Detection of early-stage lung cancer in sputum using automated flow cytometry and machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose spiral computed tomography (LDCT) may not lead to a clear treatment path when small to intermediate-sized lung nodules are identified. We have combined flow cytometry and machine learning to develop a sputum-based test (CyPath Lung) that can assist physicians in decision-making in such cases. METHODS: Single cell suspensions prepared from induced sputum samples collected over three consecutive days were labeled with a viability dye to exclude dead cells, antibodies to distinguish cell types, and a porphyrin to label cancer-associated cells. The labeled cell suspension was run on a flow cytometer and the data collected. An analysis pipeline combining automated flow cytometry data processing with machine learning was developed to distinguish cancer from non-cancer samples from 150 patients at high risk of whom 28 had lung cancer. Flow data and patient features were evaluated to identify predictors of lung cancer. Random training and test sets were chosen to evaluate predictive variables iteratively until a robust model was identified. The final model was tested on a second, independent group of 32 samples, including six samples from patients diagnosed with lung cancer. RESULTS: Automated analysis combined with machine learning resulted in a predictive model that achieved an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.89 (95% CI 0.83-0.89). The sensitivity and specificity were 82% and 88%, respectively, and the negative and positive predictive values 96% and 61%, respectively. Importantly, the test was 92% sensitive and 87% specific in cases when nodules were < 20 mm (AUC of 0.94; 95% CI 0.89-0.99). Testing of the model on an independent second set of samples showed an AUC of 0.85 (95% CI 0.71-0.98) with an 83% sensitivity, 77% specificity, 95% negative predictive value and 45% positive predictive value. The model is robust to differences in sample processing and disease state. CONCLUSION: CyPath Lung correctly classifies samples as cancer or non-cancer with high accuracy, including from participants at different disease stages and with nodules < 20 mm in diameter. This test is intended for use after lung cancer screening to improve early-stage lung cancer diagnosis. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03457415; March 7, 2018.

Sputum analysis by flow cytometry; an effective platform to analyze the lung environment.

Low dose computed tomography (LDCT) is the standard of care for lung cancer screening in the United States (US). LDCT has a sensitivity of 93.8% but its specificity of 73.4% leads to potentially harmful follow-up procedures in patients without lung cancer. Thus, there is a need for additional assays with high accuracy that can be used as an adjunct to LDCT to diagnose lung cancer. Sputum is a biological fluid that can be obtained non-invasively and can be dissociated to release its cellular contents, providing a snapshot of the lung environment. We obtained sputum from current and former smokers with a 30+ pack-year smoking history and who were either confirmed to have lung cancer or at high risk of developing the disease. Dissociated sputum cells were counted, viability determined, and labeled with a panel of markers to separate leukocytes from non-leukocytes. After excluding debris and dead cells, including squamous epithelial cells, we identified reproducible population signatures and confirmed the samples' lung origin. In addition to leukocyte and epithelial-specific fluorescent antibodies, we used the highly fluorescent meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (TCPP), known to preferentially stain cancer (associated) cells. We looked for differences in cell characteristics, population size and fluorescence intensity that could be useful in distinguishing cancer samples from high-risk samples. We present our data demonstrating the feasibility of a flow cytometry platform to analyze sputum in a high-throughput and standardized matter for the diagnosis of lung cancer.

Safety of nintedanib added to pirfenidone treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

We assessed safety and tolerability of treatment with pirfenidone (1602-2403 mg·day-1) and nintedanib (200-300 mg·day-1) in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).This 24-week, single-arm, open-label, phase IV study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02598193) enrolled patients with IPF with forced vital capacity % pred ≥50% and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide % pred ≥30%. Before initiating nintedanib, patients had received pirfenidone for ≥16 weeks and tolerated a stable dose of ≥1602 mg·day-1 for ≥28 days. The primary end-point was the proportion of patients who completed 24 weeks of combination treatment on pirfenidone (1602-2403 mg·day-1) and nintedanib (200-300 mg·day-1). Investigators recorded treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), attributing them to pirfenidone, nintedanib, both or neither.89 patients were enrolled; 73 completed 24 weeks of treatment (69 meeting the primary end-point) and 16 discontinued treatment prematurely (13 due to TEAEs). 74 patients had 418 treatment-related TEAEs, of which diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting were the most common. Two patients had serious treatment-related TEAEs.Combined pirfenidone and nintedanib use for 24 weeks was tolerated by the majority of patients with IPF and associated with a similar pattern of TEAEs expected for either treatment alone. These results encourage further study of combination treatment with pirfenidone and nintedanib in patients with IPF.

