A Novel Algorithm to Differentiate Between Multiple Primary Lung Cancers and Intrapulmonary Metastasis in Multiple Lung Cancers With Multiple Pulmonary Sites of Involvement

IntroductionDifferentiating between multiple primary lung cancer (MPLC) and intrapulmonary metastasis (IPM) is critical for developing a therapeutic strategy to treat multiple lung cancers with multiple pulmonary sites of involvement.MethodsWe retrospectively included 252 lesions (126 pairs) from 126 patients with surgically resected multiple lung adenocarcinomas. Each pair was classified as MPLC or IPM based on histopathologic findings as the reference standard. A novel algorithm was established with four sequential decision steps based on the combination of computed tomography (CT) lesion types (step 1), CT lesion morphology (step 2), difference of maximal standardized uptake values on positron-emission tomography/CT (step 3), and presence of N2/3 lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis (step 4). The diagnostic accuracy of the algorithm was analyzed. Performances of 11 observers were assessed without and with knowledge of algorithm.ResultsAmong 126 pairs, 90 (71.4%) were classified as MPLCs and 36 (28.6%) as IPMs. On applying the diagnostic algorithm, the overall accuracy for diagnosis of IPM among conclusive cases up to step 4 was 88.9%, and 65 and 44 pairs were correctly diagnosed based on step 1 and step 2, respectively. Specificity and positive predictive value for diagnosis of IPM increased significantly in all observers compared with reading rounds without the algorithm.ConclusionsApplication of the algorithm based on comprehensive information on clinical and imaging variables can allow differentiation between MPLCs and IPMs. When both of two suspected malignant lesions appear as solid predominant lesions without spiculation or air-bronchogram on CT, IPM should be considered.     

uPAR Controls Vasculogenic Mimicry Ability Expressed by Drug-Resistant Melanoma Cells

Malignant melanoma is a highly aggressive skin cancer characterized by an elevated grade of tumor cell plasticity. Such plasticity allows adaptation of melanoma cells to different hostile conditions and guarantees tumor survival and disease progression, including aggressive features such as drug resistance. Indeed, almost 50% of melanoma rapidly develop resistance to the BRAFV600E inhibitor vemurafenib, with fast tumor dissemination, a devastating consequence for patients’ outcomes. Vasculogenic mimicry (VM), the ability of cancer cells to organize themselves in perfused vascular-like channels, might sustain tumor spread by providing vemurafenibresistant cancer cells with supplementary ways to enter into circulation and disseminate. Thus, this research aims to determine if vemurafenib resistance goes with the acquisition of VM ability by aggressive melanoma cells, and identify a driving molecule for both vemurafenib resistance and VM. We used two independent experimental models of drug-resistant melanoma cells, the first one represented by a chronic adaptation of melanoma cells to extracellular acidosis, known to drive a particularly aggressive and vemurafenib-resistant phenotype, the second one generated with chronic vemurafenib exposure. By performing in vitro tube formation assay and evaluating the expression levels of the VM markers EphA2 and VE-cadherin by Western blotting and flow cytometer analyses, we demonstrated that vemurafenib-resistant cells obtained by both models are characterized by an increased ability to perform VM. Moreover, by exploiting the CRISPR-Cas9 technique and using the urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) inhibitor M25, we identified uPAR as a driver of VM expressed by vemurafenib-resistant melanoma cells. Thus, uPAR targeting may be successfully leveraged as a new complementary therapy to inhibit VM in drug-resistant melanoma patients, to counteract the rapid progression and dissemination of the disease.     

How is safety of dermatology drugs assessed: trials,registries, and spontaneous reporting

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Skin conditions are common and highly varied in their etiology; therefore, a diverse array of therapeutics are utilized. Drug safety studies in dermatology can be challenging as there are over 3000 diagnoses to consider. As a result, dermatologists rely on data from multiple sources including clinical trials and real-world evidence.

Areas covered: In this review, we cover the main sources of safety data available, their strengths and weaknesses and how dermatologists should utilize such data. We use real-world examples of the different types of adverse events reported and how they are best captured by either randomized controlled trials or post-marketing pharmacovigilance methods. With multiple new therapies in dermatology, such as dupilumab for atopic dermatitis and janus-kinase inhibitors for alopecia areata the specialty is awash with evolving high-level evidence for their use. It is important to understand the optimal way to assess safety from trials but also appreciate the need for ongoing capture of safety data in clinical practice.

