Health care access, psychosocial outcomes and mental health in adults living with epilepsy during the COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

People living with epilepsy (PLWE) have a higher prevalence of mental health comorbidities and poorer psychosocial outcomes compared to the general population. The aim of this study was to examine psychosocial outcomes, mental health, healthcare accessibility, and seizure burden in PLWE during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study of adults with epilepsy treated in an urban multicenter health system from 2021 to 2022. A standardized questionnaire assessed for COVID-19 history, comorbidities, access to antiseizure medications (ASMs) and neurological care, seizure burden, and psychosocial outcomes (e.g., employment, social and financial support). The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) were administered to evaluate for depression and anxiety. Frequency and proportions for categorical variables and median and interquartile ranges for continuous variables were calculated.

RESULTS

Fifty-five PLWE participated (95 % response rate). Median age was 40 years (IQR 31.5-66.5), 61.8 % were women, 47.3 % had a bachelor's degree or higher and 29.1 % each had Medicaid and Medicare insurance. Race (from highest to lowest %) was: 32.7 % White, 20 % Black, 20 % Latinx, 14.5 % Asian, and 12.7 % selected "other" or "prefer not to say." COVID-19 had been diagnosed in 21.8 % of participants. Symptoms of anxiety and depression were self-reported by 43.6 % and 34.5 % of patients, respectively, with many describing this symptom as new post-pandemic (37.5 % and 31.6 %, respectively). Using validated scales, 52.7 % had depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 5) with 30.9 % having moderate/severe depression (PHQ-9 score ≥ 10), while 29.1 % had probable generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7 score ≥ 8). Seizure burden increased in 21.8 % of participants, while 20 % reported fewer seizures and 29.1 % were seizure free since the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic impacts of the pandemic included job loss (25 % amongst those employed at onset of pandemic), new or worsened financial difficulties (40 %), and new or worsened social support issues (30.9 %). Of all participants, 18.2 % reported difficulties accessing ASMs and 25.5 % cancelled visits, but of those with cancelled visits, 78.6 % had their appointments rescheduled as a telehealth visit.

CONCLUSION

Our cohort of PLWE experienced some challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic including poorer mental health and financial and employment-related stressors. Encouragingly, healthcare access was relatively spared during the COVID-19 crisis, with some patients even reporting a reduction in seizure burden. However, PLWE require ongoing psychosocial support with particular attention to decompensation of mental health and social stressors that may be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Comparative Evaluation of Octenidine with Chlorhexidine Mouthwash in Gingivitis and Periodontitis Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction

Chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX) has been still regarded as the most efficient mouthwash. Due to its recognized negative effects, it can only be used for a short duration. Octenidine dihydrochloride (OCT), an antiseptic substance found by Sterling Winthrop in the 1980s, has proven helpful in preventing the co-aggregation of dental plaque microbial invaders without disrupting the typical, healthy oral flora. However, there is very little research on octenidine's effectiveness as a mouthwash for preventing plaque. Therefore, this study is being conducted to examine the effectiveness of mouthwashes containing 0.1% Octenidine and 0.2% chlorhexidine.

Methodology

In this clinical trial, subjects were divided into two groups, 60 patients each with gingivitis and periodontitis. Then, from each group, 30 patients were advised to use octenidine mouthwash, and 30 patients were prescribed chlorhexidine mouthwash as an adjunct to scaling and root planning. Clinical parameters like O'Leary plaque index, Bleeding index, Probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment loss were evaluated at baseline and after 3 months.

Result

In both the gingivitis and periodontitis groups, the octenidine group significantly outperformed the chlorhexidine group in all clinical metrics.

Conclusion

Octenidine showed better results in comparison to chlorhexidine with respect to all the above-mentioned clinical parameters. Hence, it can be considered a promising mouthwash for future therapeutic and research studies.

N-acetyl-l-tryptophan (NAT) ameliorates radiation-induced cell death in murine macrophages J774A.1 via regulating redox homeostasis and mitochondrial dysfunction

Ionizing radiation interacts with the immune system and induces molecular damage in the cellular milieu by generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) leading to cell death. The present study was performed to investigate the protective efficacy of N-acetyl-L-tryptophan (NAT) against gamma-radiation-induced cell death in murine macrophage J774A.1 cells. The radioprotective efficacy of NAT was evaluated in terms of cell survivability, effect on antioxidant enzyme activity, and free radicals inhibition. Radioprotective efficacy of NAT pretreatment to irradiated cells was assessed via cell cycle progression, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) perturbation, and apoptosis regulation using flow cytometry. Results of the study demonstrated significant radioprotective efficacy (>80%) of NAT in irradiated cells as estimated by sulforhodamine B (SRB), MTT, and clonogenic assay. Significant (p < 0.001) reduction in ROS, xanthine oxidase, and mitochondrial superoxide levels along with increment in catalase, glutathione-s-transferase, glutathione, and ATPase activities in NAT pretreated plus irradiated cells was observed as compared to the gamma-irradiated cells. Further, significant (p < 0.001) stabilization of MMP and reduction in apoptosis was also observed in NAT pretreated plus irradiated cells as compared to irradiated cells that not pretreated with NAT. The current study demonstrates that NAT pretreatment to irradiated cells protects against gamma radiation-induced cell death by reducing oxidative stress, stabilizing MMP, and inhibiting apoptosis. These observations conclusively highlight the potential of developing NAT as a prospective radioprotective agent upon further validation using in-depth preclinical assessment in cellular and animal models.

An optimization method for studying fractional-order tuberculosis disease model via generalized Laguerre polynomials

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly contagious disease that affects vital organs of the body, especially the lungs. Although the disease is preventable, there are still concerns about its continued spread. Without effective prevention or appropriate treatment, TB infection can be fatal to humans. This paper presents a fractional-order TB disease (FTBD) model to analyze TB dynamics and a new optimization method to solve it. The method is based on the basis functions of generalized Laguerre polynomials (GLPs) and some new operational matrices of derivatives in the Caputo sense. Finding the optimal solution to the FTBD model is reduced to solving a system of nonlinear algebraic equations with the aid of GLPs using the Lagrange multipliers method. A numerical simulation is also carried out to determine the impact of the presented method on the susceptible, exposed, infected without treatment, infected with treatment, and recovered cases in the population.

Applicability of Concept Maps to Assess Higher Order Thinking in the Context of Indian Medical Education: An Analytical Study in the Subject of Physiology

INTRODUCTION

Concept mapping is a multidimensional tool that has been put to little use in India. We designed this study to check its applicability for assessing higher-order thinking in the subject of Physiology.

METHODS

This interventional analytical study was carried out among 65 students of Phase I of MBBS in the year 2021. The students were sensitized to the technique and were given a practice session. On a pre-informed date, an assessment of a topic taught to them was done using concept mapping and a multiple-choice question (MCQ) based test. Feedback on the technique was taken from the students. The statistical tests used were test of normality - Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, significance of association - Wilcoxon Signed Rank test, correlation - Spearman's correlation, and agreement - Bland Altman Analysis. The discrimination index was calculated for both concept mapping and MCQ based tests, separately. Percentages were calculated for feedback questionnaire items. The data were analysed using Microsoft Excel (2019) and an online calculator. P-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Students scored more in concept mapping. There was a significant difference in the scores of the students on the two tests (Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test, Z=-2.66, p=0.008) and a weakly positive non-significant correlation between them (Spearman's correlation coefficient, r_s=0.07 p=0.60). Bland Altman's Analysis showed agreement in the scores of the students in the two tests. The mean score of the students in the two tests increased, so did the difference in the scores in the two tests. The discrimination index of concept mapping (0.28) was higher than that of the MCQ-based test (0.18). Most of the students agreed on the advantages of concept mapping in the feedback.

CONCLUSION

The assessment result of concept mapping is better than that of MCQ-based test and it may be included as a teaching-learning and assessment strategy in the context of Indian medical education in the subject of Physiology.

Thoracoscopic repair of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in neonates: Tips and tricks learned from an institutional experience

BACKGROUND

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is an anomaly with significant morbidity in neonates. It has been traditionally managed by an open approach with a recent trend toward a minimally invasive approach.

AIM

This is a retrospective study of our institutional experience with neonatal thoracoscopic management of CDH, with the impact of few technical nuances.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

The data was collected on neonatal thoracoscopic CDH repair between January 2015 and December 2018, in terms of the demographics, intra-operative parameters, post-operative status, recurrence, and mortality. While analyzing data, we found few technical modifications adopted by the surgeon such as trimming the margin of the defect, use of prosthetic mesh overlay reinforcement for repairs under tension, and to prefer extra-corporeal knotting along with higher placement of trocar, temporary increase in CO₂, maximal use of muscle relaxant, extra-corporeal corner hitch stitch at some point, and continuation for further cases. An internal comparison was made to analyze the technical modifications influencing the outcomes, by dividing them into two groups, those with (group A) and without modifications (group B). The data was analyzed using SPSS software (IBM, Version 23). A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Out of 45 newborns 64.4% were males with an average birth weight of 2.6 kg. Baseline variables were comparable between the groups. The operating time significantly reduced after a higher-level camera port was used (P-value: 0.0001). The mean follow-up was 30.8 months. There were totally seven recurrences (6 in group A and 1 in group B), all within 12 months. Seven parents gave the overall post-treatment feedback as "unsatisfied". The operating time, recurrence rate, and parental satisfaction feedback were significantly less in group B (P-value: 0.001).

CONCLUSION

We recommend trimming the margin of the defect, use of prosthetic mesh overlay reinforcement for repairs under tension, and to prefer extra-corporeal knotting along with higher placement of trocar, temporary increase in CO₂, maximal use of muscle relaxant, extra-corporeal corner hitch stitch to reduce the operating time, and recurrence after thoracoscopic CDH repair.

