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Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious and causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most accurate and reliable molecular assay to detect active SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, a rapid increase in test subjects has created a global bottleneck in testing capacity. Given that efficient nucleic acid extraction greatly affects reliable and accurate testing results, we compared three extraction platforms: MagNA Pure 96 DNA and Viral NA Small Volume kit on MagNA Pure 96 (Roche, Basel, Switzerland), careGENETM Viral/Pathogen HiFi Nucleic Acid Isolation kit (WELLS BIO Inc., Seoul, Korea) on KingFisher Flex (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Rocklin, CA, USA), and SGRespiTM Pure kit (Seegene Inc., Seoul, Korea) on Maelstrom 9600 (Taiwan Advanced Nanotech Inc., Taoyuan, Taiwan). RNA was extracted from 245 residual respiratory specimens from the different types of samples (i.e., NPS, sputum, and saliva) using three different kits. The 95% limits of detection of median tissue culture infectious dose per milliliter (TCID50/mL) for the MagNA Pure 96, KingFisher Flex, and Maelstrom 9600 were 0.37–3.15 × 101, 0.41–3.62 × 101, and 0.33–1.98 × 101, respectively. The KingFisher Flex platform exhibited 99.2% sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas Maelstrom 9600 exhibited 98.3–100% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Bland–Altman analysis revealed a 95.2% concordance between MagNA Pure 96 and KingFisher Flex and 95.4% concordance between MagNA Pure 96 and Maelstrom 9600, indicating that all three platforms provided statistically reliable results. This suggests that two modifying platforms, KingFisher Flex and Maelstrom 9600, are accurate and scalable extraction platforms for large-scale SARS-CoV-2 clinical detection and could help the management of COVID-19 patients.

Background: Probiotic supplementation reestablishes microbiome diversity and improves brain function in Alzheimer’s disease (AD); their molecular mechanisms, however, have not yet been fully illustrated. Objective: We investigated the effects of orally supplemented Bifidobacterium breve MCC1274 on cognitive function and AD-like pathologies in App NL- G- F mice. Methods: Three-month-old App NL- G- F mice were orally supplemented with B. breve MCC1274 for four months. The short-term memory function was evaluated using a novel object recognition test. Amyloid plaques, amyloid-β (Aβ) levels, Aβ fibril, amyloid-β protein precursor and its processing enzymes, its metabolic products, glial activity, and cell proliferation in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, Aβ ELISA, western blotting, and immunofluorescence staining. The mRNA expression levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were determined by qRT-PCR analysis. Results: We found that the oral B. breve MCC1 274 supplementation prevented memory impairment in App NL- G- F mice and decreased hippocampal Aβ levels through the enhancement of the a-disintegrin and metalloproteinase 10 (ADAM10) level. Moreover, administration of the probiotic activated the ERK/HIF-1 α signaling pathway responsible for increasing the ADAM10 level and also attenuated microglial activation, which in turn led to reduction in the mRNA expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the brain. In addition, B. breve MCC1274 supplementation increased the level of synaptic proteins in the hippocampus. Conclusion: Our findings support the possibility that oral B. breve MCC1274 supplementation might be used as a potential preventive therapy for AD progression.

Polyurethane foams (PUFs) have attracted attention as biomaterials because of their low adhesion to the wound area and suitability as biodegradable or bioactive materials. The composition of the building blocks for PUFs can be controlled with additives, which provide excellent anti-drug resistance and biocompatibility. Herein, nanosized Cu-BTC (copper(II)-benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate) was incorporated into a PUF via the crosslinking reaction of castor oil and chitosan with toluene-2,4-diisocyanate, to enhance therapeutic efficiency through the modification of the surface of PUF. The physical and thermal properties of the nanosized Cu-BTC-incorporated PUF (PUF@Cu-BTC), e.g., swelling ratio, phase transition, thermal gravity loss, and cell morphology, were compared with those of the control PUF. The bactericidal activities of PUF@Cu-BTC and control PUF were evaluated against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. PUF@Cu-BTC exhibited selective and significant antibacterial activity toward the tested bacteria and lower cytotoxicity for mouse embryonic fibroblasts compared with the control PUF at a dose of 2 mg mL−1. The Cu(II) ions release test showed that PUF@Cu-BTC was stable in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 24 h. The selective bactericidal activity and low cytotoxicity of PUF@Cu-BTC ensure it is a candidate for therapeutic applications for the drug delivery, treatment of skin disease, and wound healing.

