The rocky intertidal biotopes of Helgoland: present and past

Abstract: Nineteen of the 57 littoral rocky shore biotopes and 4 of the 26 variants as well as 1 sublittoral fringe biotope classified for Britain and Ireland have been recorded on Helgoland in this baseline study. Most of the wave-cut platform is at sublittoral and lower littoral levels and most high eulittoral biotopes are confined to narrow zones on seawalls. Large areas of gently sloping lower eulittoral and also boulder areas adjacent to seawalls are characterised by a mixture of two or more biotopes. Only 4 of the 23 littoral biotopes and variants are characterised by faunal species. Comparison with past descriptions of intertidal communities suggests continuing presence of most of the autochthonous biotopes over the past 80 years but also change due to the invasion of the macroalgae Mastocarpus stellatus and Sargassum muticum over the past 20 years. One previously recorded cave biotope and a sublittoral seagrass site have become extinct due to habitat loss while other biotopes probably have extended their range due to habitat increase. The presence of 4 intertidal biotopes (20%) considered rare or scarce in Britain supports the recognition of Helgoland as a site of special conservation in a regional and international context

Phase II trial of ipilimumab in melanoma patients with preexisting humoural immune response to NY-ESO-1

Background: Immune checkpoint therapy has dramatically changed treatment options in patients with metastatic melanoma. However, a relevant part of patients still does not respond to treatment. Data regarding the prognostic or predictive significance of preexisting immune responses against tumour antigens are conflicting. Retrospective data suggested a higher clinical benefit of ipilimumab in melanoma patients with preexisting NY-ESO-1-specific immunity. Patients and methods: Twenty-five patients with previously untreated or treated metastatic melanoma and preexisting humoural immune response against NY-ESO-1 received ipilimumab at a dose of 10 mg/kg in week 1, 4, 7, 10 followed by 3-month maintenance treatment for a maximum of 48 weeks. Primary endpoint was the disease control rate (irCR, irPR or irSD) according to immune-related response criteria (irRC). Secondary endpoints included the disease control rate according to RECIST criteria, progression-free survival and overall survival (OS). Humoural and cellular immune responses against NY-ESO-1 were analysed from blood samples. Results: Disease control rate according to irRC was 52%, irPR was observed in 36% of patients. Progression-free survival according to irRC was 7.8 months, according to RECIST criteria it was 2.9 months. Median OS was 22.7 months; the corresponding 1-year survival rate was 66.8%. Treatment-related grade 3 AEs occurred in 36% with no grade 4-5 AEs. No clear association was found between the presence of NY-ESO-1-specific cellular or humoural immune responses and clinical activity. Conclusion: Ipilimumab demonstrated clinically relevant activity within this biomarker-defined population. NY-ESO-1 positivity, as a surrogate for a preexisting immune response against tumour antigens, might help identifying patients with a superior outcome from immune checkpoint blockade. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved