Data on items of AKUSSI in Alkaptonuria collected over three years from the United Kingdom National Alkaptonuria Centre and the impact of nitisinone

Alkaptonuria is a rare genetic disorder characterized by a high level of circulating (and urine) homogentisic acid (HGA), which contributes to ochronosis when it is deposited in connective tissue as a pigmented polymer. In an observational study carried out by National AKU Centre (NAC) in Liverpool, a total of thirty-nine AKU patients attended yearly visits in varying numbers. At each visit a mixture of clinical, joint and spinal assessments were carried out and the results calculated to yield an AKUSSI (Alkaptonuria Severity Score Index), see "Nitisinone arrests ochronosis and decreases rate of progression of Alkaptonuria: evaluation of the effect of nitisinone in the United Kingdom National Alkaptonuria Centre" (Ranganath at el., 2018). The aim of this data article is to produce visual representation of the change in the components of AKUSSI over 3 years, through radar charts. The metabolic effect of nitisinone is shown through box plots.

Nitisinone arrests ochronosis and decreases rate of progression of Alkaptonuria: Evaluation of the effect of nitisinone in the United Kingdom National Alkaptonuria Centre

QUESTION

Does Nitisinone prevent the clinical progression of the Alkaptonuria?

FINDINGS

In this observational study on 39 patients, 2 mg of daily nitisinone inhibited ochronosis and significantly slowed the progression of AKU over a three-year period.

MEANING

Nitisinone is a beneficial therapy in Alkaptonuria.

BACKGROUND

Nitisinone decreases homogentisic acid (HGA), but has not been shown to modify progression of Alkaptonuria (AKU).

METHODS

Thirty-nine AKU patients attended the National AKU Centre (NAC) in Liverpool for assessments and treatment. Nitisinone was commenced at V1 or baseline. Thirty nine, 34 and 22 AKU patients completed 1, 2 and 3 years of monitoring respectively (V2, V3 and V4) in the VAR group. Seventeen patients also attended a pre-baseline visit (V0) in the VAR group. Within the 39 patients, a subgroup of the same ten patients attended V0, V1, V2, V3 and V4 visits constituting the SAME Group. Severity of AKU was assessed by calculation of the AKU Severity Score Index (AKUSSI) allowing comparison between the pre-nitisinone and the nitisinone treatment phases.

RESULTS

The ALL (sum of clinical, joint and spine AKUSSI features) AKUSSI rate of change of scores/patient/month, in the SAME group, was significantly lower at two (0.32 ± 0.19) and three (0.15 ± 0.13) years post-nitisinone when compared to pre-nitisinone (0.65 ± 0.15) (p < .01 for both comparisons). Similarly, the ALL AKUSSI rate of change of scores/patient/month, in the VAR group, was significantly lower at one (0.16 ± 0.08) and three (0.19 ± 0.06) years post-nitisinone when compared to pre-nitisinone (0.59 ± 0.13) (p < .01 for both comparisons). Combined ear and ocular ochronosis rate of change of scores/patient/month was significantly lower at one, two and three year's post-nitisinone in both VAR and SAME groups compared with pre-nitisinone (p < .05).

CONCLUSION

This is the first indication that a 2 mg dose of nitisinone slows down the clinical progression of AKU. Combined ocular and ear ochronosis progression was arrested by nitisinone.

Targeted lung cancer screening selects individuals at high risk of cardiovascular disease

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in populations eligible for lung cancer screening. The aim of this study was to determine whether a brief CV risk assessment, delivered as part of a targeted community-based lung cancer screening programme, was effective in identifying individuals at high risk who might benefit from primary prevention.

METHODS

The Manchester Lung Screening Pilot consisted of annual low dose CT (LDCT) over 2 screening rounds, targeted at individuals in deprived areas at high risk of lung cancer (age 55-74 and 6-year risk ≥1.51%, using PLCO_M2012 risk model). All participants of the second screening round were eligible to take part in the study. Ten-year CV risk was estimated using QRISK2 in participants without CVD and compared to age (±5 years) and sex matched Health Survey for England (HSE) controls; high risk was defined as QRISK2 score ≥10%. Coronary artery calcification (CAC) was assessed on LDCT scans and compared to QRISK2 score.

RESULTS

Seventy-seven percent (n=920/1,194) of screening attendees were included in the analysis; mean age 65.6 ± 5.4 and 50.4% female. QRISK2 and lung cancer risk (PLCO_M2012) scores were correlated (r = 0.26, p < 0.001). Median QRISK2 score was 21.1% (IQR 14.9-29.6) in those without established CVD (77.6%, n = 714/920), double that of HSE controls (10.3%, IQR 6.6-16.2; n = 714) (p < 0.001). QRISK2 score was significantly higher in those with CAC (p < 0.001). Screening attendees were 10-fold more likely to be classified high risk (OR 10.2 [95% CI 7.3-14.0]). One third (33.7%, n = 310/920) of all study participants were high risk but not receiving statin therapy for primary CVD prevention.

