Ascertainment of aortic valve disease using administrative claims

Background

Administrative claims may be useful for characterizing patients with aortic stenosis (AS) and aortic regurgitation (AR) and estimating disease prevalence. However, the accuracy of diagnostic codes for aortic valve disease has not been well studied.

Purpose

To evaluate the validity of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for identification of AS and AR.

Methods

Using a large, transthoracic echocardiographic (TTE) report dataset linked to Medicare Fee-for-service (FFS) claims, 2017–2018, the performance of candidate claims to ascertain AS/AR status using standard TTE definitions was evaluated. Recursive partitioning with 10-fold cross validation was used to build the optimal prediction tree for AS/AR status using all ICD-10 codes as candidate predictors. The optimal performing claims algorithm was tested against patient outcomes in a separate 100% sample of Medicare FFS inpatient and outpatient claims, 2017–2019.

Results

Of those included in the derivation dataset (N=5497, mean age 74.4±11.0 years, 49.7% female), any AS or AR was present in 24% and 38.8%, respectively. The code I35.0 was optimal for identification of any AS with a sensitivity and specificity for any AS of 53.1% and 94.8%, respectively (Table 1). Amongst those with an I35.0 code, 40.3% had severe AS. Claims were unable to distinguish disease severity (i.e. severe vs. non-severe) or subtypes (e.g. bicuspid or rheumatic AS), and were insensitive and nonspecific for AR of any severity. Among all Medicare beneficiaries who received an TTE (N=3,783,249), those with an I35.0 code, compared to those without, had a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.65, 95% CI 1.63–1.67), heart failure hospitalization (HR 2.17, 95% CI 2.11–2.24), and aortic valve replacement (HR 32.35, 95% CI 31.46–33.27) (Table 2).

Conclusions

Amongst those receiving TTE, the ICD-10 code I35.0 in any position was optimal for identification of AS and identified a population at significant greater risk of all-cause mortality, heart failure hospitalization, and receipt of aortic valve replacement. Though 40.3% of those with I35.0 had severe AS, claims were unable to distinguish disease severity of subtype. Claims may be feasibly used to identify those with AS who may be at risk for adverse valve-related cardiovascular events and require future treatment.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): National, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

THIRD bedside ultrasound protocol for rapid diagnosis of undifferentiated shock: a prospective observational study

INTRODUCTION

It is clinically challenging to differentiate the pathophysiological types of shock in emergency situations. Here, we evaluated the ability of a novel bedside ultrasound protocol (Tamponade/tension pneumothorax, Heart, Inferior vena cava, Respiratory system, Deep venous thrombosis/aorta dissection [THIRD]) to predict types of shock in the emergency department.

METHODS

An emergency physician performed the THIRD protocol on all patients with shock who were admitted to the emergency department. All patients were closely followed to determine their final clinical diagnoses. The kappa index, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated for the initial diagnostic impression provided by the THIRD protocol, compared with each patient's final diagnosis.

RESULTS

In total, 112 patients were enrolled in this study. The kappa index between initial impression and final diagnosis was 0.81 (95% confidence interval=0.73-0.89; P<0.001). For hypovolaemic, cardiogenic, distributive, and obstructive types of shock, the sensitivities of the THIRD protocol were 100%, 100%, 93%, and 100%, respectively; the sensitivity for a 'mixed' shock aetiology was 86%. The negative predictive value of the THIRD protocol for all five types of shock was ≥96%.

CONCLUSION

Initial diagnostic judgements determined using the THIRD protocol showed favourable agreement with the final diagnosis in patients who presented with undifferentiated shock. The THIRD protocol has great potential for use as a bedside approach that can guide the rapid management of undifferentiated shock in emergency settings, particularly for patients with obstructive, hypovolaemic, or cardiogenic shock.

[Evaluation of CD107a and perforin expression detection in the diagnosis of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis]

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of rapid immunological indicator-degranulation function (CD107a) and perforin expression in the diagnosis of primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH). Methods: The clinical data of 295 HLH patients who underwent genetic screening from April 2015 to June 2020 in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Jingdu Children's Hospital and Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University was collected and analyzed. The fitness of CD107a and Perforin expression with genetic screening was compared to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of the two indicators, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated and used to determine the optimal threshold (cut-off values) of CD107a and Perforin expression assays that would identify pHLH patients with a maximum sensitivity and specificity (Youden index). Results: In all 295 patients included, there were 156 males and 139 females, aged from 2 months to 70 years, with a median age of 18 years. In terms of distinguishing the type of pHLH associated with degranulation gene defect from all other genetic screening results, in the CD107a testing, the ROC curve was generated and showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.920 (P<0.001), and the optimal cut-off value was determined to be 7.15% with a sensitivity of 83.3% and specificity of 89.2% when the corresponding Youden index was maximized. The PPV and NPV were 33.3% and 98.8%, respectively. CD107a>10% had an accuracy of 81.6% in judging patients without degranulation-related gene defect and negative genetic screening results. In addition, in terms of distinguishing the type of familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis type 2 (FHL2) from all other genetic screening results, the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV of the Perforin expression testing were 88.2%, 64.2%, 20.3% and 98.1%, respectively, based on the normal laboratory test value (≥ 81%). The ROC curve was established to further optimize the cut-off value. The AUC was 0.933 (P<0.001). The cut-off value corresponding to the maximum Youden index was 62.34%, and the sensitivity remained at 88.2%. While the specificity, PPV and NPV rose to 91.5%, 51.7% and 98.7%, respectively. Conclusions: CD107a and Perforin assays have good significance of early prediction for pHLH involved in impaired cytotoxic function. Selecting appropriate cut-off values can provide basis for accurate clinical diagnosis.

[Effect of outdoor time on the incidence of myopia among primary school students in 9 provinces of China]

Objective: We aimed to assess the effects of outdoor time in preventing incident myopia among primary school students and evaluate its differences among different grades to provide evidence for policy formulation related to myopia prevention. Methods: This study is a cohort study. We investigated 6 046 grade 1 to 5 students in 9 provinces, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Fujian, Shanxi, Henan, Hunan, Gansu, Chongqing, and Guangxi. In 2019, we measured their myopia on site. In 2020, we did a follow-up visit on those students to detect the myopia incidence rate. Information regarding outdoor time and myopia-related behaviors were obtained from a questionnaire within one week of visual acuity measurement in 2020. The chi-square test and Cochran-Armitage trend test compared the differences between groups. The Cox proportional hazards risk model was used to test the relationship between outdoor time and myopia. Results: In 2020, the overall myopia incidence rate of grade 1 to 5 students in the baseline was 27.5%; while 23.0% in grades 1 and 2 students and 31.7% in grades 3 to 5 students, respectively. After controlling for covariates, for students in grade 1 to 2, those with ≥1 hour of outdoor time per day were at 0.76 (95%CI: 0.62-0.93, P=0.008) times risk of being myopia than that of students with <1 hour of outdoor time per day; while for students in grades 3 to 5, an average of ≥3 hours of outdoor time per day was required to have a significant protective effect on myopia. The students with ≥3 hours of outdoor time per day were less likely to be myopia (OR=0.75, 95%CI: 0.61-0.93, P=0.007) than those students with <3 hours of outdoor time per day. Conclusions: For grade 1 and 2 students, 1 hour of outdoor time per day could reduce the incidence of myopia, whereas for grade 3 to 5 students, 3 hours of outdoor time per day could effectively reduce the incidence of myopia. Therefore, the recommendations for outdoor time as myopia prevention should be different for different grades. The higher the grade is, the more outdoor time should be spent to reduce myopia incidence. Moreover, other factors that affect myopia's incidence should be also paid attention to, and a comprehensive approach should be adopted to prevent and control the incidence of myopia.

[Overexpression of NAT10 induced platinum drugs resistance in breast cancer cell]

Objective: To observe the platinum drugs resistance effect of N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10) overexpression in breast cancer cell line and elucidate the underlining mechanisms. Methods: The experiment was divided into wild-type (MCF-7 wild-type cells without any treatment) group, NAT10 overexpression group (H-NAT10 plasmid transfected into MCF-7 cells) and NAT10 knockdown group (SH-NAT10 plasmid transfected into MCF-7 cells). The invasion was detected by Transwell array, the interaction between NAT10 and PARP1 was detected by co-immunoprecipitation. The impact of NAT10 overexpression or knockdown on the acetylation level of PARP1 and its half-life was also determined. Immunostaining and IP array were used to detect the recruitment of DNA damage repair protein by acetylated PARP1. Flow cytometry was used to detect the cell apoptosis. Results: Transwell invasion assay showed that the number of cell invasion was 483.00±46.90 in the NAT10 overexpression group, 469.00±40.50 in the NAT10 knockdown group, and 445.00±35.50 in the MCF-7 wild-type cells, and the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). In the presence of 10 μmol/L oxaliplatin, the number of cell invasion was 502.00±45.60 in the NAT10 overexpression group and 105.00±20.50 in the NAT10 knockdown group, both statistically significant (P<0.05) compared with 219.00±31.50 in wild-type cells. In the presence of 10 μmol/L oxaliplatin, NAT10 overexpression enhanced the binding of PARP1 to NAT10 compared with wild-type cells, whereas the use of the NAT10 inhibitor Remodelin inhibited the mutual binding of the two. Overexpression of NAT10 induced PARP1 acetylation followed by increased PARP1 binding to XRCC1, and knockdown of NAT10 expression reduced PARP1 binding to XRCC1. Overexpression of NAT10 enhanced PARP1 binding to LIG3, while knockdown of NAT10 expression decreased PARP1 binding to LIG3. In 10 μmol/L oxaliplatin-treated cells, the γH2AX expression level was 0.38±0.02 in NAT10 overexpressing cells and 1.36±0.15 in NAT10 knockdown cells, both statistically significant (P<0.05) compared with 1.00±0.00 in wild-type cells. In 10 μmol/L oxaliplatin treated cells, the apoptosis rate was (6.54±0.68)% in the NAT10 overexpression group and (12.98±2.54)% in the NAT10 knockdown group, both of which were statistically significant (P<0.05) compared with (9.67±0.37)% in wild-type cells. Conclusion: NAT10 overexpression enhances the binding of NAT10 to PARP1 and promotes the acetylation of PARP1, which in turn prolongs the half-life of PARP1, thus enhancing PARP1 recruitment of DNA damage repair related proteins to the damage sites, promoting DNA damage repair and ultimately the survival of breast cancer cells.

