Citations

Abstract Disclosure: I. Bancos: Adrenas, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), AstraZeneca, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), Corcept Therapeutics, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), Diurnal, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), HRA Pharma, consulting, advisory board, data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), or funding for investigator-initiated research, Neurocrine, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), NovoNordisk, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), Recordati Rare Diseases, consulting, advisory board, data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), or funding for investigator-initiated research, Sparrow, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), Spruce, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work), Xeris, consulting, advisory board, or data safety monitoring board fees (paid to institution outside this work). F. Castinetti: HRA Pharma, consultancy for and research grants, Lundbeck, consultancy for and research grants, Recordati Rare Diseases, consultancy for and research grants. E.B. Geer: Corcept Therapeutics, research grants to her hospital, Recordati Rare Diseases, research grants to her hospital and occasional consulting honoraria, Sparrow, research grants to her hospital and occasional consulting honoraria, Xeris Pharmaceuticals (Strongbridge), research grants to her hospital and occasional consulting honoraria, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals, occasional consulting honoraria, HRA Pharma, occasional consulting honoraria, Lundbeck, occasional consulting honoraria, Member of the LINC 6 steering committee. S. Espiard: Recordati Rare Diseases, reports invitations to training courses and medical congresses. C. Mouly: Pfizer, consulting and advisory board fees, Recordati Rare Diseases, consulting and advisory board fees. L. Dichtel: Lumos Pharma, consultant and received research support to her hospital, Novo Nordisk, consultant and received research support to her hospital, Perspectum, received research support to her hospital, Recordati Rare Diseases, research support to her hospital, Flare Therapeutics, consultant, Marea Therapeutics, consultant and has equity in company, Third Rock Ventures, consultant, Merida Biosciences, consultant and has equity in company. E.V. Varlamov: Lumiio, research support to her university, Novo Nordisk, research support to her university, Pfizer, research support to her university, Recordati Rare Diseases, research support to her university. A. Ferriere: Novo Nordisk, Recordati Rare Diseases. E. Nowak: Supported by the Else Kröner-Fresenius–Stiftung and the Eva Luise und Horst Köhler–Stiftung within the Clinician Scientist program RISE (2022_EKFKSE.03). C. Simeoli: Neurocrine UK Ltd, consultancy, Recordati Rare Diseases, consultancy. R.A. Feelders: HRA Pharma, consultancy, Recordati Rare Diseases, consultancy, Corcept Therapeutics, research grant, Member of the LINC 6 steering committee. J. Le Mouhaër: Recordati Rare Diseases, employee. P. Raunioniemi: Recordati Rare Diseases, employee. A. Mueller: Recordati Rare Diseases, employee. N. Scheyer: HRA Pharma, invitations to training courses and medical congresses, Pfizer, invitations to training courses and medical congresses, Recordati Rare Diseases, invitations to training courses and medical congresses. Introduction: LINC 6 (NCT05382156) is an ongoing prospective, observational study evaluating the long-term safety and effectiveness of osilodrostat, a potent 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor, over 3 years in patients (pts) with Cushing’s syndrome (CS). We report results from a prespecified 2-year interim analysis. Methods: Adult pts with endogenous CS were enrolled in 5 countries (USA and Europe) where osilodrostat is approved and available. The primary objective is long-term safety and tolerability, assessed by incidence of osilodrostat-related adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs), with a focus on hypocortisolism-, adrenal hormone precursor accumulation-, arrhythmia/QT prolongation-, and pituitary tumor enlargement-related AEs. Secondary effectiveness endpoints include change in mean urinary free cortisol (mUFC) and late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC). Here, we report AEs in the safety population (≥1 osilodrostat dose; n=206) among pts with Cushing’s disease (CD) and non-pituitary CS (non-PCS, adrenal or ectopic CS; data cutoff July 2024). Results: Data were available for 205 pts: 75.6% were female, mean (standard deviation) age was 53.0 (14.4) years. 161 pts had CD and 44 had non-PCS (adrenal adenoma, n=12; adrenal carcinoma, n=2; bilateral adrenal nodular disease, n=10; ectopic adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion, n=17; other, n=3). Median (min-max) on-study osilodrostat exposure and dose were 8.3 months (0.0-20.8) and 5.0 mg/day (0.5-80.0). 34 (21.1%) CD and 9 (20.5%) non-PCS pts reported 91 and 14 AEs considered treatment related, respectively; most were mild or moderate (95.6% CD and 85.7% non-PCS). Most common (>5% of events) treatment-related AEs: CD, adrenal insufficiency (9.9%, n=9/91 events), diarrhea, dizziness, fatigue (6.6% [n=6/91] each) and nausea (5.5%, n=5/91); non-PCS, adrenal insufficiency (42.9%, n=6/14 events), hypokalemia (14.3%, n=2/14), abnormal hormone (cortisol) level, dizziness, hirsutism, joint stiffness, musculoskeletal stiffness, and nervous system disorder (7.1% [n=1/14] each). 17 (10.6%) CD and 10 (22.7%) non-PCS pts reported 29 and 16 SAEs (7 and 4 were considered treatment related), respectively. 5 (3.1%) CD and 2 (4.5%) non-PCS pts discontinued because of 8 and 3 treatment-related AEs. CD and non-PCS pts reported 21 and 9 hypocortisolism-related AEs, 16 and 6 adrenal hormone precursor accumulation-related AEs, and 3 and 0 arrhythmogenic potential/QT interval prolongation-related AEs, respectively. CD pts had 3 pituitary tumor enlargement-related AEs. At month 3, mUFC and LNSC were normal in 73.9% (n=34/46) and 56.3% (n=18/32) of pts. By month 6, mUFC and LNSC were normal in 63.0% (n=29/46) and 30.4% (n=7/23) of pts. Conclusions: These LINC 6 2-year interim data show that osilodrostat is effective for the management of different etiologies of CS. AEs were mostly mild or moderate, with few leading to treatment discontinuation. Presentation: Sunday, July 13, 2025

