Promises of anionic calix[n]arenes in life science: State of the art in 2023

Because they hold together molecules by means of non-covalent interactions - relatively weak and thus, potentially reversible - the anionic calixarenes have become an interesting tool for efficiently binding a large range of ligands - from gases to large organic molecules. Being highly water soluble and conveniently biocompatible, they showed growing interest for many interdisciplinary fields, particularly in biology and medicine. Thanks to their intrinsic conical shape, they provide suitable platforms, from vesicles to bilayers. This is a valuable characteristic, as so they mimic the biologically functional architectures. The anionic calixarenes propose efficient alternatives for overcoming the limitations linked to drug delivery and bioavailability, as well as drug resistance along with limiting the undesirable side effects. Moreover, the dynamic non-covalent binding with the drugs enables predictable and on demand drug release, controlled by the stimuli present in the targeted environment. This particular feature instigated the use of these versatile, stimuli-responsive compounds for sensing biomarkers of diverse pathologies. The present review describes the recent achievements of the anionic calixarenes in the field of life science, from drug carriers to biomedical engineering, with a particular outlook on their applications for the diagnosis and treatment of different pathologies.

Current clinical management of CIDP with immunoglobulins in France: An expert opinion

Treatment strategies in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) must be adapted on a case-to-case basis. Validated and reproducible tools for monitoring treatment response are required at diagnosis, when initiating treatment and throughout follow-up. A task force of French neurologists, experts in neuromuscular disease reference centers, was assembled to provide expert advice on the management of typical CIDP with intravenous immunoglobulins (Ig), and to harmonize treatment practices in public and private hospitals. The task force also referred to the practical experience of treating CIDP with Ig at the diagnostic, induction and follow-up stages, including the assessment and management of Ig dependence, and following the recommendations of the French health agency.

AB0651 Clinical Impact and Prognosis of cryoglobulinemia and cryofibrinogenemia in Systemic Sclerosis

Background

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is reported to be a secondary cause of cryoglobulinemia as well as cryofibrinogenemia. However, prevalence, clinical implication and associated pronostic of cryoprecipitates in SSc are unknown.

Objectives

To describe the prevalence, the phenotype and evaluate the prognosis of cryoglobulinemia and/or cryofibrinogenemia associated with systemic sclerosis.

Methods

We included all adult (≥18 years) consecutive SSc patients from the Systemic Scleroderma Toulouse Cohort (SSTC) [1] for whom a cryoglobulin and/or cryofibrinogen measurement was carried out at the immunology laboratory of the Toulouse University Hospital between June 1, 2005 and May 31, 2018 and at least one follow-up visit. We compared SSc-patients characteristics’ with and without cryoglobulinemia > 50 mg/l and with and without cryofibrinogenemia. Survival analysis based on presence of cryoglobulin cryofibrinogen was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models (ascending step-by-step method) were used to determine baseline variables associated with cryoglobulin or cryofibrinogen presence.

Results

166 patients were included in the study. 74.6% of patients were women, with a average age at diagnosis of 51.2 years-old. 24% were diffuse cutaneous subtypes and 71.6% limited cutaneous subtypes. Anti-centromere and anti-Scl70 were respectively positive in 44.5% and 21.6% of cases. All these patients were assessed for cryoglobulin detection and 75 cryofibrinogen detection in serum. 43.3% had a cryoglobulinemia >50 mg/l. 46.6% had cryofibrinogenemia. Patients with cryoglobulinemia >50 mg had more cardiac diastolic involvement (22.8% vs. 5.1% p=0.0395). In the multivariate analysis, diastolic involvement (HR=6.23; p=0.0331) was an independent predictor of cryoglobulin >50 mg/l. Survival at 10 years was better for patients with cryoglobulinemia >50 mg/l (log-rank 0.0363) (Figure 1). Survival at 5 and 10 years was 97.6% and 88.8% respectively in patients with cryoglobulinemia >50 mg/l versus 91.9% and 78.4% in patients with cryoglobulinemia <50 mg/l. In cox regression model adjusted for gender, age and type of systemic sclerosis, cryoglobulin >50 mg/l was negatively associated with mortality (HR: 0.09; p=0.03). The presence of cryofibrinogenemia was not associated with any clinical, biological or morphological features. In the multivariate analysis, no variable was predictive of the presence of cryofibrinogenemia in patients with SSc. The presence of cryofibrinogenemia had no influence on the mortality of these patients.

