Neostem (United States)

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a common complication of anticoagulant therapy in menstruating women with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) used for VTE treatment may differ in their menstrual bleeding profiles. Therefore, the prospective multicenter noninterventional investigator-initiated HEMBLED registry (HE: avy M: enstrual BLE: eding in patients treated with D: OAC) was performed to analyze spontaneous menstrual bleeding in women treated with therapeutic DOAC doses.A modified pictorial blood assessment chart (PBAC) score was used to define the severity of menstrual bleeding. Patients were only included when they did not use hormonal or intrauterine contraception methods. The prospective follow-up was 4 months. The primary endpoint was the comparison of the PBAC scores between the individual DOAC groups.Overall, 73 patients with 213 monthly assessments of the PBAC scores were analyzed. Patients were on average 35 years old and were anticoagulated with apixaban (62%), rivaroxaban (26%), edoxaban (7%), or dabigatran (6%). The PBAC scores of the rivaroxaban group (mean: 145 points) were significantly increased by 54% compared with the apixaban group (mean: 93 points, p = 0.0193). HMB (PBAC score > 100 points) at least once was detected in 53% of the apixaban group compared with 79% of the rivaroxaban group (p = 0.0913). The duration of menstrual bleeding was numerically shorter in the apixaban group compared with the rivaroxaban group (p = 0.1894).DOAC differ in their influence on the intensity of spontaneous menstrual bleeding. This should be taken into account when advising young women with VTE who need an oral anticoagulant.

Concussion is a heterogeneous injury that relies predominantly on subjective symptom reports for patient assessment and treatment. Developing an objective, biological test could aid phenotypic categorization of concussion patients, leading to advances in personalized treatment. This prospective multi-center study employed saliva micro-ribonucleic acid (miRNA) levels to stratify 251 individuals with concussion into biological subgroups. Using miRNA biological clusters, our objective was to assess for differences in medical/demographic characteristics, symptoms, and functional measures of balance and cognition. The miRNAs that best defined each cluster were used to identify physiological pathways that characterized each cluster. The 251 participants (mean age: 18 ± 7 years; 57% male) were optimally grouped into 10 clusters based on 22 miRNA levels. The clusters differed in age (χ2 = 19.1, p = 0.024), days post-injury at the time of saliva collection (χ2 = 22.6; p = 0.007), and number of prior concussions (χ2 = 17.6, p = 0.040). The clusters also differed in symptom reports for fatigue (χ2 = 17.7; p = 0.039), confusion (χ2 = 22.3; p = 0.008), difficulty remembering (χ2 = 22.0; p = 0.009), and trouble falling asleep (χ2 = 17.2; p = 0.046), but not objective balance or cognitive performance (p > 0.05). The miRNAs that defined concussion clusters regulate 16 physiological pathways, including adrenergic signaling, estrogen signaling, fatty acid metabolism, GABAergic signaling, synaptic vesicle cycling, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling. These results show that saliva miRNA levels may stratify individuals with concussion based on underlying biological perturbations that are relevant to both symptomology and pharmacological targets. If validated in a larger cohort, miRNA assessment could aid individualized, biology-driven concussion treatment.

The XN-550 is a new, automated, compact, haematology analyser designed to generate a full blood count with a standard five-part white blood cell differential and an immature granulocyte count, as well as an optional reticulocyte and optical platelet (PLT) counts. The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of the XN-550 and compare it to the established XN-20 system. We evaluated the basic parameter and special measurement channels of the XN-550, using the XN-20 (which has a similar operating system), as a reference analyser. Precision, carry-over and throughput evaluations were performed. In addition, a total of 202 samples including normal controls and various pathological samples were studied for comparability. Good correlations with the reference analyser were obtained for all parameters except basophils. The XN-550 offers impedance and optical PLT counts and the latter showed a better correlation and less scatter than the impedance count and was comparable to the XN-20 fluorescent count at PLT counts ≤40×109 /L. Precision was good, and no significant carry-over was detected. The XN-550 was simple and easy to use, while maintaining the good diagnostic sensitivity seen with high-range systems such as the XN-20, making this compact device suitable for near-patient services and smaller satellite laboratories.

Background aimsThe selection of medium and associated reagents for human mesenchymal stromal cell (hMSC) culture forms an integral part of manufacturing process development and must be suitable for multiple process scales and expansion technologies. MethodsIn this work, we have expanded BM-hMSCs in fetal bovine serum (FBS)- and human platelet lysate (HPL)-containing media in both a monolayer and a suspension-based microcarrier process. ResultsThe introduction of HPL into the monolayer process increased the BM-hMSC growth rate at the first experimental passage by 0.049 day and 0.127/day for the two BM-hMSC donors compared with the FBS-based monolayer process. This increase in growth rate in HPL-containing medium was associated with an increase in the inter-donor consistency, with an inter-donor range of 0.406 cumulative population doublings after 18 days compared with 2.013 in FBS-containing medium. Identity and quality characteristics of the BM-hMSCs are also comparable between conditions in terms of colony-forming potential, osteogenic potential and expression of key genes during monolayer and post-harvest from microcarrier expansion. BM-hMSCs cultured on microcarriers in HPL-containing medium demonstrated a reduction in the initial lag phase for both BM-hMSC donors and an increased BM-hMSC yield after 6 days of culture to 1.20 ± 0.17 × 105 and 1.02 ± 0.005 × 105 cells/mL compared with 0.79 ± 0.05 × 105 and 0.36 ± 0.04 × 105 cells/mL in FBS-containing medium. ConclusionsThis study has demonstrated that HPL, compared with FBS-containing medium, delivers increased growth and comparability across two BM-hMSC donors between monolayer and microcarrier culture, which will have key implications for process transfer during scale-up.

