Citations

Background: Mutations in MYBPC3 -encoded myosin binding protein C underlie the most common genotype in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Compared to most HCM-associated mutations which are primarily missense mutations, MYBPC3-HCM is often caused by insertions, deletions, nonsense mutations or mutations involving the canonical splice site. However, the effects of most mutations that prematurely truncate MYBPC3 are unknown. Access to cardiac specific mRNA and tissue has permitted a molecular and cellular elucidation of the consequences of two splice site mutations. Methods: Mutational analysis of MYBPC3 revealed 2 HCM-susceptibility mutations involving the splice donor sites of exons 7 and 30. Reverse transcription was performed on cDNA generated from RNA extracted from cardiac tissue obtained following surgical myectomy. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC) of the myofilaments were performed to further assess the impact of the splice-site mutations. Results: Both splice donor mutations produced abnormal RNA splicing of MYBPC3. The c.821+1 g>a mutation in the splice donor site of exon 7 generated two alternatively-spliced mutant transcripts resulting in two frame-shifted, premature truncations (H257 fs/37 and H257 fs/15). The c.3330+2 t>g mutation in exon 30’s splice donor site produced a single alternatively-spliced mutant transcript that translated into a frame-shifted premature truncation (V1063 fs/37). Expression levels of wild type myosin binding protein C were decreased in the myectomy specimen from the patient with the exon 7 splice donor site mutation. By IHC, the spatial organization of myosin binding protein C was disrupted severely in both patients. Conclusions: This study provides the first molecular and cellular characterization of HCM-causing mutations involving canonical splice-site motifs within the intron. Loss of function of the splice site resulted in exon skipping and generation of frame-shifted and prematurely truncated myosin binding protein C and disruption of the distribution and organization of myosin binding protein C in the heart tissue. This research has received full or partial funding support from the American Heart Association, AHA Midwest Affiliate (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota & Wisconsin).

Abstract Transfemoral access has long been the main access site for cerebral angiography and neurointerventional procedures. Radial access is accepted as an alternative to the traditional transfemoral approach. Ulnar access may be undertaken if the radial artery is occluded or small caliber, or when radial artery preservation is needed. The safety and feasibility of ulnar access for neuroangiographic procedures has been demonstrated. 1-3 In this operative video, we demonstrate ulnar artery access in a patient in whom radial artery preservation was desired. We further elaborate on the technical nuances of this access. This nontraditional access site offers the same advantages as radial access, avoiding the need to switch to femoral artery access. A preoperative Allen's test is not necessary. Ultrasound imaging is used to aid in the identification and successful puncture of the ulnar artery. A medial to lateral approach for ulnar artery puncture is advised to avoid injury to the ulnar nerve. Careful application of wrist closure bands avoids hematoma accumulation. The patient gave informed consent for the procedure and video recording. Institutional review board approval was deemed unnecessary. Video. © University at Buffalo, May 2021. Used with permission.

Under physiological conditions, β-site amyloid precursor protein (APP)-cleaving enzyme 2 (BACE2) cleaves APP within Aβ sequence thereby functioning like a α-secretase. However, BACE2 could also function as a conditional β-secretase during aging, contributing to Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. To date the physiological functions of BACE2 in endothelium are largely unknown. The present study is therefore designed to investigate the role of BACE2 in APP metabolism in human BMECs. Cultured human BMECs (passage 5-6 or passage 22) were treated with BACE2siRNA (30 nM, for 3 days), levels of soluble APPα (sAPPα, a neurotrophic product of non-amyloidogenic processing of APP) and Aβ40 in the supernatant were measured. In human BMECs (passage 5-6), genetic inactivation of BACE2 significantly decreased production of sAPPα (n=12, P<0.05), but had no effect on production of Aβ40 (n=9, P>0.05). BACE2siRNA treatment significantly suppressed APP protein expression (n=7, P<0.05), but augmented protein levels of BACE1 (n=7, P<0.05). Genetic inactivation of BACE2 did not change protein levels of mature ADAM10 (n=7, P>0.05). Thus, reduced sAPPα secretion by BACE2siRNA treatment is likely caused not only by decreased α-secretase-like function of BACE2, but also by reduced APP expression. We further examined the effects of BACE2siRNA in senescent human BMECs. In cultured human BMECs (passage 22), protein expressions of senescent markers (p 21Cip1 and p 16INK4a ) were significantly increased (n=4, P<0.05). Genetic inactivation of BACE2 in senescent human BMECs also significantly suppressed secretion of sAPPα (n=8, P<0.05), but did not affect Aβ40 production (n=8, P>0.05). BACE2-siRNA treatment significantly inhibited protein expressions of APP and mature ADAM10 (n=7, P<0.05), but did not change BACE1 protein expression (n=7, P>0.05). Thus in senescent human BMECs, reduced APP expression and impaired α-processing may play important roles in the decreased sAPPα production. Since our previous studies have demonstrated that endothelial production of sAPPα significantly contributes to the sAPPα content in the hippocampus, our current findings suggests that inhibition of BACE2 could impair protective function of sAPPα in the hippocampus.

