Combined effect of toe out gait and high tibial osteotomy on knee adduction moment in patients with varus knee deformity

BACKGROUND

Gait adaptations, including toe out gait, have been proposed as treatments for knee osteoarthritis. The clinical application of toe out gait, however, is unclear. This study aims to identify the changes in Knee adduction moment in varus knee deformity assessing toe out gait as an alternative to high tibial osteotomy, and if any change in dynamic loading persists post operatively, when anatomical alignment is restored.

METHODS

Three-dimensional motion analysis was performed on 17 patients with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis and varus deformity prior to undergoing high tibial osteotomy, 13 patients were assessed post-operatively, and results compared to 13 healthy controls.

FINDINGS

Pre-operatively, there was no significant difference between natural and toe out gait for measures of knee adduction moment. Post high tibial osteotomy, first (2.70 to 1.51% BW·h) and second peak (2.28 to 1.21% BW·h) knee adduction moment were significantly reduced, as was knee adduction angular impulse (1.00 to 0.52% BW·h·s), to a healthy level. Adopting toe out gait post-operatively reduced the second peak further to a level below that of healthy controls.

INTERPRETATION

Increasing the foot progression angle from 20° (natural) to 30° in isolation did not significantly alter the knee adduction moment or angular impulse. This suggests that adopting a toe out gait, in isolation, in an already high natural foot progression angle, is not of benefit. Adopting toe out gait post-operatively, however, resulted in a further reduction in the second peak to below that of the healthy control cohort, however, this may increase lateral compartment load.

Spreading of Thelazia callipaeda in Greece

Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida, Thelaziidae), the so-called oriental eyeworm, has been increasingly reported as an agent of infection in animals and humans from many European countries. Clinical signs range from subclinical to moderate or severe ocular disorders (e.g., epiphora, photophobia, conjunctivitis, keratitis, ulcers). The disease has been also diagnosed in animals from countries of the Balkan area (e.g., Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia), but only a single case of canine thelaziosis, presumably autochthonous, was reported in Northern Greece. In this study, we provide robust information of the occurrence of thelaziosis in Greece by reporting autochthonous cases of thelaziosis in dogs (n = 46), cats (n = 3) and in one rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) living in Northern and Central regions of Greece. The occurrence of a single haplotype of the cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene confirms that the same zoonotic haplotype of the parasite circulating in Europe is also spreading in Greece. The increased awareness of this parasitosis is crucial to limit the risk of further infections in both humans and animals in European countries.

Abstract P6-09-24: Vitamin D level impacts odds of pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant therapy in operable breast cancer

Introduction:

Pathologic complete response (pCR) following neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy (NAC) serves as a measure of tumor responsiveness and is a recognized surrogate for improved long-term outcomes. Some, but not all, studies have found a positive association between vitamin D (VD) and disease-free survival. We investigated if VD at diagnosis or during chemotherapy impacts pCR following neoadjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer.

Methods:

Patients from Iowa were eligible if they were enrolled in one of two Iowa registries and had serum from before or during NAC tested for VD. French patients enrolled in a previous study of the impact of NAC on vitamin D and bone metabolism were considered for this study. VD deficiency was defined as <20 ng/ml. pCR was defined as no residual invasive disease in breast and lymph nodes. Firth-penalized logistic regression multivariable model was used.

Results:

The final cohort included 144 women. 84.7% of VD levels were obtained before initiation of chemotherapy. There was no difference between the French and Iowa cohorts with regard to age (p=0.20), clinical stage (p=0.22), disease receptor status (HER2+ [Hormone receptor (HR)+ or HR-], HR+/HER2-, and Triple Negative) (p=0.32) and rate of pCR (p=0.34). French women had lower body mass index (mean 24.8 vs 28.8, p<0.01), lower VD levels (mean 21.5 vs 27.5, p<0.01) and underwent lumpectomy instead of mastectomy more frequently (75.3% vs 47.8%, p<0.01) than Iowa women. Only pCR differed between the VD sufficient and deficient groups (Table 1). In multivariate analysis, after adjusting for the effects of cohort, clinical stage, and disease type by receptor status, VD deficiency put a woman at 2.68 times increased odds of not attaining a pCR (95%CI: 1.12-6.41, p=0.03) (Table 2). This variable remained significant with VD deficiency defined as <30 ng/ml and when considering this variable continuously.

Conclusion:

In this retrospective cohort, VD level before or during NAC was associated with pCR. Prospective trials could elucidate if maintaining VD levels during NAC, a highly modifiable variable, can be utilized to improve cancer outcomes in addition to benefiting other established health outcomes.

