Relationships of brain cholesterol and cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes to Alzheimer's pathology and dementia in the CFAS population-derived neuropathology cohort

Altered cholesterol metabolism is implicated in brain ageing and Alzheimer's disease. We examined whether key genes regulating cholesterol metabolism and levels of brain cholesterol are altered in dementia and Alzheimer's disease neuropathological change (ADNC). Temporal cortex (n = 99) was obtained from the Cognitive Function and Ageing Study. Expression of the cholesterol biosynthesis rate-limiting enzyme HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR) and its regulator, SREBP2, were detected using immunohistochemistry. Expression of HMGCR, SREBP2, CYP46A1 and ABCA1 were quantified by qPCR in samples enriched for astrocyte and neuronal RNA following laser-capture microdissection. Total cortical cholesterol was measured using the Amplex Red assay. HMGCR and SREBP2 proteins were predominantly expressed in pyramidal neurones, and in glia. Neuronal HMGCR did not vary with ADNC, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation or dementia status. Expression of HMGCR neuronal mRNA decreased with ADNC (p = 0.022) and increased with neuronal DNA damage (p = 0.049), whilst SREBP2 increased with ADNC (p = 0.005). High or moderate tertiles for cholesterol levels were associated with increased dementia risk (OR 1.44, 1.58). APOE ε4 allele was not associated with cortical cholesterol levels. ADNC is associated with gene expression changes that may impair cholesterol biosynthesis in neurones but not astrocytes, whilst levels of cortical cholesterol show a weak relationship to dementia status.

Temporal Incidence and Patterns of Distant Failure for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Related Oropharyngeal Cancer

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

HPV related oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC) enjoys improved treatment outcomes relative to non-HPV related disease but suffers from similar rates of distant metastases (DM) following treatment. Emerging data supports radical intent therapy for oligometastatic relapsed HPV-OPC, suggesting early diagnosis of DM may be beneficial to outcome. We assess temporal patterns in distance relapse to investigate rationalization of post treatment imaging.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A retrospective single center cohort study was carried out of consecutive HPV-OPC treated with radical intent (chemo)radiotherapy ((CT)RT) between 2011 and 2020. Electronic records were reviewed to identify location and timing of development of DM. Oligometastatic (OM) state was defined as

RESULTS

A total of 793 HPV-OPC patients were identified with median follow-up 3.15 years (range 0.2-8.9). The median time to recurrence was 15.1 months (range: 2.6-63 months). 87% of DM occurred in the first two years after treatment. Pattern of failure by stage are shown in table 1. Indications for scans performed identifying DM alone were symptoms (66%), follow-up imaging based on previous radiological findings (15%), disease response assessment imaging (15%), and incidental findings (4%). Sites of distant metastasis were lung (64%), thoracic nodes (36.5%), bone (27%), visceral (23%), brain (4%) and skin (2%). The sites of visceral metastasis involvement included liver (92%), Adrenal (18%), kidney (18%), and spleen (9%). Treatment offered to patients with OM alone was best supportive care (46%), palliative chemotherapy (15.4%), palliative RT (23%), immunotherapy (8%), and one patient lost to follow up (8%). SBRT was not available during time period. Median survival following diagnosis was 17.5 months (range 4.4-85.4 months).

CONCLUSION

Despite no routine imaging beyond initial treatment response assessment, we identify a small minority of HPV OPC patients with OM recurrence that is associated with better outcome and occasional long-term cure from aggressive therapy. The majority (69%) of DM occur in the thorax/upper abdomen of patients in the first two years post treatment. This finding supports the potential utility of regular imaging of thorax/upper abdomen during early follow.

