Citations

AbstractStaphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), which is produced by the major human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, represents a powerful superantigenic toxin and is considered a bioweapon. However, the contribution of SEB to S. aureus pathogenesis has never been directly demonstrated with genetically defined mutants in clinically relevant strains. Many isolates of the predominant Asian community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus lineage sequence type (ST) 59 harbor seb, implying a significant role of SEB in the observed hypervirulence of this lineage. We created an isogenic seb mutant in a representative ST59 isolate and assessed its virulence potential in mouse infection models. We detected a significant contribution of seb to systemic ST59 infection that was associated with a cytokine storm. Our results directly demonstrate that seb contributes to S. aureus pathogenesis, suggesting the value of including SEB as a target in multipronged antistaphylococcal drug development strategies. Furthermore, they indicate that seb contributes to fatal exacerbation of community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus infection.

Abstract Mannose phosphate isomerase‐congenital disorder of glycosylation (MPI‐CDG) deficiency is a rare subtype of congenital disorders of protein N ‐glycosylation. It is characterised by deficiency of MPI caused by pathogenic variants in MPI gene. The manifestation of MPI‐CDG is different from other CDGs as the patients suffer dominantly from gastrointestinal and hepatic involvement whereas they usually do not present intellectual disability or neurological impairment. It is also one of the few treatable subtypes of CDGs with proven effect of oral mannose. This article covers a complex review of the literature and recommendations for the management of MPI‐CDG with an emphasis on the clinical aspect of the disease. A team of international experts elaborated summaries and recommendations for diagnostics, differential diagnosis, management, and treatment of each system/organ involvement based on evidence‐based data and experts' opinions. Those guidelines also reveal more questions about MPI‐CDG which need to be further studied.

Background: Nonrheumatic valvular diseases are common; however, no studies have estimated their global or national burden. As part of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017, mortality, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD), degenerative mitral valve disease, and other nonrheumatic valvular diseases were estimated for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017. Methods: Vital registration data, epidemiologic survey data, and administrative hospital data were used to estimate disease burden using the Global Burden of Disease Study modeling framework, which ensures comparability across locations. Geospatial statistical methods were used to estimate disease for all countries, because data on nonrheumatic valvular diseases are extremely limited for some regions of the world, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Results accounted for estimated level of disease severity as well as the estimated availability of valve repair or replacement procedures. DALYs and other measures of health-related burden were generated for both sexes and each 5-year age group, location, and year from 1990 to 2017. Results: Globally, CAVD and degenerative mitral valve disease caused 102 700 (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 82 700–107 900) and 35 700 (95% UI, 30 500–42 500) deaths, and 12.6 million (95% UI, 11.4 million–13.8 million) and 18.1 million (95% UI, 17.6 million–18.6 million) prevalent cases existed in 2017, respectively. A total of 2.5 million (95% UI, 2.3 million–2.8 million) DALYs were estimated as caused by nonrheumatic valvular diseases globally, representing 0.10% (95% UI, 0.09%–0.11%) of total lost health from all diseases in 2017. The number of DALYs increased for CAVD and degenerative mitral valve disease between 1990 and 2017 by 101% (95% UI, 79%–117%) and 35% (95% UI, 23%–47%), respectively. There is significant geographic variation in the prevalence, mortality rate, and overall burden of these diseases, with highest age-standardized DALY rates of CAVD estimated for high-income countries. Conclusions: These global and national estimates demonstrate that CAVD and degenerative mitral valve disease are important causes of disease burden among older adults. Efforts to clarify modifiable risk factors and improve access to valve interventions are necessary if progress is to be made toward reducing, and eventually eliminating, the burden of these highly treatable diseases.

Abstract Aims The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of aspirin on prognosis in takotsubo syndrome (TTS). Methods and results Patients from the International Takotsubo (InterTAK) Registry were categorized into two groups based on aspirin prescription at discharge. A comparison of clinical outcomes between groups was performed using an adjusted analysis with propensity score (PS) stratification; results from the unadjusted analysis were also reported to note the effect of the PS adjustment. Major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE: a composite of death, myocardial infarction, TTS recurrence, stroke or transient ischaemic attack) were assessed at 30-day and 5-year follow-up. A total of 1533 TTS patients with known status regarding aspirin prescription at discharge were included. According to the adjusted analysis based on PS stratification, aspirin was not associated with a lower hazard of MACCE at 30-day [hazard ratio (HR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.50–3.04, P = 0.64] or 5-year follow-up (HR 1.11, 95% CI 0.78–1.58, P = 0.58). These results were confirmed by sensitivity analyses performed with alternative PS-based methods, i.e. covariate adjustment and inverse probability of treatment weighting. Conclusion In the present study, no association was found between aspirin use in TTS patients and a reduced risk of MACCE at 30-day and 5-year follow-up. These findings should be confirmed in adequately powered randomized controlled trials. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01947621.

