Citations

The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association charged a workgroup with the task of developing criteria for the symptomatic predementia phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD), referred to in this article as mild cognitive impairment due to AD. The workgroup developed the following two sets of criteria: (1) core clinical criteria that could be used by healthcare providers without access to advanced imaging techniques or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and (2) research criteria that could be used in clinical research settings, including clinical trials. The second set of criteria incorporate the use of biomarkers based on imaging and cerebrospinal fluid measures. The final set of criteria for mild cognitive impairment due to AD has four levels of certainty, depending on the presence and nature of the biomarker findings. Considerable work is needed to validate the criteria that use biomarkers and to standardize biomarker analysis for use in community settings.

The pathophysiological process of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is thought to begin many years before the diagnosis of AD dementia. This long “preclinical” phase of AD would provide a critical opportunity for therapeutic intervention; however, we need to further elucidate the link between the pathological cascade of AD and the emergence of clinical symptoms. The National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association convened an international workgroup to review the biomarker, epidemiological, and neuropsychological evidence, and to develop recommendations to determine the factors which best predict the risk of progression from “normal” cognition to mild cognitive impairment and AD dementia. We propose a conceptual framework and operational research criteria, based on the prevailing scientific evidence to date, to test and refine these models with longitudinal clinical research studies. These recommendations are solely intended for research purposes and do not have any clinical implications at this time. It is hoped that these recommendations will provide a common rubric to advance the study of preclinical AD, and ultimately, aid the field in moving toward earlier intervention at a stage of AD when some disease‐modifying therapies may be most efficacious.

The fourth Leon Thal Symposium (LTS2010) was convened in Toulouse, France, on November 3, 2010. This symposium reviewed design parameters that are necessary to develop comprehensive national databases on healthy aging. Such datasets offer the potential to serve as the foundation for a systems‐approach to solve the dual public health problems of: (1) early detection of people who are at elevated risk for Alzheimer's disease, and (2) the development of interventions to delay onset of, or prevent, late‐life dementia. The symposium considered three interrelated components of a National Database for Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Aging as follows: (a) a registry of healthy aging adults; (b) refined computer‐based assessments for data gathering, including assessments of behavioral/memory changes associated with aging that are appropriate for broad use in nonexpert settings; and (c) high performance computing/supercomputer‐based approaches for health data modeling and mining.

Background— Diastolic dysfunction associated with high blood pressure (BP) leads to cardiac remodeling and fibrosis and progression to congestive heart failure. B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has BP-lowering, antifibrotic, and antihypertrophic properties, which makes BNP an attractive agent for attenuating the adverse cardiac remodeling associated with hypertension. In the current study, we tested the effects of sustained cardiac proBNP gene delivery on BP, cardiac function, and remodeling in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods and Results— We used the myocardium-tropic adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) vector to achieve continuously enhanced cardiac rat proBNP expression. In SHR, a single systemic administration of AAV9 vector allowed long-term cardiac BNP overexpression, resulting in reductions in systolic and diastolic BP for 9 months after injection. Left ventricular (LV) thickness, LV end-systolic dimensions, and LV mass were reduced, whereas ejection fraction was significantly increased, in BNP-treated compared with untreated SHR. Circumferential systolic strain and strain rate of the early phase of diastole were improved in BNP-treated compared with untreated SHR. Noncardiac overexpression of BNP via AAV2 vector was not associated with changes in BP and plasma BNP in SHR. Furthermore, normal Wistar rats injected with AAV9 proBNP vector showed significantly reduced heart weights 4 weeks after injection without BP reduction. Conclusions— AAV9 vector facilitates sustained cardiac proBNP overexpression and improves LV function in hypertensive heart disease. Long-term proBNP delivery improved both systolic and diastolic function. The effects on cardiac structure and function occurred independently of BP-lowering effects in normal Wistar rats.

Obesity has been associated with increased cardiac sympathetic activation during wakefulness, but the effect on sleep-related sympathetic modulation is not known. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fat gain on cardiac autonomic control during wakefulness and sleep in humans. We performed a randomized, controlled study to assess the effects of fat gain on heart rate variability. We recruited 36 healthy volunteers, who were randomized to either a standardized diet to gain ≈4 kg over 8 weeks followed by an 8-week weight loss period (n=20) or to serve as a weight-maintainer control (n=16). An overnight polysomnogram with power spectral analysis of heart rate variability was performed at baseline, after weight gain, and after weight loss to determine the ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency power and to examine the relationship between changes in heart rate variability and changes in insulin, leptin, and adiponectin levels. Mean weight gain was 3.9 kg in the fat gain group versus 0.1 kg in the maintainer group. Low frequency/high frequency increased both during wakefulness and sleep after fat gain and returned to baseline after fat loss in the fat gain group and did not change in the control group. Insulin, leptin, and adiponectin also increased after fat gain and fell after fat loss, but no clear pattern of changes was seen that correlated consistently with changes in heart rate variability. Short-term fat gain in healthy subjects is associated with increased cardiac sympathetic activation during wakefulness and sleep, but the mechanisms remain unclear.