Collapse

Key Words Collapse

MESH Headings Collapse

Grants Collapse

Affiliation(s)

J Gaffney The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
A Ramzan Department of Radiology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
T Dinizulu Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
D O Onamusi The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
G Motamedi-Ghahfarokhi The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
H Mistry The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
G Price The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom; The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
K Garcez Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
C Hughes Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
D D Thomson The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
L W Lee Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
Y Jain Department of Radiology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
J M Price Department of Clinical Oncology, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, United Kingdom
A McPartlin Radiation Medicine Program, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

Collapse

Evaluation of prognostic risk models for postoperative pulmonary complications in adult patients undergoing major abdominal surgery: a systematic review and international external validation cohort study

BACKGROUND

Stratifying risk of postoperative pulmonary complications after major abdominal surgery allows clinicians to modify risk through targeted interventions and enhanced monitoring. In this study, we aimed to identify and validate prognostic models against a new consensus definition of postoperative pulmonary complications.

METHODS

We did a systematic review and international external validation cohort study. The systematic review was done in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase on March 1, 2020, for articles published in English that reported on risk prediction models for postoperative pulmonary complications following abdominal surgery. External validation of existing models was done within a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing major abdominal surgery. Data were collected between Jan 1, 2019, and April 30, 2019, in the UK, Ireland, and Australia. Discriminative ability and prognostic accuracy summary statistics were compared between models for the 30-day postoperative pulmonary complication rate as defined by the Standardised Endpoints in Perioperative Medicine Core Outcome Measures in Perioperative and Anaesthetic Care (StEP-COMPAC). Model performance was compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROCC).

FINDINGS

In total, we identified 2903 records from our literature search; of which, 2514 (86·6%) unique records were screened, 121 (4·8%) of 2514 full texts were assessed for eligibility, and 29 unique prognostic models were identified. Nine (31·0%) of 29 models had score development reported only, 19 (65·5%) had undergone internal validation, and only four (13·8%) had been externally validated. Data to validate six eligible models were collected in the international external validation cohort study. Data from 11 591 patients were available, with an overall postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 7·8% (n=903). None of the six models showed good discrimination (defined as AUROCC ≥0·70) for identifying postoperative pulmonary complications, with the Assess Respiratory Risk in Surgical Patients in Catalonia score showing the best discrimination (AUROCC 0·700 [95% CI 0·683-0·717]).

INTERPRETATION

In the pre-COVID-19 pandemic data, variability in the risk of pulmonary complications (StEP-COMPAC definition) following major abdominal surgery was poorly described by existing prognostication tools. To improve surgical safety during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery and beyond, novel risk stratification tools are required.

FUNDING

British Journal of Surgery Society.

Translation of Prognostic and Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers from Trial to Non-trial Patients with Metastatic Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Treated with Docetaxel

AIMS

We conducted a pooled analysis of four randomised controlled trials and a non-trial retrospective dataset to study the changes in serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concentrations during treatment and its impact on survival in men treated with docetaxel for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. We also compared the outcomes and pre-treatment prognostic factors between trial and non-trial patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data were obtained from four randomised controlled trials and a non-trial cohort from a tertiary cancer centre. The PSA kinetics covariates chosen were absolute value (PSAT), best percentage change (BPCH) and tumour growth rate (K). The association between the covariates collected and overall survival was assessed within a Cox proportional hazards model. How well a covariate captured the difference between trial and non-trial patients was assessed by reporting on models with or without trial status as a covariate.

RESULTS

We reviewed individual datasets of 2282 patients. The median overall survival for trial patients was 20.4 (95% confidence interval 19.6-22.2) months and for the non-trial cohort was 12.4 (10.7-14.7) months (P < 0.001). Of the pre-treatment factors, we found that only lactate dehydrogenase fully captured the difference in prognosis between the trial and non-trial cohorts. All PSA kinetic metrics appeared to be prognostic in both the trial and non-trial patients. However, the effect size was reduced in non-trial versus trial patients (interaction P < 0.001). Of the time-dependent covariates, we found that BPCH best captured the difference between trial and non-trial patient prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The analysis presented here highlights how data from open-source trial databases can be combined with emerging clinical practice databases to assess differences between trial versus non-trial patients for particular treatments. These results highlight the importance of developing prognostic models using both pre-treatment and time-dependent biomarkers of new treatments.

