ALBERT

Description: Arsenic is a toxic metalloid with known adverse effects on human health. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) genes, including GSTT1, GSTP1, and GSTM1, play a major role in detoxification and metabolism of xenobiotics. We investigated the association between GST genotypes and whole blood arsenic concentrations (BASC) in Jamaican children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used data from 100 ASD cases and their 1:1 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls (age 2–8 years) from Jamaica. Using log-transformed BASC as the dependent variable in a General Linear Model, we observed a significant interaction between GSTP1 and ASD case status while controlling for several confounding variables. However, for GSTT1 and GSTM1 we did not observe any significant associations with BASC. Our findings indicate that TD children who had the Ile/Ile or Ile/Val genotype for GSTP1 had a significantly higher geometric mean BASC than those with genotype Val/Val (3.67 µg/L vs. 2.69 µg/L, p 〈 0.01). Although, among the ASD cases, this difference was not statistically significant, the direction of the observed difference was consistent with that of the TD control children. These findings suggest a possible role of GSTP1 in the detoxification of arsenic.

Description: Aluminum is a neurotoxic metal with known health effects in animals and humans. Glutathione-S-transferase (GST) genes and enzymes play a major role in detoxification of several heavy metals. Besides a direct relationship with oxidative stress; aluminum decreases GST enzyme activities. Using data from 116 Jamaican children; age 2–8 years; with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and 116 sex- and age-matched typically developing (TD) children; we investigated the association of polymorphisms in three GST genes (GSTP1; GSTM1; and GSTT1) with mean blood aluminum concentrations in children with and without ASD. Using log-transformed blood aluminum concentration as the dependent variable in a linear regression model; we assessed the additive and interactive effects of ASD status and polymorphisms in the three aforementioned GST genes in relation to blood aluminum concentrations. Although none of the additive effects were statistically significant (all p > 0.16); we observed a marginally significant interaction between GSTP1 Ile105Val (rs1695) and ASD status (p = 0.07); even after controlling for parental education level and consumption of avocado; root vegetables; and tuna (canned fish). Our findings indicate a significantly lower (p 〈 0.03) adjusted geometric mean blood aluminum concentration for TD children who had the Val/Val genotype (14.57 µg/L); compared with those with Ile/Ile or Ile/Val genotypes who had an adjusted geometric mean of 23.75 µg/L. However; this difference was not statistically significant among the ASD cases (p = 0.76). Our findings indicate that ASD status may be a potential effect modifier when assessing the association between GSTP1 rs1695 and blood aluminum concentrations among Jamaican children. These findings require replication in other populations.

Description: Introduction: The Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib (IB) is a standard therapy for previously untreated CLL patients. While therapy is currently indicated only for patients with progressive, symptomatic disease, the introduction of targeted therapies in CLL has re-opened the question of whether asymptomatic high risk patients would benefit from early intervention. As well, even in early stages CLL is associated with profound cellular, humoral and innate immune suppression and patients with CLL respond poorly to routine vaccinations. IB has been shown to reverse disease mediated immune dysfunction partly through Th1 skewing. We undertook a phase 2 study of IB in asymptomatic high risk CLL patients who did not otherwise require therapy to evaluate: 1) the safety and efficacy of 2 years of IB in this clinical setting and 2) ability of IB to improve the efficacy of routine vaccines. Methods: This is a single-stage phase II study of IB in previously untreated asymptomatic, genetically high-risk patients with CLL, who did not meet IWCLL treatment criteria. High risk genomics were defined as del(11)(q22.3), del(17)(p13.1), unmutated IGHV, and/or complex karyotype (≥3 cytogenetic abnormalities). Patients were randomized to receive IB 420mg PO daily either concurrent with the pneumococcal (PCV13), influenza and TdaP vaccines (Arm A) or following vaccination (Arm B) for a total of 27 cycles (2 years). The primary objective of the study was to determine the safety and 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) of asymptomatic, high-risk CLL patients treated with IB. Secondary objectives include determination of safety and immune responses to vaccines in relation to IB administration, development of resistance, and quality-of-life (QOL). QOL measures assessed general QOL (SF-12, EORTC), anxiety (GAD-7) and depression (PHQ-9). Results: Forty-four patients (pts; 21 in Arm A, 23 in Arm B) were enrolled from 1/2016 to 6/2017, with a median age of 58 (range 35-82). Sixty-six percent of pts were male and all were high-risk: 91% with unmutated IGHV, 14% with del(17)(p13.1), 34% with del(11)(q22.3), and 24% with complex karyotype (≥ 3 abnormalities). Median follow-up is 2.6 years (range: 0.2-3.2). Excluding 2 patients in Arm B who progressed prior to receipt of IB, 2-year PFS was 92%. From a landmark of 2-years and including 33 patients who reached this point and discontinued IB, 6-month PFS was 87% (95% CI: 69-95%; Figure 1). Of 9 pts who progressed after IB discontinuation, 3 have not required further treatment, 5 restarted IB or acalabrutinib, and 1 started venetoclax/rituximab, and all responded. For PCV13, in Arm A, 15/16 patients showed a significant increase in antibody titer 2 cycles following vaccination, but response disappeared by cycle 12. In Arm B, 3/13 patients had an increase in antibody titer, with no increase following second vaccination. For influenza, patients in Arm B showed a significant response to influenza A vaccination, while patients in both arms responded to influenza B vaccination. IB was generally well tolerated, and only one pt discontinued treatment due to toxicity (atrial fibrillation). Grade 3+ toxicities that occurred in 〉2% of patients included anemia (7%), atrial fibrillation (11%), dental caries (7%), hyperglycemia (7%), hypertension (43%), and neutropenia (7%). At baseline, patients' reports of physical health-related (M=48.52, SD=7.96) and mental health-related quality of life (M=52.20, SD=8.57) similar to U.S population norms, along with moderately high global health (M=78.49 of 100, SD = 20.51). Additionally, patients' anxiety (M=3.56, SD=4.71) and depressive symptom reports (M=3.65, SD=4.46) were in the "none/mild" range. There was no significant change in the latter measure from baseline to 12 months (p〉0.25), excepting anxiety which slightly decreased (M=1.31, SD=2.33; F(3,44)=5.94, p

