- and multi- inflow time (TI) ASL sequences. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and bolus arrival time (BAT) were examined across gray and white matter and high-signal regions of the sagittal sinus. Across gray and white matter, increases in CBF and reductions in BAT were observed in association with reduced CaO2 in patients, irrespective of sequence. Across high-signal sagittal sinus regions, CBF was also increased in association with reduced CaO2 using both sequences. However, BAT was increased rather than reduced in patients across these regions, with no association with CaO2. Using the multiTI sequence in patients, increases in CBF across white matter and high-signal sagittal sinus regions were associated with poorer cognitive performance. These novel findings highlight the utility of multiTI ASL in illuminating, and identifying objectively quantifiable and functionally significant markers of, regional hemodynamic stress in patients with SCA.
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Achebe M, Hassab H, Alkindi S, Brown C, Telfer P, Biemond B, Gordeuk V, Lipato T, Alfa Cissé O, Darson F, Tonda M, Gray S, Howard J. Sécurité et efficacité à long terme du voxelotor chez des patients atteints de drépanocytose : résultats d’une étude d’extension en ouvert de l’essai de phase 3 HOPE. Rev Med Interne 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.revmed.2022.03.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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13
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Stotesbury H, Hales PW, Hood AM, Koelbel M, Kawadler JM, Saunders DE, Sahota S, Rees DC, Wilkey O, Layton M, Pelidis M, Inusa BPD, Howard J, Chakravorty S, Clark CA, Kirkham FJ. Individual Watershed Areas in Sickle Cell Anemia: An Arterial Spin Labeling Study. Front Physiol 2022; 13:865391. [PMID: 35592036 PMCID: PMC9110791 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.865391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have pointed to a role for regional cerebral hemodynamic stress in neurological complications in patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA), with watershed regions identified as particularly at risk of ischemic tissue injury. Using single- and multi-inflow time (TI) arterial spin labeling sequences (ASL) in 94 patients with SCA and 42 controls, the present study sought to investigate cerebral blood flow (CBF) and bolus arrival times (BAT) across gray matter, white matter with early arrival times, and in individual watershed areas (iWSAs). In iWSAs, associations between hemodynamic parameters, lesion burden, white matter integrity, and general cognitive performance were also explored. In patients, increases in CBF and reductions in BAT were observed in association with reduced arterial oxygen content across gray matter and white matter with early arrival times using both sequences (all p < 0.001, d = -1.55--2.21). Across iWSAs, there was a discrepancy between sequences, with estimates based on the single-TI sequence indicating higher CBF in association with reduced arterial oxygen content in SCA patients, and estimates based on the multi-TI sequence indicating no significant between-group differences or associations with arterial oxygen content. Lesion burden was similar between white matter with early arrival times and iWSAs in both patients and controls, and using both sequences, only trend-level associations between iWSA CBF and iWSA lesion burden were observed in patients. Further, using the multi-TI sequence in patients, increased iWSA CBF was associated with reduced iWSA microstructural tissue integrity and slower processing speed. Taken together, the results highlight the need for researchers to consider BAT when estimating CBF using single-TI sequences. Moreover, the findings demonstrate the feasibility of multi-TI ASL for objective delineation of iWSAs and for detection of regional hemodynamic stress that is associated with reduced microstructural tissue integrity and slower processing speed. This technique may hold promise for future studies and treatment trials.
