Efficacy and safety of an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine (CoronaVac): interim results of a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: CoronaVac, an inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, has been shown to be well tolerated with a good safety profile in individuals aged 18 years and older in phase 1/2 trials, and provided a good humoral response against SARS-CoV-2. We present the interim efficacy and safety results of a phase 3 clinical trial of CoronaVac in Turkey. METHODS: This was a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial. Volunteers aged 18-59 years with no history of COVID-19 and with negative PCR and antibody test results for SARS-CoV-2 were enrolled at 24 centres in Turkey. Exclusion criteria included (but were not limited to) immunosuppressive therapy (including steroids) within the past 6 months, bleeding disorders, asplenia, and receipt of any blood products or immunoglobulins within the past 3 months. The K1 cohort consisted of health-care workers (randomised in a 1:1 ratio), and individuals other than health-care workers were also recruited into the K2 cohort (randomised in a 2:1 ratio) using an interactive web response system. The study vaccine was 3 µg inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virion adsorbed to aluminium hydroxide in a 0·5 mL aqueous suspension. Participants received either vaccine or placebo (consisting of all vaccine components except inactivated virus) intramuscularly on days 0 and 14. The primary efficacy outcome was the prevention of PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 at least 14 days after the second dose in the per protocol population. Safety analyses were done in the intention-to-treat population. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04582344) and is active but no longer recruiting. FINDINGS: Among 11 303 volunteers screened between Sept 14, 2020, and Jan 5, 2021, 10 218 were randomly allocated. After exclusion of four participants from the vaccine group because of protocol deviations, the intention-to-treat group consisted of 10 214 participants (6646 [65·1%] in the vaccine group and 3568 [34·9%] in the placebo group) and the per protocol group consisted of 10 029 participants (6559 [65·4%] and 3470 [34·6%]) who received two doses of vaccine or placebo. During a median follow-up period of 43 days (IQR 36-48), nine cases of PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 were reported in the vaccine group (31·7 cases [14·6-59·3] per 1000 person-years) and 32 cases were reported in the placebo group (192·3 cases [135·7-261·1] per 1000 person-years) 14 days or more after the second dose, yielding a vaccine efficacy of 83·5% (95% CI 65·4-92·1; p<0·0001). The frequencies of any adverse events were 1259 (18·9%) in the vaccine group and 603 (16·9%) in the placebo group (p=0·0108) with no fatalities or grade 4 adverse events. The most common systemic adverse event was fatigue (546 [8·2%] participants in the vaccine group and 248 [7·0%] the placebo group, p=0·0228). Injection-site pain was the most frequent local adverse event (157 [2·4%] in the vaccine group and 40 [1·1%] in the placebo group, p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: CoronaVac has high efficacy against PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 with a good safety and tolerability profile. FUNDING: Turkish Health Institutes Association.

A comparison of antibody response in kidney transplant recipients and healthcare workers who had PCR-confirmed COVID-19 infection.

BACKGROUND: Data on antibody response following COVID-19 in kidney transplant recipients is scarce. This crosssectional study aims to investigate the antibody response to COVID-19 among kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: We recruited 46 kidney transplant recipients with RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 and 45 recipients without COVID-19 history. We also constructed two control groups (COVID-19 positive and negative) from a historical cohort of healthcare workers. We used age and sex-based propensity score matching to select the eligible subjects to the control groups. We measured the SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels quantitatively using the Abbott ARCHITECT system. An antibody level above 1.4 S/C was defined as positivity. RESULTS: Transplant recipients with COVID-19 had a higher BMI, and COVID-19 history in a household member was more common than that of the transplant recipient without COVID-19. IgG seropositivity rate (69.6% vs. 78.3%, p = 0.238) and the median IgG level (3.28 [IQR: 0.80-5.85] vs. 4.59 [IQR: 1.61-6.06], p = 0.499) were similar in COVID-19-positive transplant recipients and controls. Kidney transplant recipients who had a longer duration between RT-PCR and antibody testing had lower antibody levels (r = -0.532, p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: At the early post-COVID-19 period, kidney transplant recipients have a similar antibody response to controls. However, these patients' antibody levels and immunity should be closely monitored in the long term.

