Citations

Objective The hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) risk-sudden cardiac death (SCD) calculator endorsed by the 2014 European Society of Cardiology has not been independently validated in the Asians. We aimed to investigate whether the HCM Risk-SCD calculator effectively predicts SCD in Korean HCM population. Methods An observational, longitudinal cohort study was performed in 730 patients with HCM from 2007 to 2017. The primary endpoint was a composite of SCD and appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. Results During a follow-up period of 4288 person-years, 16 (2.2%) patients reached the primary endpoint. This validation study revealed a calibration slope of 0.892 and C-statistics of 0.718. The primary endpoint occurred in 1.1% (7/615), 4.6% (3/65) and 12.0% (6/50) of low-risk, intermediate-risk and high-risk groups, respectively. Although most patients (85.2%) without the primary endpoint were classified into the low-risk group, 7 of 11 SCD (63.6%) occurred in the low-risk group. In univariable and multivariable analysis, sex (woman) was significantly associated with the primary endpoint and emerged as independent predictor. The addition of sex to the HCM Risk-SCD calculator significantly improved the predictive value of the primary endpoint (net reclassification improvement 0.557, p=0.015). Conclusions In the Korean HCM population, the HCM Risk-SCD calculator had a high negative predictive value and accuracy for predicting SCD or appropriate ICD therapy, but misclassified a few patients experiencing the primary endpoint as low-risk or intermediate-risk groups.

Background: Most pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) is poorly modifiable and incurable even with effective therapy. Therefore, adaptation to stress, the reserve of the cardiopulmonary system, is important for assessment of patient function and prognosis. Methods that assess the adaptation to stress, especially exercise, provide valuable insight into diagnosis, prognosis, and response to therapy.Implications for Clinicians: We provide a comprehensive review of the indications, methodology, and interpretation, as well as practical information of the forms of provocative testing in PVD. We include 6-minute walk testing, noninvasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), invasive CPET, and additional forms, including volume loading.Conclusions: Through a clear understanding of the methodology in the assessment of PVD, the clinician can determine which of these “tools of the trade” are best suited to the individual patient and situation.

PURPOSE Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is used widely for prostate cancer (PCa) evaluation. Approximately 35% of aggressive tumors, however, are not visible on mpMRI. We sought to identify the molecular alterations associated with mpMRI-invisible tumors and determine whether mpMRI visibility is associated with PCa prognosis. METHODS Discovery and validation cohorts included patients who underwent mpMRI before radical prostatectomy and were found to harbor both mpMRI-visible (Prostate Imaging and Reporting Data System 3 to 5) and -invisible (Prostate Imaging and Reporting Data System 1 or 2) foci on surgical pathology. Next-generation sequencing was performed to determine differential gene expression between mpMRI-visible and -invisible foci. A genetic signature for tumor mpMRI visibility was derived in the discovery cohort and assessed in an independent validation cohort. Its association with long-term oncologic outcomes was evaluated in a separate testing cohort. RESULTS The discovery cohort included 10 patients with 26 distinct PCa foci on surgical pathology, of which 12 (46%) were visible and 14 (54%) were invisible on preoperative mpMRI. Next-generation sequencing detected prioritized genetic mutations in 14 (54%) tumor foci (n = 8 mpMRI visible, n = 6 mpMRI invisible). A nine-gene signature (composed largely of cell organization/structure genes) associated with mpMRI visibility was derived (area under the curve = 0.89), and the signature predicted MRI visibility with 75% sensitivity and 100% specificity (area under the curve = 0.88) in the validation cohort. In the testing cohort (n = 375, median follow-up 8 years) there was no significant difference in biochemical recurrence, distant metastasis, or cancer-specific mortality in patients with predicted mpMRI-visible versus -invisible tumors (all P > .05). CONCLUSION Compared with mpMRI-invisible disease, mpMRI-visible tumors are associated with underexpression of cellular organization genes. mpMRI visibility does not seem to be predictive of long-term cancer outcomes, highlighting the need for biopsy strategies that detect mpMRI-invisible tumors.

