Citations

ObjectiveWe aimed to develop readily measurable digital quality measure statements for clinical care in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using a multistep process guided by consensus methods.MethodsUsing a modified Delphi process, an American College of Rheumatology (ACR) workgroup of SLE experts reviewed all North American and European guidelines from 2000 to 2020 on treatment, monitoring, and phenotyping of patients with lupus. Workgroup members extracted quality constructs from guidelines, rated these by importance and feasibility, and generated evidence‐based quality measure statements. The ACR Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) Registry was queried for measurement data availability. In 3 consecutive Delphi sessions, a multidisciplinary Delphi panel voted on the importance and feasibility of each statement. Proposed measures with consensus on feasibility and importance were ranked to identify the top 3 measures.ResultsReview of guidelines and distillation of 57 quality constructs resulted in 15 quality measure statements. Among these, 5 met high consensus for importance and feasibility, including 2 on treatment and 3 on laboratory monitoring measures. The 3 highest‐ranked statements were recommended for further measure specification as SLE digital quality measures: 1) hydroxychloroquine use, 2) limiting glucocorticoid use >7.5 mg/day to <6 months, and 3) end‐organ monitoring of kidney function and urine protein excretion at least every 6 months.ConclusionThe Delphi process selected 3 quality measures for SLE care on hydroxychloroquine, glucocorticoid reduction, and kidney monitoring. Next, measures will undergo specification and validity testing in RISE and US rheumatology practices as the foundation for national implementation and use in quality improvement programs.image

AbstractIntroductionRemote smartphone assessments of cognition, speech/language, and motor functioning in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) could enable decentralized clinical trials and improve access to research. We studied the feasibility and acceptability of remote smartphone data collection in FTD research using the ALLFTD Mobile App (ALLFTD‐mApp).MethodsA diagnostically mixed sample of 214 participants with FTD or from familial FTD kindreds (asymptomatic: CDR®+NACC‐FTLD = 0 [N = 101]; prodromal: 0.5 [N = 49]; symptomatic ≥1 [N = 51]; not measured [N = 13]) were asked to complete ALLFTD‐mApp tests on their smartphone three times within 12 days. They completed smartphone familiarity and participation experience surveys.ResultsIt was feasible for participants to complete the ALLFTD‐mApp on their own smartphones. Participants reported high smartphone familiarity, completed ∼ 70% of tasks, and considered the time commitment acceptable (98% of respondents). Greater disease severity was associated with poorer performance across several tests.DiscussionThese findings suggest that the ALLFTD‐mApp study protocol is feasible and acceptable for remote FTD research.HIGHLIGHTS The ALLFTD Mobile App is a smartphone‐based platform for remote, self‐administered data collection. The ALLFTD Mobile App consists of a comprehensive battery of surveys and tests of executive functioning, memory, speech and language, and motor abilities. Remote digital data collection using the ALLFTD Mobile App was feasible in a multicenter research consortium that studies FTD. Data was collected in healthy controls and participants with a range of diagnoses, particularly FTD spectrum disorders. Remote digital data collection was well accepted by participants with a variety of diagnoses.

