Risk perception and surveillance uptake in individuals at increased risk for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Surveillance for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is recommended for high-risk individuals with genetic variants in PDAC-associated genes and/or family history. Surveillance uptake and adherence may depend on the perception of PDAC risk and cancer worry. We aimed to determine PDAC risk perception in at-risk individuals and assess factors associated with PDAC surveillance uptake. METHODS: At-risk individuals identified from a prospective academic registry were sent a survey electronically. PDAC risk perception, cancer worry and surveillance uptake were surveyed. Factors associated with increased risk perception and surveillance were assessed. Five-year PDAC risk was calculated using the PancPRO risk assessment model, and correlation with subjective risk assessment was assessed. RESULTS: The overall survey response rate was 34% (279/816). The median perceived PDAC risk was twofold (IQR 1-4) above respondents' estimates of general population risk. Factors significantly associated with higher perceived PDAC risk included non-Hispanic white race, post-graduate education level, PDAC-affected first-degree relative, genetic variants and lack of personal cancer history. Cancer worry had a very weak correlation across PDAC risk estimates (r=0.16). No correlation between perceived PDAC risk and 5-year calculated PDAC risk was found. Older age, having a first-degree relative with PDAC, meeting with a medical provider about PDAC cancer risk and awareness of surveillance modalities were significant predictors of undergoing PDAC surveillance. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals at risk for PDAC do not report risk perception that correlates with calculated risk. This presents an opportunity for counselling of at-risk patients to individualise management and improve surveillance uptake for eligible individuals.

ChatGPT4 Outperforms Endoscopists for Determination of Postcolonoscopy Rescreening and Surveillance Recommendations.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Large language models including Chat Generative Pretrained Transformers version 4 (ChatGPT4) improve access to artificial intelligence, but their impact on the clinical practice of gastroenterology is undefined. This study compared the accuracy, concordance, and reliability of ChatGPT4 colonoscopy recommendations for colorectal cancer rescreening and surveillance with contemporary guidelines and real-world gastroenterology practice. METHODS: History of present illness, colonoscopy data, and pathology reports from patients undergoing procedures at 2 large academic centers were entered into ChatGPT4 and it was queried for the next recommended colonoscopy follow-up interval. Using the McNemar test and inter-rater reliability, we compared the recommendations made by ChatGPT4 with the actual surveillance interval provided in the endoscopist's procedure report (gastroenterology practice) and the appropriate US Multisociety Task Force (USMSTF) guidance. The latter was generated for each case by an expert panel using the clinical information and guideline documents as reference. RESULTS: Text input of de-identified data into ChatGPT4 from 505 consecutive patients undergoing colonoscopy between January 1 and April 30, 2023, elicited a successful follow-up recommendation in 99.2% of the queries. ChatGPT4 recommendations were in closer agreement with the USMSTF Panel (85.7%) than gastroenterology practice recommendations with the USMSTF Panel (75.4%) (P < .001). Of the 14.3% discordant recommendations between ChatGPT4 and the USMSTF Panel, recommendations were for later screening in 26 (5.1%) and for earlier screening in 44 (8.7%) cases. The inter-rater reliability was good for ChatGPT4 vs USMSTF Panel (Fleiss κ, 0.786; 95% CI, 0.734-0.838; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Initial real-world results suggest that ChatGPT4 can define routine colonoscopy screening intervals accurately based on verbatim input of clinical data. Large language models have potential for clinical applications, but further training is needed for broad use.

Transient elastography assessment of liver allograft fibrosis in pediatric transplant recipients.

TE measures liver stiffness to assess fibrosis. Its use in post-transplant patients was reported in few small pediatric studies. We evaluated TE ability to predict liver graft fibrosis in a large cohort while comparing it to the performance of APRI and FIB-4. We also investigated the effect of graft type on LSMs. Patients at Boston Children's Hospital who underwent LT and LSM ≤ 1 year from biopsy (2007-2018) were eligible. Ninety-four patients (45%M) aged 1-21 years (89% < 18 years; 13% < 2 years) were eligible. Median time between transplant/biopsy and LSM was 5.1 years and 52 days, respectively. Thirty-nine percent received whole-liver grafts, 54% TV grafts, and 6% as part of MV. At LSM, median ALT was 25 [IQR 16-33] IU/L. Twenty-one percent had METAVIR ≥ F2. LSM was statistically higher among those with significant fibrosis (METAVIR ≥ F2) compared to those with METAVIR F0/F1 (median [IQR] 7.5 [4.6, 13.6] vs 5.1 [4.0, 6.4] kPa, respectively) (P = .005 by Wilcoxon rank-sum test). APRI and FIB-4 distributions were not different across METAVIR stages. The AUROC for LSM was 0.71 (95% CI 0.56-0.85) with an optimal cut-point of 6.5 kPa. Graft type had no influence on the AUROC for LSM. TE is useful for assessing significant graft fibrosis in children and young adult LT recipients and performs better than APRI and FIB-4. TV grafts demonstrate similar correlation with histology as whole-liver grafts.