Implementation of Self-Directed Learning in Physiology for Phase 1 Undergraduate Medical Students

BACKGROUND

One of the primary roles played by Indian medical graduates is that of a lifelong learner. To this end, students must acquire the habit of self-directed learning (SDL). Lack of SDL skills among undergraduate medical students is a concern; hence, this study was designed to introduce SDL in physiology to phase 1 undergraduate medical students and assess its effectiveness through student and faculty perceptions.

METHODS

The project commenced after obtaining clearance from the institutional ethics committee. The faculty members and students were sensitized on SDL. A feedback questionnaire was framed and the topics for SDL were selected. SDL was implemented for six topics. The effectiveness of the sessions was evaluated by administering the feedback questionnaire to the students and recording perceptions of the students and faculty on SDL. The data were subjected to quantitative and qualitative analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 96 phase 1 students participated in the study. A majority of the students felt that after SDL sessions, they were more prepared and aware of their learning strengths and had started taking ownership of their learning. However, some students felt that the activity was not useful in improving their analytical skills. Both the students and the faculty were fairly satisfied with this teaching learning innovation.

CONCLUSIONS

SDL was successfully implemented for phase 1 medical students. Both the students and faculty were satisfied with the SDL strategy. SDL has been shown to make students independent learners who are aware of their learning goals and capable of evaluating their learning.

On solving the chlorine transport model via Laplace transform

This paper analyzes the two-dimensional chlorine-transport model in pipes. The studied model is in the form of a second-order partial differential equation with a set of boundary conditions. Obtaining exact solution for the current model is a challenge due to the nature of the involved boundary conditions, especially, when applying the Laplace transform. However, such difficulties are solved via implementing the method of residues. The exact solution is obtained in terms of the Bessel functions. The expression for a dimensionless cup-mixing average concentration is also derived analytically. The proposed approach is validated via numerical examples for comparing the results with those in the literature. The present analysis/approach is effective/straightforward and can be further applied on other similar models under different boundary conditions.

The Menace of Predatory Journals

This is a Short Communication and does not have an abstract. Please download the PDF or view the article HTML. 

Evaluation of association between potential stress markers and periodontal health in medical and dental students: A questionnaire-based study

Aims and Objectives:

Psychological conditions, particularly psychosocial stress, have been implicated as risk indicators for periodontal disease. The aim of the present study was to explore the role of psychosocial stress on periodontium through questionnaire and serum cortisol level.

Subjects and Methods:

Two hundred medical and dental undergraduates were recruited for the study. Case group included 82 examination going and control group had 79 nonexam going students. Their stress level was evaluated using a standard questionnaire (perceived stress scale). Gingival index, periodontal disease index, bleeding on probing index, serum cortisol level, and serum alpha-amylase level were also measured.

Statistical Analysis Used:

Bivariate correlations and multiple regression tests were done.

Results:

A positive correlation was found among stress scores, salivary cortisol, alpha-amylase, and periodontal disease measures.

Conclusion:

Periodontitis can be related to immunologic changes related to psychological states

Is Habitual Sleep Duration an Important Factor for Face Recognition Memory in Young Adults? A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Sleep is integral to the process of maintenance and restoration of physical as well as mental health encompassing intelligence, memory as well as emotions. Face recognition memory is a special form of memory that gives the ability to remember people meaningfully and is instrumental in any individual’s meaningful coexistence in the society. Aim: To determine if different habitual sleep durations may be associated with difference in unfamiliar face recognition memory and if there are any gender differences in the same, among young healthy individuals. Materials and Methods: This was an observational analytic cross-sectional study conducted over a month in B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India, including 98 healthy young volunteers (39 females and 59 males) among 1st year students of different professional courses. The participants were subjected to a questionnaire-based interview followed by a face recognition test based on Parkin’s recognition memory test (1995). Mean values and Standard Deviations (SD) were calculated for age, sleep duration, correct and wrong responses in the test and statistical significance was tested by applying t-test with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: The participants were grouped as average-duration (6.6±0.5 hours/day) and long-duration (8.4±1.0 hours/day) sleepers, 53 and 45 in number, respectively, and there was a significant difference in the sleep duration of the two groups (p=8.6×10-17). No significant difference was seen in the number of correct (p=0.08795) and incorrect (p=0.42205) responses of average-duration sleepers and the long-duration sleepers. Gender differences in correct and incorrect responses of average-duration and long-duration sleepers were also not significant. But there was a significant difference in the number of correct responses by females and males, in general. Conclusion: Habitual duration of sleep may not affect face recognition memory in the young ages.

Partnering for rotavirus vaccine introduction in India: A retrospective analysis

BACKGROUND

The pre-existing partner network created in India for the delivery of polio vaccines was initially used to eradicate polio and later on embedded in the health systems network to promote routine immunization and other health interventions efficiently. The experience from this network offered lessons for strengthening the health care systems and provided a well-established network that could be utilized for other vaccine initiatives. It has also been established that successful partnerships between a broad range of stakeholders provide support, strengthen the health system, and accelerate vaccine innovation, introduction, access, logistics, and communication support. However, beyond polio eradication, there have not been too many documented success stories of vaccine introduction, which could be replicated in other new vaccine introductions and allied health initiatives. The authors have reviewed the successful and time-bound introduction of rotavirus vaccine (RVV) in India in the present article.

METHODS

The review was conducted based on a partnership framework which analysed multiple factors-partnership prerequisites, partnership model, partnership process, and partnership performance, thereby providing a comprehensive insight into the successful utilization of partnership networks for rotavirus vaccine introduction under the Universal Immunization Program in India.

RESULTS & CONCLUSION

The review also highlights the role of a lead agency in creating a fertile ground for lush, efficient, and effective partnerships amongst different stakeholders. The already existing RVV partnership framework reviewed by the authors can be successfully utilized for future new vaccine introductions.

POS1028 PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS & CLINICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATE WITH HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN BIO-NAÏVE PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS THROUGH WEEK 24 OF THE DISCOVER-2 STUDY

Background:

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by peripheral arthritis, axial inflammation, dactylitis, enthesitis, & skin/nail psoriasis. Patients (pts) with PsA often experience reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to these features.

Objectives:

Using EuroQoL-5 dimension-5 level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire index & visual analog scale (EQ-VAS) scores, we assessed HRQoL in pts with PsA & its association with pt characteristics & clinical features of PsA, including fatigue.

Methods:

The Phase 3 DISCOVER-2 trial evaluated guselkumab (GUS), a human monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-23p19-subunit, in bio-naïve adults with active PsA (swollen joint count [SJC] ≥5, tender joint count [TJC] ≥5, C-reactive protein [CRP] ≥0.6 mg/dL) despite standard therapies.1 Pts were randomized 1:1:1 to GUS 100 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W); GUS 100 mg at Week 0 (W0), W4, then Q8W; or placebo (PBO). EQ-5D-5L index assesses mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, & anxiety/depression. EQ-VAS assesses pt health state. Spearman correlation testing was used to evaluate relationships between baseline (BL) pt characteristics & PsA clinical features & BL EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS scores (Figure 1). Employing absolute observed scores at both W0 & W24, univariate linear regression was used to assess the association between EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS scores & pt characteristics/PsA clinical features. Variables with p<0.20 in the univariate analysis were included in a multivariate analysis employing mixed-effect model for repeated measures (MMRM), controlling for all other variables; resulting p values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Least-squares (LS) mean changes in EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS were assessed at W24 using MMRM.

Results:

Among 738 pts, BL EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS scores were moderately to strongly correlated (ie, ≥0.4) with BL pt-reported pain (0-10 VAS), physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index [HAQ-DI]), fatigue (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-F] scale), & 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) physical & mental component summary (PCS & MCS) scores & weakly correlated with other variables (Figure 1). Based on univariate analyses (p<0.20) & evaluation of collinearity between variables, attributes at W0 & W24 included in the multivariate models were age, sex, CRP, FACIT-F, pain, psoriasis area & severity index (PASI) score, TJC, SJC, enthesitis, & dactylitis. In the final model, CRP, FACIT-F, pain, PASI score, & the presence of dactylitis were significantly associated with EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS scores. A higher TJC was significantly associated with a worse EQ-5D-5L index score. A higher SJC was significantly associated with a worse EQ-VAS score (Table 1). For reference, in the GUS Q4W (N=244), GUS Q8W (N=246), & PBO (N=244) groups, the LS mean changes from baseline at W24 were 0.12, 0.12, & 0.05, respectively, for EQ-5D-5L index & 18.1, 18.4, & 6.8, respectively, for EQ-VAS.

Conclusion:

Joint & skin symptoms, dactylitis, fatigue, pain, & elevated levels of CRP were significantly associated with reduced HRQoL (measured by EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS) in bio-naïve pts with active PsA. Treatment of multiple PsA domains may help optimize HRQoL. Improvement across clinical domains1 & in HRQoL has been observed in GUS-treated pts with PsA.

References:

[1]Mease P, et al. Lancet 2020;395:1126-36.

Table 1.

Multivariate analysis of pt characteristics/clinical features & EQ-5D-5L index & EQ-VAS scores at W0 & W24

ParameterEQ-5D-5L IndexEQ-VASEstimatep valueEstimatep valueAge (y)-0.00010.690.060.12Female-0.0030.531.110.20CRP (mg/dL)-0.005<0.001-0.510.007FACIT-F (0-52)0.007<0.0010.57<0.001Pain (0-10)-0.02<0.001-3.47<0.001PASI (0-72)-0.0010.03-0.17<0.001SJC (0-66)-0.0010.21-0.170.02TJC (0-68)-0.0010.04-0.040.41Dactylitis (Y/N)0.010.021.740.49Enthesitis (Y/N)-0.0040.33-0.980.22

Disclosure of Interests:

Jeffrey Curtis Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Iain McInnes Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, and UCB, Dafna D Gladman Consultant of: Abbvie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Feifei Yang Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC, Steve Peterson Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Chenglong Han Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, May Shawi Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC, William Tillett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, MSD, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Philip J Mease Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN, and UCB, Proton Rahman Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis.