Conclusion

In SSc patients, the presence of cryoglobulin >50 mg/l is an independent predictive factor of cardiac diastolic involvement and is associated with a better survival. However, cryofibrinogenemia does not influence clinical phenotype or impact mortality in SSc patients.

References

[1]De Almeida Chaves S, Porel T, Mounié M, Alric L, Astudillo L et al. Sine scleroderma, limited cutaneous, and diffused cutaneous systemic sclerosis survival and predictors of mortality. Arthritis Res Ther. 2021 Dec 7;23(1):295. doi: 10.1186/s13075-021-02672-y.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0884 DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SEVERE CARDIAC INVOLVEMENT IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS: A BICENTRIC RETROSPECTIVE STUDY ON 459 PATIENTS

Background

The prevalence of cardiac involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) varies in the literature between 3% and 44% and represents a leading cause of mortality in this disease. The incidence of severe cardiac involvement and the factors associated with the occurrence of severe cardiac involvement are not known in the literature.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incidence, prognosis and factors associated with the occurrence of severe cardiac involvement during SSc course.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective, bi-centric study from January 1, 1966 to December 31, 2018. The patients included had a diagnosis of SS according to the ACR/EULAR 2013 criteria. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of severe cardiac involvement. Cardiac involvement was defined by the presence of at least one of the following elements: death of cardiovascular origin, left ventricular ejection fraction less than or equal to 50%, abnormality of at least 3 measurement parameters of diastolic function, global longitudinal strain less than or equal to 18 in absolute value, ventricular tachycardia, ventricular extrasystoles requiring intervention or elevated troponin. Patients with associated myositis and whose only criterion for cardiac involvement was elevated troponin were not included in the group with cardiac involvement. Severe cardiac involvement was defined by the occurrence of hospitalization for cardiovascular reasons or by death of cardiovascular origin. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine variables associated with severe cardiac involvement occurrence. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method with comparisons performed using the log rank test.

Results

Four hundred and fifty-nine patients with SSc were included and were followed for a median of 7.1 years [3.1; 13.3]. The median age of our population was 54 years old. There were 81% of women, 77% of patients had limited cutaneous SSc, 15% diffuse cutaneous SSc and 8% SSc sine scleroderma. Of the 459 patients, 105 (23%) had cardiac involvement and 56 (12%) severe cardiac involvement. The incidence of severe cardiac involvement was 2.42 per 100 patient years. Ninety-six hospitalizations were recorded, including 40 (42%) for acute heart failure, 19 (20%) for arrhythmia, 5 (5%) for acute pericarditis, 6 (6%) for acute myocarditis and 14 (15 %) for coronary artery disease (acute coronary syndrome, myocardial infarction or coronary revascularization). The independent factors associated with severe cardiac involvement in SSc were age over 54 years at SSc-diagnosis (OR = 3.21 95% CI [1.73; 5.95], p < 0.001), the presence of myositis (OR = 5.01 95% CI [1.89; 13.28], p = 0.001), pericardial involvement (OR = 3.79 95% CI [2.05; 7.03]; p < 0.001) or scleroderma renal crisis (OR = 4.72 95% CI [2.05; 10.92], p < 0.001). The survival rate of patients with severe cardiac involvement was 70% at 5 years and 53% at 10 years. Patients with severe cardiac involvement had a mortality risk three times greater than patients without severe cardiac involvement, HR = 3.1 (95% CI [1.7; 5.7], p<0.0001) (Figure 1). Pericardial involvement was an independent risk factor for mortality, HR = 2.0 (95% CI [1.02; 4.0], p=0.04).

Figure 1.

Survival of patients with severe cardiac involvement of systemic scleroderma. HR: Hazard ratio; 95% CI: 95% Confidence interval; Nb at risk: Number at risk

Conclusion

We need to focus our clinical attention on diagnosing and manage cardiac involvement in SSc, as severe cardiac involvement is not uncommon and is responsible for a poor prognosis.