Abstract Background: Bria-IMT (SV-BR-1-GM) is an off-the-shelf whole tumor cell therapeutic vaccine engineered to express class I & class II HLAs, secrete GM-CSF, and function as antigen-presenting cells; with subsequent enhancements improving in-vitro characteristics. By expressing cancer antigens such as HER2/Neu and PRAME, SV-BR-1-GM also serves as the reservoir of cancer antigens to activates patient’s anti-tumor immune responses. The safety and efficacy of the ongoing clinical trial of SV-BR-1-GM in combination with a PD1 inhibitor are reported. We also report post-hoc exploratory data for patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer (aMBC) treated with SV-BR-1-GM regimens. Methods: Ongoing prospective, phase 1-2, with an expansion randomized phase 2 cohort (NCT03328026; 2018-present) using SV-BR-1-GM with a PD1 inhibitor (pembrolizumab or retifanlimab) with cycles every 3 weeks (16 patients dosed to date). SV-BR-1-GM “monotherapy” (NCT03066947; 2013-8), a completed prospective phase 1-2 results are also presented. Results: A total of 51 patients received any SV-BR-1-GM regimen; 27 in monotherapy (SV) and 24 in combination with a PD-1 inhibitor (CO) currently ongoing: 4 subjects from SV continued on with CO. Median prior regimens = 5; 61% ER or PR+; 6% ER or PR-/HER2+ and 29% triple negative. SV-BR-1-GM was well tolerated. Disease control rate was 40% with SV and 41% with CO in subjects with available assessment(s). Median PFS was 2.7 months with 6 having PFS &gt;150 days (150-226) for SV and 2.6 months with 5 &gt; 150 days (188-308) for CO. Per protocol, 23 patients had anergy testing prior to treatment. Among those with a normal immunologic response (n=13, 56%), disease outcomes included 4 SD and 2 PR (46% CBR) vs anergic patients (n=7, 30%) with 1 SD (14% CBR); 3 patients (13%) with unknown anergy testing had 0% CBR. All 7 anergic patients developed delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) injection site responses to SV-BR-1-GM. Subjects with DTH (injection site induration/erythema) had a significant reduction in the risk of progression or death (HR=0.096, 95%CI:0.02-0.50, p&lt;0.05). Subjects with a reduction in circulating tumor cells (CTC) also had an improvement in PFS (HR 0.08, p=.0012). Median OS (uncensored) was 11.2 months in CO (n = 8). 7 out of 20 (35%) for SV and 9 out of 22 subjects (41%) for CO with available data, exceeded prior PFS. Among HLA matched subjects 4/7 (57%) and 6/9 (67%), respectively, had an increase in PFS. PFS ratio improved independent of prior number of lines, HER2 or HR status. The greatest improvement in PFS on a SV-BR-1-GM was in a HLA matched subject (&gt;6mo). TEAEs occurred in 20/24 (83%) of subjects in CO including 9/24 (38%) with injection site AEs. There were no AEs of special interest eg cytokine storm. There were no Grade 5 and only 6 grade 4 AEs in CO. Conclusions: In an ongoing randomized phase 2, anergic patients had worse outcomes. SV-BR-1-GM was able to illicit an immune response regardless. Responses, stable disease and CBR were seen and associated with immune responses including injection site erythema/induration (DTH), CTC changes and tumor grade I/II. Patients with disease control had better quality of life. SV-BR-1-GM may be able to alter an anergic immune system for clinical benefit. Future pivotal trials will be based upon the ongoing confirmatory randomized clinical trial. Citation Format: Saranya Chumsri, Minal Barve, Chaitali Nangia, Bonnie L. Guerin, Jarrod Holmes, Karim Mohammed, John Knecht, Shaker Dakhil, William V. Williams, Charles Wiseman, Mingjin Chang, Miguel Lopez-Lago, John G. Knecht, Kendrith Rowland, Ralph V. Boccia, Giuseppe Del Priore, Carmen Calfa. Whole cell antigen presenting immune stimulating cells (Bria-IMT) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 2 (Clinical Trials and Late-Breaking Research); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(8_Suppl):Abstract nr CT143.

Abstract Studies have shown that the integrity of white matter tracts connecting different regions in the left cerebral hemisphere is important for aphasia recovery after stroke. However, the impact of the underlying structural connection between the cortex and the cerebellum in post-stroke aphasia is poorly understood. We studied the microstructural integrity of the cerebellum and the corticocerebellar connections and their role in picture naming. Fifty-six patients with left cerebral infarcts (sparing the cerebellum) underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and Boston Naming Test. We compared the fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values of the right and the left cerebellum (lobular gray and white matter structures) and cerebellocortical connections. Recursive feature elimination and Spearman correlation analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between naming performance and the corticocerebellar connections. We found that the right, relative to left, cerebellar structures and their connections with the left cerebrum showed lower FA and higher MD values, both reflecting lower microstructural integrity. This trend was not observed in the healthy controls. Higher MD values of the right major cerebellar outflow tract were associated with poorer picture naming performance. Our study provides the first DTI data demonstrating the critical importance of ascending and descending corticocerebellar connections for naming outcomes after stroke.