[Prevalence of malnutrition among elderly in the community of China: a Meta-analysis]

Objective: The prevalence of malnutrition in the community-dwelling older population of China was analyzed by Meta-analysis. Methods: Papers on the nutrition of community-dwelling elderly (≥60 years old) in China from August 1, 2011, to July 31, 2021, were retrieved through PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Wanfang Digital Database and China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database. Malnutrition was defined by nutritional assessment and screening tools of different studies. The random-effect model was fitted to calculate the prevalence. Subgroup analysis and inter-group difference analysis were performed according to the data included in the paper. Results: A total of 13 articles met the inclusion criteria, including 19 938 participants ≥60 years old. There are a total of seven methods for diagnosing criteria and defining malnutrition. The prevalence of malnutrition reported in papers varies greatly (2.4%-52.5%), of which seven pieces reported the prevalence of malnutrition risk (21.3%-67.0%). The Meta-analysis shows that the combined prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition was 41.2% (95%CI: 29.5%-54.0%, I²=99.6%, P<0.05) in the community-dwelling older population of China. The prevalence after 2017 is lower than that before 2017 (29.6% vs. 66.6%, χ²=274.20, P<0.05). The prevalence of men was lower than that of women (44.9% vs. 52.2%, χ²=10.67, P=0.001). The prevalence of non-living alone is lower than that of the older population living alone (41.2% vs. 49.6%, χ²=14.23, P<0.05). Conclusion: Malnutrition is common among the community-based older people in China. The prevalence of malnutrition is higher among older women and the elderly who live alone.

POS0683 EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF UPADACITINIB IN TNFi-IR PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS FROM THREE PHASE 3 CLINICAL TRIALS

Background

For patients with RA who are refractory to biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs), such as tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFis), optimal disease control is less likely to be achieved with subsequent therapy.1 In line with recommendations from EULAR and ACR, switching to a treatment with a different mechanism of action is appropriate for these patients.

Objectives

To describe the efficacy and safety of upadacitinib (UPA) 15 mg once daily in patients with RA and an inadequate response or intolerance to TNFis (TNFi-IR).

Methods

A post hoc subgroup analysis was conducted in TNFi-IR patients who were treated with UPA 15 mg once daily in three Phase 3 clinical trials: SELECT-BEYOND,2 -CHOICE,3 and -COMPARE.4 For COMPARE, only patients treated with adalimumab and switched to UPA as rescue therapy were included. ≥20/50/70% improvement in ACR criteria, DAS28(CRP), CDAI, and SDAI, as well as change from baseline in HAQ-DI and other patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were reported through 24 weeks. Non-responder imputation was used for all missing categorical outcomes; as observed (COMPARE) or multiple imputation (CHOICE, BEYOND) were used for missing continuous outcomes. Pooled safety results were presented as exposure-adjusted event rates (EAERs) with a cut-off of June 30, 2021.

Results

568 TNFi-IR patients were included: 146 from BEYOND, 263 from CHOICE, and 159 from COMPARE. Mean duration since RA diagnosis was longer for BEYOND and CHOICE versus COMPARE; cardiovascular (CV) risk factors were common among this refractory population (Table 1). ACR20/50/70 and disease activity outcomes observed in the TNFi-IR population were generally consistent with the overall BEYOND2 and CHOICE3 bDMARD-IR populations, and consistent across the three studies in the TNFi-IR subgroups (Figure 1). Improvements in PROs including HAQ-DI, fatigue, pain, and morning stiffness over 24 weeks were observed (data not shown). Pooled safety results reporting 1574.8 patient-years (PY) of exposure in the TNFi-IR subgroup showed similar results to the overall BEYOND2 and CHOICE3 bDMARD-IR study populations, with EAERs of 3.1 events/100 PY for herpes zoster and 0.8 events/100 PY for adjudicated major adverse CV events, adjudicated venous thromboembolism (VTE), and malignancy excluding non-melanoma skin cancer. The EAER of any AE leading to death was 1.4 events/100 PY.

Table 1.

Baseline characteristics of TNFi-IR patients treated with UPA 15 mg

n (%), unless specifiedSELECT-BEYOND (n=146)SELECT-CHOICE (n=263)SELECT-COMPARE (ADA → UPA) (n=159)Female122 (83.6)219 (83.3)133 (83.6)Mean (SD) age, years56.6 (11.0)55.5 (11.1)53.9 (10.6)Mean (SD) duration of RA diagnosis, years13.2 (9.5)12.5 (9.4)8.2 (8.5)Concomitant csDMARDs MTX alone100 (70.4)195 (74.1)159 (100.0) MTX and other csDMARDs20 (14.1)25 (9.5)0 csDMARDs other than MTX22 (15.5)38 (14.4)0Concomitant oral steroids73 (50.0)140 (53.2)98 (61.6)1 prior bDMARD68 (46.6)172 (65.4)142 (89.3)2 prior bDMARDs40 (27.4)62 (23.6)17 (10.7)a≥3 prior bDMARDs38 (26.0)29 (11.0)0Failed ≥1 prior TNFi due to lack of efficacyb131 (89.7)223 (84.8)159 (100.0)History of VTE / CV event3 (2.1) / 28 (19.2)6 (2.3) / 20 (7.6)4 (2.5) / 14 (8.8)CV risk factors Hypertension72 (49.3)109 (41.4)68 (42.8) Diabetes mellitus22 (15.1)34 (12.9)17 (10.7) Smoking (current former past)68 (46.6)109 (41.5)55 (34.6) Elevated LDL-C (≥3.36 mmol/L)38 (26.0)52 (20.0)48 (30.2) Low HDL-C (≤1.55 mmol/L)80 (54.8)171 (65.0)88 (55.3)

aThese patients received one bDMARD before entry into SELECT-COMPARE.

bRemaining patients were intolerant to ≥1 prior TNFi.

Conclusion

In this post hoc subgroup analysis, TNFi-IR patients treated with UPA 15 mg achieved clinically meaningful efficacy responses over 24 weeks, with safety consistent with the overall bDMARD-IR patient population in the Phase 3 program.

References

[1]Rendas-Baum R, et al. Arthritis Res Ther 2011;13:R25;

[2]Genovese C, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2513–24;

[3]Rubbert-Roth A, et al. NEJM 2020;383:1511–21;

[4]Fleischmann R, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2019;78:1454–62.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded this study; contributed to its design; participated in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and participated in the writing, review, and approval of the abstract. AbbVie and the authors thank all study investigators for their contributions and the patients who participated in this study. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Amy Wilson, MSc, of 2 the Nth (Cheshire, UK), and was funded by AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Roy M. Fleischmann Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galvani, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Biosplice, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Flexion, Gilead, Horizon, Eli Lilly, Galvani, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Selecta, Teva, UCB, Viela, and Vorso, Louis Bessette Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva, and UCB, Jeffrey Sparks Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Inova Diagnostics, Janssen, Optum, and Pfizer, Stephen Hall Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Meyers Sqibb, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Meyers Sqibb, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, and UCB, Manish Jain Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Pfizer, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, and Pfizer, Adriana Kakehasi Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Eli Lilly, Fresenius Kabi, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sandoz, and UCB, Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Sebastian Meerwein Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Ryan DeMasi Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Jessica Suboticki Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Andrea Rubbert-Roth Consultant of: AbbVie, AbbVie Deutschland, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly, F. Hoffman-La Roche, Gilead Sciences, Janssen Global Services, Novartis, and Sanofi Pasteur

POS0677 CONSISTENCY IN TIME TO RESPONSE WITH UPADACITINIB AS MONOTHERAPY OR COMBINATION THERAPY AND ACROSS PATIENT POPULATIONS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Background

Upadacitinib (UPA) has demonstrated efficacy in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across various patient populations.1–4

Objectives

This post hoc analysis aimed to evaluate the consistency in time to achieving meaningful clinical response with UPA 15 mg + conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs in biologic (b) DMARD-inadequate responder (IR) versus csDMARD-IR patients with RA as well as with UPA 15 mg monotherapy versus UPA 15 mg + csDMARDs in csDMARD-IR patients.

Methods

Patients originally randomized to UPA 15 mg once daily from four Phase 3 trials were included in this analysis: SELECT-BEYOND1 and SELECT-CHOICE2 (UPA 15 mg + csDMARDs in bDMARD-IR patients), SELECT-NEXT3 (UPA 15 mg + csDMARDs in csDMARD-IR patients), and SELECT-MONOTHERAPY4 (UPA 15 mg monotherapy in methotrexate-IR patients). Time to response was estimated using the Kaplan–Meier method for clinical outcomes over 24 weeks (26 weeks in SELECT-MONOTHERAPY). Clinical outcomes included achievement of 28-joint Disease Activity Score with C-reactive protein (DAS28[CRP]) ≤3.2; low disease activity (LDA) defined as Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) ≤10 and Simple Disease Activity Index (SDAI) ≤11; and 50% improvement in American College of Rheumatology (ACR) core components and morning stiffness (MS) duration/severity. Data presented were as observed.

Results

Overall, 905 patients were included (SELECT-BEYOND: n=164; SELECT-CHOICE: n=303; SELECT-NEXT: n=221; SELECT-MONOTHERAPY: n=217). csDMARD-IR patients had a mean disease duration of 7.3 (SELECT-NEXT) or 7.5 years (SELECT-MONOTHERAPY); bDMARD-IR patients had a mean disease duration of 12.4 years, with a more refractory population (≥3 prior bDMARDs) in SELECT-BEYOND (23%) than SELECT-CHOICE (10%). In general, the median time to DAS28(CRP) ≤3.2, CDAI LDA, 50% improvement in ACR core components, and 50% improvement in MS duration/severity were consistent across the studies in bDMARD-IR and csDMARD-IR patients. For SELECT-BEYOND, SELECT-CHOICE, SELECT-NEXT, and SELECT-MONOTHERAPY, the median (95% CI) time to achieve DAS28(CRP) ≤3.2 was 12 (12, 16), 12 (8, 12), 12 (8, 12), and 14 (8, 14) weeks, respectively (Figure 1), and the median time to achieve CDAI LDA was 20 (12, 24), 16 (12, 16), 16 (12, 16), and 20 (14, 20) weeks, respectively (Figure 2). A longer median (95% CI) time to achieve SDAI LDA was observed with UPA monotherapy (20 [14, 20] weeks) versus UPA + csDMARDs (12 [12, 16] weeks) in csDMARD-IR patients. Among bDMARD-IR patients, the median (95% CI) time to 50% improvement in pain was longer in SELECT-BEYOND versus SELECT-CHOICE (16 [12, 20] versus 8 [8, 12] weeks).

Conclusion

In diverse patient populations with RA, patients treated with UPA 15 mg, as monotherapy or with csDMARDs, generally demonstrated consistent time to achieving DAS28(CRP) ≤3.2, CDAI LDA, and 50% improvement in clinical outcomes.

References

[1]Genovese MC, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2513–24.

[2]Rubbert-Roth A, et al. N Engl J Med 2020;383:1511–21.

[3]Burmester GR, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2503–12.