Abstract Background Myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET) are myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) whose associated disease burden includes a range of debilitating symptoms, thrombosis, hemorrhage, and shortened survival. To enhance patient care, it is important to understand the impact of MPNs in patients' lives; however, little is known regarding how these conditions affect patients' quality of life (QOL), activities of daily living, productivity, and emotional well-being. The US LANDMARK survey (Mesa et al. BMC Cancer 2016) captured data for US patients. Here, we present an interim analysis of results of another MPN LANDMARK survey conducted in the rest of the world. Methodology MPN LANDMARK survey is a cross-sectional survey of MPN patients across 6 countries (Australia, Canada, Germany, Japan, Italy, and UK). Patients completed an online questionnaire to measure MPN related symptoms experienced over the past 12 months and the impact of their condition on their QOL and ability to work. Additional questions related to employment productivity and activity impairment (including absenteeism and loss of productivity over the past 7 days). Patients included in this interim analysis had completed the survey by July 18, 2016, with enrollment continuing in all countries. Results Patients: Overall, 437 patients had completed the survey (98 MF, 121 PV, 218 ET). For MF and PV, the male to female gender split was relatively even (54% male for each), whereas an expected greater proportion of ET patients was female (70%). Patients with MF were significantly older than PV and ET patients (mean ages, 62, 59, and 55 years, respectively) and more had been diagnosed within 2 years of experiencing their symptoms (83% MF, 67% PV, 71% ET). MPN Symptoms (Table): Most patients (94%) experienced MPN-related symptoms in the past 12 months. The most commonly reported symptom among all subtypes was fatigue (69% MF, 62% PV, 73% ET), incidence of other common symptoms varied depending on disease subtype (MF: shortness of breath [38%], bruising [36%], night sweats [35%], early satiety [33%]; PV: night sweats [36%], trouble concentrating [36%], trouble sleeping [34%], dizziness [34%]; ET: trouble sleeping [37%], dizziness [37%], bruising [35%], night sweats [35%]). When asked which symptom patients would most like to have resolved, most patients preferred to have feeling of fatigue/tiredness improved across all disease subtypes (31% MF, 30% PV, 33% ET). Patients experienced an average of 6.4 symptoms at diagnosis but this progressed to an average of 7.6 symptoms since diagnosis after a median time of 6 years. QOL: A majority of patients indicated that they experienced a reduction in QOL due to MPN symptoms (87% MF, 71% PV, 73% ET) with 33% and 26% of MF and ET patients expressing that their condition has caused emotional hardship, and one-third of patients with PV reporting that they have felt worried or anxious about their disease (39%). MPN Impact on Activity/Employment: Patients reported a high impact on their ability to work, 12% reported voluntarily leaving their job, 10% had taken early retirement, 10% had moved onto disability living allowance, 8% moved to a lower paid job, and 2% experienced involuntary loss of work (Table). Of the patients who were in full-time or part-time employment at the time of the survey (MF [n=17]), PV [n=41], ET [n=98]), approximately, 40% had been absent from work within the past 7 days; this was the highest in MF patients (41% MF, 38% PV, 33% ET). On an average, over the past 7 days, MF patients had missed 3.1 hours from work, PV patients 2.3 hours and ET patients 2 hours. Across all subgroups, a substantial proportion of patients reported impairment in work (mean: 34% MF, 33% PV, 31% ET) and overall activity (mean: 46% MF, 42% PV, 39% ET). Conclusions This interim analysis from the MPN LANDMARK survey indicates that MPN patients experience a high burden of disease, including a high prevalence of symptoms, an increase in the number of symptoms from diagnosis and reduction of their emotional well-being, QOL, and ability to work. These results are consistent with those from the previous US LANDMARK survey with the addition of novel data on how MPNs impact work. When treating MPN patients, care should be taken in trying to manage a patient's disease burden, so as to minimize the impact on a patient's daily life. Further results from additional survey responses will be presented at the congress. Disclosures Harrison: Baxaltra: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: travel, accommodations, expenses, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte Corporation: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Shire: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Koschmieder:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Foltz:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Koehler:Novartis Inc. (Germany): Consultancy, Other: Training. Komatsu:Shire: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Boothroyd:Novartis: Employment, Equity Ownership. Spierer:Novartis: Employment. Ronco:Novartis: Employment. Taylor-Stokes:Adelphi Real World: Employment. Waller:Adelphi Real World: Employment. Mesa:Celgene: Research Funding; Galena: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; CTI: Research Funding; Ariad: Consultancy; Incyte: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Promedior: Research Funding.

