Gre factors help Salmonella adapt to oxidative stress by improving transcription elongation and fidelity of metabolic genes.

Detoxification, scavenging, and repair systems embody the archetypical antioxidant defenses of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Metabolic rewiring also aids with the adaptation of bacteria to oxidative stress. Evolutionarily diverse bacteria combat the toxicity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by actively engaging the stringent response, a stress program that controls many metabolic pathways at the level of transcription initiation via guanosine tetraphosphate and the α-helical DksA protein. Studies herein with Salmonella demonstrate that the interactions of structurally related, but functionally unique, α-helical Gre factors with the secondary channel of RNA polymerase elicit the expression of metabolic signatures that are associated with resistance to oxidative killing. Gre proteins both improve transcriptional fidelity of metabolic genes and resolve pauses in ternary elongation complexes of Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas (EMP) glycolysis and aerobic respiration genes. The Gre-directed utilization of glucose in overflow and aerobic metabolism satisfies the energetic and redox demands of Salmonella, while preventing the occurrence of amino acid bradytrophies. The resolution of transcriptional pauses in EMP glycolysis and aerobic respiration genes by Gre factors safeguards Salmonella from the cytotoxicity of phagocyte NADPH oxidase in the innate host response. In particular, the activation of cytochrome bd protects Salmonella from phagocyte NADPH oxidase-dependent killing by promoting glucose utilization, redox balancing, and energy production. Control of transcription fidelity and elongation by Gre factors represent important points in the regulation of metabolic programs supporting bacterial pathogenesis.

The methylglyoxal pathway is a sink for glutathione in Salmonella experiencing oxidative stress.

Salmonella suffer the cytotoxicity of reactive oxygen species generated by the phagocyte NADPH oxidase in the innate host response. Periplasmic superoxide dismutases, catalases and hydroperoxidases detoxify superoxide and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) synthesized in the respiratory burst of phagocytic cells. Glutathione also helps Salmonella combat the phagocyte NADPH oxidase; however, the molecular mechanisms by which this low-molecular-weight thiol promotes resistance of Salmonella to oxidative stress are currently unknown. We report herein that Salmonella undergoing oxidative stress transcriptionally and functionally activate the methylglyoxal pathway that branches off from glycolysis. Activation of the methylglyoxal pathway consumes a substantial proportion of the glutathione reducing power in Salmonella following exposure to H2O2. The methylglyoxal pathway enables Salmonella to balance glucose utilization with aerobic respiratory outputs. Salmonella take advantage of the metabolic flexibility associated with the glutathione-consuming methylglyoxal pathway to resist reactive oxygen species generated by the enzymatic activity of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase in macrophages and mice. Taken together, glutathione fosters oxidative stress resistance in Salmonella against the antimicrobial actions of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase by promoting the methylglyoxal pathway, an offshoot metabolic adaptation of glycolysis.

North and South: Naming practices and the hidden dimension of global disparities in knowledge production.

SignificanceContemporary social sciences aim to be diverse and inclusive, but traces of the historical dominance of Western European and North American academic institutions persist in scientific practices. One such practice is the phrasing of article titles. Our analysis shows that articles studying the global North are systematically less likely to mention the name of the country they study in their title compared to articles on the global South. This constitutes, potentially, an unwarranted claim on universality and may lead to lesser recognition of global South studies. Social and behavioral scientists must reflect on the phrasing of their article titles to avoid reproducing harmful relations of intellectual domination which limit inclusivity and constitute a barrier to the generalizability of scientific knowledge.

Oxidative stress activates transcription of Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 genes in macrophages.

The type III secretion system encoded in the Salmonella pathogenicity island-2 (SPI-2) gene cluster facilitates intracellular growth of nontyphoidal Salmonella by interfering with the maturation of Salmonella-containing vacuoles along the degradative pathway. SPI-2 gene products also protect Salmonella against the antimicrobial activity of reactive oxygen species (ROS) synthesized by the phagocyte NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2). However, a potential relationship between inflammatory ROS and the activation of transcription of SPI-2 genes by intracellular Salmonella is unclear. Here, we show that ROS engendered in the innate host response stimulate SPI-2 gene transcription. We found that the expression of SPI-2 genes in Salmonella-sustaining oxidative stress conditions involves DksA, a protein otherwise known to regulate the stringent response of bacteria to nutritional stress. We also demonstrate that the J and zinc-2-oxidoreductase domains of DnaJ as well as the ATPase activity of the DnaK chaperone facilitate loading of DksA onto RNA polymerase complexed with SPI-2 promoters. Furthermore, the DksA-driven transcription of SPI-2 genes in Salmonella experiencing oxidative stress is contingent on upstream OmpR, PhoP, and SsrB signaling events that participate in the removal of nucleoid proteins while simultaneously recruiting RNA polymerase to SPI-2 promoter regions. Taken together, our results suggest the activation of SPI-2 gene transcription in Salmonella subjected to ROS produced by the respiratory burst of macrophages protects this intracellular pathogen against NOX2-mediated killing. We propose that Salmonella have co-opted inflammatory ROS to induce SPI-2-mediated protective responses against NOX2 host defenses.

Arginine Metabolism Powers Salmonella Resistance to Oxidative Stress.

Salmonella invades host cells and replicates inside acidified, remodeled vacuoles that are exposed to reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by the innate immune response. Oxidative products of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase mediate antimicrobial activity, in part, by collapsing the ΔpH of intracellular Salmonella. Given the role of arginine in bacterial resistance to acidic pH, we screened a library of 54 single-gene mutants in Salmonella that are each involved in, but do not entirely block, arginine metabolism. We identified several mutants that affected Salmonella virulence in mice. The triple mutant ΔargCBH, which is deficient in arginine biosynthesis, was attenuated in immunocompetent mice, but recovered virulence in phagocyte NADPH oxidase deficient Cybb-/- mice. Furthermore, ΔargCBH Salmonella was profoundly susceptible to the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of hydrogen peroxide. Peroxide stress led to a larger collapse of the ΔpH in ΔargCBH mutants than occurred in wild-type Salmonella. The addition of exogenous arginine rescued ΔargCBH Salmonella from peroxide-induced ΔpH collapse and killing. Combined, these observations suggest that arginine metabolism is a hitherto unknown determinant of virulence that contributes to the antioxidant defenses of Salmonella by preserving pH homeostasis. In the absence of phagocyte NADPH oxidase-produced ROS, host cell-derived l-arginine appears to satisfy the needs of intracellular Salmonella. However, under oxidative stress, Salmonella must additionally rely on de novo biosynthesis to maintain full virulence.

A phase I/II study of preoperative letrozole, everolimus, and carotuximab in stage 2 and 3 hormone receptor-positive and Her2-negative breast cancer.

PURPOSE: In nonmetastatic hormone receptor-positive and Her2-negative breast cancer, preoperative endocrine therapies can yield outcomes similar with chemotherapy. We evaluated the tolerability and preliminary antitumor activity of preoperative letrozole, everolimus, and carotuximab, a monoclonal antibody targeting endoglin, in nonmetastatic breast cancer. METHODS: Eligible patients had newly diagnosed, stage 2 or 3, hormone receptor-positive and Her2/neu-negative breast cancer. Patients received escalating doses of everolimus; the dose of letrozole and carotuximab were fixed at 2.5 mg PO daily and 15 mg/kg intravenously every 2 weeks, respectively. The primary objective was to determine the safety and tolerability of the combination. Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies and assessments of antitumor activity. RESULTS: Fifteen patients enrolled. The recommended phase 2 dose of everolimus in combination with letrozole and carotuximab was 10 mg PO daily. The most frequent adverse events were headache (67%), fatigue (47%), facial flushing and swelling (47%), gingival hemorrhage (40%), epistaxis (33%), nausea and vomiting (27%). Headache constituted a dose-limiting toxicity. At least two signs of mucocutaneous telangiectasia developed in 92% of patients. Carotuximab accumulated in the extravascular space and accelerated the biodistribution and clearance of everolimus. All patients had residual disease. Gene expression analyses were consistent with downregulation of genes involved in proliferation and DNA repair. Among 6 patients with luminal B breast cancer, 5 converted to luminal A after one cycle of therapy. CONCLUSION: Letrozole, everolimus, and carotuximab were tolerated in combination at their single-agent doses. Pharmacokinetic studies revealed an interaction between everolimus and carotuximab. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT02520063), first posted on August 11, 2015, and is active, not recruiting.