Validation of the HCC-RESCUE score to predict hepatocellular carcinoma risk in Caucasian chronic hepatitis B patients under entecavir or tenofovir therapy.

The HCC-RESCUE score was developed to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in Korean chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients under entecavir therapy. We aimed to validate the HCC-RESCUE score to predict HCC risk in Caucasian CHB patients under entecavir or tenofovir therapy and to compare the predictive performance of the HCC-RESCUE score with those of the CAMD, PAGE-B and modified PAGE-B (mPAGE-B) scores. The study included 647 nucleos(t)ide analogue-naive noncirrhotic and compensated/decompensated cirrhotic patients who had received entecavir or tenofovir for ≥6 months and did not develop HCC during the first 6 months of therapy. Patients with HCC-RESCUE scores ≤64, 65-84 and ≥85 points were classified into low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups, respectively. The AUROCs of the HCC-RESCUE, CAMD, PAGE-B and mPAGE-B scores to predict HCC risk at 5 years were 0.875, 0.870, 0.866 and 0.880, and those at 10 years were 0.862, 0.845, 0.841 and 0.862, respectively (both p > .05). Cumulative HCC incidences at 5 years were 0.0%, 10.5% and 15.8%, and those at 10 years were 1.4%, 15.5% and 24.9%, respectively, in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups based on the HCC-RESCUE score (both log rank p < .001). In the entecavir versus tenofovir cohorts, the AUROCs of the HCC-RESCUE score to predict HCC risk at 5 and 10 years were 0.831 versus 0.898 and 0.803 versus 0.910, respectively (both p > .05). The HCC-RESCUE score accurately predicted HCC risk in Caucasian CHB patients under entecavir or tenofovir therapy. A substantial proportion of patients can be dropped from HCC surveillance by using the HCC-RESCUE score.

Efficacy of two levofloxacin-containing second-line therapies for Helicobacter pylori: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: An ideal second-line therapeutic regimen for the treatment of patients who do not respond to standard triple therapy is currently being investigated. In this study, we aimed to investigate the efficacy of two levofloxacin-containing second-line therapies for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and forty eight consecutive H. pylori -positive patients who did not respond to the standard triple therapy (77 female, 71 male) were enrolled in the study. The patients were randomized consecutively to two-second-line therapy groups; 73 to the levofloxacin-containing sequential (LCS) and 75 to the levofloxacin-containing quadruple (LCQ) therapy group. The LCS therapy group received pantoprazole 40 mg and amoxicillin 1,000 mg twice daily for 5 days followed by pantoprazole 40 mg twice daily and metronidazole 500 mg three times daily and levofloxacin 500 mg one time daily for 7 days. The LCQ therapy group received pantoprazole 40 mg twice daily, tetracycline 500 mg four times daily, bismuth subcitrate 300 mg four times daily and levofloxacin 500 mg one time daily for 10 days. H. pylori eradication was confirmed by stool antigen testing at least 6 weeks after cessation of therapy. Side-effects and compliance were assessed by a questionnaire. RESULTS: Intention-to-treat cure rates were: 82.2% (95%CI; 73-91) and 90.6% (95%CI; 79-95) in the LCS and LCQ therapy, respectively. Per protocol cure rates were: 85.7% (95%CI; 75-92) and 93.1% (95%CI; 85-98) in the LCS and LCQ therapy, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found between two groups (p = .1). No differences in compliance or adverse effects were demonstrated between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This prospective trial demonstrates that both levofloxacin-containing sequential therapy and levofloxacin-containing quadruple therapy regimens have higher H. pylori eradication rates and are well tolerated. The levofloxacin-containing quadruple therapy is likely the best treatment option for a second-line therapy, at least in the Turkish population.