Abstract Here we analyze hospitalized andintensive care unit coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) patient outcomes from the international VIRUS registry ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04323787 ). We find that COVID‐19 patients administered unfractionated heparin but not enoxaparin have a higher mortality‐rate (390 of 1012 = 39%) compared to patients administered enoxaparin but not unfractionated heparin (270 of 1939 = 14%), presenting a risk ratio of 2.79 (95% confidence interval [CI]: [2.42, 3.16]; p = 4.45e−52). This difference persists even after balancing on a number of covariates including demographics, comorbidities, admission diagnoses, and method of oxygenation, with an increased mortality rate on discharge from the hospital of 37% (268 of 733) for unfractionated heparin versus 22% (154 of 711) for enoxaparin, presenting a risk ratio of 1.69 (95% CI: [1.42, 2.00]; p = 1.5e−8). In these balanced cohorts, a number of complications occurred at an elevated rate for patients administered unfractionated heparin compared to patients administered enoxaparin, including acute kidney injury, acute cardiac injury, septic shock, and anemia. Furthermore, a higher percentage of Black/African American COVID patients (414 of 1294 [32%]) were noted to receive unfractionated heparin compared to White/Caucasian COVID patients (671 of 2644 [25%]), risk ratio 1.26 (95% CI: [1.14, 1.40]; p = 7.5e−5). After balancing upon available clinical covariates, this difference in anticoagulant use remained statistically significant (311 of 1047 [30%] for Black/African American vs. 263 of 1047 [25%] for White/Caucasian, p = .02, risk ratio 1.18; 95% CI: [1.03, 1.36]). While retrospective studies cannot suggest any causality, these findings motivate the need for follow‐up prospective research into the observed racial disparity in anticoagulant use and outcomes for severe COVID‐19 patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected underserved and minority populations in the United States. This is partially attributable to limited access to diagnostic testing from deeply rooted structural inequities precipitating higher infection and mortality rates. We describe the process of establishing a drive-through collection site by leveraging an academic–community partnership between a medical institution and a federally qualified health center in Minnesota. Over 10 weeks, 2006 COVID-19 tests were provided to a socioeconomically disadvantaged population of racial/ethnic minorities and low-income essential workers.

