Citations

Abstract Background Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an ultra-rare blood disease characterized by uncontrolled complement activation with potentially life-threatening complications. Therapeutic options comprise both terminal complement inhibition, targeting C5 to prevent intravascular hemolysis (IVH), and proximal complement inhibition, intervening upstream within the complement cascade to address IVH and extravascular hemolysis (EVH). Pegcetacoplan, the first C3 and C3b inhibitor, demonstrated efficacy and safety in complement inhibitor (CI)–experienced (CIexp) and –naïve (CInaive) patients in two phase 3 studies with a three year follow up (PEGASUS [NCT03500549] and PRINCE [NCT04085601]). The aim of this study was to describe real world clinical and treatment outcomes in CIexp and CInaive PNH patients prescribed pegcetacoplan. Methods Data were drawn from the Adelphi PNH II Disease Specific Programme™, a real-world cross-sectional survey of hematologists and their consulting PNH patients. Data were collected from November 2023–January 2025 in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US. Patients prescribed pegcetacoplan for ≥3 months were included and described as CIexp if they had previously been treated with CI, or CInaive if patients had never been prescribed CI therapy. Physicians reported patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment outcomes. Patients provided data on patient-reported outcomes, including the EQ-5D-5L and Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT)-Fatigue. Response to pegcetacoplan was categorized as no, minor, partial, good, major or complete response per SAAWP-response criteria (Risitano et al, 2019). Analyses were descriptive. Results Overall, 54 physicians provided data for 77 patients prescribed pegcetacoplan (54 CIexp patients and 23 CInaive patients). Median (interquartile range [IQR]) age was 45.0 (33.5–55.0) years (CIexp, 47.0 [37.0–60.8]; CInaive, 39.0 [30.0–45.0]), 63.6% (Cexp, 64.8%; Cnaive, 60.9%) were male, 57.9% (CIexp, 50.9%; CInaive, 73.9%) were in employment. Median (IQR) time since diagnosis was 2.4 (1.3–4.9) years (Cexp, 3.1 [2.0–5.5]; Cnaive, 1.3 [0.8–2.3]) with median (IQR) time since start of pegcetacoplan initiation being 0.6 (0.4–1.0) year (CIexp, 0.6 [0.4–0.9]; CInaive, 0.6 [0.5–1.2]). Clinical outcomes were measured at treatment initiation and the time of survey, and reported as median (IQR). Hemoglobin levels increased from 9.0 (8.0–9.2) to 11.0 (10.3–12.1) g/dL, and 9.0 (7.0–10.5) to 11.5 (10.6–12.0) g/dL, for Cexp (n=52) and Cnaive (n=21), respectively. Lactate dehydrogenase levels decreased from 490 (295–594) to 260 (189–377) U/L for Cexp (n=53), and 275 (214–775) to 220 (187–278) U/L for Cnaive (n=18). Absolute reticulocyte counts decreased from 200 (135–275) to 113 (105–217) x109/L for Cexp (n=19) and 160 (113–250) to 110 (100–134) x109/L for CInaive (n=7). Positive movement by at least one response category since pegcetacoplan initiation were observed in 85.2% CIexp (n=27) and 61.5% CInaive (n=13); with patients classified as having a ‘good’, ‘major’ or ‘complete’ response increasing from 3.7% to 74.1% for CIexp and 23.1% to 69.2% for CInaive. Perceived severity of PNH improved after pegcetacoplan initiation, with ‘mild’ severity increasing from 13.0% to 68.5% and 34.8% to 87.0%; patients experiencing no fatigue increased from 5.6% to 57.4% and 8.7% to 65.2%, for CIexp and CInaive, respectively. For both CIexp and CInaive, complete treatment adherence was reported for 87.0% of patients. Since pegcetacoplan initiation, proportion of ‘well’ or ‘very well’ controlled PNH patients increased from 14.8% to 96.3% for CIexp and 52.2% to 100.0% for CInaive. Overall, 25 patients self-reported data (n=14 CIexp; n=11 CInaive). Patients reported a mean (Standard Deviation [SD]): EQ-5D VAS score of 66.8 (16.0) and 76.7 (18.7); EQ-5D utility score of 0.86 (0.16) and 0.91 (0.13); FACIT-Fatigue 41.1 (9.5; n=13)and 37.1 (12.2; n=11) for CIexp and CInaive, respectively. Conclusion Improvements in clinical values, perceived PNH severity, control of PNH, and both physician and patient-reported fatigue were observed in CIexp and CInaive patients. These data suggest that pegcetacoplan has positive outcomes regardless of prior CI exposure. These findings indicate that the efficacy of pegcetacoplan in a real-world clinical practice is consistent with results from clinical trials and other real-world evidence for both CIexp and CInaive patients.