Longitudinal metabolomics analysis reveals the acute effect of cysteine and NAC included in the combined metabolic activators.

Growing evidence suggests that the depletion of plasma NAD+ and glutathione (GSH) may play an important role in the development of metabolic disorders. The administration of Combined Metabolic Activators (CMA), consisting of GSH and NAD+ precursors, has been explored as a promising therapeutic strategy to target multiple altered pathways associated with the pathogenesis of the diseases. Although studies have examined the therapeutic effect of CMA that contains N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) as a metabolic activator, a system-wide comparison of the metabolic response to the administration of CMA with NAC and cysteine remains lacking. In this placebo-controlled study, we studied the acute effect of the CMA administration with different metabolic activators, including NAC or cysteine with/without nicotinamide or flush free niacin, and performed longitudinal untargeted-metabolomics profiling of plasma obtained from 70 well-characterized healthy volunteers. The time-series metabolomics data revealed the metabolic pathways affected after the administration of CMAs showed high similarity between CMA containing nicotinamide and NAC or cysteine as metabolic activators. Our analysis also showed that CMA with cysteine is well-tolerated and safe in healthy individuals throughout the study. Last, our study systematically provided insights into a complex and dynamics landscape involved in amino acid, lipid and nicotinamide metabolism, reflecting the metabolic responses to CMA administration containing different metabolic activators.

The acute effect of different NAD+ precursors included in the combined metabolic activators.

NAD+ and glutathione precursors are currently used as metabolic modulators for improving the metabolic conditions associated with various human diseases, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, neurodegenerative diseases, mitochondrial myopathy, and age-induced diabetes. Here, we performed a one-day double blinded, placebo-controlled human clinical study to assess the safety and acute effects of six different Combined Metabolic Activators (CMAs) with 1 g of different NAD+ precursors based on global metabolomics analysis. Our integrative analysis showed that the NAD+ salvage pathway is the main source for boosting the NAD+ levels with the administration of CMAs without NAD+ precursors. We observed that incorporation of nicotinamide (Nam) in the CMAs can boost the NAD+ products, followed by niacin (NA), nicotinamide riboside (NR) and nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), but not flush free niacin (FFN). In addition, the NA administration led to a flushing reaction, accompanied by decreased phospholipids and increased bilirubin and bilirubin derivatives, which could be potentially risky. In conclusion, this study provided a plasma metabolomic landscape of different CMA formulations, and proposed that CMAs with Nam, NMN as well as NR can be administered for boosting NAD+ levels to improve altered metabolic conditions.

CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Bag-1 knockout increased mesenchymal characteristics of MCF-7 cells via Akt hyperactivation-mediated actin cytoskeleton remodeling.

Bag-1 protein is a crucial target in cancer to increase the survival and proliferation of cells. The Bag-1 expression is significantly upregulated in primary and metastatic cancer patients compared to normal breast tissue. Overexpression of Bag-1 decreases the efficiency of conventional chemotherapeutic drugs, whereas Bag-1 silencing enhances the apoptotic efficiency of therapeutics, mostly in hormone-positive breast cancer subtypes. In this study, we generated stable Bag-1 knockout (KO) MCF-7 breast cancer cells to monitor stress-mediated cellular alterations in comparison to wild type (wt) and Bag-1 overexpressing (Bag-1 OE) MCF-7 cells. Validation and characterization studies of Bag-1 KO cells showed different cellular morphology with hyperactive Akt signaling, which caused stress-mediated actin reorganization, focal adhesion decrease and led to mesenchymal characteristics in MCF-7 cells. A potent Akt inhibitor, MK-2206, suppressed mesenchymal transition in Bag-1 KO cells. Similar results were obtained following the recovery of Bag-1 isoforms (Bag-1S, M, or L) in Bag-1 KO cells. The findings of this study emphasized that Bag-1 is a mediator of actin-mediated cytoskeleton organization through regulating Akt activation.