POS0200 CLINICAL CHARACTERISTICS & OUTCOMES ASSOCIATE WITH WORK PRODUCTIVITY IN BIO-NAÏVE PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS THROUGH WEEK 24 OF THE DISCOVER-2 STUDY

Background:

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by peripheral arthritis, axial inflammation, dactylitis, enthesitis & skin/nail psoriasis, causes impaired physical function, disability & loss of work productivity.

Objectives:

Evaluate associations between PsA clinical characteristics & outcomes including fatigue & work productivity using Work Productivity & Activity Impairment Questionnaire: PsA (WPAI-PsA).

Methods:

The Phase 3 DISCOVER-2 trial assessed guselkumab (GUS), an anti-IL-23p19 subunit monoclonal antibody, in bio-naïve adults with active PsA (swollen joint count [SJC] ≥5 & tender joint count [TJC] ≥5, C-reactive protein [CRP] ≥0.6 mg/dL) despite standard therapies.1 Patients (Pts) were randomized 1:1:1 to GUS 100 mg Q4W; GUS 100 mg at W0, W4, then Q8W; or placebo (PBO). WPAI-PsA assesses PsA-related work time missed (absenteeism), impairment while working (presenteeism), productivity loss (absenteeism+presenteeism), & daily activity during the previous week. Spearman correlation testing evaluated relationships between pt demographics & disease characteristics of PsA & WPAI domain scores based on observed values at baseline. Univariate linear regression assessed associations between WPAI & these variables based on observed data at W0 & at W24. Variables with p<0.10 were included in a multivariate analysis employing a mixed-effects model for repeated measures, controlling for all other variables; resulting p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results:

As reported elsewhere,2 least-squares mean % changes from baseline at W24 were -3.8/-19.5/-20.0/-20.5 for GUS Q4W, -3.1/-19.4/-19.7/-21.5 for GUS Q8W, & -3.5/-10.2/-10.9/-10.3 for PBO for absenteeism, presenteeism, absenteeism+presenteeism, & daily activity impairment, respectively. Among 738 pts, WPAI domain scores were moderately to strongly correlated (ie, ≥0.4) with pt-reported pain (0-10 visual analog scale), physical function (Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index [HAQ-DI]), fatigue (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue [FACIT-F] scale) & 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Physical Component Summary (PCS) score, but weakly correlated with other variables (Figure 1). Based on univariate analyses & evaluation of collinearity between variables, attributes included in multivariate models were age, body mass index (BMI), gender, CRP, FACIT-F, pain, Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), TJC, SJC, enthesitis & dactylitis. In final model, CRP, FACIT-F, & pain were statistically significantly associated with all WPAI domains (Table 1). Presence of enthesitis & higher PASI score were significantly associated with higher loss of work productivity & activity outside work.

Conclusion:

In PsA pts, extra-articular symptoms, fatigue, pain & elevated CRP were significantly associated with WPAI-assessed work & activity impairment. Treating all major clinical manifestations of PsA is needed to help pts improve work & activity impairment. GUS effectively treats all major clinical manifestations1 & improves work & activity impairment in PsA.2

References:

[1]Mease P. Lancet 2020;395:1126-36.

[2]Curtis J. ACR 2020; Poster 0332.

Table 1.

Multivariate analysis of clinical characteristics/outcomes & WPAI domains at W0 & W24

ParameterAbsenteeismaPresenteeismaProductivity LossaActivity ImpairmentbEstimatep-valueEstimatep-valueEstimatep-valueEstimatep-valueAge-0.050.42-0.27<0.001-0.28<0.001-0.060.17Female0.910.46-1.540.22-1.740.202.380.02CRP0.730.040.970.011.010.010.89<0.001FACIT-F-0.31<0.001-0.67<0.001-0.73<0.001-0.75<0.001Pain1.03<0.0014.15<0.0014.25<0.0014.02<0.001PASI0.060.360.160.020.140.050.150.003SJC0.080.48-0.050.61-0.050.660.030.75TJC-0.100.130.110.090.090.190.100.04Dactylitis (Y/N)-1.100.392.470.052.580.050.540.57Enthesitis (Y/N)1.520.202.380.042.990.012.400.01

aPts working at baseline

bAll pts in study

Disclosure of Interests:

Jeffrey Curtis Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Iain McInnes Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, and UCB, Dafna D Gladman Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer and UCB, Feifei Yang Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, Steve Peterson Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, Chenglong Han Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, May Shawi Shareholder of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen, William Tillett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, MSD, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, and Novartis, Philip J Mease Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN, and UCB, Proton Rahman Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis

AB0538 POOLED SAFETY RESULTS FROM TWO PHASE-3 TRIALS OF GUSELKUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS THROUGH 1 YEAR

Background:

DISCOVER 1 & 2, two double-blind, phase-3, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) trials of guselkumab (GUS, an IL-23 inhibitor), demonstrated significant improvement with GUS vs placebo (PBO) in signs and symptoms of PsA, with good tolerability, at week (w) 24 during the PBO-controlled period.1,2 Beyond w24, all patients (pts) switched to GUS. Continued treatment maintained efficacy through w52.3,4

Objectives:

To describe pooled safety results from the DISCOVER 1 & 2 trials through 1-year of GUS treatment.

Methods:

Adults with active PsA (DISCOVER 1: ≥3 tender/swollen joints and C-Reactive protein [CRP] ≥0.3 mg/dL; DISCOVER 2: ≥5 tender/swollen joints and CRP ≥0.6 mg/dL) were randomized to subcutaneous GUS 100 mg at w0, w4, then every 8 w (q8w); GUS 100 mg q4w; or PBO. At w24, PBO pts switched to GUS 100 mg q4w. Pts were biologic naive except ~30% pts in DISCOVER 1. Safety was reported through w60 in DISCOVER 1 and through w52 in DISCOVER 2.

Results:

Baseline characteristics were similar between treatment groups in the pooled studies. Through w24 and 1 year, numbers of pts per 100 patient years with ≥1 event were similar among treatment groups for adverse events (AEs), serious AEs, infections, serious infections, and discontinuations due to AE (Table 1). At 1 year, there were no cases of active tuberculosis, opportunistic infections (including candida), or inflammatory bowel disease in GUS-treated pts; 2 deaths in PBO pts; and low incidences that were similar across treatment groups for malignancy, major adverse cardiac events, and injection-site reactions. Incidence of anti-GUS antibodies was 4.5%, and most were not neutralizing. Mild elevations in serum hepatic transaminases and decreases in neutrophil counts were consistent at 1 year with the results at w24 (Table 1).

Conclusion:

GUS regimens of q8w and q4w were well tolerated in PsA pts through 1 year of treatment in the phase-3 DISCOVER trials, consistent with the w24 results. No meaningful differences between incidences of AEs were reported in the q8w and q4w groups. The safety profile of GUS in PsA pts is generally comparable with the previously established safety profile of GUS.

References:

[1]Deodhar A et al. Lancet. 2020;395:1115

[2]Mease P et al. Lancet. 2020;395:1126

[3]Ritchlin C et al. EULAR 2020 # SAT0397

[4]McInnes I et al. EULAR 2020 # SAT0402

Table 1.

Number of Patients with AEs per 100 PY and Incidence of AEs of Interest

Time Period24 Weeks1 Year*Treatment GroupPBOGUS SC 100 mgPBO to GUS‡GUS SC 100 mgDosing ScheduleMatchingq8wq4wGUSCombined†q4wq8wq4wGUSCombined‡ N3723753737483523753731100Total PY Follow-Up173173172346204384385589Patients with AEs per 100 PY, n (95% CI)≥1 AE143 (123, 166)148 (127, 171)154 (132, 178)151 (136, 167)92 (77, 108)114 (100, 130)115 (101, 131)109 (100, 117)≥1 Serious AE7.1 (3.7, 12)4.1 (1.6, 8.4)4.7 (2.0, 9.3)4.4 (2.5, 7.3)7.0 (3.8, 11.8)4.8 (2.9, 7.6)4.0 (2.2, 6.6)4.9 (3.6, 6.6)≥1 Infection50 (39, 62)47 (37, 59)52 (42, 65)49 (42, 58)39 (31, 49)41 (34, 48)38 (31, 45)39 (35, 44)≥1 Serious Infection1.7 (0.4, 5.1)0.6 (0.0, 3.2)1.8 (0.4, 5.1)1.2 (0.3, 3.0)2.5 (0.8, 5.8)1.3 (0.4, 3.1)0.8 (0.2, 2.3)1.3 (0.7, 2.3)Discontinued due to AE4.1 (1.6, 8.4)2.9 (1.0, 6.8)4.7 (2.0, 9.3)3.8 (2.0, 6.5)3.5 (1.4, 7.1)2.1 (0.9, 4.1)2.6 (1.3, 4.8)2.6 (1.7, 3.8)AEs of Interest§, n (%)Death2 (0.5)0000000Malignancy1 (0.3)2 (0.5)02 (0.3)1 (0.3)2 (0.5)03 (0.3)Major Adverse Cardiac Events1 (0.3)01 (0.3)1 (0.1)001 (0.3)1 (0.1)Opportunistic Infections00000000Tuberculosis00000000Inflammatory Bowel Disease1 (0.3)0000000Injection-Site Reaction1 (0.3)5 (1.3)4 (1.1)9 (1.2)4 (1.1)6 (1.6)9 (2.4)19 (1.7)Anti-GUS Antibody+-6/373 (1.6)9/371 (2.4)15/744 (2.0)14/350 (4.0)18/373 (4.8)17/371 (4.6)49/1094 (4.5)

*Through w60 for DISCOVER 1 and w52 for DISCOVER 2; †Combined GUS q8w and q4w; ‡For patients who switched from PBO to GUS, only data on and after first GUS administration were included in this group; §PBO N=370.