Table 1: VD Deficient and Sufficient Groups  Vitamin D (ng/ml)   Deficient (< 20)Sufficient (≥ 20)pN 5391 BMIUnderweight-Normal27 (50.9)47 (51.6)0.93 Overweight-Obese26 (49.1)44 (48.4) VD LevelBefore Chemotherapy45 (84.9)77 (84.6)0.96 During Chemotherapy8 (15.1)14 (15.4) GradeG1-224 (47.1)41 (46.1)0.91 G327 (52.9)48 (53.9) Clinical StageI-II37 (69.8)61 (67)0.73 III16 (30.2)30 (33) Receptor StatusHER2+ (HR+ or HR-)12 (22.6)29 (32.2)0.20 HR+/HER2-30 (56.6)37 (41.1)  Triple Negative11 (20.8)24 (26.7) SurgeryBreast Conserving32 (60.4)58 (63.7)0.69 Mastectomy21 (39.6)33 (36.3) pCRNo43 (81.1)53 (58.2)<.01 Yes10 (18.9)38 (41.8) AgeMean (SD)48 (10.9)51 (10.3)0.15

Table 2: Odds of Not Attaining a pCR: Multivariable Results  NOdds Ratio95% CIp-valueCohortIowa661.170.522.630.71 France77Ref   Vitamin D (<20)Deficient532.681.126.410.03 Sufficient90Ref   Clinical StageI-II97Ref    III463.251.308.110.01Receptor StatusHER2+ (HR+ or HR-)411.060.402.810.91 HR+/HER2-675.502.0414.85<0.01 Triple Negative35Ref   

Citation Format: Thomas A, Thezenas S, Mott SL, Raman R, Viala M, Pouderoux S, Schroeder MC, Lamy P-J, Jacot W. Vitamin D level impacts odds of pathologic complete response following neoadjuvant therapy in operable breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-09-24.

Abstract P3-17-10: The impact of the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma

Background: Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is considered to be a precancerous lesion that shares many genetic similarities with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). However, it remains unclear how DCIS might develop into IDC and whether the coexistence of DCIS has any clinical significance.There is limited data on whether coexisting DCIS in patients with IDC (IDC-DCIS) has any impact on patients' clinical presentation, tumor characteristics, prognosis and treatment selection. We aim to investigate differences in patients with pure IDC versus patients with IDC-DCIS.

Methods: We reviewed clinicopathologic data from the Breast Molecular Epidemiological Resource (BMER) database, which is a prospectively maintained breast cancer database from the University of Iowa. Missing information was supplemented by Iowa Cancer Registry database. Patients with a diagnosis of pure IDC and IDC-DCIS from 2009 to 2014 who underwent surgical resection of their breast cancer were included. We excluded patients with stage IV disease at diagnosis and those who underwent neoadjuvant therapy. Patients who had more than one tumor were only analyzed once using parameters of the largest tumor. Patient and tumor characteristics and treatment selection were compared between the IDC and IDC-DCIS groups. Student's t test was used for continuous variables and chi squared test for categorical variables.

Results: We observed that women with IDC-DCIS (n=226) had higher incidence of Her-2 positive cancers than those with pure IDC (n=95) (p=0.04). The IDC-DCIS group was more likely to be ER + and PR +, though these differences were not statistically significant. Another distinguishing characteristic between the two groups was that the IDC group contained more current smokers than the IDC-DCIS group (18.9% vs 10.6%, p<0.01). Patients with IDC-DCIS were more likely, than patients with pure IDC, to be under-staged based on clinical information. Clinical stage distribution in IDC-DCIS group was: 4% stage 0, 61.9% stage I, 28.3% stage II and 5.8% stage III. In contrast, the percentages of pathologic stage I, II and III were 54.5%, 35.4% and 10.2%, respectively (p=0.002). Similar analysis for patients with pure IDC showed no significant overall change from clinical to pathologic stage. Patients with IDC-DCIS tended to have higher total mastectomy rates than patients with IDC (37.2% vs 31.6%, p=0.34). Management of patients in either group were not significantly different in terms of radiation, chemotherapy, or hormonal therapy. There were 4 deaths (4.2%) in the IDC group and 12 deaths (5.3%) in the IDC-DCIS group (p=0.68).

Conclusions: Our study showed that active smoking may be a risk factor for the development of IDC without pre-existing DCIS. Patients with IDC-DCIS had higher rates of Her-2 positivity and significant differences between clinical and pathologic stages. Management and survival of both groups were similar.

Citation Format: Xu L, Monga V, Thomas A, Leone JP. The impact of the presence of ductal carcinoma in situ in patients with invasive ductal carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-17-10.

