Bronchial thermoplasty : a new therapeutic option for the treatment of severe, uncontrolled asthma in adults

Bronchial thermoplasty is a young yet promising treatment for severe asthma whose benefit for long-term asthma control outweighs the short-term risk of deterioration and hospitalisation in the days following the treatment. It is an innovative treatment whose clinical efficacy and safety are beginning to be better understood. Since this is a device-based therapy, the overall evaluation of risk-benefit is unlike that of pharmaceutical products; safety aspects, regulatory requirements, study design and effect size assessment may be unfamiliar. The mechanisms of action and optimal patient selection need to be addressed in further rigorous clinical and scientific studies. Bronchial thermoplasty fits in perfectly with the movement to expand personalised medicine in the field of chronic airway disorders. This is a device-based complimentary asthma treatment that must be supported and developed in order to meet the unmet needs of modern severe asthma management. The mechanisms of action and the type of patients that benefit from bronchial thermoplasty are the most important challenges for bronchial thermoplasty in the future

0195: Identification of patients (pts) with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) at high risk of artery occlusive events (AOE) during treatment with the 2nd generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) nilotinib

BackgroundNilotinib is approved for use in pts with CML after failure of imatinib and in newly diagnosed CP-CML. However, several studies report a nilotinib-associated risk of AOE (arterial occlusive event), especially in pts with preexisting risk factors for CVD. In this study, we aimed at determining whether CVD risk estimation using the 2012 ESC classification could be useful to identify patients at high risk of AOE during nilotinib therapy.MethodsPts (n=75) treated with nilotinib upfront or after failure of prior TKI at our institution were included provided that baseline CVD status could be retrospectively collected. Patients were categorized into 2 groups according to ESC 2012 classification: low/moderate (L/M) and high/very high (H/VH) CVD risk.ResultsAt nilotinib initiation, median age was 51 years (19-76), 41 pts (54.7%) were males. At baseline, medical history revealed H/VH risk category in 15 pts (20%) including established CVD in 6 pts (8%) (all diagnosed before CML), DM (diabete melitus) in 10 pts (13.3%), severe AH (arterial hypertension) in 1 pt (1.3%), familial dyslipidemia in 1 pt (1.3%) and a SCORE ≥5% in 2 pts (2.6%).AOE occurred in 12 pts with myocardial infarction (MI) or coronary heart disease (CHD) (n=3), cerebrovascular events (CeVD) (n=3) and peripheral artery disease (PAD) (n=6). Cumulative incidence of AOE by 48 months was 72.22% (95% CI: 47.46-100) in the H/VH group and only 12.13% (95% CI: 4.32-34.08) in the L/M group. Log Rank comparison of Kaplan Meier analysis of 48-month survival without AOE showed a significant difference between the 2 groups (27.78% (95% CI: 0-58.9) versus 84.38% (95% CI: 67.04-100) p=0.0001). Sensitivity of the ESC classification in nilotinib-treated patients was 67% and specificity 89%.ConclusionsIn our retrospective study, CVD risk estimation according to the 2012 ESC classification reveals that pts who belong to the H/VH risk group at baseline are at very high risk of AOE during nilotinib therapy. In this context, CVD risk should be reassessed throughout therapy and risk factors should be tightly controlled according to current guidelines

Adult Low-Hypodiploid Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Emerges from Preleukemic TP53-Mutant Clonal Hematopoiesis

UNLABELLED Low hypodiploidy defines a rare subtype of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) with a dismal outcome. To investigate the genomic basis of low-hypodiploid ALL (LH-ALL) in adults, we analyzed copy-number aberrations, loss of heterozygosity, mutations, and cytogenetics data in a prospective cohort of Philadelphia (Ph)-negative B-ALL patients (n = 591, ages 18-84 years), allowing us to identify 80 LH-ALL cases (14%). Genomic analysis was critical for evidencing low hypodiploidy in many cases missed by cytogenetics. The proportion of LH-ALL within Ph-negative B-ALL dramatically increased with age, from 3% in the youngest patients (under 40 years old) to 32% in the oldest (over 55 years old). Somatic TP53 biallelic inactivation was the hallmark of adult LH-ALL, present in virtually all cases (98%). Strikingly, we detected TP53 mutations in posttreatment remission samples in 34% of patients. Single-cell proteogenomics of diagnosis and remission bone marrow samples evidenced a preleukemic, multilineage, TP53-mutant clone, reminiscent of age-related clonal hematopoiesis. SIGNIFICANCE We show that low-hypodiploid ALL is a frequent entity within B-ALL in older adults, relying on somatic TP53 biallelic alteration. Our study unveils a link between aging and low-hypodiploid ALL, with TP53-mutant clonal hematopoiesis representing a preleukemic reservoir that can give rise to aneuploidy and B-ALL. See related commentary by Saiki and Ogawa, p. 102. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 101

Diagnosis, prognostic factors and assessment of ALL in adults: 2023 ELN recommendations from a European Expert Panel

Working groups of the European Leukemia Net (ELN) have published several important consensus guidelines. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has many different clinical and biological subgroups and the knowledge on disease biology and therapeutic options is increasing exponentially. The European Working Group for Adult ALL has therefore summarized the current state of the art and provided comprehensive consensus recommendations for diagnostic approaches, biologic and clinical characterization, prognostic factors and risk stratification as well as definitions of endpoints and outcomes. Aspects of treatment, management of subgroups and specific situations, aftercare and supportive care are covered in a separate publication. The present recommendation intends to provide guidance for the initial management of adult ALL patients and to define principles as a basis for future collaborative research

Study of a suboptimal control system

A suboptimal controller based on linear quadratic optimal control theory is proposed for multivariable systems. The control law and the transfer function of the controller are derived. It is shown that the plant can be modelized by various dynamic models (state or recursive equations, pulse response sequences) and that the control law is unaffected by time delays in the plant. The influence of control law factors is investigated and illustrated by examples.Anglai

Summary of the PISC II Parametric Studies on the Effect of Defect Characteristics (EDC)

Abstract not availableNA-NOT AVAILABL