Background: Pre-clinical animal studies have demonstrated improved cerebral blood flow and neurological survival with Automated Head Up Position (AHUP) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) as compared to flat conventional (C) CPR. AHUP CPR consists of 1) automated head and thorax elevation 2) active compression decompression CPR and 3) an impedance threshold device. Subsequently, observational propensity-matched studies of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients demonstrated a time-dependent association between survival with intact neurological function (SNF) and application of AHUP CPR. However, comparison of AHUP CPR outcomes with contemporaneous C-CPR controls is lacking. Hypothesis: Use of AHUP CPR for OHCA by first responder agencies will demonstrate a higher incidence of SNF compared to C-CPR outcomes from a national registry Methods: Data from the previous 5 years (2020-2024) from an AHUP-CPR Registry comprised of OHCA patients routinely treated by first responders with AHUP CPR were compared with data from the Cardiac Arrest Registry to Enhance Survival (CARES). Patient demographics, arrest characteristics, ROSC, SHD, and SNF were recorded. SNF was defined as a Cerebral Performance Category 1 or 2 at hospital discharge. A two-sample test of proportions was used for outcome comparisons. Results: Nine AHUP registry sites (MN, FL, TN, IL, OK, VA, AL, IA, MI) were included. Summary 5-year demographics (Table 1) and clinical outcomes (Table 2) are presented. For 2020-2024 AHUP sites, the average time (mm:ss, SD) from 9-1-1 call to start of CPR was 9:09 (4:37) and time to start of AHUP CPR was 12:46 (5:57). The AHUP registry had a higher 5-yr incidence of SNF versus the CARES registry (difference 2.8%, 95% CI 1.8-3.8, p < 0.00001). This difference was consistent year over year (Figure 1). Secondary outcomes of sustained return of spontaneous circulation and survival to hospital discharge in the AHUP registry were also significantly higher than CARES registry data (Table 2). Conclusions: Over a 5-year period, an unadjusted analysis of aggregate data from two OHCA patient registries demonstrated that the incidence of survival with intact neurological function was higher in patients treated with AHUP CPR as part of first responder care versus patients treated with more conventional CPR methods.

Background Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) has transformed acute ischemic stroke (AIS) care, with onset-to-puncture (OTP) time widely recognized as a critical determinant of outcome. However, emerging evidence suggests that in-hospital procedure time (PT)—from arterial puncture to final recanalization—may have an equally or more significant impact. This study examines the relative contribution of PT versus OTP to functional outcomes in patients with AIS undergoing EVT. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of 6644 patients with AIS treated at 44 international stroke centers from the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry (STAR; 2016–2023). Multivariable regression, time-equivalence analysis, and marginal effects modeling were used to assess associations between PT, OTP, and 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS) outcomes. Centers were stratified by procedural efficiency and compared using propensity score matching (PSM). Mediation analysis evaluated whether PT accounted for inter-center differences. Results PT and OTP were independently associated with functional outcomes; however, PT had a significantly stronger effect (adjusted OR for mRS 0–2: PT=0.56 vs OTP=0.96 per hour). Each 5 min increase in PT was equivalent to 78–100 min of additional OTP in outcome impact. Centers with faster average PT had higher rates of functional independence (number needed to treat (NNT)=10), fewer complications, and lower symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage rates. PT significantly mediated the relationship between center tier and outcomes (Sobel’s P<0.001). Conclusion While minimizing OTP remains important, PT exerts a greater influence on outcomes after EVT. Procedural efficiency should be emphasized in stroke systems of care and included in center performance metrics to improve patient outcomes.

Introduction: Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is an effective treatment for basilar artery occlusion (BAO) stroke in select patients. While there is a growing body of literature suggesting that advanced imaging modalities such as computed tomography perfusion (CTP) and magnetic resonance (MR) may not be necessary for selecting anterior circulation large vessel occlusion stroke patients for EVT, whether advanced imaging may be superior to conventional imaging (non-contrast CT and CT angiography) in identifying good treatment candidates among BAO patients is less clear. Patients and methods: This was a multicenter retrospective cohort study of BAO EVT patients treated from 2013 to 2022 in the Stroke Thrombectomy and Aneurysm Registry. Patients selected for EVT by advanced imaging (CTP or MR) were matched with those selected by conventional imaging using propensity score matching (PSM) accounting for possible confounders. Primary outcome was functional independence at 90 days. Other outcomes include bedridden state or death at 90-days and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH). Results: 268 patients were included. 150 patients were selected for BAO EVT by conventional imaging, 86 by CTP, and 32 by MR. Patients selected by advanced imaging were significantly older than those selected by conventional imaging (median age 71 vs 64 years, p = 0.001); patient characteristics were otherwise similar between cohorts. After PSM, 90-day outcomes were similar between the two cohorts ( p = 0.56), with similar rates of functional independence (39.4% vs 35.1%, p = 0.65), bedridden state or death (40.4% vs 44.7%, p = 0.66), and sICH (3.3% vs 5.7%, p = 0.49) for conventional and advanced imaging groups, respectively. Results were similar across treatment time windows (all p > 0.05). Conclusions: Selecting patients for basilar EVT using conventional versus advanced imaging did not result in different clinical outcomes, regardless of treatment time windows. Conventional imaging appears sufficient as a first-line tool for selecting basilar EVT patients in routine clinical practice.