Impending extinction crisis of the world's primates: Why primates matter.

Nonhuman primates, our closest biological relatives, play important roles in the livelihoods, cultures, and religions of many societies and offer unique insights into human evolution, biology, behavior, and the threat of emerging diseases. They are an essential component of tropical biodiversity, contributing to forest regeneration and ecosystem health. Current information shows the existence of 504 species in 79 genera distributed in the Neotropics, mainland Africa, Madagascar, and Asia. Alarmingly, ~60% of primate species are now threatened with extinction and ~75% have declining populations. This situation is the result of escalating anthropogenic pressures on primates and their habitats-mainly global and local market demands, leading to extensive habitat loss through the expansion of industrial agriculture, large-scale cattle ranching, logging, oil and gas drilling, mining, dam building, and the construction of new road networks in primate range regions. Other important drivers are increased bushmeat hunting and the illegal trade of primates as pets and primate body parts, along with emerging threats, such as climate change and anthroponotic diseases. Often, these pressures act in synergy, exacerbating primate population declines. Given that primate range regions overlap extensively with a large, and rapidly growing, human population characterized by high levels of poverty, global attention is needed immediately to reverse the looming risk of primate extinctions and to attend to local human needs in sustainable ways. Raising global scientific and public awareness of the plight of the world's primates and the costs of their loss to ecosystem health and human society is imperative.

Paternity in wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta): Implications for male mating strategies.

In group-living species with male dominance hierarchies where receptive periods of females do not overlap, high male reproductive skew would be predicted. However, the existence of female multiple mating and alternative male mating strategies can call into question single-male monopolization of paternity in groups. Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) are seasonally breeding primates that live in multi-male, multi-female groups. Although established groups show male dominance hierarchies, male dominance relationships can break down during mating periods. In addition, females are the dominant sex and mate with multiple males during estrus, including group residents, and extra-group males-posing the question of whether there is high or low male paternity skew in groups. In this study, we analyzed paternity in a population of wild L. catta from the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve in southwestern Madagascar. Paternity was determined with 80-95% confidence for 39 offspring born to nine different groups. We calculated male reproductive skew indices for six groups, and our results showed a range of values corresponding to both high and low reproductive skew. Between 21% and 33% of offspring (3 of 14 or three of nine, counting paternity assignments at the 80% or 95% confidence levels, respectively) were sired by extra-troop males. Males siring offspring within the same group during the same year appear to be unrelated. Our study provides evidence of varying male reproductive skew in different L. catta groups. A single male may monopolize paternity across one or more years, while in other groups, >1 male can sire offspring within the same group, even within a single year. Extra-group mating is a viable strategy that can result in extra-group paternity for L. catta males.

Identifying and assessing highly hazardous drugs within quality risk management programs.

Historically, pharmaceutical industry regulatory guidelines have assigned certain active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to various categories of concern, such as "cytotoxic", "hormones", and "steroids". These categories have been used to identify APIs requiring segregation or dedication in order to prevent cross-contamination and protect the quality and safety of drug products. Since these terms were never defined by regulatory authorities, and many novel pharmacological mechanisms challenge these categories, there is a recognized need to modify the historical use of these terms. The application of a risk-based approach using a health-based limit, such as an acceptable daily exposure (ADE), is more appropriate for the development of a Quality Risk Management Program (QRMP) than the use of categories of concern. The toxicological and pharmacological characteristics of these categories are discussed to help identify and prioritize compounds requiring special attention. Controlling airborne concentrations and the contamination of product contact surfaces in accordance with values derived from quantitative risk assessments can prevent adverse effects in workers and patients, regardless of specific categorical designations to which these APIs have been assigned. The authors acknowledge the movement away from placing compounds into categories and, while not yet universal, the importance of basing QRMPs on compound-specific ADEs and risk assessments. Based on the results of a risk assessment, segregation and dedication may also be required for some compounds to prevent cross contamination during manufacture of APIs.

A harmonization effort for acceptable daily exposure application to pharmaceutical manufacturing - Operational considerations.

