Rimegepant orally disintegrating tablet 75 mg for acute treatment of migraine in adults from China: a subgroup analysis of a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Rimegepant orally disintegrating tablet (ODT), an oral small-molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist, is indicated for acute and preventive treatment of migraine in the United States and other countries. Previously, a large clinical trial assessed the efficacy and safety of rimegepant ODT 75 mg for the acute treatment of migraine in adults living in China or South Korea. A post hoc subgroup analysis of this trial was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rimegepant for acute treatment of migraine in adults living in China. METHODS: Eligible participants were ≥ 18 years of age and had a ≥ 1-year history of migraine, with 2 to 8 attacks of moderate or severe pain intensity per month and < 15 headache days per month during the 3 months before screening. Participants self-administered rimegepant ODT 75 mg or matching placebo to treat a single migraine attack of moderate or severe pain intensity. The co-primary endpoints were pain freedom and freedom from the most bothersome symptom (MBS) at 2 h post-dose. Key secondary endpoints included pain relief at 2 h post-dose, ability to function normally at 2 h post-dose, use of rescue medication within 24 h post-dose, and sustained pain freedom from 2 to 24 h and 2 to 48 h post-dose. All p values were nominal. Safety was assessed via treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), electrocardiograms, vital signs, and routine laboratory tests. RESULTS: Overall, 1075 participants (rimegepant, n = 538; placebo, n = 537) were included in the subgroup analysis. Rimegepant was more effective than placebo for the co-primary endpoints of pain freedom (18.2% vs. 10.6%, p = 0.0004) and freedom from the MBS (48.0% vs. 31.8%, p <  0.0001), as well as all key secondary endpoints. The incidence of TEAEs was comparable between the rimegepant (15.2%) and placebo (16.4%) groups. No signal of drug-induced liver injury was observed, and no study drug-related serious TEAEs were reported in the rimegepant group. CONCLUSIONS: A single dose of rimegepant 75 mg rimegepant was effective for the acute treatment of migraine in adults living in China, with safety and tolerability similar to placebo. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT04574362 Date registered: 2020-10-05.

Serum proteomic analysis uncovers novel serum biomarkers for depression.

Objective: The identification of depression primarily relies on the clinical symptoms and psychiatric evaluation of the patient, in the absence of objective and quantifiable biomarkers within clinical settings. This study aimed to explore potential serum biomarkers associated with depression. Methods: Serum samples from a training group comprising 48 depression patients and 48 healthy controls underwent proteomic analysis. Magnetic bead-based weak cation exchange (MB-WCX) and MALDI-TOF-MS were used in combination. To screen the differential peaks, ClinProTools software was employed. The proteins were identified using LC-MS/MS. ELISA was employed to confirm the expression of entire protein in the serum of the verification cohort, which encompassed 48 individuals who had been diagnosed with Depression and 48 healthy controls who were collected prospectively. Subsequently, logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the diagnostic efficacy of the aforementioned predictors. Results: Five potential biomarker peaks indicating depression were identified in serum samples (peak 1, m/z: 1868.21; peak 2, m/z: 1062.35; peak 3, m/z: 1452.12; peak 4, m/z: 1208.72; peak 5, m/z: 1619.58). All of these peaks had higher expression in the pre-therapy group and were confirmed to be Tubulin beta chain (TUBB), Inter-alpha-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4 (ITIH4), Complement component 3 (C3), and Complement C4A precursor (C4A) by ELISA validation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that serum levels of TUBB, ITIH4, C3, and C4A were significant independent risk factors for the development of depression. Conclusion: Depression is a prevalent psychiatric condition. Timely detection is challenging, resulting in poor prognoses for patients. Our study on plasma proteomics for depression demonstrated that TUBB, ITIH4, C3, and C4A differentiate between depression patients and healthy controls. The proteins that were identified could potentially function as biomarkers for the diagnosis of depression. Pinpointing these biomarkers could enable early identification of depression, which would advance precise treatment.

Identification of potential key genes for colorectal cancer based on bioinformatics analysis.

This study aimed to explore key genes as potential biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis and prognosis in order to improve their clinical utility. To identify and screen candidate genes involved in CRC carcinogenesis and disease progression, we downloaded the microarray datasets GSE143939, GSE196006, and GSE200427 from the GEO database and applied the GEO2R tool to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between colorectal cancer tissue samples and normal tissue samples. Differentially expressed genes were analyzed using the DAVID online database for gene ontology and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway enrichment analyses. Protein-protein interaction network was constructed and related module analysis was performed using STRING and Cytoscape. In total, 241 DEGs were identified, including 127 downregulated and 114 upregulated genes. DEGs enriched functions and pathways included cellular response to chemical stimulus, extracellular region, carbonate dehydratase activity, cell division, spindle, and cell division. The abundant functions and pathways of DEGs included cellular response to chemical stimulus, extracellular region, carbonate dehydratase activity, cell division, spindle, cell adhesion molecule binding, Aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption, and Cell cycle-related processes. Fifteen key genes were identified, and bioprocess analyses showed that these genes were mainly enriched in cell cycle, cell division, mitotic spindle, and tubulin binding processes. It was found that CDK1, CEP55, MKI67, and TOP2A may be involved in CRC cancer invasion and recurrence. The pivotal genes identified in this study contribute to our understanding of the molecular and pathogenic mechanisms of CRC carcinogenesis and progression, and provide possible biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of CRC.