ImportanceAnthracycline-containing regimens are highly effective for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL); however, patients with preexisting heart failure (HF) may be less likely to receive anthracyclines and may be at higher risk of lymphoma mortality.ObjectiveTo assess the prevalence of preexisting HF in older patients with DLBCL and its association with treatment patterns and outcomes.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis longitudinal cohort study used data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)–Medicare registry from 1999 to 2016. The SEER registry is a system of population-based cancer registries, capturing more than 25% of the US population. Linkage to Medicare offers additional information from billing claims. This study included individuals 65 years and older with newly diagnosed DLBCL from 2000 to 2015 with Medicare Part A or B continuously in the year prior to lymphoma diagnosis. Data were analyzed from September 2020 to December 2022.ExposuresPreexisting HF in the year prior to DLBCL diagnosis ascertained from billing codes required one of the following: (1) 1 primary inpatient discharge diagnosis, (2) 2 outpatient diagnoses, (3) 3 secondary inpatient discharge diagnoses, (4) 3 emergency department diagnoses, or (5) 2 secondary inpatient discharge diagnoses plus 1 outpatient diagnosis.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was anthracycline-based treatment. The secondary outcomes were (1) cardioprotective medications and (2) cause-specific mortality. The associations between preexisting HF and cancer treatment were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. The associations between preexisting HF and cause-specific mortality were evaluated using cause-specific Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for comorbidities and cancer treatment.ResultsOf 30 728 included patients with DLBCL, 15 474 (50.4%) were female, and the mean (SD) age was 77.8 (7.2) years. Preexisting HF at lymphoma diagnosis was present in 4266 patients (13.9%). Patients with preexisting HF were less likely to be treated with an anthracycline (odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.49-0.61). Among patients with preexisting HF who received an anthracycline, dexrazoxane or liposomal doxorubicin were used in 78 of 1119 patients (7.0%). One-year lymphoma mortality was 41.8% (95% CI, 40.5-43.2) with preexisting HF and 29.6% (95% CI, 29.0%-30.1%) without preexisting HF. Preexisting HF was associated with higher lymphoma mortality in models adjusting for baseline and time-varying treatment factors (hazard ratio, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.18-1.31).Conclusions and RelevanceIn this study, preexisting HF in patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL was common and was associated with lower use of anthracyclines and lower use of any chemotherapy. Trials are needed for this high-risk population.