A European Union (EU) regulatory guideline came into effect for all new pharmaceutical products on June 1st, 2015, and for all existing pharmaceutical products on December 1st, 2015. This guideline centers around the use of the Acceptable Daily Exposure (ADE) [synonymous with the Permitted Daily Exposure (PDE)] and operational considerations associated with implementation are outlined here. The EU guidance states that all active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) require an ADE; however, other substances such as starting materials, process intermediates, and cleaning agents may benefit from an ADE. Problems in setting ADEs for these additional substances typically relate to toxicological data limitations precluding the ability to establish a formal ADE. Established methodologies such as occupational exposure limits or bands (OELs or OEBs) and the threshold of toxicological concern (TTC) can be used or adjusted for use as interim ADEs when only limited data are available and until a more formal ADE can be established. Once formal ADEs are derived, it is important that the documents are routinely updated and that these updates are communicated to appropriate stakeholders. Another key operational consideration related to data-poor substances includes the use of maximum daily dose (MDD) in setting cross-contamination limits. The MDD is an important part of the maximum allowable/safe concentration (MAC/MSC) calculation and there are important considerations for its use and definition. Finally, other considerations discussed include operational aspects of setting ADEs for pediatrics, considerations for large molecules, and risk management in shared facilities.

A harmonization effort for acceptable daily exposure derivation - Considerations for application of adjustment factors.

Acceptable daily exposures (ADEs) are established to determine the quantity of one drug substance that can contaminate another drug product without causing harm to the patient. An important part in setting an ADE for a drug substance, after identification of the unwanted critical effect(s) of the compound (see Bercu et al., 2016, this issue), is the determination of an appropriate overall margin of safety that is need to be maintained below the dose causing a certain critical effect (i.e., the point of departure or PoD). The overall margin of safety used to protect the general patient population from critical effects is derived as the product (i.e., composite adjustment factor) of various individual factors that account for variability and uncertainty in extrapolating from the PoD to an ADE. These factors address the considerations of interindividual variability, interspecies extrapolation, LOAEL-to-NOAEL extrapolation, exposure duration adjustment, effect severity, and database completeness. The factors are considered individually, but are not necessarily independent and their interdependence should be identified, with subsequent adjustment to the composite factor, as appropriate. It is important to identify all sources of variability and uncertainty pertinent to the derivation of the ADE and ensure each is considered in the assessment, at least by one of the adjustment factors. This manuscript highlights the basis for and selection of factors that address variability and uncertainty as used in the guidance documents on setting ADEs or other related health-based limits.

Issues and approaches for ensuring effective communication on acceptable daily exposure (ADE) values applied to pharmaceutical cleaning.

This manuscript centers on communication with key stakeholders of the concepts and program goals involved in the application of health-based pharmaceutical cleaning limits. Implementation of health-based cleaning limits, as distinct from other standards such as 1/1000th of the lowest clinical dose, is a concept recently introduced into regulatory domains. While there is a great deal of technical detail in the written framework underpinning the use of Acceptable Daily Exposures (ADEs) in cleaning (for example ISPE, 2010; Sargent et al., 2013), little is available to explain how to practically create a program which meets regulatory needs while also fulfilling good manufacturing practice (GMP) and other expectations. The lack of a harmonized approach for program implementation and communication across stakeholders can ultimately foster inappropriate application of these concepts. Thus, this period in time (2014-2017) could be considered transitional with respect to influencing best practice related to establishing health-based cleaning limits. Suggestions offered in this manuscript are intended to encourage full and accurate communication regarding both scientific and administrative elements of health-based ADE values used in pharmaceutical cleaning practice. This is a large and complex effort that requires: 1) clearly explaining key terms and definitions, 2) identification of stakeholders, 3) assessment of stakeholders' subject matter knowledge, 4) formulation of key messages fit to stakeholder needs, 5) identification of effective and timely means for communication, and 6) allocation of time, energy, and motivation for initiating and carrying through with communications.

Behavioral thermoregulation in Lemur catta: The significance of sunning and huddling behaviors.

