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INTRODUCTION Few studies have examined the real-world impact of haemophilia on daily activities and work productivity in people with severe haemophilia A (PWSHA). AIM To determine clinical attributes and treatment characteristics associated with impairment in daily activities and work among PWSHA using the patient-reported Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-General Health Questionnaire (WPAI-GH). METHODS PWSHA were asked to complete the WPAI-GH as part of the Cost of Haemophilia in Europe: A Socioeconomic Survey (CHESS) study. Outcomes were determined for activity impairment (AI), absenteeism, presenteeism and overall work productivity loss (WPL). Descriptive statistics and regression analyses were used to evaluate the association between these outcomes and clinical and treatment attributes. RESULTS Overall, 376 participants completed the AI element of WPAI-GH; 175 were employed and thus also reported on work impact. Mean ± standard deviation scores were as follows: AI = 34.2% ± 25.8%; absenteeism = 0.06% ±0.2%; presenteeism = 26.8% ± 22.4%; WPL = 28.6% ± 24.0%. Increased AI and WPL were associated with high haemophilia-related morbidity, measured both as chronic pain (p

Background Hemophilia B is a rare congenital bleeding disorder that has a significant negative impact on patients’ functionality and health-related quality of life. The standard of care for severe hemophilia B in the United States is prophylactic factor IX replacement therapy, which incurs substantial costs for this lifelong condition. Accurate estimates of the burden of hemophilia B are important for population health management and policy decisions, but have only recently accounted for current management strategies. The ‘Cost of Severe Hemophilia across the US: a Socioeconomic Survey’ (CHESS US) is a cross-sectional database of medical record abstractions and physician-reported information, completed by hematologists and care providers. CHESS US+ is a complementary database of completed questionnaires from patients with hemophilia. Together, CHESS US and CHESS US+ provide contemporary, comprehensive information on the burden of severe hemophilia from the provider and patient perspectives. We used the CHESS US and CHESS US+ data to analyze the clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of hemophilia B for patients treated with factor IX prophylaxis between 2017 and 2019 in the US. Results We conducted analysis to assess clinical burden and direct medical costs from 44 patient records in CHESS US, and of direct non-medical costs, indirect costs, and humanistic burden (using the EQ-5D-5L) from 57 patients in CHESS US+. The mean annual bleed rate was 1.73 (standard deviation, 1.39); approximately 9% of patients experienced a bleed-related hospitalization during the 12-month study period. Nearly all patients (85%) reported chronic pain, and the mean EQ-5D-5L utility value was 0.76 (0.24). The mean annual direct medical cost was $614,886, driven by factor IX treatment (mean annual cost, $611,971). Subgroup analyses showed mean annual costs of $397,491 and $788,491 for standard and extended half-life factor IX treatment, respectively. The mean annual non-medical direct costs and indirect costs of hemophilia B were $2,371 and $6,931. Conclusions This analysis of patient records and patient-reported outcomes from CHESS US and CHESS US+ provides updated information on the considerable clinical, humanistic, and economic burden of hemophilia B in the US. Substantial unmet needs remain to improve patient care with sustainable population health strategies.

Background Host gene expression has emerged as a complementary strategy to pathogen detection tests for the discrimination of bacterial and viral infection. The impact of immunocompromise on host-response tests remains unknown. We evaluated a host-response test discriminating bacterial, viral, and noninfectious conditions in immunocompromised subjects. Methods An 81-gene signature was measured using real-time–polymerase chain reaction in subjects with immunocompromise (chemotherapy, solid-organ transplant, immunomodulatory agents, AIDS) with bacterial infection, viral infection, or noninfectious illness. A regularized logistic regression model trained in immunocompetent subjects was used to estimate the likelihood of each class in immunocompromised subjects. Results Accuracy in the 136-subject immunocompetent training cohort was 84.6% for bacterial versus nonbacterial discrimination and 80.8% for viral versus nonviral discrimination. Model validation in 134 immunocompromised subjects showed overall accuracy of 73.9% for bacterial infection (P = .04 relative to immunocompetent subjects) and 75.4% for viral infection (P = .30). A scheme reporting results by quartile improved test utility. The highest probability quartile ruled-in bacterial and viral infection with 91.4% and 84.0% specificity, respectively. The lowest probability quartile ruled-out infection with 90.1% and 96.4% sensitivity for bacterial and viral infection, respectively. Performance was independent of the type or number of immunocompromising conditions. Conclusions A host gene expression test discriminated bacterial, viral, and noninfectious etiologies at a lower overall accuracy in immunocompromised patients compared with immunocompetent patients, although this difference was only significant for bacterial infection classification. With modified interpretive criteria, a host-response strategy may offer clinically useful diagnostic information for patients with immunocompromise.