Pelvicalyceal invasion (PCI) is a relatively novel pT3a staging parameter for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) nephrectomies. While interobserver reproducibility staging studies of sinus/vascular invasion in RCC exist, a similar evaluation for PCI has not been performed. Moreover, in our experience, there is also diagnostic variability in how pathologists interpret PCI. Herein, we explore interobserver reproducibility among genitourinary (GU) pathologists. Twenty hematoxylin and eosin-stained digitized slides from RCCs (all grossly approaching the renal pelvis) were distributed to 31 GU pathologists to classify each as PCI or not PCI based on their respective clinical practices; slides with concomitant sinus/fat/vascular invasion were excluded. Slides were then evaluated for the following 4 morphologic features: tumor abutting renal pelvis, tumor pushing/indenting into the renal pelvis, polypoid configuration of tumor into the renal pelvis, and tumor eroding through renal pelvic urothelium. Interobserver reproducibility was assessed, and the morphologic features were correlated with PCI. Relationships between pathologists’ interpretations, morphologic features, and PCI were evaluated using hierarchical clustering. Although the diagnosis of PCI was relatively uniform with a majority agreement (>67%) reached in 16/20 slides, overall interobserver reproducibility was only moderate (kappa=0.601). While all 4 morphologic features were sensitive for PCI, polypoid configuration of the tumor into the renal pelvis and the tumor eroding through the renal pelvic urothelium were most specific (90%, 100%, respectively). Although we show general consensus among genitourinary pathologists on PCI assessment, clarifying the diagnostic guidelines with specific criteria should be included in pathologic staging systems.

Abstract Background To utilize high spatial resolution reconstructions for cardiac imaging at energy‐integrating detector CT (EID)‐CT with comparable noise to similar reconstructions at photon‐counting detector (PCD)‐CT, methods to control EID‐CT image noise are needed. Supervised convolutional neural networks (CNN) have shown promise for denoising, but a challenge remains to efficiently create high‐quality and unbiased estimates of noise without access to dedicated software or proprietary information, such that natural noise texture is retained in CNN‐denoised CT images. Purpose This study aims to develop and test image‐based noise estimation methods that can be used to train a CNN model, and to evaluate denoising performance and noise texture preservation for EID‐CT coronary CT angiography (cCTA) images reconstructed with high‐resolution kernels. Methods U‐net CNN models were trained for denoising. To supervise training, noise‐only images were estimated directly from high‐resolution kernel (Bv59) reconstructed EID‐CT (HR EID‐CT) patient images using two different methods: subtraction of low‐ and high‐strength iterative reconstruction (IR); subtraction of adjacent image slices with the same IR strength. The noise estimates from these methods contain differing noise texture and anatomical information. Networks were trained and validated separately for three data sets: the training data from each of the two noise‐estimation methods, and a 50%–50% partition of training data between the two methods. The trained models were applied to two sets of testing data: CT images of a uniform water phantom to measure noise power spectra (NPS), and an independent cohort of seven patient cCTA HR EID‐CT exams. The denoised patient images were compared to standard resolution EID‐CT reconstructions (Bv40). As a low‐noise reference, patient images acquired on the same day with a PCD‐CT and reconstructed using a similar kernel as HR EID‐CT were used for comparison. Results Models trained with each noise‐image estimation method denoised the HR EID‐CT images by 74%–79% to achieve a comparable noise magnitude to the HR PCD‐CT images. The peak, average, and 10% peak frequencies of the NPS of the input images (6.08, 6.24, and 12.0 cm −1 ) were better approximated by the model trained on adjacent slice subtraction (6.56, 5.87, and 11.5 cm −1 ) than by the model trained on subtraction of low‐ and high‐IR images (4.64, 5.44, and 11.3 cm −1 ). In cCTA images, the IR subtraction model images retained anatomic structures from input images but resulted in undesirable salt‐and‐pepper noise texture and CT number bias. The model trained on adjacent slice subtraction images had more natural texture and no significant bias, but the model sometimes removed small anatomic structures. The model trained on the mixed training dataset preserved both noise texture and anatomy from the model inputs and enabled visualization of small structures seen in PCD‐CT images that were previously unresolved by EID‐CT. Conclusions The noise texture and anatomical accuracy in CT images denoised with an image‐based supervised CNN are greatly influenced by the characteristics and partitioning of training data. With higher‐resolution reconstructions and noise texture‐preserving deep learning denoising, the quality of cCTA images from EID‐CT can be enhanced to enable resolvability of subtle anatomy similar to PCD‐CT.