Abstract P5-10-02: African Americans have more aggressive invasive lobular carcinoma subtypes and inferior early outcomes: SEER 2010-2013

Introduction:

African Americans (AA) present more frequently with triple negative breast cancer (TN) and other aggressive breast cancer subtypes. Invasive lobular (ILC) breast cancer most commonly presents as estrogen receptor (ER)+, progesterone receptor (PR)+ and HER2-, though less frequently the more aggressive ER- or PR- luminal, TN or HER2+ subtypes occur. For women presenting with ILC 2010-2013, we report by race, differences in disease subtype, grade and stage at presentation and 2-year outcomes.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program. Women diagnosed with first primary malignant lobular breast cancer from 2010-2013 were included. Subtypes were categorized into four exclusive groups: ER+ and PR+ HER2-, ER+ or PR+ HER2-, TN and HER2+. Two-year survival was compared across race, and a multivariate cox model assessed overall survival.

Results:

ILC occurred less frequently in non-whites (Table 1). AA and other non-whites were younger at diagnosis than whites (p<0.001). AAs and other non-whites were less likely to have ER+ and PR+ HER2- disease (OR 0.85, p= 0.019 and OR 0.79, p=0.003 respectively). AAs had ILC of significantly higher grade and presented with more advanced stage disease than other race categories (p<0.001 for both). On multivariate analysis, survival was inferior for AA relative to whites (HR 1.32, p<0.010). Other non-whites had better survival than whites (HR 0.58, p=0.008). For AAs 2-year survival by disease subtype was: ER+ and PR+ HER2- (91.3%), ER+ or PR+ HER2- (90.5%), TN (59.5%), HER2+ (84.0%). For these subtypes, the proportion of women presenting with Stage IV ILC was 8.1%, 10.8%, 22.6% and 15.9% respectively.

Conclusion:

In this large, recent ILC cohort there were significant racial disparities in disease biology at presentation, with non-whites having more aggressive ILC subtypes, but only AAs having higher grade ILC. Short-term survival outcomes were inferior for AAs. Whether AAs presenting with advanced stage disease more frequently is due to biology or access to care is unknown. Further study of disease biology and healthcare delivery disparities could offer improved outcomes for AAs with ILC.

Table 1: ILC Characteristics by Race WhiteAA  Other non-white  N13,5571,445  957  ILC - % diagnoses per race category9.67.2  5.8  Rate of ILC (per 100,000 women of that race)10.56.4  4.4  Median Age6461  60   %%OR*p%OR*pSubtype       ER+ and PR+ HER2-80.978.30.850.01977.00.790.003ER+ or PR+ HER2-12.914.41.140.10615.31.220.036TN1.52.11.440.0642.11.400.158HER2+4.75.11.090.4735.61.210.186Stage       I40.536.4  39.0 <0.001II36.534.5  40.4  III17.019.9  14.9  IV6.09.2  5.6  Grade (Differentiation)       Well or Moderate91.287.5  89.5 <0.001Poor or Undifferentiated8.812.5  10.5  2-year survival93.9%90.0%  96.3%  *compared to white (reference group)

Table 2: Multivariate Cox Model for 2-year Survival HRp95% CIRace    Whiteref   AA1.320.0101.071.64Other non-white0.580.0080.380.87Subtype    ER+ and PR+ HER2-ref   ER+ or PR+ HER2-1.80<0.0011.512.16TN2.89<0.0012.074.03HER2+0.970.8670.691.37Stage    Iref   II1.91<0.0011.512.42III3.44<0.0012.714.37IV22.34<0.00117.7828.07Grade (Differentiation)    Well or Moderateref   Poor or Undifferentiated1.400.0011.141.71

Citation Format: Thomas A, Altekruse S, Avery TP, Melin SA, Howard-McNatt MM, Schroeder MC. African Americans have more aggressive invasive lobular carcinoma subtypes and inferior early outcomes: SEER 2010-2013 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-10-02.

Abstract P3-10-04: Disparities in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing completion: A population-based retrospective cohort study, 2010-2013

Introduction: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is an established biomarker predictive for response to HER2-targeted therapies. Testing breast cancer specimens for HER2 protein overexpression or gene amplification is the standard of care. Earlier work showed inconsistent delivery of HER2 testing to some patient groups. We sought to understand current imbalances in HER2 testing.

Methods: Our retrospective cohort analysis of Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program data included women diagnosed with microscopically confirmed, first primary malignant breast cancer from 2010-2013. Women were categorized by race, stage, age, and whether they received HER2 testing. Those with unknown information in any of these variables were excluded. Descriptive analyses and multivariate logistic regression assessed the effect of these factors on the likelihood of not receiving HER2 testing.

