Citations

AbstractAimWe investigate if periodontal disease is prospectively associated with cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative markers of dementia and Alzheimer's pathology.Materials and MethodsN = 1306 participants (Visit 5 mean age = 76.5 [standard deviation = 5.4] years) in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study with completed dental exams at Visit 4 underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans at Visit 5 while N = 248 underwent positron emission tomography scans. Participants were classified as edentulous or, among the dentate, by the modified Periodontal Profile Class. Brain volumes were regressed on periodontal status in linear regressions. Cerebrovascular measures and β‐amyloid positivity were regressed on periodontal status in logistic regressions.ResultsPeriodontal disease was not associated with brain volumes, microhaemorrhages, or elevated β‐amyloid. Compared with periodontally healthy individuals, odds ratios [95% confidence interval] for all‐type infarcts were 0.37 [0.20, 0.65] for severe tooth loss and 0.56 [0.31, 0.99] for edentulous participants.ConclusionsWithin the limitations of this study, periodontal disease was not associated with altered brain volumes, microhaemorrhages, or β‐amyloid positivity. Tooth loss was associated with lower odds of cerebral infarcts.

ABSTRACT Background Uncertainties exist about the use of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in anti-neutrophil cytoplasmatic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV), particularly for remission maintenance. Methods Systematic review and meta-analysis of phase II and III trials assessing the use of MMF in AAV, granulomatosis with polyangiitis and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). A comprehensive search of several databases (Medline, EMBASE, Cochrane, Web of Science, Scopus) from inception to 5 May 2020 has been conducted. Trial data were extracted to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and estimates (ES) for MMF efficacy (remission-induction and maintenance). Severe adverse effects (SAEs) were collected. Results From 565 articles captured, 10 met the predefined criteria, 5 phase II and 5 III trials; 4 assessed remission-induction, 3 remission maintenance and 3 both. The pooled OR for remission-induction at 6 months was 1.06 (95% confidence interval 0.74, 1.52), with no significant difference by subgroup meta-analysis of trials stratified by different study-level features (i.e. kidney disease, MPA, myeloperoxidase-ANCA positivity, newly diagnosed disease) (P > 0.05). The overall ES for remission maintenance at the end of follow-up ranged between 51% and 91% (I2 = 74.8%). Subgroup meta-analysis identified kidney involvement as a possible source of heterogeneity, yielding a significantly higher rate of sustained remission in trials enrolling only patients with kidney involvement (92%, 76–100%) versus those enrolling patients with and without kidney involvement (56%, 45–66%). Results were similar in multiple sensitivity analyses. During follow-up, the frequency of SAEs in MMF-based treatment arms was 31.8%. Conclusions In AAV, MMF use was significantly associated with higher sustained remission rates in trials enrolling only patients with kidney involvement. These findings might influence clinical practice.

Abstract The complex and dynamic system of fluid flow through the perivascular and interstitial spaces of the CNS has new-found implications for neurological diseases. CSF movement throughout the CNS parenchyma is more dynamic than could be explained via passive diffusion mechanisms alone. Indeed, a semistructured glial-lymphatic (glymphatic) system of astrocyte-supported extracellular perivascular channels serves to directionally channel extracellular fluid, clearing metabolites and peptides to optimize neurological function. Clinical studies of the glymphatic network have to date proven challenging, with most data gleaned from rodent models and post-mortem investigations. However, increasing evidence suggests that disordered glymphatic function contributes to the pathophysiology of CNS ageing, neurodegenerative disease and CNS injuries, as well as normal pressure hydrocephalus. Unlocking such pathophysiology could provide important avenues towards novel therapeutics. We here provide a multidisciplinary overview of glymphatics and critically review accumulating evidence regarding its structure, function and hypothesized relevance to neurological disease. We highlight emerging technologies of relevance to the longitudinal evaluation of glymphatic function in health and disease. Finally, we discuss the translational opportunities and challenges of studying glymphatic science.