The Neglected Role of Domestic Migration on Family Patterns in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1950-2000.

Urbanization has played a key role in shaping twentieth-century demographic changes in Latin America and the Caribbean (LACar). As a result, scholarly research on domestic migration and the family has primarily focused on fertility differentials by migration status in urban areas, finding a robust negative correlation between internal migration and fertility. This research has overlooked how this relationship varies across types of migration flows other than rural-to-urban migration and by women's age at migration and social class. Additionally, not enough attention has been paid to the family formation and dissolution trajectories underlying the lower fertility of rural migrants. I use a life-course inductive approach to examine these overlooked aspects among women from 10 LACar countries, including the three largest countries by population. Using retrospective information on women's childbearing and marital histories from the Demographic and Health Surveys, I build an eight-category typology of family paths and study the conditional distribution of this typology by women's age at migration, educational attainment, and origin/destination area. This examination demonstrates that social class is the primary source of differentiation across family formation and dissolution trajectories and that low-class young rural migrants played a crucial role in the demographic transformations that occurred in the region.

Maternal smoking in pregnancy and blood pressure during childhood and adolescence: a meta-analysis.

Arterial hypertension during childhood or adolescence is rising, and smoking during pregnancy may constitute a modifiable risk factor. This study aims to evaluate the effect of maternal smoking during pregnancy on diastolic (DBP) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in childhood and adolescence. A bibliographic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, and CENTRAL databases in March 2022. Meta-analysis was performed with the difference in mean-adjusted SBP/DBP of children and adolescents aged 3-17 years, according to maternal smoking/non-smoking in pregnancy. A random effects model was applied; a leave-one-out analysis and meta-analysis by subgroups were performed. A modified Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality of the studies. Evidence levels were rated using the GRADE system. Fifteen studies were included in the meta-analysis; all of them evaluated the mean-adjusted SBP difference in children or adolescents (N = 73,448), and 6 also that of DBP (N = 31,459). Results showed that maternal smoking during pregnancy significantly increased SBP (ß = 0.31 mmHg 95% CI 0.14-0.49). A greater increase in mean-adjusted SBP was observed in those studies that completed the recruitment before 1990, were conducted in non-European countries, used standard mercury or manual sphygmomanometry, adjusted for birth weight, and were in the lowest quality subgroup. No significant association was found for DBP. The GRADE level of evidence was low for SBP and very low for DBP. CONCLUSION: Smoking in pregnancy might increase SBP in childhood and adolescence. Due to the low level of evidence, solid inferences cannot be drawn about the clinical relevance of these findings. WHAT IS KNOWN: • AHT is the leading cause of premature death among adults worldwide. • Deleterious effects derived from SHS exposure on children's health have been documented since early 1970. To date, there are contradictory results about the effects of prenatal SHS exposure on children's BP. WHAT IS NEW: • Smoking in pregnancy may increase SBP during childhood and adolescence. • Maternal smoking during pregnancy could have greater influence on their offspring's SBP than on DBP.

Understanding the Feature Space and Decision Boundaries of Commercial WAFs Using Maximum Entropy in the Mean.