AimsCompared to lymphovascular invasion (LVI), hilar soft tissue invasion (HSTI) is a relatively novel pT2 staging parameter in testicular germ cell tumours (GCT), associated with metastasis at the time of diagnosis and a risk factor for disease relapse. Given diagnostic variability in how pathologists interpret HSTI, herein we explore interobserver reproducibility among genitourinary (GU) pathologists.MethodsTwenty haematoxylin and eosin‐stained digitized slides from testicular GCTs were distributed to 30 GU pathologists to classify each as HSTI or not HSTI based on their respective clinical practices; slides with concomitant LVI were excluded. Slides were then evaluated for the following morphologic features: tumour invasion beyond prominent hilar vessels, tumour invasion beyond the rete, tumour invasion beyond the level parallel to hilar adipose tissue and tumour within (directly touching) hilar adipose tissue. Interobserver reproducibility was assessed, and the morphological features were correlated with HSTI. Relationships between pathologists' interpretations, morphological features and HSTI were evaluated using hierarchical clustering.ResultsAlthough the diagnosis of HSTI was relatively uniform with a majority agreement (>67%) reached in 17/20 slides, overall interobserver reproducibility was only moderate (kappa = 0.50). Morphological features such as invasion beyond the level parallel to hilar adipose tissue and invasion into fat were more sensitive and specific for HSTI, while features such as invasion beyond hilar vessels and invasion beyond rete were less useful.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that more specific defined diagnostic criteria for testicular GCT HSTI are needed.

Background The effectiveness of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for low Alberta Stroke Program Early CT score (ASPECTS) stroke patients with occlusion of the second segment of the middle cerebral artery (M2) is unclear. Methods This was a multicenter retrospective study. Patients with M1 or M2 occlusions and low ASPECTS (<6) who underwent successful EVT (modified treatment in cerebral ischemia score of 2b or higher) were included. Primary outcome was futile EVT reperfusion (defined as 90-day modified Rankin scale of 5 or 6). Other outcomes of interest include acceptable outcomes (modified Rankin scale of 3 or less) and intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and all-cause 90-day mortality. Outcomes for M1 patients were compared to M2 patients with multivariable logistic regression models accounting for potential confounders. Results 173 patients with M1 or M2 occlusions and low ASPECTS (<6) who underwent successful EVT were identified. After multivariable adjustments, M2 patients had significantly higher odds of futile reperfusion (OR 5.48 [95%CI 1.91 to 15.7], p = 0.002), lower odds of acceptable outcomes (OR 0.33 [95%CI 0.12 to 0.89], p = 0.028), and higher odds of all-cause mortality (OR 4.90 [95%CI 1.65 to 14.5], p = 0.004). These findings suggest that EVT's efficacy for low-ASPECTS stroke patients may be diminished for patients with M2 occlusions. M2 occlusion was not significantly associated with ICH. Conclusions Among low-ASEPCTS stroke patients who underwent successful EVT, those with M2 occlusions had significantly higher odds of poor outcome compared to those with M1 occlusions.

Aims Testicular sex cord‐stromal tumours (TSCSTs) are relatively rare, accounting for ~5% of all testicular neoplasms. They were historically classified into Leydig cell tumour, Sertoli cell tumour, granulosa cell tumour, and unclassified sex cord‐stromal tumour. More recently, classification was expanded to incorporate additional histologic types, including some associated with inherited cancer predisposition syndromes. However, the classification of TSCSTs still relies entirely on morphology, with some tumour types being defined based on their resemblance to ovarian counterparts. In recent years, molecular studies have identified drivers and genomic alterations associated with aggressive behaviour and progression; however, these findings have not yet impacted classification and management. Methods and results Under sponsorship of the International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) and the Genitourinary Pathology Society (GUPS), a group of genitourinary pathologists was assembled in 2023 with the aim of assessing how to use these new data to improve the classification and management of TSCSTs. Conclusions This paper summarizes the recommendations derived from the consensus activities and the first meeting of the te sticular s ex cord‐ s tromal t umour (TESST) group (held at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, USA, 3/23/2024).