Clinico-pathological predictors of clinical complete response in rectal cancer

PURPOSE

Prediction of clinical complete response in rectal cancer before neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy treatment enables treatment selection. Patients predicted to have complete response could have chemo-radiotherapy, and others could have additional doublet chemotherapy at this stage of their treatment to improve their overall outcome. This work investigates the role of clinical variables in predicting clinical complete response.

METHOD

Using the UK-based OnCoRe database (2008 to 2019), we performed a propensity-score matched study of 322 patients who received neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. We collected pre-treatment clinic-pathological, inflammatory and radiotherapy-related characteristics. We determined the odds for the occurrence of cCR using conditional logistic regression models. We derived the post-model Area under the Curve (AUC) as an indicator of discrimination performance and stated a priori that an AUC of 0.75 or greater was required for potential clinical utility.

RESULTS

Pre-treatment tumour diameter, mrT-stage, haemoglobin, alkaline phosphate and total radiotherapy depths were associated with cCR on univariable and multivariable analysis. Additionally, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), neutrophil-monocyte to lymphocyte ratio (NMLR), lymphocyte count and albumin were all significantly associated with cCR on multivariable analysis. A nomogram using the above parameters was developed with a resulting ROC AUC of 0.75.

CONCLUSION

We identified routine clinic-pathological, inflammatory and radiotherapy-related variables which are independently associated with cCR. A nomogram was developed to predict cCR. The performance characteristics from this model were on the prior clinical utility threshold. Additional research is required to develop more associated variables to better select patients with rectal cancer undergoing chemoradiotherapy who may benefit from pursuing a W&W strategy.

58 Use of Abdominal Wall or Sucutaneous Drain to Reduce the Risk of Surgical Site Infections

Introduction

Open abdominal surgery confers potentially greater risk of surgical site infections, and local evidence suggests use of drains can reduce this. Our objectives were: Assessing local rates and risk factors of infections and if use of drains can reduce the rates of infections.

Method

Retrospectively looking from 01/01/2018 to 31/12/2018, at patients following laparotomy or open cholecystectomy. Data collection on demographics, smoking/alcohol status, heart, respiratory or renal disease or diabetes, steroid use and CEPOD status, as well as use of drain and the outcome of infection using inpatient and online patient records.

Results

84 patients included, 25 had drains inserted. There were 13 documented cases of surgical site infection, all of whom had no drain post-op. Other parameters shown to be most prevalent in the patients with a surgical site infection include being current/ex-smoker (8/13), having heart disease (9/13), and elective procedures.

Conclusions

Aiming to reduce the risk of surgical site infections can improve morbidity and potentially mortality outcomes. Our audit data showed that there appears to be a benefit of inserting intra-abdominal or subcutaneous drains. We will create a standard operating procedure of all patient to receive drains post-op and then re-audit to assess the impact this has on infection rates.

A case of Infective Native (Abdominal) Aortic Aneurysm Caused by Streptococcus Agalactiae: An Updated Literature Review Based on New Nomenclature

The management of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) has evolved significantly with the advent of endovascular strategies. Thus, there has been a decline in the number of open AAA repairs once an endovascular option is available. There have also been reports of successful endovascular management of infective native aortic aneurysms (INAA)¹, previously called mycotic aneurysms². The rarity of this condition makes its management a challenging one as there are no standard guidelines. The European Society of Vascular Surgery has suggested that the nomenclature be changed from mycotic aneurysms as this can be misleading to standardise reporting¹. The authors' present a case of a 67-year old male who presented during the peak of the Corona Virus pandemic with constitutional gastrointestinal symptoms. He was subsequently diagnosed with an INAA and successfully managed with open Neo-Aorto Iliac System reconstruction with a homograft³. The report highlights various strategies used in the surgical approach and their benefits in the management of INAA. Furthermore, a literature review of Streptococcus (Streptococcus agalactiae) species as a rare cause of INAA and how these cases were managed are also highlighted.