AE, adverse event; CI, confidence interval; GUS, guselkumab; PBO, placebo; PY, patient year; q4w, every 4 weeks; q8w, every 8 weeks; SC, subcutaneous; w, week

Disclosure of Interests:

Christopher T. Ritchlin Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from UCB Pharma, AbbVie, Amgen, consultation fees from UCB Pharma, Amgen, AbbVie, Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Gilead, Janssen, Proton Rahman Speakers bureau: Received speakers fees from Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from Janssen and Novartis, consultation fees from Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer., Philip Helliwell Consultant of: Consultation fees paid to charity (AbbVie, Amgen, Pfizer, UCB) or himself (Celgene, Galapagos), Grant/research support from: Received grants/research support paid to charity (AbbVie, Janssen, Novartis), Wolf-Henning Boehncke Consultant of: Received consultation fees from Janssen, Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Iain McInnes Consultant of: Received consultation fees from AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Alice B Gottlieb Speakers bureau: Received speakers fees from Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB, Consultant of: Received consultation fees from Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB, Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB, Shelly Kafka Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Xie L Xu Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, May Shawi Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shihong Sheng Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Paraneedharan Ramachandran Shareholder of: Shareholder of Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Employee of Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Philip J Mease Speakers bureau: Received speakers fees from Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau, Consultant of: Received consultation fees from Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB, Grant/research support from: Received grant/research support from Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB.

POS1026 GUSELKUMAB PROVIDES SUSTAINED IMPROVEMENTS IN WORK PRODUCTIVITY AND NON-WORK ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: RESULTS THROUGH 1 YEAR OF A PHASE 3 TRIAL

Background:

DISCOVER-2 was a Phase 3 trial of the first-in-class anti-IL-23-specific mAb guselkumab (GUS) in patients (pts) with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). PsA impacts patients’ productivity at work and in daily activity.1

Objectives:

To evaluate the effect of GUS on work productivity and daily activity in DISCOVER-2 through 1 year using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: PsA (WPAI- PsA).

Methods:

Bio-naïve adults with active PsA despite nonbiologic DMARDs &/or NSAIDs received subcutaneous GUS 100 mg every 4 weeks (Q4W); GUS 100 mg W0, W4, then Q8W; or placebo (PBO). At W24, PBO pts crossed over to GUS 100 mg Q4W. WPAI-PsA assesses PsA-related work time missed (absenteeism), impairment while working (presenteeism), impaired overall work productivity (absenteeism + presenteeism), and daily activity during the previous week. A shift analysis evaluated proportions of pts employed vs unemployed (regardless of desire to work) over time. Among pts working at baseline, least-squares (LS) mean changes from baseline in WPAI-PsA domains were determined using a mixed-effects model for repeated measures analysis, whereby mean changes in WPAI-PsA domains were calculated for each multiple imputation (MI) dataset using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA); the reported LSmean is the average of all MI datasets. Also, among pts employed at baseline, indirect savings from improved overall work productivity were estimated using 2020 EU mean yearly wage estimate (all occupations).2

Results:

In pts working at baseline, significant improvement in work productivity and non-work activity vs PBO was observed at W24. Productivity gains seen with GUS at W24 continued to improve through 1 year (Table 1). Shift analysis showed relatively stable employment in pts employed at baseline (62% of shift analysis cohort) through 1 year of GUS (>91% continued to work when assessed at W16, W24, and W52 [data not shown]). For those unemployed at baseline (38% of cohort), the proportion of pts working increased by ~10% following 1 year of GUS (Figure 1). Potential yearly indirect savings from improved overall work productivity were: €7409 GUS Q4W and €7039 GUS Q8W vs €4075 PBO at W24 and were €8520 GUS Q4W, €9632 GUS Q8W, and €6668 PBO→GUS Q4W at W52.

Conclusion:

Improvement in work productivity and non-work activity was greater with GUS vs PBO among pts with active PsA through W52. Improvements demonstrated may result in reduction in PsA costs associated with work productivity.

References:

[1]Tillett W et al. Rheumatol (Oxford). 2012;51:275–83.

[2]OECD (2020). Average wages (indicator). https://data.oecd.org/earnwage/average-wages.htm

Table 1.

Model-based estimates of LSmean changea (95% CI) from baseline in WPAI-PsA domains among pts working at baseline and with an observed change through W24 (N=474) and W52 (N=475)

Change from baselineGUS 100mg Q4WGUS 100mg Q8WPBO(W0-24)PBO → GUS 100 mg Q4W (W24-52)VisitW24W52W24W52W24W52Absenteeism, N145145147147162163LSmean-3.4 (-6.5,-0.3)-4.1 (-6.8,-1.5)-3.0 (-6.0,0.1)-4.0 (-6.6,-1.3)-3.0 (-6.0, 0.04)-3.0 (-5.5,-0.4)Diff vs. PBO-0.4 (-4.6,3.8)-0.01 (-4.2, 4.2)Presenteeism, N145145147147162163LSmean-20.1 (-23.7,-16.6)-22.4 (-26.3,-18.6)-19.6 (-23.2,-16.1)-25.7 (-29.5,-21.8)-10.5 (-13.9,-7.0)-18.5 (-22.2,-14.7)Diff vs PBO-9.7* (-14.4,-5.0)-9.2* (-13.9,-4.5)Work productivity, N145145147147162163LSmean-20.1 (-24.1,-16.1)-22.6 (-26.8,-18.3)-19.2 (-23.1,-15.2)-25.9 (-30.0,-21.7)-10.6 (-14.4,-6.8)-17.6 (-21.7,-13.6)Diff vs PBO-9.5* (-14.8,-4.2)-8.6* (-13.9,-3.3)Non-work Activity, N242242246246245245LSmean-20.5 (-23.3,-17.7)-25.7 (-28.6,-22.7)-21.2 (-23.9,-18.4)-25.4 (-28.4,-22.5)-9.9 (-12.6,-7.1)-22.3 (-25.3,-19.4)Diff vs PBO-10.6* (-14.4,-6.8)-11.3* (-15.1,-7.5)

CI=Confidence interval

a. LSmean for each MI dataset is calculated based on an ANCOVA model for the change from baseline at W24/W52. The combined LSmean, which is the average of the LSmean, taken over all the MI datasets, is presented.

*p<0.05

Disclosure of Interests:

Jeffrey Curtis Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, and UCB, Iain McInnes Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Steve Peterson Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Feifei Yang Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Chenglong Han Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, William Tillett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, MSD, Pfizer Inc, and UCB, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, and UCB, Philip J Mease Speakers bureau: Boehringer Ingelheim and GlaxoSmithKline, Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, SUN, and UCB, Proton Rahman Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, and UCB, Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis.

Impact of RASSF1A gene methylation on clinico-pathological features of tumor and non-tumor tissue of breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women caused by genetic and epigenetic changes. Promoter DNA methylation in tumor suppressor gene plays a major role in breast cancer. The study determined the association of promoter DNA methylation of RASSF1A gene with clinicopathological features in tumor and non-tumor tissue.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross sectional study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, Government Institute of Medical Sciences, Greater Noida and Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences. Two sections, one from tumor and the other from non-tumor tissue, were obtained and processed for DNA extraction and bisulphite conversion. Methylation specific PCR was done and results of RASSF1A promoter methylation were statistically correlated with clinicopathological features.

RESULTS

Of the 27 breast cancer tissue, 22 showed invasive ductal carcinoma, one showed invasive lobular carcinoma, another showed ductal carcinoma in situ and three cases showed malignant phyllodes tumor of breast. DNA promoter methylation was found in all the cases. 93% of tumor tissue samples and 67% of the non-tumor tissue samples were found to be aberrantly methylated. Tumor size and histological grade were found to be significantly (p-val <0.05) associated with the RASSF1A gene promoter methylation.

CONCLUSION

A significant association of higher tumor size and tumor histological grade with promoter methylation of RASSF1A gene exists suggestive of its being an important determinant of prognostic staging. This critical event in tumorigenesis may be of clinical utility in assessing breast cancer progression.

MICRO ABSTRACT

The study focuses on the RASSF1A gene promoter methylation and its impact on the clinicopathological features in Indian breast cancer patients highlighting the differences from other genetically different population. We found that RASFF1A gene methylation has significant impact on tumor size and tumor grade. The work carries high significance because it addresses the DNA methylation of tumor suppressor gene in relevance of breast cancer. It may also be the first such report on Indian patients with breast cancer.

Combining co-culturing of Paenibacillus strains and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin expression as a strategy to improve biodesulfurization

Enhancement of the desulfurization activities of Paenibacillus strains 32O-W and 32O-Y were investigated using dibenzothiophene (DBT) and DBT sulfone (DBTS) as sources of sulphur in growth experiments. Strains 32O-W, 32O-Y and their co-culture (32O-W plus 32O-Y), and Vitreoscilla hemoglobin (VHb) expressing recombinant strain 32O-Yvgb and its co-culture with strain 32O-W were grown at varying concentrations (0·1-2 mmol l^-1 ) of DBT or DBTS for 96 h, and desulfurization measured by production of 2-hydroxybiphenyl (2-HBP) and disappearance of DBT or DBTS. Of the four cultures grown with DBT as sulphur source, the best growth occurred for the 32O-Yvgb plus 32O-W co-culture at 0·1 and 0·5 mmol l^-1 DBT. Although the presence of vgb provided no consistent advantage regarding growth on DBTS, strain 32O-W, as predicted by previous work, was shown to contain a partial 4S desulfurization pathway allowing it to metabolize this 4S pathway intermediate.

Need Based Role of E-Learning in Current Medical Education Environment: Skepticism to Acceptability

E-learning has taken centre stage during this period of social distancing and lockdowns, in the current pandemic, by enabling education to continue. There are perceptibly no limitations to the utility of e-learning tools in the cognitive domain of learning. It complements traditional learning in other domains, namely, psychomotor, affective and communication skill, fairly well. Not only does it ease learning in terms of availability and accessibility, but with the options of asynchronous learning and personalisation of content, it also empowers learners with more autonomy. Despite the limitation of lack of ‘hands-on’ training and experience with e-learning, it has been accepted quite well, although initially both teachers and learners had been skeptical about its applicability and quality. In the ongoing pandemic period, e-learning may assume a bigger role as blended learning in medical education. While this transition may be smooth for the better resourced nations who already have the required infrastructure and resources ready, the resource limited nations may first have to develop the same before being able to implement it. Ensuring the availability of cheap and high-speed internet, computers in various forms (desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones) within reach of every learner, will enable them to go online.

