Serum miRNA profiles are altered in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis receiving high-dose ursodeoxycholic acid.

Background & Aims: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic, progressive cholestatic liver disease that can lead to end-stage liver disease and cholangiocarcinoma. High-dose ursodeoxycholic acid (hd-UDCA, 28-30 mg/kg/day) was evaluated in a previous multicentre, randomised placebo-controlled trial; however, the study was discontinued early because of increased liver-related serious adverse events (SAEs), despite improvement in serum liver biochemical tests. We investigated longitudinal changes in serum miRNA and cytokine profiles over time among patients treated with either hd-UDCA or placebo in this trial as potential biomarkers for PSC and response to hd-UDCA, as well as to understand the toxicity associated with hd-UDCA treatment. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with PSC were enrolled in a multicentred, randomised, double-blinded trial of hd-UDCA vs. placebo. Results: Significant alterations in serum miRNA profiles were found over time in both patients treated with hd-UDCA or placebo. Additionally, there were striking differences between miRNA profiles in patients treated with hd-UDCA compared with placebo. In patients treated with placebo, the changes in concentration of serum miRNAs miR-26a, miR-199b-5p, miR-373, and miR-663 suggest alterations of inflammatory and cell proliferative processes consistent with disease progression. However, patients treated with hd-UDCA exhibited a more pronounced differential expression of serum miRNAs, suggesting that hd-UDCA induces significant cellular miRNA changes and tissue injury. Pathway enrichment analysis for UDCA-associated miRNAs suggested unique dysregulation of cell cycle and inflammatory response pathways. Conclusions: Patients with PSC have distinct miRNAs in the serum and bile, although the implications of these unique patterns have not been studied longitudinally or in relation to adverse events related to hd-UDCA. Our study demonstrates marked changes in miRNA serum profiles with hd-UDCA treatment and suggests mechanisms for the increased liver toxicity with therapy. Impact and implications: Using serum samples from patients with PSC enrolled in a clinical trial comparing hd-UDCA with placebo, our study found distinct miRNA changes in patients with PSC who are treated with hd-UDCA over a period of time. Our study also noted distinct miRNA patterns in patients who developed SAEs during the study period.

The Sclerosing Cholangitis Outcomes in Pediatrics (SCOPE) Index: A Prognostic Tool for Children.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Disease progression in children with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is variable. Prognostic and risk-stratification tools exist for adult-onset PSC, but not for children. We aimed to create a tool that accounts for the biochemical and phenotypic features and early disease stage of pediatric PSC. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We used retrospective data from the Pediatric PSC Consortium. The training cohort contained 1,012 patients from 40 centers. We generated a multivariate risk index (Sclerosing Cholangitis Outcomes in Pediatrics [SCOPE] index) that contained total bilirubin, albumin, platelet count, gamma glutamyltransferase, and cholangiography to predict a primary outcome of liver transplantation or death (TD) and a broader secondary outcome that included portal hypertensive, biliary, and cancer complications termed hepatobiliary complications (HBCs). The model stratified patients as low, medium, or high risk based on progression to TD at rates of <1%, 3%, and 9% annually and to HBCs at rates of 2%, 6%, and 13% annually, respectively (P < 0.001). C-statistics to discriminate outcomes at 1 and 5 years were 0.95 and 0.82 for TD and 0.80 and 0.76 for HBCs, respectively. Baseline hepatic fibrosis stage was worse with increasing risk score, with extensive fibrosis in 8% of the lowest versus 100% with the highest risk index (P < 0.001). The model was validated in 240 children from 11 additional centers and performed well. CONCLUSIONS: The SCOPE index is a pediatric-specific prognostic tool for PSC. It uses routinely obtained, objective data to predict a complicated clinical course. It correlates strongly with biopsy-proven liver fibrosis. SCOPE can be used with families for shared decision making on clinical care based on a patient's individual risk, and to account for variable disease progression when designing future clinical trials.