AbstractBackgroundWhile preclinical studies have shown that alpha‐synuclein can spread through cell‐to‐cell transmission whether it can be transmitted between humans is unknown.ObjectivesThe aim was to assess the presence of a synucleinopathy in autopsied conjugal couples.MethodsNeuropathological findings in conjugal couples were categorized as Parkinson's disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), Alzheimer's disease with Lewy bodies (ADLB), incidental Lewy body disease (ILBD), or no Lewy bodies.ResultsNinety conjugal couples were included; the mean age of death was 88.3 years; 32 couples had no Lewy bodies; 42 couples had 1 spouse with a synucleinopathy: 10 PD, 3 DLB, 13 ADLB, and 16 ILBD; 16 couples had both spouses with a synucleinopathy: in 4 couples both spouses had PD, 1 couple had PD and DLB, 4 couples had PD and ADLB, 2 couples had PD and ILBD, 1 couple had DLB and ADLB, in 3 couples both had ADLB, and 1 couple had ADLB and ILBD. No couples had both spouses with ILBD.ConclusionsThis large series of 90 autopsied conjugal couples found 16 conjugal couples with synucleinopathies, suggesting transmission of synucleinopathy between spouses is unlikely. © 2024 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Importance Transthyretin gene silencing is an emerging treatment strategy for hereditary transthyretin (ATTRv) amyloidosis. Objective To evaluate eplontersen, an investigational ligand-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide, in ATTRv polyneuropathy. Design, Setting, and Participants NEURO-TTRansform was an open-label, single-group, phase 3 trial conducted at 40 sites across 15 countries (December 2019-April 2023) in 168 adults with Coutinho stage 1 or 2 ATTRv polyneuropathy, Neuropathy Impairment Score 10-130, and a documented TTR variant. Patients treated with placebo from NEURO-TTR ( NCT01737398 ; March 2013–November 2017), an inotersen trial with similar eligibility criteria and end points, served as a historical placebo (“placebo”) group. Interventions Subcutaneous eplontersen (45 mg every 4 weeks; n = 144); a small reference group received subcutaneous inotersen (300 mg weekly; n = 24); subcutaneous placebo weekly (in NEURO-TTR; n = 60). Main Outcomes and Measures Primary efficacy end points at week 65/66 were changes from baseline in serum transthyretin concentration, modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 (mNIS+7) composite score (scoring range, –22.3 to 346.3; higher scores indicate poorer function), and Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire–Diabetic Neuropathy (Norfolk QoL-DN) total score (scoring range, –4 to 136; higher scores indicate poorer quality of life). Analyses of efficacy end points were based on a mixed-effects model with repeated measures adjusted by propensity score weights. Results Among 144 eplontersen-treated patients (mean age, 53.0 years; 69% male), 136 (94.4%) completed week-66 follow-up; among 60 placebo patients (mean age, 59.5 years; 68% male), 52 (86.7%) completed week-66 follow-up. At week 65, adjusted mean percentage reduction in serum transthyretin was −81.7% with eplontersen and −11.2% with placebo (difference, −70.4% [95% CI, −75.2% to −65.7%]; P < .001). Adjusted mean change from baseline to week 66 was lower (better) with eplontersen vs placebo for mNIS+7 composite score (0.3 vs 25.1; difference, −24.8 [95% CI, −31.0 to −18.6; P < .001) and for Norfolk QoL-DN (−5.5 vs 14.2; difference, −19.7 [95% CI, −25.6 to −13.8]; P < .001). Adverse events by week 66 that led to study drug discontinuation occurred in 6 patients (4%) in the eplontersen group vs 2 (3%) in the placebo group. Through week 66, there were 2 deaths in the eplontersen group consistent with known disease-related sequelae (cardiac arrhythmia; intracerebral hemorrhage); there were no deaths in the placebo group. Conclusions and Relevance In patients with ATTRv polyneuropathy, the eplontersen treatment group demonstrated changes consistent with significantly lowered serum transthyretin concentration, less neuropathy impairment, and better quality of life compared with a historical placebo. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04136184 ; EU Clinical Trials Register: EudraCT 2019-001698-10

