Elamipretide mitigates ischemia-reperfusion injury in a swine model of hemorrhagic shock

ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after hemorrhage is potentiated by aortic occlusion or resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA). Given the central role of mitochondrial injury in shock, we hypothesized that Elamipretide, a peptide that protects mitochondria, would mitigate IRI after hemorrhagic shock and REBOA. Twelve pigs were subjected to hemorrhagic shock and 45 min of REBOA. After 25 min of REBOA, animals received either saline or Elamipretide. Animals were transfused with autologous blood during balloon deflation, and pigs were resuscitated with isotonic crystalloids and norepinephrine for 4.25 h. Elamipretide-treated animals required less crystalloids than the controls (62.5 [50-90] and 25 [5-30] mL/kg, respectively), but similar amounts of norepinephrine (24.7 [8.6-39.3] and 9.7 [2.1-12.5] mcg/kg, respectively). Treatment animals had a significant reduction in serum creatinine (control: 2.7 [2.6-2.8]; Elamipretide: 2.4 [2.4-2.5] mg/dL; p = 0.04), troponin (control: 3.20 [2.14-5.47] ng/mL, Elamipretide: 0.22 [0.1-1.91] ng/mL; p = 0.03), and interleukin-6 concentrations at the end of the study. There were no differences in final plasma lactate concentration. Elamipretide reduced fluid requirements and protected the kidney and heart after profound IRI. Further understanding the subcellular consequences of REBOA and mitochondrial rescue will open new therapeutic avenues for patients suffering from IRI after hemorrhage.

A 15-year experience: intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay for the management of primary hyperparathyroidism in a UK endocrine surgical unit

PURPOSE

This study aims to evaluate the outcomes of first-time parathyroidectomy for primary hyperparathyroidism using intraoperative PTH (IOPTH) assay in the light of the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the management of primary hyperparathyroidism.

METHOD

This is a retrospective cohort analysis of a prospectively maintained database of endocrine surgery in a tertiary centre. Preoperative radiological localisation (concordance and accuracy), intraoperative PTH parameters and adjusted serum calcium at minimum 6-month follow-up were analysed. The accuracy of IOPTH to predict post-operative normocalcaemia and the number needed to treat (NNT) within the cohort when IOPTH was utilised were determined. Differences between groups were evaluated with Chi-squared and Fisher's exact test.

RESULTS

Between January 2004 and September 2018, 849 patients (75.4% women), median age 64 years (IQR 54-72), were analysed. The median preoperative adjusted serum calcium was 2.80mmol/l (IQR 2.78-2.90), and the median preoperative PTH was 14.20pmol/l (IQR 10.70-20.25). The overall first-time cure (normocalcaemia) rate was 96.4%. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values of IOPTH were 96.8%, 83.2%, 97.6% and 78.8%, respectively, with an accuracy of 95.1%. For patients with concordant scans (48.3%), a targeted approach without IOPTH would have achieved a cure rate of 94.1% compared with 98.0% using IOPTH (p<0.01) CONCLUSION: The use of IOPTH assay significantly improved the rate of normocalcaemia at 6 months. The low NNT to benefit from IOPTH, particularly those patients with a single positive scan, and the inevitable reduction in the potential costs incurred from failure and reoperation justify its utilisation.

Extrapleural fat: description, incidence, and relation with body mass index

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Pleural appendages (PA) are portions of extrapleural fat that hang from the chest wall. They have been described on videothoracoscopy, however their appearance, frequency and possible relationship with the amount of patient's fat remain unknown. Our aim is to describe their appearances and prevalence on CT, and determinate whether their size and number is higher in obese patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Axial images of 226 patients with pneumothorax on CT chest were retrospectively reviewed. Exclusion criteria included known pleural disease, previous thoracic surgery and small pneumothorax. Patients were divided in obese (BMI>30) and non-obese (BMI<30) groups. Presence, position, size and number of PA were recorded. Chi square and Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate differences between the two groups, considering p<0.05 as significant.

RESULTS

Valid CT studies were available for 101 patients. Extrapleural fat was identified in 50 (49.5%) patients. Most were solitary (n=31). Most were located in the cardiophrenic angle (n=27), and most measured <5cm (n=39). There was no significant difference between obese and non-obese patients regarding the presence or absence of PA (p=0.315), number (p=0.458) and size (p=0.458).

CONCLUSIONS

Pleural appendages were seen in 49.5% patients with pneumothorax on CT. There was no significant difference between obese and non-obese patients regarding presence, number and size of pleural appendages.