[4]Smolen JS, et al. Lancet 2019;393:2303–11.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded this study; contributed to its design; participated in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Amy Wilson, MSc, of 2 the Nth (Cheshire, UK), and was funded by AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Andrea Rubbert-Roth Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Chugai, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Roche, and Sanofi, Bernard Combe Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Gilead/Galapagos, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche/Chugai, and Sanofi, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Gilead/Galapagos, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche/Chugai, and Sanofi, Zoltán Szekanecz Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Gedeon Richter, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB, Stephen Hall Speakers bureau: Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB; and research grants from AbbVie, Janssen, Merck, and UCB, Consultant of: Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB; and research grants from AbbVie, Janssen, Merck, and UCB, Boulos Haraoui Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Suzan Attar: None declared, Anna-Karin H Ekwall Consultant of: AbbVie and Pfizer, Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Tim Shaw Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Orsolya Nagy Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Ricardo Xavier Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB

AB0333 SUSTAINABILITY OF RESPONSE TO UPADACITINIB AMONG PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS REFRACTORY TO BIOLOGICAL DISEASE-MODIFYING ANTI-RHEUMATIC DRUGS

Background

Sustained clinical remission (REM) is the primary treatment goal for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with low disease activity (LDA) being an appropriate target for treatment-refractory patients.1,2

Objectives

To evaluate the sustainability of response to the JAK inhibitor, upadacitinib (UPA) 15 mg once daily (QD), among patients with prior inadequate response or intolerance to biologic DMARDs.

Methods

Data come from the 12-week, phase 3 randomized, placebo (PBO)-controlled SELECT-BEYOND trial of UPA 15 mg or 30 mg QD in patients with moderate to severe RA on stable background conventional synthetic (cs) DMARDs. Initiation, change, or discontinuation of background RA medications, including ≤2 csDMARDs, was allowed starting at Week 24. Patients completing the 12-week trial were able to enter a long-term extension of up to 5 yrs with all PBO patients switching to UPA.3 This post hoc analysis evaluated REM (CDAI ≤2.8; SDAI ≤3.3), LDA (CDAI≤10; SDAI≤11), and DAS28(CRP) <2.6/≤3.2 at first occurrence of response before Week 60, as well as at 3, 6, and 12 months following initial response in patients randomized to UPA 15 mg. For those patients who achieved REM/LDA, Kaplan-Meier was used to define the time from when the response was first achieved to the earliest date at which the response was lost at two consecutive visits or discontinuation of study drug. The predictive ability of time to REM/LDA was evaluated using Harrell’s concordance (c)-index (range: 0 to 1, where 0.5 indicates a model that is no better at predicting an outcome than random chance). The date of the last follow up was 16 April 2018, when all patients had reached the Week 60 visit. Non-responder imputation was used for missing data. Only data from the approved 15 mg dosage are reported here.

Results

In patients with active RA despite prior treatment with at least one bDMARD, 34% and 79% of those receiving UPA 15 mg + background csDMARD(s) achieved CDAI REM or LDA through Week 60, respectively. Sustained CDAI REM was attained by 30%, 26%, and 16% of patients randomized to UPA at 3, 6, and 12 months post initial response, while CDAI LDA was achieved by 68%, 61%, and 50% of patients during the same time points (Figure 1). Time to initial clinical response weakly predicted sustained REM but did not predict sustained LDA, with a c-index (95% CI) of 0.62 (0.49, 0.74) and 0.52 (0.44, 0.61), respectively. Through the last follow-up visit at Week 60, 39/61% of patients on UPA remained in CDAI REM/LDA (Figure 2). Of those who lost CDAI REM, 58% remained in CDAI LDA, and 22% recaptured REM by the cut-off date; 18% of patients who lost CDAI LDA recaptured response. Similar results were observed for REM and LDA based on SDAI and for DAS28(CRP) <2.6/≤3.2.

Conclusion

Among patients with inadequate response or intolerance to bDMARDs, over three-quarters on UPA 15 mg achieved CDAI LDA, a relevant therapeutic target for these treatment-refractory patients, and nearly two-thirds of those maintained this response through 60 weeks. Additionally, about one-third of UPA-treated patients attained CDAI REM and maintained that response over 60 weeks.

References

[1]Smolen et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79:685–99.

[2]Singh et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2016;68:1–26.

[3]Genovese, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2513–24.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded these studies and participated in the study design, research, analysis, data collection, interpretation of data, reviewing, and approval of the publication. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Matthew Eckwahl, PhD, of AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Ronald van Vollenhoven Consultant of: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Biotest, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Medac, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Arthrogen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GSK, Pfizer, and UCB, Stephen Hall Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB, and Novartis., Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB, and Novartis., Alvin F. Wells Consultant of: AbbVie, Sebastian Meerwein Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Jessica Suboticki Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Roy M. Fleischmann Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and UCB

POS0686 EFFECTIVENESS OF UPADACITINIB IN THE TREATMENT OF RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: ANALYSIS OF 6-MONTH REAL-WORLD DATA FROM THE UNITED RHEUMATOLOGY NORMALIZED INTEGRATED COMMUNITY EVIDENCE (UR-NICETM) DATABASE

Background

The efficacy of upadacitinib (UPA), an oral Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi), in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been demonstrated in the phase 3 SELECT clinical trial program.1–6 However, few real-world data have been reported to date.

Objectives

To assess the 6-month effectiveness of UPA in patients (pts) with RA initiating UPA treatment in clinical practice.

Methods

This observational study included US-based pts from the United Rheumatology Normalized Integrated Community Evidence (UR-NICE) database who initiated UPA 15 mg once daily from Aug 2019 to the data cut-off in Nov 2021. Pts with ≥6 months of baseline (BL) data before UPA initiation, and with Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score recorded at BL and 6 months (±45 days) after initiation, were included in the analysis. Effectiveness measures included CDAI score, Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3), and Disease Activity Score in 28 joints based on C-reactive protein (DAS28-CRP); patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), Pain, and Patient’s Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PtGA); and Physician’s Global Assessment of Disease Activity (PhGA). Subgroup analyses were conducted by prior tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) and tofacitinib (TOFA) treatment history.

Results

363 pts were included in the analysis and most were female (80.2%) (Table 1). 140 (39%) received UPA monotherapy and 223 (61%) received UPA plus conventional synthetic (cs) disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). 83% of pts received prior csDMARDs, 72% prior biologics (TNFi 55%), and 41% JAKis (TOFA 39%). Overall, 46% (166/363), 23% (57/245), and 55% (95/173) of pts achieved LDA by CDAI, RAPID3, and DAS28-CRP, respectively, and 14% (51/363), 16% (39/245), and 36% (62/173) of pts achieved remission (REM) by CDAI, RAPID3, and DAS28-CRP, respectively. Results were similar regardless of prior TNFi or TOFA exposure (Figure 1). Improvements from BL were seen in PhGA and all PROs in the total population and all subgroups.

Table 1.

Demographic and baseline characteristics

Parameter, n (%)Full analysis setPrior TNFiPrior TOFA(N=363)(n=199)(n=143)Female291 (80.2)156 (78.4)119 (83.2)Age, years<4022 (6.1)11 (5.5)8 (5.6)40–<65240 (66.1)132 (66.3)94 (65.7)≥65101 (27.8)56 (28.1)41 (28.7)Oral steroid use185 (51.0)103 (51.8)83 (58.0)Parameter, mean (SD)NMean (SD)nMean (SD)nMean (SD)Duration of RA, years2764.5 (3.1)1625.1 (3.0)1135.1 (2.9)Body mass index, kg/m232130.0 (6.9)17529.9 (6.6)12529.2 (6.7)Oral steroid dose (prednisone equivalent), mg/day1547.9 (6.9)877.8 (6.5)707.6 (6.1)Methotrexate dose, mg/week11918.3 (4.9)7417.8 (5.2)3718.2 (4.7)C-reactive protein, mg/L2289.6 (16.2)1329.4 (15.0)9011.3 (17.9)CDAI36321.2 (12.8)19922.1 (13.0)14321.7 (13.3)RAPID32684.7 (2.1)1414.7 (2.2)1004.9 (2.1)DAS28-CRP2283.9 (1.3)1324.0 (1.4)904.2 (1.3)HAQ-DIa2732.6 (2.1)1482.8 (2.2)1063.0 (2.2)Painb33859.6 (26.6)18658.4 (27.2)13161.3 (25.1)PtGAb36354.1 (25.6)19954.7 (26.9)14355.9 (25.2)PhGAb36341.3 (26.0)19941.2 (24.8)14340.7 (26.8)

a0–10 visual analog scale. b0–100 visual analog scale. SD, standard deviation.

Conclusion

In this study, almost half (46%) of pts treated with UPA achieved CDAI LDA at 6 months and 14% achieved CDAI REM. Improvements in all PROs and PhGA were observed. Effectiveness of UPA was not impacted by prior TNFi or TOFA exposure, supporting UPA as an effective treatment option in clinical practice, including in pts with prior exposure to advanced therapy.

References

[1]Burmester GR, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2503–12.

[2]Smolen JS, et al. Lancet 2019;393:2303–11.

[3]Fleischmann R, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2019;71:1788–800.

[4]Genovese MC, et al. Lancet 2018;391:2513–24.

[5]van Vollenhoven R, et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2020;72:1607–20.

[6]Rubbert-Roth A, et al. N Engl J Med 2020;383:1511–21.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded this study; contributed to its design; participated in data collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; and participated in the writing, review, and approval of the abstract. AbbVie and the authors thank all study investigators for their contributions and the patients who participated in this study. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Laura Chalmers, PhD, of 2 the Nth (Cheshire, UK), and was funded by AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Allan Gibofsky Shareholder of: AbbVie, Amgen, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer (stocks), Consultant of: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Flexion, Pfizer, Relburn Pharma, and Samumed (consulting fees); and Gerson Lehrman Group (paid consultant with investment analysts), Mark E. Pearson Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Andrew Concoff Speakers bureau: Flexion Therapeutics and Exagen, Consultant of: Flexion Therapeutics and Exagen, Anna Shmagel Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Patrick Zueger Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Lauren Smith Shareholder of: AbbVie (may own stock or options), Employee of: AbbVie, Grace C. Wright Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Exagen, Myriad Autoimmune, Novartis, Sanofi/Regeneron, UCB, and Vindico, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Exagen, Gilead, Janssen, Myriad Autoimmune, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi/Regeneron, and UCB, Employee of: Association of Women in Rheumatology (President and Founder)

POS1163 PHARMACOKINETICS OF PEGLOTICASE AND METHOTREXATE POLYGLUTAMATE(S) IN PATIENTS WITH UNCONTROLLED GOUT RECEIVING PEGLOTICASE AND CO-TREATMENT WITH METHOTREXATE

Background

In a prior open-label, single-arm trial in adults with uncontrolled gout (MIRROR open-label [OL] trial), methotrexate (MTX) co-treatment with pegloticase suggested improved efficacy of pegloticase by reducing its immunogenicity.1,2 The current randomized, controlled trial (MIRROR RCT) confirmed that pegloticase-MTX co-therapy markedly increased pegloticase response rate (response defined as serum uric acid <6 mg/dL during ≥80% of Month 6) compared to pegloticase-placebo (PBO) co-therapy (71.0% vs. 38.5%) with a decreased infusion reaction rate and no new safety signals reported.