Validation of the PAGE-B score to predict hepatocellular carcinoma risk in caucasian chronic hepatitis B patients on treatment.

BACKGROUND: Several risk scores have been developed to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. The majority of risk scores are based on pretreatment variables that are no longer considered risk factors for HCC development due to the suppression of hepatitis B virus replication early in the course of potent antiviral treatment in most patients. The PAGE-B score, which is based on platelet levels, age and sex, has been shown to accurately predict HCC risk in CHB patients on antiviral treatment in various populations. AIM: We aimed to evaluate the PAGE-B score in predicting HCC risk in Turkish CHB patients on antiviral treatment. METHODS: In this study, we recruited 742 CHB patients who had been treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate or entecavir for ≥ 1 year. Risk groups were determined according to the PAGE-B scores as follows: ≤ 9, low; 10-17, moderate and ≥ 18, high. The cumulative HCC incidences in each risk group were computed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and were compared using the log-rank test. The accuracy of the PAGE-B score in predicting HCC risk was evaluated using a time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve at all study time points. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the risk factors for HCC development. RESULTS: The mean follow-up time was 54.7 ± 1.2 mo. HCC was diagnosed in 26 patients (3.5%). The cumulative HCC incidences at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years were 0%, 0%, 0% and 0.4% in the PAGE-B low-risk group; 0%, 1.2%, 1.5% and 2.1% in the PAGE-B moderate-risk group; and 5%, 11.7%, 12.5%, and 15% in the PAGE-B high-risk group, respectively (log-rank P < 0.001). The AUROCs of the PAGE-B score in the prediction of HCC development at 1, 3, 5 and 10 years were 0.977, 0.903, 0.903 and 0.865, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, older age, male sex, lower platelet levels, presence of cirrhosis, and absence of alanine aminotransferase normalization at month 6 were associated with HCC development (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The PAGE-B score is a practical tool to predict HCC risk in Turkish patients with CHB and may be helpful to improve surveillance strategies.

Immunohistochemical Evaluation of BAP1 Expression in Breast Cancer with Known BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutations and Comparison with Histopathological Features.

Introduction. BRCA-mutated breast cancers have specific pathological characteristics. BAP1 is a tumor suppressor gene that is important in many cancers with different pathways. The relationship between BRCA1 mutation and BAP1 immunohistochemical staining is still unclear. Our aim is to determine whether BAP1 immunohistochemical expression indicates BRCA mutation status in breast carcinomas with specific pathological characteristics. In addition, we aim to determine the histopathological characteristics of tumors according to BRCA mutations. Methods. Histomorphology, molecular subtypes and BAP1 immunohistochemical expression patterns of the BRCA1/BRCA2 mutated and non-mutated tumors were evaluated. The BAP1 immunohistochemical stain was applied to nine tumor tissues with the BRCA1 mutation, six tumor tissues with the BRCA2 mutation, and 16 tumor tissues without any BRCA mutation. Pearson's chi square test and the Fisher Freeman Halton test were used to analyze the associations between the datas. The statistical significance was considered as P value of <.05. Results. Immunohistochemical BAP1 loss was not detected in any mutated or non-mutated tumor group. BRCA1 mutated tumors had the statistically highest histopathological grade (P = .04) and BRCA1/2 mutated tumors had significant immunohistochemical triple negative expression pattern (P = .01). Conclusions. Intrinsic and histopathological characteristics may vary between BRCA1 mutated and non-BRCA1 mutated tumors. Also, BAP1 loss was not detected in BRCA mutated breast tumors because of several effects of BAP1 that are non-related with BRCA in the cell cycle.

Efficacy, Immunogenicity, and Safety of the Two-Dose Schedules of TURKOVAC versus CoronaVac in Healthy Subjects: A Randomized, Observer-Blinded, Non-Inferiority Phase III Trial.