Expert opinion: In dermatology, there is a plethora of conditions to treat and clinical trials, post-marketing surveillance, such as drug registries and spontaneous reporting, all enable dermatologists to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the safety profiles of drugs being used.     

Posaconazole therapeutic drug monitoring in clinical practice and longitudinal analysis of the effect of routine laboratory measurements on posaconazole concentrations

Posaconazole is indicated for prophylaxis and treatment of invasive aspergillosis. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of posaconazole is used to optimise drug exposure. The aim of this study was to analyse and describe the TDM practices and exposure of posaconazole tablets. Patients who received posaconazole for treatment or prophylaxis of fungal infections were included in the study. The following therapeutic window was defined: if concentration was low (<0.7 mg/L for prophylaxis or < 1.5 mg/L for treatment) or high (>3.75 mg/L), the hospital pharmacist provided the physician with dosage advice, which implementation to patient care was analysed. A longitudinal analysis was performed to analyse if different confounding variables had an effect on posaconazole concentrations. Forty‐seven patients were enrolled resulting in 217 posaconazole trough concentrations. A median of 3 (IQR 1‐7) samples was measured per patient. The median concentration was 1.7 mg/L (IQR 0.8‐2.7) for prophylaxis and 1.76 mg/L (IQR 1.3‐2.3) for treatment. Overall, 78 posaconazole concentrations were out of the therapeutic window. For 45 (54%) of these concentrations, a dosage change was recommended. In the longitudinal analysis, the laboratory markers and patient baseline variables did not have an effect on posaconazole concentrations. Adequate posaconazole exposure was shown in 64% (affected 28 patients) of the measured concentrations. TDM practice of posaconazole can be improved by increasing the implementation rate of dose recommendation by a multidisciplinary antifungal stewardship team.     

Nobiletin and its derivatives overcome multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer: total synthesis and discovery of potent MDR reversal agents

Our recent studies demonstrated that the natural product nobiletin (NOB) served as a promising multidrug resistance (MDR) reversal agent and improved the effectiveness of cancer chemotherapy in vitro. However, low aqueous solubility and difficulty in total synthesis limited its application as a therapeutic agent. To tackle these challenges, NOB was synthesized in a high yield by a concise route of six steps and fourteen derivatives were synthesized with remarkable solubility and efficacy. All the compounds showed improved sensitivity to paclitaxel (PTX) in P-glycoprotein (P-gp) overexpressing MDR cancer cells. Among them, compound 29d exhibited water solubility 280-fold higher than NOB. A drug-resistance A549/T xenograft model showed that 29d, at a dose of 50 mg/kg co-administered with PTX (15 mg/kg), inhibited tumor growth more effective than NOB and remarkably increased PTX concentration in the tumors via P-gp inhibition. Moreover, Western blot experiments revealed that 29d inhibited expression of NRF2, phosphorylated ERK and AKT in MDR cancer cells, thus implying 29d of multiple mechanisms to reverse MDR in lung cancer.     

社区获得性肺炎的中西医治疗研究进展

社区获得性肺炎(Community Acquired Pneumonia,CAP)是比较常见的院外肺部炎性疾病之一,随着细菌、支原体、衣原体等多种病原体的耐药率的上升,以及病患梯度的范围增加,CAP的发病率呈逐年上升的趋势,死亡率日益增高,导致医疗资源消耗巨大。目前临床上CAP的患者主要依靠经验性治疗。正确选择抗生素、减少病原体的耐药率,优化肺部炎症疾病的医疗方案,提高CAP临床治愈率已经成为临床医生当前面临的一项重大挑战。中药制剂具有广谱抗菌、调节免疫、不易耐药、简便价廉等特点,是解决上述难题的一个很好途径。     

