Citations

Introduction: Liver transplantation (LT) provides significant survival benefits to patients with unresectable HCC. In the United States, organ allocation policies for HCCs within the United Network for Organ Sharing criteria do not prioritize patients based on their differences in oncological characteristics. This study assessed whether transplant-associated survival benefits (TASBs) vary among patients with different tumor burden scores (TBS) measured at the time of listing. Methods: We analyzed data from adults applying for HCC MELD exception points between 2002 and 2019, with follow-up until December 2023, using the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients. TBS was determined based on the largest tumor diameter and number of HCCs. Patients were categorized into low (≤3), intermediate (3.1–5), and high (>5) TBS groups. TASB was measured as the difference in 5-year survival with and without LT. Results: This study included 36,634 LT candidates. High-TBS patients had higher waitlist dropout rates and marginally lower post-transplant survival, resulting in a significantly greater TASB. The 5-year TASB for the low, intermediate, and high TBS groups were 15.7, 22.1, and 25.0 months, respectively. The adjusted survival benefit expressed in 5-year survival differences was 21.9%, 34.5%, and 39.4% in the low, intermediate, and high TBS groups, respectively ( p <0.001). Conclusions: Higher TBS during listing correlates with greater LT benefits for patients with unresectable HCC within UNOS criteria. We conclude that organ allocation policies in the United States should prioritize patients with high TBS due to their increased risk of dropout and comparable post-transplant survival when compared to patients with less advanced tumors.

ABSTRACTType 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), characterized by insulin resistance, is closely associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cerebrovascular dysfunction is manifested in both T2DM and AD, and is often considered as a pathological link between the two diseases. Insulin signaling regulates critical functions of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), and endothelial insulin resistance could lead to BBB dysfunction, aggravating AD pathology. However, insulin signaling is intrinsically dynamic and involves interactions among numerous molecular mediators. Hence, a mechanistic systems biology model is needed to understand how insulin regulates BBB physiology and the consequences of its impairment in T2DM and AD. In this study, we investigated the pharmacodynamic effect of insulin on the expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1), a marker of cerebrovascular inflammation. Intriguingly, normal insulin concentrations selectively activated the PI3K‐AKT pathway, leading to decreased VCAM1 expression. However, exposure to supraphysiological insulin levels, which is present in insulin resistance, activated both PI3K‐AKT and MEK–ERK pathways, and increased VCAM1 expression. We developed a mathematical model that adequately described the dynamics of various insulin signaling nodes and VCAM1 expression. Further, the model was integrated with in vitro proteomics and transcriptomics data from AD patients to simulate VCAM1 expression under pathological conditions. This approach allowed us to establish a quantitative systems pharmacology framework to investigate BBB dysfunction in AD and metabolic syndrome, thereby offering opportunities to identify specific disruptions in molecular networks that will enable us to identify novel therapeutic targets.

Case: A 67-year-old woman sustained a periprosthetic tibial tubercle avulsion fracture with extensor mechanism disruption. She underwent open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) with orthogonal mini-fragment plates applied in a tension band fashion with patellar tendon suture augmentation. Radiographs, range of motion, and patient-reported outcomes were completed over 1 year. Conclusion: Isolated periprosthetic tibial tubercle fractures with disruption of the extensor mechanism can be treated with ORIF using orthogonal tension band plating. At 1-year follow-up, the surgical technique described in this report yielded radiographic union, clinical restoration of preinjury motion, and excellent patient-reported outcomes.

Abstract Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic disorder of gut-brain interaction that impacts a significant portion of the population and is associated with substantial morbidity, reduced quality of life, and economic impact globally. The pathophysiology of IBS is complex and incompletely understood, and the heterogeneity of IBS is reflected in the variety of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical therapies utilized for the management of IBS. Given limitations with pharmaceutical treatments, many patients with IBS seek non-pharmaceutical options. Several non-pharmaceutical treatments such as the low FODMAP diet and brain-gut behavior interventions such as gut directed hypnosis and cognitive behavioral therapy are now considered standard of care and are part of all major guidelines for the treatment of IBS. However, challenges with access to and optimal implementation of these therapies remain. This review focuses on the current evidence for common non-pharmaceutical treatments for IBS, including the latest advances in dietary and brain-gut behavioral care, in addition other complementary and integrative health practices and emerging therapies.