Objectives

To evaluate systemic exposures of pegloticase and its immunogenicity in uncontrolled gout patients receiving pegloticase with and without MTX as part of the MIRROR RCT; and to determine exposure of methotrexate polyglutamate(s) (MTX-PGs) in uncontrolled gout patients through Month 6 of treatment.

Methods

In MIRROR RCT, MTX (15 mg/wk) or matching PBO was given orally 4 weeks prior to the first pegloticase dose and continued weekly, in combination with pegloticase 8 mg given intravenously every 2 weeks, over a 52-week treatment period. Pre-infusion blood samples were collected to measure MTX polyglutamates (MTX-PGs, including MTX-PG1-5) in red blood cells and pre- and post-infusion serum samples were obtained to measure trough (Cmin) and peak (Cmax) concentrations of pegloticase, respectively, at multiple visits. MTX-PG and pegloticase concentrations were summarized by visit and by treatment group. Pre-infusion serum samples for anti-polyethylene glycol (PEG) antibody (Ab) measurement were also collected at multiple pre-defined time points. Anti-PEG Ab incidence and titer were summarized by visit and by treatment group.

Results

Overall, higher Cmax and Cmin of pegloticase were observed in the pegloticase + MTX group than in the pegloticase + PBO group (Figure 1). At Week 14, median (first quartile [Q1], third quartile [Q3]) Cmin was 1.32 (0.73, 1.74) µg/mL and 0.63 (0.30, 1.28) µg/mL for the pegloticase + MTX and pegloticase + PBO groups, respectively. Median (Q1, Q3) Cmax was 3.01 (1.94, 3.94) µg/mL and 2.66 (1.45, 3.20) µg/mL for the pegloticase + MTX and pegloticase + PBO groups, respectively. Improved pegloticase response was associated with higher pegloticase concentrations. At Week 14, Cmin was below the quantitation limit (0.6 µg/mL) for 8 of 10 non-responders and 1.26 (0.72, 1.71) µg/mL for responders. MTX co-administration reduced the incidence of new anti-PEG antibody formation. The proportion of subjects with an increase from baseline in anti-PEG Ab titers or who were negative at baseline and developed an anti-PEG Ab response at ≥1 post-dose time point during pegloticase treatment was 29.5% and 51.0%, for the pegloticase + MTX and pegloticase + PBO groups, respectively. The pegloticase + MTX group had overall lower titer levels than those in the pegloticase + PBO group. Positive anti-PEG Ab status was associated with a lower pegloticase Cmin. Concentrations of MTX-PGs were maintained during the treatment course in the pegloticase + MTX group, suggesting compliance with MTX administration. There was no apparent difference in concentrations of MTX-PGs (including MTX-PG3, the predominant form of MTX-PGs4) between responders and non-responders. MTX-PG concentrations were in the same range as those reported for low-dose oral MTX use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis,3 suggesting no impact of pegloticase on MTX PK.

Conclusion

Pegloticase 8 mg IV every 2 weeks with MTX co-treatment (oral 15 mg weekly) reduced anti-PEG Ab incidence and resulted in higher pegloticase exposures compared to pegloticase administered with PBO, consistent with the increased clinical efficacy observed with pegloticase + MTX co-administration.

References

[1]Botson J, et al. J Rheumatol 2021;48:767-74

[2]Song Y, et al. Arthritis Rheum 2020;72(suppl 10)

[3]Dervieux T, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2013;72:908-10

[4]Choi R. J Pharm Biomed Anal 2021;201:114124

Disclosure of Interests

Yan Xin Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Yang Song Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Michael E. Weinblatt Consultant of: Horizon Therapeutics, Jason Chamberlain Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Jennifer Zarzoso Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Katie Obermeyer Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Stephen Sainati Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Colleen Canavan Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics, Srini Ramanathan Shareholder of: Horizon Therapeutics, Employee of: Horizon Therapeutics

POS0643 SUSTAINABILITY OF RESPONSE BETWEEN UPADACITINIB AND ADALIMUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS: RESULTS THROUGH 3 YEARS FROM THE SELECT-COMPARE TRIAL

Background

The primary treatment target for patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is sustained clinical remission (REM) or low disease activity (LDA).1,2 A greater proportion of patients with RA and inadequate response to methotrexate (MTX) receiving the JAK inhibitor, upadacitinib (UPA), achieved REM/LDA compared with adalimumab (ADA), both with background MTX, through 26 weeks in the phase 3, SELECT-COMPARE trial.3

Objectives

We assessed sustainability of response over 3 years in UPA-treated patients with RA.

Methods

SELECT-COMPARE included a 26-week, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled period, a 48-week, double-blind active comparator-controlled period, and an ongoing long-term extension for up to 10 years. Patients on background MTX received UPA 15 mg once daily, PBO, or ADA 40 mg every other week. Patients who did not achieve at least 20% improvements in tender and swollen joint counts (Weeks 14-22) or LDA (CDAI ≤10 at Week 26) were rescued from UPA to ADA or PBO/ADA to UPA. This post hoc analysis evaluated clinical REM (CDAI ≤2.8; SDAI ≤3.3), LDA (CDAI ≤10; SDAI ≤11), and DAS28(CRP) <2.6/≤3.2 at first occurrence (prior to treatment switch [rescue]), as well as over 3 years following initial response in patients randomized to UPA or ADA. For those patients who achieved REM/LDA, Kaplan-Meier was used to define the time from when the response was first achieved to the earliest date at which the response was lost at two consecutive visits, discontinuation of study drug, or losing response at the time of rescue. The predictive ability of time to CDAI REM/LDA was assessed using Harrell’s concordance (c)-index (range: 0 [all predictions wrong] to 1.0 [perfect predictive ability]. Non-responder imputation was used for missing data.

Results

Through 3 years, a significantly higher proportion of patients receiving UPA + MTX vs ADA + MTX achieved CDAI REM (47% vs 35%, P = 0.001) as well as CDAI LDA (70% vs 60%, P = 0.001). At 30 months after first occurrence of response, CDAI REM/LDA was sustained in 19%/42% of patients randomized to UPA and 10%/30% of patients randomized to ADA (Figure 1). Time to initial clinical response did not appear to be predictive of sustained disease control. The c-index for CDAI REM/LDA was 0.50/0.60 on UPA vs 0.49/0.56 on ADA. Through the last follow-up visit, 37%/58% of patients receiving UPA and 27%/48% on ADA remained in CDAI REM/LDA, respectively (Figure 2). Of patients who lost CDAI REM, 68% on UPA and 55% on ADA remained in LDA. Additionally, roughly similar proportions on UPA and ADA recaptured CDAI REM/LDA (UPA, 40%/17%; ADA, 48%/19%). Similar results were observed for REM/LDA based on SDAI and for DAS28(CRP) <2.6/≤3.2.

Conclusion

Among patients with inadequate response to MTX, a higher proportion receiving UPA + MTX achieved remission or LDA across disease activity measures vs ADA + MTX. UPA-treated patients demonstrated a consistently higher sustained response rate over 3 years compared to those receiving ADA. Furthermore, significant proportions of patients who lost response on either UPA or ADA were able to recapture remission or LDA.

References

[1]Smolen et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;79:685–99.

[2]Singh et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2016;68:1–26.

[3]Fleischmann et al. Arthritis Rheumatol 2019;71:1788–1800.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded these studies and participated in the study design, research, analysis, data collection, interpretation of data, reviewing, and approval of the publication. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Matthew Eckwahl, PhD, of AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Peter Nash Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Pfizer, Gilead/Galapagos, Sanofi, Celgene, Novartis, Lilly, Janssen, UCB, Samsung, MSD, Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Pfizer, Gilead/Galapagos, Sanofi, Celgene, Novartis, Lilly, Janssen, UCB, Samsung, MSD, Roche, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, Pfizer, Gilead/Galapagos, Sanofi, Celgene, Novartis, Lilly, Janssen, UCB, Samsung, MSD, Roche, Arthur Kavanaugh Consultant of: AbbVie Inc., Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, BMS, Celgene, Centocor-Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie Inc., Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, BMS, Celgene, Centocor-Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Maya H Buch Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Boehringer Ingleheim, Eli Lilly, Merck-Serono, and Sanofi, Consultant of: AbbVie, Boehringer Ingleheim, Eli Lilly, Merck-Serono, and Sanofi, Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Gilead, and UCB, Bernard Combe Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Celltrion, Gilead, Galapagos, Janssen, Eli Lilly, MSD, Pfizer, Roche Chugai, Louis Bessette Speakers bureau: Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Roche, UCB, AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, Celgene, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Sandoz, Gilead, Fresenius Kabi, and Teva, Consultant of: Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Roche, UCB, AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, Celgene, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Sandoz, Gilead, Fresenius Kabi, and Teva, Grant/research support from: Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Roche, UCB, AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, Celgene, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Sandoz, Gilead, Fresenius Kabi, and Teva, In-Ho Song Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: Amgen, BMS, Janssen, Roche, UCB, AbbVie, Pfizer, Merck, Celgene, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Sandoz, Gilead, Fresenius Kabi, and Teva, Tim Shaw Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Jessica Suboticki Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Roy M. Fleischmann Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and UCB

POS0693 IMPACT OF UPADACITINIB VERSUS ABATACEPT ON INDIVIDUAL DISEASE OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND INADEQUATE RESPONSES TO BIOLOGIC DMARDS

Background

The phase 3 SELECT-CHOICE trial of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and prior inadequate response to biologic DMARD(s) (bDMARD-IR) demonstrated superiority of the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib (UPA) vs abatacept (ABA) in the mean change from baseline (BL) in DAS28(CRP) and in the proportion achieving DAS28(CRP) <2.6 at week (wk) 12, with higher incidence of serious adverse events reported in the UPA treatment group.

Objectives

To evaluate the impact of UPA vs ABA on individual components of composite measures of disease activity in SELECT-CHOICE.

Methods

In SELECT-CHOICE, a double-blind phase 3 trial, bDMARD-IR patients were randomly assigned to UPA 15 mg once daily or ABA, each with background conventional synthetic DMARDs, for 24 wks. For this post hoc analysis, the proportions of patients achieving improvement from BL through wk 24 in ACR core variables (including SJC, TJC, Patient Global Assessment [PtGA], Physician Global Assessment [PhGA], pain, HAQ-DI, and hsCRP) and Boolean remission criteria were evaluated. Differences in the cumulative distributions of CDAI, DAS28(hsCRP), SDAI, and ACR-n (the lowest of percent change in TJC, percent change in SJC, or median of the other 5 ACR components) were determined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and are reported as observed. For all other variables, non-responder imputation was applied for missing data. Nominal P values are provided throughout.