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

POS0711 TOLERANCE AND EFFICACY OF TARGETED THERAPIES PRESCRIBED FOR OFF-LABEL INDICATIONS IN REFRACTORY SYSTEMIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES: DATA OF THE FIRST 100 PATIENTS ENROLLED IN THE TATA REGISTRY (TARGETED THERAPY IN AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES)

Background

The low prevalence of systemic autoimmune diseases and the diversity of their clinical manifestations make complex to conduct randomised clinical trials to assess the potential efficacy of targeted treatments.

Objectives

To assess the tolerance and efficacy of targeted therapies prescribed off-label in refractory autoimmune diseases.

Methods

The TATA registry (TArgeted Therapy in Autoimmune Diseases) is a prospective, observational, national and independent cohort follow-up. The inclusion criteria in the registry are as follows: age > 18 years; rare systemic autoimmune disease (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren’s syndrome, systemic scleroderma, inflammatory myopathy, vasculitis) or other refractory rheumatism treated with off-label drugs started after 1st January 2019.

Results

Hundred (100) patients (79 females) were enrolled. The median age was 52.5 years [49;56], the median disease duration before enrolment was 5 years [3;7]. The targeted therapies at enrolment were as follows: JAK/STAT inhibitors (44%), anti-IL6R (22%), anti-IL12/23, anti-IL23 and anti-IL17 (9%), anti-BAFF (5%), abatacept (5%), other targeted treatments (9%), and combination of targeted treatments (6%). 73% of patients were receiving corticosteroid therapy at enrolment (median dose 10 mg/day). The current median follow-up time is 9 months [8;10].

Safety: 11 serious infections (incidence rate of 14.8 /100 patient-years) and 1 cancer (1.3 cancers/100 patient-years) were observed. Two patients died from severe COVID-19 (2.7 deaths/100 patient-years).

Efficacy: The targeted treatment was considered effective by the clinician in 56% of patients and allowed in responders a median reduction of oral corticosteroids of 15 [9-21] mg/day.

Conclusion

These initial results of the TATA registry confirm the diversity of targeted treatments prescribed off-label in refractory autoimmune diseases and their corticosteroid-sparing effect when effective. Tolerance was acceptable in these refractory patients with a long history of treatment with immunosuppressive drugs.

References

[1]B. Terrier et al., Safety and efficacy of rituximab in systemic lupus erythematosus: results from 136 patients from the French AutoImmunity and Rituximab registry. Arthritis Rheum 62, 2458-2466 (2010).

[2]J. E. Gottenberg et al., Efficacy of rituximab in systemic manifestations of primary Sjogren’s syndrome: results in 78 patients of the AutoImmune and Rituximab registry. Ann Rheum Dis 72, 1026-1031 (2013).

[3]J. E. Gottenberg et al., Risk factors for severe infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with rituximab in the autoimmunity and rituximab registry. Arthritis Rheum 62, 2625-2632 (2010).

[4]F. R. S. S. S. C. I. consortium, contributors, Severity of COVID-19 and survival in patients with rheumatic and inflammatory diseases: data from the French RMD COVID-19 cohort of 694 patients. Ann Rheum Dis, (2020).

[5]R. Felten et al., B-cell targeted therapy is associated with severe COVID-19 among patients with inflammatory arthritides: a 1-year multicentre study in 1116 successive patients receiving intravenous biologics. Ann Rheum Dis 81, 143-145 (2022).

[6]D. J. Wallace et al., Baricitinib for systemic lupus erythematosus: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial. Lancet 392, 222-231 (2018).

[7]J. J. Paik et al., Study of Tofacitinib in Refractory Dermatomyositis: An Open-Label Pilot Study of Ten Patients. Arthritis Rheumatol 73, 858-865 (2021).

[8]S. Cole et al., Integrative analysis reveals CD38 as a therapeutic target for plasma cell-rich pre-disease and established rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Arthritis Res Ther 20, 85 (2018).