We present the interim results of the efficacy, immunogenicity, and safety of the two-dose schedules of TURKOVAC versus CoronaVac. This was a randomized, observer-blinded, non-inferiority trial (NCT04942405). Volunteers were 18-55 years old and randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive either TURKOVAC or CoronaVac at Day 0 and Day 28, both of which are 3 µg/0.5 mL of inactivated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide. The primary efficacy outcome was the prevention of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed symptomatic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) at least 14 days after the second dose in the modified per-protocol (mPP) group. Safety analyses were performed in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) group. Between 22 June 2021 and 7 January 2022, 1290 participants were randomized. The mITT group consisted of 915 participants, and the mPP group consisted of 732 participants. During a median follow-up of 90 (IQR 86-90) days, the relative risk reduction with TURKOVAC compared to CoronaVac was 41.03% (95% CI 12.95-60.06) for preventing PCR-confirmed symptomatic COVID-19. The incidences of adverse events (AEs) overall were 58.8% in TURKOVAC and 49.7% in CoronaVac arms (p = 0.006), with no fatalities or grade four AEs. TURKOVAC was non-inferior to CoronaVac in terms of efficacy and demonstrated a good safety and tolerability profile.

Characteristics of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicenter study.

Background and Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the etiology of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by underlying cause and determine the characteristics and clinical features of patients with HCC. Materials and Methods: The study comprised 1802 HCC patients diagnosed and followed up by Liver Diseases Outpatient Clinics in 14 tertiary centers in Turkey between 2001 and 2020. Results: The mean age was 62.3±10.7 years, and 78% of them were males. Of the patients, 82% had cirrhosis. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection was the most common etiology (54%), followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (19%) and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (10%). Of the patients, 56% had a single lesion. Macrovascular invasion and extrahepatic spread were present in 15% and 12% of the patients, respectively. The median serum alpha-fetoprotein level was 25.4 ng/mL. In total, 39% of the patients fulfilled the Milan Criteria. When we compared the characteristics of patients diagnosed before and after January 2016, the proportion of NAFLD-related HCC cases increased after 2016, from 6.6% to 13.4%. Conclusion: Chronic HBV and HCV infections remain the main causes of HCC in Turkey. The importance of NAFLD as a cause of HCC is increasing.

Can simple Non-Invasive Fibrosis Models Determine Prognostic Indicators (Fibrosis and Treatment Response) of Primary Biliary Cholangitis?

OBJECTIVE: The fibrosis stage during diagnosis and the response to ursodeoxycholic acid in the 1st year of treatment are considered to be prognostic indicators in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). Determining these indicators with non-invasive models can enable the risk of liver failure to be monitored with continuous variables from the moment of diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of non-invasive models for determining the prognostic indicators in patients with PBC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from patients with PBC were screened retrospectively. Patients were divided into early (≤2) and advanced (≥3) fibrosis groups. In addition, treatment response status according to the Paris-II criteria and liver failure risk (LFR) according to the UK-PBC score were determined. The S-Index consisting of gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), platelets (PLT), and albumin, (S-index: 1000×GGT÷[PLT×Albumin2]), other non-invasive models were calculated. The diagnostic effectiveness of non-invasive indicators to determine the fibrosis stage, response to treatment, and low LFR was analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-three patients were included in the study. The overall mean age at diagnosis was 49.6±13.6 years and 86.8% of the patients (n=46) were female. The S-Index was able to determine fibrosis stage, treatment responded, and patients with low LFR (AUC: 0.747, 0.823, and 0.752; p=0.006, <0.001, and 0.0007, respectively). Furthermore, S-Index found to superior to other non-invasive indicators in terms diagnosis of prognostic indicators of PBC. CONCLUSION: S-index is a practical and inexpensive non-invasive model that can identify liver fibrosis and treatment response in patients with PBC. It can be used as a continuous variable prognostic model in PBC.