Results

A total of 616 bDMARD-IR patients with moderate to severe RA were randomized in SELECT-CHOICE (UPA 15 mg, n=303; ABA, n=309). BL demographic and disease characteristics were generally comparable between treatment groups, with a mean disease duration of approximately 12 years and mean CDAI of 39.6. At wk 12, more patients receiving UPA vs ABA achieved ≥50% improvements from BL in TJC68, PtGA, and hsCRP, with comparable proportions observed between UPA and ABA for the remaining ACR components (Figure 1). At wk 24, similar proportions of patients receiving UPA and ABA achieved ≥50% improvements in all but the hsCRP component. Overall, 15% and 26% of patients on UPA compared with 6% and 15% on ABA demonstrated ≥50% improvements across all ACR components at wks 12 and 24, respectively. At wks 12 and 24, Boolean remission was achieved by 6% and 14% of patients on UPA vs 2% and 10% of patients on ABA, respectively; the proportion of patients in both treatment groups achieving the individual Boolean components were also reported (Table 1). While comparable at BL, cumulative distributions of CDAI, SDAI, DAS28(hsCRP), and ACR-n were improved on UPA vs ABA at wk 12 (all nominal P <0.05); differences persisted for most measures at wk 24.

Table 1.

Proportions of Patients Achieving Boolean Remission and Its Components at Week 12 and 24 (NRI)

Week 12Week 24n (%)UPA 15 mgABAUPA 15 mgABA(N=303)(N=309)(N=303)(N=309)Boolean Remission19 (6)***5 (2)42 (14)*30 (10) PtGA ≤1054 (18)***29 (9)80 (26)*66 (21) TJC ≤189 (29)***64 (21)134 (44)*115 (37) SJC ≤1127 (42)**106 (34)169 (56)*152 (49) hsCRP ≤1 mg/dL257 (85)***209 (68)244 (81)***199 (64)

Nominal ***P <.001, **P <.01, *P <.05 for UPA vs ABA. ABA, abatacept; PtGA, Patient’s Global Assessment of disease severity; UPA, upadacitinib.

Conclusion

In this post hoc analysis of bDMARD-IR RA patients, improvements in components of disease measures were reported for both UPA and ABA through 24 weeks, with numeric differences noted for several components. Nominally higher attainment of Boolean remission and its components were observed for UPA over ABA.

References

[1]Rubbert-Roth A, et al. N Engl J Med 2020; 383:1511-21.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie and the authors thank the patients, study sites, and investigators who participated in these clinical trials. AbbVie funded these studies and participated in the study design, research, analysis, data collection, interpretation of data, reviewing, and approval of the publication. All authors had access to relevant data and participated in the drafting, review, and approval of this publication. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Matthew Eckwahl, PhD, of AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Ronald van Vollenhoven Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Galapagos, GSK, Janssen, Pfizer, R-Pharma, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Biogen, BMS, Galapagos, Janssen, Miltenyi, Pfizer, UCB, Grant/research support from: Research: BMS, GSK, UCB; Educational programs: MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Andrea Rubbert-Roth Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Pfizer, Sanofi, UCB, BMS, Lilly, Gilead, Roche, Consultant of: AbbVie, Gilead, Lilly, BMS, Sanofi, R-Pharm, Stephen Hall Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB, Novartis, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB, Novartis, Ricardo Xavier Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Anna Shmagel Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Samuel Anyanwu Shareholder of: AbbVie, Employee of: AbbVie, Vibeke Strand Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Arena, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chemocentryx, BMS, Celltrion, Lilly, Genentech/Roche, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Ichnos, Inmedix, Janssen, Kiniksa, Lilly, Merck, Myriad Genetics, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Rheos, R-Pharma, Samsung, Sandoz, Sanofi, Scipher, Setpoint, Sorrento, Spherix, UCB

POS0540 CLINICAL OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH GLUCOCORTICOID DISCONTINUATION AMONG PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS RECEIVING UPADACITINIB OR ADALIMUMAB

Background

Patients (pts) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are often administered glucocorticoids (GCs) as bridging therapy when initiating or adjusting disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Due to their systemic effects, short-term use of GCs at the lowest possible dose is recommended with rapid tapering.1

Objectives

We describe GC discontinuation patterns and the associated clinical outcomes in pts with RA receiving upadacitinib (UPA) or adalimumab (ADA).

Methods

SELECT-COMPARE is a randomized phase 3 trial of UPA vs placebo and ADA with a 48-week (wk) double-blind treatment period and a 10-year long-term extension in pts with RA receiving concomitant methotrexate (MTX) who had an inadequate response to MTX.2 Background GCs (≤10 mg/day prednisone or equivalent) were permitted and could be tapered or discontinued starting at wk 26 per physician discretion. This post hoc analysis included pts who received ≥1 dose of UPA 15 mg once daily or ADA 40 mg every other wk while on concomitant GCs at baseline. The proportion of pts with disease worsening (Clinical Disease Activity Index [CDAI] >2 and Disease Activity Score 28-joint count C-reactive protein [DAS28-CRP] >0.6) following GC discontinuation through follow-up is described. Maintenance of clinical response, including remission and low disease activity based on CDAI ≤2.8 and ≤10, respectively, as well as DAS28-CRP <2.6 and ≤3.2, were assessed among pts who discontinued GCs. Adverse events (AEs) were assessed before and after GC discontinuation through follow-up. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Results

Of 1,629 pts randomized, 978 (60%) used GCs at baseline; 128 (13%) discontinued use at/after wk 26 (UPA, n=97; ADA, n=31). Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics were broadly similar between pts who continued or discontinued GCs. Median follow-up time after GC discontinuation was 60 wks for UPA and 84 wks for ADA. At the time of GC discontinuation, a numerically higher proportion of pts treated with UPA vs ADA were in disease control (CDAI ≤2.8: 55% vs 32%; CDAI ≤10: 85% vs 68%; DAS28-CRP <2.6: 71% vs 48%; DAS28-CRP ≤3.2: 87% vs 62%) (Table 1). Few pts receiving UPA experienced disease worsening following GC discontinuation (1% CDAI increase >2; 7% DAS28-CRP increase >0.6) and none on ADA (Table 1). At 6 months follow-up after GC discontinuation, most pts treated with UPA and ADA maintained CDAI ≤2.8 (74% vs 88%) and ≤10 (92% vs 95%) and DAS28-CRP <2.6 (89% vs 85%) and ≤3.2 (91% vs 94%), respectively (Table 1). GCs were reintroduced (albeit usually temporarily) in 14% of pts on UPA and 19% on ADA (Figure 1). AEs were generally similar across treatment groups. Rates of serious infection before and after GC discontinuation were 0.8 (95% CI 0.0–4.2) and 1.5 (0.2–5.4) events per 100 patient-years (E/100 PY) for UPA and 7.7 (1.6–22.4) and 0 E/100 PY for ADA, respectively. Interpretation of results is limited by small pt numbers and different exposure times.

Table 1.

Clinical outcomes of pts who discontinued GCs at/after wk 26

n/N (%)Pts who discontinued GCs N=128UPAn=97ADAn=31CDAI≤10 at discontinuation79/93 (85%)21/31 (68%) Maintained at 6 months post discontinuationa61/66 (92%)18/19 (95%)≤2.8 at withdrawal51/93 (55%)10/31 (32%) Maintained at 6 months post discontinuationa32/43 (74%)7/8 (88%)Increase >2 any visit after withdrawal1/93 (1%)0DAS28-CRP≤3.2 at withdrawal78/90 (87%)18/29 (62%) Maintained at 6 months post discontinuationa58/64 (91%)15/16 (94%)<2.6 at withdrawal64/90 (71%)14/29 (48%) Maintained at 6 months post discontinuationa47/53 (89%)11/13 (85%)Increase >0.6 any visit after withdrawal6/92 (7%)0

aAs a proportion of pts achieving outcome at GC discontinuation and with observed data 6 months post GC discontinuation.

Conclusion

In pts who achieved disease control and discontinued GCs, disease control was maintained in almost all without worsening disease activity over time following GC discontinuation.

Conclusion

In pts who achieved disease control and discontinued GCs, disease control was maintained in almost all without worsening disease activity over time following GC discontinuation.

References

[1]Smolen JS, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2020;79:685–99.

[2]Fleischmann R, et al. Ann Rheum Dis. 2019;78:1454–62.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded this study and participated in the study design, research, analysis, data collection, interpretation of data, review, and approval of the publication. All authors had access to relevant data and participated in the drafting, review, and approval of this publication. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing assistance was provided by Julia Zolotarjova, MSc, MWC of AbbVie Inc.

Disclosure of Interests

Roy M. Fleischmann Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Galvani, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Astra-Zeneca, BMS, Flexion, Galvani, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Noven, Pfizer, Samumed, Selecta, Teva, UCB, Viela, and Vorso., Bernard Combe Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Gilead-Galapagos, Janssen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche-Chugai, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Gilead-Galapagos, Janssen, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Novartis, Pfizer, and Roche-Chugai, Grant/research support from: Pfizer and Roche-Chugai, Andrew Ostor Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Paradigm, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB., Cesar Francisco Pacheco Tena Consultant of: AbbVie, Astra-Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, R-Pharm, Sanofi Regeneron, and UCB., Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Astra-Zeneca, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Pfizer, Roche, R-Pharm, Sanofi Regeneron, and UCB., Nasser Khan Shareholder of: May own AbbVie stock or stock options, Employee of: AbbVie, Jessica Suboticki Shareholder of: May own AbbVie stock or stock options, Employee of: AbbVie, Anna Shmagel Shareholder of: May own AbbVie stock or stock options, Employee of: AbbVie, Yanna Song Shareholder of: May own AbbVie stock or stock options, Employee of: AbbVie, Ivan Lagunes-Galindo Shareholder of: May own AbbVie stock or stock options, Employee of: AbbVie, Gerd Rüdiger Burmester Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB., Consultant of: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, MSD, Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi, and UCB.

AB0352 IMPACT OF SEROLOGIC STATUS ON CLINICAL RESPONSES TO UPADACITINIB OR ABATACEPT IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS AND PRIOR INADEQUATE RESPONSE TO BIOLOGIC DMARDs: SUB-GROUP ANALYSIS FROM THE PHASE 3 SELECT-CHOICE STUDY

Background

In patients with RA who had a prior inadequate response or intolerance to biologic DMARDs, the oral Janus kinase inhibitor, upadacitinib (UPA), demonstrated superiority in change from baseline in DAS28(CRP) and DAS28(CRP)<2.6 at week 12 and improved responses across additional endpoints compared to abatacept (ABA) in the phase 3 SELECT-CHOICE study. Seropositive patients have been reported to respond better to treatment than seronegative patients.

Objectives

To evaluate clinical responses with UPA versus ABA among RA patients based on serologic status.