[9]S. J. Bowman et al., Safety and efficacy of subcutaneous ianalumab (VAY736) in patients with primary Sjogren’s syndrome: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b dose-finding trial. Lancet 399, 161-171 (2022).

Acknowledgements

French networks (FAI2R, CRI, IMIDIATE, SFR, SNFMI) focused on rare systemic autoimmune diseases contributed this work by the contribution of network-affiliated physicians.

Disclosure of Interests

Jacques-Eric Gottenberg Consultant of: Abbvie, BMS, Gilead, Galapagos, Novartis, Lilly Roche Chugai, Sanofi, Janssen, Pfizer, Grant/research support from: BMS.

Lilly and Pfizer for this register (with no access to data)., Aurore Chaudier: None declared, Yves Allenbach: None declared, Arsene Mekinian: None declared, Zahir Amoura: None declared, Patrice cacoub: None declared, Divi Cornec: None declared, Eric Hachulla: None declared, Pierre Quartier: None declared, isabelle melki: None declared, Christophe Richez: None declared, Raphaèle Seror: None declared, Benjamin Terrier: None declared, Valerie Devauchelle-Pensec: None declared, Julien Henry: None declared, MARC GATFOSSE: None declared, LAURENCE BOUILLET: None declared, Emeline GAIGNEUX: None declared, Vincent ANDRE: None declared, Gildas BAULIER: None declared, Aurélie SAUNIER: None declared, Marie Desmurs: None declared, Antoine POULET: None declared, Mathieu ETE: None declared, Marie-Elise Truchetet: None declared, Martin Michaud: None declared, Claire Larroche: None declared, AZEDDINE DELLAL: None declared, Amelie LEURS: None declared, Sebastien Ottaviani: None declared, Hubert NIELLY: None declared, Guillaume VIAL: None declared, Roland JAUSSAUD: None declared, Benedicte ROUVIERE: None declared, Pierre-Yves JEANDEL: None declared, Aurelien GUFFROY: None declared, Anne-Sophie Korganow: None declared, Mathieu JOUVRAY: None declared, alain meyer: None declared, Emmanuel Chatelus: None declared, Christelle Sordet: None declared, Renaud FELTEN: None declared, Jean Sibilia: None declared, Samira AHMED YAHIA: None declared, Jean François Kleinmann: None declared, Xavier Mariette Consultant of: BMS, Galapagos, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Sanofi, UCB

AB0358 ABATACEPT AS A bDMARD IN STEROID-REFRACTORY POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA

Background:

polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a chronic inflammatory disorder affecting elderly people. Glucocorticoids (GC) are the mainstay of therapy for PMR. Despite this treatment, the disease may relapse or GC dosage cannot be tapered. Methotrexate (MTX) may be helpful in these cases. Blockade of IL-6 has an effective steroid-sparing effect in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) and may improve the clinical symptoms of patients with PMR. The pathophysiology of PMR still remains uncertain but there are evidences for a participation of Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes. Recently, blockade of the costimulatory pathway by abatacept (ABA) gave favorable results in GCA.

Objectives:

to report our experience (efficacy and safety) of ABA in the treatment of patients with isolated PMR who required longstanding GC and who failed to respond to MTX and/or IL-6 receptor blocking agents.

Methods:

a call for observations of all cases of patient with PMR who received at least one dose (SC or IV) of ABA was sent to the members of the French specialist network “Club Rhumatismes & Inflammation” (CRI: www.cri-net.com)(rheumatologist and internal medicine). Patients must satisfy the EULAR/ACR criteria for PMR and have isolated PMR without associated GCA.

Results:

4 cases were declared during a 12 months period: 2 men and 2 women; age (median [range]): 60.7 [50-68] years; disease duration 30 [7-48] months; duration of GC treatment before starting ABA: 60 [10-72] months. They all required prednisolone with a daily dosage of 14.5 mg [10-20]. Before ABA administration, they all received MTX while 2 patients were treated by IL-6R inhibitor (tocilizumab 6 months and sarilumab 3 months, respectively) without improvement. ABA was given as a monthly infusion (10 mg/kg) in one case and subcutaneously (every week) in 3 cases. ABA treatment duration ranged from 3 to 18 months. Two patients responded to the treatment with a progressive decline of DAS-PMR and GC dosage tapering during a 12 month follow-up, while there was no improvement for the 2 others (Table 1). CRP levels also decreased for one responder. The safety was excellent for all. ABA was still maintained in one responder. Among the non-responders, one patient was switched to tocilizumab and the second still received high GC dosage.

