PRospective Observational Registry Evaluating the Safety and Effectivenessof Orsiro Stent in Chilean Patients - ROSES Registry

BACKGROUND

There is little information on the performance of the new generation of stents with bioabsorbable polymers in the Latin American population. This registry aimed to further validate the safety and efficacy of the Orsiro bioresorbable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent (BPSES) in unselected patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in Chilean centers.

METHODS

We prospectively enrolled patients undergoing PCI with BPSES in 6 Chilean centers. The primary endpoint was defined as the composite of cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically driven target lesion revascularization at 1-year follow-up.

RESULTS

From April 2017 to February 2019, 520 patients were enrolled in the registry, more frequently male (74.6%), with a mean age of 62.7 ± 10.8 years and a high prevalence of diabetes (40.2%). The clinical presentation was stable angina in 41.1% (n = 214), acute MI in 52.5% (n = 167 [32.1%] ST-elevation MI and n = 106 [20.4%] non-ST-elevation MI), and unstable angina in 6.3% (n = 33). Of 610 treated lesions, 425 (69.7%) were American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association type B or C lesions. Device and procedural success were achieved in 99.4% and 98.7% of the patients, respectively. The primary endpoint of the study occurred in 4%, primarily driven by cardiac death.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the ROSES multicenter registry indicated good clinical outcomes of BPSES Orsiro in all-comers Latin Americann patients undergoing PCI, despite the high-risk patients and treated lesions.

Measles is Back - Considerations for laboratory diagnosis

Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that continues to cause significant mortality among young children worldwide despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine. During the first half of 2019, over 182 countries reported more than 300,000 measles cases; greater than double the number from the same period in 2018. Timely recognition and laboratory confirmation of infected individuals as well as appropriate infection prevention measures are crucial to avert further transmission. This review highlights the importance of early recognition of the signs and symptoms of measles and provides details on the laboratory methods commonly employed to confirm cases, investigate outbreaks and characterize the virus. It's critical that clinicians, laboratorians and public health administrations work together to rapidly identify, confirm and contain the spread of measles globally.

Hydrogen positions in single nanocrystals revealed by electron diffraction

The localization of hydrogen atoms is an essential part of crystal structure analysis, but it is difficult because of their small scattering power. We report the direct localization of hydrogen atoms in nanocrystalline materials, achieved using the recently developed approach of dynamical refinement of precession electron diffraction tomography data. We used this method to locate hydrogen atoms in both an organic (paracetamol) and an inorganic (framework cobalt aluminophosphate) material. The results demonstrate that the technique can reliably reveal fine structural details, including the positions of hydrogen atoms in single crystals with micro- to nanosized dimensions.

Abstract 1286: Macrophages in the breast tumor microenvironment as a prognostic factor among race/ethnicity

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death by cancer in women in the United States. The occurrence of high numbers of macrophages in the tumor stroma has been associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in breast and other solid malignances; however macrophage numbers have not been validated as a standard prognostic factor in the clinical practice. Breast adipose tissue is also part of the breast tumor microenvironment, and macrophages are observed in fat tissue surrounding dead adipocytes in “crown-like structures” (CLS). CLS have also been associated with poor survival in breast cancer; however they are not currently used in the assessment of breast cancer prognosis in the clinical practice either. This study was designed to determine whether the numbers of CD163+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and/or CD163+ macrophages in the breast adipose tissue (CLS) are independent prognostic factors in breast cancers across three different ethnic groups, African American, Latinas and Caucasian women. We also analyzed the polarization of macrophages as pro-inflammatory M1 (CD40+) and immunosuppressive M2 (CD206+) types, across these three ethnicities. A retrospective analysis of 150 breast cancer cases encompassing these three ethnic groups was carried out. African American and Latina women present with less incidence but more aggressive breast cancer disease and therefore, proportionally higher death rates. Using immunohistochemistry (IHC), we sought to identify whether there were any associations between the numbers of CD163+ TAMs and CLS with overall survival in these groups. Our findings show a statistically significant relationship between ethnicity and CD163+ macrophages located in the breast cancer microenvironment (TAMs/CLS) and reveal that the highest numbers of CD163+ TAMs/CLS are found in African American breast cancer patients. Latinas precede Caucasian breast cancer patients when assessing the numbers of CD163+ TAMs/CLS that were found, and Caucasian breast cancer patients show the lowest number of CD163+ TAMs/CLS. Using univariate survival analysis, our results show that the numbers of CD163+ TAMs and their M2 activation profile (CD206+) are associated with lower patient survival, whereas M1 (CD40+) macrophages are associated with higher patient survival. Univariate survival analysis also shows that the number of CLS exhibiting both M2/ M1 macrophages is associated with lower patient survival. We reveal for the first time that race/ethnicity is significantly associated with the number of TAMs and CLS in breast cancer.