The security of a network requires the correct identification and characterization of the attacks through its ports. This involves the follow-up of all the requests for access to the networks by all kinds of users. We consider the frequency of connections and the type of connections to a network, and determine their joint probability. This leads to the problem of determining a joint probability distribution from the knowledge of its marginals in the presence of errors of measurement. Mathematically, this consists of an ill-posed linear problem with convex constraints, which we solved by the method of maximum entropy in the mean. This procedure is flexible enough to accommodate errors in the data in a natural way. Also, the procedure is model-free and, hence, it does not require fitting unknown parameters.

A phase 1b study of AFM13 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

In relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R HL), immunotherapies such as the anti-programmed death-1 inhibitor pembrolizumab have demonstrated efficacy as monotherapy and are playing an increasingly prominent role in treatment. The CD30/CD16A-bispecific antibody AFM13 is an innate immune cell engager, a first-in-class, tetravalent antibody, designed to create a bridge between CD30 on HL cells and the CD16A receptor on natural killer cells and macrophages, to induce tumor cell killing. Early studies of AFM13 have demonstrated signs of efficacy as monotherapy for patients with R/R HL and the combination of AFM13 with pembrolizumab represents a rational new treatment modality. Here, we describe a phase 1b, dose-escalation study to assess the safety and preliminary efficacy of AFM13 in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with R/R HL. The primary objective was estimating the maximum tolerated dose; the secondary objectives were to assess safety, tolerability, antitumor efficacy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics. In this heavily pretreated patient population, treatment with the combination of AFM13 and pembrolizumab was generally well tolerated, with similar safety profiles compared to the known profiles of each agent alone. The combination of AFM13 with pembrolizumab demonstrated an objective response rate of 88% at the highest treatment dose, with an 83% overall response rate for the overall population. Pharmacokinetic assessment of AFM13 in the combination setting revealed a half-life of up to 20.6 hours. This proof-of-concept study holds promise as a novel immunotherapy combination worthy of further investigation. This phase 1b study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02665650.

Brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma: 3-year update of the ECHELON-1 study.

The phase 3 ECHELON-1 study demonstrated that brentuximab vedotin (A) with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD; A+AVD) exhibited superior modified progression-free survival (PFS) vs doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) for frontline treatment of patients with stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Maturing positron emission tomography (PET)-adapted trial data highlight potential limitations of PET-adapted approaches, including toxicities with dose intensification and higher-than-expected relapse rates in PET scan after cycle 2 (PET2)-negative (PET2-) patients. We present an update of the ECHELON-1 study, including an exploratory analysis of 3-year PFS per investigator. A total of 1334 patients with stage III or IV cHL were randomized 1:1 to receive 6 cycles of A+AVD (n = 664) or ABVD (n = 670). Interim PET2 was required. At median follow-up of 37 months, 3-year PFS rates were 83.1% with A+AVD and 76.0% with ABVD; 3-year PFS rates in PET2- patients aged <60 years were 87.2% vs 81.0%, respectively. A beneficial trend in PET2+ patients aged <60 years on A+AVD was also observed, with a 3-year PFS rate of 69.2% vs 54.7% with ABVD. The benefit of A+AVD in the intent-to-treat population appeared independent of disease stage and prognostic risk factors. Upon continued follow-up, 78% of patients with peripheral neuropathy on A+AVD had either complete resolution or improvement compared with 83% on ABVD. These data highlight that A+AVD provides a durable efficacy benefit compared with ABVD for frontline stage III/IV cHL, consistent across key subgroups regardless of patient status at PET2, without need for treatment intensification or bleomycin exposure. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01712490 (EudraCT no. 2011-005450-60).

Older patients (aged ≥60 years) with previously untreated advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a detailed analysis from the phase III ECHELON-1 study.