Conclusion:

ABA may be effective in certain PMR patients who were unable to taper GC, with a good safety profile. A randomized controlled trial is required in order to determine its place in the treatment of PMR and to select the appropriate patients who could potentially benefit from this biological agent.

References:

[1]Langford CA et al. Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium. A Randomized, Double-Blind Trial of Abatacept (CTLA-4Ig) for the Treatment of Giant Cell Arteritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017; 69: 837-845

Table 1.

changes in DAS-PMR and CRP levels in 4 patients with PMR while receiving abatacept (M: months; CRP in mg/L).

CasesDAS- PMR M0DAS- PMR M3DAS-PMR M6DAS -PMR M12CRP M0CRP M3CRP M6CRP M121202121NA58.68.4NA231.130.5NANA2125NANA310.78.3551337.222.722224182217.2121.23.33.53

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

AB0772 JAK INHIBITORS IN REFRACTORY ADULT AND CHILDHOOD ONSET STILL’S DISEASE

Background:

Excessive and inappropriate production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1, IL-6 or IL-18, is a pathogenic cornerstone in adult and childhood onset Still’s disease. Beyond therapies targeting IL-1 or IL-6, Janus kinases (JAK) inhibitors have been proposed for adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) patients refractory to or intolerant of treatment with biologicals. Recently, it has been suggested that JAK inhibitors might be efficient in refractory AOSD patients1.

Objectives:

To assess the efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors in the treatment of refractory systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA) or AOSD.

Methods:

This retrospective study was based on a national survey of the departments of rheumatology, paediatric rheumatology and internal medicine in all French hospitals from an online call of the “Club Rhumatismes et Inflammation” (www.cri-net.com). The data were collected using a standardized questionnaire, and analyzed at different time points (treatment initiation, M1, M3, M6 and end of the follow-up). The response to JAK inhibitors was categorized as: complete remission (resolution of all clinical and biologic signs), partial remission (clinical improvement with persistence of a few symptoms) or failure (lack of clinical or biological improvement).

Results:

6 patients (5 adults and 1 child) were recruited (Table 1). Mean age at treatment start was 39.6 years for the AOSD patient and 6 years for the sJIA patient, and mean disease duration was 5.3 years. The clinical expression was predominantly systemic in 5 five patients and chronic articular in one. Response to corticosteroids, conventional synthetic or biological Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs had been considered inadequate in all patients. Baricitinib was used in 3 patients, ruxolitinib in 2, and tofacitinib in 1. Steroids were concurrently used in all patients, anakinra in one, methotrexate and anakinra in one. At a mean (SD) follow-up of 9.5 months, partial response was observed in 4 (66.7%) cases (patients with ruxolitinib, tofacitinib or baricitinib) and failure in 2 (33.3%) (patients with baricitinib). No patient achieved complete remission. At the last visit, steroids could be decreased but not stopped in all patients. Patients with partial response had an average decrease of 72,8% (90% for tofacitinib, 70% for baricitinib, 58.5% for ruxolitinib between the start and the follow-up end date) and non-responder patients were yet able to reduce steroids by 60,5% (Table 1). Tolerance of JAK inhibitors was excellent, however patient 4 experienced an episode of infectious pulmonary disease.

Conclusion:

JAK inhibitors therapy may be helpful for some patients with refractory Still’s disease. However, no complete response was observed in this short series of cases. There might be a difference of response between the molecules, although the number of patients is too low to draw conclusions. Additional information is thus needed to evaluate more precisely the risk-benefit ratio of this treatment, and a possible difference in efficacy among the different groups of JAK inhibitors.

References:

[1]Hu Q, Wang M, Jia J, et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2020;0:1–3. doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-216

Table 1.

