Phase 2b Controlled Trial of M72/AS01E Vaccine to Prevent Tuberculosis.

BACKGROUND: A vaccine to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis is needed. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis vaccine in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-negative adults 18 to 50 years of age with latent M. tuberculosis infection (by interferon-γ release assay) were randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive two doses of either M72/AS01E or placebo intramuscularly 1 month apart. Most participants had previously received the bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccine. We assessed the safety of M72/AS01E and its efficacy against progression to bacteriologically confirmed active pulmonary tuberculosis disease. Clinical suspicion of tuberculosis was confirmed with sputum by means of a polymerase-chain-reaction test, mycobacterial culture, or both. RESULTS: We report the primary analysis (conducted after a mean of 2.3 years of follow-up) of the ongoing trial. A total of 1786 participants received M72/AS01E and 1787 received placebo, and 1623 and 1660 participants in the respective groups were included in the according-to-protocol efficacy cohort. A total of 10 participants in the M72/AS01E group met the primary case definition (bacteriologically confirmed active pulmonary tuberculosis, with confirmation before treatment), as compared with 22 participants in the placebo group (incidence, 0.3 cases vs. 0.6 cases per 100 person-years). The vaccine efficacy was 54.0% (90% confidence interval [CI], 13.9 to 75.4; 95% CI, 2.9 to 78.2; P=0.04). Results for the total vaccinated efficacy cohort were similar (vaccine efficacy, 57.0%; 90% CI, 19.9 to 76.9; 95% CI, 9.7 to 79.5; P=0.03). There were more unsolicited reports of adverse events in the M72/AS01E group (67.4%) than in the placebo group (45.4%) within 30 days after injection, with the difference attributed mainly to injection-site reactions and influenza-like symptoms. Serious adverse events, potential immune-mediated diseases, and deaths occurred with similar frequencies in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: M72/AS01E provided 54.0% protection for M. tuberculosis-infected adults against active pulmonary tuberculosis disease, without evident safety concerns. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Aeras; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01755598 .)

Genotype-stratified treatment for monogenic insulin resistance: a systematic review

This is the final version. Available from Nature Research via the DOI in this record. Data availability: All data used in this review is available from publicly available and herein referenced sources. A list of included studies is provided in Supplementary Data 1. All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. Source data for the figures are available as Supplementary Data 2.BACKGROUND: Monogenic insulin resistance (IR) includes lipodystrophy and disorders of insulin signalling. We sought to assess the effects of interventions in monogenic IR, stratified by genetic aetiology. METHODS: Systematic review using PubMed, MEDLINE and Embase (1 January 1987 to 23 June 2021). Studies reporting individual-level effects of pharmacologic and/or surgical interventions in monogenic IR were eligible. Individual data were extracted and duplicates were removed. Outcomes were analysed for each gene and intervention, and in aggregate for partial, generalised and all lipodystrophy. RESULTS: 10 non-randomised experimental studies, 8 case series, and 23 case reports meet inclusion criteria, all rated as having moderate or serious risk of bias. Metreleptin use is associated with the lowering of triglycerides and haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in all lipodystrophy (n = 111), partial (n = 71) and generalised lipodystrophy (n = 41), and in LMNA, PPARG, AGPAT2 or BSCL2 subgroups (n = 72,13,21 and 21 respectively). Body Mass Index (BMI) is lowered in partial and generalised lipodystrophy, and in LMNA or BSCL2, but not PPARG or AGPAT2 subgroups. Thiazolidinediones are associated with improved HbA1c and triglycerides in all lipodystrophy (n = 13), improved HbA1c in PPARG (n = 5), and improved triglycerides in LMNA (n = 7). In INSR-related IR, rhIGF-1, alone or with IGFBP3, is associated with improved HbA1c (n = 17). The small size or absence of other genotype-treatment combinations preclude firm conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence guiding genotype-specific treatment of monogenic IR is of low to very low quality. Metreleptin and Thiazolidinediones appear to improve metabolic markers in lipodystrophy, and rhIGF-1 appears to lower HbA1c in INSR-related IR. For other interventions, there is insufficient evidence to assess efficacy and risks in aggregated lipodystrophy or genetic subgroups.Wellcome TrustWellcome Trus

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

Multiphoton imaging of actin filament formation and mitochondrial energetics of human ACBT gliomas.