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Vora SM, Boyd S, Denny N, Jackson E, Roy NBA, Howard J, Lugthart S. Expanded eligibility for emerging therapies in sickle cell disease in the UK - crizanlizumab and voxelotor. Br J Haematol 2022; 197:502-504. [PMID: 35189668 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.18059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 01/06/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Oakley LL, Mitchell S, von Rege I, Hadebe R, Howard J, Robinson SE, Oteng-Ntim E. Perinatal outcomes in women with sickle cell disease: a matched cohort study from London, UK. Br J Haematol 2021; 196:1069-1075. [PMID: 34881428 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
There are limited data on contemporary outcomes for women with sickle cell disease (SCD) in pregnancy. We conducted a single-site matched cohort study, comparing 131 pregnancies to women with SCD between 2007 and 2017 to a comparison group of 1310 pregnancies unaffected by SCD. Restricting our analysis to singleton pregnancies that reached 24 weeks of gestation, we used conditional Poisson regression to estimate adjusted risk ratios (aRRs) for perinatal outcomes. Infants born to mothers with SCD were more likely to be small for gestational age [aRR 1·69, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·13-2·48], preterm (aRR 2·62, 95% CI 1·82-3·78) and require Neonatal Unit (NNU) admission (aRR 3·59, 95% CI 2·18-5·90). Pregnant women with SCD were at higher risk of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia (aRR 3·53, 95% CI 2·00-6·24), more likely to receive induction of labour (aRR 2·50, 95% CI 1·82-1·76) and caesarean birth (aRR 1·44, 95% CI 1·18-1·76). In analysis stratified by genotype, the risk of adverse outcomes was highest in haemoglobin SS (HbSS) pregnancies (n = 80). There was no strong evidence that haemoglobin SC (HbSC) pregnancies (n = 46) were at higher risk of preterm birth, caesarean delivery, or NNU admission. Pre-eclampsia/eclampsia was more frequently observed in HbSC pregnancies. Despite improvements in the care of pregnant women with SCD, the increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes remains.
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Stieber F, Howard J, Manissero D, Boyle J, Ndunda N, Love J, Yang M, Schumacher A, Uchiyama R, Parsons S, Miller C, Douwes H, Mielens Z, Laing T, Nikolayevskyy V. Evaluation of a lateral-flow nanoparticle fluorescence assay for TB infection diagnosis. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2021; 25:917-922. [PMID: 34686234 PMCID: PMC8544925 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.21.0391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Programmatic management of TB infection is a critical component of the WHO End TB Strategy. Interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) overcome some limitations of the tuberculin skin test, but implementation of IGRA testing in low-resource settings is challenging. METHODS: In this feasibility study, we evaluated performance of a novel digital lateral-flow assay, the QIAreach® QuantiFERON® TB (QIAreach-QFT) test, against the QuantiFERON®-TB Gold Plus (QFT-Plus) assay. A population with a mix of risk factors for TB infection (111 donors) were sampled over multiple days. A total of 207 individual blood samples were tested according to the manufacturer’s instructions. RESULTS: The overall percentage agreement was 95.6% (two-sided 95% CI 91.8–98), with a positive percentage agreement (i.e., sensitivity) of 100% (95% CI 94.7–100) and a negative percentage agreement (i.e., specificity) of 95.6% (95% CI 90.6–98.4). All QFT-Plus positive specimens with TB1-Nil and TB2-Nil values less than 1 IU/ml tested positive on QIAreach-QFT. CONCLUSIONS: QIAreach QFT is a deployable, accurate testing solution for decentralised testing. It has the potential to overcome key hurdles for TB infection screening in high-burden settings thus helping to achieve the WHO End TB programme goals.
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Stowell C, Howard J, Cole G, Ananthan K, Demetrescu C, Pearce K, Rajani R, Sehmi J, Vimalesvaran K, Kanaganayagam S, Ghosh A, Chambers J, Rana B, Francis D, Shun-Shin M. Automated left ventricular dimension assessment using artificial intelligence. Eur Heart J 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab724.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background and purpose
Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to greatly improve efficiency and reproducibility of quantification in echocardiography, but to gain widespread use it must both meet expert standards of excellence and have a transparent methodology. We developed an online platform to enable multiple collaborators to annotate medical images for training and validating neural networks.