Comparison of the Efficacy of Entecavir and Tenofovir in Reducing Hepatocellular Carcinoma Risk in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients: A Real-Life Study in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: It is controversial whether entecavir or tenofovir differs in reducing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk. We aimed to compare the efficacy of entecavir and tenofovir in reducing HCC risk in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. METHODS: This retrospective study included 607 nucleos(t)ide naive CHB patients who had received entecavir or tenofovir. Patients who developed HCC during the first 12 months of therapy were excluded. Cumulative HCC incidences at years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 were compared between entecavir and tenofovir groups. Factors associated with HCC were determined by univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Nineteen (3.1%) patients developed HCC, 12 (4.8%) in entecavir group and 7 (1.9%) in tenofovir group (P = .045). In the entire cohort, cumulative HCC incidences at years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 were 1.8%, 2.9%, 4.4%, 5.2% and 9.9% in entecavir group, and 0.6%, 2.4%, 2.4%, 2.4% and 3.7% in tenofovir group, respectively (log-rank P = .130). In multivariate analysis, age ≥50 years, cirrhosis, decompensated cirrhosis, high GGT and low platelet levels were associated with HCC in the entire cohort. In advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis cohort, cumulative HCC incidences at years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 were 4.6%, 7.1%, 8.6%, 12.1% and 15.5% in entecavir group, and 1.8%, 5.6%, 5.6%, 5.6% and 8.5% in tenofovir group, respectively (log-rank P = .267). In multivariate analysis, age ≥50 years, decompensated cirrhosis, high GGT and low platelet levels were associated with HCC in the advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis cohort. CONCLUSION: Entecavir and tenofovir are similarly effective in reducing HCC risk in CHB patients.

A novel therapeutic approach to NASH: Both polyethylene glycol 3350 and lactulose reduce hepatic inflammation in C57BL/6J mice.

BACKGROUND: The gut-liver axis is one of the most emphasized topics in the pathogenesis of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis has been shown to be a predictor of disease severity and progression to fatty liver disease. Therefore, research addressing gut-based therapies has become popular. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of lactulose and polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350) in mice with induced obesity and NAFLD at a non-diarrheal dose. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-six C57BL/6J male mice were divided into 6 groups. The first 2 groups (n = 6 each) were used as an induced obesity model (group A) and NAFLD model (group B) for 8 weeks. The remaining 24 animals were categorized into control diet group, high-fat diet (HFD) group, HFD + lactulose group, and HFD + PEG 3350 group. Serum and liver tissue samples were obtained for biochemical and histopathological analyses, respectively. RESULTS: The HFD + lactulose treatment group displayed a significant decrease in liver weight (1.3 (1.3-1.4) kg compared to 1.8 (1.6-1.9) kg) and NAFLD activity score (NAS) (1.5 (1.0-3.0) compared to 5.0 (4.0-5.0), respectively; p = 0.0043, p = 0.0021) when compared with the HFD group. However, a decrease in body weight (35.0 (34.6-36.0) kg compared to 40.9 (34.7-41.9) kg) and hepatosteatosis (HS) rate (33.3% compared to 100.0%) were not statistically significant (p = 0.1796, p = 0.0606, respectively). The HFD + PEG 3350 treatment group showed a statistically significant decrease in body weight (32.4 (30.2-33.9) kg compared to 40.9 (34.7-41.9) kg), liver weight (1.5 (1.3-1.5) kg compared to 1.8 (1.6-1.9) kg), HS rate (16.7% compared to 100.0%) and NAS (0.5 (0.0-1.0) compared to 5.0 (4.0-5.0); p = 0.0086, p = 0.0086, p = 0.0151, and p = 0.0021, respectively) when compared with the HFD group. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that non-diarrheal dose of lactulose and PEG 3350 reduced hepatic inflammation in mice with induced NAFLD. It was also observed that PEG 3350 decreased HS and body weight. We believe these mechanisms can be utilized as novel therapeutic approaches in NAFLD in prospective human studies.