Abstract Background: SV-BR-1-GM is an irradiated allogeneic cell line derived from a hormone receptor-negative (HR-) HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer (BC), now engineered to express HLA class I and II antigens, secrete GM-CSF and function as an antigen-presenting cell. Here we report post-hoc exploratory data for metastatic BC (MBC) patients treated with the SV-BR-1-GM regimen (SV) alone (NCT03066947) and in combination (CO) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) (NCT03328026). Methods: SV includes cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m2 i.v. 48-72 hours prior to SV-BR-1-GM (20 × 106 cells) intradermally followed by interferon-alpha-2b at the SV-BR-1-GM inoculation sites on days 2 and 4. SV was given every 2 weeks for 3 cycles and then monthly in NCT03066947, and every 3 weeks in combination with PD-1 inhibitors in NCT03328026. Treatment was continued until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities. Results: A total of 34 refractory MBC patients (pts) were treated, including 24 with SV, and 14 with CO, including 4 who crossed over from SV to CO plus one who restarted the SV after a protocol specified administrative interruption in treatment. Median prior regimens were 5; 55% of pts had hormone receptor-positive (HR+) BC, 42% had HER2+ BC, and 16% were triple-negative BC (TNBC). Objective response rates (ORR) were 4% for monotherapy and 7% for combination. Clinical benefit rate (CBR) was 21% for monotherapy and 29% for combination. Responses and clinical benefits were seen across most BC subtypes (see table). Notably, CBR among 10 pts with HR+ BC (any HER2) who received the combination was 50% (5/10). The duration of response (DOR) among 4 patients treated with monotherapy was 49-223 days and DOR among 6 patients treated with combination was 72-292 days. Median PFS was 2.8 months for monotherapy and 4.2 months for combination. Median OS was 7.0 months for monotherapy, and 12.0 months for combination. Of 28 pts with available prior treatment data, 12 (43%) had PFS on study treatment exceeded PFS on prior treatment, of these 8/12 had &gt;1 HLA match and 5/8 had ≥ 2 loci HLA-matched with SV-BR-1-GM. PFS ratio improvement was independent of the prior number of lines of therapy or BC subtypes. The SV-BR-1GM regimen was well tolerated with the most common treatment-related adverse events (AEs) being injection site reaction in 67%. There was no dose-limiting toxicity, special interest AEs such as cytokine storm, and no grade 5 observed. There were 2 non-treatment-related grade 4 AEs: worsening pleural effusion and altered mental status. Significant improvement in PFS was observed in patients with matched HLA and in association with the delayed-type hypersensitivity skin test, peripheral blood circulating tumor cells, and cancer-associated macrophages. Conclusions: SV-BR-1-GM demonstrated promising activity in patients with MBC. Treatment was well tolerated with no concerning AEs. The PFS ratio compares favorably with prior penultimate standards of care, more notably in patients with matched HLA. Clinical benefits were observed across multiple subtypes of BC, particularly in patients with HR+ disease receiving combination therapy. Phase II clinical trial is currently ongoing to evaluate the efficacy of SV-BR-1-GM in combination with ICIs. Clinical benefit and PFS on SV-BR-1-GM SV-BR-1-GM Whole Cell Therapeutic Vaccine in Heavily Pre-Treated Metastatic Breast Cancer Results Stratified by HER2 and HLA Matching Citation Format: Saranya Chumsri, William Williams, Mingjin Chang, Miguel Lopez-Lago, Charles Wiseman, Jarrod Holmes, Chaitali Nangia, Karim Mohammed, Minal Barve, Shaker Dakhil, Bonnie Guerin, Giuseppe Del Priore, Carmen Calfa. Allogeneic, Antigen-Presenting, GM-CSF-secreting, SV-BR-1-GM Whole Cell Therapeutic Vaccine in Advanced Metastatic Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-07-12.

Abstract Thymus organogenesis is dependent on insulin-like growth factor (IGF), but involuted thymi of old mice cannot be reconstituted with infusion of IGF. In adult humans, tumor growth is associated with local upregulation of IGF, but increased incidence of cancer with aging is associated with decreasing levels of serum IGF. We hypothesized that suppression of tissue availability of IGF prevents/delays thymic atrophy and maintains a pool of functionally competent T cells throughout life. Hence, we examined mice with homozygous deletion of PAPPA, a gene encoding for a protease that degrades inhibitory IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) that limit IGF levels in tissues. PAPPA-/- mice have normal serum IGF levels, indicating maintenance of the endocrine IGF reservoir. They have 40% extension of lifespan; and have reduced burden of spontaneous tumors, the major cause of early mortality of wildtype mice. Strikingly, PAPPA-/- mice aged =18 months have histologically organized thymi densely populated by CD4+CD8+ thymocytes with high TREC levels. Bone marrows of old mutants are enriched with thymus-seeding progenitors. Old mutant mice have a diverse repertoire of T cells that are functionally indistinguishable from young wildtype mice. These data indicate an IGF-immune axis of longevity. We suggest that PAPPA-mediated proteolysis is a potential target for intervention to maintain thymic function and promote healthy aging.