Effective and tolerable treatments are needed for older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma. We report results for older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma treated in the large phase III ECHELON-1 study of frontline brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) versus doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD). Modified progression-free survival per independent review facility for older versus younger patients (aged ≥60 vs. <60 years) was a pre-specified subgroup analysis; as the ECHELON- 1 study was not powered for these analyses, reported P-values are descriptive. Of 1,334 enrolled patients, 186 (14%) were aged ≥60 years (A+AVD: n=84, ABVD: n=102); results below refer to this age group. Modified progression-free survival per independent review facility was similar in the two arms at 24 months (A+AVD: 70.3% [95% confidence interval (CI): 58.4-79.4], ABVD: 71.4% [95% CI: 60.5-79.8], hazard ratio (HR)=1.00 [95% CI: 0.58-1.72], P=0.993). After a median follow-up of 60.9 months, 5-year progression-free survival per investigator was 67.1% with A+AVD versus 61.6% with ABVD (HR=0.820 [95% CI: 0.494-1.362], P=0.443). Comparing A+AVD versus ABVD, grade 3/4 peripheral neuropathy occurred in 18% versus 3%; any-grade febrile neutropenia in 37% versus 17%; and any-grade pulmonary toxicity in 2% versus 13%, respectively, with three (3%) pulmonary toxicity-related deaths in patients receiving ABVD (none in those receiving A+AVD). Altogether, A+AVD showed overall similar efficacy to ABVD with survival rates in both arms comparing favorably to those of prior series in older patients with advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma. Compared to ABVD, A+AVD was associated with higher rates of neuropathy and neutropenia, but lower rates of pulmonary-related toxicity. Trials registered at ClinicalTrials.gov identifiers: NCT01712490; EudraCT number: 2011-005450-60.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy versus intensity-modulated proton therapy in the irradiation of infra diaphragmatic Hodgkin Lymphoma in female patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of infra diaphragmatic intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) compared to volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) for female Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) patients and to estimate the risk of secondary cancer and ovarian failure. METHODS: A comparative treatment planning study was performed on 14 patients, and the results were compared according to conventional dose-volume metrics. In addition, estimates of the excess absolute risk (EAR) of secondary cancer induction were determined for the bowel, the bladder and the rectum. For the ovaries, the risk of ovarian failure was estimated. RESULTS: The dosimetric findings demonstrate the equivalence between VMAT and IMPT in terms of target coverage. A statistically significant reduction of the mean and near-to-maximum doses was proven for the organs at risk. The EAR ratio estimated for IMPT to VMAT was 0.51 ± 0.32, 0.32 ± 0.35 and 0.05 ± 0.11 for the bowel, bladder and rectum, respectively. Concerning the risk of ovarian failure for the chronologic age ranging from 18 to 46 years, the expected net loss in fertility years ranged from 4.8 to 3.0 years for protons and 12.0 to 5.7 years for photons. CONCLUSION: This in-silico study confirmed the beneficial role of IMPT from a dosimetric point of view. Mathematical models suggested that the use of protons might be further advantageous due to the expected reduction of the risk of secondary cancer induction and its milder impact on the reduction of fertility.

Bacterial and parasite co-infection in Mexican golden trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster) by Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections are responsible of high economic losses in aquaculture. Mexican golden trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster) is a threatened native trout species that has been introduced in aquaculture both for species conservation and breeding for production and for which no studies of bacterial infections have been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: Fish from juvenile stages of Mexican golden trout showed an infectious outbreak in a farm in co-culture with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), showing external puntiform red lesions around the mouth and caudal pedunculus resembling furuncles by Aeromonas spp. and causing an accumulated mortality of 91%. Isolation and molecular identification of bacteria from lesions and internal organs showed the presence of Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator isolated from a single individual. All bacterial isolates were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefazoline. P. shigelloides was resistant to third generation ß-lactamics. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of coinfection by Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator in an individual of Mexican golden trout in co-culture with rainbow trout. Resistance to ß-lactams suggests the acquisition of genetic determinants from water contamination by human- or livestock-associated activities.