Citation Format: Ana M. Santander, Tulay Koru-Sengul, Feng Miao, Merce Jorda, Stephan Gluck, Consuelo Alvarez, Clara Milikowski, Osvaldo Perez, Mehrdad Nadji, Roberto Carrio, Omar Lopez-Ocejo, Marta Torroella-Kouri. Macrophages in the breast tumor microenvironment as a prognostic factor among race/ethnicity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 1286. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-1286

Phospholipid makeup of the breast adipose tissue is impacted by obesity and mammary cancer in the mouse: Results of a pilot study

Obesity, an established risk factor for breast cancer (BC), is associated with systemic inflammation. The breast contains adipose tissue (bAT), yet whether it plays a role in BC progression in obese females is being intensively studied. There is scarce knowledge on the lipid composition of bAT in health and disease. The purpose of this pilot study was: 1) to determine whether obesity and BC are associated with inflammatory changes in bAT 2) to analyze for the first time the lipid profile of bAT in obese and lean mammary tumor-bearing and normal mice. Syngeneic E0771 mammary tumor cells were implanted into the mammary fat pad of lean and diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice. BATs were analyzed four weeks after tumor cell inoculation by immunohistochemistry and mass spectrometry. Phospholipids were identified and subjected to ratiometric quantification using a TSQ Quantum Access Max triple quadrupole mass spectrometer utilizing precursor ion scan or neutral ion loss scan employing appropriate class specific lipid standards in a two step quantification process. Four main classes of phospholipids were analyzed: phosphatidylcholines phosphatidylserines, phosphatidylethanolamines and phosphatidylinositols. Our results showed that bAT in obese (normal and tumor-bearing) mice contained hypertrophic adipocytes compared with their corresponding samples in lean mice; higher numbers of macrophages and crown-like structures were observed in obese tumor bearers compared to obese normal mice. BAT from normal obese mice revealed higher concentrations of phosphatidylethanolamines. Furthermore, bAT from tumor-bearing mice expressed higher phosphatidylcholines than that from non-tumor bearing mice, suggesting the presence of the tumor is associated with phosphatidylcholines. Conversion of phosphatidylethanolamines to phosphatidylcholines will be investigated in E0771 cells. Additional studies are projected to investigate macrophage activation by these specific classes of phospholipids. Occurrence of triglycerides and free fatty acids will be examined in bAT and similar lipidomic analyses will be carried out visceral adipose tissue, highly inflamed in obesity.

Abstract 3496: Breast cancer and obesity impact the lipid composition of breast adipose tissue: a preliminary study using shotgun lipidomics

Obesity, an established risk factor for breast and other cancers, is associated with systemic inflammation and increased visceral adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is a normal constituent of the breast; however, the role of breast adipose tissue in breast cancer development, especially in the context of obesity, has not been addressed before. There is no information on the lipid composition of different fat depots in the body, especially in the context of obesity, and even less among obese tumor hosts. The study of the lipid composition of breast adipose tissue in diet-induced obese (DIO) tumor-bearing and normal mice and its impact in breast cancer progression is novel and has not been previously examined. New profiling methods employing shotgun lipidomics, a technique employed in mass spectrometric analysis using the direct loading of crude lipid extracts into an electrospray ionization source for intrasource separation and identification of numerous lipids, allow for extensive cellular lipid profiles of different tissues being accrued with relative ease. We studied the lipidomic profiles of the breast adipose tissue in lean and DIO normal and tumor bearing mice. Lipidomics analyses were performed using an electrospray triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (TSQ quantum Access Max) and class specific parent-ion or neutral loss scan in positive and negative ion mode with appropriate collision energy. The ratiometic quantification of lipids was done using class specific lipid standards. The phospholipid classes quantified were phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). Our results for the PC class reveal an association between the total carbon chain of the lipids and the lipid concentrations based on four conditions: lean control, obese control, lean tumor bearers, and obese tumor bearers. The highest total carbon chain length is associated with the obese tumor condition. The next highest total carbon chain length is associated with lean tumor condition. This demonstrates that both the presence of the tumor as well as obesity play a role in contributing to a higher number of total carbons in the lipid chains. The other lipid classes analyzed express similar patterns from the data gathered when compared to the PC lipid class. Characterizing a particular lipid signature relevant to breast cancer and obesity may allow its targeting with therapeutic purposes.