Abstract Introduction: CX-4945 is a first-in-class, orally administered small molecule that potently and selectively inhibits protein kinase CK2, a previously unexploited molecular target with well documented roles in many cancers. In vitro, CX-4945 selectively kills cancer cells by modulating key survival pathways, resulting in cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell proliferation, and promotion of apoptosis. CK2 hyperactivation of the PI3K/Akt pathway promotes the phosphorylation of several proteins which we have exploited as biomarkers for CX-4945 activity. A validated laser scanning cytometry method has been developed to quantify the phosphorylation of p21 and Akt in cells, and this has been employed to characterize these substrates in circulating blood cells collected from patients in the phase I clinical trial of CX-4945. Procedures: Eligible patients with advanced solid tumors with progressive disease, or for whom there are no available standard therapies, were administered CX-4945 in successive dose cohorts using a standard 3×3 design at: 90, 160, 300, 460, and 700 mg per dose. Oral doses were administered twice daily for twenty-one consecutive days of a four week cycle. Serial plasma samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis on the first and final dosing days of Cycle 1 (i.e., Day 1 and Day 21). In addition, whole blood samples were collected at pre-treatment, 4 hours and 8 hours following the first dose of CX-4945 on Day 1 and Day 21, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated for pharmacodynamic biomarker evaluations (specifically, total and phosphorylated forms of p21 and Akt). Plasma samples were also collected at these time points for quantification of plasma IL-6. Results: Seventeen patients with advanced solid tumors from five separate dose cohorts have received oral doses of CX-4945 to date, and all patients in the study participated in the collection of PBMCs. Biomarkers from patients in Cohorts 3 and 4 demonstrated changes in their profile consistent with the inhibition of CK2. CX-4945 displays general linearity in PK parameters between the dose cohorts, with a terminal half life of approximately 25 hours at steady state. Conclusions: To date, no DLTs have yet been observed, and the MTD remains to be defined in this Phase I study. Early signals suggest a modulation of the biomarker profile consistent with CK2 inhibition. Patient enrollment will continue, to further characterize CX-4945's safety, tolerance, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic effects. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2763.

Objective: To examine whether consistent low-risk drinking is associated with lower risk of developing functional limitations among older adults. Method: Data were obtained from five waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Function was assessed by questions measuring four physical abilities and five instrumental activities of daily living. Five different drinking patterns were determined using data over two consecutive survey periods. Results: Over the follow-up periods, 38.6% of older adults developed functional limitations. Consistent low-risk drinkers had lower odds of developing functional limitations compared with consistent abstainers, and the effect of consistent low-risk drinking was greater among those aged 50 to 64 years compared with those aged ≥65 years. Other drinking patterns were not associated with lower odds of incident functional limitation. Discussion: Consistent low-risk drinking was associated with lower odds of developing functional limitations, and this association was greater among older middle-aged adults aged 50 to 64 years.

ABSTRACTBackground:The relations between hepatic steatosis and histological features of hepatocyte injury in children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease have yet to be examined. The aims of the present study were to establish associations between steatosis amount, type, and distribution in a well‐characterized group of children with biopsy‐proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).Patients and Methods:One hundred eight children with NAFLD seen in 5 centers were studied. Clinical and laboratory data were collected. Hematoxylin‐eosin and Masson trichrome stains were evaluated by 2 expert liver pathologists. Steatosis grade (0–3), type (macrovesicular, microvesicular, or mixed), and zone (1, 3, azonal, or panacinar) were determined. The NAFLD activity score and fibrosis stage were determined.Results:Median patient age was 12 years and median body mass index was 31 kg/m2. Fibrosis was present in 87%. The median NAFLD activity score was 4. Mild, moderate, and severe steatosis were present in 42%, 34%, and 24% of biopsies, respectively. Macrovesicular steatosis was present in 81% and mixed steatosis was present in 19%. Panacinar distribution of steatosis was most frequent (40%), followed by azonal (27%). Steatosis grade positively correlated with portal inflammation (P = 0.018). Azonal distribution positively correlated with presence of hepatocyte ballooning (P = 0.03). Biopsies with mixed steatosis were approximately 20 times more likely to have megamitochondria than those with macrovesicular steatosis alone (95% confidence interval 2.3–204.9). There was no relation between steatosis amount, type, or distribution to fibrosis stage.Conclusions:Specific histological patterns of steatosis in children are associated with histological markers of steatohepatitis. Ballooning and portal inflammation correlated well with features of steatosis.

Purpose Myelofibrosis is a myeloid malignancy associated with anemia, splenomegaly, and constitutional symptoms. Patients frequently harbor JAK-STAT activating mutations that are sensitive to TG101348, a selective small-molecule Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) inhibitor. Patients and Methods In a multicenter phase I trial, oral TG101348 was administered once a day to patients with high- or intermediate-risk primary or post–polycythemia vera/essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis. Results Fifty-nine patients were treated, including 28 in the dose-escalation phase. The maximum-tolerated dose was 680 mg/d, and dose-limiting toxicity was a reversible and asymptomatic increase in the serum amylase level. Forty-three patients (73%) continued treatment beyond six cycles; the median cumulative exposure to TG101348 was 380 days. Adverse events included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, and thrombocytopenia; corresponding grades 3 to 4 incidence rates were 3%, 3%, 10%, 35%, and 24%. TG101348 treatment had modest effect on serum cytokine levels, but greater than half of the patients with early satiety, night sweats, fatigue, pruritus, and cough achieved rapid and durable improvement in these symptoms. By six and 12 cycles of treatment, 39% and 47% of patients, respectively, had achieved a spleen response per International Working Group criteria. The majority of patients with leukocytosis or thrombocytosis at baseline (n = 28 and n = 10, respectively) achieved normalization of blood counts after six (57% and 90%, respectively) and 12 (56% and 88%, respectively) cycles. A significant decrease in JAK2 V617F allele burden was observed at 6 months in mutation-positive patients (n = 51; P = .04), particularly in the subgroup with allele burden greater than 20% (n = 23; P < .01); the decrease was durable at 12 months. Conclusion TG101348 is well tolerated and produces significant reduction in disease burden and durable clinical benefit in patients with myelofibrosis.