Abstract Cerebral white matter rarefaction (CWMR) was considered by Binswanger and Alzheimer to be due to cerebral arteriolosclerosis. Renewed attention came with CT and MR brain imaging, and neuropathological studies finding a high rate of CWMR in Alzheimer disease (AD). The relative contributions of cerebrovascular disease and AD to CWMR are still uncertain. In 1181 autopsies by the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND), large-format brain sections were used to grade CWMR and determine its vascular and neurodegenerative correlates. Almost all neurodegenerative diseases had more severe CWMR than the normal control group. Multivariable logistic regression models indicated that Braak neurofibrillary stage was the strongest predictor of CWMR, with additional independently significant predictors including age, cortical and diencephalic lacunar and microinfarcts, body mass index, and female sex. It appears that while AD and cerebrovascular pathology may be additive in causing CWMR, both may be solely capable of this. The typical periventricular pattern suggests that CWMR is primarily a distal axonopathy caused by dysfunction of the cell bodies of long-association corticocortical projection neurons. A consequence of these findings is that CWMR should not be viewed simply as “small vessel disease” or as a pathognomonic indicator of vascular cognitive impairment or vascular dementia.

The Brain and Body Donation Program (BBDP) at Banner Sun Health Research Institute (http://www.brainandbodydonationprogram.org) started in 1987 with brain‐only donations and currently has banked more than 1600 brains. More than 430 whole‐body donations have been received since this service was commenced in 2005. The collective academic output of the BBDP is now described as the Arizona Study of Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders (AZSAND). Most BBDP subjects are enrolled as cognitively normal volunteers residing in the retirement communities of metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. Specific recruitment efforts are also directed at subjects with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and cancer. The median age at death is 82. Subjects receive standardized general medical, neurological, neuropsychological and movement disorders assessments during life and more than 90% receive full pathological examinations by medically licensed pathologists after death. The Program has been funded through a combination of internal, federal and state of Arizona grants as well as user fees and pharmaceutical industry collaborations. Subsets of the Program are utilized by the US National Institute on Aging Arizona Alzheimer's Disease Core Center and the US National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke National Brain and Tissue Resource for Parkinson's Disease and Related Disorders. Substantial funding has also been received from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The Program has made rapid autopsy a priority, with a 3.0‐hour median post‐mortem interval for the entire collection. The median RNA Integrity Number (RIN) for frozen brain and body tissue is 8.9 and 7.4, respectively. More than 2500 tissue requests have been served and currently about 200 are served annually. These requests have been made by more than 400 investigators located in 32 US states and 15 countries. Tissue from the BBDP has contributed to more than 350 publications and more than 200 grant‐funded projects.

The purpose of this study was to assess tendon metabolism and suture pull-out strength after simple tendon suture in a tissue culture model. One hundred and twelve flexor digitorum profundus tendons from 28 dogs were cultured for 7, 14, or 21 days with or without a static tensile load. In both groups increased levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) mRNA was noted. Suture pull-out strength did not decrease during tissue culture. While the presence of a static load had no effect on the pull-out strength, it did affect MMP mRNA expression. This tissue culture model could be useful in studying the effect of factors on the tendon-suture interface.

An optical spin micromotor operated by optical tweezers, described in the present study, converts radiant energy directly to mechanical energy. This conversion is of great practical and fundamental interest. The optical spin micromotor consists of a two-bead linkage. The large bead (2.0 μm in diameter) is trapped by the optical tweezers and rotates around the laser beam axis. The small bead (0.94 μm in diameter) is partially coated with gold/palladium for generating the spin torque through the change of momentum from gradient radiation pressure of the same laser applied on the coated small bead. With a laser power of 29 mW at the sample plane, the spin speed averaged 158.8±155.5 rpm (mean±standard deviation) and the torque was estimated as 101.9±99.8 pN nm. This optical spin micromotor will be useful in (1) providing a fundamental step toward developing optical-operated mechanical devices, (2) twisting macromolecules, and (3) generating vortex and shear force in medium at nanoscale.