Results: The full cohort included 182,032 women, of which 3,551 (2.0%) did not undergo testing for HER2 (Table 1). The portion of HER2 untested tumors was higher for African American women (2.3%) and other non-white women (2.2%), women over age 70 (2.3%) and women with Stage I (2.3%) or Stage IV disease (5.0%). Within the African American cohort similar patterns were seen: age >70 (2.8%), Stage I (2.8%) and Stage IV (5.4%). The portion of women with untested tumors decreased from 2010 to 2013: 2.6% to 1.6% (p<0.001) for the full cohort, and 2.9% to 1.9% (p<0.001) for African Americans. On multivariate analysis, odds of not undergoing testing were highest for African American women (OR=1.27, p<0.001), women of age >70 (OR=1.26, p<0.001), and women with Stage IV disease (OR=4.07, p<0.001) (Table 2). Odds of not undergoing HER2 testing decreased over time (OR=0.60 for 2013 vs 2010, p<0.001).

Conclusion: Persistent, and significant, disparities in completion of HER2 testing suggest that reasons for not testing extend beyond technical issues. While proportionally small, given the prevalence of breast cancer, addressing these disparities in HER2 testing may offer an opportunity to deliver life-prolonging, often well tolerated, therapy to significant numbers of patients. The improvements in delivery of HER2 testing seen over time are reassuring.

Table 1. Portion of women not having HER2 testing.  Full Cohort African Americans   N%p-valueN%p-valueN3,5512.0 4702.3 Race       White2,7081.9<0.001    African American4702.3 4702.3  Other3732.2    Age at diagnosis       <507081.7<0.0011051.90.024 50-598921.9 1302.3  60-698941.9 1202.4  70+1,0572.3 1152.8 Stage       I2,0692.3<0.0012232.8<0.001 II7621.3 1111.4  III2211.0 441.4  IV4495.0 925.4 Year of diagnosis       20101,0662.6<0.0011322.9<0.001 20119432.1 1442.8  20128011.7 931.7  20137411.6 1011.9 

Table 2. Multivariate logistic regression for odds of not having HER2 testing.  OR*p-valueRace   Whiteref  African American1.27<0.001 Other1.24<0.001Age at diagnosis   <50ref  50-591.080.128 60-691.010.795 70+1.26<0.001Stage   Iref  II1.87<0.001 III0.81<0.001 IV4.07<0.001Year of diagnosis   2010ref  20110.80<0.001 20120.66<0.001 20130.60<0.001* Odds of group not being tested vs being tested, compared to the reference group and controlling for all other factors.

Citation Format: Schroeder MC, Neuner JM, Xia C, Thomas A. Disparities in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing completion: A population-based retrospective cohort study, 2010-2013 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-10-04.

Abstract P1-01-14: Nuclease-activated oligonucleotide probes for detection of breast cancer circulating tumor cells (CTCs): Early clinical results

Introduction:

A challenge for CTC-based diagnostic tests has been the development of methods with sufficient sensitivity to detect low levels of CTCs. Expense, accuracy and complexity have also limited clinical uptake of CTCs. To overcome these limitations we explored detecting CTCs by measuring their nuclease activity with nuclease-activated probes. We present the development of a rapid and highly-sensitive CTC detection assay based on probes that are selectively digested (activated) by target nucleases expressed in breast cancer cells.

Methods:

Nuclease activity in samples from women with Stage IV breast cancer and healthy donors was determined and correlated with clinical data. Patients seen at University of Iowa Clincis were eligible for this IRB-approved study. Blood samples were processed using microfilter (ScreenCell) units for CTC enrichment and converted into cell lysates that were examined by means of three different chemically-optimized oligonucleotide probes. CTC-derived nuclease activity was quantified using a fluorometer. The presence of CTCs was confirmed using established CTC detection methods (e.g. RT-PCR, immunohistostaining).

Results:

Sensitivity of the probe assay was 5 cancer cells in buffer solution and ~200 cancer cells in 1 mL of healthy donor blood. The final study cohort included 28 breast cancer patients and 10 healthy donors. The averaged signal intensities from patient samples were significantly higher compared to the healthy donor control group, presumably arising from CTCs in the blood. Statistical analysis further reveald short incubations in the assay (<20 min) to be optimal. From an ROC analysis we obtained AUC values of 0.8821, 0.8103 and 0.9356 for the three different probes. The oligonucleotide probe being the best predictor of disease yielded 100% sensitivity in the patient samples with a specificity of 70%. The dsDNA 20 minute probe was correlated negatively with tumors being ER+/PR+ (p=0.03). The 2'f-RNA 0 minute probe correlated significantly with HER2- tumors (p=0.04). In this smaller series other trends were also suggested.

Conclusion:

We describe a novel diagnostic for the detection of CTCs that could overcome limitations of CTC detection assays and could provide a robust diagnostic tool for breast cancer. Future clinical assays derived from this technology could require minimal training and infrastructure and might be developed into a point-of-care testing format.

