Project description:We started a single-arm, phase II, open-label, prospective clinical trial using steroids-ruxolitinib as the first-line therapy for intermediate- to high-risk aGVHD (NCT04397367). Here, we report the association of a biomarker panel (sST2, REG3α, sTNFR1, IL-6 and IL-8) with responses to GVHD therapy. The novel first-line therapy for 39 patients with newly diagnosed aGVHD consisted of 1 mg/kg methylprednisolone and 5 mg/day ruxolitinib. The serum concentrations of the biomarkers were prospectively detected at planned time points. Of the 39 patients, the complete response rate at day 28 was 82.05%. In patients who achieved CR, the concentrations of REG3α (P14 = 0.01; P28 = 0.10) and sTNFR1 (P14 = 0.42; P28 = 0.04) declined at day 14 and day 28 compared with the pre-enrolment levels. In refractory patients, the levels of REG3α at day 14 were higher than those pre-enrolment (P = 0.04). REG3α (P = 0.02) was elevated in the refractory patients compared with the patients achieving CR at day 14 after enrolment, while there was no significant difference in the levels of sST2, sTNFR1 or IL-6. Elevated REG3α levels may predict refractory aGVHD after novel first-line therapy with steroids-ruxolitinib.
Project description:Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a rare but clinically aggressive cancer with a high mortality rate. In recent years, antibodies blocking the interactions among PD-1 and its ligands have generated durable tumor regressions in patients with advanced MCC. However, there is a paucity of data regarding effective therapy for patients whose disease is refractory to PD-1 pathway blockade. This retrospective case series describes a heterogeneous group of patients treated with additional immune checkpoint blocking therapy after MCC progression through anti-PD-1. Among 13 patients treated with anti-CTLA-4, alone or in combination with anti-PD-1, objective responses were seen in 4 (31%). Additionally, one patient with MCC refractory to anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 experienced tumor regression with anti-PD-L1. Our report - the largest case series to date describing this patient population - provides evidence that sequentially-administered salvage immune checkpoint blocking therapy can potentially activate anti-tumor immunity in patients with advanced anti-PD-1-refractory MCC and provides a strong rationale for formally testing these agents in multicenter clinical trials. Additionally, to the best of our knowledge, our report is the first to demonstrate possible anti-tumor activity of second-line treatment with a PD-L1 antibody in a patient with anti-PD-1-refractory disease.
Project description:Familial Mediterranean fever is an autosomal recessive autoinflammatory disorder mainly affecting Mediterranean populations, which is associated with mutations of the MEFV gene that encodes pyrin. Functional studies suggest that pyrin is implicated in the maturation and secretion of interleukin-1 (IL-1). The IL-1 receptor antagonist or anti-IL-1 monoclonal antibody may therefore represent a rational approach for the treatment of the rare patients who are refractory to conventional therapy. We report the case of a young female affected by familial Mediterranean fever who proved to be resistant to colchicine and was successfully treated with canakinumab.
Project description:(1) Background: CMV infections remain a problem after kidney transplantation, particularly if patients are refractory or resistant (r/r) to treatment with valganciclovir (VGCV) or ganciclovir (GCV). (2) Methods: In a single-center retrospective study, kidney transplant recipients (KTR) receiving letermovir (LTV) as rescue therapy for VGCV-/GCV-r/r CMV disease were analyzed regarding CMV history, immunosuppression, and outcomes. (3) Results: Of 201 KTR treated for CMV between 2017 and 2022, 8 patients received LTV following treatment failure with VGCV/GCV. All patients received CMV prophylaxis with VGCV according to the center's protocol, and 7/8 patients had a high-risk (D+/R-) CMV constellation. In seven of eight cases, rising CMV levels occurred during prophylaxis. In seven of eight patients, a mutation in UL97 associated with a decreased response to VGCV/GCV was detected. In four of eight patients, LTV resulted in CMV clearance after 24 ± 10 weeks (16-39 weeks), two of eight patients stabilized at viral loads <2000 cop/mL (6-20 weeks), and two of eight patients developed LTV resistance (range 8-10 weeks). (4) Conclusion: LTV, which is currently evaluated for CMV prophylaxis in kidney transplantation, also shows promising results for the treatment of patients with VGCV/GCV resistance despite the risk of developing LTV resistance. Additional studies are needed to further define its role in the treatment of patients with CMV resistance.
Project description:Despite advancements in ventilator technologies, lung supportive and rescue therapies, the outcome and prognostication in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) remains incremental and ambiguous. Metabolomics is a potential insightful measure to the diagnostic approaches practiced in critical disease settings. In our study patients diagnosed with mild and moderate/severe ARDS clinically governed by hypoxemic P/F ratio between 100-300 but with indistinct molecular phenotype were discriminated employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomics of mini bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (mBALF). Resulting biomarker prototype comprising six metabolites was substantiated highlighting ARDS susceptibility/recovery. Both the groups (mild and moderate/severe ARDS) showed distinct biochemical profile based on 83.3% classification by discriminant function analysis and cross validated accuracy of 91% using partial least squares discriminant analysis as major classifier. The predictive performance of narrowed down six metabolites were found analogous with chemometrics. The proposed biomarker model consisting of six metabolites proline, lysine/arginine, taurine, threonine and glutamate were found characteristic of ARDS sub-stages with aberrant metabolism observed mainly in arginine, proline metabolism, lysine synthesis and so forth correlating to diseased metabotype. Thus NMR based metabolomics has provided new insight into ARDS sub-stages and conclusively a precise biomarker model proposed, reflecting underlying metabolic dysfunction aiding prior clinical decision making.