Methods
Using our online collaborative platform 9 expert echocardiographers labelled 2056 images that comprised the training dataset. They labelled the four points from where the standard parasternal long axis (PLAX) measurements (interventricular septum, posterior wall, left ventricular dimension) would be made. Using these labelled images we trained a 2d convolutional neural network to replicate these labels. Separately, we curated an external validation dataset of the systolic and diastolic frames of 100 PLAX acquisitions. Each of these images were labelled twice by 13 different experts, and the average of the 26 measurements was taken as the consensus standard.
We then compared the individual experts and the AI measurements on the external validation dataset to the consensus standard, and calculated the precision standard deviation (SD) of the signed differences from the consensus standard.
Results
For diastolic septum thickness, the AI had a precision SD of 1.8 mm (ICC 0.81; 95% CI 0.73 to 0.97), compared with 2.0 mm for the individual experts (ICC 0.64; 95% CI 0.57 to 0.72). For diastolic posterior wall thickness, the AI had a precision SD 1.4 mm (ICC 0.54; 95% CI 0.38 to 0.66), and the individual experts 2.2 mm (ICC 0.37; 95% CI 0.29 to 0.46).
The AI's precision SD for left ventricular internal dimension was 3.5 mm (ICC 0.93, 95% CI 0.90 to 0.94), and for individual experts was 4.4mm (ICC 0.82, 95% CI 0.78 to 0.95). Both the experts and AI performed better in diastole than systole (precision SD AI 2.5mm vs 4.3mm, p<0.0001; experts 3.3mm vs 5.3mm, p<0.0001).
Conclusions
AI trained by a group of echocardiography experts was able to perform PLAX measurements which matched the reference standard more closely than any individual expert's own measurements.
This open, collaborative approach may be a model for the development of AI that is explainable to, and trusted by clinicians.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NIHR Imperil BRC ITMATDr Howard was additionally funded by Wellcome. Online collaborative platformResults of AI and experts
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Stowell C, Howard J, Demetrescu C, Bhattacharyya S, Mangion K, Vimalesvaran K, Cole G, Rajani R, Sehmi J, Alzetani M, Zolgharni M, Rana B, Francis D, Shun-Shin M. Fully automated global longitudinal strain assessment using artificial intelligence developed and validated by a UK-wide echocardiography expert collaborative. Eur Heart J 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab724.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Left ventricular longitudinal strain has been reported to deliver reproducibility, sensitivity and prognostic value over and above ejection fraction. However, it currently relies on uninspectable proprietary algorithms and suffers from a lack of widespread clinical use. Uptake may be improved by increasing user trust through greater transparency.
Purpose
We therefore developed a machine-learning based method, trained, and validated with accredited experts from our AI Echocardiography Collaborative. We make the dataset, code, and trained network freely available under an open-source license.
Methods
AI enables strain to be calculated without relying on speckle tracking by directly locating key points and borders across frames. Strain can then be calculated as the fractional shortening of the left ventricular perimeter. We first curated a dataset of 7523 images, including 2587 apical four chamber, each labelled by a single expert from our collaboration of 17 hospitals, using our online platform (Figure 1). Using both this dataset and a semi-supervised approach, we trained a 3d convolutional neural network to identify the annulus, apex, and the endocardial border throughout the cardiac cycle.
Separately, we constructed an external validation dataset of 100 apical 4 chamber video-loops. The systolic and diastolic frame were identified, and each image was separately labelled by 11 experts. From these labels we then derived the expert consensus strain for each of the 100 video loops. These experts also ordered all 100 echocardiograms by their visual grading of left ventricular longitudinal function. Finally, a single expert calculated strain using two different proprietary commercial packages (A and B).
Results
Consensus strain measurements (obtained by averaging individual assessments by the 11 experts) across the 100 cases ranged from −4% to −27%, with strong correlations with the individual experts and machine methods (Figure 2). Using each cases' consensus across experts as the gold standard, median error from consensus was 3.1% for individual experts, 3.4% for Propriety A, 2.6% for Proprietary B, 2.6% for our AI.