Abstract This international guideline proposes improving clozapine package inserts worldwide by using ancestry-based dosing and titration. Adverse drug reaction (ADR) databases suggest that clozapine is the third most toxic drug in the United States (US), and it produces four times higher worldwide pneumonia mortality than that by agranulocytosis or myocarditis. For trough steady-state clozapine serum concentrations, the therapeutic reference range is narrow, from 350 to 600 ng/mL with the potential for toxicity and ADRs as concentrations increase. Clozapine is mainly metabolized by CYP1A2 (female non-smokers, the lowest dose; male smokers, the highest dose). Poor metabolizer status through phenotypic conversion is associated with co-prescription of inhibitors (including oral contraceptives and valproate), obesity, or inflammation with C-reactive protein (CRP) elevations. The Asian population (Pakistan to Japan) or the Americas’ original inhabitants have lower CYP1A2 activity and require lower clozapine doses to reach concentrations of 350 ng/mL. In the US, daily doses of 300–600 mg/day are recommended. Slow personalized titration may prevent early ADRs (including syncope, myocarditis, and pneumonia). This guideline defines six personalized titration schedules for inpatients: 1) ancestry from Asia or the original people from the Americas with lower metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing minimum therapeutic dosages of 75–150 mg/day, 2) ancestry from Asia or the original people from the Americas with average metabolism needing 175–300 mg/day, 3) European/Western Asian ancestry with lower metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing 100–200 mg/day, 4) European/Western Asian ancestry with average metabolism needing 250–400 mg/day, 5) in the US with ancestries other than from Asia or the original people from the Americas with lower clozapine metabolism (obesity or valproate) needing 150–300 mg/day, and 6) in the US with ancestries other than from Asia or the original people from the Americas with average clozapine metabolism needing 300–600 mg/day. Baseline and weekly CRP monitoring for at least four weeks is required to identify any inflammation, including inflammation secondary to clozapine rapid titration.

Abstract Background: Patients with relapsed indolent NHL (iNHL) have limited standard treatment options. Lenalidomide combined with rituximab (R 2) has shown complimentary clinical activity and is a tolerable regimen in both untreated and relapsed or refractory (R/R) patients with iNHL (RELEVANCE : N Engl J Med 2018;379:934 and AUGMENT: J Clin Oncol. 2019;37:1188). Methods: MAGNIFY is a multicenter, phase 3b trial in patients with R/R follicular lymphoma (FL) grades 1-3b, transformed FL (tFL), marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), or mantle cell lymphoma (MCL; NCT01996865) exploring optimal lenalidomide duration. In the induction phase, lenalidomide 20 mg PO on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle + rituximab IV at 375 mg/m 2/week cycle 1 and then every 8 weeks starting with cycle 3 (R 2) are administered for 12 cycles. Patients with stable disease, partial response, or complete response/complete response unconfirmed (CR/CRu) were randomized 1:1 to R 2 vs rituximab maintenance for 18 months. Data presented here are the complete analysis from the induction phase in efficacy-evaluable patients with FL grades 1-3a or MZL (FL grade 3b, tFL, and MCL not included). The focus of this interim analysis was overall response rate (ORR) by 1999 IWG criteria in the induction intention-to-treat population. Results: As of March 5, 2021, 394 patients (318 [81%] FL gr1-3a; 76 [19%] MZL) were enrolled. The median follow-up was 40.6 mo (range, 0.6-79.6). Median age was 66 y (range, 35-91), 328 (83%) had stage III/IV disease, with a median of 2 prior therapies (94% prior rituximab-containing). ORR was 71% (n = 279) with 42% (n = 164) CR/CRu (Table). All patients have completed R 2 induction (n = 232, 59%) or discontinued study treatment (n = 162, 41%). 141 patients (36%) prematurely discontinued both lenalidomide and rituximab, primarily due to adverse events (AEs) (n = 54, 14%) or progressive disease (n = 42, 11%). The majority of patients who have completed induction have been randomized and entered maintenance (n = 217). Median duration of response in the induction period was not reached (95% CI, 43.9 mo-NR), and median progression-free survival in the induction safety population (n = 393) was 50.5 mo (95% CI, 39.5-NR). Efficacy results are reported in the table by histology subgroups (FL vs MZL), and rituximab-refractory, double-refractory, and early relapse statuses. Most common all-grade AEs were 47% fatigue, 43% neutropenia, 37% diarrhea, 30% nausea, and 30% constipation. Grade 3/4 AEs occurring in ≥ 5% of patients included 37% neutropenia (10 patients [3%] had febrile neutropenia), 8% leukopenia, 6% thrombocytopenia, 5% anemia, and 5% fatigue. Conclusions: These data represent complete analysis of all patients in the induction phase of MAGNIFY which continue to support that R 2 is active with a tolerable safety profile in patients with R/R FL grade 1-3a and MZL, including rituximab-refractory, double-refractory, and early relapse patients. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Lansigan: Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Andorsky: Abbvie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Epizyme: Research Funding. Coleman: immunomedics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Abbvie: Research Funding; Bristol Myers: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Genentech: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; BeiGene: Research Funding; Innocare: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding. Yacoub: Dynavex: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Cara: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Ardelyx: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; Agios: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; ACCELERON PHARMA: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CTI Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Hylapharm: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Melear: TG Therapeutics: Speakers Bureau; Astrazeneca: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau. Fanning: Sanofi: Speakers Bureau; Genmab: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; TG Pharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Speakers Bureau; ADC Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Speakers Bureau. Kolibaba: TG Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Atara Biotechm: Consultancy; McKesson Specialty Health: Consultancy; Sunitomo Dainippon Pharma: Consultancy; Tolero Pharma: Consultancy, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company). Nowakowski: Incyte: Consultancy; Kymera Therapeutics: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Blueprint Medicines: Consultancy; Nanostrings: Research Funding; Curis: Consultancy; Selvita: Consultancy; Zai Labolatory: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy; Bantham Pharmaceutical: Consultancy; Karyopharm Therapeutics: Consultancy; Ryvu Therapeutics: Consultancy; Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kyte Pharma: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Consultancy. Gharibo: BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Ahn: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company; ADC therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Li: BMS: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company, Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Other: TRAVEL, ACCOMMODATIONS, EXPENSES (paid by any for-profit health care company), Research Funding. Sharman: BeiGene: Consultancy; TG Therapeutics: Consultancy; Lilly: Consultancy; Centessa: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy.

Abstract Introduction: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) constitutes ~40% of hematologic malignancies and, in 2020, resulted in 19,940 deaths in the USA. The most common NHL subtypes are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), and follicular lymphoma (FL). Although a majority of patients respond to standard-of-care therapy, many patients with NHL eventually relapse, highlighting the need for additional treatments. Real-world data regarding the safety and efficacy of emerging therapies in the relapsed/refractory (R/R) population, and the association between treatment patterns and patient outcomes, are limited. These data could provide unique insights to clinical and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes in patients with DLBCL, FL, or PMBCL treated with emerging therapies, especially novel options such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies. Methods: The Connect ® Lymphoma Disease Registry (NCT04982471) is a US-based, multicenter, prospective observational cohort study of patients with R/R NHL (DLBCL, FL, and PMBCL). Approximately 2100 patients ≥ 18 years of age from ~200 community oncology (~80%) or academic (~20%) sites will be enrolled over a ~3-year period. Patients with histologically confirmed NHL subtypes will be enrolled into 1 of 4 cohorts: first R/R DLBCL, second R/R DLBCL, first R/R FL, or first R/R PMBCL (Figure). Patients will be required to have begun second- (first R/R) or third- (second R/R) line systemic treatment within 60 days prior to enrollment. Patients receiving treatment for any active malignancy other than DLBCL, FL, or PMBCL at the time of enrollment, or who are diagnosed with any other malignancy in the 6 months prior to enrollment, will be excluded. All treatment and management decisions will be determined by the practicing clinicians. Patients may undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, CAR T cell therapy, or other treatments at other sites while participating in this study. Patients will be followed from enrollment for up to 5 years or until death, withdrawal of consent, loss to follow-up, or study termination, whichever occurs first. Data collection will occur at enrollment (baseline) and then every ~3 months. The main objectives of the Connect ® Registry are to describe patient characteristics, practice patterns, and factors associated with treatment choice, sequencing, and effectiveness in NHL subtypes. Secondary objectives include describing treatment regimen safety, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) including HRQoL, and healthcare resource utilization outcomes. Exploratory objectives include tumor and blood biomarker evaluation and understanding the availability of social support and its impact on long-term treatment decision-making. Case report forms will be used to collect clinical and treatment data, including baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment details and response, and socioeconomic factors. Outcome measures for efficacy will be progression-free survival, event-free survival, objective response rate, time to next treatment, and overall survival. The availability of social support will be assessed via a specific questionnaire administered at baseline. General (EQ-5D-5L) and disease-specific (FACT-Lym) questionnaires will also be administered. Patients may also optionally agree to release tumor biopsies and blood samples for biomarker analysis. Clinicians will be required to report serious adverse events (AEs), secondary primary malignancies, and confirmed COVID-19 infections within 24 hours. Non-serious AEs of interest include grade 1-3 cytokine release syndrome, grade 1-3 neurotoxicity, grade 3 colitis, grade 3 arrhythmia, grade 3 hemorrhage. Other AEs of interest to be collected include grade 3 hypogammaglobulinemia, prolonged grade 3 