Citations

Patients with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) who had an inadequate response to ursodiol have few treatment options. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and bilirubin levels correlate with the risk of liver transplant or death in PBC patients. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 19 is a hormone that acts directly in the liver to regulate bile acid synthesis. We evaluated NGM282, an engineered analogue of FGF19, for the treatment of PBC. In this 28‐day, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled phase 2 trial, 45 PBC patients who had an inadequate response to ursodiol were randomly assigned 1:1:1 to receive subcutaneous daily doses of either NGM282 at 0.3 mg (n = 14), 3 mg (n = 16), or placebo (n = 15). The primary endpoint was a change in ALP from baseline after 28 days of treatment. At day 28, ALP was significantly reduced with NGM282 treatment at both 0.3 mg (least‐squares mean –51.0 IU/L [standard error (SE) 15.4]) and 3 mg (–66.0 IU/L [SE 16.0]) versus placebo (3.3 IU/L [SE 14.8]), with least‐squares mean differences of –54.3 IU/L (95% confidence interval –104.2 to –4.5; P = 0.0149) and –69.3 IU/L (95% confidence interval –120.5 to –18.3; P = 0.0030), respectively. Fifty percent (7 of 14) of patients receiving NGM282 0.3 mg and 46% (6 of 13) of those receiving NGM282 3mg achieved 15% or greater reduction in ALP levels from baseline, compared with 7% (1 of 15) of patients receiving placebo. NGM282 also significantly reduced serum concentrations of transaminases and immunoglobulins. Most adverse events were grade 1 (mild) to grade 2 (moderate) in severity, with gastrointestinal disorders more frequent in the NGM282 treatment groups. No worsening of pruritus was observed with NGM282 treatment. Conclusion: NGM282 administered for 28 days resulted in significant improvements in ALP and transaminase levels compared with placebo, with an acceptable safety profile in patients with PBC. (Hepatology Communications 2018; 00:000‐000)

Angiography in patients with unstable angina or myocardial infarction with subtotal coronary occlusions reveals eccentric stenoses with irregularborders suggesting ruptured atherosclerotic plaques. In addition, the closer the angiogram is to the time of chest pain the higher is the likelihoodof observing a thrombotic filling defect distal to the stenotic region. Thus, we: 1) have investigated the relationship among platelet-vessel wall interaction, rheology, andthrombogenicsubstrate and 2) propose a hypothesisaccounting for thrombosis in the acute coronary syndromes.1) Platelet Vessel Wall Interactions, Rheology and Substrate - We have studied substrate and rheology in both an 'ex vivo' perfusion chamber and 'in vivo'swine model. Qur results, combinedwith those of others, show the following:-Platelet Vessel Wall Interaction and Thrombus Formation - a) In superficial arterial injury plateletsadherevia platelet membrane glycoprotein (GP) lb to the vessel wall to form a monolayer. Von Willebrand Factor (vWF), a high molecular weight glycoprotein found in plasma, platelets, and endothelial cells, binds GPIb and supports platelet adhesion. Platelet derived growth factors(PDGF) from these adherent platelets may contribute to atherogenesis. b) In deep arterial injury, plateletsare stimulated by three pathways -arachidonate, ADP and the "third pathway" -leading to exposure of platelet receptors (GPIIb/IIIa), and subsequent aggregation. Fibrinogenand vWF participate in aggregation bybinding to GPIIb/IIIa. Simultaneously, thrombin stimulates aggregation andthe formation of fibrin that stabilizes platelet aggregates, c) Both a platelet monolayer and aggregation with thrombosis, produce vasoconstriction due to release of platelet products (serotonin, thromboxane A2,and PDGF).- Rheology - a) Stenotic lesions produce a high local shear rate, whichenhances platelet-vessel wall interaction and, in the presence of acute rupture, platelet deposition and subsequent thrombus formation, b) Platelet deposition and thrombosis are particularly favored if the site of rupture includes the stenosis with its high shear rate,while the stasis in the post-stenotic region favors proprogationof thrombus.- Substrate - a) Plaque rupture produces a rough surface and exposes collagen and fat to flowing blood. Thisstimulates mural thrombosis, b) Such thrombus is either fixed or labile depending on the degree of plaque rupture or damage.2) Acute and Subacute Coronary Syndromes - The above observations in the swine model, coupled with recent clinical and pathological observations support the following:-Unstable Angina - Mild or restricted plaque rupture with or without activated mural thrombus, by increasingthe stenosis, explains the increase in exertional angina; subsequent labile thrombosis with platelet-related vasoconstriction explains the resting angina.-Q Wave Myocardial Infarction - The thrombus is occlusive and fixed or persistent because the damage to the vessel wall or to the plaque is more severe or extensive than in unstable angina.-Non-Q Wave Myocardial Infarction -In this syndrome, intermediate between unstable angina and Q wave myocardial infarction, the occlusive thrombus is more transient than in Q wave infarction because of less substrate exposure or damage.