OBJECTIVE Degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM) results in significant morbidity. The duration of symptoms prior to surgical intervention may be associated with postoperative surgical outcomes and functional recovery. The authors’ objective was to investigate whether delayed surgical treatment for DCM is associated with worsened postoperative outcomes. METHODS Data from 1036 patients across 14 surgical centers in the Quality Outcomes Database were analyzed. Baseline demographic characteristics and findings of preoperative and postoperative symptom evaluations, including duration of symptoms, were assessed. Postoperative functional outcomes were measured using the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and modified Japanese Orthopaedic Association (mJOA) scale. Symptom duration was classified as either less than 12 months or 12 months or greater. Univariable and multivariable regression were used to evaluate for the associations between symptom duration and postoperative outcomes. RESULTS In this study, 513 patients (49.5%) presented with symptom duration < 12 months, and 523 (50.5%) had symptoms for 12 months or longer. Patients with longer symptom duration had higher BMI and higher prevalence of anxiety and diabetes (all p < 0.05). Symptom duration ≥ 12 months was associated with higher average baseline NDI score (41 vs 36, p < 0.01). However, improvements in NDI scores from baseline were not significantly different between groups at 3 months (p = 0.77) or 12 months (p = 0.51). Likewise, the authors found no significant differences between groups in changes in mJOA scores from baseline to 3 months or 12 months (both p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Surgical intervention resulted in improved mJOA and NDI scores at 3 months, and this improvement was sustained in both patients with short and longer initial symptom duration. Patients with DCM can still undergo successful surgical management despite delayed presentation.

Abstract Background: Palliative care (PC) benefits patients with cancer and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but remains under-utilized in HSCT. While transplant physicians have substantial concerns regarding how patients perceive PC, studies examining HSCT recipients' perceptions of PC are lacking. Methods: Between 11/2020-4/2021, the CIBMTR Survey Research Group conducted a multi-site cross-sectional survey of adult autologous and allogeneic HSCT recipients at 11 transplant centers in the United States who were 3-12 months post-transplant to assess their experience, knowledge, and perceptions of PC. Using validated questionnaires, we assessed patients' familiarity with PC, knowledge and perception of PC, unmet PC needs, quality of life, and symptom burden. We computed a composite score of patients' perceptions of PC (mean = 48.8, SD = 12.2). We used a generalized linear regression model to examine factors associated with patients' perceptions of PC. Results: Of 359 potentially eligible patients, 250 (69.6%) enrolled in the study and 249 were eligible for analysis. Median participant age was 58.1 years (IQR 16.6). Most were white (85.9%), non-Hispanic or Latino (95.2%), and male (53.0%). Overall, 63.1% underwent autologous HSCT. The most common diagnoses were multiple myeloma (42.2%), lymphoma (22.1%), leukemia (16.9%), and MDS/MPN (12.4%). Overall, 44.2% (110/249) of patients reported limited knowledge about PC and 51.0% (127/249) endorsed being familiar with PC. Most patients stated that when they hear the term PC, they feel hopeful (54%), and reassured (50%) while a minority reported feeling scared (21%), stressed (22%), or depressed (15%) [Figure 1]. Most endorsed that when a PC referral is suggested for them, they think their doctor really cares about what is happening to them (83%), and only 7% of patients stated that when a PC referral is suggested, they think their doctor has given up on them [Figure 2]. In multivariate analyses, patients who were more knowledgeable about PC were more likely to have a positive perception of PC (B = 7.54, SE=1.61, P &lt; 0.001) compared to those who had less knowledge about PC. Patients with postgraduate education were more likely to have a negative perception of PC (B = -5.55, SE=2.60, P = 0.034) compared to those with high school education or less. Patients' demographics, HSCT type, diagnosis, unmet PC needs, quality of life, and symptom burden were not statistically significantly associated with their perceptions of PC. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of HSCT recipients report limited knowledge and familiarity with PC. Most patients reported positive perceptions of PC, and those who were more knowledgeable about PC were more likely to have positive perceptions of PC. These data do not support transplant physicians' concerns about how patients perceive PC and underscore the need for future interventions to further educate patients about PC to overcome barriers to PC utilization in HSCT. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Burns: Astellas Pharma Inc.: Research Funding; Medac GmbH: Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding; OncoImmune: Research Funding; Fate: Research Funding; Bristol Meyers Squibb: Research Funding; PrioThera: Research Funding; Kyowa Kirin International: Research Funding. Murthy: CRISPR Therapeutics: Research Funding. LeBlanc: Amgen: Consultancy, Other: travel; Pfizer: Consultancy, Other: Advisory Board; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding; Flatiron: Consultancy, Other: Advisory board; Agios: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Travel fees, Speakers Bureau; BMS/Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Travel fees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Daiichi-Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Travel fees, Speakers Bureau; Helsinn: Consultancy, Research Funding; Duke University: Research Funding; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; UpToDate: Patents & Royalties; NINR/NIH: Research Funding; CareVive: Consultancy, Other, Research Funding; Otsuka: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other; American Cancer Society: Research Funding; Seattle Genetics: Consultancy, Other: Advisory board, Research Funding; Astellas: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: Advisory board; Heron: Consultancy, Honoraria, Other: advisory board.