Oral Vancomycin, Ursodeoxycholic Acid, or No Therapy for Pediatric Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis: A Matched Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Many children with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) receive oral vancomycin therapy (OVT) or ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA). There is a paucity of data on whether these medications improve outcomes. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We analyzed retrospective data from the Pediatric PSC Consortium. Children treated with OVT were matched 1:1:1 to those treated with UDCA or managed with observation (no treatment) based on the closest propensity score, ensuring similar baseline characteristics. Two hundred sixty-four patients (88 each with OVT, UDCA, or observation) had matching propensity scores and were similar in demographics, phenotype, immunosuppression, baseline biochemistry, and hepatic fibrosis. After 1 year in an intention-to-treat analysis, all outcome metrics were similar regardless of treatment group. In OVT, UDCA, and untreated groups, respectively: Gamma-glutamyltransferase normalized in 53%, 49%, and 52% (P = not significant [NS]), liver fibrosis stage was improved in 20%, 13%, and 18% and worsened in 11%, 29%, and 18% (P = NS), and the 5-year probability of liver transplant listing was 21%, 10%, and 12% (P = NS). Favorable outcome was associated with having a mild phenotype of PSC and minimal hepatic fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: We presented the largest-ever description of outcomes on OVT in PSC and compared them to carefully matched patients on UDCA or no therapy. Neither OVT nor UDCA showed improvement in outcomes compared to a strategy of observation. Patients progressed to end-stage liver disease at similar rates. Spontaneous normalization of biochemistry is common in children receiving no therapy, particularly in the majority of children with a mild phenotype and an early stage of disease. Placebo-controlled treatment trials are needed to identify effective treatments for pediatric PSC.

Colorectal Dysplasia and Cancer in Pediatric-Onset Ulcerative Colitis Associated With Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially when associated with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), is a risk factor for developing colorectal cancer (CRC).1-3 We aimed to determine the incidence of CRC in a large cohort of pediatric-onset PSC-ulcerative colitis (UC) patients.

Combining Frequency Doubling Technology Perimetry and Scanning Laser Polarimetry for Glaucoma Detection.

PURPOSE: To determine the ability of frequency doubling technology (FDT) and scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation (GDx-VCC) to detect glaucoma when used individually and in combination. METHODS: One hundred ten normal and 114 glaucomatous subjects were tested with FDT C-20-5 screening protocol and the GDx-VCC. The discriminating ability was tested for each device individually and for both devices combined using GDx-NFI, GDx-TSNIT, number of missed points of FDT, and normal or abnormal FDT. Measures of discrimination included sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC), Akaike's information criterion (AIC), and prediction confidence interval lengths. RESULTS: For detecting glaucoma regardless of severity, the multivariable model resulting from the combination of GDx-TSNIT, number of abnormal points on FDT (NAP-FDT), and the interaction GDx-TSNIT×NAP-FDT (AIC: 88.28, AUC: 0.959, sensitivity: 94.6%, specificity: 89.5%) outperformed the best single-variable model provided by GDx-NFI (AIC: 120.88, AUC: 0.914, sensitivity: 87.8%, specificity: 84.2%). The multivariable model combining GDx-TSNIT, NAP-FDT, and interaction GDx-TSNIT×NAP-FDT consistently provided better discriminating abilities for detecting early, moderate, and severe glaucoma than the best single-variable models. CONCLUSIONS: The multivariable model including GDx-TSNIT, NAP-FDT, and the interaction GDx-TSNIT×NAP-FDT provides the best glaucoma prediction compared with all other multivariable and univariable models. Combining the FDT C-20-5 screening protocol and GDx-VCC improves glaucoma detection compared with using GDx or FDT alone.

Lack of association between glaucoma and macular choroidal thickness measured with enhanced depth-imaging optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To compare choroidal thickness measurements among normal eyes, eyes with normal tension glaucoma (NTG), and those with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), and to correlate choroidal thickness with demographic and clinical ocular parameters. METHODS: Choroidal thickness was measured with enhanced depth-imaging (EDI) optical coherence tomography (OCT) in one eye of 38 normal, 20 NTG, and 56 POAG subjects and compared among groups. The mean age was 69.3 ± 13.6 years (60.1 ± 13.4 years for normal subjects and 73.8 ± 11.3 years for glaucoma subjects; P < 0.001). Measurements were made at the fovea and in the temporal and nasal choroid every 0.5 mm up to 3 mm away from the fovea. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess the association between choroidal thickness and demographic and ocular parameters. RESULTS: There were no differences in foveal, temporal, or nasal choroidal thickness between normal, NTG, and POAG subjects (all P > 0.05) after adjusting for age, axial length, and intraocular pressure. Similarly, glaucoma severity groups did not differ from each other in all choroidal thickness measurements (all P > 0.05). Age (ß = -1.78; P < 0.001) was the most significant factor associated with subfoveal choroidal thickness in the entire group, followed by axial length (ß = -11.8; P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Choroidal thickness does not differ among normal, NTG, and POAG subjects, suggesting a lack of relationship between choroidal thickness and glaucoma based on EDI OCT measurements.