Citation Format: Osvaldo Perez, Michael Margolis, Ana M. Santander, Mitchell Martinez, Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Marta Torroella-Kouri. Breast cancer and obesity impact the lipid composition of breast adipose tissue: a preliminary study using shotgun lipidomics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3496. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3496

Abstract 1086: Paracrine interactions between macrophages, adipocytes and tumor cells in the breast cancer microenvironment of the obese female mouse contribute to tumor progression

Most studies linking obesity and cancer focus on the systemic effects of adiposity in tumorigenesis. The mammary gland has white adipose tissue required for normal gland development, yet the plausible role that this local breast fat may play in breast cancer, especially in obese females, has been overlooked. Whether obesity also promotes breast cancer through its effect in local adipose tissue inflammation and innate immune signaling in the breast, where cancer occurs, has not been thoroughly investigated. Adipocytes and tumor cells in the breast may recruit macrophages to the tumor microenvironment contributing to tumor progression, particularly in obese females. We examined the interplay between these three cell types and its effects on macrophage chemotaxis in an in vitro setting, using co-cultures of mouse peritoneal macrophages, E0771 murine mammary tumor cells and in vitro differentiated or ex vivo isolated adipocytes from murine obese fat tissue. We also exposed macrophages in vitro to the individual or mixed paracrine factors leptin, lauric acid, estrogen and CCL2 produced by fat and mammary tumor cells to study macrophage chemotaxis, cellular differentiation and M1/M2 activation profiles. Specific signaling inhibitors of these paracrine factors were used to analyze reversion of these actions and proteomics analyses was undertaken to identify novel molecules secreted by adipocytes and mammary tumor cells with actions on macrophages or on the tumor microenvironment. We centered on the adipokine leptin, which has a main role in breast cancer progression, and we showed that leptin decreases pro-inflammatory IL-12, nitric oxide and VEGF production in macrophages but does not alter IL-10 production. A novel leptin-signaling inhibitor peptide was also used in in vivo experiments with diet-induced obese female C57BL6 mice bearing the syngeneic E0771 mammary tumor cells to analyze reduction of tumor progression, tumor-associated macrophage recruitment, crown-like structures in the breast adipose tissue and tumor angiogenesis. Our results underscore the relevance of the interactions between macrophages, adipocytes and tumor cells in the breast cancer microenvironment for tumor progression and demonstrate that the synergistic actions of various paracrine factors from these different cell types play the most crucial role in macrophage recruitment and tumor progression.

Citation Format: Ana M. Santander, Tulay Koru-Sengul, Olivia Casas, Lidia Sanchez, Osvaldo Perez, Marta Torroella-Kouri. Paracrine interactions between macrophages, adipocytes and tumor cells in the breast cancer microenvironment of the obese female mouse contribute to tumor progression. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1086. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1086

[Interactions between beta1 and beta2 adrenergic receptor polymorphisms as risk factors for chronic heart failure]

BACKGROUND

Beta adrenergic receptors (AR) are highly polymorphic and important regulators of cardiovascular homeostasis. Among these, beta1 and beta2 AR regulate cardiac contractility and frequency and are important pharmacological targets.

AIM

To evaluate genotype and gene-gene interaction between beta1-AR Arg389Gly and beta2-AR Arg16Gly, Gln27Glu and Thr164Ile polymorphisms, as risk factors for HF.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Eighty chronic HF patients and eighty-eight controls matched by age and sex were genotyped for beta1-AR Arg389Gly, beta2-AR Arg16Gly, Gln27Glu and Thr164Ile polymorphisms.

