Increased levels of GM-CSF and CXCL10 and low CD8+ memory stem T Cell count are markers of immunosenescence and severe COVID-19 in older people

BACKGROUND

Ageing leads to altered immune responses, resulting in higher susceptibility to certain infections in the elderly. Immune ageing is a heterogeneous process also associated with inflammaging, a low-grade chronic inflammation. Altered cytotoxic T cell responses and cytokine storm have previously been described in severe COVID-19 cases, however the parameters responsible for such immune response failures are not well known. The aim of our study was to characterize CD8+ T cells and cytokines associated with ageing, in a cohort of patients aged over 70 years stratified by COVID-19 severity.

RESULTS

One hundred and four patients were included in the study. We found that, in older people, COVID-19 severity was associated with (i) higher level of GM-CSF, CXCL10 (IP-10), VEGF, IL-1β, CCL2 (MCP-1) and the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), (ii) increased terminally differentiated CD8+T cells, and (ii) decreased early precursors CD8+ T stem cell-like memory cells (TSCM) and CD27+CD28+. The cytokines mentioned above were found at higher concentrations in the COVID-19+ older cohort compared to a younger cohort in which they were not associated with disease severity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlight the particular importance of the myeloid lineage in COVID-19 severity among older people. As GM-CSF and CXCL10 were not associated with COVID-19 severity in younger patients, they may represent disease severity specific markers of ageing and should be considered in older people care.

Protocol for fever control using external cooling in mechanically ventilated patients with septic shock: SEPSISCOOL II randomised controlled trial

INTRODUCTION

Fever treatment is commonly applied in patients with sepsis but its impact on survival remains undetermined. Patients with respiratory and haemodynamic failure are at the highest risk for not tolerating the metabolic cost of fever. However, fever can help to control infection. Treating fever with paracetamol has been shown to be less effective than cooling. In the SEPSISCOOL pilot study, active fever control by external cooling improved organ failure recovery and early survival. The main objective of this confirmatory trial is to assess whether fever control at normothermia can improve the evolution of organ failure and mortality at day 60 of febrile patients with septic shock. This study will compare two strategies within the first 48 hours of septic shock: treatment of fever with cooling or no treatment of fever.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

SEPSISCOOL II is a pragmatic, investigator-initiated, adaptive, multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled, superiority trial in patients admitted to the intensive care unit with febrile septic shock. After stratification based on the acute respiratory distress syndrome status, patients will be randomised between two arms: (1) cooling and (2) no cooling. The primary endpoint is mortality at day 60 after randomisation. The secondary endpoints include the evolution of organ failure, early mortality and tolerance. The target sample size is 820 patients.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study is funded by the French health ministry and was approved by the ethics committee CPP Nord Ouest II (Amiens, France). The results will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT04494074.

Risk factors for thromboembolic events in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia in a general ward and requiring treatment with oxygen

PURPOSE

To assess risk factors for arterial and venous thromboses (AVT) in patients hospitalized in general wards for COVID-19 pneumonia and requiring oxygen therapy.

METHODS

Our study was based on three randomized studies conducted as part of the CORIMUNO-19 platform in France between 27 March and 26 April 2020. Adult inpatients with COVID-19 pneumonia requiring at least 3 l/min of oxygen but not ventilation were randomized to receive standard care alone or standard care plus biologics. Patients were followed up for 3 months, and adverse events were documented. Risk factor for AVT and bleeding was identified by analyzing clinical, laboratory, and treatment data at baseline among the 315 patients with complete datasets. A Fine and Gray model was used to take account of competing events.

RESULTS

During the 3-month follow-up period, 39 AVT occurred in 38 (10%) of the 388 patients: 26 deep vein thromboses and/or pulmonary embolisms in 25 (6%) patients, and 14 arterial thrombotic events in 13 (3%) patients. A history of diabetes at inclusion [sHR (95% CI) = 2.65 (1.19-5.91), P = .017] and the C-reactive protein (CRP) level (sHR = 1 [1-1.01], P = .049) were significantly associated with an elevated risk of thrombosis. Obesity was not associated with a higher risk of thrombosis (sHR = 1.01 [0.4-2.57], P = .98). The CRP level and diabetes were not risk factors for hemorrhage.

CONCLUSION

Among patients hospitalized in general wards for COVID-19 pneumonia during the first wave of the epidemic, diabetes (but not obesity) and a high CRP level were risk factors for AVT. The use of higher doses of anticoagulant in these high-risk patients could be considered.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome, recurrent thromboembolism, and bleeding after upper extremity vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND

Data on complications after upper extremity vein thrombosis (UEVT) are limited and heterogeneous.

METHODS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pooled proportions of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence, bleeding, and post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) in patients with UEVT. A systematic literature review was conducted of PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases from January 2000 to April 2023 in accordance with the PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. All studies included patients with UEVT and were published in English. Meta-analyses of VTE recurrence, bleeding, and of PTS after UEVT were performed to compute pooled estimates and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Subgroup analyses of cancer-associated UEVT and catheter-associated venous thrombosis were conducted. Patients with Paget-Schroetter syndrome or effort thrombosis were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 55 studies with 15,694 patients were included. The pooled proportions for VTE recurrence, major bleeding, and PTS were 4.8% (95% CI, 3.8%-6.2%), 3.0% (95% CI, 2.2%-4.0%), and 23.8% (95% CI, 17.0%-32.3%), respectively. The pooled proportion of VTE recurrence was 2.7% (95% CI, 1.6%-4.6%) for patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), 1.7% (95% CI, 0.8%-3.7%) for patients treated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), and 4.4% (95% CI, 1.5%-11.8%) for vitamin K antagonists (VKAs; P = .36). The pooled proportion was 6.3% (95% CI, 4.3%-9.1%) for cancer patients compared with 3.1% (95% CI, 2.1%-4.6%) for patients without cancer (P = .01). The pooled proportion of major bleeding for patients treated with DOACs, LMWH, and VKAs, was 2.1% (95% CI, 0.9%-5.1%), 3.2% (95% CI, 1.4%-7.2%), and 3.4% (95% CI, 1.4%-8.4%), respectively (P = .72). The pooled proportion of PTS for patients treated with DOACs, LMWH, and VKAs was 11.8% (95% CI, 6.5%-20.6%), 27.9% (95% CI, 20.9%-36.2%), and 24.5% (95% CI, 17.6%-33.1%), respectively (P = .02).