Abstract Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy observed in the pediatric population. Recent genomic studies have made considerable strides in improving our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of pediatric B-cell ALL. This includes the discovery of recurrent somatic alterations targeting B-cell transcription factors, mutations in epigenetic regulators, and oncogenic mutations which activate signaling effectors, including in Ph-like B-ALL. However, the molecular pathogenesis of adult B-cell ALL has been less well studied, and there is a need to identify novel therapeutic targets in adult B-ALL. We therefore performed detailed genomic profiling in adults with B-cell ALL. We performed targeted DNA/RNA capture and sequencing of 189 patients with B-cell ALL enrolled on the ECOG E2993 clinical trial. All samples were taken at the time of diagnosis before patients were treated with multi-agent chemotherapy and followed for clinical outcomes including overall survival and remission/relapse duration and kinetics. We used the FoundationOne® Heme assay for our genomics study. This platform allows us to identify short events (point substitutions, short insertions/deletions) copy number and fusion events present in DNA and/or RNA. Of the 203 samples profiled, 189 had sufficient quality genomic data with a median coverage of 435 on DNA sequencing and 7.85 million on target distinct reads per case on RNA sequencing. In all, we identified cancer-related mutations in 108 genes, 55 of these genes being mutated in more than one sample. We identified a median of 2.98 genomic alterations per sample (standard deviation of 1.78) in the target gene set, which included all genes known to be altered in B-ALL and in other hematologic malignancies. The most common genomic events were the BCR-ABL1 fusion (69 samples, 36.5%), followed by CDKN2A loss (57 samples, 30%), CDKN2B loss (35 samples, 18%), NRAS and KRAS point mutations (32 samples, 16.9%), and MLL fusion genes with a spectrum of partners (25 samples, 13.2%). Notably, we found that BCR-ABL1 fusion are mutually exclusive with both RAS mutations (p<10^-7) and MLL mutations (p<5*10^-4). We next investigated the spectrum and frequency of alterations observed in different classes of oncogenes/tumor suppressors. We identified mutations which result in activation of oncogenic signaling pathways in 130 cases or 68.7% of our cohort. This included known mutations/fusions, such as BCR-ABL, RAS-MAPK pathway mutations, and JAK-STAT pathway alterations, and included missense alleles, insertion/deletion events, and fusion genes targeting a spectrum of genes including ABL, PDGFRB, and CRLF2. In aggregate, 33.8% of the cohort had mutations which activate signaling exclusive of BCR-ABL, demonstrating the high prevalence of the Ph-like B-ALL subtype in adult B-ALL. We identified mutations affecting key transcription factors, including PAX5 and IKZF1, in 31.2% of our cohort including missense, nonsense and deletion events. To confirm our ability to detect small deletions of PAX5 and IKZF1, we performed array CGH of 50 cases and compared copy number calls using high-throughput sequencing and CGH. Of note, all deletions targeting PAX5 and IKZF1 identified by NGS were confirmed by CGH. We also identified mutations in epigenetic regulators in 30.6% of cases, including MLL fusions, mutations in the DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation the pathway (DNMT3A, TET1, TET2), and mutations targeted chromatin modulators. Detailed analyses of the mutational spectra and their relationship to clinical outcome will be presented at the meeting. Taken together, these data show we can use a clinically validated sequencing assay to identify known and novel somatic mutations in adult B-ALL, including sequence alterations, rearrangements and copy number aberrations. These data demonstrate the feasibility of combined DNA and RNA study to identify a complex landscape of fusions and short mutations with prognostic and therapeutic relevance, and inform the use of genomic profiling in B-ALL in the clinical context. Figure 1. Figure 1. Disclosures He: Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Brennan:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Nahas:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Balassubramanian:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Otto:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Lipson:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Stephens:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. Miller:Foundation Medicine, Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership. van den Brink:Boehringer Ingelheim: Consultancy, Other: Advisory board attendee; Merck: Honoraria; Regeneron: Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Tobira Therapeutics: Other: Advisory board attendee. Rowe:Amgen: Consultancy; BioSight Ltd.: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BioLineRx Ltd.: Consultancy. Levine:Foundation Medicine: Consultancy; CTI BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Loxo Oncology: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.