Citation Format: Giangrande PH, Kruspe S, Dickey DD, Kamboj S, Clark KC, Urak K, Burghardt E, Smith B, Thomas A, McNamara JO. Nuclease-activated oligonucleotide probes for detection of breast cancer circulating tumor cells (CTCs): Early clinical results [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-01-14.

Impact of Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) Guidelines on Peri-Anesthesia Care for Rat Models of Stroke: A Meta-Analysis Comparing the Years 2005 and 2015

Numerous studies using rats in stroke models have failed to translate into successful clinical trials in humans. The Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) has produced guidelines on the rodent stroke model for preclinical trials in order to promote the successful translation of animal to human studies. These guidelines also underline the importance of anaesthetic and monitoring techniques. The aim of this literature review is to document whether anaesthesia protocols (i.e., choice of agents, mode of ventilation, physiological support and monitoring) have been amended since the publication of the STAIR guidelines in 2009. A number of articles describing the use of a stroke model in adult rats from the years 2005 and 2015 were randomly selected from the PubMed database and analysed for the following parameters: country where the study was performed, strain of rats used, technique of stroke induction, anaesthetic agent for induction and maintenance, mode of intubation and ventilation, monitoring techniques, control of body temperature, vascular accesses, and administration of intravenous fluids and analgesics. For each parameter (stroke, induction, maintenance, monitoring), exact chi-square tests were used to determine whether or not proportions were significantly different across year and p values were corrected for multiple comparisons. An exact p-test was used for each parameter to compare the frequency distribution of each value followed by a Bonferroni test. The level of significant set at < 0.05. Results show that there were very few differences in the anaesthetic and monitoring techniques used between 2005 and 2015. In 2015, significantly more studies were performed in China and significantly fewer studies used isoflurane and nitrous oxide. The most striking finding is that the vast majority of all the studies from both 2005 and 2015 did not report the use of ventilation; measurement of blood gases, end-tidal carbon dioxide concentration, or blood pressure; or administration of intravenous fluids or analgesics. The review of articles published in 2015 showed that the STAIR guidelines appear to have had no effect on the anaesthetic and monitoring techniques in rats undergoing experimental stroke induction, despite the publication of said guidelines in 2009.

Relation between plasma trough concentration of abiraterone and prostate-specific antigen response in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Abiraterone (ABI) is a major oral agent for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients but its systemic exposure is subject to a large inter-individual variability. We aimed to explore the relationship between ABI trough plasma concentration and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response in mCRPC patients and to identify the critical determinants for its activity.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This is a monocentric prospective observational study in mCRPC patients treated with ABI. The plasmatic concentration of ABI at steady state was measured using liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The primary objective was to study the relationship between mean ABI plasma exposure (ABI C_min) and 3-month PSA response.

RESULTS

From 2012 to 2016, 61 mCRPC patients were eligible for pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic assessment. Thirty-eight patients experienced PSA response (62%, [confidence interval {CI} 95% 50-78]). In univariate analysis, ABI C_min was 1.5-fold higher in responders: 12.0 ng/mL (CI 95% 9.4-15.6) versus 8.0 ng/mL (CI 95% 5.8-11.6; P = 0.0015). In multivariate analysis, only ABI C_min was independently associated with PSA response (odds ratio = 1.12 [CI 95% 1.01-1.25], P = 0.004). By receiver operating characteristic analysis, the optimal threshold for ABI C_min was 8.4 ng/mL. Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly higher in patients with ABI C_min above 8.4 ng/mL (hazard ratio 0.55, [CI 95% 0.31-0.99], 12.2 [CI 95% 9.2-19.5] versus 7.4 [CI 95% 5.5-14.7] months otherwise, P = 0.044).

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that ABI trough concentration correlates with PSA response and PFS. Moreover, we could determine a cut-off value of plasmatic concentration for PSA response. Altogether, ABI concentration monitoring appears as a new approach to improve clinical outcome in mCPRC patients.

Embolization of Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistulas Using PHIL Liquid Embolic Agent in 26 Patients: A Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The introduction of liquid embolic agents has revolutionized endovascular approach to cranial vascular malformations. The aim of the study was to retrospectively assess the efficacy and safety of Precipitating Hydrophobic Injectable Liquid (PHIL), a new nonadhesive liquid embolic agent, in the treatment of patients with cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas. The primary end point was the rate of complete occlusion of dural arteriovenous fistulas. Secondary end points included the incidence of adverse events and clinical status at 3-month follow-up.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This was a retrospective multicenter study. Twenty-six consecutive patients with dural arteriovenous fistulas (de novo or previously treated) treated by injection of PHIL only or with PHIL in combination with other embolization products (such as Onyx or detachable coils) were included in the study. Recruitment started in August 2014 and ended in September 2015.