RESULTS

The presence of beta2-AR Glu allele was a risk predictor for HF (odds ratio (OR) = 2.81; 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.49-5.31). Interactions that increased the risk for HF were found in patients carrying at least one of the beta2-AR Glu and beta2-AR Gly allele (OR = 3.81; 95% CI = 1.50-0.70) and beta2-AR Glu and beta1-AR Gly allele combination (OR = 5.51; 95% CI = 2.19-13.86). Furthermore, the frequency of beta2-AR Glu allele was higher among patients with a history of acute myocardial infarction (with infarction: 0.534, without: 0.313, p = 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Beta2-AR Glu allele could be a risk predictorfor HF. This risk could be enhanced by the additional presence of beta2-AR Gly16 or beta1-AR Arg389 alleles. The frequency of beta2-AR Gln27 Glu allele was higher among patients with a history of myocardial infarction.

Transfer of Inner Cell Mass Cells Derived from Bovine Nuclear Transfer Embryos into the Trophoblast of BovineIn Vitro–Produced Embryos

Presence of placental tissues from more normal noncloned embryos could reduce the pregnancy failure of somatic cloning in cattle. In this study, inner cell mass (ICM) cells of in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos was replaced with those of nuclear transfer (NT) embryos to reconstruct bovine blastocysts with ICM and trophoblast cells from NT and IVP embryos, respectively. A total of 65 of these reconstructed embryos were nonsurgically transferred to 20 recipient beef females. Of those, two females were diagnosed pregnant by ultrasonography on day 30 of gestation. One pregnancy was lost at 60-90 days of gestation, and the other recipient cow remained pregnant at day 240 of gestation; however, this female died on day 252 of gestation. Gross pathology of the internal organs of the recipient female, a large fetus, and a large placental tissue mass suggested the massive size of the fetus and placental tissue were likely involved in terminating the life of the recipient female. Biopsy samples were harvested from the skin of the dead recipient cow, the fetus and from cotyledonary tissue. Microsatellite DNA analysis of these samples revealed that the genotype of the fetus was the same as that of the NT donor cells and different from that of the recipient cow. Correspondingly, neither the fetus nor recipient cow had the same genotype with that of the fetal cotyledonary tissue. These results present the first known documented case of a bovine somatic NT pregnancy with nonclone placental tissues after transfer of a blastocyst reconstructed by a microsurgical method to exchange of ICM cells and trophoblast tissue between NT and IVP blastocysts.

Characterization of a vaccinia virus strain used to produce smallpox vaccine in Argentina between 1937 and 1970

Due to recent political developments, smallpox has re-emerged as a serious threat. We recovered and characterized an old batch of smallpox vaccine, Malbrán strain, produced between 1945 and 1949. The virus was re-isolated and characterized by sequence analysis and biological activity in animals. Phylogenetic analysis using the hemagglutinin and A45R genes showed that the Malbrán strain was closely related to the Lister strain of vaccinia virus. In animals, the Malbrán strain exhibited low pathogenicity, confirming historical records. Mice immunized with the Malbrán strain survived a lethal challenge with cowpox virus. Thus, this strain of vaccinia virus remains a viable candidate as a smallpox vaccine.

Transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration for production of embryos <i>in vitro</i>

Abstract. reproductive potential in genetically valuable animals (BEAL et al., 1992). Now that repeatable oocyte retrieval methods are being fine-tuned, it is likely these procedures will become routinely used to obtain oocytes for further gamete and embryo research and also by seedstock producers for in vitro embryo production from farm animals in the commercial sector. The use of transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration and IVF procedure does offer an alternative to cattle producers who have genetically valuable cows that for some reason are unable to produce viable embryos through standard embryo collection procedures. This technology can be used on oocytes harvested from older ovulating or nonovulating cows, females with physical injuries (e.g., fractured leg) and problem cows having an abnormal cervix. Good success has been reported using IVF procedures on oocytes obtained from supplemental follicles of cows with cystic ovarian disease. With IVF the potential exists for more embryos to be produced in a shorter period of time, since the procedure can be repeated on the same cow 3 to 4 times or more a month. At this station, we are harvesting oocytes from early postpartum (< 40 days) beef and dairy cattle, before the female begins cyclic activity. The approach allows the opportunity to produce one or more extra calves from the cow before she is mated for a natural pregnancy. Currently, transvaginal ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration is now being used to harvest valuable oocytes from minor farm animal breeds, from domestic females representing rare bloodlines, clinically infertile females and reproductively senescent cows. Research continues to find applications for this technology, including harvesting oocytes from young prepubertal heifers and early postpartum beef cows for in vitro embryo production. The use of ultrasound-guided oocyte aspiration should not be overlooked to obtain oocytes for in vitro embryo production and to aid in germplasm preservation of endangered exotic species.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of myoseverin derivatives: microtubule assembly inhibitors