Hemophilia B (HB) is a rare congenital disorder characterized by bleeding-related complications which are managed by prophylactic or post-bleeding event ("on-demand") replacement of clotting factor IX (FIX). The standard of care for severe HB is life-long prophylaxis with standard half-life (SHL) or extended half-life (EHL) products given every 2-3 or 7-14 days, respectively. FIX treatment costs in the US have been investigated, but the lifetime costs of HB treatment have not been well characterized, particularly related to the impact of joint health deterioration and associated health resource utilization. We developed a decision-analytic model to explore outcomes, costs and underlying cost drivers associated with FIX treatment options over the lifetime of an adult with severe or moderately severe HB.With participation from clinicians, health technology assessment specialists and patient advocates, a Markov model was constructed to estimate bleeding events and costs associated with health states including "bleed into joint", "bleed not into joint", "no bleed" and "death". Sub-models of joint health were based on 0, 1, or ≥2 areas of chronic joint damage. US third-party payer and societal perspectives were considered with a lifetime horizon; sensitivity analyses tested the robustness of primary findings.Total adult lifetime costs per patient with severe and moderately severe HB were $21,086,607 for SHL FIX prophylaxis, $22,987,483 for EHL FIX prophylaxis, and $20,971,826 for on-demand FIX treatment. For FIX prophylaxis, the cost of FIX treatment accounts for90% of the total HB treatment costs.This decision analytic model demonstrated significant economic burden associated with the current HB treatment paradigm.

Background Untreated hemophilia A patients may experience recurrent bleeding events leading to debilitating joint damages. While RCT and pharmacokinetic data support the value of Kovaltry [an unmodified full-length recombinant factor VIII (FVIII) product], real world evidence in children is lacking. This report describes a descriptive and multivariate analysis of the effectiveness of Kovaltry in children with hemophilia A in the real-world setting, using data from medical chart abstraction and cross-sectional surveys of physicians, patients, and caregivers. Results Male patients aged Conclusion This analysis demonstrates the effectiveness and safety of Kovaltry in a pan-European pediatric population with severe hemophilia A.

Description, A rapid test measures neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in 1 hour., Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are concerning in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here, we developed a rapid test, termed CoVariant-SCAN, that detects neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) capable of blocking interactions between the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor and the spike protein of wild-type (WT) SARS-CoV-2 and three other variants: B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1. Using CoVariant-SCAN, we assessed neutralization/blocking of monoclonal antibodies and plasma from COVID-19–positive and vaccinated individuals. For several monoclonal antibodies and most plasma samples, neutralization against B.1.351 and P.1 variants is diminished relative to WT, while B.1.1.7 is largely cross-neutralized. We also showed that we can rapidly adapt the platform to detect nAbs against an additional variant—B.1.617.2 (Delta)—without reengineering or reoptimizing the assay. Results using CoVariant-SCAN are consistent with live virus neutralization assays and demonstrate that this easy-to-deploy test could be used to rapidly assess nAb response against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants.

OBJECTIVES Host gene expression signatures discriminate bacterial and viral infection but have not been translated to a clinical test platform. This study enrolled an independent cohort of patients to describe and validate a first-in-class host response bacterial/viral test. DESIGN Subjects were recruited from 2006 to 2016. Enrollment blood samples were collected in an RNA preservative and banked for later testing. The reference standard was an expert panel clinical adjudication, which was blinded to gene expression and procalcitonin results. SETTING Four U.S. emergency departments. PATIENTS Six-hundred twenty-three subjects with acute respiratory illness or suspected sepsis. INTERVENTIONS Forty-five-transcript signature measured on the BioFire FilmArray System (BioFire Diagnostics, Salt Lake City, UT) in ~45 minutes. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Host response bacterial/viral test performance characteristics were evaluated in 623 participants (mean age 46 yr; 45% male) with bacterial infection, viral infection, coinfection, or noninfectious illness. Performance of the host response bacterial/viral test was compared with procalcitonin. The test provided independent probabilities of bacterial and viral infection in ~45 minutes. In the 213-subject training cohort, the host response bacterial/viral test had an area under the curve for bacterial infection of 0.90 (95% CI, 0.84-0.94) and 0.92 (95% CI, 0.87-0.95) for viral infection. Independent validation in 209 subjects revealed similar performance with an area under the curve of 0.85 (95% CI, 0.78-0.90) for bacterial infection and 0.91 (95% CI, 0.85-0.94) for viral infection. The test had 80.1% (95% CI, 73.7-85.4%) average weighted accuracy for bacterial infection and 86.8% (95% CI, 81.8-90.8%) for viral infection in this validation cohort. This was significantly better than 68.7% (95% CI, 62.4-75.4%) observed for procalcitonin (p < 0.001). An additional cohort of 201 subjects with indeterminate phenotypes (coinfection or microbiology-negative infections) revealed similar performance. CONCLUSIONS The host response bacterial/viral measured using the BioFire System rapidly and accurately discriminated bacterial and viral infection better than procalcitonin, which can help support more appropriate antibiotic use.