Using the visual grading of longitudinal strain as the reference, the 11 individual experts and 4 machine methods each showed significant correlation: coefficients ranged from 0.55 to 0.69 for experts, and for Proprietary A was 0.68, Proprietary B 0.69, and our AI 0.69.
Conclusions
Our open-source, vendor-independent AI-based strain measure automatically produces values that agree with expert consensus, as strongly as the individual experts do. It also agrees with the subjective visual ranking by longitudinal function. Our open-source AI strain performs at least as well as closed-source speckle-based approaches, and may enable increased clinical and research use of longitudinal strain.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): NIHR Imperial BRC ITMAT.Dr Howard was additionally funded by Wellcome. Figure 1. Collaborative online platformFigure 2. Correlations between strain methods
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Hood AM, Kölbel M, Stotesbury H, Kawadler J, Slee A, Inusa B, Pelidis M, Howard J, Chakravorty S, Height S, Awogbade M, Kirkham FJ, Liossi C. Biopsychosocial Predictors of Quality of Life in Paediatric Patients With Sickle Cell Disease. Front Psychol 2021; 12:681137. [PMID: 34594262 PMCID: PMC8476744 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.681137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) refers to a group of inherited blood disorders with considerable morbidity that causes severe pain, reduces life expectancy, and requires significant self-management. Acute painful episodes are the hallmark of SCD, but persistent daily pain is also highly prevalent in this population. Characterising the impact and experience of SCD-related morbidity (i.e., sleep disruption, frequent emergency department visits, cognitive dysfunction) on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) requires multiple assessment methods to best capture the underlying mechanisms. To gain a greater understanding of the effect of common symptom categories on HRQOL and to determine potential pain coping targets, the present study investigated whether demographic, socioeconomic, sleepiness, pain burden, frequency of emergency department (ED) visits, and cognition predicted HRQOL in a paediatric sample of patients with SCD. Our study was a secondary analysis of baseline assessment data of children with SCD aged 8-15 years (n = 30) in the Prevention of Morbidity in Sickle Cell Anaemia Phase 2b (POMSb2) randomised controlled clinical trial of auto-adjusting continuous positive airways pressure. Patients completed cognitive testing (IQ, Processing Speed Index, Delis-Kaplan Executive Function Scale (DKEFS) Tower, Conner's Continuous Performance Test), sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale), and HRQOL (PedsQL Sickle Cell Module) at baseline. Patients reported pain burden (Sickle Cell Pain Burden Inventory-Youth) each month over 8 visits. Caregivers provided demographic information and reported their child's executive function (Behavioural Rating Inventory of Executive Function) at baseline. Data from our analysis demonstrated that demographic factors (i.e., age, gender, level of neighbourhood deprivation) and treatment variables (i.e., hydroxyurea use) did not independently predict HRQOL, and laboratory values (i.e., haemoglobin, haematocrit, mean oxygen saturation) were not significantly correlated with HRQOL (ps > 0.05). However, sleepiness, pain burden, ED visits, and executive dysfunction independently predicted HRQOL (R 2 = 0.66) with large effects (η2 = 0.16 to 0.32). These findings identify specific, measurable symptom categories that may serve as targets to improve HRQOL that are responsive to change. This knowledge will be useful for multimodal interventions for paediatric patients with SCD that include sleep management, pain coping strategies, and executive function training.