Myoseverin, a trisubstituted purine, inhibits microtubule assembly in vitro, interferes with normal mitotic spindle assembly, and arrests the cell cycle in mitosis in U937 cells. We synthesized a variety of myoseverin derivatives and screened them for inhibition of spindle assembly in Xenopus egg extracts and for microtubule disassembly in vitro. Selected compounds were tested against 60 cancer cell lines at the National Cancer Institute as possible anticancer drug candidates.

Myoseverin, a microtubule-binding molecule with novel cellular effects

A new microtubule-binding molecule, myoseverin, was identified from a library of 2,6,9-trisubstituted purines in a morphological differentiation screen. Myoseverin induces the reversible fission of multinucleated myotubes into mononucleated fragments. Myotube fission promotes DNA synthesis and cell proliferation after removal of the compound and transfer of the cells to fresh growth medium. Transcriptional profiling and biochemical analysis indicate that myoseverin alone does not reverse the biochemical differentiation process. Instead, myoseverin affects the expression of a variety of growth factor, immunomodulatory, extracellular matrix-remodeling, and stress response genes, consistent with the activation of pathways involved in wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Preprocessed multiobject joint transform correlator

The performance of a joint transform correlator (JTC) in a multiobject environment is improved by the use of a Roberts operator to preprocess the input joint image. This technique yields significantly better results than the classical JTC, and it also avoids the false alarms and reduces the overall computation overhead required in a binary JTC.

Materno-fetal transmission of pregnancy malaria: an immunoparasitological study on 202 parturients in Maputo

A total of 202 delivering mothers and their newborns were studied with the intention to follow the materno-fetal transmission of malaria. Malaria infection was encountered in 35 cases (17.3%) in which Plasmodium falciparum predominated in peripheral blood while P. malariae predominated on the placental surface. In cord blood P. falciparum was encountered in 1.5% of the cases. There was slightly more maternal infection in rural (23%) than in suburban areas (19%). Less malaria infection was encountered in primiparas than in multiparas and there was similar antibody response in both mothers and their newborns. Anaemia was encountered in 70% of the mothers and in 93% of the newborns. There was no significant correlation between low birthweight of the newborn and malaria parasitaemia in the mother.

Angiostrongylus cantonensis: role of eosinophils in the neurotoxic syndrome (Gordon-like phenomenon)

The role of eosinophils in the pathophysiology of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infections was investigated in nonpermissive (guinea pig) and permissive (rat) hosts. Neurological symptoms similar to the Gordon phenomenon (ataxia, tremor, paralysis) together with a loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum were observed after intracraneal injection of human eosinophil extracts or after infection with A. cantonensis, only in guinea pigs and not in rats. Blood eosinophilia as well as eosinophil numbers present in the cerebellum and in the cerebrospinal fluid were higher in guinea pigs than in rats, at all times after infection with A. cantonensis. Increased levels of cytotoxicity toward L3 larvae in vitro were obtained in the presence of guinea pig eosinophils and IgE antibodies, rather than with the corresponding rat effector system. The detection of one eosinophil granule component, the eosinophil peroxidase, in the cerebrospinal fluid from infected guinea pigs but not from rats suggested that in nonpermissive hosts, neurological disorders, similar to the previously described Gordon phenomenon, might be due to eosinophil neurotoxins released after interaction of eosinophils with the parasites.

Brugia malayi microfilariae share epitopes with Aedes aegypti

Shared antigens between Brugia malayi and Aedes aegypti were studied. The experiments carried out with sera from infected Mastomys natalensis indicated that an immunological response against A. aegypti antigens (Mr 185, 35, 32 kDa) appeared often when animals became microfilaraemic and increased progressively in intensity during the time-course of infection. Sera of animals immunized with B. malayi reacted with the crude extract of mosquitoes and conversely, antibodies from animals immunized with A. aegypti reacted with the surface of B. malayi microfilariae. The implications of these findings of the natural history of B. malayi infection are discussed.