Final Study Report of Andexanet Alfa for Major Bleeding With Factor Xa Inhibitors

BACKGROUND

Andexanet alfa is a modified recombinant inactive factor Xa (FXa) designed to reverse FXa inhibitors. ANNEXA-4 (Andexanet Alfa, a Novel Antidote to the Anticoagulation Effects of Factor Xa Inhibitors) was a multicenter, prospective, phase-3b/4, single-group cohort study that evaluated andexanet alfa in patients with acute major bleeding. The results of the final analyses are presented.

METHODS

Patients with acute major bleeding within 18 hours of FXa inhibitor administration were enrolled. Co-primary end points were anti-FXa activity change from baseline during andexanet alfa treatment and excellent or good hemostatic efficacy, defined by a scale used in previous reversal studies, at 12 hours. The efficacy population included patients with baseline anti-FXa activity levels above predefined thresholds (≥75 ng/mL for apixaban and rivaroxaban, ≥40 ng/mL for edoxaban, and ≥0.25 IU/mL for enoxaparin; reported in the same units used for calibrators) who were adjudicated as meeting major bleeding criteria (modified International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis definition). The safety population included all patients. Major bleeding criteria, hemostatic efficacy, thrombotic events (stratified by occurring before or after restart of either prophylactic [ie, a lower dose, for prevention rather than treatment] or full-dose oral anticoagulation), and deaths were assessed by an independent adjudication committee. Median endogenous thrombin potential at baseline and across the follow-up period was a secondary outcome.

RESULTS

There were 479 patients enrolled (mean age, 78 years; 54% male, 86% White; 81% anticoagulated for atrial fibrillation at a median time of 11.4 hours since last dose, with 245 (51%) on apixaban, 176 (37%) on rivaroxaban, 36 (8%) on edoxaban, and 22 (5%) on enoxaparin. Bleeding was predominantly intracranial (n=331 [69%]) or gastrointestinal (n=109 [23%]). In evaluable apixaban patients (n=172), median anti-FXa activity decreased from 146.9 ng/mL to 10.0 ng/mL (reduction, 93% [95% CI, 94-93]); in rivaroxaban patients (n=132), it decreased from 214.6 ng/mL to 10.8 ng/mL (94% [95% CI, 95-93]); in edoxaban patients (n=28), it decreased from 121.1 ng/mL to 24.4 ng/mL (71% [95% CI, 82-65); and in enoxaparin patients (n=17), it decreased from 0.48 IU/mL to 0.11 IU/mL (75% [95% CI, 79-67]). Excellent or good hemostasis occurred in 274 of 342 evaluable patients (80% [95% CI, 75-84]). In the safety population, thrombotic events occurred in 50 patients (10%); in 16 patients, this occurred during treatment with prophylactic anticoagulation that began after the bleeding event. No thrombotic episodes occurred after oral anticoagulation restart. Specific to certain populations, reduction of anti-FXa activity from baseline to nadir significantly predicted hemostatic efficacy in patients with intracranial hemorrhage (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.54-0.70]) and correlated with lower mortality in patients <75 years of age (adjusted P=0.022; unadjusted P=0.003). Median endogenous thrombin potential was within the normal range by the end of andexanet alfa bolus through 24 hours for all FXa inhibitors.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with major bleeding associated with the use of FXa inhibitors, treatment with andexanet alfa reduced anti-FXa activity and was associated with good or excellent hemostatic efficacy in 80% of patients.

REGISTRATION

URL: https://www.

CLINICALTRIALS

gov; Unique identifier: NCT02329327.

Prediction of long-term dependence on vitamin D analogues following total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease

INTRODUCTION

This study aimed to identify patients at risk of long-term hypocalcaemia following total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease, and to determine the thresholds of postoperative day 1 serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) at which long-term activated vitamin D treatment can be safely excluded.

METHODS

This study was a retrospective analysis of 115 consecutive patients undergoing total thyroidectomy for Graves' disease at a university referral centre between 2010 and 2018. Outcome measures were the day 1 postoperative adjusted calcium and PTH results, and vitamin D analogue need at 6 months postoperatively. Logistic receiver operating curves were used to identify optimal cut-off values for adjusted serum calcium and serum PTH, and sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were calculated.

RESULTS

Temporary hypocalcaemia was observed in 20.9% of patients (mean day 1 serum adjusted calcium 2.2±0.14mmol/l and PTH 4.15±2.42pmol/l). Long-term (>6 months) activated vitamin D analogue therapy was required in five patients (4.3%), four of whom had normal serum PTH and one with undetectable PTH at 6 weeks post surgery. No patient with a day 1 postoperative calcium >2.05mmol/l and detectable PTH required vitamin D supplementation at 6 months post surgery (100% sensitivity, PPV 50%, NPV 100%).