DISCUSSION

Opportunistic CVD risk assessment within a targeted lung cancer screening programme is feasible and is likely to identify a very large number of individuals suitable for primary prevention.

Effects of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis cotton on insecticide use, heliothine counts, plant damage, and cotton yield: A meta-analysis, 1996-2015

The primary management tactic for lepidopteran pests of cotton in the United States of America (USA) is the use of transgenic cotton that produces Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) toxins. The primary target pests of this technology are Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and Heliothis virescens (F.) in the eastern and central Cotton Belt of the USA. Concerns over the evolution of resistance in H. zea to Bt toxins and scrutiny of the necessity of Bt crops has escalated. We reviewed published and unpublished data from field trials of Bt cotton in the eastern and central Cotton Belt of the USA through 2015 to evaluate the effectiveness of Bt cotton (Bollgard, Bollgard II, WideStrike, WideStrike 3, and TwinLink). Bt cotton reduced insecticide usage, reduced heliothine pest numbers and damage, and provided a yield benefit, but Bollgard II and WideStrike efficacy declined in the Midsouth over the period evaluated. In the Southeastern region, heliothine damage remained constant through 2015, but yield benefits declined from 2010 until 2015. Resistance of H. zea to several Bt toxins is the most plausible explanation for the observed changes in Bt cotton efficacy. The introduction of new Bt toxins such as found in Widestrike 3 and Twinlink may preserve the benefits of Bt crops. However, while both Widestrike 3 and Twinlink had less damage than Widestrike, damage levels of both were similar to Bollgard II.

Developing a complex intervention to support timely engagement with palliative care for patients with advanced cancer in primary and secondary care in the UK: a study protocol

INTRODUCTION

For patients with advanced cancer, timely access to palliative care can improve quality of life and enable patients to participate in decisions about their end-of-life care. However, in a UK population of 2500 patients who died from cancer, one-third did not receive specialist palliative care, and of those who did, the duration of involvement was too short to maximise the benefits. Initiating a conversation about palliative care is challenging for some health professionals and patients often have unmet information needs and misconceptions about palliative care. We will work closely with patients and health professionals to develop a patient decision aid and health professional training module designed to facilitate a timely and informed conversation about palliative care.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study is being conducted over 24 months from November 2017 to October 2019 and follows the UK Medical Research Council framework for developing complex interventions and the International Patient Decision Aids Guideline. The Ottawa Decision Support Framework underpins the study. The Supporting Timely Engagement with Palliative care (STEP) intervention will be developed though an iterative process informed by interviews and focus groups with patients with advanced cancer, oncologists, general practitioners and palliative care doctors. An expert panel will also review each iteration. The expert panel will consist of a patient representative with experience of palliative care, health professionals who are involved in advanced cancer care decision-making, a medical education expert and the National Council for Palliative Care director of transformation. The feasibility and acceptability of the decision aid and doctor training will be tested in oncology and general practice settings.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval for the study has been granted by the Office for Research Ethics Committees Northern Ireland (ORECNI), approval reference 17/NI/0249. Dissemination and knowledge transfer will be conducted via publications, national bodies and networks, and patient and family groups.

Molecular Identification of Thrips Species Infesting Cotton in the Southeastern United States

Traditional identification of thrips species based on morphology is difficult, laborious, and especially challenging for immature thrips. To support monitoring and management efforts of thrips as consistent and widespread pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), a probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay with crude DNA extraction was developed to allow efficient and specific identification of the primary species of thrips infesting cotton. The assay was applied to identify over 5,000 specimens of thrips (including 3,366 immatures) collected on cotton seedlings from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia in 2016. One half of all adult samples were examined by morphological identification, which provided a statistically equivalent species composition as the qPCR method. Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was the dominant species across all the locations (76.8-94.3% of adults and 81.6-98.0% of immatures), followed by Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia (4.6-19% of adults and 1.7-17.3% of immatures) or Frankliniella tritici (Fitch) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in South Carolina (10.8% of adults and 7.8% of immatures). Thrips tabaci (Lindeman) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Neohydatothrips variabilis (Beach) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were occasionally found among adults but were rarely present among immature thrips. These five species of thrips represented 98.2-100% of samples collected across the Southeast. The qPCR assay was demonstrated to be a valuable tool for large-scale monitoring of species composition of thrips at different life stages in cotton. The tool will contribute to a better understanding of thrips population structure in cotton and could assist with development and application of improved management strategies.