Diagnostic accuracy of TB-LAMP assay in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis-a case-control study in northern India

SETTING

A tertiary care hospital in North India.

OBJECTIVE

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in developing countries. The diagnosis of tuberculosis is still challenging in primary care settings in endemic countries like India. WHO has endorsed loop mediated isothermal amplification assay (LAMP) for TB as a replacement for smear microscopy for peripheral settings, however, more data is required to establish the specificity of this modality for the diagnosis of TB. In this study we aim to determine the diagnostic accuracy of the TB-LAMP assay in pulmonary tuberculosis.

DESIGN

A total of 236 patients (117 cases suspected of TB and 119 patients with non-TB pulmonary disease) were enrolled between February to July, 2018. Microbiological workups consisting of mycobacterial smear microscopy, culture, Xpert MTB/Rif and TB-LAMP were performed.

RESULTS

From 236 samples, 18 (7.6%) were excluded from the study. TB-LAMP and Xpert MTB/RIF were positive in 46 (21.1%) and 49 (22.5%) of the samples, respectively. The sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF and TB-LAMP, when culture was taken as a reference standard, was 90% (95%CI: 78.2-96.7) and 82% (95%CI: 68.6-91.4), respectively. The specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of TB-LAMP assay were 96.8% (95%CI: 92.8-98.9), 89.1% (95%CI: 77.4-95.2), and 94.4% (95%CI: 90.4-96.5), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The TB-LAMP assay showed a good specificity and sensitivity for detection ofM. tuberculosis in adults, however, for programmatic implementation, more studies are required to be conducted at peripheral level healthcare settings.

Well-posedness of stochastic modified Kawahara equation

In this paper we consider the Cauchy problem for the stochastic modified Kawahara equation, which is a fifth-order shallow water wave equation. We prove local well-posedness for data in $H^{s}(\mathbb{R})$Hs(R), $s\geq -1/4$s≥−1/4. Moreover, we get the global existence for $L^{2}( \mathbb{R})$L2(R) solutions. Due to the non-zero singularity of the phase function, a fixed point argument and the Fourier restriction method are proposed.

Diagnostic accuracy of Xpert MTB/RIF ultra for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in children: a prospective cohort study

The Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra is a recent advancement in molecular diagnostics of tuberculosis (TB) with higher sensitivity compared to its predecessor, the Xpert MTB/RIF assay. Prospective studies evaluating the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra in children with suspected TB are lacking. In this study, we evaluated the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in samples from 156 children, of which one was excluded from the analysis. Of the remaining 155 samples, 6·5% (10/155), 21·3% (33/155), 20% (31/155) and 21·9% (34/155) were positive by smear examination, MGIT culture, Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra, respectively. The Xpert MTB/RIF and Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra had a similar overall sensitivity of 81·8% (95% CI: 64·5-93) and 84·8% (95% CI: 68·1-94·9), respectively. In suspected pediatric TB patients, the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra had higher sensitivity compared to the Xpert MTB/RIF (72·7 vs 63·6). The AUC (area under the curve) of 0·905 for the Xpert MTB/RIF and 0·893 for the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra indicate similar and good overall performance. Both Xpert assays were found to be equally efficient, however Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra showed better detection rate in suspected TB cases.

Exploring how virtual primary care visits affect patient burden of treatment

BACKGROUND

There is growing emphasis on the role of digital solutions in supporting chronic disease management. This has the potential to increase the burden patients experience in managing their health by offloading care from the health system to patients. This paper explores the effects of virtual visits on patient burden using an explicit framework measuring both the work patients do to care for their health and the challenges they experience that exacerbate burden.

METHODS

This mixed methods study evaluates a large pilot implementation of virtual visits (video, audio, and asynchronous messaging with providers) in primary care in Ontario, Canada. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling from patients using a virtual visit platform to complete a semi-structured interview or a survey including a free-text response. We conducted 17 interviews and reviewed 427 free text responses related to explore patients' perceived value and burden of these visits. We used qualitative analyses to map patients' feedback on their experience to the framework on patient burden.

MAIN FINDINGS

Virtual visits appear to reduce the work patients must do to manage their care by 1) improving access, convenience, and time needed for medical appointments, and 2) making it easier to access information and support for chronic disease management. Virtual visits also alleviate patients' perceived burden by improving continuity of care, experience of care, and providing some cost savings.

CONCLUSIONS

Virtual visits reduced overall patient burden of treatment by decreasing the required patient effort of managing medical appointments and monitoring their health, and by minimizing challenges experienced when accessing care. For regions that want to improve patient experience of care, virtual visits are likely to be of benefit. There is need for further research on the generalizability of the findings herein, particularly for high-needs populations under-represented such as those of low socioeconomic status and those in rural and remote locations.

OP0054 EFFICACY OF GUSELKUMAB, A MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THAT SPECIFICALLY BINDS TO THE P19-SUBUNIT OF IL-23, ON ENDPOINTS RELATED TO AXIAL INVOLVEMENT IN PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PSA WITH IMAGING-CONFIRMED SACROILIITIS: WEEK-24 RESULTS FROM TWO PHASE 3, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDIES

Background:

Guselkumab (GUS), an interleukin-23 inhibitor, was efficacious in reducing signs and symptoms of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in patients (pts) in two phase 3 trials (DISCOVER-1 and DISCOVER-2).

Objectives:

To evaluate the efficacy of GUS in PsA pts with imaging-confirmed axial involvement consistent with sacroiliitis in DISCOVER-1&2.

Methods:

In DISCOVER-1, 381 pts with active PsA (≥ 3 swollen joints, ≥ 3 tender joints; C-reactive protein ≥ 0.3mg/dL despite standard therapies) and in DISCOVER-2, 739 pts with active PsA (≥ 5 swollen joints, ≥ 5 tender joints, CRP ≥ 0.6mg/dL despite standard therapies) were randomized 1:1:1 to GUS 100mg Q4W, GUS 100mg Q8W (Wk0, Wk4, then Q8W), or PBO. This analysis included pts with sacroiliitis at baseline who had either documented imaging confirmation of sacroiliitis in the past or pelvic X-ray confirmation of sacroiliitis at screening (pooled data from DISCOVER-1&2) based on investigators’ judgment of presence/absence of sacroiliitis. Efficacy was assessed by BASDAI score, BASDAI50, modified BASDAI (mBASDAI; excludes Q#3), spinal pain (BASDAI Q#2), ASDAS-CRP score, and ASDAS responses of inactive disease (<1.3), major improvement (decrease ≥2.0), and clinically important improvement (decrease ≥1.1). Pts with missing data at wk24 were classified as nonresponders.

Results:

312 pts presented with axial involvement (PBO, n= 118; GUS q8w, n = 91; GUS q4w, n = 103). The LS mean changes from baseline to wk24 in BASDAI, spinal pain, mBASDAI, and ASDAS-CRP were greater in the two GUS groups vs PBO (Table). Greater proportions of GUS-treated pts achieved BASDAI50 (Table) and ASDAS responses of inactive disease, major improvement, and clinically important improvement (Figure) at wk24 vs PBO.

Conclusion:

GUS improved axial symptoms over 24 weeks in active PsA patients with imaging-confirmed sacroiliitis.

Table.

Efficacy of GUS in PsA patients with axial involvement at week 24.a

PBO(n=118)GUS 100 mg every 8 weeks(n=91)GUS100 mg every 4 weeks(n=103)LS Mean change in BASDAI-1.35-2.67*-2.68*LS Mean change in spinal painb-1.30-2.73*-2.48*BASDAI50c, %21/110 (19.1%)34/84 (40.5%)**36/95 (37.9%)**LS Mean change in modified BASDAId-1.13-2.16*-2.18*LS Mean change in ASDAS-CRP-0.71-1.43*-1.46*

aPts with axial involvement consistent with sacroiliitis at baseline and either a history of imaging confirmation or pelvic X-ray at screening (pooled data from DISCOVER-1 & 2)

bQuestion 2 of the BASDAI.

cPts with BASDAI > 0 at baseline.

dExcludes question 3 of the BASDAI.

Unadjusted p-values as noted: *p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01

Acknowledgments:

None

Disclosure of Interests:

Philip Helliwell: None declared, Dafna D Gladman Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen Inc., BMS, Celgene Corporation, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen Inc., BMS, Celgene Corporation, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB – consultant, Denis Poddubnyy Grant/research support from: AbbVie, MSD, Novartis, and Pfizer, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, Roche, UCB, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharma, UCB Pharma, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharma, UCB Pharma, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Genentech, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB Pharma, Xenofon Baraliakos Grant/research support from: Grant/research support from: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Chugai, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB and Werfen, Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Chugai, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB and Werfen, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Chugai, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB and Werfen, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Xie L Xu Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shihong Sheng Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Soumya D Chakravarty Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, May Shawi Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Chetan Karyekar Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Consultant of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC. Previously, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Abbott Labs., Atul Deodhar Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Désirée van der Heijde Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Cyxone, Daiichi, Eisai, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB Pharma; Director of Imaging Rheumatology BV

AB0756 GUSELKUMAB IMPROVED WORK PRODUCTIVITY AND DAILY ACTIVITY IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: RESULTS FROM A PHASE 3 TRIAL

Background:

DISCOVER 2 (DISC 2) is a Phase 3 trial of anti-IL-23-specific mAb guselkumab (GUS) in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) pts, who experience impaired physical function, resulting in disability, work productivity loss, and economic consequences.1

Objectives:

To evaluate the effect of GUS on impaired work productivity and daily activity in DISC 2 using the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Psoriatic Arthritis (WPAI-PsA).