CONCLUSIONS

The biochemical postoperative day 1 thresholds identified in this paper have a 100% NPV in the identification of patients who are likely to require either no or only temporary activated vitamin D supplementation. We were able to identify all patients requiring activated vitamin D supplementation 6 months postoperatively from the day 1 postoperative serum calcium and PTH values, while excluding those that may only need temporary calcium supplementation. These threshold levels could be used for targeted follow-up and management of this subset of patients most at risk of long-term hypocalcaemia.

External ventricular drainage in the management of pediatric patients with posterior fossa tumors and hydrocephalus: a retrospective cohort study

PURPOSE

To determine whether intraoperative adjunctive EVD placement in patients with a posterior fossa tumor (PFT) led to improved surgical, radiographic, and clinical outcomes compared to those who did not receive an EVD.

METHODS

Patients were grouped as those who underwent routine intraoperative adjunctive EVD insertion and those who did not at time of PFT resection. Patients who pre-operatively required a clinically indicated EVD insertion were excluded. Comparative analyses between both groups were conducted to evaluate clinical, radiological, and pathological outcomes. Odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for post-operative outcomes.

RESULTS

Fifty-five selected patients were included, 15 who had an EVD placed at the time of PFT resection surgery, and 40 who did not. Children without an EVD did not experience a higher rate of complications or poorer post-operative outcomes compared to those with an EVD placed during resection surgery. There was no significant difference in the degree of gross total resection (p = 0.129), post-operative CSF leak (p = 1.000), and post-operative hemorrhage (p = 0.554) between those with an EVD and those without. The frequency of new cranial nerve deficits post-operatively was higher in those with an EVD (40%) compared to those without (3%, p = 0.001). There was a trend towards more frequently observed post-operative hydrocephalus in the EVD group (p = 0.057).

CONCLUSION

The routine use of EVD as an intraoperative adjunct in clinically stable pediatric patients with posterior fossa tumors and hydrocephalus may not be associated with improved radiological or clinical outcomes.

First Constraints on Light Sterile Neutrino Oscillations from Combined Appearance and Disappearance Searches with the MicroBooNE Detector

We present a search for eV-scale sterile neutrino oscillations in the MicroBooNE liquid argon detector, simultaneously considering all possible appearance and disappearance effects within the 3+1 active-to-sterile neutrino oscillation framework. We analyze the neutrino candidate events for the recent measurements of charged-current ν_{e} and ν_{μ} interactions in the MicroBooNE detector, using data corresponding to an exposure of 6.37×10^{20} protons on target from the Fermilab booster neutrino beam. We observe no evidence of light sterile neutrino oscillations and derive exclusion contours at the 95% confidence level in the plane of the mass-squared splitting Δm_{41}^{2} and the sterile neutrino mixing angles θ_{μe} and θ_{ee}, excluding part of the parameter space allowed by experimental anomalies. Cancellation of ν_{e} appearance and ν_{e} disappearance effects due to the full 3+1 treatment of the analysis leads to a degeneracy when determining the oscillation parameters, which is discussed in this Letter and will be addressed by future analyses.

Advancing Digital Health Innovation in Oncology: Priorities for High-Value Digital Transformation in Cancer Care

Although health care delivery is becoming increasingly digitized, driven by the pursuit of improved access, equity, efficiency, and effectiveness, progress does not appear to be equally distributed across therapeutic areas. Oncology is renowned for leading innovation in research and in care; digital pathology, digital radiology, real-world data, next-generation sequencing, patient-reported outcomes, and precision approaches driven by complex data and biomarkers are hallmarks of the field. However, remote patient monitoring, decentralized approaches to care and research, "hospital at home," and machine learning techniques have yet to be broadly deployed to improve cancer care. In response, the Digital Medicine Society and Moffitt Cancer Center convened a multistakeholder roundtable discussion to bring together leading experts in cancer care and digital innovation. This viewpoint highlights the findings from these discussions, in which experts agreed that digital innovation is lagging in oncology relative to other therapeutic areas. It reports that this lag is most likely attributed to poor articulation of the challenges in cancer care and research best suited to digital solutions, lack of incentives and support, and missing standardized infrastructure to implement digital innovations. It concludes with suggestions for actions needed to bring the promise of digitization to cancer care to improve lives.