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) viral RNA (vRNA) is detected in the bloodstream of some patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but it is not clear whether this RNAemia reflects viremia (ie, virus particles) and how it relates to host immune responses and outcomes. Methods SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was quantified in plasma samples from observational cohorts of 51 COVID-19 patients including 9 outpatients, 19 hospitalized (non–intensive care unit [ICU]), and 23 ICU patients. vRNA levels were compared with cross-sectional indices of COVID-19 severity and prospective clinical outcomes. We used multiple imaging methods to visualize virions in plasma. Results SARS-CoV-2 vRNA was detected in plasma of 100%, 52.6%, and 11.1% of ICU, non-ICU, and outpatients, respectively. Virions were detected in plasma pellets using electron tomography and immunostaining. Plasma vRNA levels were significantly higher in ICU > non-ICU > outpatients (P 6000 copies/mL was strongly associated with mortality (hazard ratio, 10.7). Levels of vRNA were significantly associated with several inflammatory biomarkers (P Conclusions Visualization of virus particles in plasma indicates that SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia is due, at least in part, to viremia. The levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNAemia correlate strongly with disease severity, patient outcome, and specific inflammatory biomarkers but not with neutralizing antibody titers.

Introduction: Hemophilia A (HA) is a congenital bleeding disorder, caused by a deficiency in clotting factor VIII (FVIII) and characterized by uncontrolled bleeding and progressive joint damage. This analysis assesses the impact of disease burden on the daily life of children with hemophilia A (CwHA) and their caregivers, addressing a deficit of current research on this topic. Methods: The Cost of Haemophilia in Europe: a Socioeconomic Survey in a Paediatric Population (CHESS Paediatrics) is a retrospective, burden-of-illness study in children with moderate and severe HA (defined by endogenous FVIII [IU/dL] relative to normal; moderate, 1-5%; severe, Results: Data from child/caregiver questionnaires were available for 196 CwHA (moderate, 25.5%; severe, 74.5%); the majority of these children, as expected, were receiving prophylaxis (72.4%), and did not have FVIII inhibitors (89.8%; Table 1). There was a direct impact of disease burden on CwHA, particularly with regard to physical and social activities (Figure 1). Overall, it was agreed or strongly agreed by the child or caregiver that 48.0% and 57.5% of children with moderate HA (CwMHA) and CwSHA respectively, have reduced physical activity due to HA, and 46.0% and 57.5%, respectively, have reduced social activity due to HA. A total of 36.0% and 61.0% of CwMHA and CwSHA, respectively, had adapted their treatment in anticipation of physical or social activity (Table 1). Furthermore, 34.0% of CwMHA and 55.4% of CwSHA were frustrated due to their disease, and many (CwMHA, 36.0%; CwSHA, 50.7%) felt that they had missed opportunities (Figure 1). For 66.0% of CwMHA and 76.0% of CwSHA, it was reported that their daily life was compromised due to their HA. Caregivers provided a median (interquartile range [IQR]) of 19.0 (10.0-59.5) and 12.0 (5.0-20.0) hours a week of care for the hemophilia-related needs of their CwMHA (n=30) or CwSHA (n=105), respectively. Of those who responded, 17.4% (n=4/23) and 25.0% (n=20/80) of caregivers to CwMHA or CwSHA, respectively, stated they have lost work due to their caregiving duty. This was more than twice as common for caregivers in families with multiple CwHA (42.9%, n=9/21 responses) compared with those in families with one CwHA (18.5%, n=15/81 responses). Median (IQR) hours of work per week estimated to be lost were 20.0 (17.0-22.0) for caregivers of CwMHA (n=4) and 12.5 (4.50-20.0) for caregivers of CwSHA (n=20). Conclusions: In conclusion, both children and caregivers make sacrifices in their daily lives due to HA; many CwHA reported reduced physical and social activities, fewer opportunities and feelings of frustration due to their HA. Caregivers reported spending a significant number of hours caring for their child and some reported losing work due to their caring responsibilities. However, some outcomes may be limited by the small number of respondents and narrow response options, particularly those regarding the caregiver burden. Responses on the hours of work lost may be subject to selection bias, as caregivers who have lost work may be more likely to respond to this question. Additionally, as this question is targeted at caregivers in employment, it is unknown if some caregivers have left employment due to their caregiving responsibilities. According to this analysis, children/caregivers are frequently required to adapt the child's treatment before the child engages in activities. Overall, the burden of disease was similar in children with moderate and severe HA. Disclosures Khair: Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Biomarin: Consultancy; HCD Economics: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Medikhair: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Haemnet: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nissen:GSK: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Actelion: Consultancy; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment. Silkey:Aerotek AG: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Burke:HCD Economics: Current Employment; University of