Safety and efficacy of rimegepant orally disintegrating tablet for the acute treatment of migraine in China and South Korea: a phase 3, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: No acute treatments targeting calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) have been approved for use in China or South Korea. We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of rimegepant-an orally administered small molecule CGRP antagonist-with placebo in the acute treatment of migraine among adults in these countries. METHODS: This double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, multicentre phase 3 trial was done at 86 outpatient clinics at hospitals and academic medical centres (73 in China and 13 in South Korea). Participants were adults (≥18 years) with at least a 1-year history of migraine who had two to eight moderate or severe attacks per month and fewer than 15 headache days per month within the 3 months before the screening visit. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to 75 mg rimegepant or placebo to treat a single migraine attack of moderate or severe pain intensity. Randomisation was stratified by the use of preventive medication and by country. The allocation sequence was generated and implemented by study personnel using an interactive web-response system accessed online from each study centre. All participants, investigators, and the sponsor were masked to treatment assignment. The coprimary endpoints of freedom from pain and freedom from the most bothersome symptom (nausea, phonophobia, or photophobia) 2 h after dosing were assessed in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population (randomly assigned participants who took study medication for a migraine attack of moderate or severe pain intensity, and provided at least one efficacy datapoint after treatment) using Cochran-Mantel Haenszel tests. Safety was assessed in all participants who received rimegepant or placebo. The study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT04574362, and is completed. FINDINGS: 1431 participants were randomly assigned (716 [50%] to rimegepant and 715 [50%] to placebo). 668 (93%) participants in the rimegepant group and 674 (94%) participants in the placebo group received treatment. 1340 participants were included in the mITT analysis (666 [93%] in the rimegepant group and 674 [94%] in the placebo group). 2 h after dosing, rimegepant was superior to placebo for pain freedom (132 [20%] of 666 vs 72 [11%] of 674, risk difference 9·2, 95% CI 5·4-13·0; p<0·0001) and freedom from the most bothersome symptom (336 [50%] of 666 participants vs 241 [36%] of 674 participants, 14·8, 9·6-20·0; p<0·0001). The most common (≥1%) adverse events were protein in urine (8 [1%] of 668 participants in the rimepegant group vs 7 [1%] of 674 participants in the placebo group), nausea (7 [1%] of 668 vs 18 [3%] of 674), and urinary tract infection (5 [1%] of 668 vs 8 [1%] of 674). There were no rimegepant-related serious adverse events. INTERPRETATION: Among adults living in China or South Korea, a single dose of 75 mg rimegepant was effective for the acute treatment of migraine. Safety and tolerability were similar to placebo. Our findings suggest that rimegepant might be a useful new addition to the range of medications for the acute treatment of migraine in China and South Korea, but further studies are needed to support long-term efficacy and safety and to compare rimegepant with other medications for the acute treatment of migraine in this population. FUNDING: BioShin Limited. TRANSLATIONS: For the Chinese and Korean translations of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

The neurovascular protective effect of alogliptin in murine MCAO model and brain endothelial cells.

Endothelial damage and blood brain barrier disruption contribute to ischemic stroke and brain injury. Gliptins are a novel class of treatment agents for diabetes, and recent studies have linked the use of gliptins to neuroprotection. Alogliptin is a type of orally available gliptin that was approved for clinical use by the FDA in 2013. In this study, we investigated the neurovascular protective effects of alogliptin both in vivo and in vitro. In a murine middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) stroke model, administration of alogliptin ameliorated cerebral infarction and disruption of brain vascular permeability, and restored expression of the endothelial tight junction proteins occludin and zona occludens 1 (ZO-1). In brain vascular endothelial cells exposed to oxygen and glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R), alogliptin prevented OGD/R-induced high permeability of the endothelial monolayer. Alogliptin treatment recovered the reduction in occludin and ZO-1 induced by OGD/R. Moreover, alogliptin treatment prevented OGD/R-induced induction of metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9, and restored expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2. Collectively, our data indicate that alogliptin can improve neurovascular integrity and exerts neuroprotective effects.

Separation, identification, and quantitation of phenolic acids in Chinese waxberry (Myrica Rubra) juice by HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS.

A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode-array spectrophotometry and electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (HPLC-PDA-ESI-MS) method for separation and determination of phenolic acids in ethyl acetate extracts from Chinese waxberry (Myrica Rubra) juice was developed. Total of 4 phenolic acids (ferulic, caffeic, sinapic, and salicylic acids) were identified by comparing their HPLC retention times, UV-Vis absorption spectra, and simultaneously recorded mass spectra with authentic standards. Quantitation was carried out by the peak area method. The calibration curves are linear over the concentration range studied with the correlation coefficients, R(2), greater than 0.99. The contents of ferulic, caffeic, sinapic, and salicylic acids in waxberry juice samples studied were 2.76, 3.58, 2.89, and 1.92 mg/L, respectively, and they occur mainly in bound forms. All relative standard deviations were less than 4%. The recoveries range from 83.6% to 95.8% for the 4 analytes. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first report for the identification of the sinapic and salicylic acids in Chinese waxberry products.