Characteristics of the AOSD patient

No.SexAge (year)Main symptomsTreatments before JAKi onsetJAK inhibitorsSteroids at onset (mg/day)Concomitant treatmentResponse at last F-USteroids at the end of F-U (mg/day)F-U (months)1F6Fever, polyarthritis, rashAINS, ANAKI, TOCI, CANAKI, ADA, THALI, INFLIXRUXOLITINIB 5mgx2/day30P1232M28Fever, polyarthritis, rashANAKIBARICITINIB 4mg/day800N1013M32Fever, polyarthritis, rashTOCI+MTX, ANAKI+MTX, CANAKI+MTX, ADA, CICLO, IgIVBARICITINIB 4mg/day16MTX 20 mg/week ANAKINRA 100mg/dayP12194F40Fever, polyarthritis, rashMTX, IMUREL, CICLO, ETANERCEPT, ANAKI+MTX, TOCI+MTX, IgIVRUXOLITINIB 15mgx2/day60ANAKI 200mg/dayP3045F48Fever, polyarthritis, rashTOCI, ANAKI, CICLO, CANAKI, IMURELTOFACITINIB 5mgx2/day500P7.596F50Fever, polyarthralgia, rashANAKIBARICITINIB 4mg/day600N401

F-U: Follow-up

N: No response

P: Partial response

Acknowledgements:

I thank all the coauthors, particularly Stéphane Mitrovic and Bruno Fautrel. Also, a special thank to the CRI.

Disclosure of Interests:

None declared

SAT0339 NERVOUS SYSTEM INVOLVEMENT IN SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS: A COHORT STUDY

Background:

Nervous system involvement is considered to be rare in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Its prevalence is highly variable in SSc cohort studies and its prognosis is not well established.

Objectives:

To determine the frequency, clinical characteristics, associations, and outcomes of different types of peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) disease in a cohort of systemic sclerosis patients.

Methods:

We have carried out a retrospective observational study by systematically analyzing the medical records of patients diagnosed with SSc in Toulouse University Hospital and Ducuing Hospital, south west France. We included patients who met the following inclusion criteria: being over 18 years of age on diagnosis, meeting the ACR /EULAR 2013 classification criteria, being diagnosed after 01/01/1966 and before 31/12/2018, at least 12 months of follow-up. Patients were followed until 31/12/2019. Nervous system involvement associated with SSc was included when there was involvement on or after diagnosis and after exclusion of all other causes. Only symptomatic clinical involvement was included. Ischemic or hemorrhagic strokes were excluded. We calculated the incidence of CNS and/or PNS disease during the follow-up period per 1,000 person-years. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to determine the cumulative incidence of nervous system disease. We evaluated associated factors of CNS and/or PNS disease using multivariable Cox regression.

Results:

Of 447 SSc patients, 79.8% were female, 68 (15%) were diffuse cutaneous SSc, 342 (77%) were limited cutaneous SSc and 37 (8%) were sine scleroderma SSc. The mean ± SD age at diagnosis was 52.9 ± 14.3 years.

During the study period, 82 (18%) patients experienced a PNS disease, 29 (6%) a CNS disease. The incidence was 28 per 1,000 patient-years of any nervous system disease, with 22 per 1,000 patient-years and 6 per 1,000 patient-years of PNS disease and CNS disease, respectively. The most frequent were carpal tunnel syndrome (63%) and polyneuropathies (12%) for PNS disease, and headache (45%) and seizures (10%) for CNS disease.

Three significant independent associated factors with PNS disease occurrence were identified using multivariable Cox regression: BMI>23.1kg/m2(HR = 1.06 [1.01-1.12]), joint involvement (HR = 2.7 [1.3-5.5]), and an alteration in the left ventricular ejection fraction (HR = 3.8 [1.4-10.3]).

Four significant independent associated factors with CNS disease occurrence were identified: age > 54 years (HR = 2.5 [1.1-6.0]), positive anti-PmScl testing (HR = 6.4 [1.5-28.2]), Caucasian origin (HR = 0.2 [0.1-0.5]) and hemoglobin < 12g/dl (HR = 0.2 [0.04-0.8]).

Nervous system disease occurrence did not appear to have a negative impact on the survival of SSc patients (log-rank p=0.56).

