Multi-Pluridisciplinary approach of the evolution of the agro-pastural activities in the surroundings of the " narse d'Espinasse " (French Massif Central, Puy de Dôme).

The ldquonarserdquo or peat marsh of Espinasse (Saulzet-le-Froid district) situated in the southern part of the Chaîne des Puys has been the subject of a new pollen analysis concentrating on the anthropogenic impact on vegetation evolution since the Sub-Boreal. Human occupation of the surroundings of the narse is dated as early as the Neolithic, which is usual for the region. There is nevertheless an isolated record of Fagopyrum related to the Neolithic. This is a unique occurrence in the Massif Central. For successive periods and up to the recent past, a dynamic of various anthropization phases has been reconstructed. The combination of palynological data with archaeological and historical sources has for certain periods, mainly from the 11th to 13th centuries, provided new insights on the social and technical management of the territory. Furthermore, geochemical and micromorphological characterisation of sedimentary organic matter has led to the identification of erosive crises and silting which would have followed massive tree cutting in the region. On the local scale, the highly degraded organic matter at the top of the peat profile is the consequence of the current drainage of the marsh

Different prognostic impact of recurrent gene mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia depending on IGHV gene somatic hypermutation status: a study by ERIC in HARMONY

Recent evidence suggests that the prognostic impact of gene mutations in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may differ depending on the immunoglobulin heavy variable (IGHV) gene somatic hypermutation (SHM) status. In this study, we assessed the impact of nine recurrently mutated genes (BIRC3, EGR2, MYD88, NFKBIE, NOTCH1, POT1, SF3B1, TP53, and XPO1) in pre-treatment samples from 4580 patients with CLL, using time-to-first-treatment (TTFT) as the primary end-point in relation to IGHV gene SHM status. Mutations were detected in 1588 (34.7%) patients at frequencies ranging from 2.3-9.8% with mutations in NOTCH1 being the most frequent. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, mutations in all genes except MYD88 were associated with a significantly shorter TTFT. In multivariate analysis of Binet stage A patients, performed separately for IGHV-mutated (M-CLL) and unmutated CLL (U-CLL), a different spectrum of gene alterations independently predicted short TTFT within the two subgroups. While SF3B1 and XPO1 mutations were independent prognostic variables in both U-CLL and M-CLL, TP53, BIRC3 and EGR2 aberrations were significant predictors only in U-CLL, and NOTCH1 and NFKBIE only in M-CLL. Our findings underscore the need for a compartmentalized approach to identify high-risk patients, particularly among M-CLL patients, with potential implications for stratified management

Testing the Effect of Relative Pollen Productivity on the REVEALS Model : A Validated Reconstruction of Europe-Wide Holocene Vegetation

Reliable quantitative vegetation reconstructions for Europe during the Holocene are crucial to improving our understanding of landscape dynamics, making it possible to assess the past effects of environmental variables and land-use change on ecosystems and biodiversity, and mitigating their effects in the future. We present here the most spatially extensive and temporally continuous pollen-based reconstructions of plant cover in Europe (at a spatial resolution of 1° × 1°) over the Holocene (last 11.7 ka BP) using the 'Regional Estimates of VEgetation Abundance from Large Sites' (REVEALS) model. This study has three main aims. First, to present the most accurate and reliable generation of REVEALS reconstructions across Europe so far. This has been achieved by including a larger number of pollen records compared to former analyses, in particular from the Mediterranean area. Second, to discuss methodological issues in the quantification of past land cover by using alternative datasets of relative pollen productivities (RPPs), one of the key input parameters of REVEALS, to test model sensitivity. Finally, to validate our reconstructions with the global forest change dataset. The results suggest that the RPPs.st1 (31 taxa) dataset is best suited to producing regional vegetation cover estimates for Europe. These reconstructions offer a long-term perspective providing unique possibilities to explore spatial-temporal changes in past land cover and biodiversity

Making clinical decisions based on measurable residual disease improves the outcome in multiple myeloma.

The assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow has proven of prognostic relevance in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Nevertheless, and unlike other hematologic malignancies, the use of MRD results to make clinical decisions in MM has been underexplored to date. In this retrospective study, we present the results from a multinational and multicenter series of 400 patients with MRD monitoring during front-line therapy with the aim of exploring how clinical decisions made based on those MRD results affected outcomes. As expected, achievement of MRD negativity at any point was associated with improved PFS versus persistent MRD positivity (median PFS 104 vs. 45 months, p < 0.0001). In addition, however, 67 out of 400 patients underwent a clinical decision (treatment discontinuation, intensification or initiation of a new therapy) based on MRD results. Those patients in whom a treatment change was made showed a prolonged PFS in comparison with those 333 patients in which MRD results were not acted upon (respectively, mPFS 104 vs. 62 months, p = 0.005). In patients who achieved MRD negativity during maintenance (n = 186) on at least one occasion, stopping therapy in 24 patients vs. continuing in 162 did not alter PFS (mPFS 120 months vs. 82 months, p = 0.1). Most importantly, however, in patients with a positive MRD during maintenance (n = 214), a clinical decision (either intensification or change of therapy) (n = 43) resulted in better PFS compared to patients in whom no adjustment was made (n = 171) (mPFS NA vs. 39 months, p = 0.02). Interestingly, there were no significant differences when MRD was assessed by flow cytometry or by next-generation sequencing. Herein, we find that MRD is useful in guiding clinical decisions during initial therapy and has a positive impact on PFS in MM patients. This potentially opens a new dimension for the use of MRD in MM, but this role still remains to be confirmed in prospective, randomized clinical trials

Making clinical decisions based on measurable residual disease improves the outcome in multiple myeloma.

The assessment of measurable residual disease (MRD) in bone marrow has proven of prognostic relevance in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Nevertheless, and unlike other hematologic malignancies, the use of MRD results to make clinical decisions in MM has been underexplored to date. In this retrospective study, we present the results from a multinational and multicenter series of 400 patients with MRD monitoring during front-line therapy with the aim of exploring how clinical decisions made based on those MRD results affected outcomes. As expected, achievement of MRD negativity at any point was associated with improved PFS versus persistent MRD positivity (median PFS 104 vs. 45 months, p < 0.0001). In addition, however, 67 out of 400 patients underwent a clinical decision (treatment discontinuation, intensification or initiation of a new therapy) based on MRD results. Those patients in whom a treatment change was made showed a prolonged PFS in comparison with those 333 patients in which MRD results were not acted upon (respectively, mPFS 104 vs. 62 months, p = 0.005). In patients who achieved MRD negativity during maintenance (n = 186) on at least one occasion, stopping therapy in 24 patients vs. continuing in 162 did not alter PFS (mPFS 120 months vs. 82 months, p = 0.1). Most importantly, however, in patients with a positive MRD during maintenance (n = 214), a clinical decision (either intensification or change of therapy) (n = 43) resulted in better PFS compared to patients in whom no adjustment was made (n = 171) (mPFS NA vs. 39 months, p = 0.02). Interestingly, there were no significant differences when MRD was assessed by flow cytometry or by next-generation sequencing. Herein, we find that MRD is useful in guiding clinical decisions during initial therapy and has a positive impact on PFS in MM patients. This potentially opens a new dimension for the use of MRD in MM, but this role still remains to be confirmed in prospective, randomized clinical trials

Different Prognostic Impact of Recurrent Gene Mutations in IGHV-Mutated and IGHV-Unmutated Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Retrospective, Multi-Center Cohort Study By Eric, the European Research Initiative on CLL, in Harmony