Chester: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Shang:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company, Other: All authors received support for third party writing assistance, furnished by Scott Battle, PhD, provided by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland.. Aizenas:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Meier:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. O'Hara:HCD Economics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Noone:Research Investigator PROBE: Research Funding; Healthcare Decision Consultants: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; European Haemophilia Consortium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Introduction: Hemophilia A (HA) is a congenital bleeding disorder caused by a deficiency in clotting factor VIII (FVIII). There are currently limited data on the impact of HA on daily life. Here we examine the impact of HA on the daily life of adult persons with HA (PwHA) without current FVIII inhibitors according to disease severity. Methods: The Cost of Haemophilia in Europe: a Socioeconomic Survey II (CHESS II) is a retrospective, burden-of-illness study in adults with mild, moderate, and severe HA or hemophilia B (defined by endogenous FVIII/IX [IU/dL] relative to normal; mild, 5- Results: Of 258 PwHA completing questionnaires, 15.9% (n=41), 27.9% (n=72), and 56.2% (n=145) had mild, moderate, and severe HA, respectively. Of those with severe HA, 60.0% were currently receiving FVIII prophylaxis (standard of care for severe HA); in comparison, 4.9% and 6.9% of those with mild and moderate HA were receiving prophylaxis (Table 1). Treatment adaptation in anticipation of physical or social activity was reported by 19.5%, 23.6%, and 38.6% of those with mild, moderate, and severe HA, respectively. Over a third of participants with mild (36.6%) and moderate (44.4%) HA, and 64.8% of those with severe HA (58.6% with severe HA receiving on-demand treatment and 69.0% receiving prophylaxis) agreed or strongly agreed that HA had reduced their physical activity (Figure 1). Overall, 38.9% of those with moderate HA and 58.6% of those with severe HA (63.8% with severe HA receiving on-demand treatment and 55.2% receiving prophylaxis) agreed or strongly agreed that their HA had reduced their social activity; this was less pronounced in mild HA (9.8%). Additionally, 31.7%, 36.1%, and 64.1% of those with mild, moderate, and severe HA (62.1% with severe HA receiving on-demand treatment and 65.5% receiving prophylaxis) agreed or strongly agreed that their HA had caused them to miss opportunities. Correspondingly, frustration due to HA was felt by 19.5%, 34.7% and 57.9% (56.9% with severe HA receiving on-demand treatment and 58.6% receiving prophylaxis) of people, respectively. When asked whether they believed their daily life was compromised due to their hemophilia, 24.4%, 37.5%, and 63.4% of those with mild, moderate, and severe HA, respectively, agreed. Pain, as reported by the physician, was noted in 36.6% of people with mild HA (100% was reported as 'mild'); in people with moderate HA, pain was reported as 'mild', 'moderate', and 'severe' in 44.4%, 20.8%, and 1.4% of PwHA, respectively. In people with severe HA, pain was reported as 'mild', 'moderate', and 'severe' in 39.7%, 27.6%, and 8.6% for those receiving on-demand treatment, and 37.9%, 32.2%, and 8.0% for those receiving prophylaxis, respectively. Conclusions: In all disease severity groups, there was a notable group of PwHA that felt that they have had to reduce their physical and social activity, have had fewer opportunities and are frustrated due to their disease. While the impact on daily life is most pronounced in people with severe HA (including those receiving on-demand treatment and those receiving prophylaxis), it is also apparent in mild and moderate HA, indicating that there may be an unmet medical need in these groups. Disclosures Noone: Healthcare Decision Consultants: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Research Investigator PROBE: Research Funding; European Haemophilia Consortium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Nissen:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment; Actelion: Consultancy; Novartis: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding. Xu:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Other: All authors received support for third party writing assistance, furnished by Scott Battle, PhD, provided by F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland.. Burke:University of Chester: Current Employment; HCD Economics: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Asghar:HCD Economics: Current Employment. Dhillon:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Other: All authors received editorial support for this abstract, furnished by Scott Battle, funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland. ; HCD Economics: Current Employment. Aizenas:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Meier:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. O'Hara:HCD Economics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Khair:Biomarin: Consultancy; HCD Economics: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Medikhair: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sobi: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Honoraria, Research Funding; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Honoraria, Research Funding; Takeda: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Haemnet: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.