In a randomized Phase II trial conducted in patients with metastatic melanoma, superior overall survival (p=0.007) was observed for 18 patients treated with vaccines that consisted of autologous dendritic cells loaded with antigens from irradiated autologous melanoma stem cells, (DC-TC, aka eltrapuldencel-T, NBS20 and CBLS20) compared to 24 patients treated with vaccines consisting of autologous irradiated melanoma stem cells (TC) [ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00436930].[1] Both vaccines were admixed with GM-CSF as an adjuvant. Tumor cell lines that served as the source of patient-specific tumor-associated antigens were derived from metastases resected from patients with stage IV or recurrent stage III melanoma. The treatment schedule consisted of weekly subcutaneous injections for 3 weeks, and then monthly for 5 months. The current analysis was undertaken to determine the treatment effects of DC-TC vs TC in each of the subsets defined by the pre-randomization stratifications that were based on whether patients had measurable or non-measurable disease as defined by RECIST, and whether their most advanced stage of disease at the time of randomization had been stage IV or recurrent stage III disease. At the time of this analysis 5 DC-TC and 3 TC patients had been followed for 5 years; 5 patients (3 TC and 2 DC-TC) were alive but followed less than 5 years (minimum 3.5 years); 29 were deceased. No patients were lost to follow up. The survival results are summarized in Table ​Table1.1. Although the numbers are small, DC-TC immunotherapy was associated with superior survival in each of the four different subsets defined by the stratification variables. Eltrapuldencel-T has moved forward into a pivotal Phase III trial sponsored by Caladrius BioSciences, Inc. Table 1

In patients with metastatic melanoma, sequential single-arm and randomized phase II trials with a therapeutic vaccine consisting of autologous dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with antigens from self-renewing, proliferating, irradiated autologous tumor cells (DC-TC) showed superior survival compared with similar patients immunized with irradiated tumor cells (TC). We wished to determine whether this difference was evident in cohorts who at the time of treatment had (1) no evidence of disease (NED) or (2) had detectable disease. Eligibility criteria and treatment schedules were the same for all three trials. Pooled data confirmed that overall survival (OS) was longer in 72 patients treated with DC-TC compared with 71 patients treated with TC (median OS 60 versus 22 months; 5-year OS 51% versus 32%, p=0.004). Treatment with DC-TC was associated with longer OS in both cohorts. Among 70 patients who were NED at the time that treatment was started, OS was better for DC-TC: 5-year OS 73% versus 43% (p=0.015). Among 73 patients who had detectable metastases, OS was better for DC-TC: median 38.8 months versus 14.7 months, 5-year OS 33% versus 20% (p=0.025). This approach is promising as an adjunct to other therapies in patients who have had metastatic melanoma.

In patients with metastatic cancer, therapeutic anticancer vaccines are rarely associated with objective antitumor responses; so, many investigators have focused on progression-free survival (PFS) as a key endpoint for clinical trials. However, it is not clear that PFS is a surrogate for overall survival (OS), and OS may be a more appropriate endpoint because of the effects on long-term memory in the adaptive immune system. Recently, reported vaccine trials were reviewed to determine their primary and secondary endpoints and results. Randomized trials testing sipuleucel-T and prostvac-vf in prostate cancer and ipilimumab and eltrapuldencel-T in melanoma were associated with low objective response rates, no improvement in PFS, but statistically significant improvement in OS. Although compared with PFS, it takes longer to get a final result when OS is the primary endpoint; there is increasing evidence that if long-term memory recognition of tumor-associated antigens is the mechanism of action of an investigational product, then OS may be the only valid clinical endpoint for efficacy.

After organ transplantation, recipient T cells contribute to graft rejection. Mesenchymal stromal cells from the bone marrow (BM-MSCs) are known to suppress allogeneic T-cell responses, suggesting a possible clinical application of MSCs in organ transplantation. Human liver grafts harbor resident populations of MSCs (L-MSCs). We aimed to determine the immunosuppressive effects of these graft-derived MSCs on allogeneic T-cell responses and to compare these with the effects of BM-MSCs. BM-MSCs were harvested from aspirates and L-MSCs from liver graft perfusates. We cultured them for 21 days and compared their suppressive effects with the effects of BM-MSCs on allogeneic T-cell responses. Proliferation, cytotoxic degranulation, and interferon-gamma production of alloreactive T cells were more potently suppressed by L-MSCs than BM-MSCs. Suppression was mediated by both cell-cell contact and secreted factors. In addition, L-MSCs showed ex vivo a higher expression of PD-L1 than BM-MSCs, which was associated with inhibition of T-cell proliferation and cytotoxic degranulation in vitro. Blocking PD-L1 partly abrogated the inhibition of cytotoxic degranulation by L-MSCs. In addition, blocking indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase partly abrogated the inhibitive effects of L-MSCs, but not BM-MSCs, on T-cell proliferation. In conclusion, liver graft-derived MSC suppression of allogeneic T-cell responses is stronger than BM-MSCs, which may be related to in situ priming and mobilization from the graft. These graft-derived MSCs may therefore be relevant in transplantation by promoting allohyporesponsiveness.

Meeting abstracts Genomic analyses have shown that melanoma patients have hundreds to thousands of non-synonymous mutations including unique tumor associated antigens (TAA) that can be recognized by their immune systems. The efficacy of anti-checkpoint monoclonal antibodies provides further proof