Nativity differentials in first births in the United States: Patterns by race and ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: While recent decades have seen gradual convergence in ethno-racial disparities in completed fertility in the United States, differences in the age pattern of first births remain. The role of nativity has not been fully understood. OBJECTIVE: This paper examines how first births vary by nativity, and how this variation contributes to more significant racial and ethnic differentials. METHODS: Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth (1997-2017), we jointly estimate the correlates of the timing of first births and childlessness. We assess differences between immigrants and US-born and child-migrant women across ethno-racial groups. RESULTS: The unique first-birth patterns among foreign-born women have a notable impact on Hispanics, reducing differences from Whites in the average age at first birth and contributing to more significant differentials in childlessness. The impact of immigrant women on White and Black first births is more modest in scope. CONTRIBUTION: Our work shows the importance of nativity for ethnic/racial disparities in the timing and quantum of fertility in the United States. We demonstrate how the migrant population is more determinant for Hispanic fertility patterns than for Black or White. We conclude by elaborating on the implications of these results for future research as the immigrant population in the United States becomes ethnically and racially more diverse.

Family change and variation through the lens of family configurations in low- and middle-income countries.

Using 254 Demographic and Health Surveys from 75 low- and middle-income countries, this study shows how the joint examination of family characteristics across rural and urban areas provides new insights for understanding global family change. We operationalise this approach by building family configurations: a set of interrelated features that describe different patterns of family formation and structure. These features include partnership (marriage/unions) regimes and their stability, gender relations, household composition and reproduction. Factorial and clustering techniques allow us to summarise these family features into three factorial axes and six discrete family configurations. We provide an in-depth description of these configurations, their spatial distribution and their changes over time. Global family change is uneven because it emerges from complex interplays between the relative steadiness of longstanding arrangements for forming families and organising gender relations, and the rapidly changing dynamics observed in the realms of fertility, contraception, and timing of family formation.

An open-label, pilot study of veliparib and lapatinib in patients with metastatic, triple-negative breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase inhibitors (PARPi) have been approved for cancer patients with germline BRCA1/2 (gBRCA1/2) mutations, and efforts to expand the utility of PARPi beyond BRCA1/2 are ongoing. In preclinical models of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with intact DNA repair, we have previously shown an induced synthetic lethality with combined EGFR inhibition and PARPi. Here, we report the safety and clinical activity of lapatinib and veliparib in patients with metastatic TNBC. METHODS: A first-in-human, pilot study of lapatinib and veliparib was conducted in metastatic TNBC (NCT02158507). The primary endpoint was safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints were objective response rates and pharmacokinetic evaluation. Gene expression analysis of pre-treatment tumor biopsies was performed. Key eligibility included TNBC patients with measurable disease and prior anthracycline-based and taxane chemotherapy. Patients with gBRCA1/2 mutations were excluded. RESULTS: Twenty patients were enrolled, of which 17 were evaluable for response. The median number of prior therapies in the metastatic setting was 1 (range 0-2). Fifty percent of patients were Caucasian, 45% African-American, and 5% Hispanic. Of evaluable patients, 4 demonstrated a partial response and 2 had stable disease. There were no dose-limiting toxicities. Most AEs were limited to grade 1 or 2 and no drug-drug interactions noted. Exploratory gene expression analysis suggested baseline DNA repair pathway score was lower and baseline immunogenicity was higher in the responders compared to non-responders. CONCLUSIONS: Lapatinib plus veliparib therapy has a manageable safety profile and promising antitumor activity in advanced TNBC. Further investigation of dual therapy with EGFR inhibition and PARP inhibition is needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT02158507 . Registered on 12 September 2014.

Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) after adjuvant ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) compared to paclitaxel in combination with trastuzumab (TH) (TBCRC033: ATEMPT Trial).

