Citations

Background: Thyrotropin (TSH) levels display a positive association with body mass index (BMI), and the prevalence of isolated hyperthyrotropinemia is higher in obese adolescents compared to their normal weight controls. However, the metabolic significance of the higher TSH in obese adolescents is less clear. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between TSH concentrations and insulin sensitivity, lipids, and adipokines in euthyroid, non-diabetic, obese adolescents. Methods: Thirty-six euthyroid, non-diabetic, obese adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 years underwent a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. Insulin sensitivity (S i ) and pancreatic β-cell function as assessed by disposition index (DI) were measured using the oral glucose minimal model approach. Cholesterol (total, low-density lipoprotein [LDL-C], and high-density lipoprotein [HDL-C]), triglycerides (TG), interleukin-6 (IL-6), total and high molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin, and retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) were also determined. Associations between measures of thyroid function and S i , DI, lipids, and adipokines were computed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean age of the subjects was 14.3±1.88 years, and the mean BMI was 32.5±4.65 kg/m 2 ; 97% were non-Hispanic white and 47% were male. The mean TSH was 2.7±1.2 mIU/L. Increasing serum TSH was correlated with decreasing S i (log S i ) in the entire cohort ( p =0.03), but this relationship persisted only in males ( p =0.02). The correlation between TSH and S i in males remained significant after adjusting for BMI ( p =0.02). There was no correlation between TSH and pancreatic β-cell function as assessed by DI ( p =0.48). TSH correlated positively with LDL-C ( p =0.04) and IL-6 ( p =0.03), but these associations vanished or weakened after adjusting for BMI (LDL-C p- value=0.44; IL-6 p- value=0.07). Conclusions: This study suggests a sex-specific association between TSH and insulin sensitivity in euthyroid, non-diabetic, obese adolescent males. Prospective studies are warranted to explore further this sexual dimorphism in the relationship between thyroid function and insulin sensitivity and to determine if obese adolescents with insulin resistance receiving thyroid supplements for hypothyroidism would benefit from targeting TSH levels in the lower half of normal range.

Growing evidence suggests that pretransplant alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) predicts outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated with liver transplantation. We aimed to determine whether pretransplant AFP, Lens culinaris agglutinin‐reactive alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP‐L3), and des‐gamma‐carboxyprothrombin (DCP) predicted HCC recurrence after transplantation. A retrospective cohort study of 313 HCC patients undergoing transplantation between 2000 and 2008 was conducted, and 48 (15.3%) developed recurrence during a median follow‐up of 90.8 months. The 127 patients with available serum drawn before transplantation were included; they included 86 without recurrence and 41 with recurrence. Serum was tested for AFP, AFP‐L3%, and DCP in a blinded fashion with the μTASWako i30 immunoanalyzer. All biomarkers were significantly associated with HCC recurrence. The hazard ratios (HRs) were 3.5 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.9‐6.7; P < 0.0001] for DCP ≥ 7.5 ng/mL and 2.8 (95% CI, 1.4‐5.4; P = 0.002) for AFP ≥ 250 ng/mL. The HR increased to 5.2 (95% CI, 2.3‐12.0; P < 0.0001) when AFP ≥ 250 ng/mL and DCP ≥7.5 ng/mL were considered together. When they were combined with the Milan criteria, the HR increased from 2.6 (95% CI, 1.4‐4.7; P = 0.003) for outside the Milan criteria to 8.6 (95% CI, 3.0‐24.6; P < 0.0001) for outside the Milan criteria and AFP ≥ 250 ng/mL and to 7.2 (95% CI, 2.8‐18.1; P < 0.0001) for outside the Milan criteria and DCP ≥7.5 ng/mL. Our findings suggest that biomarkers are useful for predicting the risk of HCC recurrence after transplantation. Using both biomarkers and the Milan criteria may be better than using the Milan criteria alone in optimizing the decision of liver transplantation eligibility. Liver Transpl 21:599–606, 2015. © 2015 AASLD.