Regulation of body temperature poses significant problems for organisms that inhabit environments with extreme and seasonally fluctuating ambient temperatures. To help alleviate the energetic costs of autonomic responses, these organisms often thermoregulate through behavioral mechanisms. Among primates, lemurs in Madagascar experience uncharacteristically seasonal and unpredictable climates relative to other primate-rich regions. Malagasy primates are physiologically flexible, but different species use different mechanisms to influence their body temperatures. Lemur catta, the ring-tailed lemur, experiences particularly acute diurnal temperature fluctuations in its mostly open-canopy habitat in south and southwest Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs are also atypical among lemurs in that they appear to use both sun basking postures and huddling to maintain body temperature when ambient temperatures are cold. To our knowledge, however, no one has systematically tested whether these behaviors function in thermoregulation. We present evidence that ring-tailed lemurs use these postures as behavioral thermoregulation strategies, and that different environmental variables are associated with the use of each posture. Major predictors of sunning included ambient temperature, time of day, and season. Specifically, L. catta consistently assumed sunning postures early after daybreak when ambient temperatures were <13°C, and ceased sunning around 10:00a.m., after ambient temperatures approached 26°C. Sunning occurred more often during austral winter months. Huddling was associated with time of day, but not with ambient temperature or season. We conclude that L. catta tend to sun, rather than huddle, under cold weather conditions when sunning is possible. However, both sunning and huddling are important behavioral adaptations of L. catta that augment chemical thermoregulation and the absence of a dynamic, insulating pelage. Sunning and huddling help to account for the great ecological flexibility of the species, but these adaptations may be insufficient in the face of future changes in protective vegetation and temperature. Am. J. Primatol. 78:745-754, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Comparison of the genetic variation of captive ring-tailed lemurs with a wild population in Madagascar.

Genetic variability among captive and wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) was assessed using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. A 529 bp segment of mtDNA was sequenced and 9 microsatellite loci were genotyped for 286 ring-tailed lemurs. Samples were obtained from the well-studied L. catta population at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve and from captive animals at six institutions worldwide. We found evidence of possible patrilineal contribution but the absence of matrilineal contribution from the Bezà area, and haplotypes not found in Bezà but present in Ambohimahavelona, Andringitra Massif, and other unknown locations, in the sampled captive population, indicating that the founders of the captive population originated from a wide geographic range. Total genetic variation and relatedness in captive L. catta in the six institutions were similar in extent to that of the wild population in Bezà. Based on the diverse origins of the captive population founders our results suggest the erosion of genetic diversity in the captive population. Sampled individuals from the same institution were more closely related to each other than members of a social group in the wild. Individuals housed at different institutions were less closely related than those of different social groups at Bezà, indicating lower genetic exchange between captive institutions than between social groups in a locality in the wild. Our findings underscore the usefulness of genotyping in determining the geographic origin of captive population founders, obtaining pedigree information if paternity is uncertain, and in maximizing preservation of extant genetic diversity in captivity.

Genetic Evidence for Male and Female Dispersal in Wild Lemur catta.

Lemur catta has traditionally been considered a species with male-biased dispersal; however, occasional female dispersal occurs. Using molecular data, we evaluated dispersal patterns in 2 L. catta populations in southwestern Madagascar: Tsimanampesotse National Park (TNP) and Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve (BMSR). We also investigated the genetic differentiation between the populations and dispersal partner relatedness. Results showed minor genetic differentiation between the populations (Ï´(ST) = 0.039), which may indicate gene flow historically occurring in this region, made possible by the presence of L. catta groups between the sites. Different patterns of sex-biased dispersal were found between the sites using corrected assignment indices: male-biased dispersal in TNP, and a lack of sex-biased dispersal in BMSR. Observational evidence of female dispersal in BMSR supports these results and may imply intense female resource competition in and around BMSR, because small groups of 2-3 females have been observed dispersing within BMSR and entering the reserve from outside. These dispersing groups largely consisted of mothers transferring with daughters, although we have an aunt-niece pair transferring together. Genetic data suggest that males also transfer with relatives. Our data demonstrate that dispersal partners consist of same-sexed kin for L. catta males and females, highlighting the importance of kin selection.