Conclusion:

This study shows that specific nervous system disease in SSc is not uncommon and does not appear to increase mortality, but it could have an impact on functional prognosis and needs to be monitored.

Disclosure of Interest:

None declared

RCBTB1 Deletion Is Associated with Metastatic Outcome and Contributes to Docetaxel Resistance in Nontranslocation-Related Pleomorphic Sarcomas

Half of soft-tissue sarcomas are tumors with complex genomics, which display no specific genetic alterations and respond poorly to treatment. It is therefore necessary to find new therapeutic targets for these sarcomas. Despite genetic heterogeneity across samples, oncogenesis may be driven by common pathway alterations. Therefore, genomic and transcriptomic profiles of 106 sarcomas with complex genomics were analyzed to identify common pathways with altered genes. This brought out a gene belonging to the “cell cycle” biological pathway, RCBTB1 (RCC1 And BTB Domain Containing Protein 1), which is lost and downregulated in 62.5% of metastatic tumors against 34% of non-metastatic tumors. A retrospective study of three sarcoma cohorts revealed that low RCBTB1 expression is prognostic for metastatic progression, specifically in patients that received chemotherapy. In vitro and in vivo, RCBTB1 overexpression in leiomyosarcoma cells specifically sensitized to docetaxel-induced apoptosis. This was associated with increased mitotic rate in vitro and higher growth rate of xenografts. By contrast, RCBTB1 inhibition decreased cell proliferation and protected sarcoma cells from apoptosis induced by docetaxel. Collectively, these data evidenced that RCBTB1 is frequently deleted in sarcomas with complex genomics and that its downregulation is associated with a higher risk of developing metastasis for patients receiving chemotherapy, likely due to their higher resistance to docetaxel.

Clinical follow-up of 411 patients with relapsing and progressive multiple sclerosis 10 years after discontinuing mitoxantrone treatment: a real-life cohort study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Mitoxantrone (MITOX) has been used to treat patients with aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS) for decades. We aimed to describe the effectiveness and adverse events over 10 years post-MITOX in patients with relapsing and progressive MS from an exhaustive real-life database.

METHODS

Data from patients who received MITOX before 1 January 2006 were collected from the MS Lorraine registry. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) scores and annual relapse rates (ARRs) year by year during follow-up and the year prior to MITOX were compared. Time to the first relapse and a 1-point increase in EDSS score were used in Cox multivariate models to find associations with potential predictive factors.

RESULTS

A total of 411 patients were included. The ARR for the 155 relapsing patients had decreased from 2.0 (SD 1.20) the year before treatment to 0.3 (SD 0.31) by year 10 (P < 0.0001). The EDSS score increased from 2.8 (SD 1.44) to 4.8 (SD 1.90) by year 10 (P < 0.0001). A high ARR at MITOX initiation was associated with a longer time to a 1-point increase in EDSS score (hazard ratio, 0.81; 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.99; P = 0.04). The EDSS score in 256 progressive patients increased from 5.0 (SD 1.33) to 6.5 (SD 1.26) by year 10 (P < 0.0001). We identified four cases of acute myeloid leukemias.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with the most active forms of MS are the most likely to benefit from MITOX in the long term.

Immunogenic calreticulin exposure occurs through a phylogenetically conserved stress pathway involving the chemokine CXCL8

The exposure of calreticulin (CRT) on the surface of stressed and dying cancer cells facilitates their uptake by dendritic cells and the subsequent presentation of tumor-associated antigens to T lymphocytes, hence stimulating an anticancer immune response. The chemotherapeutic agent mitoxantrone (MTX) can stimulate the peripheral relocation of CRT in both human and yeast cells, suggesting that the CRT exposure pathway is phylogenetically conserved. Here, we show that pheromones can act as physiological inducers of CRT exposure in yeast cells, thereby facilitating the formation of mating conjugates, and that a large-spectrum inhibitor of G protein-coupled receptors (which resemble the yeast pheromone receptor) prevents CRT exposure in human cancer cells exposed to MTX. An RNA interference screen as well as transcriptome analyses revealed that chemokines, in particular human CXCL8 (best known as interleukin-8) and its mouse ortholog Cxcl2, are involved in the immunogenic translocation of CRT to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane. MTX stimulated the production of CXCL8 by human cancer cells in vitro and that of Cxcl2 by murine tumors in vivo. The knockdown of CXCL8/Cxcl2 receptors (CXCR1/Cxcr1 and Cxcr2) reduced MTX-induced CRT exposure in both human and murine cancer cells, as well as the capacity of the latter-on exposure to MTX-to elicit an anticancer immune response in vivo. Conversely, the addition of exogenous Cxcl2 increased the immunogenicity of dying cells in a CRT-dependent manner. Altogether, these results identify autocrine and paracrine chemokine signaling circuitries that modulate CRT exposure and the immunogenicity of cell death.