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors have shown promising activity in epithelial ovarian cancers, especially relapsed platinum-sensitive high-grade serous disease. Consistent with preclinical studies, ovarian cancers and a number of other solid tumor types occurring in patients with deleterious germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 seem to be particularly sensitive. However, it is also becoming clear that germline BRCA1/2 mutations are neither necessary nor sufficient for patients to derive benefit from PARP inhibitors. We provide an update on PARP inhibitor clinical development, describe recent advances in our understanding of PARP inhibitor mechanism of action, and discuss current issues in the development of these agents.

Abstract Purpose: Tigatuzumab (TIG), an agonistic anti-DR5 antibody, triggers apoptosis in DR5+ human tumor cells without crosslinking. TIG has strong in vitro/in vivo activity against basal-like breast cancer cells enhanced by chemotherapy agents. This study evaluates activity of TIG and chemotherapy in patients with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Experimental Design: Randomized 2:1 phase II trial of albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-PAC) ± TIG in patients with TNBC stratified by prior chemotherapy. Patients received nab-PAC weekly × 3 ± TIG every other week, every 28 days. Primary objective was within-arm objective response rate (ORR). Secondary objectives were safety, progression-free survival (PFS), clinical benefit, and TIG immunogenicity. Metastatic research biopsies were required. Results: Among 64 patients (60 treated; TIG/nab-PAC n = 39 and nab-PAC n = 21), there were 3 complete remissions (CR), 8 partial remissions (PR; 1 almost CR), 11 stable diseases (SD), and 17 progressive diseases (PD) in the TIG/nab-PAC arm (ORR, 28%), and no CRs, 8 PRs, 4 SDs, and 9 PDs in the nab-PAC arm (ORR, 38%). There was a numerical increase in CRs and several patients had prolonged PFS (1,025+, 781, 672, 460, 334) in the TIG/nab-PAC arm. Grade 3 toxicities were 28% and 29%, respectively, with no grade 4–5. Exploratory analysis suggests an association of ROCK1 gene pathway activation with efficacy in the TIG/nab-PAC arm. Conclusions: ORR and PFS were similar in both. Preclinical activity of TIG in basal-like breast cancer and prolonged PFS in few patients in the combination arm support further investigation of anti-DR5 agents. ROCK pathway activation merits further evaluation. Clin Cancer Res; 21(12); 2722–9. ©2015 AACR. See related article by Paoletti et al., p. 2771

Wake-up stroke, defined as the situation where a patient awakens with stroke symptoms that were not present prior to falling asleep, represents roughly 1 in 5 acute ischemic strokes and remains a therapeutic dilemma. Patients with wake-up stroke were excluded from most ischemic stroke treatment trials and are often not eligible for acute reperfusion therapy in clinical practice, leading to poor outcomes. Studies of neuroimaging with standard noncontrast computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and multimodal perfusion-based CT and MRI suggest wake-up stroke may occur shortly before awakening and may assist in selecting patients for acute reperfusion therapies. Pilot studies of wake-up stroke treatment based on these neuroimaging features are promising but have limited generalizability. Ongoing randomized treatment trials using neuroimaging-based patient selection may identify a subset of patients with wake-up stroke that can safely benefit from acute reperfusion therapies.