Overview: Despite advances in therapies targeting the tumor-intrinsic aspects of the disease, multiple myeloma (MM) remains functionally incurable. Given that new alternatives such as T cell redirected therapy and monoclonal antibodies engage ADCC and CDC by leveraging other elements of the immune system, we believe that deeper studies of the tumor microenvironment are warranted. In particular, we believe that certain macrophages are associated with tumor progression, serve as markers of future relapses, are immunosuppressive, and reduce the effectiveness of otherwise successful therapies. Methods: We performed 5' scRNAseq analysis of 189,025 cells collected from spleen or bone marrow of 4 wild type, 14 de novo, and 40 tumor bearing Vk*MYC mice treated with vehicle or effective anti-MM therapies. Discoveries were cross-referenced against a set of 45,626 human bone marrow cells collected from 35 samples at different stages of disease and treatment. We experimentally recreated in vitro the cross-talk between MM cells and macrophages by co-culturing bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDM) with MM cells or their conditioned medium, and correlated changes in gene expression as well as the ability of polarized BMDM to inhibit CAR T mediated killing of MM cells in vitro. Results: Gene expression analysis of murine in vivo C1q macrophages and in vitro polarized BMDM revealed a common signature identified in lipid-associated macrophages and Kupffer cell-like macrophages1 (high expression of Fabp5, ApoE, Cd63, C1qa/b/c, Cd163, Cd5l, Vcam1, Fcgr4, Folr2, Maf) which is associated with immunosuppression and disease progression. Ligand-receptor analysis via LIANA identified C1qb ligand in macrophages with C1qbp in tumor among the top interactions in both human and murine single cell analyses. C1qbp is a crucial element of cell adhesion and metastasis,2 and this link between tumor and macrophage can severely limit effective therapy: BMDM following stimulation/polarization with MM lines, but not naïve/unstimulated BMDM, strongly inhibit anti-BCMA CAR T in vitro cytotoxic activity. In total, a complement-related connection between tumor and macrophage is capable of directing an immunosuppressive, chemokine response that imparts resistance to therapy. While effective therapies reduce tumor and C1q expressing macrophage populations,3 retention of C1q expressing cells may be associated with future relapses. Presence of a specific subset of C1Q expressing cells, even in very low numbers, in human samples following ASCT was associated with early relapse (6 of 8 good responding samples had zero C1Q+ cells while 12 of 16 poor responding samples had 1 or more C1Q+ cells-Fisher test p-value &lt; 0.05). In addition to high expression of C1QA/B/C, these cells are also highly upregulated in TYROBP (known to relate to macrophage polarization4 and found in a spatial transcriptomic analysis of cells at the periphery of MM and its environment5) as well as FCER1G (known to relate to macrophage infiltration6). Conclusion: As advanced therapies manipulate elements of the immune microenvironment to impart effective treatment, the connection between tumor and macrophage should not be overlooked since macrophages likely help create an immunosuppressive niche that assists in disease growth and eventual revival. 1. Ma, R.-Y., Black, A. & Qian, B.-Z. Macrophage diversity in cancer revisited in the era of single-cell omics. Trends Immunol. 43, 546-563 (2022). 2. Wang, Y. et al. C1QBP suppresses cell adhesion and metastasis of renal carcinoma cells. Sci. Rep. 7, 999 (2017). 3. Stein, C. K., Meermeier, E., Welsh, S. J., Chesi, M. & Bergsagel, P. L. Key Subsets of Immune Cells in Bone Marrow Myeloid Compartment Indicate Degree of Tumor Infiltration and Avenues for Successful Immunotherapy in Multiple Myeloma. Blood 140, 7082-7083 (2022). 4. Liang, T. et al. TYROBP, TLR4 and ITGAM regulated macrophages polarization and immune checkpoints expression in osteosarcoma. Sci. Rep. 11, 19315 (2021). 5. Sudupe, L. et al. Spatial Transcriptomics Unveils Novel Potential Mechanisms of Disease in a MI cγ1 Multiple Myeloma in vivo Model. Blood 142, 4076 (2023). 6. Dong, K. et al. FCER1G positively relates to macrophage infiltration in clear cell renal cell carcinoma and contributes to unfavorable prognosis by regulating tumor immunity. BMC Cancer 22, 140 (2022).