Methods:

Bio-naïve adults with active PsA despite nonbiologic DMARDs &/or NSAIDs received subcutaneous GUS 100 mg every (q) 4 weeks (W); GUS 100 mg W0, W4, q8W; or placebo (PBO). WPAI-PsA assesses, due to PsA over the previous week, work time missed (absenteeism), impairment while working (presenteeism), and impaired overall work productivity (absenteeism + presenteeism) and daily activity. Percentage change from baseline was analyzed for WPAI-PsA domains using mixed-effect model repeated measure (MMRM). Indirect savings from improved overall work productivity were estimated with 2018 US mean yearly wage estimate (all occupations).2

Results:

At Week 24, impaired overall work productivity and daily activity were improved 20-22% in GUS-treated and 10-11% in PBO-treated pts (Table). Potential yearly indirect savings from improved overall work productivity was $10,242 with GUS q8W and $10,404 with GUS q4W vs $5,648 with PBO; $4,594 and $4,756 difference, respectively.

Conclusion:

Improvement in overall work productivity and daily activity was greater with GUS versus PBO among pts with moderate-to-severe PsA, resulting in potential annual incremental economic gains.

References:

[1]Tillett W et al. Rheumatol (Oxford). 2012;51:275–283.

[2]US Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2018 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States.https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_nat.htm#00-000

Table.

Model-based estimates of mean change from baseline in WPAI-PsA domains

% change from baselinePBOGUS 100 mg q8WGUS 100 mg q4WW16W24W16W24W16W24Work time missed (absenteeism), n155152141145145143LSMean-4.6 (-7.2,-1.9)-3.5 (-6.4,-0.6)-3.5 (-6.2,-0.7)-3.1 (-6.1,-0.1)-4.7 (-7.4,-2.0)-3.8 (-6.8,-0.8)LSMean diff1.1 (-2.6,-4.8)*0.4 (-3.7,4.5)*-0.2 (-3.9,3.5)*-0.3 (-4.4,3.8)*Impairment while working (presenteeism), n131130125129133130LSMean-10.3 (-13.9,-6.7)-10.2 (-13.7,-6.7)-16.1 (-19.7,-12.4)-19.4 (-22.9,-15.9)-15.1 (-18.7,-11.5)-19.5 (-23.0,-16.0)LSMean diff-5.8 (-10.8,-0.8)†-9.2 (-14.0,-4.4)‡-4.8 (-9.7,0.1)*-9.3 (-14.1,-4.5)‡Overall work productivity impairment (absenteeism + presenteeism), n131130125129133130LSMean-11.2 (-15.0,-7.5)-10.9 (-14.6,-7.1)-15.9 (-19.7,-12.2)-19.7 (-23.4,-16.0)-15.8 (-19.5,-12.1)-20.0 (-23.7,-16.3)LSMean diff-4.7 (-9.9,0.5)*-8.8 (-14.0,-3.7)‡-4.6 (-9.7,0.5)*-9.2 (-14.3,-4.0)‡Daily activity impairment, n244244247246243245LSMean-10.6 (-13.3,-7.9)-10.3 (-13.1,-7.6)-17.1 (-19.8,-14.4)-21.5 (-24.2,-18.7)-17.0 (-19.7,-14.3)-20.5 (-23.2,-17.7)LSMean diff-6.5 (-10.2,-2.8)‡-11.1 (-15.0,-7.4)‡-6.5 (-10.2,-2.7)‡-10.2 (-14.0,-6.4)‡

Data are % (95% CI)

*p>0.05, †p<0.05,‡p<0.001

LSmeans, p values based on MMRM

LSmean diffs, p values vs PBO

Acknowledgments:

None

Disclosure of Interests:

Jeffrey Curtis Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Corrona, Janssen, Lilly, Myriad, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, UCB, Iain McInnes Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Proton Rahman Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis, Consultant of: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer., Speakers bureau: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, William Tillett Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Celgene, Eli Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, MSD, Pfizer Inc, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer Inc, UCB, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Steve Peterson Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Chenglong Han Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC

FRI0359 INTEGRATED SAFETY RESULTS OF TWO PHASE-3 TRIALS OF GUSELKUMAB IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS THROUGH THE PLACEBO-CONTROLLED PERIODS

Background:

DISCOVER 1 & 2 are phase 3 psoriatic arthritis (PsA) trials investigating guselkumab (GUS), an IL-23 inhibitor that specifically binds the IL-23p19 subunit. In both studies, GUS showed significant improvement vs placebo (PBO) through week (W) 24 in the PBO-controlled period.1,2

Objectives:

To present integrated safety results of DISC 1 & 2 through the PBO-controlled periods.

Methods:

Adult patients (pts) with active PsA despite standard therapy were enrolled. All pts were biologic-naïve, except ~30% in DISC 1 with previous exposure to 1-2 TNF inhibitors. Pts were randomized to SC GUS 100 mg Q4W; GUS 100 mg at W0, W4, then Q8W; or PBO. Adverse events (AEs) and lab results were analyzed from pooled data.

Results:

The rates of pts experiencing ≥1 AE, serious AE, infection, serious infection, and discontinuation due to an AE were similar between GUS and PBO (Table 1). There were 2 deaths, 3 malignancies, 2 Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), and no opportunistic infections (treatment group not shown to prevent unblinding). Among the AEs reported by ≥5% pts in any group (Table 1), nasopharyngitis and elevated serum hepatic aminotransferases were more common with GUS vs PBO. Laboratory ALT and AST elevations were mostly mild, transient, and not associated with significant bilirubin elevation. There was a trend to decreased neutrophil count (mostly Grade 1, transient, and not associated with infection) with GUS vs PBO (Table 2). Low rates of injection-site reactions were seen with GUS vs PBO. Anti-drug antibody development was also low (Table 1).

Table 1.

Patient Reported AEs, n (%)

GUS100 mgQ8WGUS100 mgQ4WPBON375373372≥1 AE182 (48.5)182 (48.8)176 (47.3)≥1 Serious AE7 (1.9)8 (2.1)12 (3.2)Discontinuation due to AE5 (1.3)8 (2.1)7 (1.9)≥1 Infection73 (19.5)80 (21.4)77 (20.7)≥1 Serious infection1 (0.3)3 (0.8)3 (0.8)≥1 Opportunistic Infection (including Candida)000Active Tuberculosis000≥1 Injection-site reaction5 (1.3)4 (1.1)1 (0.3)Anti-GUS antibody +, n/N (%)6/373 (1.6)9/371 (2.4)--AEs* reported by ≥5% of patients in any treatment groupNasopharyngitis26 (6.9)19 (5.1)17 (4.6)Upper respiratory tract infection13 (3.5)23 (6.2)17 (4.6)Increased ALT23 (6.1)28 (7.5)14 (3.8)Increased AST23 (6.1)14 (3.8)9 (2.4)

*Medical Dictionary for Regulatory Activities (MedDRA) preferred term

Table 2.

Lab Results*

GUS100 mgQ8WGUS100 mgQ4WPBON373371370ALT Increased (%)Grade 128.235.030.121.12.71.43-40.81.10.8Neutrophil Count Decreased (%)Grade 15.65.93.221.61.60.83-400.30.3

*NCI toxicity grade

ALT=Alanine aminotransferase

Conclusion:

GUS was safe and well tolerated through the PBO-controlled period in 2 randomized, phase 3 trials of patients with active PsA. There were no meaningful safety differences between the Q8W and Q4W groups, no significant safety issues identified when comparing GUS to PBO, and no safety signals with regards to infections, malignancy, and MACE. The safety profile of GUS Q4W and Q8W in PsA pts was generally consistent with that in the Phase 3 trials of GUS Q8W for psoriasis.3,4

References:

[1]Deodhar et al. ACR 2019 (#807). Arth Rheum 2019;71 S10:1386

[2]Mease et al. ACR 2019 (#L13). Arth Rheum 2019;71 S10:5247

[3]Blauvelt et al. J Am Acad Derm 2017;76:405

[4]Reich et al. J Am Acad Derm 2017;76:418

Acknowledgments:

None

Disclosure of Interests:

Proton Rahman Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis, Consultant of: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer., Speakers bureau: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Christopher T. Ritchlin Grant/research support from: UCB Pharma, AbbVie, Amgen, Consultant of: UCB Pharma, Amgen, AbbVie, Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Gilead, Janssen, Philip Helliwell: None declared, Wolf-Henning Boehncke Grant/research support from: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Consultant of: Janssen, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau, Alice B Gottlieb Grant/research support from:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Consultant of:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Speakers bureau:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Shelly Kafka Employee of: Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Xie L Xu Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, May Shawi Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shihong Sheng Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Paraneedharan Ramachandran Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Iain McInnes Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB

AB0801 EFFECTS OF GUSELKUMAB, A MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THAT SPECIFICALLY BINDS TO THE P19-SUBUNIT OF INTERLEUKIN-23, ON DACTYLITIS AND ENTHESITIS IN PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS: POOLED RESULTS THROUGH WEEK 24 FROM TWO PHASE 3 STUDIES

Background:

Guselkumab (GUS), a novel monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to the p19-subunit of IL-23, demonstrated efficacy in the Ph 3 DISCOVER-1 (D1) & DISCOVER-2 (D2) trials of pts with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).1,2Dactylitis & enthesitis, key PsA clinical manifestations, can be difficult to treat and may portend more significant disease burden.3,4

Objectives:

In pts with dactylitis or enthesitis at baseline, assess: 1) changes in symptoms over time and 2) relationships between improvements in dactylitis or enthesitis and other PsA domains.