Key PointsHigh-circulating AREG (≥33 pg/mL) reclassifies additional patients into HR categories and further refines the Minnesota aGVHD risk score. Patients with aGVHD and AREG ≥33 pg/mL have lower rates of steroid response, higher NRM, and poorer OS.

AbstractThiamine is an essential micronutrient that plays a key role in energy metabolism. Many populations worldwide may be at risk of clinical or subclinical thiamine deficiencies, due to famine, reliance on staple crops with low thiamine content, or food preparation practices, such as milling grains and washing milled rice. Clinical manifestations of thiamine deficiency are variable; this, along with the lack of a readily accessible and widely agreed upon biomarker of thiamine status, complicates efforts to diagnose thiamine deficiency and assess its global prevalence. Strategies to identify regions at risk of thiamine deficiency through proxy measures, such as analysis of food balance sheet data and month‐specific infant mortality rates, may be valuable for understanding the scope of thiamine deficiency. Urgent public health responses are warranted in high‐risk regions, considering the contribution of thiamine deficiency to infant mortality and research suggesting that even subclinical thiamine deficiency in childhood may have lifelong neurodevelopmental consequences. Food fortification and maternal and/or infant thiamine supplementation have proven effective in raising thiamine status and reducing the incidence of infantile beriberi in regions where thiamine deficiency is prevalent, but trial data are limited. Efforts to determine culturally and environmentally appropriate food vehicles for thiamine fortification are ongoing.

AbstractSymptomatic hyperviscosity is a well‐established phenomenon in Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Monoclonal IgM can variably impact intrinsic serum viscosity, leading to widely disparate symptomatic thresholds for development of hyperviscosity‐related symptoms. Data regarding the predictors of symptomatic hyperviscosity and outcomes related to this complication remain scarce and a recent study proposed that IgM >6000 mg/dL be considered a new criterion for initiating therapy in otherwise asymptomatic (smoldering) WM to pre‐empt hyperviscosity‐related injury. Herein, we attempt to identify predictors of the development of symptomatic hyperviscosity and its impact in patients with WM. Of 997 WM patients evaluated from January, 1996 through June, 2017, symptomatic hyperviscosity was observed in 130 (13%) patients. Overall survival (OS) of these 130 patients was similar to that of patients without symptomatic hyperviscosity (median: 11.5 vs 11.6 years; P = 0.63). On multivariate‐analysis, only viscosity >1.8 cp (risk ratio: 4.0, P = 0.02) assessed at the time of WM diagnosis was an independent predictor for the development of subsequent symptomatic hyperviscosity. Among patients with smoldering WM and IgM >6000 mg/dL at diagnosis (n = 13) who were managed expectantly, the median time‐to‐initial therapy was 6.9 years and only 15% developed hyperviscosity‐related symptoms subsequently. In summary, the occurrence of symptomatic hyperviscosity does not impact OS. Serum viscosity at diagnosis of WM, and not IgM concentration, represents the single most important independent predictor for development of subsequent hyperviscosity‐related symptoms. Patients with smoldering WM and high serum IgM can be safely observed in the absence of any indications per the Consensus recommendations to initiate WM‐directed therapy.