RESULTS

Twenty-two (85%) patients were treated with PHIL only, with 3 patients treated with both PHIL and Onyx, and 1, with both PHIL and coils. Immediate complete angiographic occlusion was achieved in 20 (77%) patients. Of the 6 patients with residual fistulas, 3 were retreated with PHIL and 1 achieved angiographic cure. An adverse event was seen in 1 patient who developed worsening of preexisting ataxia due to acute thrombosis of the draining vein.

CONCLUSIONS

PHIL appears to be safe and effective for endovascular treatment of cranial dural arteriovenous fistulas. Short-term angiographic and clinical results are comparable with those of Onyx, with the added advantage of easier preparation and improved homogeneous cast visualization. The use of iodine as a radio-opacifier also produces considerably less artifacts on CT compared with tantalum-based embolic materials.

[Highflow priapism : diagnostic evaluation, contribution of ultrasound and recommendations]

The high flow priapism (HFP) is a very rare pathology. It must be distinguished from the low flow which is a real urologic emergency. The diagnosis of HFP (most often post-trauma) remains clinical, but penile color Doppler ultrasound can confirm, identify and track the evolution of the lesion. Conservative treatment is effective and remains the first line treatment. However the different therapeutic modalities (selective embolisation, surgery) should be explained to the patient and be considered case by case.

Using Next-Generation Sequencing to Develop Molecular Diagnostics for Pseudoperonospora cubensis, the Cucurbit Downy Mildew Pathogen

Advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) allow for rapid development of genomics resources needed to generate molecular diagnostics assays for infectious agents. NGS approaches are particularly helpful for organisms that cannot be cultured, such as the downy mildew pathogens, a group of biotrophic obligate oomycetes that infect crops of economic importance. Unlike most downy mildew pathogens that are highly host-specific, Pseudoperonospora cubensis causes disease on a broad range of crops belonging to the family Cucurbitaceae. In this study, we identified candidate diagnostic markers for P. cubensis by comparing NGS data from a diverse panel of P. cubensis and P. humuli isolates, two very closely related oomycete species. P. cubensis isolates from diverse hosts and geographical regions in the United States were selected for sequencing to ensure that candidates were conserved in P. cubensis isolates infecting different cucurbit hosts. Genomic regions unique to and conserved in P. cubensis isolates were identified through bioinformatics. These candidate regions were then validated using PCR against a larger collection of isolates from P. cubensis, P. humuli, and other oomycetes. Overall seven diagnostic markers were found to be specific to P. cubensis. These markers could be used for pathogen diagnostics on infected tissue, or adapted for monitoring airborne inoculum with real-time PCR and spore traps.

Akinetic crisis in dementia with Lewy bodies

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is characterised by neuroleptic hypersensitivity. It is unclear, however, whether the neuroleptic hypersensitivity implies an increased incidence of neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) or of akinetic crisis (AC), which are expressions of the same possibly lethal clinical event, and whether AC in DLB can appear independently of neuroleptic treatment. In our prospective study, we assessed the incidence of AC in a cohort of DLB as compared with that in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

METHODS

In total, 614 patients with PD and 236 DLB were recruited and followed during 2005-2013. AC was diagnosed as sudden akinetic state unresponsive to dopaminergic rescue drugs, dysphagia and serological alterations without recovery for 48 h or more requiring hospital admission. Exposure to neuroleptics was specifically evaluated, because of the high implicit risk in DLB.

RESULTS

24 patients with PD (3.9%) and 16 patients with DLB (6.8%) developed AC. 77 (32.6%) DLB and 32 (5.2%) PD were exposed to typical neuroleptics, but only 8 DLB and 3 PD presented with AC. Disease duration before AC was lower in DLB than in PD group (p<0.01). Outcome was fatal in 8 patients with (50%) DLB and 3 (12.5%) PD (p=0.05). When age and use of neuroleptics were adjusted for into a Cox proportional hazards model predicting time to AC, the HR of patients with DLB was 13.0 (95% CI 4.23 to 39.9; p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

AC in DLB can appear independently of neuroleptic treatment, occurs earlier and is more frequently fatal than in PD.