Abstract Background: MGTA-145, a CXCR2 agonist, has shown promising activity for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization with plerixafor in pre-clinical models and healthy volunteers. It has the potential to become the first GCSF free regimen for HSC mobilization/apheresis in preparation for transplant, with fewer side effects, better patient experience and optimal resource utilization. Methods: We conducted a single center phase 2 trial of MGTA-145 + plerixafor for HSC mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), NCT04552743. Primary endpoint was collection of ≥2 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg in up to 2 days of mobilization/apheresis. Secondary endpoints were collection of 4 and 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg, safety and engraftment. Patients with MM, 18-70 years of age, within 1 year of starting treatment & CrCl &gt; 30 ml/min were eligible. Patients received plerixafor 0.24 mg/kg (0.16 mg/kg if renal dysfunction) SQ, followed 2 hours later by MGTA-145 (0.03 mg/kg) IV over 3-10 minutes and apheresis within 30 minutes. Mobilization and collection were repeated for a second consecutive day if day 1 yield was &lt; 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg. The study was open-label single arm trial of 15 patients. If 13 or more patients met primary endpoint, an expansion cohort of 10 patients was planned. The trial has 85% power at a 5% one-sided type I error rate. Our analysis is based on aggregated results from total cohort of 25 patients. Results: Median age was 62 years, 52% were female, 24% had ISS stage 3, 57% had high-risk FISH (primarily gain1q). Induction therapy was VRD in 68% (17), daratumumab VRD in 24% (6), CyBorD in 8% (2) patients. Median duration of induction was 4 months (3-6) and median lenalidomide exposure was 5 cycles (1-8), with &gt; VGPR in 88% of patients. (Table 1) Plerixafor 0.24 mg/kg was given in 24 (96%) patients. Median pre-apheresis CD34 count was day 1, 24/uL (3-99) & day 2, 15/uL (5-46). Median total HSC cell yield (CD34+ cells/kg x 10 6) was 5.0 (1.1-16.2), day 1 yield was 3.4 (0.3-16.2) and day 2 yield was 1.9 (0.5-4.6) (Fig1). 88% (n=22) of patients met the primary endpoint of collecting sufficient HSCs in &lt; 2 days of mobilization + apheresis to proceed to transplant, 68% (17) in 1 day (2 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg). 3 patients who did not meet primary endpoint successfully collected HSCs with standard GCSF + plerixafor dosing & 2-3 apheresis sessions. Secondary endpoints of 4 and 6 x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg in &lt; 2 days were met in 68% (17) and 40% (10) patients. MGTA-145+plerixafor was well tolerated. At least 1 treatment emergent AE (TEAE) with MGTA-145 was seen in 60% of patients (grade 1, n= 14, grade 2, n=1). Pain (all grade 1) was most common, seen in 44% (11), with 38% (9) patients experiencing acute onset transient bone pain with MGTA-145 (duration: 7 minutes, range: 3-28). Using the validated Brief Pain Inventory, 56% (14) patients self-reported pain with mobilization vs 40% (10) at baseline. 7/15 patients without baseline pain reported pain with mobilization. An increase for worst pain was seen on mobilization day 1, that returned to the baseline, but no difference for aggregate score of pain severity/interference (linear mixed effects model). At last follow-up, 18 patients have completed transplant with MGTA-145 mobilized graft, with melphalan 200 mg/m 2 in 15 (83%) patients. Median of 3.5 (2.2-8.1) x 10 6 CD34+ cells/kg were infused. All patients have engrafted. Median time to neutrophil engraftment of 12 days (range: 11-15) & platelet engraftment (platelets &gt; 20,000, no transfusion in 7 days) of 17.5 days (15-33) are comparable to historical data (DiPersio et al. 2009). RBC transfusion was needed in 3 (17%) patients. 14 patients have day 100 follow-up, all with durable engraftment. MGTA-145 + plerixafor mobilized grafts had a favorable graft composition. We observed high enrichment for CD90+CD45RA- among CD34+ cells, a CD34 subset of long term engrafting HSCs (median: 36% of CD34+ cells, range 10-66%, N=25). 