Methods:

Adults with active PsA despite standard therapies were eligible for D1 & D2. Approx. 30% of D1 pts previously received 1-2 TNF inhibitors; D2 pts were biologic-naïve. Pts were randomized 1:1:1 to GUS 100mg Q4W; GUS 100mg at W0, W4, Q8W; or PBO. Independent assessors evaluated dactylitis (total score: 0-60) & enthesitis (Leeds Enthesitis Index [LEI]; total score 0-6). Dactylitis and enthesitis findings through W24 were prespecified to be pooled across D1 & D2. P-values are unadjusted. We assessed changes in dactylitis and LEI scores over time (ANCOVA); associations between dactylitis or enthesitis resolution and ACR/PASI responses at W24 (Chi-square); and correlations between dactylitis or LEI and HAQ-DI/SF-36 change scores at W24 (Spearman’s correlation). AEs through W24 were reported.1,2

Results:

At W0, 42% of pooled D1+D2 pts had dactylitis; 65% had enthesitis. GUS improved dactylitis and LEI scores vs PBO at W8, W16, W24. GUS vs PBO differences were significant for dactylitis changes at W16 & W24 and LEI changes at W8 (Q4W only), W16 & W24; no dose response was observed (Fig). Rates of dactylitis or enthesitis resolution by W24 were consistently significantly (p<0.001) associated with ACR20/50/70 and PASI75/90 response (Table). In GUS-treated pts at W24, significant correlations were observed between dactylitis change scores and PASI (p<0.001 Q4W; p=0.006 Q8W) and SF-36 MCS (p=0.038 Q4W; p=0.003 Q8W) changes, and between LEI and HAQ-DI change scores (p<0.001 Q4W; p=0.005 Q8W). No consistent correlations/associations were observed between dactylitis or LEI scores and other clinical outcomes.

Conclusion:

In PsA pts with dactylitis or enthesitis at W0, GUS improved dactylitis or LEI scores vs PBO by W8; treatment differences were significant at W16 & W24. Resolution of dactylitis or enthesitis was significantly associated with clinically meaningful improvements in PsA joint & skin symptoms. Improved dactylitis scores correlated with improved skin symptoms and mental health; improved LEI scores correlated with improved physical function.

References:

[1]Deodhar A (A#807),

[2]Mease P (A#L13), Arthritis Rheumatol 2019;71(suppl 10);

[3]DOI: 10.1186/s13075-017-1399-5;4DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2018.02.002

Table.

Pooled DISCOVER-1&2: associations between dactylitis/enthesitis resolution and joint/skin response

ACR20ACR50ACR70PASI75aPASI90aDactylitis resolutionbN%pts%pts%ptsN%pts%pts Q4W37355*34*16*12178*55* Q8W37553*31*16*11680*65* PBO37226*12*5*11519*10*Enthesitis resolutionc Q4W24334*31*11*18782*63* Q8W23040*7*12*16277*62* PBO25514*13*5*18219*9*

* p < 0.001 (Chi-square)

aIn pts with ≥3% BSA psoriasis & IGA ≥2 at W0

bIn pts with D at W0

cIn pts with E at W0

Acknowledgments:

None

Disclosure of Interests:

Dennis McGonagle Grant/research support from: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Iain McInnes Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Atul Deodhar Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Eli Lilly, GSK, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, UCB, Georg Schett Speakers bureau: AbbVie, BMS, Celgene, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Roche and UCB, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau, May Shawi Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shelly Kafka Employee of: Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Chetan Karyekar Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Consultant of: Janssen, Employee of: Janssen Global Services, LLC. Previously, Novartis, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Abbott Labs., Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Xie L Xu Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shihong Sheng Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Christopher T. Ritchlin Grant/research support from: UCB Pharma, AbbVie, Amgen, Consultant of: UCB Pharma, Amgen, AbbVie, Lilly, Pfizer, Novartis, Gilead, Janssen, Proton Rahman Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis, Consultant of: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer., Speakers bureau: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer

SAT0402 EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF GUSELKUMAB, A MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY SPECIFIC TO THE P19-SUBUNIT OF INTERLEUKIN-23, THROUGH WEEK 52 OF A PHASE 3, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED STUDY CONDUCTED IN BIOLOGIC-NAÏVE PATIENTS WITH ACTIVE PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS

Background:

Guselkumab (GUS), a monoclonal antibody that specifically binds to the p19-subunit of IL-23, is approved to treat psoriasis. Through Week24 (W24) of the Ph3, double-blind, placebo (PBO)-controlled trial in biologic-naïve pts with active PsA (DISCOVER-2), GUS every 4 or 8 weeks (Q4W or Q8W) demonstrated efficacy for joint & skin symptoms and inhibition of structural damage progression (Q4W), and was well tolerated.

Objectives:

Assess GUS efficacy and safety through W52.

Methods:

Biologic-naïve adults with active PsA (≥5 swollen+≥5 tender joints; CRP ≥0.6mg/dL) were randomized (1:1:1) to GUS 100 mg Q4W; GUS 100 mg at W0, W4, Q8W; or PBO. At W24, PBO pts crossed over to GUS 100 mg Q4W (PBO X Q4W). ACR response rates at W52, based on nonresponder imputation (NRI) for missing data and as observed in pts who continued study agent at W24, are shown. Observed data for additional endpoints, including PsA-modified van der Heijde Sharp (vdH-S) scores derived from blinded radiographic images collected at W0, W24, W52 (or at d/c) and scored in a new Read Campaign, are shown.

Results:

712/739 (96.3%) randomized & treated pts continued study agent at W24; 689/739 (93.2%) completed Wk52. NRI ACR20 response rates continued to increase after W24, and at W52 were 70.6% for GUS Q4W and 74.6% for GUS Q8W (Fig 1A). Similar response patterns were observed for the more stringent ACR50/70 criteria (Fig 1C,E). Observed ACR (Fig, 1B,D,F), IGA, PASI & MDA/VLDA responses; dactylitis & enthesitis resolution; and mean improvements in HAQ-DI and SF-36 PCS/MCS scores were also sustained through W52 in pts receiving Q4W & Q8W; W52 data for PBO X Q4W pts were generally consistent with other GUS-treated pts (Fig 1, Table 1). Changes in vdH-S scores were similar for W24-52 (0.62) and W0-24 (0.46) for Q4W; less radiographic progression occurred from W24-52 v W0-24 for Q8W (0.23 v 0.73) & PBO X Q4W (0.25 v 1.00). In 731 GUS-treated pts, 4.2% had SAEs; 1.2% had serious infections; no pt died; and no pt had IBD, opportunistic infections or active TB, or anaphylactic or serum sickness-like reactions.

Table 1.

Observed Efficacy1

GUSQ4WGUSQ8WPBO X(W0-24)GUS Q4W(W24-52)Data are % unless otherwise statedW24W52W24W52W24W52Dactylitis at W0,n1161111071059593Resolution68.181.160.781.941.178.5Enthesitis at W0,n165160151148172168Resolution45.560.057.665.532.667.3≥3% BSA psoriasis, IGA ≥2 at W0,n176173172170176172IGA 0/1 + ≥2-grade decrease71.084.472.177.119.984.3PASI7581.891.980.888.823.388.4PASI9063.681.570.377.110.276.7PASI10046.661.346.554.72.855.2HAQ-DI,n234229238234237230Mean change-0.4-0.5-0.4-0.5-0.2-0.4SF-36 scores,n (mean change)234229238234237230Physical Component - PCS7.29.07.89.53.88.1Mental Component - MCS4.14.14.54.52.24.3MDA/VLDA, n234228238234238231MDA19.736.826.532.96.331.6VLDA5.112.224.6317.11.36.9

1Randomized pts still on study agent at W24;2N=229;3N=237

Conclusion:

In biologic-naïve pts with active PsA, GUS elicited sustained improvements in joint & skin symptoms; inhibition of radiographic progression & improvements in physical function, quality of life & composite indices through W52. GUS safety in PsA was similar at W241& W52 and consistent with GUS safety in psoriasis.

References:

[1]Mease P (A#L13), Arthritis Rheumatol 2019;71(suppl 10)

Acknowledgments:

None

Disclosure of Interests:

Iain McInnes Grant/research support from: Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Janssen, and UCB, Consultant of: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene, Eli Lilly and Company, Gilead, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, and UCB, Proton Rahman Grant/research support from: Janssen and Novartis, Consultant of: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, and Pfizer., Speakers bureau: Abbott, AbbVie, Amgen, BMS, Celgene, Lilly, Janssen, Novartis, Pfizer, Alice B Gottlieb Grant/research support from:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Consultant of:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Speakers bureau:: Research grants, consultation fees, or speaker honoraria for lectures from: Pfizer, AbbVie, BMS, Lilly, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Sanofi, Sandoz, Nordic, Celltrion and UCB., Elizabeth C Hsia Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Alexa Kollmeier Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Xie L Xu Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Ramanand A Subramanian Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Prasheen Agarwal Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Shihong Sheng Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Yusang Jiang: None declared, Bei Zhou Shareholder of: Johnson & Johnson, Employee of: Janssen Research & Development, LLC, Désirée van der Heijde Consultant of: AbbVie, Amgen, Astellas, AstraZeneca, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Cyxone, Daiichi, Eisai, Eli-Lilly, Galapagos, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Janssen, Merck, Novartis, Pfizer, Regeneron, Roche, Sanofi, Takeda, UCB Pharma; Director of Imaging Rheumatology BV, Philip J Mease Grant/research support from: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – grant/research support, Consultant of: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Celgene Corporation, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Sun Pharmaceutical, UCB – consultant, Speakers bureau: Abbott, Amgen, Biogen Idec, BMS, Eli Lilly, Genentech, Janssen, Pfizer, UCB – speakers bureau

Meckel Gruber syndrome – a case report

Background

Meckel Gruber Syndrome (MKS) is a rare autosomal recessive malformation syndrome characterized by multiple congenital anomalies ultimately leading to the death of fetus in utero or shortly after birth. It is characterized by classical triad of occipital encephalocele, infantile polycystic kidneys and postaxial polydactyly. Diagnosis of MKS is made on the basis of ultrasonography, gross morphology & histopathological findings. Here, we describe a case of MKS presenting with the classical triad.

Case presentation

A 25 year old lady presented with missed abortion at 17 weeks of gestation on her first conception. There was no history of previous fetal demise or any congenital anomaly. History of consanguineous marriage was not present. Ultra sonogram revealed death of the fetus in utero. Planned termination of pregnancy was performed & the products of conception were sent for study to the laboratory for autopsy, histopathological examination & genetic studies.