A late, solitary brain metastasis of epithelial ovarian carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Brain metastasis from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is very rare with a reported incidence of less than 2%. It is usually associated with a poor prognosis that is related to several factors, the most important including: single vs multiple lesions, performance status, platinum-sensitive disease, tumor grade, extracranial disease, and multimodal approach treatment. At the time of diagnosis, an extracranial disease is found in over half of patients. The most common histology is the serous type. The median time from primary diagnosis to development of cerebral lesions is directly correlated to initial tumor grade and stage. Several therapeutic approaches can be proposed, including best supportive care +/- corticosteroids, surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A multimodal therapy approach may achieve an improved outcome and should therefore be utilized whenever applicable. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a patient with a solitary brain metastasis which appeared 11 years after a locally advanced and aggressive EOC (FIGO stage III C) and which totally regressed after surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. Clinically, she showed progressive headaches, decreased visual acuity, balance and memory disorders associated with a confusional state. Brain CT scan and MRI documented a solitary, necrotic lesion in the left central parietal region with an important cerebral surrounding edema and initial cranial herniation. No other extracranial metastases were observed at the PET scan. Laboratory tests were in the normal range and CA 125 was moderatly increased at 81 UI/ml. The patient underwent surgical removal of tumor lesion, post-surgical whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and systemic chemotherapy with carboplatin alone for six cycles. At a follow-up of 13 months, she is alive, in good clinical condition and tumor progression free. CONCLUSION: The peculiarity of this case relies on the isolated brain relapse of a BRCA-1/BRCA-2 non-mutated EOC, which is uncommon and rare, and to the very long time, of 11 years, from diagnosis of primary cancer and development of brain metastasis. A multimodal, aggressive approach of this isolated brain metastasis led to a complete and prolonged tumor control.

Right Ventricular Thrombus on Echocardiography.

Right ventricular thrombi (RVTs) have been almost exclusively studied in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). The implications of an isolated RVT, a finding typically encountered on transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), are lacking. In this study, we sought to identify the echocardiographic and clinical features associated with the presence of RVTs. Between 1998 and 2023, 138 patients with RVT documented on TTE were retrospectively identified. Demographic data, presence of intracardiac devices, hypercoagulable conditions, history of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), PE, and/or left ventricular thrombus were abstracted from electronic chart review. Measurements of right and left ventricular size, and function were performed on TTE. Of the total population of patients with RVT, <1/2 had intracardiac devices, 29% had a documented hypercoagulable state (e.g., cancer or a clotting disorder). Most patients had dilated (77%) and dysfunctional (72%) right ventricles. Approximately 50% of RVTs were discovered in nonstandard imaging planes, suggesting that the presence of RVT is likely underestimated in clinical practice. Of those evaluated for PE, 80% had PE. Of those evaluated for DVT, 53% had DVT. In conclusion, further investigations are warranted to better guide when to investigate the right ventricle for RVTs on TTE and the impact of RVTs on patient outcomes.

Frequency-Specific Analysis of Hearing Outcomes Associated with Ossiculoplasty Versus Stapedotomy.

OBJECTIVE: Surgery on the ossicular chain may impact its underlying mechanical properties. This study aims to investigate comparative differences in frequency-specific hearing outcomes for ossiculoplasty versus stapedotomy. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on subjects who underwent ossiculoplasty with partial ossicular replacement prosthesis (PORP) or laser stapedotomy with self-crimping nitinol/fluoroplastic piston, and achieved closure of postoperative pure tone average air-bone gap (PTA-ABG) ≤ 15 dB. 45 PORP and 38 stapedotomy cases were included, with mean length of follow-up of 7.6 months. RESULTS: The mean change in PTA-ABG was similar for the 2 procedures (-17.9 dB vs -18.1 dB, P = .98). Postoperative ABG closure for stapedotomy was superior at 1000 Hz (8.9 dB vs 13.9 dB, P = .0003) and 4000 Hz (11.8 dB vs 18.0 dB, P = .0073). Both procedures also had improved postoperative bone conduction (BC) thresholds at nearly all frequencies, but there was no statistical difference in the change in BC at any particular frequency between the 2 procedures. CONCLUSION: Both procedures achieved a similar mean change in PTA-ABG. Stapedotomy was superior to PORP at ABG closure at 1000 Hz and at 4000 Hz, with 1000 Hz the most discrepant. The exact mechanism responsible for these changes is unclear, but the specific frequencies affected suggest that differences in each procedure's respective impact on the native resonant frequency and mass load of the system could be implicated.