Insight into the Narrow Structure in η Photoproduction on the Neutron from Helicity-Dependent Cross Sections

The double polarization observable E and the helicity dependent cross sections σ_{1/2} and σ_{3/2} were measured for η photoproduction from quasifree protons and neutrons. The circularly polarized tagged photon beam of the A2 experiment at the Mainz MAMI accelerator was used in combination with a longitudinally polarized deuterated butanol target. The almost 4π detector setup of the Crystal Ball and TAPS is ideally suited to detect the recoil nucleons and the decay photons from η→2γ and η→3π^{0}. The results show that the narrow structure previously observed in η photoproduction from the neutron is only apparent in σ_{1/2} and hence, most likely related to a spin-1/2 amplitude. Nucleon resonances that contribute to this partial wave in η production are only N 1/2^{-} (S_{11}) and N 1/2^{+} (P_{11}). Furthermore, the extracted Legendre coefficients of the angular distributions for σ_{1/2} are in good agreement with recent reaction model predictions assuming a narrow resonance in the P_{11} wave as the origin of this structure.

Single deepest vertical pocket or amniotic fluid index as evaluation test for predicting adverse pregnancy outcome (SAFE trial): a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the amniotic fluid index (AFI) or the single deepest vertical pocket (SDP) technique for estimating amniotic fluid volume is superior for predicting adverse pregnancy outcome.

METHODS

This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial including 1052 pregnant women with a term singleton pregnancy across four hospitals in Germany. Women were assigned randomly, according to a computer-generated allocation sequence, to AFI or SDP measurement for estimation of amniotic fluid volume. Oligohydramnios was defined as AFI ≤ 5 cm or the absence of a pocket measuring at least 2 × 1 cm. The diagnosis of oligohydramnios was followed by labor induction. The primary outcome measure was postpartum admission to a neonatal intensive care unit. Further outcome parameters were the rates of diagnosis of oligohydramnios and induction of labor (for oligohydramnios or without specific indication), and mode of delivery.

RESULTS

Postpartum admission to a neonatal intensive care unit was similar between groups (4.2% (n = 21) vs 5.0% (n = 25); relative risk (RR), 0.85 (95% CI, 0.48-1.50); P = 0.57). In the AFI group, there were more cases of oligohydramnios (9.8% (n = 49) vs 2.2% (n = 11); RR, 4.51 (95% CI, 2.2-8.57); P < 0.01) and more cases of labor induction for oligohydramnios (12.7% (n = 33) vs 3.6% (n = 10); RR, 3.50 (95% CI, 1.76-6.96); P < 0.01) than in the SDP group. Moreover, an abnormal cardiotocography was seen more often in the AFI group than in the SDP group (32.3% (n = 161) vs 26.2% (n = 132); RR, 1.23 (95% CI, 1.02-1.50); P = 0.03). The other outcome measures were not significantly different between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of the AFI method increased the rate of diagnosis of oligohydramnios and labor induction for oligohydramnios without improving perinatal outcome. The SDP method is therefore the favorable method to estimate amniotic fluid volume, especially in a population with many low-risk pregnancies. Copyright © 2015 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Expert Consensus on the Management of Adverse Events from EGFR Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors in the UK

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) such as gefitinib, erlotinib, and afatinib are standard-of-care for first-line treatment of EGFR-mutant advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). These drugs have a proven benefit in terms of higher response rate, delaying progression and improvement of quality of life over palliative platinum-based chemotherapy. The most common adverse events (AEs) are gastrointestinal (GI) (diarrhoea and stomatitis/mucositis) and cutaneous (rash, dry skin and paronychia). These are usually mild, but if they become moderate or severe, they can have a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life (QOL) and lead to dose modifications or drug discontinuation. Appropriate management of AEs, including prophylactic measures, supportive medications, treatment delays and dose reductions, is essential. A consensus meeting of a UK-based multidisciplinary panel composed of medical and clinical oncologists with a special interest in lung cancer, dermatologists, gastroenterologists, lung cancer nurse specialists and oncology pharmacists was held to develop guidelines on prevention and management of cutaneous (rash, dry skin and paronychia) and GI (diarrhoea, stomatitis and mucositis) AEs associated with the administration of EGFR-TKIs. These guidelines detail supportive measures, treatment delays and dose reductions for EGFR-TKIs. Although the focus of the guidelines is to support healthcare professionals in UK clinical practice, it is anticipated that the management strategies proposed will also be applicable in non-UK settings.

[How I TREAT... A RENAL COLIC]

Renal colic (RC) represents nearly 2% of emergency department admissions. RC is defined by the occurrence of back pain which may radiate towards the abdomen and external genitals. In adults, the obstruction is caused by a urinary stone in 80% of cases. The 20 % of non-stone related RCs are due either to an intrinsic obstruction (pyeloureteral junction stenosis, ureteral tumor, ...) or an extrinsic compression (pelvic tumor, lymphadenopathy ...). In over 90% of cases, an RC does not require hospitalization and is treated with medication. In contrast, complicated renal colic (CRC) requires hospitalization with specialized care. Obstructive pyelonephritis (OPN) is a form of CRC and the diagnosis should be considered in a clinical presentation of "renal colic" with acute pyelonephritis. This is a true emergency requiring surgical drainage of the upper urinary tract upstream of the obstacle, as well as antibiotic therapy. It must be kept in mind that some clinical presentations may be atypical, especially in the elderly, which can delay the diagnosis and, thus, the management. The gold standard for diagnosis is CT urography.

