Obesity (Silver Spring)
The Breast Cancer Weight Loss (BWEL) trial is a randomized controlled trial designed to determine whether weight loss after a breast cancer diagnosis can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in women with overweight or obesity. The BWEL trial will compare the efficacy of a telephone-based weight-loss intervention plus health education materials versus health education materials alone on invasive disease-free survival in 3,181 women with stage II or III breast cancer and BMI > 27 kg/m2 . This report provides a detailed description of the goals and methods of the lifestyle intervention and the evidence supporting the intervention used in the BWEL trial. The intervention's primary goal for participants is to achieve and maintain a weight loss ≥ 10% of baseline weight through increased physical activity and caloric restriction. The evidence supporting the diet, physical activity, and behavioral components of this telephone-based weight-loss intervention, as well as strategies to promote participant engagement and retention, is described. The intervention is provided through 42 sessions delivered by trained health coaches over a 2-year period. If the BWEL lifestyle intervention is successful in improving cancer outcomes, then weight loss will be incorporated into the care of thousands of breast cancer patients.
J Nutr
BACKGROUND: Genetic variation in one-carbon metabolism may affect nutrient levels and biological functions. However, data on genetic variants associated with blood biomarkers of one-carbon metabolism in U.S. postmenopausal women are limited, and whether these associations were affected by the nationwide folic acid (FA) fortification program is unclear. OBJECTIVE: We investigated associations between genetic variants and biomarkers of one-carbon metabolism using data from the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study. METHODS: In 1,573 non-Hispanic White (NHW) and 282 Black/African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino women aged 50-79 years, 288 non-synonymous and tagging single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) were genotyped. Red blood cell (RBC) folate, plasma folate, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate (PLP), vitamin B-12, homocysteine, and cysteine levels were determined in 12-h fasting blood. Multivariable linear regression tested associations per variant allele and for an aggregated genetic risk score. Effect modifications before, during, and after nationwide FA fortification were examined. RESULTS: After correction for multiple comparisons, among NHW women, 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) rs1801133 (677CT) variant T was associated with lower plasma folate (-13.0%, 95% CI = -17.3% to -8.6%) and higher plasma homocysteine (3.5%, 95% CI = 1.7% to 5.3%) concentrations. Other associations for non-synonymous SNVs included DNMT3A rs11695471 (TA) with plasma PLP; EHMT2 rs535586 (GA), TCN2 rs1131603 (L349S AG) and TCN2 rs35838082 (R188W GA) with plasma vitamin B-12; CBS rs2851391 (GA) with plasma homocysteine; and MTHFD1 rs2236224 (GA) and rs2236225 (R653Q GA) with plasma cysteine. The influence of FA fortification on the associations was limited. Highest vs. lowest quartiles of aggregated genetic risk scores from SNVs in MTHFR and MTRR were associated with 14.8% to 18.9% lower RBC folate concentrations. Gene-biomarker associations were similar in women of other races/ethnicities. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings on genetic variants associated with several one-carbon metabolism biomarkers may help elucidate mechanisms of maintaining B vitamin status in postmenopausal women.
J Infect Dis
BACKGROUND: Recent studies have indicated that broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) in children may develop earlier after HIV infection compared to adults. METHODS: We evaluated plasma from 212 ART-nave, children living with HIV (1-3 years-old). Neutralization breadth and potency was assessed using a panel of 10 viruses and compared to adults with chronic HIV. The magnitude, epitope specificity and IgG subclass distribution of Env-specific antibodies were assessed using a binding antibody multiplex assay. RESULTS: 1-year-old children demonstrated neutralization breadth comparable to chronically-infected adults, while 2 and 3-year olds exhibited significantly greater neutralization breadth (p=0.014). Similarly, binding antibody responses increased with age, with levels in 2 and 3 year-old children comparable to adults. Overall, there was no significant difference in antibody specificities or IgG subclass distribution between the pediatric and adult cohorts. Interestingly, the neutralization activity was mapped to a single epitope (CD4 binding site, V2 or V3 glycans) in only 5 of 38 pediatric broadly neutralizing samples, suggesting most children may develop a polyclonal neutralization response. CONCLUSIONS: These results contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that initiating HIV immunization early in life may present advantages for the development of broadly neutralizing antibody responses.