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Oteng-Ntim E, Pavord S, Howard R, Robinson S, Oakley L, Mackillop L, Pancham S, Howard J. Management of sickle cell disease in pregnancy. A British Society for Haematology Guideline. Br J Haematol 2021; 194:980-995. [PMID: 34409598 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.17671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
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Christopherson AR, Betti R, Forrest CJ, Howard J, Theobald W, Delettrez JA, Rosenberg MJ, Solodov AA, Stoeckl C, Patel D, Gopalaswamy V, Cao D, Peebles JL, Edgell DH, Seka W, Epstein R, Wei MS, Gatu Johnson M, Simpson R, Regan SP, Campbell EM. Direct Measurements of DT Fuel Preheat from Hot Electrons in Direct-Drive Inertial Confinement Fusion. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 127:055001. [PMID: 34397224 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.127.055001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 01/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Hot electrons generated by laser-plasma instabilities degrade the performance of laser-fusion implosions by preheating the DT fuel and reducing core compression. The hot-electron energy deposition in the DT fuel has been directly measured for the first time by comparing the hard x-ray signals between DT-layered and mass-equivalent ablator-only implosions. The electron energy deposition profile in the fuel is inferred through dedicated experiments using Cu-doped payloads of varying thickness. The measured preheat energy accurately explains the areal-density degradation observed in many OMEGA implosions. This technique can be used to assess the viability of the direct-drive approach to laser fusion with respect to the scaling of hot-electron preheat with laser energy.
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Galazis C, Vimalesvaran K, Zaman S, Petri C, Howard J, Linton N, Peters N, Cole G, Bharath AA, Varela M. Framework for large-scale automatic curation of heterogeneous cardiac MRI (ACUR MRI). Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/ehjci/jeab090.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Funding Acknowledgements
Type of funding sources: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): UKRI CDT in AI for Healthcare http://ai4health.io and British Heart Foundation
Background
Data curation is an important process that structures and organises data, supporting research and the development of artificial intelligence models. However, manually curating a large volume of medical data is a time-consuming, repetitive and costly process that puts additional strain on clinical experts. The curation becomes more complex and demanding as more data sources are used. This leads to an introduction of disparity in the data structure and protocols.
Purpose
Here, we propose an automatic framework to curate large volumes of heterogenous cardiac MRI scans acquired across different sites and scanner vendors. Our framework requires minimal expert involvement throughout and works directly on DICOM images from the scanner or PACS. The resulting structured standardised data allow for straightforward image analysis, hypothesis testing and the training and application of artificial intelligence models.
Methods
It is broken down into three main components
anonymisation, cataloguing and outlier detection (see Figure 1). Anonymisation automatically removes any identifiable patient information from the DICOM image attributes. These data are replaced with anonymised labels, whilst maintaining relevant longitudinal information from each patient. DICOM attributes are also used to automatically group the different images according to imaging sequence (e.g. CINE, Delayed-Enhancement, T1 maps), acquisition geometry (e.g. short-axis, 2-chamber, 4-chamber) and imaging attributes (e.g. slice thickness, TE, TR), for easier querying. The sorting characteristics are flexible and can easily be defined by the user. Finally, we detect and flag, for subsequent manual inspection, any outliers within those groups, based on the similarity levels of chosen DICOM attributes. This framework additionally offers interactive image visualisation to allow users to assess its performance in real time.
Results
We tested the performance of ACUR CMRI on 26,668 CMR image series (723,531 images) from 858 patient examinations, which took place across two sites in four different scanners. With an average execution time per patient of 100 seconds, ACUR was able to sort imaging data with 1191 different sequence names into 43 categories. The framework can be freely downloaded from https://bitbucket.org/cmr-ai-working-group/acur/.
Conclusions
We present ACUR, an automatic framework to curate large volumes of heterogeneous cardiac MRI data. We show how it can quickly and automatically curate data, grouping it according to desired imaging characteristics defined in DICOM attributes. The proposed framework is flexible and ideally suited as a pre-processing tool for large biomedical imaging data studies.
