Primary and secondary nonresponse to infliximab: mechanisms and countermeasures

Introduction: Primary and secondary non-response to infliximab are common in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and remain a management challenge in clinical practice.

Areas covered: This article describes the epidemiology, mechanisms and risk factors for primary and secondary nonresponse to infliximab in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Data on proactive and reactive therapeutic drug monitoring are examined in this review. An algorithm for evaluation and management of non-response to infliximab is provided. Preventative measures are also discussed. Relevant articles were identified after a literature search using PubMed. Search terms included ‘infliximab’, ‘loss of response’, ‘immunogenicity’, and ‘drug monitoring’. References of identified articles were also reviewed to identify additional references.

Expert opinion: A common cause for primary and secondary non-response include inadequate dosing of infliximab; inadequate dosing can be identified through assessment of drug and anti-drug antibody levels. Therapeutic drug monitoring should be done in patients losing response to infliximab. Use of drug monitoring proactively is still under debate.     

Schwann cell-derived exosomes: Janus-faced mediators of regeneration and disease

The phenotypic plasticity of Schwann cells (SCs) has contributed to the regenerative potential of the peripheral nervous system (PNS), but also pathological processes. This double-sided effect has led to an increasing attention to the role of extracellular vesicles (EVs) or exosomes in SCs to examine the intercellular communication between SCs and their surroundings. Here, we first describe the current knowledge of SC and EV biology, which forms the basis for the updates on advances in SC-derived exosomes research. We seek to explore in-depth the exosome-mediated molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of SCs and their microenvironment. This review concludes with potential applications of SC-derived exosomes as delivery vehicles for therapeutics and biomarkers. The goal of this review is to emphasize the crucial role of SC-derived exosomes in the functional integration of the PNS, highlighting an emerging area in which there is much to explore and re-explore.     

Therapeutic Advances in the Treatment of Holmes Tremor: Systematic Review

ObjectiveWe aimed to formulate a practical clinical treatment algorithm for Holmes tremor (HT) by reviewing currently published clinical data.Materials and MethodsWe performed a systematic review of articles discussing the management of HT published between January 1990 and December 2018. We examined data from 89 patients published across 58 studies detailing the effects of pharmacological or surgical interventions on HT severity. Clinical outcomes were measured by a continuous 1-10 ranked scale. The majority of studies addressing treatment response were case series or case reports. No randomized control studies were identified.ResultsOur review included 24 studies focusing on pharmacologic treatments of 25 HT patients and 34 studies focusing on the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in 64 patients. In the medical intervention group, the most commonly used drugs were levetiracetam, trihexyphenidyl, and levodopa. In the surgically treated group, the thalamic ventralis intermedius nucleus (VIM) and globus pallidus internus (GPi) were the most common brain targets for neuromodulation. The two targets accounted for 57.8% and 32.8% of total cases, respectively. Overall, compared to the medically treated group, DBS provided greater tremor suppression (p = 0.025) and was more effective for the management of postural tremor in HT. Moreover, GPi DBS displayed greater benefit in the resting tremor component (p = 0.042) and overall tremor reduction (p = 0.022).ConclusionsThere is a highly variable response to different medical treatments in HT without randomized clinical trials available to dictate treatment decisions. A variety of medical and surgical treatment options can be considered for the management of HT. Collaborative research between different institutions and researchers are warranted and needed to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology and management of this condition. In this review, we propose a practical treatment algorithm for HT based on currently available evidence.     

Pannexin‐1 and P2X7‐Receptor Are Required for Apoptotic Osteocytes in Fatigued Bone to Trigger RANKL Production in Neighboring Bystander Osteocytes

Osteocyte apoptosis is required to induce intracortical bone remodeling after microdamage in animal models, but how apoptotic osteocytes signal neighboring “bystander” cells to initiate the remodeling process is unknown. Apoptosis has been shown to open pannexin‐1 (Panx1) channels to release adenosine diphosphate (ATP) as a “find‐me” signal for phagocytic cells. To address whether apoptotic osteocytes use this signaling mechanism, we adapted the rat ulnar fatigue‐loading model to reproducibly introduce microdamage into mouse cortical bone and measured subsequent changes in osteocyte apoptosis, receptor activator of NF‐κB ligand (RANKL) expression and osteoclastic bone resorption in wild‐type (WT; C57Bl/6) mice and in mice genetically deficient in Panx1 (Panx1KO). Mouse ulnar loading produced linear microcracks comparable in number and location to the rat model. WT mice showed increased osteocyte apoptosis and RANKL expression at microdamage sites at 3 days after loading and increased intracortical remodeling and endocortical tunneling at day 14. With fatigue, Panx1KO mice exhibited levels of microdamage and osteocyte apoptosis identical to WT mice. However, they did not upregulate RANKL in bystander osteocytes or initiate resorption. Panx1 interacts with P2X₇R in ATP release; thus, we examined P2X₇R‐deficient mice and WT mice treated with P2X₇R antagonist Brilliant Blue G (BBG) to test the possible role of ATP as a find‐me signal. P2X₇RKO mice failed to upregulate RANKL in osteocytes or induce resorption despite normally elevated osteocyte apoptosis after fatigue loading. Similarly, treatment of fatigued C57Bl/6 mice with BBG mimicked behavior of both Panx1KO and P2X₇RKO mice; BBG had no effect on osteocyte apoptosis in fatigued bone but completely prevented increases in bystander osteocyte RANKL expression and attenuated activation of resorption by more than 50%. These results indicate that activation of Panx1 and P2X₇R are required for apoptotic osteocytes in fatigued bone to trigger RANKL production in neighboring bystander osteocytes and implicate ATP as an essential signal mediating this process. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.