Conclusion

Rare genetic anomalies can present with missed abortion & an understanding of the same is important considering the clinical as well as psychological strain it can have on the pregnant mother. The case moreover should be reported for it being a genetic anomaly which results in death at a young age & also for its historical value.

Laying the Foundation of Medical Professionalism among Pre-clinical Students: Importance of Reflection

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Introduction: The escalating problem of unprofessionalism calls for teaching medical professionalism in a manner that should lead to deeper learning. Early clinical exposure (ECE) to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) presents the issues pertaining to medical professionalism to the students in a more explicit and emotionally challenging manner. And reflection note writing evokes the critical process of thought and analysis required for learning. We conducted the present study to sensitize the pre-clinical students towards medical professionalism using these two tools, ECE and Reflection. Methods:Two hundred students of 1st MBBS were given an Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE). The students were then taken for ECE to an ICU. There, the students observed different ongoing activities and critical patients, a doctor discussed some cases with them, and they also interacted with the relatives of patients admitted in the ICU. Thereafter, students wrote a 'reflection' note describing what did you see? so what? and now what? Students were again given an OSCE, similar to the one given before the ECE, for assessing any change in their professional behaviour.Analysis of reflection notes was done thematically and of OSCE scores using paired t-test (p<0.05). Results: The analysis of reflection notes revealed the budding of different elements of professionalism among the students. Post-visit OSCE scores also showed significant improvement. Conclusion: Incorporation of reflection note writing along with ECE is helpful in laying the foundation of medical professionalism among pre-clinical students.

Thermal injury in pregnancy: predicting maternal and fetal outcome

This study was undertaken to assess the parameters that may predict maternal and foetal outcome in 49 thermally injured pregnant women in a Plastic surgery unit in tertiary referral center in the last five years. There were 33 maternal deaths and 34 fetal deaths. In general, pregnancy as such does not influence maternal outcome after thermal injury. In first and second trimester best chance for foetal survival is to ensure maternal survival and in the last trimester fetal survival depends upon fetal maturity. Maternal survival is less likely if the burn wound exceeds 50% total body surface area. Thermal injury does increase the risk of spontaneous abortion and premature labour. Early obstetric intervention is indicated in patients with fatal burn and complications.

Effects of phase space variables on oscillations of modified combinants

It has been shown recently that additional information can be ob- tained from charged particle multiplicity distribution by investigating their mod- ified combinantsC j, which exhibit periodic oscillatory behaviour. The modified combinants obtained from experimental data can be expressed in a recurrent form involving the probability of obtainingNcharged particlesP(N), scaled by the void probabilityP(0). The effects of various experimental observables such as |η|,pTand centre-of-mass collision energy √son the oscillations ofCjwill be discussed.

Sex-dependent effects of paternal deprivation and chronic variable stress on novel object recognition in adult California mice (Peromyscus californicus)

Early-life stress exposure can confer vulnerability for development of psychiatric illnesses and impaired cognition in adulthood. It is well-known that early-life stress can dysregulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a sex-dependent manner. Specifically, uniparental rodent models of prolonged disrupted mother-offspring relationships (e.g., maternal separation) have demonstrated greater alterations in stress responsivity in adult males, compared to females. Also, chronic early-life stressors (e.g., limited bedding model) impair cognitive function in males more than females. However, the sex-dependent effects of early-life stress and later-life chronic HPA axis activation on cognition have not been well-characterized. Here, we utilized the biparental California mouse (Peromyscus californicus) to model the early-life adversity of paternal deprivation (PD). Fathers either remained in the nest (biparental care) or were permanently removed (PD) on postnatal day (PND) 1. Adult offspring were exposed to daily handling (control) or chronic variable stress (CVS; three stressors for seven days). Twenty-four hours after the final stressor, the novel object recognition (NOR) task commenced, followed by serum collection for corticosterone (CORT) analysis. Independent of sex or rearing, CVS increased CORT. Exploration during acquisition for the NOR task was increased as a result of CVS and PD. During NOR testing, non-stressed females exhibited greater difference scores (i.e., increased recognition memory), compared to non-stressed males. However, the addition of CVS diminished difference scores in females - an effect not observed in CVS-exposed males. Overall, these data suggest that neonatal paternal experience, sex, and chronic stress contribute to exploratory behavior, cognition, and stress hormone concentrations in a biparental species.

Numerical solutions to Giovannini’s QCD parton branching processes

In 1979, Giovannini [1] formulated multiparticle production as a manifestation of four QCD processes: A: g → gg (gluon bremsstrahlung), A-: q → qg (quark bremsstrahlung), B: g → qq (quark pair creation) and C: g → ggg (four-gluon vertex). At present, only approximate solutions exist, such as the Generalized Multiplicity Distribution (GMD) which excludes pro- cesses B and C [2, 3]. These approximate solutions have been very successful in describing charged particle multiplicities at lower energies, at least until the appearance of a shoulder-like structure at √s ≈ 200 GeV and 900 GeV first reported by the UA5 collaboration [4], also known as “KNO-scaling violation”. Here, we extend the work of Sakai [5] and attempt a numerical solution that incorporates all four QCD processes, and see if the addition of processes B and C can explain the shoulder-like structure.

The most useful cranial ultrasound predictor of neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years for preterm infants

AIM

To determine the most important cranial ultrasound predictors of abnormality associated with neurodevelopmental outcome at 2 years of age in preterm infants.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 343 preterm infants born between 2005 and 2010 and cared for in KK Women's and Children's Hospital, a tertiary paediatric hospital, with birth weight ≤1,250 g were assessed in this retrospective study. Serial cranial ultrasound examinations were examined for intraventricular haemorrhage and cystic periventricular leukomalacia. Ventricular-brain ratio on term equivalent cranial ultrasound was measured. Neurodevelopmental outcome was assessed by the performance on Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3^rd edition (Bayley-III) at 2 years corrected age. Mental delay was defined as having a combined Bayley-III score (the average of cognitive and language scores) <80.

RESULTS

The mean cognitive, language, and motor scores on Bayley-III in this cohort were 93±15, 83±18, and 92±15, respectively. Twenty-six percent of the preterm infants had mental delay and 4% had cerebral palsy. Ventricular-brain ratio >0.35 was the most significant factor associated with mental delay (odds ratio 5.28, 95% CI: 1.49-18.71, p=0.01). Other significant risk factors for mental delay were male gender, postnatal steroids, and necrotising enterocolitis, whereas maternal tertiary education was a protective factor against adverse outcome.

CONCLUSION

Ventricular-brain ratio >0.35 on term-equivalent cranial ultrasound in preterm infants is the strongest predictor for mental delay on Bayley score at 2 years of age.

Vestibular Incision Subperiosteal Tunnel Access with Titanium-Prepared Platelet-Rich Fibrin - A Golden Approach for Treating Multiple Recession Defects in Esthetic Zone

Gingival recession is defined as apical migration of marginal gingival tissue causing the exposure of root surface. Abnormal brushing techniques, trauma, anatomical presence of tooth, caries, and improper oral hygiene measures are some of the problems leading to gingival recession. Several treatment modalities such as coronary advanced flaps and free gingival grafts have been used for the treatment of gingival recession defects and showed good results. However, while treating multiple gingival recessions, some new treatment modalities were introduced in literature. Vestibular incision subperiosteal tunnel access (VISTA) as a minimally invasive technique for root coverage was introduced with various advantages such as no secondary surgical site needed for harvestment of donor tissue and it provides excellent esthetic results with decreased patient morbidity. The present case report emphasizes on the treatment of multiple gingival recessions in the maxillary anterior teeth region using VISTA with titanium-prepared platelet-rich fibrin.

A comparison of lancets and evaluation of various manoeuvres in reducing finger prick pain during pre-donation haemoglobin estimation

OBJECTIVES

Three different types of lancets have been compared to identify and implement the one that causes the least pain. Simple manoeuvres during the lancing procedure have been evaluated to determine their effectiveness in reducing the intensity of perceived pain.

BACKGROUND

Pre-donation haemoglobin estimation is performed by pricking the donor's finger with a lancet. Pain associated with the procedure causes fear and anxiety, which dissuades the donors from donating blood.

METHODS

In 100 subjects, finger prick was performed using three different lancets, and the subjects were asked to score their pain on a numerical rating scale (NRS). A further 150 blood donors were subjected to routine finger pricking for Hb estimation and were asked to score their pain on an NRS. After 15 min, they underwent a second prick with application of a manoeuvre (breath holding, coughing trick or looking away) and again marked their pain scores on the NRS.

RESULTS

Participants reported the least pain scores with lancing devices that have a spring mechanism to retract the lancets soon after penetration into the skin. Breath holding and the cough trick manoeuvre reduced the perceived pain scores significantly.

CONCLUSION

Lancing devices merit consideration for routine use, and a simple manoeuvre may be applied to reduce perceived pain.

Laying the Foundation of Medical Professionalism among Pre-clinical Students: Importance of Reflection

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. Introduction: The escalating problem of unprofessionalism calls for 'teaching' medical professionalism in a more explicit manner. Early clinical exposure (ECE) presents the issues pertaining to medical professionalism to the students and reflection note writing evokes critical process of thought and analysis required for learning. The two, therefore, may be used for teaching medical professionalism. Methods:Two hundred students of Ist MBBS were taken for ECE to a medical intensive care unit (ICU). There, the students observed different ongoing activities and critical patients, a doctor discussed some cases with them and they also interacted with the relatives of patients admitted in the ICU. Thereafter, students wrote a 'reflection' note describing what did you see? so what? and now what? Students were given an Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE), one before the ECE and one after it, for assessing any change in their professional behaviour.Analysis of reflection notes was done thematically and of OSCE scores using paired t-test (p<0.05). Results: The analysis of reflection notes revealed the budding of different elements of professionalism among the students. Post-visit OSCE scores also showed significant improvement. Conclusion: Incorporation of reflection with ECE is helpful in laying the foundation of medical professionalism among pre-clinical students.