Project description:RationaleEarly corticosteroid treatment is used to treat COVID-19-related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Infection is a well-documented adverse effect of corticosteroid therapy.ObjectivesTo determine whether early corticosteroid therapy to treat COVID-19 ARDS was associated with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).MethodsWe retrospectively included adults with COVID-19-ARDS requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (MV) for ≥ 48 h at any of 15 intensive care units in 2020. We divided the patients into two groups based on whether they did or did not receive corticosteroids within 24 h. The primary outcome was VAP incidence, with death and extubation as competing events. Secondary outcomes were day 90-mortality, MV duration, other organ dysfunctions, and VAP characteristics.Measurements and main resultsOf 670 patients (mean age, 65 years), 369 did and 301 did not receive early corticosteroids. The cumulative VAP incidence was higher with early corticosteroids (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.29; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.05-1.58; P = 0.016). Antibiotic resistance of VAP bacteria was not different between the two groups (odds ratio 0.94, 95% CI 0.58-1.53; P = 0.81). 90-day mortality was 30.9% with and 24.3% without early corticosteroids, a nonsignificant difference after adjustment on age, SOFA score, and VAP occurrence (aHR 1.15; 95% CI 0.83-1.60; P = 0.411). VAP was associated with higher 90-day mortality (aHR 1.86; 95% CI 1.33-2.61; P = 0.0003).ConclusionsEarly corticosteroid treatment was associated with VAP in patients with COVID-19-ARDS. Although VAP was associated with higher 90-day mortality, early corticosteroid treatment was not. Longitudinal randomized controlled trials of early corticosteroids in COVID-19-ARDS requiring MV are warranted.
Project description:ObjectiveTo compare the efficacy and outcomes with inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) and inhaled epoprostenol (iEPO) in patients with refractory hypoxemia due to COVID-19.DesignRetrospective Cohort Study.SettingSingle health system multicenter academic teaching hospitals.Patients or subjectsAge group of 18-80 years admitted to the medical ICU.InterventionsMechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 infection, who received either iNO or iEPO between March 1st, 2020, and June 30th, 2020.Measurements and main resultsThe primary outcome was the change in the PaO2/FiO2 (P/F) ratio 1 hour after initiation of pulmonary vasodilator therapy. Secondary outcomes include P/F ratios on days 1-3 after initiation, positive response in P/F ratio (increase of at least 20% in PaO2), total days of treatment, rebound hypoxemia (if there was a drop in oxygen saturation after treatment was stopped), ventilator free days (if any patient was extubated), days in ICU, days to extubation, days to tracheostomy, mortality days after intubation, 30-day survival and mortality. 183 patients were excluded, as they received both iNO and iEPO. Of the remaining 103 patients, 62 received iEPO and 41 received iNO. The severity of ARDS was similar in both groups. Change in P/F ratio at one hour was 116 (70.3) with iNO and 107 (57.6) with iEPO (Mean/SD). Twenty-two (53.7%) patients in the iNO group and 25 (40.3%) in the iEPO group were responders to pulmonary vasodilators n(%)(p = 0.152) (more than 20% increase in partial pressure of oxygen, Pao2), and 18 (43.9%) and 31 (50%) patients in the iNO and iEPO group (p = 0.685), respectively, had rebound hypoxemia. Only 7 patients in the cohort achieved ventilator free days (3 in the iEPO group and 4 in iNO group).ConclusionsWe found no significant difference between iNO and iEPO in terms of change in P/F ratio, duration of mechanical ventilation, ICU, in-hospital mortality in this cohort of mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19. Larger, prospective studies are necessary to validate these results.
Project description:BackgroundUnderstanding heterogeneity seen in patients with COVIDARDS and comparing to non-COVIDARDS may inform tailored treatments.MethodsA multidisciplinary team of frontline clinicians and data scientists worked to create the Northwell COVIDARDS dataset (NorthCARDS) leveraging over 11,542 COVID-19 hospital admissions. The data was then summarized to examine descriptive differences based on clinically meaningful categories of lung compliance, and to examine trends in oxygenation.FindingsOf the 1536 COVIDARDS patients in the NorthCARDS dataset, there were 531 (34.6%) who had very low lung compliance (< 20 ml/cmH2O), 970 (63.2%) with low-normal compliance (20-50 ml/cmH2O), and 35 (2.2%) with high lung compliance (> 50 ml/cmH2O). The very low compliance group had double the median time to intubation compared to the low-normal group (107.3 h (IQR 25.8, 239.2) vs. 39.5 h (IQR 5.4, 91.6)). Overall, 68.8% (n = 1057) of the patients died during hospitalization. In comparison to non-COVIDARDS reports, there were less patients in the high compliance category (2.2% vs. 12%, compliance ≥ 50 mL/cmH20), and more patients with P/F ≤ 150 (59.8% vs. 45.6%). There is a statistically significant correlation between compliance and P/F ratio. The Oxygenation Index is the highest in the very low compliance group (12.51, SD(6.15)), and lowest in high compliance group (8.78, SD(4.93)).ConclusionsThe respiratory system compliance distribution of COVIDARDS is similar to non-COVIDARDS. In some patients, there may be a relation between time to intubation and duration of high levels of supplemental oxygen treatment on trajectory of lung compliance.