We studied the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of actin filaments and mitochondria in relation to ACBT glioblastoma cells migration. We embedded the cells in the spheroid form within collagen hydrogels and imaged them by in situ multiphoton microscopy (MPM). The static 3D overlay of the distribution of actin filaments and mitochondria provided a greater understanding of cell-to-cell and cell-to-substrate interactions and morphology. While imaging mitochondria to obtain ratiometric redox index based on cellular fluorescence from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and oxidized flavin adenine dinucleotide we observed differential sensitivity of the migrating ACBT glioblastoma cells to femtosecond laser irradiation employed in MPM. We imaged actin-green fluorescent protein fluorescence in live ACBT glioma cells and for the first time observed dynamic modulation of the pools of actin during migration in 3D. The MPM imaging, which probes cells directly within the 3D cancer models, could potentially aid in working out a link between the functional performance of mitochondria, actin distribution and cancer invasiveness

Phase 2b controlled trial of M72/AS01E vaccine to prevent tuberculosis

CITATION: Van der Meeren, O. et al. 2018. Phase 2b controlled trial of M72/AS01E vaccine to prevent tuberculosis. New England Journal of Medicine, 379:1621-1634, doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1803484.The original publication is available at https://www.nejm.orgBACKGROUND: A vaccine to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis is needed. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial of the M72/AS01E tuberculosis vaccine in Kenya, South Africa, and Zambia. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–negative adults 18 to 50 years of age with latent M. tuberculosis infection (by interferon-γ release assay) were randomly assigned (in a 1:1 ratio) to receive two doses of either M72/AS01E or placebo intramuscularly 1 month apart. Most participants had previously received the bacille Calmette–Guérin vaccine. We assessed the safety of M72/AS01E and its efficacy against progression to bacteriologically confirmed active pulmonary tuberculosis disease. Clinical suspicion of tuberculosis was confirmed with sputum by means of a polymerase-chain-reaction test, mycobacterial culture, or both. RESULTS: We report the primary analysis (conducted after a mean of 2.3 years of follow-up) of the ongoing trial. A total of 1786 participants received M72/AS01E and 1787 received placebo, and 1623 and 1660 participants in the respective groups were included in the according-to-protocol efficacy cohort. A total of 10 participants in the M72/AS01E group met the primary case definition (bacteriologically confirmed active pulmonary tuberculosis, with confirmation before treatment), as compared with 22 participants in the placebo group (incidence, 0.3 cases vs. 0.6 cases per 100 person-years). The vaccine efficacy was 54.0% (90% confidence interval [CI], 13.9 to 75.4; 95% CI, 2.9 to 78.2; P=0.04). Results for the total vaccinated efficacy cohort were similar (vaccine efficacy, 57.0%; 90% CI, 19.9 to 76.9; 95% CI, 9.7 to 79.5; P=0.03). There were more unsolicited reports of adverse events in the M72/AS01E group (67.4%) than in the placebo group (45.4%) within 30 days after injection, with the difference attributed mainly to injection-site reactions and influenza-like symptoms. Serious adverse events, potential immune-mediated diseases, and deaths occurred with similar frequencies in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: M72/AS01E provided 54.0% protection for M. tuberculosis–infected adults against active pulmonary tuberculosis disease, without evident safety concerns. (Funded by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals and Aeras; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01755598. opens in new tab.)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1803484Publisher's versio

Maturation of rat cerebellar Purkinje cells reveals an atypical Ca2+ channel current that is inhibited by ω-agatoxin IVA and the dihydropyridine (−)-(S)-Bay K8644

To determine if the properties of Ca2+ channels in cerebellar Purkinje cells change during postnatal development, we recorded Ca2+ channel currents from Purkinje cells in cerebellar slices of mature (postnatal days (P) 40–50) and immature (P13–20) rats. We found that at P40–50, the somatic Ca2+ channel current was inhibited by ω-agatoxin IVA at concentrations selective for P-type Ca2+ channels (∼85%; IC50, <1 nm) and by the dihydropyridine (–)-(S)-Bay K8644 (∼70%; IC50, ∼40 nm). (−)-(S)-Bay K8644 is known to activate L-type Ca2+ channels, but the decrease in current was not secondary to the activation of L-type channels because inhibition by (−)-(S)-Bay K8644 persisted in the presence of the L-type channel blocker (R,S)-nimodipine. By contrast, at P13–20, the current was inhibited by ω-agatoxin IVA (∼86%; IC50, ∼1 nm) and a minor component was inhibited by (R,S)-nimodipine (∼8%). The dihydropyridine (−)-(S)-Bay K8644 had no clear effect when applied alone, but in the presence of (R,S)-nimodipine it reduced the current (∼40%), suggesting that activation of L-type channels by (−)-(S)-Bay K8644 masks its inhibition of non-L-type channels. Our findings indicate that Purkinje neurons express a previously unrecognized type of Ca2+ channel that is inhibited by ω-agatoxin IVA, like prototypical P-type channels, and by (−)-(S)-Bay K8644, unlike classical P-type or L-type channels. During maturation, there is a decrease in the size of the L-type current and an increase in the size of the atypical Ca2+ channel current. These changes may contribute to the maturation of the electrical properties of Purkinje cells