Abstract The mutational status of the immunoglobuin heavy variable (IGHV) genes is an undisputable strong prognostic factor that subdivides patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) into 2 subgroups, i.e. IGHV-unmutated CLL (U-CLL) and IGHV-mutated CLL (M-CLL). U-CLL and M-CLL have distinct landscapes of genomic aberrations as well as distinct prognosis, since U-CLL is considerably more aggressive than M-CLL. That said, there is considerable clinical heterogeneity among M-CLL patients, ranging from patients without need of treatment to patients requiring early therapeutic intervention, indicating the need to further refine prognosis in this subgroup. In recent years, it has become evident that the prognostic impact of genomic aberrations may differ depending on IGHV gene mutational status. Hence, defining genomic aberrations with prognostic impact in M-CLL patients may help identifying patients with an predicted unfavorable prognosis within this subgroup, with obvious implications for management of follow up and therapy choice. To study the clinical impact of recurrent gene mutations in relation to IGHV gene mutational status, we collected a large, multi-center cohort including 4,674 patients with CLL [median age at diagnosis, 64.5 years; male/female, n=2,962 (63%)/n=1,712 (37%); Binet stage A (n=3,369, 74%), B (n=827, 18%), and C (n=387, 8%); IGHV-mutated (M-CLL, n=2,498, 56%) and IGHV-unmutated (U-CLL, n=1,927, 44%); isolated del(13q) (n=1,868, 41%), trisomy 12 (n=571, 13%), del(11q) (n=503, 11%), and del(17p) (n=249, 5.5%); treated (n=2,745, 59%) and untreated (n=1,929, 41%)] and performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) and/or Sanger sequencing of 9 genes (BIRC3, EGR2, NFKBIE, MYD88, NOTCH1, POT1, SF3B1, TP53, and XPO1) on pre-treatment samples. Overall, pathogenic mutations in any of these genes were detected in 1720/4674 patients (36.8%, using a variant allele frequency cutoff of 5% for NGS), while the remaining patients were wildtype; 2 mutations were observed in 361 patients (7.7%) and 3 or more mutations in 58 patients (1.2%). The mutation frequency for the individual genes was: TP53 (10.4%, including TP53 mutations and/or del(17p)), NOTCH1 (10.1%, 3'UTR mutations not included), SF3B1 (9.3%), XPO1 (3.9%), POT1 (3.8%), NFKBIE (3.7%), BIRC3 (3.0%), EGR2 (2.5%) and MYD88 (2.5%; Figure 1A). Except for MYD88, gene mutations in each of the investigated genes were associated with significantly shorter time-to-first-treatment (TTFT) in univariate analysis. In multivariate analysis of Binet stage A patients (n=3,369; including all genes, IGHV gene mutational status, age at diagnosis and gender), SF3B1 (Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.79; p<0.001) , BIRC3 mutations (HR 1.50; p=0.004), XPO1 (HR 1.29; p=0.020), EGR2 (HR 1.42; p=0.021) and TP53 aberrations (HR 1.21; p=0.028), along with unmutated IGHV genes (HR 4.21; p<0.001) and male gender (HR 1.12; p=0.027) remained as independent factors for shorter TTFT. In a multivariate model focusing on M-CLL Binet stage A patients (n=2,049), SF3B1 (HR 2.72; p<0.001), NOTCH1 (HR 1.65; p=0.006), XPO1 (HR 2.21; p=0.021) and NFKBIE mutations (HR 1.74; p=0.025) were independent markers of poor TTFT (Figure 1B), while conversely in U-CLL Binet stage A cases (n=1157), SF3B1 mutations (HR 1.49; p<0.001), TP53 aberrations (HR 1.30; p=0.011), BIRC3 mutations (HR 1.49; p=0.016) and male gender (HR 1.20; p=0.012) were significant factors for shorter TTFT (Figure 1C). In summary, different spectra of genetic mutations independently predicted short TTFT in M-CLL and U-CLL, respectively, with SF3B1 mutations as the only aberration found to be significant predictor of shorter time to first treatment in both subgroups. Importantly, mutations within several genes (i.e. SF3B1, NOTCH1, XPO1 and NFKBIE) identified patients in the M-CLL subgroup with a high-risk profile; conversely, TP53 mutations did not affect TTFT in this subgroup. On these grounds, we suggest to include analysis of recurrent gene mutations to identify high-risk patients within the M-CLL subgroup. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures Brieghel: AstraZeneca: Consultancy. Rossi: Janssen: Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Research Funding; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria, Research Funding; Verastem: Honoraria, Research Funding; Roche: Honoraria, Research Funding; Cellestia: Honoraria, Research Funding. Scarfo: Astra Zeneca: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria, Other: Travel grants. Mattsson: Gilead: Research Funding. Baliakas: Janssen: Honoraria; Gilead: Honoraria, Research Funding; Abbvie: Honoraria. Martinez-Lopez: Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bristol Myers Squibb: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; GSK: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. de la Serna: AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Beigene, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Jazzpharma, Novartis, Roche: Consultancy; ABBVIE, ASTRAZENECA,ROCHE: Research Funding; AbbVie, AstraZeneca, Roche: Speakers Bureau. Hernández Rivas: Amgen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Celgene/BMS: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Smedby: Jansen-Cilag: Other: part of a research collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV for which Karolinska Institutet has received grant support. Bullinger: Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy; Daiichi Sankyo: Consultancy, Honoraria; Hexal: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Menarini: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Astellas: Honoraria; Sanofi: Honoraria; Seattle Genetics: Honoraria; Bayer: Research Funding. Bosch: TAKEDA: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Gilead: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Janssen: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel. Terol: BMS: Consultancy; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Abbvie: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, Research Funding; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel; Hospital Clinico Valencia: Current Employment. Cuneo: AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Gaidano: Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Astrazeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Abbvie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Niemann: Novo Nordisk Foundation: Research Funding; CSL Behring, Genmab, Takeda, Octapharma: Consultancy; Abbvie, AstraZeneca, Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding. Ghia: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Sunesis: Research Funding; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Acerta/AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; ArQule/MSD: Consultancy, Honoraria; BeiGene: Consultancy, Honoraria; Celgene/Juno/BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Research Funding. Rosenquist: Roche: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria; Illumina: Honoraria; AstraZeneca: Honoraria; Abbvie: Honoraria