74% (17 of 23) grafts were minimal residual disease negative with next generation flow cytometry. Conclusions: This is the first study to evaluate the novel G-CSF-free regimen of MGTA-145 + plerixafor for HSC cell mobilization & collection for hematologic malignancies. The study cohort was representative of transplant eligible patients with MM, with 88% patients meeting the primary endpoint. The regimen was well tolerated. Patients achieved timely & durable engraftment. Our data support further development of this regimen for rapid HSC mobilization. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Sidana: Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Allogene: Research Funding; Magenta Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy. Kumar: Bluebird Bio: Consultancy; Adaptive: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Carsgen: Research Funding; Astra-Zeneca: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Oncopeptides: Consultancy; KITE: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Tenebio: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Beigene: Consultancy; Antengene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche-Genentech: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Sanofi: Research Funding. Muffly: Pfizer, Amgen, Jazz, Medexus, Pfizer: Consultancy; Astellas, Jasper, Adaptive, Baxalta: Research Funding; Adaptive: Honoraria, Other: fees for non-CME/CE services: , Research Funding. Arai: Magenta Therapeutics: Research Funding. Meyer: Indee, Jura: Consultancy; Orca Biosystems: Research Funding; GigaImmune: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company; Triursus Therapeutics: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company. Rezvani: US Department of Justice: Consultancy; Kaleido: Other: One-time scientific advisory board; Nohla Therapeutics: Other: One-time scientific advisory board; Pharmacyclics-Abbvie: Research Funding. Weng: Kite Pharma: Research Funding. Frank: Kite-Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Allogene Therapeutics: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding. Shiraz: Kite Pharma-Gilead: Research Funding. Girgenti: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment. Goncalves: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Patents & Royalties. Schmelmer: Magenta Therapeutics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Patents & Royalties. Davis: Magenta Therapeutics: Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Ended employment in the past 24 months. Shizuru: Jasper Therapeutics, Inc.: Current holder of stock options in a privately-held company, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Chair of scientific advisory board; Forty seven Inc: Other: Inventor on a patent licenses by Forty Seven. Forty seven was acquired by Gilead in 2020. Miklos: Pharmacyclics: Patents & Royalties; Kite, a Gilead Company, Amgen, Atara, Wugen, Celgene, Novartis, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Bioscience, Adicet, Pharmacyclics, Janssen, Takeda, Adaptive Biotechnologies and Miltenyi Biotechnologies: Consultancy; Pharmacyclics, Amgen, Kite, a Gilead Company, Novartis, Roche, Genentech, Becton Dickinson, Isoplexis, Miltenyi, Juno-Celgene-Bristol Myers Squibb, Allogene, Precision Biosciences, Adicet, Adaptive Biotechnologies: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies, Novartis, Juno/Celgene-BMS, Kite, a Gilead Company, Pharmacyclics-AbbVie, Janssen, Pharmacyclics, AlloGene, Precision Bioscience, Miltenyi Biotech, Adicet, Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Abstract Interferon-alpha (IFN), the first approved immunotherapy for cancer, remains an effective therapy for patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). The mechanisms of action of IFN on MPN cells are poorly understood, particularly in patients with CALR mutated (MUT) MPNs, who often exhibit clinical but not molecular responses. Previously, by developing Genotyping of Transcriptomes (GoT) that captures mutation status and single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) in high-throughput, we observed that CALR mutations led to cell identity-dependent effects on CD34 + cells, including a strong megakaryocytic