Abstract Background: Achieving a pathologic complete response (pCR) has been shown on the patient level to predict excellent long-term event-free survival outcomes. Residual cancer burden (RCB) quantifies the extent of residual disease for patients who did not achieve pCR. We have previously observed in the I-SPY 2 TRIAL that while metastatic events outside the central nervous system (CNS) were dramatically reduced in the setting of pCR, the incidence of CNS metastasis remained similar across RCB classes, raising the possibility that these CNS events may be independent of response in the breast. In this study, we evaluate the type and sites of recurrences by RCB in a large pooled dataset, which allows for analysis within subtype, to validate these findings. Methods: 5161 patients pooled across 12 institutions/trials with available RCB and event-free survival (EFS) data were included in this analysis. EFS was calculated as the interval between treatment initiation, and locoregional recurrence, distant recurrence or death from any cause; patients without event are censored at time of last follow-up. The median follow-up is 4.6 years. We summarized the EFS event type, further sub-dividing the distant recurrence events (DR) by their site of relapse (CNS-only, CNS and other sites, Non-CNS). We used a competing risk (Fine-Gray) model to assess which of these site-specific relapses differ between RCB classes and estimated the cumulative incidence of CNS-only and non-CNS events at 5 years. Analyses were performed across the entire study population and within HR/HER2 defined subtypes. Results: Among the 5161 subjects, there were 1164 EFS events, including 92 (7.9%) local recurrences (without distant recurrence and/or death) and 1072 distant recurrence-free survival (DRFS) events. Among the DRFS events, 158 patients died without a distant recurrence. 914 experienced distant recurrences, including 90 (9.8%) with CNS-only, 145 (15.9%) with CNS and other sites, 664 (72.6%) with non-CNS distant recurrence; 15 (1.6%) patients had missing recurrence site information. Table 1 summarizes the cumulative incidence of CNS-only and non-CNS recurrence at 5 years and the proportion of CNS-only recurrences among DR events by RCB class overall and within each HR/HER2 subtypes. The incidence of CNS-only recurrences was low and similar across RCB classes. In contrast, the incidence of non-CNS recurrences increases with increasing RCB. As a result, CNS-only recurrences are proportionally higher within the RCB-0 and RCB-I than in the RCB-II and RCB-III groups, largely because of the low DR event rate and relative low frequency of non-CNS recurrence events within the RCB-0 and RCB-I classes. Overall, 27% of the recurrences in the setting of pCR (RCB-0) are due to CNS-only recurrences.Conclusions: Consistent with previous studies, our large pooled analysis confirmed that CNS-only recurrences are uncommon but appear similar across RCB groups, independent of response, suggesting that the CNS is a treatment sanctuary site. In contrast, non-CNS recurrence rates increase as RCB increases. These findings suggest that inclusion of CNS-only recurrences as an outcome event may impact the association between neoadjuvant therapy response and long-term outcomes in the context of current therapies. Novel therapies that cross the blood brain barrier will be needed to impact CNS recurrence rates. Table 1: Cumulative Incidence of CNS Only and non-CNS Distant Recurrences at 5 years and proportion of CNS-only events among DR eventsRCB Class0IIIIIIpOverall (5161)N16766622017806Cum. Inc. CNS Only2%2%2%1%0.627Cum. Inc. Non-CNS3%6%16%27%&lt;0.001# CNS-Only / # DR events (%)26/96 (27%)14/74 (19%)39/443 (9%)11/301 (4%)HR-HER2- (1774)N770212590202Cum. Inc. CNS Only2%3%2%4%0.298Cum. Inc. Non-CNS4%11%19%42%&lt;0.001# CNS-Only / # DR events (%)13/50 (26%)6/32 (19%)13/148 (9%)8/111 (7%)HR-HER2+ (572)N3766710029Cum. Inc. CNS Only1%5%5%0%0.022Cum. Inc. Non-CNS2%5%18%38%&lt;0.001# CNS-Only / # DR events (%)4/17 (24%)3/10 (30%)6/31 (19%)0/13 (0%)HR+HER2+ (858)N31317229182Cum. Inc. CNS Only1%1%2%0%0.37Cum. Inc. Non-CNS2%3%15%26%&lt;0.001# CNS-Only / # DR events (%)3/10 (30%)2/16 (12%)7/68 (10%)0/29 (0%)HR+HER2- (1957)N2172111036493Cum. Inc. CNS Only3%2%1%0.2%0.087Cum. Inc. Non-CNS5%4%13%20%&lt;0.001# CNS-Only / # DR events (%)6/19 (32%)3/16 (19%)13/196 (7%)3/148 (2%) Citation Format: Sonal Shad, Marieke van der Noordaa, Marie Osdoit, Diane de Croze, Anne-Sophie Hamy, Marick Lae, Fabien Reyal, Miguel Martin, María Del Monte-Millán, Sara López-Tarruella, I-SPY 2 TRIAL Consortium, Judy C Boughey, Matthew P Goetz, Tanya Hoskin, Rebekah Gould, Vicente Valero, Gabe Sonke, Tessa G Steenbruggen, Maartje van Seijen, Jelle Wesseling, John Bartlett, Stephen Edge, Mi-Ok Kim, Jean Abraham, Carlos Caldas, Helena Earl, Elena Provenzano, Stephen-John Sammut, David Cameron, Ashley Graham, Peter Hall, Lorna Mackintosh, Fan Fang, Andrew K Godwin, Kelsey Schwensen, Priyanka Sharma, Angela DeMichele, Janet Dunn, Louise Hiller, Larry Hayward, Jeremy Thomas, Kimberly Cole, Lajos Pusztai, Laura Van't Veer, Fraser Symmans, Laura Esserman, Christina Yau. Site of recurrence after neoadjuvant therapy: A multi-center pooled analysis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD13-02.

Abstract Context. —Brain metastases of adenocarcinoma of unknown primary pose a diagnostic dilemma to the surgical pathologist. Although the most common source in these cases is the lung, determining a primary source is difficult on routinely stained slides. Immunohistochemical stain panels including differential cytokeratins, hormone receptors, and breast-specific proteins are commonly used in these cases. Recently, attention has turned to tissue-specific transcription factors, such as thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) and Cdx2, in the appraisal of metastatic adenocarcinomas. Objective. —To characterize the previously unpublished immunohistochemical expression of the relatively new tissue-specific transcription factor Cdx2 in metastatic adenocarcinomas to the brain. Design. —We reviewed the surgical pathology files of the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Fla, and retrieved 38 consecutive cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma (22 pulmonary, 10 breast, 6 gastrointestinal [2 esophagus/gastroesophageal junction, 4 colorectal]) to the brain with confirmation of the primary site by chart review and histologic evaluation. Sections were immunohistochemically stained with antibodies to TTF-1, Cdx2, and cytokeratins 7 and 20 by standard methods. Results. —Specificities and positive predictive values for Cdx2 and TTF-1 equaled 100% for metastatic gastrointestinal and pulmonary adenocarcinomas, respectively. The negative predictive value of Cdx2 was also very high at 97%. Conclusions. —Cdx2 is a specific and valuable tool for the surgical pathologist when faced with the common problem of metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown primary. In conjunction with TTF-1, cytokeratin 7, and cytokeratin 20, Cdx2 can accurately differentiate the most common sources of metastatic adenocarcinoma to the brain.