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Fouché N, Oesch S, Gerber V, Richter H, Howard J, Peters LM. Pre-analytical stability of sorbitol dehydrogenase in equine heparinized plasma. Vet J 2021; 274:105706. [PMID: 34148016 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2021.105706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 06/04/2021] [Accepted: 06/04/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) activity is one of the most sensitive and specific markers for hepatocellular injury in horses, but its reported lability makes it impractical for use in many clinical settings. To date, stability of SDH in equine samples has only been evaluated in a limited number of studies in serum samples of horses with activities within reference intervals. The objective of the study was to determine pre-analytical stability of equine SDH activity in heparinized plasma stored at different temperatures for up to 72 h. Twenty client-owned horses admitted to a veterinary teaching hospital for any reason were included in the study. Blood samples collected in lithium-heparin tubes were immediately centrifuged and SDH activity was analyzed within 1 h of collection (T0). Aliquots of plasma were stored at room temperature, 4 °C and -20 °C and SDH activity was re-analyzed after 4 h (T4), 24 h (T24) and 72 h (T72). A significant difference from values measured at T0 was found for samples stored at room temperature (P = 0.022) and -20 °C (P < 0.001), but not at 4 °C. The activity of SDH was within ±20% of that measured at T0 for all samples under all temperature conditions stored for 4 h, and for all samples stored at 4 °C for 24 h. Bland-Altman plots revealed narrow limits of agreement at T4 for all storage temperatures and at T24 for samples stored at 4 °C. The mean absolute percentage error and 95th percentile of the absolute percentage error were lower for samples stored at 4 °C than those stored at room temperature or -20 °C. The activity of SDH has adequate stability for 4 h regardless of storage temperature and 24 h if stored at 4 °C across a wide range of values. Knowledge of the pre-analytical stability of SDH may permit its broader use in assessing hepatic disorders in horses.
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Al-Hity S, Bhamra N, Kumar R, Gupta K, Howard J, Jolly K, Darr A. 908 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance During A Global Pandemic: A Statistical Analysis of National Perceived Confidence, Knowledge, And Educational Deficits Amongst U.K. Based Doctors. Br J Surg 2021. [PMCID: PMC8135915 DOI: 10.1093/bjs/znab134.174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Introduction March 11th, 2020 saw the World Health Organisation declare a global pandemic following the eruption of the novel coronavirus disease 2019. Unprecedented global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) was complicated by limited availability and conflicting guidance from healthcare bodies. This study aimed to assess perceived confidence and knowledge of Public Health England’s PPE guidance amongst doctors of varying specialties and grades. Method A nationwide 11-point survey comprising of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and a Likert scale assessing perceived confidence (1=not confident, 5=very confident) was disseminated to U.K. based doctors using multiple platforms. Results Data collated from 697 respondents revealed average perceived confidence was low. Notably, 59% felt they had received insufficient education regarding up-to-date guidance, with 81% advocating further training. Anaesthetics and ophthalmology were the highest and lowest scoring specialties in knowledge based MCQs, achieving 59% and 31% respectively. Subsequent statistical analysis revealed significant differences between specialties." Conclusions Ensuring consistency in published PPE guidance and education can develop doctor’s confidence and knowledge of appropriate PPE use. The absence of a unified consensus and global education regarding the use of PPE poses significant ramifications for patient and healthcare professional (HCP) safety whilst risking further depletion of already sparse resources.
