Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

The European Medicines Agency Review of Pertuzumab for the treatment of adult patients with HER2-positive metastatic or locally recurrent unresectable breast cancer : summary of the scientific assessment of the committee for medicinal products for human use

Pertuzumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody that specifically targets the extracellular dimerization domain (subdomain II) of HER2. Based on the positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on March 4, 2013, a marketing authorization valid throughout the European Union (EU) was issued for pertuzumab (Perjeta) for use in combination with trastuzumab and docetaxel for the treatment of adult patients with HER2-positive metastatic or locally recurrent unresectable breast cancer who have not received previous anti-HER2 therapy or chemotherapy for their metastatic disease. The demonstration of clinical benefit for pertuzumab was based on a single, phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of pertuzumab plus trastuzumab plus docetaxel versus placebo plus trastuzumab plus docetaxel in previously untreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. In the primary analysis, median progression-free survival was 18.5 months in the pertuzumab group compared with 12.4 months in the placebo group (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-0.75; p < .0001). For the secondary endpoints, overall survival (HR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.52-0.84; p = .0008) and objective response rate (80.2% vs. 69.3%) were also favored in the pertuzumab group. Toxicity was similar between groups except for higher incidence of diarrhea, rash, mucosal inflammation, dry skin, and neutropenia for pertuzumab compared with placebo. This paper summarizes the scientific review of the application leading to approval in the EU. The detailed scientific assessment report and product information, including the summary of product characteristics, are available on the EMA website (http://www.ema.europa.eu)

On Charge Carrier Recombination in Sb2S3 and Its Implication for the Performance of Solar Cells

International audienceSb2S3 is widely considered to be an attractive photovoltaic material based on abundant, nontoxic elements. However, the maximum efficiency reported for solar cells based on this semiconductor does not exceed 6.5%. We have measured light intensity-dependent J-V curves, transient microwave photoconductivity, steady-state photocurrent grating, modulated photocurrent, and photoconductivity on Sb2S3-based samples. All techniques converge toward the same observation: the main recombination route controlling the density of charge carriers in the absorber is of an order greater than one and appears to stem from an exponentially decaying density of tail states within the conduction band of the material. This conclusion has direct and drastic implications for the performance of Sb2S3-based solar cells