Summary Objective To prospectively evaluate the etiology of new‐onset infantile spasms and evaluate the yield of genetic and metabolic investigations in those without obvious cause after initial clinical evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging ( MRI ). Methods Twenty‐one U.S. pediatric epilepsy centers prospectively enrolled infants with newly diagnosed West syndrome in a central database. Etiology and investigations performed within 3 months of diagnosis were documented. Results From June 2012 to June 2014, a total of 251 infants were enrolled (53% male). A cause was identified in 161 (64.4%) of 250 cases (genetic,14.4%; genetic‐structural, 10.0%; structural‐congenital, 10.8%; structural‐acquired, 22.4%; metabolic, 4.8%; and infectious, 2.0%). An obvious cause was found after initial clinical assessment (history and physical examination) and/or MRI in 138 of 161, whereas further genetic and metabolic studies were revealing in another 23 cases. Of 112 subjects without an obvious cause after initial evaluation and MRI , 81 (72.3%) had undergone genetic testing, which showed a causal abnormality in 23.5% and a variant of unknown significance in 14.8%. Although metabolic studies were done in the majority (serum, 79.5%; urine, 69.6%; and cerebrospinal fluid [ CSF ], 38.4%), these revealed an etiology in only five cases (4.5%). No correlation was found between type of health insurance (public vs. private) and either genetic or metabolic testing. Significance Clinical evaluation and MRI provide a specific diagnosis in 55% of children presenting with West syndrome. We propose that a cost‐effective workup for those without obvious cause after initial clinical evaluation and MRI includes an array comparative genomic hybridization ( aCGH ) followed by an epilepsy gene panel if the microarray is not definitive, serum lactate, serum amino acids, and urine organic acids.

Abstract Aims We sought to evaluate associations between baseline sphericity index (SI) and clinical outcome, and changes in SI after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with or without surgical ventricular reconstruction (SVR) in ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients enrolled in the SVR study (Hypothesis 2) of the Surgical Treatment for Ischemic Heart Failure (STICH) trial. Methods and results Among 1000 patients in the STICH SVR study, we evaluated 546 patients (255 randomized to CABG alone and 291 to CABG + SVR) whose baseline SI values were available. SI was not significantly different between treatment groups at baseline. After 4 months, SI had increased in the CABG + SVR group, but was unchanged in the CABG alone group (0.69 ± 0.10 to 0.77 ± 0.12 vs. 0.67 ± 0.07 to 0.66 ± 0.09, respectively; P &lt; 0.001). SI did not significantly change from 4 months to 2 years in either group. Although LV end-systolic volume and EF improved significantly more in the CABG + SVR group compared with CABG alone, the severity of mitral regurgitation significantly improved only in the CABG alone group, and the estimated LV filling pressure (E/A ratio) increased only in the CABG + SVR group. Higher baseline SI was associated with worse survival after surgery (hazard ratio 1.21, 95% confidence interval 1.02 − 1.43; P = 0.026). Survival was not significantly different by treatment strategy. Conclusion Although SVR was designed to improve LV geometry, SI worsened after SVR despite improved LVEF and smaller LV volume. Survival was significantly better in patients with lower SI regardless of treatment strategy.

ObjectiveNonsevere relapses are more common than severe relapses in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV), but their clinical course and treatment outcomes remain largely unexamined. We undertook this study to analyze the outcomes of patients with nonsevere relapses in the Rituximab in ANCA‐Associated Vasculitis (RAVE) trial who were treated with prednisone according to a prespecified protocol.MethodsRAVE was a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial comparing rituximab (RTX) to cyclophosphamide (CYC) followed by azathioprine (AZA) for induction of remission. Patients who experienced nonsevere relapses between months 1 and 18 were treated with a prednisone increase without a concomitant change in their nonglucocorticoid immunosuppressants, followed by a taper.ResultsForty‐four patients with a first nonsevere relapse were analyzed. In comparison to the 71 patients who maintained relapse‐free remission over 18 months, these patients were more likely to have proteinase 3–ANCAs, diagnoses of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener's), and a history of relapsing disease at baseline. A prednisone increase led to remission in 35 patients (80%). However, only 13 patients (30%) were able to maintain second remissions through the followup period (mean 12.5 months); 31 patients (70%) had a second disease relapse, 14 of them with severe disease. The mean time to second relapse was 9.4 months (4.7 months in the group treated with RTX versus 13.7 months in the group treated with CYC/AZA; P < 0.01). Patients who experienced nonsevere relapses received more glucocorticoids than those who maintained remission (6.7 grams versus 3.8 grams; P < 0.01).ConclusionTreatment of nonsevere relapses in AAV with an increase in glucocorticoids is effective in restoring temporary remission in the majority of patients, but recurrent relapses within a relatively short interval remain common. Alternative treatment approaches are needed for this important subset of patients.