Autophagy inhibition radiosensitizes in vitro, yet reduces radioresponses in vivo due to deficient immunogenic signalling

Clinical oncology heavily relies on the use of radiotherapy, which often leads to merely transient responses that are followed by local or distant relapse. The molecular mechanisms explaining radioresistance are largely elusive. Here, we identified a dual role of autophagy in the response of cancer cells to ionizing radiation. On one hand, we observed that the depletion of essential autophagy-relevant gene products, such as ATG5 and Beclin 1, increased the sensitivity of human or mouse cancer cell lines to irradiation, both in vitro (where autophagy inhibition increased radiation-induced cell death and decreased clonogenic survival) and in vivo, after transplantation of the cell lines into immunodeficient mice (where autophagy inhibition potentiated the tumour growth-inhibitory effect of radiotherapy). On the other hand, when tumour proficient or deficient for autophagy were implanted in immunocompetent mice, it turned out that defective autophagy reduced the efficacy of radiotherapy. Indeed, radiotherapy elicited an anti-cancer immune response that was dependent on autophagy-induced ATP release from stressed or dying tumour cells and was characterized by dense lymphocyte infiltration of the tumour bed. Intratumoural injection of an ecto-ATPase inhibitor restored the immune infiltration of autophagy-deficient tumours post radiotherapy and improved the growth-inhibitory effect of ionizing irradiation. Altogether, our results reveal that beyond its cytoprotective function, autophagy confers immunogenic properties to tumours, hence amplifying the efficacy of radiotherapy in an immunocompetent context. This has far-reaching implications for the development of pharmacological radiosensitizers.

Nanodosimetry of Auger electrons: A case study from the decay of 125I and 0-18-eV electron stopping cross sections of cytosine

Radiopharmaceuticals emitting Auger electrons are often injected into patients undergoing cancer treatment with targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT). In this type of radiotherapy, the radiation source is radial and most of the emitted primary particles are low-energy electrons (LEEs) having kinetic energies distributed mostly from zero to a few hundred electron volts with very short ranges in biological media. These LEEs generate a high density of energy deposits and clustered damage, thus offering a relative biological effectiveness comparable to that of alpha particles. In this paper, we present a simple model and corresponding measurements to assess the energy deposited near the site of the radiopharmaceuticals in TRT. As an example, a calculation is performed for the decay of a single 125I radionuclide surrounded by a 1-nm-radius spherical shell of cytosine molecules using the energy spectrum of LEEs emitted by 125I along with their stopping cross sections between 0 and 18 eV. The dose absorbed by the cytosine shell, which occupies a volume of 4 nm3, is extremely high. It amounts to 79 kGy per decay of which 3%, 39%, and 58% is attributed to vibrational excitations, electronic excitations, and ionization processes, respectively.

[Reynolds syndrome revealing a malignant thymoma]

INTRODUCTION

Thymomas, benign or malignant, may be associated with autoimmune diseases. They are classically associated with myasthenia gravis, neuromyotonia, or pure red cell aplasia.

CASE REPORT

We here report, to the best of our knowledge, the first description of an association between thymoma and Reynolds syndrome (systemic sclerosis associated with primary biliary cirrhosis) in an 80-year-old woman.

CONCLUSION

The suspected pathogenesis of this association could be a thymus escape of auto-reactive T lymphocytes and the consecutive development of an auto-immune disorder.