补肾化浊方联合粪菌移植对来曲唑诱导的多囊卵巢综合征大鼠生殖、代谢功能及相关炎症因子的影响

目的以肠道微生态为切入点探讨补肾化浊方联合粪菌移植治疗多囊卵巢综合征(PCOS)潜在机制。方法将30只6周龄SD大鼠随机分为空白组、模型组、中药组、粪菌移植组、中药+粪菌移植组,每组6只。来曲唑1 mg/(kg d)灌胃51 d,第22日起,中药组加灌补肾化浊方21.7 g/(kg d),粪菌移植组加灌新鲜粪便2 g/(kg d),中药+粪菌移植组加灌补肾化浊方21.7 g/(kg d)和新鲜粪便2 g/(kg d),连续30 d,另设空白组。干预结束后,腹主动脉取血检测大鼠血清性激素、空腹胰岛素(FINS)、空腹血糖(FPG),ELISA检测大鼠血清白细胞介素(IL)-18、肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)水平,HE染色观察大鼠卵巢形态学变化。结果与空白组比较,模型组大鼠卵巢呈多囊样改变,体质量、睾酮、黄体生成素(LH)/促卵泡激素(FSH)、FPG、HOMA-IR、IL-18、TNF-α水平均明显升高(P<0.01,P<0.001);与模型组比较,中药+粪菌移植组可显著改善上述指标(P<0.05,P<0.01,P<0.001),中药组可显著改善除TNF-α外各项指标(P<0.05,P<0.01),粪菌移植组可显著降低PCOS大鼠LH/FSH、IL-18水平(P<0.01,P<0.001);在降低IL-18水平方面,中药+粪菌移植组作用显著优于中药组(P<0.01)。结论中药联合粪菌移植可显著改善PCOS大鼠生殖和代谢功能,改善慢性炎症状态。     

左旋肉碱修饰的壳聚糖-硬脂酸协载槲皮素口服紫杉醇纳米胶束的制备、表征及在体肠循环研究

目的 制备左旋肉碱修饰的壳聚糖-硬脂酸（LC-SA/CS-SA）纳米胶束，包载紫杉醇（PTX）且协载槲皮素，考察胶束特性，并以大鼠在体肠循环评估给药系统对PTX口服吸收的促进作用。方法 将硬脂酸（SA）通过酰胺化反应接枝于壳聚糖（CS），形成共聚物CS-SA；采用核磁共振H谱、红外光谱鉴定产物结构；以PTX为主药，槲皮素为辅药，采用激光粒径分析、Zeta电位分析和HPLC分析分别考察了胶束的粒径、Zeta电位、载药量、包封率；透射电子显微镜观察胶束形貌；芘荧光探针法测定LC-SA/CS-SA胶束的临界胶束浓度（critical micelle concentration，CMC）；透析袋法考察胶束的体外释放行为；大鼠在体肠吸收实验评估载药胶束的促吸收作用。结果 红外与核磁结果表明SA通过酰胺键接枝于CS；协载槲皮素的LC-SA/CS-SA载PTX胶束呈类球形，粒径为（148.3±1.7）nm，多分散系数（PDI）为0.16±0.07，Zeta电位为（24.600±0.167）mV，CMC为14.31 μg/mL；体外释放结果表明，与市售紫杉醇注射剂相比，协载槲皮素的LC-SA/CS-SA载PTX胶束、LC-SA/CS-SA载PTX胶束具有明显缓释效应；大鼠在体肠吸收实验表明，协载槲皮素的LC-SA/CS-SA胶束对载药PTX的胃肠吸收具有显著促进作用。结论 构建的协载槲皮素的LC-SA/CS-SA载PTX胶束性能优良，促进了PTX的大鼠肠吸收，具有增强药物口服吸收潜力。     

Germline variant burden in multidrug resistance transporters is a therapy-specific predictor of survival in breast cancer patients

Multidrug resistance due to facilitated drug efflux mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is a main cause for failure of cancer therapy. Genetic polymorphisms in ABC genes affect the disposition of chemotherapeutics and constitute important biomarkers for therapeutic response and toxicity. Here we correlated germline variability in ABC transporters with disease-specific survival (DSS) in 960 breast cancer (BRCA), 314 clear cell renal cell carcinoma and 325 hepatocellular carcinoma patients. We find that variant burden in ABCC1 is a strong predictor of DSS in BRCA patients, whereas candidate polymorphisms are not associated with DSS. This association is highly drug-specific for subgroups treated with the MRP1 substrates cyclophosphamide (log-rank p = 0.0011) and doxorubicin (log-rank p = 0.0088) independent of age and tumor stage, whereas no association was found in individuals treated with tamoxifen (log-rank p = 0.13). Structural mapping of significant variants revealed multiple variants at residues involved in protein stability, cofactor stabilization or substrate binding. Our results demonstrate that BRCA patients with high variant burden in ABCC1 are less prone to respond appropriately to pharmacological therapy with MRP1 substrates, thus incentivizing the consideration of genomic germline data for precision cancer medicine.