Comparison of the clinical diagnostic criteria and the results of the next-generation sequence gene panel in patients with monogenic systemic autoinflammatory diseases.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES: The clinicians initially prefer to define patients with the systemic autoinflammatory disease (SAID)'s based on recommended clinical classification criteria; then, they confirm the diagnosis with genetic testing. We aimed to compare the initial phenotypic diagnoses of the patients who were followed up with the preliminary diagnosis of a monogenic SAID, and the genotypic results obtained from the next-generation sequence (NGS) panel. METHOD: Seventy-one patients with the preliminary diagnosis of cryopyrin-associated periodic fever syndrome (CAPS), mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD), or tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor-associated periodic fever syndrome (TRAPS) were included in the study. The demographic data, clinical findings, laboratory results, and treatments were recorded. All patients were examined by NGS panel analysis including 16 genes. The genetic results were compared with the initial Federici score to determine whether they were compatible with each other. RESULTS: Thirty patients were initially classified as MKD, 22 as CAPS, and 19 as TRAPS. The frequency of clinical manifestations was urticarial rash 57.7%, diarrhea 49.2%, abdominal pain 47.8%, arthralgia 45%, oral aphthae 43.6%, myalgia 32.3%, tonsillitis 28.1%, and conjunctivitis 25.3%, respectively. After NGS gene panel screening, 13 patients were diagnosed with CAPS, 8 with MKD, 7 with familial Mediterranean fever, 5 with TRAPS, and 2 with NLRP12-associated periodic syndrome. The remaining 36 patients were genetically identified as undefined SAID since they were not classified as one of the defined SAIDs after the result of the NGS panel. CONCLUSIONS: We have demonstrated that clinical diagnostic criteria may not always be sufficient to establish the correct diagnosis. There is still low accordance between clinical diagnoses and molecular analyses. In the case of a patient with a preliminary diagnosis of a monogenic SAID with the negative result of target gene analysis, other autoinflammatory diseases should also be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis. Key Points • Monogenic autoinflammatory diseases can present with different clinical manifestations. • The clinical diagnostic criteria may not always be sufficient to reach the correct diagnosis in autoinflammatory diseases. • In the case of a patient with a preliminary diagnosis of a monogenic SAID with the negative result of target gene analysis, other autoinflammatory diseases should be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis.

Interactome analysis of Bag-1 isoforms reveals novel interaction partners in endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation.

Bag-1 is a multifunctional protein that regulates Hsp70 chaperone activity, apoptosis, and proliferation. The three major Bag-1 isoforms have different subcellular localizations and partly non-overlapping functions. To identify the detailed interaction network of each isoform, we utilized mass spectrometry-based proteomics and found that interactomes of Bag-1 isoforms contained many common proteins, with variations in their abundances. Bag-1 interactomes were enriched with proteins involved in protein processing and degradation pathways. Novel interaction partners included VCP/p97; a transitional ER ATPase, Rad23B; a shuttling factor for ubiquitinated proteins, proteasome components, and ER-resident proteins, suggesting a role for Bag-1 also in ER-associated protein degradation (ERAD). Bag-1 pull-down from cells and tissues from breast cancer patients validated these interactions and showed cancer-related prominence. Using in silico predictions we detected hotspot residues of Bag-1. Mutations of these residues caused loss of binding to protein quality control elements and impaired proteasomal activity in MCF-7 cells. Following CD147 glycosylation pattern, we showed that Bag-1 downregulated VCP/p97-dependent ERAD. Overall, our data extends the interaction map of Bag-1, and broadens its role in protein homeostasis. Targeting the interaction surfaces revealed in this study might be an effective strategy in the treatment of cancer.

Seroprevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among health care workers from three pandemic hospitals of Turkey.

