Citations

AbstractAdipoRon is an adiponectin receptor 1, 2 (ADIPOR1 and ADIPOR2) agonist with potential antifibrotic effects. Whether AdipoRon can mitigate joint stiffness in a rabbit model of arthrofibrosis is unknown. We examined the efficacy of intravenous (IV) AdipoRon at mitigating contracture in a rabbit model of knee arthrofibrosis. Fifty‐six female New Zealand White rabbits were divided into three dosing groups: vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide, DMSO), 2.5 mg/kg AdipoRon, and 5 mg/kg AdipoRon. AdipoRon, in DMSO, was administered IV preoperatively and for 5 days postoperatively (30 rabbits, Aim 1). AdipoRon was again dosed similarly after Kirschner wire (K‐wire) removal at 8 weeks (26 rabbits; Aim 2). The primary outcome of joint passive extension angle (PEA,°) was measured at 8, 10, 12, 16, and 24 weeks following index surgery. At 24 weeks, rabbits were euthanized and limbs were harvested to measure posterior capsular stiffness (N cm/°). In Aim 1, the 5 mg/kg treated rabbits had a significant increase in PEA when compared to controls at 16‐week (p < 0.05). In Aim 2, the 5 mg/kg treated rabbits had a significant increase in PEA when compared to controls at 10‐week (p < 0.05). In both aims, no significant differences were observed at later time points. Capsular stiffness was no different in any group. We are the first to report the efficacy of IV AdipoRon in a rabbit model of arthrofibrosis. We identified a significant dose‐dependent decrease in joint PEA at early time points; however, no differences were observed between groups at later time points. Clinical Significance: The present investigation provided the first assessment of AdipoRon's efficacy in mitigating knee stiffness in the current gold standard rabbit model of arthrofibrosis. Results of this investigation provided further evidence as to the potential role of AdipoRon as a preventative for arthrofibrosis in large mammals.

The liver transplantation (LT) evaluation and waitlisting process is subject to variations in care that can impede quality. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Practice Metrics Committee (PMC) developed quality measures and patient-reported experience measures along the continuum of pre-LT care to reduce care variation and guide patient-centered care. Following a systematic literature review, candidate pre-LT measures were grouped into 4 phases of care: referral, evaluation and waitlisting, waitlist management, and organ acceptance. A modified Delphi panel with content expertise in hepatology, transplant surgery, psychiatry, transplant infectious disease, palliative care, and social work selected the final set. Candidate patient-reported experience measures spanned domains of cognitive health, emotional health, social well-being, and understanding the LT process. Of the 71 candidate measures, 41 were selected: 9 for referral; 20 for evaluation and waitlisting; 7 for waitlist management; and 5 for organ acceptance. A total of 14 were related to structure, 17 were process measures, and 10 were outcome measures that focused on elements not typically measured in routine care. Among the patient-reported experience measures, candidates of LT rated items from understanding the LT process domain as the most important. The proposed pre-LT measures provide a framework for quality improvement and care standardization among candidates of LT. Select measures apply to various stakeholders such as referring practitioners in the community and LT centers. Clinically meaningful measures that are distinct from those used for regulatory transplant reporting may facilitate local quality improvement initiatives to improve access and quality of care.

Background and Aims: Blood-based biomarkers have been proposed as an alternative to liver biopsy for noninvasive liver disease assessment in chronic liver disease. Our aims for this systematic review were to evaluate the diagnostic utility of selected blood-based tests either alone, or in combination, for identifying significant fibrosis (F2-4), advanced fibrosis (F3-4), and cirrhosis (F4), as compared to biopsy in chronic liver disease. Approach and Results: We included a comprehensive search of databases including Ovid MEDLINE(R), EMBASE, Cochrane Database, and Scopus through to April 2022. Two independent reviewers selected 286 studies with 103,162 patients. The most frequently identified studies included the simple aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index and fibrosis (FIB)-4 markers (with low-to-moderate risk of bias) in HBV and HCV, HIV-HCV/HBV coinfection, and NAFLD. Positive (LR+) and negative (LR−) likelihood ratios across direct and indirect biomarker tests for HCV and HBV for F2-4, F3-4, or F4 were 1.66–6.25 and 0.23–0.80, 1.89–5.24 and 0.12–0.64, and 1.32–7.15 and 0.15–0.86, respectively; LR+ and LR− for NAFLD F2-4, F3-4, and F4 were 2.65–3.37 and 0.37–0.39, 2.25–6.76 and 0.07–0.87, and 3.90 and 0.15, respectively. Overall, the proportional odds ratio indicated FIB-4 <1.45 was better than aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index <0.5 for F2-4. FIB-4 >3.25 was also better than aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio index >1.5 for F3-4 and F4. There was limited data for combined tests. Conclusions: Blood-based biomarkers are associated with small-to-moderate change in pretest probability for diagnosing F2-4, F3-4, and F4 in viral hepatitis, HIV-HCV coinfection, and NAFLD, with limited comparative or combination studies for other chronic liver diseases.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to characterize a second‐generation wide‐detector dual‐layer spectral computed tomography (CT) system for material quantification accuracy, acquisition parameter and patient size dependencies, and tissue characterization capabilities. Methods A phantom with multiple tissue‐mimicking and material‐specific inserts was scanned with a dual‐layer spectral detector CT using different tube voltages, collimation widths, radiation dose levels, and size configurations. Accuracy of iodine density maps and virtual monoenergetic images (MonoE) were investigated. Additionally, differences between conventional and MonoE 70 keV images were calculated to evaluate acquisition parameter and patient size dependencies. To demonstrate material quantification and differentiation, liver‐mimicking inserts with adipose and iron were analyzed with a two‐base decomposition utilizing MonoE 50 and 150 keV, and root mean square error (RMSE) for adipose and iron content was reported. Results Measured inserts exhibited quantitative accuracy across a wide range of MonoE levels. MonoE 70 keV images demonstrated reduced dependence compared to conventional images for phantom size (1 vs. 27 HU) and acquisition parameters, particularly tube voltage (4 vs. 37 HU). Iodine density quantification was successful with errors ranging from ‐0.58 to 0.44 mg/mL. Similarly, inserts with different amounts of adipose and iron were differentiated, and the small deviation in values within inserts corresponded to a RMSE of 3.49 ± 1.76% and 1.67 ± 0.84 mg/mL for adipose and iron content, respectively. Conclusion The second‐generation dual‐layer CT enables acquisition of quantitatively accurate spectral data without compromises from differences in patient size and acquisition parameters.

ImportanceCancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with the obesity epidemic contributing to its steady increase every year. Recent cohort studies find an association between bariatric surgery and reduced longitudinal cancer risk, but with heterogeneous findings.ObservationsThis review summarizes how obesity leads to an increased risk of developing cancer and synthesizes current evidence behind the potential for bariatric surgery to reduce longitudinal cancer risk. Overall, bariatric surgery appears to have the strongest and most consistent association with decreased incidence of developing breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers. The association of bariatric surgery and the development of esophageal, gastric, liver, and pancreas cancer is heterogenous with studies showing either no association or decreased longitudinal incidences. Conversely, there have been preclinical and cohort studies implying an increased risk of developing colon and rectal cancer after bariatric surgery. A review and synthesis of the existing literature reveals epidemiologic shortcomings of cohort studies that potentially explain incongruencies observed between studies.Conclusions and RelevanceStudies examining the association of bariatric surgery and longitudinal cancer risk remain heterogeneous and could be explained by certain epidemiologic considerations. This review provides a framework to better define subgroups of patients at higher risk of developing cancer who would potentially benefit more from bariatric surgery, as well as subgroups where more caution should be exercised.

385 Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and immuno-oncology (IO) agents alone or in combination have revolutionized the landscape of management for untreated metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Baseline quality of life (QOL) outside of interventional clinical trials and rationale for management decisions in mRCC are poorly understood. Methods: In this prospective observational study of 800 mRCC pts in the US, pts must: have a diagnosis of mRCC (any histology) with no prior systemic therapy (ST) for mRCC; be age ≥19 at informed consent; be able to comply with completion of PROs. Exclusion criteria include being treated for active malignancy other than mRCC or not intending to follow up at a study site within PCORnet. Pts undergo consent and baseline assessments by the study site team, with subsequent follow up by the central coordinating center. The primary objective is to determine distinct patterns of change in QOL and symptom burden of mRCC pts. A key secondary objective is to identify patterns of clinical management in the real world setting of mRCC across treatment regimens. Minimally important differences are defined as 3- and 7-points for FKSI-19 and FACT-G respectively. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT04919122. Results: As of 9/1/2023, 173 pts have been enrolled (126 ST, 47 no ST [NST]): 75% male, 87% white, 73% clear cell, 52% intermediate risk and 47% poor risk. 47% had radical nephrectomy and 22% another solid tumor. ST pts as compared to NST pts were more likely to be poor risk (52% vs 16%); but differences in baseline pain were not significant. Of ST pts, 44 were treated with IO-IO (ipilimumab + nivolumab), 50 with IO-TKI (cabozantinib + nivolumab 38%, axitinib + pembrolizumab 38%, lenvatinib + pembrolizumab 24%) and 32 other (IO alone 34%, TKI alone 31%, investigational drug 25%). Reasons for NST included active surveillance (AS, 50%), other (21%), local therapy (13%). Mean differences between ST and NST for baseline FKSI-19 and FACT-G were 5.7 (95% CI: 1.2 – 10.2) and 3.3 (-2.6 – 9.3). There were no differences in pain or PROs between IO-IO and IO-TKI pts. Mean differences in FKSI-19 and FACT-G between AS vs IO-IO were 10.6 (4.8 – 16.4) and 8.6 (1.1 – 16.0); and vs IO-TKI were 11.0 (4.9 – 17.0) and 10.3 (3.5 – 17.1). On physician surveys, primary reasons for treatment selection were (in order of % selected): complete response (CR), prolonged survival (OS), prognostic factors (Px), treatment-free interval for IO-IO; versus delaying progression (PFS), OS, CR, Px for IO-TKI. Conclusions: Our data suggest differences in baseline QoL in pts treated with ST vs NST, as well as AS vs IO-IO or IO-TKI, in the real world. Reasons for selection of ST regimen differed among combination regimen classes. Completion of ODYSSEY will clarify baseline and longitudinal differences in pain and PROs among management strategies and give novel insights into the rationale for real world management of untreated pts with mRCC. Clinical trial information: NCT04919122 .

The treatment of Waldenström macroglobulinemia/lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (WM/LPL) has evolved to include several new options. The NCCN Guidelines for WM/LPL provide a framework on which to base decisions regarding diagnosis, treatment, assessment of response to treatment, and follow-up of both newly diagnosed and previously treated WM/LPL.