Rational design of an estrogen receptor mutant with altered DNA-binding specificity.

Although artificial C2-H2 zinc fingers can be designed to recognize specific DNA sequences, it remains unclear to which extent nuclear receptor C4 zinc fingers can be tailored to bind novel DNA elements. Steroid receptors bind as dimers to palindromic response elements differing in the two central base pairs of repeated motifs. Predictions based on one amino acid-one base-pair relationships may not apply to estrogen receptors (ERs), which recognize the two central base pairs of estrogen response elements (EREs) via two charged amino acids, each contacting two bases on opposite DNA strands. Mutagenesis of these residues, E203 and K210 in ERalpha, indicated that both contribute to ERE binding. Removal of the electric charge and steric constraints associated with K210 was required for full loss of parental DNA-binding specificity and recognition of novel sequences by E203 mutants. Although some of the new binding profiles did not match predictions, the double mutation E203R-K210A generated as predicted a mutant ER that was transcriptionally active on palindromes of PuGCTCA motifs, but not on consensus EREs. This study demonstrates the feasibility of designing C4 zinc finger mutants with novel DNA-binding specificity, but also uncovers limitations of this approach.

Premature Valvular Heart Disease in Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia.

Valvular heart disease frequently occurs as a consequence of premature atherosclerosis in individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH). Studies have primarily focused on aortic valve calcification in heterozygous FH, but there is paucity of data on the incidence of valvular disease in homozygous FH. We performed echocardiographic studies in 33 relatively young patients (mean age: 26 years) with homozygous FH (mean LDL of 447 mg/dL, 73% on LDL apheresis) to look for subclinical valvulopathy. Twenty-one patients had evidence of valvulopathy of the aortic or mitral valves, while seven subjects showed notable mitral regurgitation. Older patients were more likely to have aortic valve calcification (>21 versus ≤21 years: 59% versus 12.5%; p = 0.01) despite lower LDL levels at the time of the study (385 versus 513 mg/dL; p = 0.016). Patients with valvulopathy were older and had comparable LDL levels and a lower carotid intima-media thickness. Our data suggests that, in homozygous FH patients, valvulopathy (1) is present across a wide age spectrum and LDL levels and (2) is less likely to be influenced by lipid-lowering treatment. Echocardiographic studies that focused on aortic root thickening and stenosis and regurgitation are thus likely an effective modality for serial follow-up of subclinical valvular heart disease.

Genome-wide identification of high-affinity estrogen response elements in human and mouse.

Although estrogen receptors (ERs) recognize 15-bp palindromic estrogen response elements (EREs) with maximal affinity in vitro, few near-consensus sequences have been characterized in estrogen target genes. Here we report the design of a genome-wide screen for high-affinity EREs and the identification of approximately 70000 motifs in the human and mouse genomes. EREs are enriched in regions proximal to the transcriptional start sites, and approximately 1% of elements appear conserved in the flanking regions (-10 kb to +5 kb) of orthologous human and mouse genes. Conserved and nonconserved elements were also found, often in multiple occurrences, in more than 230 estrogen-stimulated human genes previously identified from expression studies. In genes containing known EREs, we also identified additional distal elements, sometimes with higher in vitro binding affinity and/or better conservation between the species considered. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments in breast cancer cell lines indicate that most novel elements present in responsive genes bind ERalpha in vivo, including some EREs located up to approximately 10 kb from transcriptional start sites. Our results demonstrate that near-consensus EREs occur frequently in both genomes and that whereas chromatin structure likely modulates access to binding sites, far upstream elements can be evolutionarily conserved and bind ERs in vivo.

Diversity in the mechanisms of gene regulation by estrogen receptors.

The sequencing of the human genome has opened the way for using bioinformatics to identify sets of genes controlled by specific regulatory signals. Here, we review the unexpected diversity of DNA response elements mediating transcriptional regulation by estrogen receptors (ERs), which control the broad physiological effects of estrogens. Consensus palindromic estrogen response elements are found in only a few known estrogen target genes, whereas most responsive genes contain only low-affinity half palindromes, which may also control regulation by other nuclear receptors. ERs can also regulate gene expression in the absence of direct interaction with DNA, via protein-protein interactions with other transcription factors or by modulating the activity of upstream signaling components, thereby significantly expanding the repertoire of estrogen-responsive genes. These diverse mechanisms of action must be taken into account in screening for potential estrogen-responsive sequences in the genome or in regulatory regions of target genes identified by expression profiling.