Nerve growth factor receptors in dementia

Background/aim: Nerve growth factor (NGF) promotes the survival and differentiation of sensory and sympathetic neurons. Several studies have found that certain neuropathological factors stimulate NGF receptor expression and release the truncated nerve growth factor receptor (TNGFR) to biological fluids. The aim of this pilot study was to determine urine TNGFR levels in patients with dementia and to verify whether TNGFR can be used as a biomarker of dementia. Materials and methods: Twelve patients with dementia and 12 healthy individuals were asked to voluntarily participate in this study. Ages, sexes, and weights were matched. The first morning urine samples were collected and the concentrations of TNGFR in the urine samples were measured by fluoroimmunoassay. Results: The mean levels of TNGFR in the urine samples of the healthy control subjects and the patients with dementia were 164 +/- 23 and 341 +/- 66 ng / mg creatinine respectively. A positive relationship was found between the levels of TNGFR in different ages of both control and patient subgroups. This is consistent with the previous observations that pathological condition may stimulate the NGF receptor expression. Conclusion: These findings might be of assistance to evaluate the development of the memory loss associated with Alzheimer disease and other age-associated diseases

Controlled trial of lovastatin combined with an open-label treatment of a parent-implemented language intervention in youth with fragile X syndrome.

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to conduct a 20-week controlled trial of lovastatin (10 to 40 mg/day) in youth with fragile X syndrome (FXS) ages 10 to 17 years, combined with an open-label treatment of a parent-implemented language intervention (PILI), delivered via distance video teleconferencing to both treatment groups, lovastatin and placebo.MethodA randomized, double-blind trial was conducted at one site in the Sacramento, California, metropolitan area. Fourteen participants were assigned to the lovastatin group; two participants terminated early from the study. Sixteen participants were assigned to the placebo group. Lovastatin or placebo was administered orally in a capsule form, starting at 10 mg and increasing weekly or as tolerated by 10 mg increments, up to a maximum dose of 40 mg daily. A PILI was delivered to both groups for 12 weeks, with 4 activities per week, through video teleconferencing by an American Speech-Language Association-certified Speech-Language Pathologist, in collaboration with a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst. Parents were taught to use a set of language facilitation strategies while interacting with their children during a shared storytelling activity. The main outcome measures included absolute change from baseline to final visit in the means for youth total number of story-related utterances, youth number of different word roots, and parent total number of story-related utterances.ResultsSignificant increases in all primary outcome measures were observed in both treatment groups. Significant improvements were also observed in parent reports of the severity of spoken language and social impairments in both treatment groups. In all cases, the amount of change observed did not differ across the two treatment groups. Although gains in parental use of the PILI-targeted intervention strategies were observed in both treatment groups, parental use of the PILI strategies was correlated with youth gains in the placebo group and not in the lovastatin group.ConclusionParticipants in both groups demonstrated significant changes in the primary outcome measures. The magnitude of change observed across the two groups was comparable, providing additional support for the efficacy of the use of PILI in youth with FXS.Trial registrationUS National Institutes of Health (ClinicalTrials.gov), NCT02642653. Registered 12/30/2015

Context matters-consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer as biomarkers for clinical trials

The Colorectal Cancer Subtyping Consortium identified four gene expression consensus molecular subtypes, CMS1 (immune), CMS2 (canonical), CMS3 (metabolic), and CMS4 (mesenchymal), using multiple microarray or RNA-sequencing datasets of primary tumor samples mainly from early stage colon cancer patients. Consequently, rectal tumors and stage IV tumors (possibly reflective of more aggressive disease) were underrepresented, and no chemo-and/or radiotherapy pretreated samples or metastatic lesions were included. In view of their possible effect on gene expression and consequently subtype classification, sample source and treatments received by the patients before collection must be carefully considered when applying the classifier to new datasets. Recently, several correlative analyses of clinical trials demonstrated the applicability of this classification to the metastatic setting, confirmed the prognostic value of CMS subtypes after relapse and hinted at differential sensitivity to treatments. Here, we discuss why contexts and equivocal factors need to be taken into account when analyzing clinical trial data, including potential selection biases, type of platform, and type of algorithm used for subtype prediction. This perspective article facilitates both our clinical and research understanding of the application of this classifier to expedite subtype-based clinical trials

Molecular Imaging, Pharmacokinetics, and Dosimetry of 111In-AMBA in Human Prostate Tumor-Bearing Mice

Molecular imaging with promise of personalized medicine can provide patient-specific information noninvasively, thus enabling treatment to be tailored to the specific biological attributes of both the disease and the patient. This study was to investigate the characterization of DO3A-CH2CO-G-4-aminobenzoyl-Q-W-A-V-G-H-L-M-NH2 (AMBA) in vitro, MicroSPECT/CT imaging, and biological activities of 111In-AMBA in PC-3 prostate tumor-bearing SCID mice. The uptake of 111In-AMBA reached highest with 3.87 ± 0.65% ID/g at 8 h. MicroSPECT/CT imaging studies suggested that the uptake of 111In-AMBA was clearly visualized between 8 and 48 h postinjection. The distribution half-life (t1/2α) and the elimination half-life (t1/2β) of 111In-AMBA in mice were 1.53 h and 30.7 h, respectively. The Cmax and AUC of 111In-AMBA were 7.57% ID/g and 66.39 h∗% ID/g, respectively. The effective dose appeared to be 0.11 mSv/MBq−1. We demonstrated a good uptake of 111In-AMBA in the GRPR-overexpressed PC-3 tumor-bearing SCID mice. 111In-AMBA is a safe, potential molecular image-guided diagnostic agent for human GRPR-positive tumors, ranging from simple and straightforward biodistribution studies to improve the efficacy of combined modality anticancer therapy

Measurable Residual Disease (MRD) as a Surrogate Efficacy-Response Biomarker in AML

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML) many patients experience relapse, despite the achievement of morphological complete remission; therefore, conventional morphologic criteria are currently considered inadequate for assessing the quality of the response after treatment. Quantification of measurable residual disease (MRD) has been established as a strong prognostic marker in AML and patients that test MRD negative have lower relapse rates and better survival than those who test positive. Different techniques, varying in their sensitivity and applicability to patients, are available for the measurement of MRD and their use as a guide for selecting the most optimal postremission therapy is an area of active investigation. Although still controversial, MRD prognostic value promises to support drug development serving as a surrogate biomarker, potentially useful for accelerating the regulatory approval of new agents. In this review, we will critically examine the methods used to detect MRD and its potential role as a study endpoint