COVID-19 in patients with CLL: improved survival outcomes and update on management strategies

Lette

Different prognostic impact of recurrent gene mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia depending on IGHV gene somatic hypermutation status: a study by ERIC in HARMONY

International audienceRecent evidence suggests that the prognostic impact of gene mutations in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) may differ depending on the immunoglobulin heavy variable (IGHV) gene somatic hypermutation (SHM) status. In this study, we assessed the impact of nine recurrently mutated genes ( BIRC3 , EGR2 , MYD88, NFKBIE , NOTCH1 , POT1 , SF3B1, TP53 , and XPO1 ) in pre-treatment samples from 4580 patients with CLL, using time-to-first-treatment (TTFT) as the primary end-point in relation to IGHV gene SHM status. Mutations were detected in 1588 (34.7%) patients at frequencies ranging from 2.3–9.8% with mutations in NOTCH1 being the most frequent. In both univariate and multivariate analyses, mutations in all genes except MYD88 were associated with a significantly shorter TTFT. In multivariate analysis of Binet stage A patients, performed separately for IGHV-mutated (M-CLL) and unmutated CLL (U-CLL), a different spectrum of gene alterations independently predicted short TTFT within the two subgroups. While SF3B1 and XPO1 mutations were independent prognostic variables in both U-CLL and M-CLL, TP53 , BIRC3 and EGR2 aberrations were significant predictors only in U-CLL, and NOTCH1 and NFKBIE only in M-CLL. Our findings underscore the need for a compartmentalized approach to identify high-risk patients, particularly among M-CLL patients, with potential implications for stratified management