A phase 3 trial of pirfenidone in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

BACKGROUND: In two of three phase 3 trials, pirfenidone, an oral antifibrotic therapy, reduced disease progression, as measured by the decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) or vital capacity, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; in the third trial, this end point was not achieved. We sought to confirm the beneficial effect of pirfenidone on disease progression in such patients. METHODS: In this phase 3 study, we randomly assigned 555 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis to receive either oral pirfenidone (2403 mg per day) or placebo for 52 weeks. The primary end point was the change in FVC or death at week 52. Secondary end points were the 6-minute walk distance, progression-free survival, dyspnea, and death from any cause or from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. RESULTS: In the pirfenidone group, as compared with the placebo group, there was a relative reduction of 47.9% in the proportion of patients who had an absolute decline of 10 percentage points or more in the percentage of the predicted FVC or who died; there was also a relative increase of 132.5% in the proportion of patients with no decline in FVC (P<0.001). Pirfenidone reduced the decline in the 6-minute walk distance (P=0.04) and improved progression-free survival (P<0.001). There was no significant between-group difference in dyspnea scores (P=0.16) or in rates of death from any cause (P=0.10) or from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (P=0.23). However, in a prespecified pooled analysis incorporating results from two previous phase 3 trials, the between-group difference favoring pirfenidone was significant for death from any cause (P=0.01) and from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (P=0.006). Gastrointestinal and skin-related adverse events were more common in the pirfenidone group than in the placebo group but rarely led to treatment discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Pirfenidone, as compared with placebo, reduced disease progression, as reflected by lung function, exercise tolerance, and progression-free survival, in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Treatment was associated with an acceptable side-effect profile and fewer deaths. (Funded by InterMune; ASCEND ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01366209.).

The role of piloerection in primate thermoregulation.

The insulating properties of the primate integument are influenced by many factors, including piloerection, which raises the hair and insulates the body by creating motionless air near the skin's surface. The involuntary muscles that control piloerection, the musculi arrectores pilorum (MAP), are mostly absent except on the tail in most strepsirhines, and are entirely absent in tarsiers and some lorisids. The absence of piloerection and the reduced effectiveness of pilary insulation in preventing heat loss affected the evolution of behavior and metabolic thermoregulation in these animals. In lemurs, this situation contributed to the use of positional and social behaviors such as sunning and huddling that help maintain thermal homeostasis during day-night and seasonal temperature cycles. It also contributed in many lemurs and lorises to the evolution of a wide variety of activity patterns and energy-conserving metabolic patterns such as cathemerality, daily torpor, and hibernation. The absence of functional MAP in strepsirhines and tarsiers implies the absence of effective piloerection in early primates, and the reacquisition of whole-body MAP in ancestral anthropoids prior to the separation of platyrrhine and catarrhine lineages. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Guidance on the establishment of acceptable daily exposure limits (ADE) to support Risk-Based Manufacture of Pharmaceutical Products.

Health-based limits for active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) referred to as acceptable daily exposures (ADEs) are necessary to the pharmaceutical industry and used to derive acceptance limits for cleaning validation purposes and evaluating cross-carryover. ADEs represent a dose of an API unlikely to cause adverse effects if an individual is exposed, by any route, at or below this dose every day over a lifetime. Derivations of ADEs need to be consistent with ICH Q9 as well as other scientific approaches for the derivation of health-based limits that help to manage risks to both product quality and operator safety during the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. Previous methods for the establishment of acceptance limits in cleaning validation programs are considered arbitrary and have largely ignored the available clinical and toxicological data available for a drug substance. Since the ADE utilizes all available pharmaceutical data and applies scientifically acceptable risk assessment methodology it is more holistic and consistent with other quantitative risk assessments purposes such derivation of occupational exposure limits. Processes for hazard identification, dose response assessment, uncertainty factor analysis and documentation are reviewed.

Rethinking primate origins again.

In 1974, Cartmill introduced the theory that the earliest primate adaptations were related to their being visually oriented predators active on slender branches. Given more recent data on primate-like marsupials, nocturnal prosimians, and early fossil primates, and the context in which these primates first appeared, this theory has been modified. We hypothesize that our earliest primate relatives were likely exploiting the products of co-evolving angiosperms, along with insects attracted to fruits and flowers, in the slender supports of the terminal branch milieu. This has been referred to as the primate/angiosperm co-evolution theory. Cartmill subsequently posited that: "If the first euprimates had grasping feet and blunt teeth adapted for eating fruit, but retained small divergent orbits…" then the angiosperm coevolution theory would have support. The recent discovery of Carpolestes simpsoni provides this support. In addition, new field data on small primate diets, and a new theory concerning the visual adaptations of primates, have provided further evidence supporting the angiosperm coevolution theory.