cytopenia, and grade 3 infections. Data collected in the Connect ® Registry will increase understanding of the association between emerging therapies and patient outcomes for R/R DLBCL, FL, and PMBCL. Study support: Bristol Myers Squibb Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Flowers: Amgen: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; Biopharma: Consultancy; Ziopharm: Research Funding; Burroughs Wellcome Fund: Research Funding; Nektar: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Consultancy; Iovance: Research Funding; Allogene: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Research Funding; Cellectis: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; BeiGene: Consultancy; Kite: Research Funding; EMD: Research Funding; Genentech/Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Morphosys: Research Funding; Adaptimmune: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Epizyme, Inc.: Consultancy; Spectrum: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics/Janssen: Consultancy; Acerta: Research Funding; 4D: Research Funding; Denovo: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Guardant: Research Funding; Genmab: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding; SeaGen: Consultancy; Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas: CPRIT Scholar in Cancer Research: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; National Cancer Institute: Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding; Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group: Research Funding; Xencor: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding. Andorsky: Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy; Celgene/Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Other: served on steering committees; Epizyme: Research Funding; AbbVie: Research Funding. Burke: SeaGen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; X4 Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Verastem: Consultancy; AstraZeneca: Consultancy; MorphoSys: Consultancy; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Roche/Genentech: Consultancy; Epizyme: Consultancy; Kura: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy; Beigene: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Kymera: Consultancy. Cerhan: Genentech: Research Funding; NanoString: Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Other: Connect Lymphoma Scientific Steering Committee, Research Funding; Regeneron Genetics Center: Other: Research Collaboration. Grinblatt: Astellas Pharma, Inc.: Consultancy; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Astra Zeneca: Consultancy; AbbVie: Consultancy. Toomey: Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy. Zelenetz: Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Verastem: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria; MEI Pharma: Honoraria, Research Funding; SecuraBio: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; MorphoSys: Honoraria; Pharmacyclics: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; LFR: Other; Genentech/Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; NCCN: Other; MethylGene: Research Funding; Beigene: Honoraria, Other, Research Funding; BMS/Celgene/JUNO: Honoraria, Other; Amgen: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Sullivan: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Flick: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment. Kiselev: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Current holder of individual stocks in a privately-held company. Kaplan: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment. Ahn: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment.

Abstract Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and deadly primary brain tumor. Novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to improve outcomes, but a number of disease-specific barriers pose challenges to innovation. Tumor-mediated immunosuppression is one such hurdle, and a growing body of evidence suggests that GBM-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) play an important role in host immunosuppression. GBM-derived EVs have been shown to induce the formation of immunosuppressive monocytes, including myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Work by our group and others has increasingly shown that these immunosuppressive monocytes are a heterogenous group, and that many constellations of surface markers are inadequate to capture the changes wrought by EVs. In order to better understand the effects of GBM-EVs on monocytes, we conducted RNA-seq analysis on monocytes collected from four healthy donors treated with GBM-derived EVs harvested by ultracentrifugation from the patient-derived BT116 cell line. Following 72h of EV conditioning, total RNA was harvested from treated monocytes and untreated controls. RNA-seq was performed using the Illumina HiSeq4000 platform with paired end index reads. Analysis was performed using RNA STAR and the hg19 ENCODE reference sequence. Differential expression analysis was performed using DESeq2. Genes with a false-discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P value < 0.05 and a log2 fold-change value of >|1| were considered significantly different between groups. Pathway analysis was performed using ClueGO in Cytoscape (GO term fusion on, p< 0.05). Unsupervised clustering analysis of the top 500 most differentially-expressed genes demonstrated grouping of BT116 EV-treated monocytes together versus untreated monocytes. Pathway analysis upregulated genes in pathways important for heparan sulfate proteoglycan synthesis and cholesterol synthesis, which could potentially point to positive regulation of EV uptake. Downregulated pathways included regulation of T cell differentiation and chemoattractant activity, underscoring the induction of a potentially immunosuppressive phenotype by GBM-derived EVs.