progenitor (MkP) differentiation bias and fitness. We hypothesized that the IFN effects may be cell identity and mutation status dependent; thus we applied GoT to serial bone marrow aspirates (BM) from 5 patients with CALRmutated ET treated with pegylated-IFN-alfa2a who participated in MPD-RC-111/112 clinical trials. To capture the transcriptional impact of IFN, we removed experimental batch effects with Cell Hashing, in which CD34 + cells from serial BM were uniquely labeled and combined for the same GoT experiment (Fig. 1A). Cell clustering based on transcriptomic data alone revealed that the cells on active treatment clustered based on cell identity and IFN effects (Fig. 1B). When off therapy for 3 weeks, the strong transcriptional effects of IFN were largely lost (Fig. 1B). Next, we batch corrected and integrated across time points for each BM sample (Fig. 1C). We observed that IFN caused large shifts in the composition of wildtype (WT) and MUT cell subsets (Fig. 1D). IFN resulted in a dramatic expansion of WT lymphoid progenitors with a corresponding diminution of other progenitors (Fig. 1E). MUT cells at baseline were enriched for MkPs, compared to WT cells; after treatment, we observed an expansion of the immature myeloid (IMP) and neutrophil progenitors, with a less striking expansion of lymphoid progenitors (Fig. 1E). As IFN has been reported to induce cell cycling of murine hematopoietic progenitor cells, we examined whether a differential increase in proliferation by IFN underlies the differentiation shifts in WT and MUT cells. Cell cycle gene expression of ProB cells increased after treatment similarly in MUT and WT cells, while cell cycle expression of IMPs was increased to a greater extent in MUT cells (Fig. 1F), consistent with the differential shifts in populations. Next, we performed differential expression analysis between baseline and treated WT and MUT cells, respectively. We observed enrichment of the IFN pathways post-therapy, whereas TNF-a signaling was downregulated (Fig. 1G). Uniquely in the MUT cells, TGF-b signaling was downregulated, which may underlie improvements in marrow fibrosis following IFN therapy (Fig. 1G). Finally, as the differentiation biases of IFN persisted after discontinuation, we hypothesized that IFN results in chromatin remodeling of the earliest hematopoietic stem progenitor cells (HSPCs), with respect to transcription factor (TF) accessibility. We leveraged single nuclei chromatin accessibility (snATAC-seq) as a powerful measure of TF regulatory activities. We developed GoT-ATAC, an adaptation of the Multiome platform (10x Genomics), to capture snRNA-seq, snATAC-seq and somatic genotyping within the same cells in high-throughput (Fig. 1H). We applied GoT-ATAC to CD34 + cells from the same clinical trial cohorts (Fig. 1I, n = 3 patients: 3 baseline, 2 treated) and identified the expected enrichment of IRFs and STAT2 in treated HSPCs (Fig. 1J). Accessibility of BCL11A, critical for early lymphoid development, was increased in treated MUT and WT HSPCs. We also identified enhanced motif accessibility of PU.1 which can associate with IRF and is essential for myeloid and lymphoid differentiation. Uniquely within the treated MUT cells, we observed enhanced CEBPA motif enrichment, which regulates myeloid differentiation, together with PU.1. In conclusion, GoT revealed that IFN reshapes the differentiation landscape by promoting early lymphoid development and, uniquely in MUT cells, myeloid differentiation, providing a novel mechanism of actions underlying the effects of IFN in MPN patients. Downregulations of TNF-a and TGF-b signaling were other key molecular consequences of IFN. Lastly, GoT-ATAC demonstrated that IFN governs master regulators of hematopoietic differentiation as a function of the underlying mutational status. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Mimitou: Immunai: Current Employment. Smibert: Immunai: Current Employment. Hoffman: AbbVie Inc.: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board, Research Funding; Novartis: Other: Data Safety Monitoring Board, Research Funding; Protagonist Therapeutics, Inc.: Consultancy; Kartos Therapeutics, Inc.: Research Funding.