Abstract Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I, IGF-II) have long been recognized as important mitogens in many types of malignancies. Because the role of IGFs in growth control of myeloma cells has not been extensively examined, we have used a panel of IL-6-responsive myeloma cell lines to address this issue. Initial studies demonstrated that IGF-I and IGF-II significantly enhanced DNA synthesis by each of the four cell lines, even when assayed in the absence of IL-6. The specificity of the IGF response was confirmed using an IGF-I receptor Ab, and additional studies demonstrated that IGF responsiveness did not result from induction of autocrine IL-6 expression. When IL-6 responsiveness was assayed, three of four cell lines synthesized DNA in response to IL-6 alone; however, the magnitude of responsiveness was greatly enhanced by addition of IGFs. Similar results were obtained when proliferation and cell cycle progression were analyzed. By contrast, the KP-6 cell line was responsive to IL-6 only when IGF was present. Finally, we analyzed the effects of IGF-I on normal B lymphocytes. IGF, however, did not stimulate B cell DNA synthesis, suggesting that IGF responsiveness may represent a key difference between normal and malignant B cells. In summary, these studies suggest that IGFs may play an important role in multiple myeloma by virtue of their ability to directly stimulate tumor cell growth as well as modulate the magnitude of IL-6-driven growth.

ImportanceLate-onset meningitis (LOM) has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in children born extremely preterm.ObjectiveTo report the incidence of LOM during birth hospitalization and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 18 to 26 months’ corrected age.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cohort study is a secondary analysis of a multicenter prospective cohort of children born at 22 to 26 weeks’ gestation between 2003 and 2017 with follow-up from 2004 to 2021. The study was conducted at 25 Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Neonatal Research Network centers.ExposuresCulture-confirmed LOM.Main Outcomes and MeasuresIncidence and microbiology of LOM (2003-2017); lumbar puncture (LP) performance in late-onset sepsis (LOS) evaluations (2011-2017); composite outcome of death or neurodevelopmental impairment (NDI; 2004-2021).ResultsAmong 13 372 infants (median [IQR] gestational age, 25.4 [24.4-26.1] weeks; 6864 [51%] boys), LOM was diagnosed in 167 (1%); LOS without LOM in 4564 (34%); and neither LOS nor LOM in 8641 (65%). The observed incidence of LOM decreased from 2% (95% CI, 1%-3%) in 2003 to 0.4% (95% CI, 0.7%-1.0%) in 2017 (P &amp;lt; .001). LP performance in LOS evaluations decreased from 36% (95% CI, 33%-40%) in 2011 to 24% (95% CI, 21%-27%) in 2017 (P &amp;lt; .001). Among infants with culture-confirmed LOS, LP performance decreased from 58% (95% CI, 51%-65%) to 45% (95% CI, 38%-51%; P = .008). LP performance varied by center among all LOS evaluations (10%-59%, P &amp;lt; .001) and among those with culture-confirmed LOS (23%-79%, P &amp;lt; .001). LOM occurred in the absence of concurrent LOS in 27 of 167 cases (16%). The most common LOM isolates were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (98 [59%]), Candida albicans (38 [23%]), and Escherichia coli (27 [16%]). Death or NDI occurred in 22 of 46 children (48%) with LOM due to coagulase-negative Staphylococcus, 43 of 67 (64%) due to all other bacterial pathogens, and 26 of 33 (79%) due to fungal pathogens. The adjusted relative risk of death or NDI was increased among children with LOM (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.04-2.25) and among those with LOS without LOM (aOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.29-1.54) compared with children with neither infection.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this cohort study, LP was performed with decreasing frequency, and the observed incidence of LOM also decreased. Both LOM and LOS were associated with increased risk of death or NDI; risk varied by LOM pathogen. The full association of LOM with outcomes of children born extremely preterm may be underestimated by current diagnostic practices.