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Howard J, Ataga KI, Brown RC, Achebe M, Nduba V, El-Beshlawy A, Hassab H, Agodoa I, Tonda M, Gray S, Lehrer-Graiwer J, Vichinsky E. Voxelotor in adolescents and adults with sickle cell disease (HOPE): long-term follow-up results of an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. LANCET HAEMATOLOGY 2021; 8:e323-e333. [PMID: 33838113 DOI: 10.1016/s2352-3026(21)00059-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND For decades, patients with sickle cell disease have had only a limited number of therapies available. In 2019, voxelotor (1500 mg), an oral once-daily sickle haemoglobin polymerisation inhibitor, was approved in the USA for the treatment of sickle cell disease in patients aged 12 years and older on the basis of HOPE trial data. To further describe the applicability of voxelotor as a treatment for this chronic illness, we report the long-term efficacy and safety of this drug at 72 weeks of treatment; the conclusion of the placebo-controlled HOPE trial. METHODS HOPE is an international, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial done at 60 clinical sites in Canada, Egypt, France, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Lebanon, Netherlands, Oman, Turkey, the USA, and the UK. Patients (aged 12-65 years) with confirmed sickle cell disease, a haemoglobin concentration of 5·5-10·5 g/dL at enrolment, and who had between one and ten vaso-occlusive crisis events in the previous 12 months were enrolled. Patients receiving regularly scheduled transfusion therapy, who had received a transfusion in the previous 60 days, or who had been admitted to hospital for a vaso-occlusive crisis in the previous 14 days were excluded. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to receive either once-daily oral voxelotor 1500 mg, voxelotor 900 mg, or placebo for 72 weeks. Randomisation was done centrally by use of an interactive web response system, stratified by baseline hydroxyurea use (yes vs no), age group (adolescents [12 to <18 years] vs adults [18 to 65 years]), and geographic region (North America vs Europe vs other). The primary endpoint (already reported) was the proportion of patients who achieved a haemoglobin response at week 24. In this final analysis, we report prespecified long-term efficacy assessments by intention to treat, including changes in haemoglobin concentrations from baseline to week 72, changes in the concentration of haemolysis markers (absolute and percentage reticulocytes, indirect bilirubin concentrations, and lactate dehydrogenase concentrations) from baseline to week 72, the annualised incidence of vaso-occlusive crises, and patient functioning, as assessed with the Clinical Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) scale. Safety was assessed in patients who received at least one dose of treatment (modified intention-to-treat population). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03036813. FINDINGS Between Dec 5, 2016, and May 3, 2018, 449 patients were screened, of whom 274 were randomly assigned to the voxelotor 1500 mg group (n=90), the voxelotor 900 mg group (n=92), or the placebo group (n=92). At week 72, the adjusted mean change in haemoglobin concentration from baseline was 1·0 g/dL (95% CI 0·7 to -1·3) in the voxelotor 1500 mg group, 0·5 g/dL (0·3 to -0·8) in the voxelotor 900 mg group, and 0·0 g/dL (-0·3 to 0·3) in the placebo group, with a significant difference observed between the voxelotor 1500 mg group and the placebo group (p<0·0001), and between the voxelotor 900 mg group and the placebo group (p=0·014). Significant improvements in markers of haemolysis, as assessed by the difference in adjusted mean percentage change from baseline at week 72 versus placebo, were observed in the voxelotor 1500 mg group in indirect bilirubin concentrations (-26·6% [95% CI -40·2 to -12·9]) and percentage of reticulocytes (-18·6% [-33·9 to -3·3]). The proportion of patients in the voxelotor 1500 mg group who were rated as "moderately improved" or "very much improved" at week 72 with the CGI-C was significantly greater than in the placebo group (39 [74%] of 53 vs 24 [47%] of 51; p=0·0057). Serious adverse events unrelated to sickle cell disease were reported in 25 (28%) of 88 patients in the voxelotor 1500 mg group, 20 (22%) of 92 patients in the voxelotor 900 mg group, and 23 (25%) of 91 patients in the placebo group. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were infrequent (ie, occurred in <10% of patients); anaemia occurred in five or more patients (two [2%] patients in the voxelotor 1500 mg group, seven [8%] patients in the voxelotor 900 mg group, and three [3%] patients in the placebo group). Of all 274 patients, six (2%) deaths occurred during the study (two deaths in each treatment group), all of which were judged as unrelated to treatment. INTERPRETATION Voxelotor 1500 mg resulted in rapid and durable improvements in haemoglobin concentrations maintained over 72 weeks and has potential to address the substantial morbidity associated with haemolytic anaemia in sickle cell disease. FUNDING Global Blood Therapeutics.
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