P523 Survey to identify patient characteristics, treatment preferences and impact of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on quality of life across 7 countries in Europe

Abstract Background The treatment paradigm for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming increasingly diverse and complex. It is suggested that engaging patients through shared decision-making optimises treatment selection in line with clinical need and patient preference and expectations. This patient survey aimed to explore patients' preferences towards attributes of currently available advanced therapies for IBD as well as the impact of IBD on patients' quality of life (QoL) across 7 countries in Europe. The demographic profile of the study cohort and findings on the patient-rated impact of IBD on QoL are reported here. Methods An online, cross-sectional survey (October 2020 to January 2021) enrolling adults aged ≥18 years who self-reported having and being previously/currently treated for Crohn's disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) was conducted across Europe (France, the UK, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands). Patient perspectives on IBD care and preferences regarding specific attributes of existing treatment options were explored using the Carenity platform and via partnerships with local organisations. This descriptive analysis evaluated the demographic and clinical profile of respondents, treatment management and impact on QoL. Results Overall, 686 patients (CD: 360; UC: 326) across 7 countries completed the survey. Among CD and UC patients, respectively, 71.9% and 57.7% were females; mean age (range) was 48.0 (19.0–77.0) and 50.0 (19.0–82.0) years; and mean disease duration (range) was 13.6 (0.2–49.1) and 11.0 (0.1–68.7) years. Overall, 37.5% of CD patients reported fistulising CD, and 9.4% (CD) and 10.1% (UC) of patients had a stoma or pouch; 76.7% (CD) and 78.5% (UC) of patients were being treated for IBD. Approximately 50.0% of patients with IBD were full-time or part-time employed at the time of survey. Abdominal pain, fatigue, and stool frequency were ranked by 83%, 79%, and 73% patients with CD, respectively, as the symptoms most impacting QoL; 79%, 71%, and 61% patients ranked energy status, general well-being and daily activities, respectively, as the most impacted aspects. Abdominal pain, stool frequency and fatigue were ranked by 73%, 72% and 67% patients with UC, respectively, as the symptoms most impacting QoL; the most impacted aspects were similar to those of patients with CD. Patients in both groups prioritised general well-being, energy status and daily activities as aspects for improvement through treatment. Conclusion This large European survey highlights the most impactful symptoms and QoL aspects from the patient perspective. These findings can support clinical decision-making and treatment strategies to improve treatment outcomes and patient QoL

An Unusual Case of Gastrointestinal Bleeding

A 10-year-old boy presented with a 3-day history of worsening abdominal pain, fever, emesis and melena. Abdominal ultrasound revealed a right upper quadrant mass that was confirmed by computed tomography angiogram (CTA), which showed an 8 cm well-defined retroperitoneal vascular mass. 123Iodine metaiodobenzylguanidine (123MIBG) scan indicated uptake only in the abdominal mass. Subsequent biopsy revealed a paraganglioma that was treated with chemotherapy. This case represents an unusual presentation of a paraganglioma associated with gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and highlights the utility of CTA and 123MIBG in evaluation and treatment

ROS-Mediated Apoptotic Cell Death of Human Colon Cancer LoVo Cells by Milk δ-Valerobetaine

δ-Valerobetaine (δVB) is a constitutive milk metabolite with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Here, we tested the antineoplastic properties of milk δVB on human colorectal cancer cells. CCD 841 CoN (non-tumorigenic), HT-29 (p53 mutant adenocarcinoma) and LoVo (APC/RAS mutant adenocarcinoma) cells were exposed to 3 kDa milk extract, δVB (2 mM) or milk+δVB up to 72 h. Results showed a time- and dose-dependent capability of δVB to inhibit cancer cell viability, with higher potency in LoVo cells. Treatment with milk+δVB arrested cell cycle in G2/M and SubG1 phases by upregulating p21, cyclin A, cyclin B1 and p53 protein expressions. Noteworthy, δVB also increased necrosis (P < 0.01) and when used in combination with milk it improved its activity on live cell reduction (P < 0.05) and necrosis (P < 0.05). δVB-enriched milk activated caspase 3, caspase 9, Bax/Bcl-2 apoptotic pathway and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, whereas no effects on ROS generation were observed in CCD 841 CoN cells. The altered redox homeostasis induced by milk+δVB was accompanied by upregulation of sirtuin 6 (SIRT6). SIRT6 silencing by small interfering RNA blocked autophagy and apoptosis activated by milk+δVB, unveiling the role of this sirtuin in the ROS-mediated apoptotic LoVo cell death