Methods

In SELECT-CHOICE (24-week, phase 3, double-blind, controlled trial), RA patients were randomized to oral UPA (15 mg once daily) or intravenous (IV) ABA (at day 1 and weeks 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20; <60 kg, 500 mg; 60-100 kg, 750 mg; >100 kg, 1000 mg).1 UPA patients also received IV placebo and ABA patients also received oral placebo. All patients continued stable background conventional synthetic DMARDs. Starting at week 12, background RA medications were adjusted or added if patients did not experience ≥20% improvement compared to baseline in tender and swollen joint counts at two consecutive visits. For this sub-group analysis, patients were categorized as follows: RF+ and ACPA+, RF+ and/or ACPA+, and RF- and ACPA-. Mean change from baseline in DAS28(CRP), Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI), ACR responses, HAQ-DI, patient’s assessment of pain, and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue scale (FACIT-F) were evaluated at weeks 12 and 24. Statistical inference was conducted using Chi-square tests or analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with non-responder imputation or multiple imputation used for missing data and nominal P-values shown.

Results

Of the total population (N=612), the majority of patients were seropositive for RF and/or ACPA at baseline (80.4%) (Table 1). Most patients were female (~80%), ~55 years old, and one-third had previously experienced ≥2 biologic DMARDs. Mean change from baseline in DAS28(CRP) and CDAI were numerically higher with UPA vs ABA at weeks 12 and 24 across all sub-groups (Figure 1). Regardless of serologic status, UPA demonstrated numerically higher responses vs ABA for ACR 20/50/70 and proportions of patients in low disease activity and remission at both timepoints (Table 1). Mean change from baseline in the HAQ-DI and the patient’s assessment of pain was numerically higher with UPA compared to ABA across all sub-groups and timepoints (data not shown). Clinical responses were generally numerically higher at week 24 compared to week 12, and for the seropositive groups compared to the seronegative group, with both UPA and ABA.

Table 1.

Clinical Responses with UPA 15 mg or ABA in RA Patients Across Serologic Status Sub-Groups at Weeks 12 and 24

RF+ and ACPA+ (n=390)RF+ and/or ACPA+ (n=492)RF- and ACPA- (n=120)UPA n=189ABA n=201UPA n=242ABA n=250UPA n=61ABA n=59Proportion of Patients (%) (NRI)† WeekACR201281*7179*71624724847882776759ACR501251*4051**4026*122463*5363*544432ACR7012231624*151172439*2840**282520DAS28(CRP) ≤3.21254***3454***3333**102465**4965**505437DAS28(CRP) <2.61232***1733***1518*52446**3348***333925CDAI ≤10124239433933*1724595560565134CDAI ≤2.81210*310**3202423*1423**141112

*P<0.05; **P<0.01; ***P<0.001 UPA vs. ABA; nominal P-values are presented and not adjusted for multiple comparisons

†NRI was used for missing data

Conclusion

Across serologic statuses, clinical responses with UPA 15 mg vs ABA were numerically higher at weeks 12 and 24 among RA patients with prior inadequate response or intolerance to biologic DMARDs. In addition, clinical responses were numerically higher for seropositive patients compared to seronegative patients across all endpoints assessed, although the seronegative group had a smaller sample size in this post-hoc analysis.

Acknowledgements

AbbVie funded these studies and participated in the study design, research, analysis, data collection, interpretation of data. No honoraria or payments were made for authorship. Medical writing support was provided by Monica R.P. Elmore, PhD of AbbVie.

Disclosure of Interests

Andrea Rubbert-Roth Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Chugai, Roche, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, Sanofi, Amgen, Novartis, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Chugai, Roche, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, Sanofi, Amgen, Novartis, Jeffrey Sparks Consultant of: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Gilead, Inova Diagnostics, Optum, and Pfizer., Arnaud Constantin Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Galapagos, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Galapagos, Janssen, Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, and UCB, Ricardo Xavier Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Yanna Song Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Jessica Suboticki Shareholder of: AbbVie Inc., Employee of: AbbVie Inc., Roy M. Fleischmann Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi-Aventis, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis and UCB

Power in Dentistry: A Foucauldian Shift in South Korea

The established method of understanding power in dentistry is based on the early Foucauldian discourse that dentistry enforces oral health discipline to the people on behalf of state power. This exhibits the hierarchy between dentists and patients, which clearly appears in clinical dentistry and effectively explains the responsibility of oral care assigned to patients. However, there presents no way to becoming free from the framework in the discourse as a resistance. Beyond the political aspect of the medico-sociological framework, this paper seeks a different way to understand power in dentistry through 'care of the self', a late Foucauldian concept. First, based on the current discussion of the dentist-patient relationship (DPR), the paper examines two trends of clinical dental treatments in South Korea. The high prevalence of dental implant and orthognathic surgery indicates that traditional prejudices including ableism and pursuit of Western beauty still remain in South Korea albeit with the society overcoming paternalism in DPRs. These dental phenomena, however, contain excesses that cannot be explained only by traditional prejudice, and this paper attempts to interpret them as the pursuit of care of the self that appears in the dentist's professionalism and the patient's self-determination. In dentistry, care of the self can be introduced in the form of empowerment, which is implemented through the improvement of oral health literacy and shared decision-making. This paper argues that this interpretation helps surmount the traditional dyadic model of the DPR and revise the understanding of power in dentistry.

[Impact of prolonging dual antiplatelet therapy on long-term prognosis of elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus undergoing drug-eluting stent implantation]

Objective: To explore and compare the effect of standard or prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on the long-term prognosis of elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. Methods: Consecutive patients with diabetes mellitus, ≥65 years old, underwent DES implantation, and had no adverse events within 1 year after operation underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from January to December 2013 in Fuwai Hospital were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. These patients were divided into three groups according to DAPT duration: standard DAPT duration group (11 ≤ DAPT duration≤ 13 months) and prolonged DAPT duration group (13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months; DAPT duration>24 months). All the patients were followed up at 1, 6 months, 1, 2 and 5 years in order to collect the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE), and type 2 to 5 bleeding events defined by the Federation of Bleeding Academic Research (BARC). MACCE were consisted of all cause death, myocardial infarction, target vessel revascularization or stroke. The incidence of clinical adverse events were compared among 3 different DAPT duration groups, and Cox regression model were used to analyze the effect of different DAPT duration on 5-year long-term prognosis. Results: A total of 1 562 patients were enrolled, aged (70.8±4.5) years, with 398 female (25.5%). There were 467 cases in standard DAPT duration group, 684 cases in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group and 411 cases in DAPT duration>24 months group. The patients in standard DAPT duration group and the prolonged DAPT duration groups accounted for 29.9% (467/1 562) and 70.1% (1 095/1 562), respectively. The 5-year follow-up results showed that the incidence of all-cause death in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group (4.8%(33/684) vs. 8.6%(40/467),P=0.011) and DAPT duration>24 month group(4.1%(17/411) vs. 8.6%(40/467),P=0.008) were significantly lower than in standard DAPT group. The incidence of myocardial infarction in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group was lower than in standard DAPT duration group (1.9%(13/684) vs. 5.1%(24/467),P=0.002). The incidence of MACCE in 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group was the lowest (standard DAPT duration group, 13<DAPT duration≤ 24 months group and DAPT duration>24 month group were 19.3% (90/467), 12.3% (84/684), 20.2% (83/411), respectively, P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the incidence of stroke and bleeding events among the three groups (all P>0.05). Multivariate Cox analysis showed that compared with the standard DAPT group, prolonged DAPT to 13-24 months was negatively correlated with MACCE (HR=0.601, 95%CI 0.446-0.811, P=0.001), all-cause death (HR=0.568, 95%CI 0.357-0.903, P=0.017) and myocardial infarction (HR=0.353, 95%CI 0.179-0.695, P=0.003). DAPT>24 months was negatively correlated with all-cause death (HR=0.687, 95%CI 0.516-0.913, P=0.010) and positively correlated with revascularization (HR=1.404, 95%CI 1.116-1.765, P=0.004). There was no correlation between prolonged DAPT and bleeding events. Conclusions: For elderly patients with coronary heart disease complicated with diabetes mellitus underwent DES implantation, and had no MACCE and bleeding events within 1 year after operation, appropriately prolonging of the DAPT duration is related to the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular adverse events. Patients may benefit the most from the DAPT between 13 to 24 months. In addition, prolonging DAPT duration does not increase the incidence of bleeding events in this patient cohort.

Measurements of Proton High-Order Cumulants in sqrt[s_{NN}]=3 GeV Au+Au Collisions and Implications for the QCD Critical Point

We report cumulants of the proton multiplicity distribution from dedicated fixed-target Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.0  GeV, measured by the STAR experiment in the kinematic acceptance of rapidity (y) and transverse momentum (p_{T}) within -0.5<y<0 and 0.4<p_{T}<2.0  GeV/c. In the most central 0%-5% collisions, a proton cumulant ratio is measured to be C_{4}/C_{2}=-0.85±0.09 (stat)±0.82 (syst), which is 2σ below the Poisson baseline with respect to both the statistical and systematic uncertainties. The hadronic transport UrQMD model reproduces our C_{4}/C_{2} in the measured acceptance. Compared to higher energy results and the transport model calculations, the suppression in C_{4}/C_{2} is consistent with fluctuations driven by baryon number conservation and indicates an energy regime dominated by hadronic interactions. These data imply that the QCD critical region, if created in heavy-ion collisions, could only exist at energies higher than 3 GeV.

Relation of BMI and waist circumference with the risk of new-onset hyperuricemia in hypertensive patients

BACKGROUND

We aimed to evaluate the relationship of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) with the risk of new-onset hyperuricemia, and examine possible effect modifies in general hypertensive patients.

METHODS

A total of 10 611 hypertensive patients with normal uric acid (UA) concentrations (<357 μmol/l) at baseline were included from the UA sub-study of the China Stroke Primary Prevention Trial. The primary outcome was new-onset hyperuricemia, defined as a UA concentration ≥417 μmol/l in men or ≥357 μmol/l in women at the exit visit.

RESULTS

During a median follow-up duration of 4.4 years, 1663 (15.7%) participants developed new-onset hyperuricemia. When analyzed separately, increased BMI (≥25 kg/m2, quartile 3-4; OR, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.29-1.65), or increased WC (≥85 cm for females, quartile 3-4; OR, 1.24; 95% CI: 1.08-1.42; and ≥84 cm for males, quartile 3-4; OR, 1.30; 95% CI: 1.01-1.67) were each significantly associated with higher risk of new-onset hyperuricemia. When WC was forced into the model with BMI simultaneously, its significant association with new-onset hyperuricemia disappeared in females (<85 vs. ≥85 cm; OR, 0.96, 95% CI: 0.81-1.13) or males (≥84 vs. <84 cm; OR, 1.13; 95% CI: 0.84-1.52); however, BMI was still significantly related with new-onset hyperuricemia (≥25 vs. <25 kg/m2; OR, 1.48; 95% CI: 1.27-1.73). Moreover, the positive BMI & new-onset hyperuricemia association was more pronounced in participants with higher time-averaged on-treatment systolic blood pressure (median: <138.3 vs. ≥138.3 mmHg; P-interaction = 0.041).