COVID-19 is a global threat with an increasing number of infections. Research on IgG seroprevalence among health care workers (HCWs) is needed to re-evaluate health policies. This study was performed in three pandemic hospitals in Istanbul and Kocaeli. Different clusters of HCWs were screened for SARS-CoV-2 infection. Seropositivity rate among participants was evaluated by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay. We recruited 813 non-infected and 119 PCR-confirmed infected HCWs. Of the previously undiagnosed HCWs, 22 (2.7%) were seropositive. Seropositivity rates were highest for cleaning staff (6%), physicians (4%), nurses (2.2%) and radiology technicians (1%). Non-pandemic clinic (6.4%) and ICU (4.3%) had the highest prevalence. HCWs in "high risk" group had similar seropositivity rate with "no risk" group (2.9 vs 3.5 p = 0.7). These findings might lead to the re-evaluation of infection control and transmission dynamics in hospitals.

Risk of hepatitis B reactivation during anti-TNF therapy; evaluation of patients with past hepatitis B infection.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis B reactivation (HBVR) is an important risk of treatment with tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (anti-TNF). While antiviral prophylaxis is recommended before treatment in HBsAg-positive patients, there is no clear approach for the follow-up or prophylactic treatment of patients with past hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients with past HBV infection treated with anti-TNF for HBVR and/or HBVR-associated biochemical breakthrough. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients who received anti-TNF therapy and had past HBV infection (HBsAg negative, anti-HBc IgG positive, anti-HBs negative or positive) were screened and evaluated at 3-month intervals for viral and biochemical breakthrough according to a liver function test (ALT) and HBV DNA level. RESULTS: A total of 653 patients who received anti-TNF therapy were screened. Ninety of these patients had past HBV infection and had not received antiviral prophylaxis. Anti-HBs positivity and isolated anti-HBc IgG positivity were seen in 87.7% (n: 79) and 12.2% (n: 11) of these patients, respectively. No HBVR was seen in 20% (n: 18) of patients who were followed up regularly, and no HBVR-associated biochemical breakthrough was found in patients who were not followed up regularly in terms of HBV DNA level (80%, n: 72) during the follow-up period (26±16 months). CONCLUSION: The use of anti-TNF in patients with past HBV infection has a low risk for HBVR. A follow-up for the ALT and HBV DNA levels at 3-month intervals may be more reasonable than administering antiviral prophylaxis to all patients.

A practical marker to determining acute severe ulcerative colitis: CRP/albumin ratio.

OBJECTIVE: There are many instruments to measure disease activity in ulcerative colitis. While determining clinical activity according to these instruments, many clinical and laboratory parameters are needed to be followed. Determination of disease activity with non-invasive and objective inflammatory indicators may be a practical and objective way. CRP/Albumin ratio (CAR) is an inflammatory marker that is considered to have prognostic value in various cancers, sepsis and acute pancreatitis. In this study, we aim to investigate diagnostic performance CAR in determining the clinical severity of ulcerative colitis. METHODS: Between November 2011 and February 2017, hospital records and follow-up cards of patients with ulcerative colitis were reviewed retrospectively. One hundred forty-nine patients were included in this study. Patient's demographic data, laboratory values, clinical disease activity, according to Truelove & Witts criteria and endoscopic activity according to the Mayo sub-score and treatments, were recorded. Diagnostic performance of CAR analyzed to determine the clinical severity. RESULTS: Of the patients included in this study, 99 (62%) were male, and 50 (38%) were female. Mean age was 45.22±14 years. When patients were grouped into remission, mild, moderate and severe disease according to disease activity, there was a statistically significant difference between CRP, CAR, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and albumin levels (p=0.001; p<0.05). Area under the curve (AUC) values for the diagnosis of severe disease were 0.941, 0.931, 0.888 and 0.883 for CAR, CRP, ESR and albumin levels, respectively. Cut-off value to determine severe disease for CAR was 0.6 (sensitivity: 88.9%, specificity of 90.3%, positive predictive value (PPV) 85.1%, negative predictive value (NPV) 92.8%, AUC: 0.941, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: There was a significant relationship between CAR, CRP, ESR and albumin levels and clinical disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis. CAR is a cheap and practical marker for the diagnosis of acute severe ulcerative colitis.