Lung inflammation is a hallmark of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in severely ill patients and the pathophysiology of disease is thought to be immune-mediated. Mast cells (MCs) are polyfunctional immune cells present in the airways, where they respond to certain viruses and allergens, often promoting inflammation. We observed widespread degranulation of MCs during acute and unresolved airway inflammation in SARS-CoV-2-infected mice and non-human primates. In humans, transcriptional changes in patients requiring oxygen supplementation also implicated cells with a MC phenotype. MC activation in humans was confirmed, through detection of the MC-specific protease, chymase, levels of which were significantly correlated with disease severity. These results support the association of MC activation with severe COVID-19, suggesting potential strategies for intervention.

Background: Distinguishing bacterial and viral respiratory infections is challenging. Novel diagnostics based on differential host gene expression patterns are promising but have not been translated to a clinical platform nor extensively tested. Here, we validate a microarray-derived host response signature and explore performance in microbiology-negative and coinfection cases. Methods: Subjects with acute respiratory illness were enrolled in participating emergency departments. Reference standard was an adjudicated diagnosis of bacterial infection, viral infection, both, or neither. An 87-transcript signature for distinguishing bacterial, viral, and noninfectious illness was measured from peripheral blood using RT-PCR. Performance characteristics were evaluated in subjects with confirmed bacterial, viral, or noninfectious illness. Subjects with bacterial-viral coinfection and microbiologically-negative suspected bacterial infection were also evaluated. Performance was compared to procalcitonin. Findings: 151 subjects with microbiologically confirmed, single-etiology illness were tested, yielding AUROCs 0•85–0•89 for bacterial, viral, and noninfectious illness. Accuracy was similar to procalcitonin (88% vs 83%, p = 0•23) for bacterial vs. non-bacterial infection. Whereas procalcitonin cannot distinguish viral from non-infectious illness, the RT-PCR test had 81% accuracy in making this determination. Bacterial-viral coinfection was subdivided. Among 19 subjects with bacterial superinfection, the RT-PCR test identified 95% as bacterial, compared to 68% with procalcitonin (p = 0•13). Among 12 subjects with bacterial infection superimposed on chronic viral infection, the RT-PCR test identified 83% as bacterial, identical to procalcitonin. 39 subjects had suspected bacterial infection; the RT-PCR test identified bacterial infection more frequently than procalcitonin (82% vs 64%, p = 0•02). Interpretation: The RT-PCR test offered similar diagnostic performance to procalcitonin in some subgroups but offered better discrimination in others such as viral vs. non-infectious illness and bacterial/viral coinfection. Gene expression-based tests could impact decision-making for acute respiratory illness as well as a growing number of other infectious and non-infectious diseases. Keywords: Biomarkers, Gene expression, Respiratory tract infections, Coinfection, Diagnosis, Precision medicine