CONCLUSIONS

Higher BMI, but not WC, is significantly and independently associated with an increased risk of new-onset hyperuricemia among hypertensive patients.

Total bone mineral density is inversely associated with stroke: a family osteoporosis cohort study in rural China

BACKGROUND

The relationship of osteoporosis and stroke is still not fully clarified. Apart from the well-known risk factors for stroke, bone mineral density (BMD) has gained more interest in recent years.

AIM

To further elucidate the relationship between BMD and stroke risk, a prospective cohort study in the Chinese rural population was conducted.

DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of a family osteoporosis cohort.

METHODS

Our subjects were selected from an osteoporosis cohort conducted in Anqing, China. All participants underwent a questionnaire assessment, clinical examinations and laboratory assessments. During the follow-up period, the number of people who had a stroke was recorded. Generalized estimating equation regression analysis was performed to determine the significance of the association between BMD and stroke.

RESULTS

A total of 17868 people were included. A two-way interaction test of sex and BMD on stroke was significant (P = 0.002). There was a significant difference in BMD and stroke morbidity in the male group (P = 0.003). When BMD was assessed as quartiles and the lowest quartile was used as reference, a significantly lower risk for stroke was observed in Q2-4. Notably, no significant difference was observed in female participants with adjusted odds ratio (P > 0.05). The P-value for interaction was calculated. The body mass index (P = 0.014) and waist-to-hip ratio (P = 0.027) were found to be significantly associated with BMD and stroke risk in female participants.

CONCLUSIONS

In Chinese rural areas, total BMD may negatively correlated with stroke, especially in men.

Probing the Gluonic Structure of the Deuteron with J/ψ Photoproduction in d+Au Ultraperipheral Collisions

Understanding gluon density distributions and how they are modified in nuclei are among the most important goals in nuclear physics. In recent years, diffractive vector meson production measured in ultraperipheral collisions (UPCs) at heavy-ion colliders has provided a new tool for probing the gluon density. In this Letter, we report the first measurement of J/ψ photoproduction off the deuteron in UPCs at the center-of-mass energy sqrt[s_{NN}]=200  GeV in d+Au collisions. The differential cross section as a function of momentum transfer -t is measured. In addition, data with a neutron tagged in the deuteron-going zero-degree calorimeter is investigated for the first time, which is found to be consistent with the expectation of incoherent diffractive scattering at low momentum transfer. Theoretical predictions based on the color glass condensate saturation model and the leading twist approximation nuclear shadowing model are compared with the data quantitatively. A better agreement with the saturation model has been observed. With the current measurement, the results are found to be directly sensitive to the gluon density distribution of the deuteron and the deuteron breakup process, which provides insights into the nuclear gluonic structure.

[Analysis of changes in mortality of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years in China from 2004 to 2018 and policy effects]

Objective: To analyze the trend of child and adolescent mortality rate in China from 2004 to 2018 and explore the possible policy effects. Methods: This study used the mortality data of child and adolescent aged 5 to 19 years from 2004 to 2018 based on the National Disease Surveillance System. Age-standardized mortality rate was calculated by using the population from the sixth national census. Joinpoint regression was used to analyze the trend of child and adolescent mortality with different features from 2004 to 2018. Results: From 2004 to 2018, the overall mortality rate of children and adolescents in China dropped from 40.02 per 100 000 to 22.00 per 100 000, and the average annual percentage change (AAPC) was -4.28 (95%CI:-5.35,-3.20,P<0.001). The mortality rate dropped rapidly from 2004 to 2006, and the annual percentage change (APC) was -9.20 (95%CI:-15.63,-2.28,P=0.017). The decline rate slowed down between 2006 and 2013, and the APC was -1.56 (95%CI:-2.78,-0.33,P=0.020). The downward trend accelerated from 2013 to 2018, and the APC was -5.99 (95%CI:-7.52,-4.43,P<0.001). The trend of child mortality rate in rural area, females, eastern provinces of China, children aged 10 to 14 years, children aged 15 to 19 years, and injury mortality rate were basically consistent with the overall trend. The child mortality rate in urban area, central provinces of China and the mortality rate of infectious diseases, maternal and infant, and nutritional deficiencies diseases showed a uniform downward trend from 2004 to 2018, with AAPC values about -3.59 (95%CI:-4.38,-2.78,P<0.001), -2.89 (95%CI:-3.24,-2.54,P<0.001) and -6.66 (95%CI:-7.64,-5.68,P<0.001), respectively. Conclusion: The mortality rate of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years in China continues to decline from 2004 to 2018, and the decline rate becomes faster after 2011.

A high-speed radiation imaging system based on liquid scintillator filled capillary arrays

A high-speed radiation imaging system based on an image converter of liquid scintillator filled capillary arrays has been developed, which is sensitive to x rays, gamma rays, and neutrons. This imaging system has advantages of both high spatial resolution and high sensitivity because increasing the thickness of the image converter only leads to little deterioration on imaging resolution. The capillary arrays have dimensions of 150 mm diameter and 50 mm thickness, with 100 µm diameter of each capillary. The fluorescence decay time of the filled liquid scintillator based on the mixture of p-xylene and 2,5-diphenyloxazole has been evaluated to be ∼3 ns with the single photon method under the gamma ray excitation. The spatial resolution has been experimentally evaluated to be about 1.15 and 0.6 mm, under excitation of x rays and neutrons, respectively. The imaging system has been applied for diagnosing the dynamic x-ray spot generated by the rod pinch. Two frames in single shot with 15 ns temporal resolution and 20 ns inter-frame separation time have been obtained, which show the spatiotemporal distribution of the electrons bombarding the tungsten rod, indicating the ability of this imaging system in diagnosing dynamic radiation objects. In addition, the technique of capillary arrays provides a promising path for applications of advanced liquid scintillators in the field of radiation imaging.

Design of real-time data acquisition system for interferometer-based electron density diagnostics on EAST

Laser-aided interferometers are employed as the common diagnostics for electron density measurements. On the EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak), we have four main electron density diagnostics-the far-infrared hydrogen cyanide interferometer, polarimeter/interferometer, carbon dioxide (CO₂) dispersion interferometer, and solid-state source interferometer. For interferometers, the phase difference brought by the change in electron density can be acquired via mixers. A real-time data acquisition (DAQ) system is needed to calculate the highly precise density values. In this paper, a field-programmable gate array is employed to implement the system with fast Fourier transform-based demodulation technology. A highly precise analog/digital converter is employed for readout and digitization of the waveform including multiple frequency signals from high-performance Schottky mixers. The system has been simulated, and the results show that it can meet the requirements of the accuracy of interferometers on the EAST. Furthermore, the framework of the DAQ system also offers a reference of the data processing method to the future laser-aided interferometers.

[Cardiometabolic disease patterns among elderly patients with colorectal cancer in China]

Objective: To explore the distribution patterns of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) in elderly patients with colorectal cancer, and provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular metabolic diseases in these patients. Methods: Clinical data of 3 894 elderly patients with colorectal cancer from January 2008 to March 2018 admitted in the Chinese PLA General Hospital were recruited and the incidence rate of CMD was retrospectively analyzed. The influence factors of elderly patients with colorectal cancer combined with CMD were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression model. Results: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer is 33.4% (1 301/3 894), among them, the morbidity rate of the male was 31.9% (768/2 409), and that of the female was 35.9% (533/1 485). There was not significant difference between these two sex (P=0.074). The morbidity rates of CMD in patients of 65-74 years, 75-84 years and ≥85 years were 30.6% (754/2 462), 37.0% (479/1 294) and 49.3% (68/138), respectively, with significant differences (P<0.001). Multiple Logistic regression analysis revealed that female (OR=1.213, 95%CI: 1.056-1.394), age (75-84 years group: OR=1.344, 95%CI: 1.164-1.552; ≥85 years group: OR=2.345, 95%CI: 1.651-3.331) and body mass index (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m(2) group: OR=1.319, 95%CI: 1.065-1.638; ≥25 kg/m(2) group: OR=2.041, 95%CI: 1.627-2.561) were independent risk factors for elderly colorectal cancer patients with CMD. Conclusion: The morbidity rate of CMD in elderly patients with colorectal cancer increases with age and it is urgent to strengthen multidisciplinary cooperation and develop reasonable treatment plans to extend the survival and life quality of these patients.

[Analysis of etiological characteristics and establishment of prediction model of postoperative infections in patients undergoing oral squamous cell carcinoma surgery with free flap reconstruction]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics of pathogen infection and to establish a prediction model of infections in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing surgery with free flap reconstruction.

METHODS

The retrospective cohort study consisted of 1 596 patients undergoing tumor resection and free flap reconstruction for oral squamous cell carcinoma from January 2018 to December 2020. According to the postoperative infection, the patients were divided into the infected group (n=154) and non-infected group (n=1 442). The characteristics of pathogens were analyzed in the infected patients. The primary outcome variable was postoperative infection, and Logistic regression was used to determine risk factors of the infection. The prediction model was established and the discriminatory accuracy of the model was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTS

Totally 154 cases were infected in the 1 596 cases undergoing surgery with free flap reconstruction, and the infection rate was 9.65%. The most frequent sites of infection were the surgical wound and respiratory tract. A total of 268 pathogens were isolated and cultured, including 240 strains of Gram-negative bacteria, accounting for 89.55%, mainly Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae; 23 strains of Gram-positive bacteria, accounting for 8.58%, mainly Enterococcus faecalis and Staphylococcus aureus; and 5 strains of fungi, accounting for 1.87%. The isolated Pseudomonas aeruginosa had high resistant rate to imipenem and meropenem, and was sensitive to antibiotics, such as ciprofloxacin. The isolated Staphylococcus aureus had high resistant rate to erythromycin and clindamycin, and was sensitive to vancomycin. According to the multivariate Logistic analysis, four independent variables were significantly associated with an increased risk of postoperative infection (P < 0.05): clinical N category≥1, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) grade ≥2, tracheotomy and length of hospital stay >13 d. The prediction model was established based on these factors and the expression of the risk prediction model was as follows: predicted probability value P=1/(1+e^-a), a=-0.803+0.674×(clinical N category ≥1)+0.518×(the ASA grade ≥2)+0.918×(tracheotomy)+1.581×(length of hospital stay >13 d), Hosmer-Lemeshow χ²=10.647, P=0.223, the degree of fitting of the model was good. The area under the ROC curve was 0.818 and 95%CI of the model for predicting infection was 0.789-0.846.