Evaluation of MOSFETs for entrance dose dosimetry for 6 and 10 MV photons with a custom made build up cap

Copyright © 2007 ACPSEM. All rights reserved. The dcoument attached has been archived with permission from the publisher.Commercially available MOSFETs, Thomson and Nielsen TN502-RD, were evaluated for suitability as an entrance dose in vivo dosimeter for 6MV and 10MV. Detector response was normally distributed around a mean (skewness=-0.01±0.24, kurtosis=-0.09±0.48) with a mean of 110.6 mV/Gy, with a standard deviation of 2.4% at 0.86 Gy. The standard deviation of readings increased with decreasing dose and increased at a rate greater than inverse square. The linearity coefficient was 0.9999. No significant dependence on angle, field size, dose rate, energy or time was observed. As such, they would be useful for entrance dose in vivo dosimetry. With a custom made build up cap corrections were required for field size, wedge, beam energy and tray factors, showing that build up cap design is an important consideration for entrance dose in vivo dosimetry using MOSFETs.J. P. Morton, M. Bhat, A. Kovendy and T. Williamshttp://www.acpsem.org.au/journal/abstract/abstract_3002.html#abs0

Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer in families from southern Italy (Sicily)—Prevalence and geographic distribution of pathogenic variants in BRCA1/2 genes

Recent advances in the detection of germline pathogenic variants (PVs) in BRCA1/2 genes have allowed a deeper understanding of the BRCA-related cancer risk. Several studies showed a significant heterogeneity in the prevalence of PVs across different populations. Because little is known about this in the Sicilian population, our study was aimed at investigating the prevalence and geographic distribution of inherited BRCA1/2 PVs in families from this specific geographical area of Southern Italy. We retrospectively collected and analyzed all clinical information of 1346 hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer patients genetically tested for germline BRCA1/2 PVs at University Hospital Policlinico “P. Giaccone” of Palermo from January 1999 to October 2019. Thirty PVs were more frequently observed in the Sicilian population but only some of these showed a specific territorial prevalence, unlike other Italian and European regions. This difference could be attributed to the genetic heterogeneity of the Sicilian people and its historical background. Therefore hereditary breast and ovarian cancers could be predominantly due to BRCA1/2 PVs different from those usually detected in other geographical areas of Italy and Europe. Our investigation led us to hypothesize that a higher prevalence of some germline BRCA PVs in Sicily could be a population-specific genetic feature of BRCA-positive carriers

CZT-Based Harmonic Analysis in Smart Grid Using Low-Cost Electronic Measurement Boards

This paper validates the use of a harmonic analysis algorithm on a microcontroller to perform measurements of non-stationary signals in the context of smart grids. The increasing presence of electronic devices such as inverters of distributed generators (DG), power converters of charging stations for electric vehicles, etc. can drain non-stationary currents during their operation. A classical fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm may not have sufficient spectral resolution for the evaluation of harmonics and inter-harmonics. Thus, in this paper, the implementation of a chirp-Z transform (CZT) algorithm is suggested, which has a spectral resolution independent from the observation window. The CZT is implemented on a low-cost commercial microcontroller, and the absolute error is evaluated with respect to the same algorithm implemented in the LabVIEW environment. The results of the tests show that the CZT implementation on a low-cost microcontroller allows for accurate measurement results, demonstrating the feasibility of reliable harmonic analysis measurements even in non-stationary conditions on smart grids