CONCLUSIONS

The results from this study suggest that UEVT is associated with significant rates of PTS and VTE recurrence. Treatment with DOACs might be associated with lower PTS rates than treatment with other anticoagulants.

Regulatory T cells infiltrate the tumor-induced tertiary lymphoïd structures and are associated with poor clinical outcome in NSCLC

On one hand, regulatory T cells (Tregs) play an immunosuppressive activity in most solid tumors but not all. On the other hand, the organization of tumor-infiltrating immune cells into tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) is associated with long-term survival in most cancers. Here, we investigated the role of Tregs in the context of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)-associated TLS. We observed that Tregs show a similar immune profile in TLS and non-TLS areas. Autologous tumor-infiltrating Tregs inhibit the proliferation and cytokine secretion of CD4⁺ conventional T cells, a capacity which is recovered by antibodies against Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte-Associated protein-4 (CTLA-4) and Glucocorticoid-Induced TNFR-Related protein (GITR) but not against other immune checkpoint (ICP) molecules. Tregs in the whole tumor, including in TLS, are associated with a poor outcome of NSCLC patients, and combination with TLS-dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8⁺ T cells allows higher overall survival discrimination. Thus, Targeting Tregs especially in TLS may represent a major challenge in order to boost anti-tumor immune responses initiated in TLS.

Adenoma detection rate is enough to assess endoscopist performance: a population-based observational study of FIT-positive colonoscopies

Background and study aims  Neoplasia-related indicators, such as adenoma detection rate (ADR), are a priority in the quality improvement process for colonoscopy. Our aim was to assess and compare different detection and characterization indicators in fecal immunochemical test (FIT)-positive colonoscopies, to determine associated factors, and to propose benchmarks. Patients and methods  Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from all colonoscopies performed between 2015 and 2019 after a positive quantitative FIT in the population-based colorectal cancer screening program conducted in Alsace, part of the French national program. Detection indicators included ADR, mean number of adenomas per colonoscopy, and proximal serrated lesion (SL) detection rate. Characterization indicators included rate of non-neoplastic polyp (NNP) detection. Results  Overall, 13,067 FIT-positive colonoscopies were evaluated, performed by 80 community gastroenterologists. The overall ADR was 57.6 %, and a 10 µg/g increase in fecal hemoglobin concentration was significantly associated with higher ADR (odds ratio [95 % confidence interval] = 1.02 [1.02-1.03]). Endoscopists whose ADR was ≥ 55 % were high detectors for all neoplasia, including proximal SLs and number of adenomas. The rate of detection of NNPs was 39.5 % in highest detectors (ADR > 70 %), significantly higher than in lower detectors (21.4 %) ( P  < 0.001). There was a strong correlation between detection and characterization indicators, e. g. between rates of detection of proximal SLs and NNPs (Pearson = 0.73; P  < 0.01). Conclusions  A single indicator, ADR, is enough to assess endoscopist performance for both detection and characterization in routine practice provided the minimum target standard is raised and a maximum standard is added: 55 % and 70 % for FIT-positive colonoscopies, respectively.

Quality of life in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma receiving the combination encorafenib plus binimetinib: Results from a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase III study (COLUMBUS)

BACKGROUND

In COLUMBUS, treatment with encorafenib plus binimetinib in patients with advanced BRAF-mutant melanoma showed improved progression-free and overall survival with favourable tolerability compared to vemurafenib treatment. Here, results on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are presented.

METHODS

COLUMBUS was a two-part, open-label, randomised, phase III study in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma. In PART-I, 577 patients were randomised (1:1:1) to encorafenib plus binimetinib, encorafenib or vemurafenib. The primary objective was to assess progression-free survival. As a secondary objective, HRQoL was assessed by the EQ-5D, the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the FACT-M questionnaires. Furthermore, time to definitive 10% deterioration was estimated with a Kaplan-Meier analysis and differences in mean scores between groups were calculated with a mixed-effect model for repeated measures. Hospitalisation rate and the impact of hospitalisation on HRQoL were also assessed.

RESULTS

Patients receiving the combination treatment showed improvement of their FACT-M and EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status scores, compared to those receiving vemurafenib (post-baseline score differences: 3.03 [p < 0.0001] for FACT M and 5.28 [p = 0.0042] for EORTC QLQ-C30), indicative of a meaningful change in patient's status. Furthermore, a delay in the deterioration of QoL was observed in non-hospitalised patients compared to hospitalised patients (hazard ratio [95% CI]: 1.16 [0.80; 1.68] for EORTC QLQ-C30 and 1.27 [0.81; 1.99] for FACT-M) and a risk reduction of 10% deterioration, favoured the combination in both groups.

CONCLUSION

The improved efficacy of encorafenib plus binimetinib compared to vemurafenib, translates into a positive impact on the perceived health status as assessed by the HRQoL questionnaires. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01909453 and EudraCT number 2013-001176-38.