CONCLUSION

Oral squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing surgery with free flap reconstruction are prone to have a high incidence of postoperative infection and Gram-negative bacteria are the main pathogens causing an infection. The established prediction model is of good predictive effect. Rational antimicrobial use coupled with awareness of infection control measures is paramount to reduce the incidence of postoperative infection in the oral squamous cell carcinoma patients undergoing surgery with free flap reconstruction.

Photodynamic Effect of Riboflavin on Chitosan Coatings and the Application in Pork Preservation

Riboflavin (RF) was considered to be possessed of photoactivity to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under ultraviolet (UV) light, which is thought to be a favorable antibacterial candidate. Herein, RF was incorporated into chitosan (CS) coatings and treated under UV with different exposure times (2, 4, and 6 h) to improve the physicochemical and antibacterial properties. The results showed that the light transmittance and antibacterial performance of chitosan coatings gradually increased with the extension of the UV irradiation time. The antibacterial ability of chitosan coatings correlated with the generation of ROS: ∙OH and H₂O₂, which achieved 1549.08 and 95.48 μg/g, respectively, after 6 h irradiation. Furthermore, the chitosan coatings with UV irradiation also reduced the pH value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), ΔE, and total viable counts (TVC) and improved sensory attributes of pork. In conclusion, the UV irradiated chitosan coatings could be used as an environmentally friendly antimicrobial packaging material to effectively delay the spoilage of pork, maintain its sensory quality and prolong its shelf life.

[Association between nutritional status and depression among centenarians in Hainan Province]

Objective: To explore the relationship between nutritional status and depression of centenarians in Hainan Province. Methods: A total of 1 002 elderly people in Hainan Province who were 100 years of age or older on June 1, 2014 were included in the study. The basic condition questionnaire, Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living-Lawton scale (Lawton-IADL) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) were used to collect the subjects' demographic characteristics, disease history, nutritional status, functional status of daily activities, and depression, respectively. The restricted cubic spline fitting logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between the scores of MNA-SF and depression. The multivariable logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between nutritional status and depression in the total population and different subgroups of daily activity function. Results: The M (Q₁, Q₃) of subjects' age was 102 (101, 104) years old, among which 82.0% (822) were women. The prevalence of malnutrition, impaired daily activities, and depression was 20.8% (208 cases), 64.7% (648 cases) and 28.5%(286 cases), respectively. Restricted cubic spline fitting logistic regression model showed a linear association between the scores of the MNA-SF and depression (P=0.251). The higher the MNA-SF score was, the lower the risk of depression was in centenarians. Multivariable logistic regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for sex, education level, diabetes, hypertension, coronary heart disease, visual function, hearing function, and functional status of daily activities, malnutrition was positively associated with the development of depression in the total population and the subgroup with impaired daily activities [OR (95%CI) was 1.50 (1.07-2.11) and 1.56 (1.09-2.24), respectively], but not in the subgroup with good daily activities [OR (95%CI): 0.77 (0.21-2.80)]. Conclusion: Malnutrition is positively associated with depression, especially in the centenarians with impaired daily activities.

[Methods for evaluating overweight and obesity among children and adolescents and application in SPSS and SAS]

Overweight/obesity has become one of the major public health problems among children and adolescents all over the world. The current screening standards for overweight and obesity in children and adolescents are not unified. It is easy to make mistakes and inefficient to evaluate item by item or develop self-written packages. Taking the"Screening standards for overweight and obesity in Chinese school-age children and adolescents"as an example, this study introduced four methods and procedures for evaluating overweight and obesity among children and adolescents from the world and China and described their application methods in combination with specific cases. At the same time, the SPSS and SAS packages were compiled and the specific application steps were explained, so that users could correctly and quickly screen overweight and obesity among children and adolescents, and conduct horizontal comparisons of similar studies across different regions.

[Re-evaluation of the diagnostic value and optimal cutoff point of captopril challenge test in diagnosis of primary aldosteronism]

Objective: The aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the diagnostic value and optimal cutoff point of captopril challenge test (CCT) in diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA). Methods: This is a retrospective study. All patients with a high risk for PA underwent screening test, and then proceeded to CCT and fludrocortisone suppression test (FST) on different days. The FST was used as a reference standard for PA. The plasma renin concentration (PRC) and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured with an automated chemiluminescence immunoassay. Random number method was performed in the patients with unilateral primary aldosteronism (UPA), in order to make the proportion of the analyzed UPA in PA was 35%. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were performed to compare diagnostic accuracy. Results: A total of 543 patients with 400 PA patients and 143 essential hypertension (EH) patients were enrolled. The diagnostic value of post-CCT PAC was significantly higher than that of the post-CCT plasma aldosterone-renin ratio (ARR), and that of the PAC suppression percentage, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC_ROC) was 0.86 (0.83, 0.89) for PAC, 0.78 (0.74, 0.82) for ARR, and 0.62 (0.56, 0.67) for the PAC suppression percentage (all P<0.01), respectively. The optimal cutoff point of post-CCT PAC for PA was 110 ng/L, in which the sensitivity and specificity were 73.25% and 79.02%, respectively. The diagnostic efficiency of post-CCT PAC was not improved either in combination with PAC suppression percentage or in combination with post-CCT ARR. Conclusions: CCT is a useful test for the confirmation of PA. PAC level of 110 ng/L at 2 h after 50 mg of captopril is recommended as an optimal cutoff point for the diagnosis of PA.

The application of photodynamic inactivation to microorganisms in food

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Recent progresses in the development of photodynamic inactivation (PDI) of bacteria were summarized.

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Key factors influencing the PDI effects were firstly reviewed.

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Photosensitizers which can be applied in food products for PDI are summarized.

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Application of PDI in various food substrates are also reviewed.

Nowadays, food safety issues have drawn increased attention due to the continual occurrence of infectious diseases caused by foodborne pathogens, which is an important factor causing food safety hazard. Meanwhile, the emergence of an increasing number of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is a worrisome phenomenon. Therefore, it is imperative to find new technologies with low-cost to inactivate pathogenic microorganisms and prevent cross-contamination. Compared with traditional preservatives, photodynamic inactivation (PDI) has emerged as a novel and promising strategy to eliminate foodborne pathogens with advantages such as non-toxic and low microbial resistance, which also meets the demand of current consumers for green treatment. Over the past few years, reports of using this technology for food safety have increased rapidly. This review summarizes recent progresses in the development of photodynamic inactivation of foodborne microorganisms. The mechanisms, factors influencing PDI and the application of different photosensitizers (PSs) in different food substrates are reviewed.

[Analysis of saliva cotinine and 3'-hydroxynicotinine concentration levels among restaurant workers in six cities of China]

This study was conducted between November to December 2020, consisting of six representative cities, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen (with comprehensive smoke-free legislation), and Changsha, Chongqing, Shenyang (without comprehensive smoke-free legislation), 678 subjects were enrolled eventually, the mean age of the 678 subjects was (35.61±12.91)years old. Subjects from cities with comprehensive smoke-free legislation accounted for 49.71% of the total; male subjects accounted for 19.47%; meanwhile subjects from large, medium, and small restaurants accounted for 13.57% (92), 37.32% (253) and 49.11% (333) respectively. The analysis results indicate that the positive rate of restaurants staff of cotinine and 3'-hydroxynicotinine was lower in cities with comprehensive smoke-free legislation(34.12% vs 68.04%, χ²=78.01, P<0.001; 16.32% vs 41.94%, χ²=53.79, P<0.001), with staff from cities with comprehensive smoke-free legislation have lower concentrations of cotinine and 3'-hydroxynicotinine than their counterparts from cities without comprehensive smoke-free legislation(0.250 ng/ml vs 0.742 ng/ml, P<0.001; 0.250 ng/ml vs 0.250 ng/ml, P<0.001). No statistically significant difference in the concentration of cotinine and 3'-hydroxynicotinine in saliva between staff from restaurants of different sizes was detected (P>0.05).

[Key data elements for clinical management and outcomes of patients with coronary artery disease: definitions from Coronary Artery Disease and Creative Antithrombotic Clinical Research Collaboration (CardiaCare)]

Objective: To develop a set of data elements and standardized definitions of Coronary Artery Disease and Creative Antithrombotic Clinical Research Collaboration (CardiaCare), aiming to facilitate the exchange of disparate data sources, enhance the abilities to support multicenter researches, and subsequently ensure the databases use under standardized process and criteria. Methods: The Cardiacare writing committee members reviewed data elements and definitions from published guidelines, clinical trials, databases, and standardized documents, then determined the data elements and standardized definitions, which should be included in CardiaCare. The writing committee also considered the specific domestic clinical management strategies during the establishment of Cardiacare. The resulting documents provide a series of key data elements and standardized definitions used in the management of coronary artery disease patients. Key data elements from CardiaCare could be sorted by clinical management flowsheet and outcome from hospitalization to long-term follow-up. Results: The Cardiacare standardized set comprised 864 data elements from admission to post-hospital follow-up visit. There were 8 tables in the documents, including demographic and admission information (23 elements), medical history and risk factors (102 elements), clinical presentations and diagnosis (22 elements), diagnostic and laboratory tests (111 elements), interventional diagnosis and treatment (118 elements), pharmacological therapy (213 elements), clinical outcomes (161 elements), and special subpopulations (114 elements: 87 elements for transcatheter valve replacement and 27 elements with cardiac rehabilitation). Conclusions: The Cardiacare standardized data elements set could provide support for real-world clinical research in consecutive data collection and databases mining. A wider applicability in various settings of CardiaCare needs to be explored further.

The dUTPase of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus negatively regulates interferon signaling pathway

Background

Deoxyuracil triphosphate nucleotide (dUTP) pyrophosphatase (dUTPase, DU) is an enzyme of caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus (CAEV) that minimizes incorporation of dUTP into the DNA. Caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus relies partly on its ability to escape from innate immunity to cause persistent infections. Interferon β (IFN-β) is an important marker for evaluating the innate immune system, and it has a broad spectrum of antiviral activity.

Aims

This study was conducted to investigate the details of the IFN-β response to CAEV infection.

Methods

The expression of IFN-β and the proliferation of Sendai virus (SeV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The effect of DU on the IFN signaling pathway was evaluated using luciferase reporter assays.

Results

In our study, the expression of IFN-β was significantly inhibited and the proliferation of SeV and VSV was promoted in cells overexpressing CAEV-DU. DU affected interferon stimulated response element (ISRE) and IFN-β promoter activities induced by RIG-I/MDA5/MAVS/TBK1 pathway, while did not affect them induced by interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3-5D).

Conclusion

DU protein downregulated the production of IFN-β by inhibiting the activity of the signal transduction molecules upstream of IRF3, thereby, helping CAEV escape innate immunity. Findings of this work provide an evidence to understand the persistent infection and multiple system inflammation of CAEV.