Background Antibiotic resistance is rising at disturbing rates and contributes to the deaths of millions of people yearly. Antibiotic resistant infections disproportionately affect those with immunocompromising conditions, chronic colonization, and frequent antibiotic use such as transplant patients or those with cystic fibrosis. However, clinicians lack the diagnostic tools to confidently diagnose and treat infections, leading to widespread use of empiric broad spectrum antimicrobials, often for prolonged duration. Case presentation A 22 year-old Caucasian female with cystic fibrosis received a bilateral orthotopic lung transplantation 5 months prior to the index hospitalization. She underwent routine surveillance bronchoscopy and was admitted for post-procedure fever. A clear cause of infection was not identified by routine methods. Imaging and bronchoscopic lung biopsy did not identify an infectious agent or rejection. She was treated with a prolonged course of antimicrobials targeting known colonizing organisms from prior bronchoalveolar lavage cultures (Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus aureus, and Aspergillus). However, we identified Stenotrophomonas maltophilia in two independent whole blood samples using direct-pathogen sequencing, which was not identified by other methods. Conclusions This case represents a common clinical conundrum: identification of infection in a high-risk, complex patient. Here, direct-pathogen sequencing identified a pathogen that would not otherwise have been identified by common techniques. Had results been clinically available, treatment could have been customized, avoiding a prolonged course of broad spectrum antimicrobials that would only exacerbate resistance. Direct-pathogen sequencing is poised to fill a diagnostic gap for pathogen identification, allowing early identification and customization of treatment in a culture-independent, pathogen-agnostic manner.

As SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread globally, questions have emerged regarding the strength and durability of immune responses in specific populations. In this study, we evaluated humoral immune responses in 69 children and adolescents with asymptomatic or mild symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection. We detected robust IgM, IgG, and IgA antibody responses to a broad array of SARS-CoV-2 antigens at the time of acute infection and 2 and 4 months after acute infection in all participants. Notably, these antibody responses were associated with virus neutralizing activity that was still detectable 4 months after acute infection in 94% of children. Moreover, antibody responses and neutralizing activity in sera from children and adolescents were comparable or superior to those observed in sera from 24 adults with mild symptomatic infection. Taken together, these findings indicate children and adolescents with mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection generate robust and durable humoral immune responses that are likely to protect from reinfection.

A point-of-care, microfluidic platform detects antibodies against three SARS-CoV-2 antigens from blood in less than an hour., Highly sensitive, specific, and point-of-care (POC) serological assays are an essential tool to manage coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we report on a microfluidic POC test that can profile the antibody response against multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antigens—spike S1 (S1), nucleocapsid (N), and the receptor binding domain (RBD)—simultaneously from 60 μl of blood, plasma, or serum. We assessed the levels of antibodies in plasma samples from 31 individuals (with longitudinal sampling) with severe COVID-19, 41 healthy individuals, and 18 individuals with seasonal coronavirus infections. This POC assay achieved high sensitivity and specificity, tracked seroconversion, and showed good concordance with a live virus microneutralization assay. We can also detect a prognostic biomarker of severity, IP-10 (interferon-γ–induced protein 10), on the same chip. Because our test requires minimal user intervention and is read by a handheld detector, it can be globally deployed to combat COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 infection triggers highly variable host responses and causes varying degrees of illness in humans. We sought to harness the peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) response over the course of illness to provide insight into COVID-19 physiology. We analyzed PBMCs from subjects with variable symptom severity at different stages of clinical illness before and after IgG seroconversion to SARS-CoV-2. Prior to seroconversion, PBMC transcriptomes did not distinguish symptom severity. In contrast, changes in chromatin accessibility were associated with symptom severity. Furthermore, single-cell analyses revealed evolution of the chromatin accessibility landscape and transcription factor motif occupancy for individual PBMC cell types. The most extensive remodeling occurred in CD14+ monocytes where sub-populations with distinct chromatin accessibility profiles were associated with disease severity. Our findings indicate that pre-seroconversion chromatin remodeling in certain innate immune populations is associated with divergence in symptom severity, and the identified transcription factors, regulatory elements, and downstream pathways provide potential prognostic markers for COVID-19 subjects.One sentence summaryChromatin accessibility in immune cells from COVID-19 subjects is remodeled prior to seroconversion to reflect disease severity.