Description: Introduction. Our previous flow cytometry-based comparison of HIV(+) and HIV(-) autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (auto-HSCT) recipient immunomes at 56, 180 and 365 days post-transplant to each other and to healthy controls (HCs) showed that both sets of auto-HSCT recipient immunomes approached HCs over time, but retained significant differences. HIV(+), but not HIV(-), auto-AHCT recipients retained pro-inflammatory features consistent with chronic HIV infection. Here, we report the results of a quantitative and functional analysis of immune reconstitution in HIV(+) patients treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT), in comparison with HIV(+) auto-HSCT recipients and HCs. Methods. Blood samples were collected for analysis at days 56, 180 and 365 post-transplant from HIV(+) transplant recipients and at 1 time point from HCs. Whole blood analysis was performed by five-color flow cytometry across 100 immune marker combinations. Comparisons were made between HIV(+) allo-HSCT recipients (n=17, acute myeloid leukemia, acute lymphocytic leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma that received myeloablative or reduced intensity conditioning on the BMT-CTN-0903/AMC-080 trial), HIV(+) auto-HSCT recipients (n=36, aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma or Hodgkin lymphoma that received myeloablative conditioning on the BMT-CTN-0803/AMC-071 trial) and 71 HCs. Unsupervised principal component analysis (PCA) examined differences in immune cell proportions, identified by flow cytometry across 100 cell subsets at each time point. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests compared median absolute counts and median proportions of cell subsets. An independent feature importance score analysis (FIS) identified contributions of immune cell populations expressing specific immune marker combinations to the differences between HIV(+) auto-HSCT recipients, HIV(+) allo-HSCT recipients and HCs. Functional responsiveness of HIV(+) allo-HSCT recipients' T cells to stimulation with CD3- and CD28-directed antibodies, NK cells to stimulation with IL-12 and IL-18 and monocytes to stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was assessed in a preliminary mass cytometry on peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated at the same time points (n=2) and compared to HCs (n=2). Results. PCA showed that immunomes of HIV(+) allo-HSCT recipients and HIV(+) auto-HSCT recipients clustered together with each other, but away from HCs at all time points throughout the post-transplant year. FIS identified: 1) 13 cell subsets that defined the difference between HIV(+) allo-HSCT recipients (all visits) and HCs, and 2) 11 immune cell subsets that defined the difference between HIV(+) auto-HSCT recipients (all visits) and HCs; in both of these comparisons, activated CD3+/HLA-DR+ T cells had the greatest impact on the difference between HIV(+) and HC immunomes. At 1 year, both HIV(+) transplant recipient cohorts had higher absolute numbers of activated T cells, effector T cells and CD8+ T cells than HCs (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, p

Description: Hairy cell leukemia is a rare B-cell malignancy where there is a need for novel treatments for patients who do not benefit from purine analogues. Ibrutinib, an oral agent targeting Bruton tyrosine kinase in the B-cell receptor signaling pathway, is highly effective in several malignancies. Its activity in HCL was unknown. Therefore, we conducted a multisite phase 2 study (NCT01841723) of oral ibrutinib in patients with either relapsed classic or variant hairy cell leukemia. The primary outcome measure was the overall response rate at 32 weeks with response at 48 weeks and best response during treatment also assessed. Key secondary objectives were characterization of toxicity and determination of progression-free and overall survival. Thirty-seven patients were enrolled (24 at 420mg, 13 at 840mg). The median duration of follow-up was 3.5 years (range 0-5.9). The overall response rate at 32 weeks was 24% which increased to 36% at 48 weeks. The best overall response rate was 54%. The estimated 36-month progression-free and overall survivals were 73% and 85%, respectively. The most frequent adverse events were diarrhea (59%), fatigue (54%), myalgia (54%), and nausea (51%). Hematologic adverse events were common with anemia (43%), thrombocytopenia (41%), and neutropenia (35%). Ibrutinib can be safely administered to hairy cell leukemia patients with objective responses and results in prolonged disease control. While the initial primary outcome objective of the study was not met, the observation of objective responses in heavily pretreated patients coupled with a favorable progression-free survival suggest that ibrutinib may be beneficial in these patients.