Citations

AbstractPituitary stalk interruption syndrome (PSIS) is a rare type of hypopituitarism manifesting various degrees of pituitary hormone deficiency. Although mutations have been identified in some familial cases, the underpinning mechanisms of sporadic patients with PSIS who are in a vast majority remain elusive, necessitating a comprehensive study using systemic approaches. We postulate that other genetic mechanisms may be responsible for the sporadic PSIS. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a study in 24 patients with PSIS of Han Chinese with no family history using whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and bioinformatic analysis. We identified a group of heterozygous mutations in 92% (22 of 24) of the patients, and these genes are mostly associated with Notch, Shh, Wnt signalling pathways. Importantly, 83% (20 of 24) of the patients had more than one mutation in those pathways suggesting synergy of compound mutations underpin the pathogenesis of sporadic PSIS.

Background and PurposeApproaches to prevent selective and progressive loss of insulin‐producing beta cells in Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) will help to manage this prevalent and devastating disease. Curcumin (CUR), a natural anti‐inflammatory substance, suppresses diabetes‐associated inflammation and cell death. However, very high doses need to be used because of poor oral bioavailability, making it difficult to translate the anti‐inflammatory actions to clinical situations.Experimental ApproachWe have prepared biodegradable nanosystems encapsulating curcumin (nCUR), resulting in at least nine‐fold improvement in oral bioavailability. Here, we tested the ability of nCUR to prevent streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced inflammation and apoptosis in pancreatic islets and beta cells, in rats.Key ResultsNon‐fasted rats pretreated with 10 or 50 mg·kg−1 nCUR 6 h prior to STZ challenge had up to 37% reduction in the glucose levels, while plain CUR (50 mg·kg−1) results in 12% reduction. This treatment with nCUR was accompanied by decreased islet or beta cell death, as shown by TUNEL assay and H&E staining. Both CUR and nCUR significantly decreased levels of inflammatory cytokines in pancreatic tissue homogenates that correlated well with minimal histiocytic infiltration. Pre‐treatment with nCUR, but not CUR, decreased 8‐oxo‐2′‐deoxyguanosine, a sensitive biomarker of ROS‐induced DNA damage, in pancreas. In normal rodents, daily dosing for 28 days, with nCUR (25‐100 mg·kg−1) did not cause any deleterious health issues by the carrier.Conclusions and ImplicationsTogether, these data indicate a potentially translatable dose of nCUR that is safe and efficacious in improving beta cell function, which could prevent T1DM.

Background: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative stress has been demonstrated to induce afterdepolarizations and triggered activities in isolated myocytes, but the underlying mechanisms remain not fully understood. We aimed to explore whether protein kinase C (PKC) activation plays an important role in oxidative stress-induced afterdepolarizations. Methods: Action potentials and ion currents of isolated rabbit cardiomyocytes were recorded using the patch clamp technique. H2O2 (1 mM) was perfused to induce oxidative stress and the specific classical PKC inhibitor, Gö 6983 (1 μM), was applied to test the involvement of PKC. Results: H2O2 perfusion prolonged the action potential duration and induced afterdepolarizations. Pretreatment with Gö 6983 prevented the emergence of H2O2-induced afterdepolarizations. Additional application of Gö 6983 with H2O2 effectively suppressed H2O2-induced afterdepolarizations. H2O2 increased the late sodium current (INa,L) (n = 7, p < 0.01) and the L-type calcium current (ICa,L) (n = 5, p < 0.01), which were significantly reversed by Gö 6983 (p < 0.01). H2O2 also increased the transient outward potassium current (Ito) (n = 6, p < 0.05). However, Gö 6983 showed little effect on H2O2-induced enhancement of Ito. Conclusions: H2O2 induced afterdepolarizations via the activation of PKC and the enhancement of ICa,L and INa,L. These results provide evidence of a link between oxidative stress, PKC activation and afterdepolarizations.

348 Background: Patients (pts) with mUC have few treatment options beyond the second-line setting. HER2 gene amplification has been reported in a minority of pts with UC, but there have been anecdotal reports of the activity of HER2-targeted agents. MyPathway is a multi-basket study evaluating the efficacy and safety of targeted therapies in non-indicated tumor types harboring relevant molecular alterations. We present preliminary data for pts with HER2-positive mUC receiving HER2-targeted treatment with pertuzumab + trastuzumab. Methods: MyPathway (NCT02091141) is an open-label, multicenter, phase IIA study. Pts in this subset analysis had refractory mUC with HER2 amplification or putative activating mutations by gene sequencing, FISH, or IHC. Pts received standard doses of pertuzumab + trastuzumab without chemotherapy until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary endpoint is investigator-assessed overall response rate (RECIST v1.1). Results: As of July 31, 2016, 12 pts with platinum-resistant HER2-positive mUC (HER2-amplified, n=9; HER2-mutated, n=3) have been enrolled. At a median follow-up of 5.4 (range 0.9–14.5) mos, 1 pt had complete response (CR, ongoing at 12.5 mos), 2 had partial responses (PR; duration of response, 3.7 and 5.5 mos), and 2 had stable disease (SD) for >4 mos (Table). Safety was consistent with the product labels. Conclusions: Preliminary results indicate that the combination of pertuzumab + trastuzumab has activity in previously treated HER2-amplified mUC, including a durable CR in a pt with peritoneal metastases. Accrual to MyPathway is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT02091141. [Table: see text]

Abstract Purpose: Cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4/6 drives cell proliferation in estrogen receptor–positive (ER+) breast cancer. This single-arm phase II neoadjuvant trial (NeoPalAna) assessed the antiproliferative activity of the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in primary breast cancer as a prelude to adjuvant studies. Experimental Design: Eligible patients with clinical stage II/III ER+/HER2− breast cancer received anastrozole 1 mg daily for 4 weeks (cycle 0; with goserelin if premenopausal), followed by adding palbociclib (125 mg daily on days 1–21) on cycle 1 day 1 (C1D1) for four 28-day cycles unless C1D15 Ki67 &gt; 10%, in which case patients went off study due to inadequate response. Anastrozole was continued until surgery, which occurred 3 to 5 weeks after palbociclib exposure. Later patients received additional 10 to 12 days of palbociclib (Cycle 5) immediately before surgery. Serial biopsies at baseline, C1D1, C1D15, and surgery were analyzed for Ki67, gene expression, and mutation profiles. The primary endpoint was complete cell cycle arrest (CCCA: central Ki67 ≤ 2.7%). Results: Fifty patients enrolled. The CCCA rate was significantly higher after adding palbociclib to anastrozole (C1D15 87% vs. C1D1 26%, P &lt; 0.001). Palbociclib enhanced cell-cycle control over anastrozole monotherapy regardless of luminal subtype (A vs. B) and PIK3CA status with activity observed across a broad range of clinicopathologic and mutation profiles. Ki67 recovery at surgery following palbociclib washout was suppressed by cycle 5 palbociclib. Resistance was associated with nonluminal subtypes and persistent E2F-target gene expression. Conclusions: Palbociclib is an active antiproliferative agent for early-stage breast cancer resistant to anastrozole; however, prolonged administration may be necessary to maintain its effect. Clin Cancer Res; 23(15); 4055–65. ©2017 AACR.