Measuring rootworm refuge function: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera emergence and mating in seed blend and strip refuges for Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize

BACKGROUND

Current insect resistance management plans rely on refuges of plants without Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxins to provide a gene pool of unexposed insects. Insects from refuges must mate with insects from Bt maize to slow resistance evolution. We used stable isotope labeling to observe Diabrotica virgifera virgifera emergence, dispersal, physical characteristics, and mating in Bt and refuge maize planted in different refuge configurations. Our objective was to assess how refuge type facilitates mating between insects from Bt and refuge plants.

RESULTS

Mating between D. v. virgifera beetles from different plant types was more likely in seed blends compared with strip refuges. Adult D. v. virgifera from refuge plants emerged before those from Bt plants. In strip refuges, D. v. virgifera from refuge plants did not disperse far from refuge boundaries. Larval host plant type did not affect adult size. Larger males and females were more likely to mate. Low proportions of D. v. virgifera from refuge plants were found in 5% seed blend refuges.

CONCLUSION

Seed blend refuges can help to facilitate gene flow between D. v. virgifera beetles from Bt and refuge maize, but current approaches do not meaningfully contribute to delaying resistance because numbers of refuge beetles produced are insufficient. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Improving the management of pain from advanced cancer in the community: study protocol for a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

For patients with advanced cancer, research shows that pain is frequent, burdensome and undertreated. Evidence-based approaches to support cancer pain management have been developed but have not been implemented within the context of the UK National Health Service. This protocol is for a pragmatic multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) to assess feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness for a multicomponent intervention for pain management in patients with advanced cancer.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This trial will assess the feasibility of implementation and uptake of evidence-based interventions, developed and piloted as part of the Improving the Management of Pain from Advanced Cancer in the Community Programme grant, into routine clinical practice and determine whether there are potential differences with respect to patient-rated pain, patient pain knowledge and experience, healthcare use, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. 160 patients will receive either the intervention (usual care plus supported self-management) delivered within the oncology clinic and palliative care services by locally assigned community palliative care nurses, consisting of a self-management educational intervention and eHealth intervention for routine pain assessment and monitoring; or usual care. The primary outcomes are to assess implementation and uptake of the interventions, and differences in terms of pain severity. Secondary outcomes include pain interference, participant pain knowledge and experience, and cost-effectiveness. Outcome assessment will be blinded and patient-reported outcome measures collected via post at 6 and 12 weeks following randomisation.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This RCT has the potential to significantly influence National Health Service delivery to community-based patients with pain from advanced cancer. We aim to provide definitive evidence of whether two simple interventions delivered by community palliative care nurse in palliative care that support-self-management are clinically effective and cost-effective additions to standard community palliative care.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ISRCTN18281271; Pre-results.

Do Community Hospitals Reduce the Use of District General Hospital Inpatient beds?

Community hospitals have been supported by the general public and by professionals as one means of increasing choice between local, low technology, care and high technology care at the district general hospital. However, there is no information on the impact of community hospitals on district general hospital use subsequent to NHS and community care reforms.

Examination of routinely gathered activity data in the Bath Health District revealed that availability of community hospital beds was associated with reduced use of central inpatient services in the city of Bath. The reduction was most apparent for medical and geriatric beds. Decrease in the use of surgical beds was small. However, total inpatient bed use (including central and community hospital beds) was higher in the population with access to community hospital beds.

We conclude that community hospitals offer one option for accessible health care and, as such, merit systematic evaluation of costs and benefits. This study presents some evidence that savings could be achieved through improved efficiency.

Imaging skeletal muscle volume, density, and FDG uptake before and after induction therapy for non-small cell lung cancer

AIM

To assess whether changes in body composition could be assessed serially using conventional thoracic computed tomography (CT) and positron-emission tomography (PET)/CT imaging in patients receiving induction chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

CT-based skeletal muscle volume and density were measured retrospectively from thoracic and lumbar segment CT images from 88 patients with newly diagnosed and untreated NSCLC before and after induction chemotherapy. Skeletal muscle 2-[¹⁸F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) uptake was measured from PET/CT images from a subset of patients (n=42). Comparisons of each metric before and after induction chemotherapy were conducted using the non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data. The association between clinical factors and percentage change in muscle volume was examined using univariate linear regression models, with adjustment for baseline muscle volume.