Introduction/Background: Bispecific T cell engagers (TCE) targeting BCMA and CD3 induce deep hematologic responses in approximately 60% of heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma (MM) patients. There is an unmet need to overcome primary resistance, as this off-the-shelf therapy is readily available to patients with aggressive disease relapse and has the potential to be delivered in the community. We and others found that high tumor burden leads to primary resistance to TCE 1,2,3,4 and that combination with immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs) transiently improves responses yet exacerbates T cell exhaustion2. Here, we present preclinical strategies to overcome primary resistance which are tolerable and provide more durable responses specifically for the high tumor burden setting. Methods: We evaluated response and survival to a murine surrogate BCMA/CD3 TCE in the Vk*MYC immunocompetent mouse model of MM expressing human CRBN to investigate tumor burden as a mechanism underpinning primary resistance. We evaluated dosing methods and combination strategies with IMiDs or novel CELMoDs, checkpoint inhibitors, and dexamethasone to improve response rates while maintaining a manageable safety profile. Results: We investigated primary resistance in an expanded panel of Vk*MYC models reflecting differing genomic heterogeneity and confirmed that a threshold of tumor burden limits T cell activation and correlates with resistance to TCE. BCMA is cleaved from the tumor cell surface by gamma-secretase and thus, high density of shed BCMA may act as a sponge to BCMA TCE. However, we found that administration of gamma-secretase inhibitors, while stabilizing BCMA expression on MM cells, is not sufficient to overcome high tumor burden-driven resistance to TCE. We previously reported the combinatorial activity of BCMA TCE with IMiDs and revealed a role for tumor-extrinsic effects of IMiDs in allowing mice with a high tumor burden to transiently respond to BCMA-TCE before T cell exhaustion prevailed2. To build on that combination strategy, we first hypothesized that the addition of a PD1 checkpoint inhibitor could reduce T cell exhaustion that occurs in response the BCMA-TCE in the resistant setting. We found that this triple combination provides more persistent activation and expansion of cytolytic T cells and sustains remission but leads to toxic cytokine release syndrome and early mortality in half of the cohort. Next, to address the acute toxicity from the hyperactivated T cell response and reduce tumor burden, we combined the triple combination with dexamethasone (Dex). To our surprise, concurrent Dex, even in the absence of IMiDs/CELMoDs, boosts responses to TCE. We observe that Dex moderates T cell proliferation in response to the TCE and leads to a moderate sustained cytokine production (IFN-γ, TNF, and IL-2R) systemically and in the bone marrow compared with a high transient burst seen with TCE alone or the concurrent treatment with IMiD + PD1 blockade. We determined that incremental step-up TCE dosing allows the combination of IMiDs or CELMoDs (iberdomide or mezigdomide) with Dex to be completely tolerated. To investigate whether delivering IMiD or CELMoDs before or during TCE administration altered efficacy, we tested pre-treatment with IMiDs/CELMoDs + Dex compared with concurrent dosing and found pre-treatment led to superior durable responses. Pre-treatment with iberdomide + Dex followed by step-up dosed TCE generated 100% response rate and the highest overall survival in subjects bearing a high tumor burden. This was accompanied by a more favorable T cell profiling over time, with limited expansion of regulatory T cells and reduced accumulation of exhausted T cells. Conclusion: Modelling the dosing and combination strategies of a BCMA-TCE in our immunocompetent system has allowed us to understand the dynamic changes in T cell fitness that are required for effective, tolerable, and durable TCE therapy for MM. We illustrate how improvements to TCE therapy mitigate T cell exhaustion and overcome primary resistance, and importantly, suggest a strong immunotherapeutic strategy for MM patients with challenging-to-treat actively progressing disease. 1. Lee et al., Nat Med 29, 2295-2306 (2023) 2. Meermeier et al. Blood Cancer Discov. 2021 Jul;2(4):354-369. 3. Rees et al. Blood Cancer J. 2024 Jul 23;14(1):122. 4. Girgis et al. Blood Adv. 2023 Feb 28;7(4):644-648