Absolute quantification reveals the stable transmission of a high copy number variant linked to autoinflammatory disease

BACKGROUND

Dissecting the role copy number variants (CNVs) play in disease pathogenesis is directly reliant on accurate methods for quantification. The Shar-Pei dog breed is predisposed to a complex autoinflammatory disease with numerous clinical manifestations. One such sign, recurrent fever, was previously shown to be significantly associated with a novel, but unstable CNV (CNV_16.1). Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) offers a new mechanism for CNV detection via absolute quantification with the promise of added precision and reliability. The aim of this study was to evaluate ddPCR in relation to quantitative PCR (qPCR) and to assess the suitability of the favoured method as a genetic test for Shar-Pei Autoinflammatory Disease (SPAID).

RESULTS

One hundred and ninety-six individuals were assayed using both PCR methods at two CNV positions (CNV_14.3 and CNV_16.1). The digital method revealed a striking result. The CNVs did not follow a continuum of alleles as previously reported, rather the alleles were stable and pedigree analysis showed they adhered to Mendelian segregation. Subsequent analysis of ddPCR case/control data confirmed that both CNVs remained significantly associated with the subphenotype of fever, but also to the encompassing SPAID complex (p < 0.001). In addition, harbouring CNV_16.1 allele five (CNV_16.1|5) resulted in a four-fold increase in the odds for SPAID (p < 0.001). The inclusion of a genetic marker for CNV_16.1 in a genome-wide association test revealed that this variant explained 9.7 % of genetic variance and 25.8 % of the additive genetic heritability of this autoinflammatory disease.

CONCLUSIONS

This data shows the utility of the ddPCR method to resolve cryptic copy number inheritance patterns and so open avenues of genetic testing. In its current form, the ddPCR test presented here could be used in canine breeding to reduce the number of homozygote CNV_16.1|5 individuals and thereby to reduce the prevalence of disease in this breed.

Oxaliplatin and 5-FU/folinic acid (modified FOLFOX6) with or without aflibercept in first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: the AFFIRM study

BACKGROUND

The combination of aflibercept with FOLFIRI has been shown to significantly prolong overall survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) after progression on oxaliplatin-based therapy. This trial evaluated the addition of aflibercept to oxaliplatin-based first-line treatment of patients with mCRC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with mCRC were randomized to receive first-line therapy with mFOLFOX6 plus aflibercept (4 mg/kg) or mFOLFOX6 alone. The primary end point of this phase II study was the progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 12 months in each arm. The analysis of efficacy between the arms was a pre-planned secondary analysis.

RESULTS

Of 236 randomized patients, 227 and 235 patients were evaluable for the primary efficacy analysis and safety, respectively. The probabilities of being progression-free at 12 months were 25.8% [95% confidence interval (CI) 17.2-34.4] for the aflibercept/mFOLFOX6 arm and 21.2% (95% CI 12.2-30.3) for the mFOLFOX6 arm. The median PFS was 8.48 months (95% CI 7.89-9.92) for the aflibercept/mFOLFOX6 arm and 8.77 months (95% CI 7.62-9.27) for the mFOLFOX6 arm; the hazard ratio of aflibercept/mFOLFOX6 versus mFOLFOX6 was 1.00 (95% CI 0.74-1.36). The response rates were 49.1% (95% CI 39.7-58.6) and 45.9% (95% CI 36.4-55.7) for patients treated with and without aflibercept, respectively. The most frequent treatment-emergent grade 3/4 adverse events (AEs) excluding laboratory abnormalities reported for aflibercept/mFOLFOX6 versus mFOLFOX6 were neuropathy (16.8% versus 17.2%) and diarrhea (13.4% versus 5.2%). Neutropenia grade 3/4 occurred in 36.1% versus 29.3%. The most common vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition class-effect grade 3/4 AEs for aflibercept/mFOLFOX6 versus mFOLFOX6 were hypertension (35.3% versus 1.7%), proteinuria (9.2% versus 0%), deep vein thrombosis (5.9% versus 0.9%) and pulmonary embolism (5.9% versus 5.2%).

CONCLUSION

No difference in PFS rate was observed between treatment groups. Adding aflibercept to first-line mFOLFOX6 did not increase efficacy but was associated with higher toxicity.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

NCT00851084, www.clinicaltrials.gov, EudraCT 2008-004178-41.