Variables associated with survival in patients with invasive bladder cancer with and without surgery

We recorded the survival of 141 patients assessed for radical cystectomy, which included cardiopulmonary exercise testing. The median Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were: 1540 days for the whole cohort; 2200 days after cystectomy scheduled (n = 108); and 843 days without surgery. The mortality hazard remained double that expected for a matched general population, but survival was better in patients scheduled for surgery than those who were not: the mortality hazard ratio (95%CI) after cystectomy was 0.43 (0.26-0.73) the mortality hazard without surgery, p = 0.001. The mortality hazard ratios for the three-variable Bayesian Model Averaging survival model for all 141 patients were: referral for surgery (0.5); haemoglobin concentration (0.98); and efficiency of carbon dioxide output (1.05). Efficiency of carbon dioxide output was the single variable in the postoperative model (n = 108), mortality hazard 1.08 (per unit increase). The ratio of observed to expected peak oxygen consumption associated best with mortality in 33 patients not referred for surgery, hazard ratio 0.001. Our results can inform consultations with patients with invasive bladder cancer and suggest that interventions to increase fitness and haemoglobin may improve survival in patients who do and who do not undergo radical cystectomy.

A Multicentre UK Study of Outcomes of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Treated With Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy ± Chemotherapy

AIMS

To report the outcomes of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in adults across three large centres in a non-endemic region in the era of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Adult patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated in three large cancer centres with IMRT ± chemotherapy with curative intent between 2009 and 2016 were identified from institutional databases. Radiotherapy was delivered with 70 Gy in 33-35 daily fractions. A univariable analysis was carried out to evaluate the relationship of patient, tumour and treatment factors with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival.

RESULTS

In total, 151 patients were identified with a median follow-up of 5.2 years. The median age was 52 years (range 18-85). Seventy-five per cent were of Caucasian origin; 75% had non-keratinising tumours; Epstein Barr virus status was only available in 23% of patients; 74% of patients had stage III or IV disease; 54% of patients received induction chemotherapy; 86% of patients received concurrent chemotherapy. Five-year overall survival, PFS, local disease-free survival, regional disease-free survival and distant disease-free survival were 70%, 65%, 91%, 94% and 82%, respectively. Keratinising squamous cell carcinoma, older age, worse performance status, smoking and alcohol intake were associated with inferior overall survival and PFS.

CONCLUSIONS

Local, regional and distant disease control are relatively high following IMRT ± chemotherapy in a non-endemic population. There was considerable heterogeneity in terms of radiotherapy treatment and the use of chemotherapy, encouraging the development of treatment protocols and expert peer review in non-endemic regions.

Novel phase I trial design to evaluate the addition of cediranib or selumetinib to preoperative chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer: the DREAMtherapy trial

BACKGROUND

The DREAMtherapy (Dual REctal Angiogenesis MEK inhibition radiotherapy) trial is a novel intertwined design whereby two tyrosine kinase inhibitors (cediranib and selumetinib) were independently evaluated with rectal chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in an efficient manner to limit the extended follow-up period often required for radiotherapy studies.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Cediranib or selumetinib was commenced 10 days before and then continued with RT (45 Gy/25#/5 wks) and capecitabine (825 mg/m2 twice a day (BID)). When three patients in the cediranib 15-mg once daily (OD) cohort were in the surveillance period, recruitment to the selumetinib cohort commenced. This alternating schedule was followed throughout. Three cediranib (15, 20 and 30 mg OD) and two selumetinib cohorts (50 and 75 mg BID) were planned. Circulating and imaging biomarkers of inflammation/angiogenesis were evaluated.

RESULTS

In case of cediranib, dose-limiting diarrhoea, fatigue and skin reactions were seen in the 30-mg OD cohort, and therefore, 20 mg OD was defined as the maximum tolerated dose. Forty-one percent patients achieved a clinical or pathological complete response (7/17), and 53% (9/17) had an excellent clinical or pathological response (ECPR). Significantly lower level of pre-treatment plasma tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) was found in patients who had an ECPR. In case of selumetinib, the 50-mg BID cohort was poorly tolerated (fatigue and diarrhoea); a reduced dose cohort of 75-mg OD was opened which was also poorly tolerated, and further recruitment was abandoned. Of the 12 patients treated, two attained an ECPR (17%).