Primary resistance to BCMA-directed bispecific antibodies (BCMA-BsAb) is a major clinical hurdle despite their outstanding efficacy for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Primary resistance has been linked clinically to patient characteristics including tumor burden. Our previous work in the immunocompetent Vk*MYC model of MM credentialed that tumor burden also correlates with resistance to a murine BCMA-BsAb, which we addressed through drug combinations with MM backbone agents. Pairing the BsAb with cyclophosphamide (Cy) was well-tolerated, reversed primary resistance, reshaped an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) and led to durable responses with immunosurveillance in all but the most aggressive settings. Here, we aimed to improve the BCMA-BsAb and Cy combination strategy with a goal of curing models representing clinically relevant Cy-refractory aggressive settings, by adding T cell checkpoint blockade. Despite a lack of single agent activity of checkpoint inhibitors in MM (and in our models), PD1 and TIGIT are relevant targets as their expression on T cells correlates with both primary and acquired resistance to BCMA-directed cell therapies. Our team hypothesized that blockade of either PD1 or TIGIT with concurrent BCMA-BsAb and Cy would deepen anti-MM responses and provide a more durable immunotherapy regimen by sustaining activation of the T cell repertoire. Methods: We preclinically tested the ability of two weeks of concurrent dosing of BCMA-BsAb with Cy, checkpoint inhibitors targeting either PD1 or TIGIT, or the triple combination to overcome primary resistance and improve survival in a Cy-resistant transplantable Vk*MYC model of MM. We followed the response longitudinally in the blood, and in the bone marrow and spleen after complete responses were achieved at five weeks. Results: The double combination of a checkpoint inhibitor to the BCMA-BsAb was well-tolerated and abolished primary resistance, yet, failed to provide curative responses. Whereas the triple combination with either PD1 or TIGIT blockade remained safe, provided robust initial responses that overcame primary resistance and resulted in durable complete and curative responses in the entire cohort. These survival benefits represent significant improvements over control combinations tested here but also over all historical preclinical anti-MM therapy tested in our models to date. Both PD1 and TIGIT blockade with Cy/BCMA-BsAb triple combinations delivered a similar multiphasic potent anti-tumor response. This response was first characterized by highly effective T cell-mediated lysis of the tumor, as evidenced by deep reduction of M-spike after two weeks of treatment. As we previously published, the addition of Cy to BCMA-BsAb rapidly reshapes the TME by depleting Tregs and exhausted T cells and brings naive T cells to the tumor. However, we observed elevated T cell checkpoint expression at times of BsAb-relapse in aggressive models, suggesting that blockade of these pathways may help sustain T cell activation. Indeed, the ensuing T cell response in the triple combination gradually builds and encourages a pool of less terminally differentiated T cells to proliferate to allow for a more sustained response with repeat dosing. For the first time, we observe that the triple combination significantly engages the CD4 T cell compartment, which can be essential for a complete anti-tumor response. At the time of complete response, single cell analysis displays that T cells retained in the BM were less exhausted and defined by elevated CCR2 expression, a known marker of activated memory T cells, suggestive of ongoing immunosurveillance. Conclusions: Here we demonstrated through controlled in vivo experimentation how the addition of Cy reverts primary resistance to BCMA-BsAb by reshaping the TME in our Cy-insensitive preclinical model. Adding checkpoint inhibitors targeting TIGIT or PD1 further improves the durability of BsAb and Cy combination to cure all mice in these cohorts, by critically lysing the tumor, resetting the suppressive TME, and instigating a gradual, multiphasic, and sustained anti-MM T cell response. The concurrently delivered triple combination is well tolerated and provides optimal temporal control of MM especially in a preclinical model reflecting primary resistance mediated by high tumor burden and may have translational benefit to MM patients.