Abstract Introduction: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) is the only potentially curative treatment available for acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). It is a medically complicated and resource intensive procedure for which there are patient-, provider- and system-related factors that may impact its utilization. While Medicare coverage for alloHCT may help address a major financial barrier to access, there is still an unmet need due to other factors. This study intended to examine trends and factors associated with utilization of alloHCT and to estimate unmet need for alloHCT among Medicare beneficiaries with AML. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all patients with a diagnosis of AML identified in the Medicare claims data from 2010 through 2016. Primary patient selection criteria included: primary or secondary diagnosis of AML, age limit (65-74), and continuous enrollment (for at least 180 days after AML diagnosis in Part A and Part B fee-for-service programs). To study trends in utilization, the transplant rates were calculated as the number of patients who received an alloHCT within 180 days and one year of diagnosis (numerator) divided by the total number of patients diagnosed with AML within each diagnosis year (denominator). Transplant rates within one year of diagnosis were further adjusted by patient characteristics, including age group, sex, race, residential region, and Elixhauser Comorbidity Index (ECI). A multivariable logistic regression was utilized to identify factors associated with the likelihood of receiving alloHCT within one year of diagnosis. Two approaches were applied to estimate unmet need for alloHCT. The first approach (Approach 1) used claims data to identify the potential need for alloHCT among patients who achieved complete remission for at least 90 days; patients who achieved 90-day remission but did not receive alloHCT at any time point were considered to have unmet need. In the second approach (Approach 2), the total number of patients diagnosed with AML in the claims data was run through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) methodology , which takes estimates of risk level, response to treatment, comorbidity, and early mortality into consideration. Overall estimated need and unmet need from 2010-2015 and over different time periods were evaluated for both approaches. Results: Among the 5,974 patients diagnosed with AML from March 1, 2010 through June 30 th, 2016, 1226 patients (21%) received an alloHCT by the end of 2016. Trend analysis results suggest that utilization of alloHCT increased from 2010 to 2016 (P &lt; 0.0001) (Figure 1). The likelihood of receiving alloHCT within one year of diagnosis was found to be associated with diagnosis year, age, race, geographic region, ECI, and population-level median household income (Table 1). Both approaches estimated that approximately 36% of the diagnosed patients were in need of alloHCT between 2010 and 2015. The overall unmet need was estimated as 59% and 43% based on the claims data approach and the NMDP methodology, respectively. Despite the differences in estimated unmet need between the two approaches, the unmet need for alloHCT was found to trend down over time (Figures 2 & 3). Discussion and Conclusions: Medicare coverage facilitates access to the health care system and receipt of health services when a need for treatment or care is recognized. Utilization of alloHCT has increased over time among Medicare beneficiaries with AML. However, there are persistent differences in utilization of alloHCT by age, race, geographic region, comorbidity, and socioeconomic status, indicating disparities in access to alloHCT among this population. The results of estimated need and unmet need for alloHCT may be affected by the lack of cytogenetics and molecular information in administrative claims. To minimize this limitation, we used NMDP methodology for validation and found a similar estimation of potential need for alloHCT and downward trend in unmet need. Although the unmet need for alloHCT for AML has improved over time, policy efforts, research, and continued education are needed to close the gap between the actual utilization of alloHCT and unmet need for this potentially curative treatment. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Saber: Govt. COI: Other.

Carotid plaque vulnerability features beyond the degree of stenosis may play a key role in the pathogenesis and recurrence of ischemic cerebrovascular events. This study sought to compare intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) as a marker of plaque vulnerability in symptomatic patients with mild (<50%), moderate (50%–69%), and severe (≥70%) carotid artery stenosis. We included patients who experienced ischemic cerebrovascular events with no other identifiable sources and underwent carotid endarterectomy for mild (n=32), moderate (n=47), and severe (n=58) carotid artery stenosis. The degree of stenosis and imaging hallmarks were assessed by computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography. Plaque specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Movat pentachrome staining. Carotid plaques of patients with mild stenosis had a higher extent of IPH (%) on tissue analysis compared with patients with moderate (mild, 15.7% [interquartile range, 7.8%–26.7%]; moderate, 3.9% [0.0%–9.2%]; P <0.001) and severe carotid artery stenosis (mild, 15.7% [interquartile range, 7.8%–26.7%]; severe, 2.5% [interquartile range, 0.0%–11.2%]; P <0.001). When considering the degree of carotid artery stenosis as a continuous variable, a lower lumen narrowing was associated with higher extent of IPH ( P <0.001; R, −0.329). Our major finding is the association of IPH with mild carotid artery stenosis based on histological analysis. The current study may suggest that IPH potentially plays a role in the mechanism of stroke in patients with nonobstructive carotid stenosis.