Diabetologia
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Type 2 diabetes is a growing global public health challenge. Investigating quantitative traits, including fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c, that serve as early markers of type 2 diabetes progression may lead to a deeper understanding of the genetic aetiology of type 2 diabetes development. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified over 500 loci associated with type 2 diabetes, glycaemic traits and insulin-related traits. However, most of these findings were based only on populations of European ancestry. To address this research gap, we examined the genetic basis of fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c in participants of the diverse Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study. METHODS: We conducted a GWAS of fasting glucose (n=52,267), fasting insulin (n=48,395) and HbA1c (n=23,357) in participants without diabetes from the diverse PAGE Study (23% self-reported African American, 46% Hispanic/Latino, 40% European, 4% Asian, 3% Native Hawaiian, 0.8% Native American), performing transethnic and population-specific GWAS meta-analyses, followed by fine-mapping to identify and characterise novel loci and independent secondary signals in known loci. RESULTS: Four novel associations were identified (p < 510-9), including three loci associated with fasting insulin, and a novel, low-frequency African American-specific locus associated with fasting glucose. Additionally, seven secondary signals were identified, including novel independent secondary signals for fasting glucose at the known GCK locus and for fasting insulin at the known PPP1R3B locus in transethnic meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Our findings provide new insights into the genetic architecture of glycaemic traits and highlight the continued importance of conducting genetic studies in diverse populations. DATA AVAILABILITY: Full summary statistics from each of the population-specific and transethnic results are available at NHGRI-EBI GWAS catalog ( https://www.ebi.ac.uk/gwas/downloads/summary-statistics ).
Nature
Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting epitopes of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) have the potential to provide near universal protection against influenza virus infection1. However, viral mutants that escape bnAbs have been reported2,3. The identification of bnAb classes that can neutralize viral escape mutants is critical for universal influenza virus vaccine design. Here, we report a distinct class of bnAbs targeting a discrete membrane-proximal anchor epitope of the HA stalk domain. Anchor epitope-targeting antibodies are broadly neutralizing across H1 viruses and can cross-react with pandemic-threat H2 and H5 viruses. Antibodies targeting this anchor epitope utilize a highly restricted repertoire, which encodes for two public binding motifs that make extensive contacts with conserved residues in the fusion peptide. Moreover, anchor epitope-targeting B cells are common in the human memory B cell (MBC) repertoire and were recalled in humans by an oil-in-water adjuvanted chimeric HA (cHA) vaccine4,5, a potential universal influenza virus vaccine. To maximize protection against seasonal and pandemic influenza viruses, vaccines should aim to boost this previously untapped source of bnAbs that are widespread in the human MBC pool.
Contemp Clin Trials
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the only leading cause of cancer death without an early detection strategy. In retrospective studies, 0.5-1% of subjects >50 years of age who newly develop biochemically-defined diabetes have been diagnosed with PDAC within 3 years of meeting new onset hyperglycemia and diabetes (NOD) criteria. The Enriching New-onset Diabetes for Pancreatic Cancer (ENDPAC) algorithm further risk stratifies NOD subjects based on age and changes in weight and diabetes parameters. We present the methodology for the Early Detection Initiative (EDI), a randomized controlled trial of algorithm-based screening in patients with NOD for early detection of PDAC. We hypothesize that study interventions (risk stratification with ENDPAC and imaging with Computerized Tomography (CT) scan) in NOD will identify earlier stage PDAC. EDI uses a modified Zelen's design with post-randomization consent. Eligible subjects will be identified through passive surveillance of electronic medical records and eligible study participants randomized 1:1 to the Intervention or Observation arm. The sample size is 12,500 subjects. The ENDPAC score will be calculated only in those randomized to the Intervention arm, with 50% (n = 3125) expected to have a high ENDPAC score. Consenting subjects in the high ENDPAC group will undergo CT imaging for PDAC detection and an estimate of potential harm. The effectiveness and efficacy evaluation will compare proportions of late stage PDAC between Intervention and Observation arm per randomization assignment or per protocol, respectively, with a planned interim analysis. The study is designed to improve the detection of sporadic PDAC when surgical intervention is possible.