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-related amenorrhea (CRA) is a surrogate for ovarian toxicity and associated risk of infertility and premature menopause. Here, we compare CRA rate with paclitaxel (T)-trastuzumab (H) to that with ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1). METHODS: Patients with T1N0 HER2 + early-stage breast cancer (eBC) enrolled on the ATEMPT trial and were randomized 3:1 to T-DM1 3.6 mg/kg IV every (q) 3 weeks (w) × 17 vs. T 80 mg/m2 with H IV qw × 12 (4 mg/kg load → 2 mg/kg), followed by H (6 mg/kg IV q3w × 13). Enrollees who self-reported as premenopausal were asked to complete menstrual surveys at baseline and every 6-12 months for 60 months. 18-month CRA (no periods reported during prior 6 months on 18-month survey) was the primary endpoint of this analysis. RESULTS: Of 512 ATEMPT enrollees, 123 who began protocol therapy and answered baseline and at least one follow-up menstrual survey were premenopausal at enrollment. 76 had menstrual data available at 18 months without having received a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or undergone hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy. Median age was 45 (range 23-53) among 18 who had received TH and 46 (range 34-54) among 58 who had received T-DM1. The 18-month rate of CRA was 50% after TH and 24% after T-DM1 (p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: Amenorrhea at 18 months was less likely in recipients of adjuvant T-DM1 than TH. Future studies are needed to understand how T-DM1 impacts risk of infertility and permanent menopause, and to assess amenorrhea rates when T-DM1 is administered after standard HER2-directed chemotherapy regimens.

Parsaclisib, a potent and highly selective PI3Kδ inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies.

This phase 1/2 study assessed parsaclisib (INCB050465), a next-generation, potent, and highly selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase δ (PI3Kδ) inhibitor, in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell malignancies, alone or in combination with a Janus kinase 1 inhibitor (itacitinib) or chemotherapy (rituximab, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide). Seventy-two patients received parsaclisib monotherapy (5-45 mg once daily). Expansion doses were 20 and 30 mg once daily; intermittent dosing at 20 mg (once daily for 9 weeks, then once weekly) was explored. No dose-limiting toxicities were identified, and maximum tolerated dose was not reached. Most common nonhematologic treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were diarrhea/colitis (36%), nausea (36%), fatigue (31%), and rash (31%). Grade 3/4 neutropenia occurred in 19% of patients. Serious TEAEs (>2 patients) were diarrhea/colitis (n = 9), pyrexia (n = 4), hypotension (n = 3), and sepsis (n = 3). Aspartate and alanine transaminase elevations occurring before treatment discontinuation were grade 1, except 1 grade 3 event each, secondary to sepsis. Two patients experienced 3 fatal parsaclisib-unrelated TEAEs (respiratory failure; respiratory failure and sepsis). In non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), objective response rates to monotherapy were 71% in follicular lymphoma, 78% in marginal zone lymphoma, 67% in mantle cell lymphoma, and 30% in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; 93% of responses occurred at first assessment (∼9 weeks). Parsaclisib has demonstrated antitumor activity in relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL with the potential for improved long-term patient outcomes. Phase 2 studies in relapsed or refractory B-cell NHL subtypes are ongoing. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02018861.

Economic burden of central nervous system metastases in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive breast cancer.

Aim: Compare healthcare resource utilization and costs among patients with HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC) with and without central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Methods: Retrospective matched cohort study using IQVIA's PharMetrics® Plus claims database. Results: Patients with CNS metastases (n = 753) experienced more outpatient, emergency room and inpatient visits versus controls (n = 753; all p < 0.05). In the post-index year, median total all-cause healthcare costs were significantly higher among patients with CNS metastases versus controls ($112,402 vs $50,835; p < 0.0001); outpatient costs primarily drove the cost differential. Conclusion: More effective therapies are needed that improve clinical outcomes and reduce economic burden associated with CNS metastases in patients with HER2+ MBC.