A Novel Pulsed Stimulation Pattern in Spinal Cord Stimulation: Clinical Results and Postulated Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Chronic Low Back and Leg Pain

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this article is to discuss the possible mechanisms of action (MOAs) and results of a pilot study of a novel, anatomically placed, and paresthesia-independent, neurostimulation waveform for the management of chronic intractable pain.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A novel, multilayered pulsed stimulation pattern (PSP) that comprises three temporal layers, a Pulse Pattern layer, Train layer, and Dosage layer, was developed for the treatment of chronic intractable pain. During preliminary development, the utility was evaluated of anatomical PSP (aPSP) in human subjects with chronic intractable pain of the leg(s) and/or low back, compared with that of traditional spinal cord stimulation (T-SCS) and physiological PSP. The scientific theory and testing presented in this article provide the preliminary justification for the potential MOAs by which PSP may operate.

RESULTS

During the pilot study, aPSP (n = 31) yielded a greater decrease in both back and leg pain than did T-SCS (back: -60% vs -46%; legs: -63% vs -43%). In addition, aPSP yielded higher responder rates for both back and leg pain than did T-SCS (61% vs 48% and 78% vs 50%, respectively).

DISCUSSION

The novel, multilayered approach of PSP may provide multimechanistic therapeutic relief through preferential fiber activation in the dorsal column, optimization of the neural onset response, and use of both the medial and lateral pathway through the thalamic nuclei. The results of the pilot study presented here suggest a robust responder rate, with several subjects (five subjects with back pain and three subjects with leg pain) achieving complete relief from PSP during the acute follow-up period. These clinical findings suggest PSP may provide a multimechanistic, anatomical, and clinically effective management for intractable chronic pain. Because of the limited sample size of clinical data, further testing and long-term clinical assessments are warranted to confirm these preliminary findings.

Health-Related Quality of Life of Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review

Background

Metastatic pancreatic cancer (mPaC) has a poor prognosis and available treatments provide only moderate improvements in survival. Preserving or improving health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is therefore an important treatment outcome for patients with mPaC. This systematic review identified HRQoL data in patients with mPaC before and after treatment, compared these with data from the general population, and reported the effects of different mPaC treatments on HRQoL.

Methods

Searches were performed in Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library from January 2008 to May 2021, and the articles identified were screened for HRQoL data in patients with mPaC. Abstracts from relevant congresses were also manually searched. Publications included were randomized controlled trials and observational studies written in English that reported HRQoL data for adult patients with non-resectable mPaC who were on or off treatment.

Results

Thirty relevant publications were identified and HRQoL scores were collected. Overall, baseline mean scores from the European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), 5-dimension EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D), and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) for newly diagnosed and previously treated patients with mPaC were worse than those of the general population. Baseline scores were generally better for previously treated patients than for newly diagnosed patients, indicating that mPaC treatments preserve or improve HRQoL. Identified publications also reported changes in HRQoL following first- or subsequent-line chemotherapy. When reported, 10 studies found improvements in overall HRQoL compared with baseline scores, four reported no changes in overall HRQoL after treatment, and six found deteriorations in overall HRQoL.

Conclusion

Patients with mPaC had worse HRQoL than the general population. Available anti-cancer therapies can improve or preserve HRQoL.

Natural Language Processing for Automated Classification of Qualitative Data From Interviews of Patients With Cancer

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to explore the use of novel natural language processing (NLP) methods for classifying unstructured, qualitative textual data from interviews of patients with cancer to identify patient-reported symptoms and impacts on quality of life.

METHODS

We tested the ability of 4 NLP models to accurately classify text from interview transcripts as "symptom," "quality of life impact," and "other." Interview data sets from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (n = 25), biliary tract cancer (BTC) (n = 23), and gastric cancer (n = 24) were used. Models were cross-validated with transcript subsets designated for training, validation, and testing. Multiclass classification performance of the 4 models was evaluated at paragraph and sentence level using the HCC testing data set and analyzed by the one-versus-rest technique quantified by the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC AUC) score.

RESULTS

NLP models accurately classified multiclass text from patient interviews. The Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers model generally outperformed all other models at paragraph and sentence level. The highest predictive performance of the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers model was observed using the HCC data set to train and BTC data set to test (mean ROC AUC, 0.940 [SD 0.028]), with similarly high predictive performance using balanced and imbalanced training data sets from BTC and gastric cancer populations.

CONCLUSIONS

NLP models were accurate in predicting multiclass classification of text from interviews of patients with cancer, with most surpassing 0.9 ROC AUC at paragraph level. NLP may be a useful tool for scaling up processing of patient interviews in clinical studies and, thus, could serve to facilitate patient input into drug development and improving patient care.