Cell
Cancers display significant heterogeneity with respect to tissue of origin, driver mutations, and other features of the surrounding tissue. It is likely that individual tumors engage common patterns of the immune system-here "archetypes"-creating prototypical non-destructive tumor immune microenvironments (TMEs) and modulating tumor-targeting. To discover the dominant immune system archetypes, the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Immunoprofiler Initiative (IPI) processed 364 individual tumors across 12 cancer types using standardized protocols. Computational clustering of flow cytometry and transcriptomic data obtained from cell sub-compartments uncovered dominant patterns of immune composition across cancers. These archetypes were profound insofar as they also differentiated tumors based upon unique immune and tumor gene-expression patterns. They also partitioned well-established classifications of tumor biology. The IPI resource provides a template for understanding cancer immunity as a collection of dominant patterns of immune organization and provides a rational path forward to learn how to modulate these to improve therapy.
Cancer Med
BACKGROUND: Inflammation has been linked to prostate cancer and hypertension, but it remains equivocal whether elevated blood pressure (BP) influence prostate cancer risk and survival. METHOD: Using Cox regression models, we examined the association between prediagnostic BP and prostate cancer risk among 12,271men participating in the Prostate Cancer throughout life (PROCA-life) study. Systolic and diastolic BP were measured. A total of 811men developed prostate cancer, and followed for additional 7.1years, and we studied the association between prediagnostic BP and overall mortality among patients with prostate cancer. RESULTS: Men (>45years) with a systolic BP >150mmHg had a 35% increased risk of prostate cancer compared with men with a normal systolic BP (<130mmHg) (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.08-1.69). Among patients with prostate cancer, men with systolic BP >150mmHg had a 49% increased overall mortality compared with men with a normal systolic BP (HR 1.49, 1.06-2.01). Among patients with prostate cancer treated with curative intent, those with a high diastolic BP (>90mmHg) had a threefold increase in overall mortality risk (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.40-6.46) compared with patients with a normal diastolic BP (<80mmHg). CONCLUSION: Our results support that systolic and diastolic BP are important factors when balancing disease management in patients with prostate cancer.
Breast
Among stakeholders and decision-makers in advanced breast cancer, the demand for insights from real-world data (RWD) is increasing. Although RWD can be used to support decisions throughout different stages of a breast cancer drug's life cycle, barriers exist to its use and acceptance. We propose a collaborative approach to generating and using RWD that is meaningful to multiple stakeholders, and encourage frameworks toward international guidelines to help standardize RWD methodologies to achieve more efficient use of RWD insights.
Nat Biotechnol
Gaining a better understanding of the immune cell subsets and molecular factors associated with protective or pathological immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 could aid the development of vaccines and therapeutics for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Single-cell technologies, such as flow cytometry, mass cytometry, single-cell transcriptomics and single-cell multi-omic profiling, offer considerable promise in dissecting the heterogeneity of immune responses among individual cells and uncovering the molecular mechanisms of COVID-19 pathogenesis. Single-cell immune-profiling studies reported to date have identified innate and adaptive immune cell subsets that correlate with COVID-19 disease severity, as well as immunological factors and pathways of potential relevance to the development of vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. For facilitation of integrative studies and meta-analyses into the immunology of SARS-CoV-2 infection, we provide standardized, download-ready versions of 21 published single-cell sequencing datasets (over 3.2 million cells in total) as well as an interactive visualization portal for data exploration.