3037 Background: The successes of recent publications on “multi-tumor” circulating markers highlight the relevance of novel universal diagnostic cancer serum biomarkers. Since the Wnt/ß-catenin/Tcf4 pathway, activated in many tumors, induces the GAST Gene encoding progastrin synthesis, we hypothesized that progastrin, easily measurable in the blood, might be a “multi-tumor” diagnostic biomarker. Methods: Progastrin levels were measured in the blood samples of 1319 patients with 12 different cancer origins, and compared to those of 557 asymptomatic 18-75 years old blood donors. Moreover the longitudinal kinetics of progastrin concentrations were serially assessed during treatments in 168 patients with ovarian cancers enrolled in the randomized CHIVA trial (NCT01583322, GINECO), 191 patients with peritoneal involvement from gastro-intestinal cancers enrolled in BIG-RENAPE trial (NCT03787056), and in 95 HCC patients. The progastrin was measured using an ELISA test developed by ECS Progastrin (Prilly, Switzerland). Results: Compared to healthy blood donors, progastrin was found at higher concentrations in the plasma of cancer patients: median 4.47 vs 0.20 pM, P < 0.0001; diagnostic discriminative power, ROC analysis AUC = 0.86 (95% CI, 0.83-0.89; P < 0.0001). Progastrin levels were found elevated in all cancer groups, regardless of disease stages, and of pathology origins: ROC AUCs ranged from 0.71 to 0.93, all P < 0.0001 (Table). The longitudinal progastrin changes during treatments, suggest relationships to tumor burden, and potential monitoring value. Conclusions: Progastrin is a novel ubiquitous cancer biomarker, easily detectable in the blood using an affordable ELISA test (CancerRead Lab test(R)). It may change the future paradigms about screening (in particular for populations at higher or lower risks of cancer), cancer diagnostic & monitoring. [Table: see text]

Abstract Slippery and hydrophilic surfaces find critical applications in areas as diverse as biomedical devices, microfluidics, antifouling, and underwater robots. Existing methods to achieve such surfaces rely mostly on grafting hydrophilic polymer brushes or coating hydrogel layers, but these methods suffer from several limitations. Grafted polymer brushes are prone to damage and do not provide sufficient mechanical compliance due to their nanometer‐scale thickness. Hydrogel coatings are applicable only for relatively simple geometries, precluding their use for the surfaces with complex geometries and features. Here, a new method is proposed to interpenetrate hydrophilic polymers into the surface of diverse polymers with arbitrary shapes to form naturally integrated “hydrogel skins.” The hydrogel skins exhibit tissue‐like softness (Young's modulus ≈ 30 kPa), have uniform and tunable thickness in the range of 5–25 µm, and can withstand prolonged shearing forces with no measurable damage. The hydrogel skins also provide superior low‐friction, antifouling, and ionically conductive surfaces to the polymer substrates without compromising their original mechanical properties and geometry. Applications of the hydrogel skins on inner and outer surfaces of various practical polymer devices including medical tubing, Foley catheters, cardiac pacemaker leads, and soft robots on massive scales are further demonstrated.

4073 Background: Durvalumab and tremelimumab, investigational monoclonal antibodies against PD-L1 and CTLA-4 immune checkpoints, respectively, have shown efficacy in monotherapy and offer promise in combination for patients (pts) with HCC. This is a phase I/II, open-label, randomized study of durvalumab combined with tremelimumab in unresectable HCC. Methods: Phase I part of this study is a safety run-in cohort treated at the recommended phase II doses of the durvalumab/tremelimumab combination (20 and 1 mg/kg IV Q4W respectively for 4 doses followed by 20 mg/kg Q4W durvalumab alone) in pts with unresectable HCC with or without concomitant HBV or HCV infection who progress on, are intolerant to, or have refused sorafenib therapy. Secondary objectives include evaluation of antitumor activity. Here we present results of a preplanned analysis from the completed phase I part of the study. Results: As of 10 January 2017, 40 pts have been enrolled (11 HBV+, 9 HCV+, 20 uninfected). 30% had no prior systemic therapy; 93% were Child Pugh Class A. 24 (60%) had ≥1 treatment-related AE; 20% had ≥1 grade ≥3 related AE. Most common (≥15%) treatment-related AEs: fatigue (20%), increased ALT (18%), pruritus (18%), and increased AST (15%). Most common grade ≥3 related AE was asymptomatic increased AST (10%). 24 pts have discontinued treatment: 3 due to treatment-related AEs (grade 3 pneumonitis, grade 3 colitis/diarrhea, asymptomatic grade 4 elevated AST and ALT), 16 due to progressive disease, 4 due to death unrelated to treatment (cardiac arrest, variceal bleed, progressive disease, probable HCC rupture), and 1 other (pt entered hospice care). 40 pts were evaluable for response at ≥16 weeks follow-up. Conclusions: No unexpected safety signals with durvalumab and tremelimumab were seen in this unresectable HCC population. Clinical activity observed predominantly in uninfected pts though interpretation limited by small subsets. Enrollment to the phase II portion of the study is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT02519348. [Table: see text]