Background : Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody that targets CD20 and can significantly improve the prognosis of patients with CD20-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL). Nonetheless, a significant number of patients experience disease progression or relapse post-rituximab therapy. CD19-chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated remarkable efficacy in B-NHL treatment. However, few studies have focused on the efficacy and safety of CD20 CAR-T cells in rituximab-refractory/relapsed (R/R) B-NHL patients, particularly those treated with rituximab for a short time. Here, we conducted a prospective study, aimed to assess the long-term remission and survival in patients with rituximab-R/R B-NHL after treatment with U16 (CD20 CAR-T cells). Methods : This first-in-human study is an open-label, single center investigator-initiated trial (IIT) to determine the safety and efficacy of CD20 CAR-T in R/R B-NHL after previous rituximab treatment failure (no. ChiCTR2000036350). CD20 CAR-T was administered at a target dose of 1.0×107 CAR-T cells/kg after a 3-day conditioning chemotherapy with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. The primary objective was to assess the safety and tolerability of CD20 CAR-T. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) were graded according to ASTCT 2019 criteria. The secondary objectives were to evaluate efficacy and pharmacokinetics (PK). Response was assessed per Lugano 2014 criteria. Results:A total of 16 patients with R/R B-NHL were enrolled.The median age was 49 years (range, 28-66). Median number of prior lines of therapy was 3 (range, 2-5). All patients had received rituximab therapy; of these, 9 had done so within the 3 months before CAR-T infusion. CRS occurred in all patients, with 11 patients (68.75%) experiencing grade 1 or 2 CRS and 5 patients (31.25%) experiencing grade 3 CRS. No patient developed grade 4 CRS , and only one patient had ICANS.The most common grade 3 or higher adverse events observed after infusion included leukopenia (93.3%), anemia (40%) and thrombocytopenia (60%). An overall response rate of 100% was observed among enrolled patients, with 11 patients (68.75%) achieving complete remission(CR) and 5 patients (32.25%) achieving partial remission(PR) within 3 months. The median follow-up time was 11.7 months(range 0.69-47.47). The median overall survival was not reached, and the median progression-free survival was 14.5 months. 9 patients remained CR or PR for 12 months, with 7 of them continuing in CR for up to 24 months. The pharmacokinetics of CD20 CAR-T cells were assessed using quantitative PCR to determine the expansion and persistence ability. Peak CAR amplification were detected 7-14 days after infusin. Patients 1, 2 and 4 achieved long-term remission, and persistent positive CAR-T cell copy numbers were detected for 15 months, 30 months and 26 months, respectively. However, patients 7, 8 and 12 relapsed within 3 months, and the CAR-T cell copies of all three patients were reduced to fewer than 1×103 copies/μg of DNA within 3 months. The qPCR results indicated that the maintenance of efficacy was closely related to the persistence of CAR-T cells. Notably, patients who received rituximab less than 3 months before CAR-T infusion had a poorer prognosis, with higher relapse rates (77.8% vs. 28.6%) and shorter progression-free survival, regardless of the degree of response. Conclusion : Long-term follow-up demonstrated that CD20 CAR-T therapy can produce a deep and durable response with a favorable safety profile in patients with rituximab-refractory/relapsed B-NHL. Notably, patients who had received rituximab within 3 months had a poorer prognosis.

Pulmonary infections are commonly observed in hematologic malignancy (HM) patients.For HM patients with low immune functionality and high susceptibility to pulmonary infections, timely identification of pathogens and administration of correct medications can greatly improve patient outcomes[1, 2].The next generation sequencing can achieve an early diagnosis of respiratory infection.To date, the systematic evaluation of the clinical use of mNGS and tNGS for pneumonia in HM patients has been insufficient. A retrospective analysis was conducted on HM patients with suspected pneumonia admitted to the Hematology Department of The Third Xiangya Hospital between April 2019 and April 2024.A total of 234 patients were identified for analysis,including 126 patients used mNGS to detect bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF）and 108 patients used mNGS to detect BALF.The purpose was to compare the diagnostic efficacy of mNGS and tNGS in pulmonary infection pathogens. The overall microbial detection rate of mNGS and tNGS were 88.9% (112/126) and 93.5% (101/108), respectively. And there was no significant difference between them ( p = 0.217).Viruses,bacteria and fungi accounted for 42.2%(117/277), 33.9% (94/277) and 23.8% (66/277) among the microorganisms detected in mNGS, respectively. Meanwhile,Viruses,bacteria and fungi accounted for 61.0%(147/241), 21.2% (51/241) and 17.8% (43/241) among the microorganisms detected in mNGS.In order to compare the diagnostic and concordance between mNGS and tNGS.We used the final clinical diagnosis as the “gold standard”.The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and accuracy of mNGS were 92.7%,37.5%,91.1% and 85.7%, respectively, compared with 97.9%,45.5%,94.1% and 92.6% for tNGS.Further more,we compared the clinical impact of mNGS and tNGS on antibiotic usage.The mNGS results led to adjustments in antibiotic usage for 63 out of the 126 patients(56.3%). Following these alterations, 56 patients (88.9%) reported significant improvements.In tNGS,there are 59 out of the 108 patients(58.4%%) adjustmented in antibiotic usage and 56 patients(94.9%) reported significant improvements.The total death of mNGS and tNGS were 9.8%(11/126) and 4.0%（4/108), respectively. There were no significant differences between the two groups (P ＞0.05).Compared to the microbial range detected by tNGS, mNGS detected an additional 14 pathogenic microorganisms, in which had a very low proportion of pathogenic microorganisms (3.6%,4/112), which did not have any adverse effects on the clinical outcomes of patients. Collectively,we found that tNGS is comparable with mNGS in HM patients with suspected pneumonia for pathogenic microorganism detection.What's more,the ability of tNGS in guiding treatment was consistent with those of mNGS.