CONCLUSIONS

This novel intertwined trial design is an effective way to independently investigate multiple agents with radiotherapy. The combination of cediranib with CRT was well tolerated with encouraging efficacy. TNFα emerged as a potential predictive biomarker of response and warrants further evaluation.

Human errors in manual techniques for ABO/D grouping are associated with potentially lethal outcomes

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

To review if ABO/D grouping errors are more likely to occur with manual intervention compared to automation.

BACKGROUND

Human errors in manual pre-transfusion testing may result in ABO/D-incompatible transfusions and catastrophic outcomes. Accurate ABO/D grouping is a critical part of pre-transfusion testing.

METHODS

This was a retrospective analysis of reports made to Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) between January 2004 and December 2016 where ABO/D grouping errors led to the transfusion of an incorrect blood component to review if errors are more likely to occur with manual intervention compared to automation.

RESULTS

In 148 of 158 (93%) ABO/D grouping errors, manual intervention took place. In the remaining 10, causes were not reported. No errors occurred with full automation. Interpretation errors occurred in 86 of 148 (58%) and 42 of 148 (28%) transcription errors, and in 20 of 148, wrong or no samples were selected. Of 148 errors, 21 (14%) resulted in ABO-incompatible transfusion, with one death in 2004 due to an interpretation error in a manual ABO group. In 30 of 148 (20%), D-positive red cells were given to D-negative recipients, where three women of child-bearing potential became sensitised and developed anti-D. ABO grouping errors have reduced from 18 of 539 (3%) of total reports analysed in 2004 (3·3%) to 3 of 3091 (0·10%) in 2016.

CONCLUSIONS

Where manual testing cannot be avoided, results should be confirmed using automated techniques as soon as possible, and a back-up process should be available 24/7. SHOT data confirm that manual interventions are prone to human error, especially in transcription and interpretation, and demonstrate a continuing need for appropriate serological knowledge and understanding by transfusion laboratory staff to underpin safety provided by automation and information technology (IT).

Long term outcomes in 46, XX adult patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia reared as males

Patients with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) owing to 21-hydroxylase deficiency and whose karyotype is 46, XX are usually assigned to the female gender. Reported herein are the long term outcomes in three patients with CAH whose karyotype is 46, XX and who were reared as males. A retrospective review of three CAH patients with a 46, XX karyotype who were reared as males was conducted. Gender assignment, clinical and biochemical data, pre and post-genitoplasty genital examinations were reviewed. Gender identity was tested by an extensive questionnaire. Gender role, sexual preference, marital status and sexual satisfaction were evaluated by interview. The three patients were genotyped for the CYP21A2 gene confirming the diagnosis of CAH. Owing to genital virilization, cultural preferences for male gender and the lack of newborn screening programs the three patients reported herein were assigned to the male gender at birth before the diagnosis of CAH was established. In adulthood the patients remained significantly virilized. Thorough psychosexual assessments in adulthood revealed well established male gender identities compatible with their male gender assignments at birth. In all three patients, gender role and behavior were consistent with male gender identity including sexual intercourse with female partners. The three patients reported herein revealed that male gender assignment to CAH patients with a 46, XX karyotype may have a successful outcome providing there is strong parental support and expert endocrine care. No standard guidelines have been published for the gender assignment of CAH patients with a 46, XX karyotype and genital ambiguity. More studies concerning gender assignment in CAH patients with a 46, XX karyotype reared as males are needed.

Tailoring the Catalytic Properties of Metal Nanoparticles via Support Interactions

The development of new catalysts for energy technology and environmental remediation requires a thorough knowledge of how the physical and chemical properties of a catalyst affect its reactivity. For supported metal nanoparticles (NPs), such properties can include the particle size, shape, composition, and chemical state, but a critical parameter which must not be overlooked is the role of the NP support. Here, we highlight the key mechanisms behind support-induced enhancement in the catalytic properties of metal NPs. These include support-induced changes in the NP morphology, stability, electronic structure, and chemical state, as well as changes in the support due to the NPs. Utilizing the support-dependent phenomena described in this Perspective may allow significant breakthroughs in the design and tailoring of the catalytic activity and selectivity of metal nanoparticles.