RESULTS

Following induction chemotherapy, thoracic (-3.3%, p=0.0005) and lumbar (-2.6%, p=0.0101) skeletal muscle volume were reduced (adiposity remained unchanged). The proportion of skeletal muscle with a density <0 HU increased (7.9%, p<0.0001), reflecting a decrease in skeletal muscle density and skeletal muscle FDG uptake increased (10.4-31%, p<0.05). No imaging biomarkers were correlated with overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Changes in body composition can be measured from routine thoracic imaging. During chemotherapy skeletal muscle volume and metabolism are altered; however, there was no impact on survival in this retrospective series, and further validation in prospective, well-controlled studies are required.

Proteomic analysis of JAK2V617F-induced changes identifies potential new combinatorial therapeutic approaches

In excess of 90% of patients with polycythaemia vera (PV) express a mutated form of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), JAK2V617F. Such aberrant proteins offer great potential for the treatment of these diseases; however, inhibitors to JAK2 have had limited success in the clinic in terms of curing the disease. To understand the effects of this oncogene in haematopoietic cells with the aim of improving treatment strategies, we undertook a systematic evaluation of the effects of JAK2V617F expression using proteomics. The effects of JAK2V617F on over 5000 proteins and 2000 nuclear phosphopeptide sites were relatively quantified using either SILAC or eight-channel iTRAQ mass spectrometry. Pathway analysis of the proteins identified as changing indicated disruption to the p53 and MYC signalling pathways. These changes were confirmed using orthogonal approaches. The insight gained from this proteomic analysis led to the formation of hypothesis-driven analysis on inhibitor-mediated effects on primary cells from patients with a JAK2V617F mutation. Simultaneous inhibition of MYC and upregulation of p53 led to the preferential extinction of JAK2V617F-positive CD34+ cells, illustrating a potential therapeutic benefit from combined targeting of p53 and MYC.

Usability testing of an electronic pain monitoring system for palliative cancer patients: A think-aloud study

Pain experienced by advanced cancer patients is often poorly controlled due to inadequate assessment. We aimed to test an electronic pain monitoring system (PainCheck) with advanced cancer patients and health professionals. In all, 29 participants (13 patients and 16 health professionals (n = 16)) used PainCheck while thinking their thoughts aloud. After the think aloud, both groups were asked about their experiences. Think-aloud and semi-structured interview data were analysed using framework analysis. Both groups were generally positive about PainCheck and found it easy to understand but they had concerns about clinical integration. Their concerns related to impact on workload, how lack of response may affect patient care and ability to engage with and use the technology. PainCheck has the capacity to be useful in clinical practice. For integration to be successful, patients and health professionals need guidance on how to use PainCheck and the expectations of users need to be clarified.

Understanding patient requirements for technology systems that support pain management in palliative care services: A qualitative study

Approaches to pain management using electronic systems are being developed for use in palliative care. This article explores palliative care patients' perspectives on managing and talking about pain, the role of technology in their lives and how technology could support pain management. Face-to-face interviews were used to understand patient needs and concerns to inform how electronic systems are developed. A total of 13 interviews took place with a convenience sample of community-based patients with advanced cancer receiving palliative care through a hospice. Data were analysed using framework analysis. Four meta-themes emerged: Technology could be part of my care; I'm trying to understand what is going on; My pain is ever-changing and difficult to control; and I'm selective about who to tell about pain. Patients described technology as peripheral to existing processes of care. To be relevant, systems may need to take account of the complexity of a patient's pain experience alongside existing relationships with health professionals.

Second-harmonic generation imaging of collagen in ancient bone

Second-harmonic generation imaging (SHG) captures triple helical collagen molecules near tissue surfaces. Biomedical research routinely utilizes various imaging software packages to quantify SHG signals for collagen content and distribution estimates in modern tissue samples including bone. For the first time using SHG, samples of modern, medieval, and ice age bones were imaged to test the applicability of SHG to ancient bone from a variety of ages, settings, and taxa. Four independent techniques including Raman spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, radiocarbon dating protocols, and mass spectrometry-based protein sequencing, confirm the presence of protein, consistent with the hypothesis that SHG imaging detects ancient bone collagen. These results suggest that future studies have the potential to use SHG imaging to provide new insights into the composition of ancient bone, to characterize ancient bone disorders, to investigate collagen preservation within and between various taxa, and to monitor collagen decay regimes in different depositional environments.

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Second-Harmonic Generation (SHG) confocal laser scanning microscopy is used to investigate collagen remnants in ancient bone.

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Four independent techniques confirm the presence of collagen remnants in ancient bone samples with SHG-detected collagen.

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SHG imaging can visualise collagen remnants in ancient bone of various taxa, ages, and settings.