Background Pathogen-based diagnostics for acute respiratory infection (ARI) have limited ability to detect etiology of illness. We previously showed that peripheral blood-based host gene expression classifiers accurately identify bacterial and viral ARI in cohorts of European and African descent. We determined classifier performance in a South Asian cohort. Methods Patients ≥15 years with fever and respiratory symptoms were enrolled in Sri Lanka. Comprehensive pathogen-based testing was performed. Peripheral blood ribonucleic acid was sequenced and previously developed signatures were applied: a pan-viral classifier (viral vs nonviral) and an ARI classifier (bacterial vs viral vs noninfectious). Results Ribonucleic acid sequencing was performed in 79 subjects: 58 viral infections (36 influenza, 22 dengue) and 21 bacterial infections (10 leptospirosis, 11 scrub typhus). The pan-viral classifier had an overall classification accuracy of 95%. The ARI classifier had an overall classification accuracy of 94%, with sensitivity and specificity of 91% and 95%, respectively, for bacterial infection. The sensitivity and specificity of C-reactive protein (>10 mg/L) and procalcitonin (>0.25 ng/mL) for bacterial infection were 100% and 34%, and 100% and 41%, respectively. Conclusions Previously derived gene expression classifiers had high predictive accuracy at distinguishing viral and bacterial infection in South Asian patients with ARI caused by typical and atypical pathogens., Host biomarkers can identify bacterial versus viral acute respiratory infection (ARI). Previously, we derived host gene expression classifiers that accurately identify bacterial versus viral ARI. Here, we show that our classifiers had high predictive accuracy in a South Asian cohort.

Key Points Question Can noninvasive, wrist-worn wearable devices detect acute viral respiratory infection and predict infection severity before symptom onset? Findings In a cohort study of 31 participants inoculated with H1N1 and 18 participants with rhinovirus, infection detection and severity prediction models trained using data on wearable devices were able to distinguish between infection and noninfection with 92% accuracy for H1N1 and 88% accuracy for rhinovirus and were able to distinguish between mild and moderate infection 24 hours prior to symptom onset with 90% accuracy for H1N1 and 89% accuracy for rhinovirus. Meaning This study suggests that the use of wearable devices to identify individuals with presymptomatic acute viral respiratory infection is feasible; because wearable devices are common in the general population, using them for infection screening may help limit the spread of contagion., Importance Currently, there are no presymptomatic screening methods to identify individuals infected with a respiratory virus to prevent disease spread and to predict their trajectory for resource allocation. Objective To evaluate the feasibility of using noninvasive, wrist-worn wearable biometric monitoring sensors to detect presymptomatic viral infection after exposure and predict infection severity in patients exposed to H1N1 influenza or human rhinovirus. Design, Setting, and Participants The cohort H1N1 viral challenge study was conducted during 2018; data were collected from September 11, 2017, to May 4, 2018. The cohort rhinovirus challenge study was conducted during 2015; data were collected from September 14 to 21, 2015. A total of 39 adult participants were recruited for the H1N1 challenge study, and 24 adult participants were recruited for the rhinovirus challenge study. Exclusion criteria for both challenges included chronic respiratory illness and high levels of serum antibodies. Participants in the H1N1 challenge study were isolated in a clinic for a minimum of 8 days after inoculation. The rhinovirus challenge took place on a college campus, and participants were not isolated. Exposures Participants in the H1N1 challenge study were inoculated via intranasal drops of diluted influenza A/California/03/09 (H1N1) virus with a mean count of 106 using the median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) assay. Participants in the rhinovirus challenge study were inoculated via intranasal drops of diluted human rhinovirus strain type 16 with a count of 100 using the TCID50 assay. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome measures included cross-validated performance metrics of random forest models to screen for presymptomatic infection and predict infection severity, including accuracy, precision, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results A total of 31 participants with H1N1 (24 men [77.4%]; mean [SD] age, 34.7 [12.3] years) and 18 participants with rhinovirus (11 men [61.1%]; mean [SD] age, 21.7 [3.1] years) were included in the analysis after data preprocessing. Separate H1N1 and rhinovirus detection models, using only data on wearble devices as input, were able to distinguish between infection and noninfection with accuracies of up to 92% for H1N1 (90% precision, 90% sensitivity, 93% specificity, and 90% F1 score, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.70-1.00] AUC) and 88% for rhinovirus (100% precision, 78% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 88% F1 score, and 0.96 [95% CI, 0.85-1.00] AUC). The infection severity prediction model was able to distinguish between mild and moderate infection 24 hours prior to symptom onset with an accuracy of 90% for H1N1 (88% precision, 88% sensitivity, 92% specificity, 88% F1 score, and 0.88 [95% CI, 0.72-1.00] AUC) and 89% for rhinovirus (100% precision, 75% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 86% F1 score, and 0.95 [95% CI, 0.79-1.00] AUC). Conclusions and Relevance This cohort study suggests that the use of a noninvasive, wrist-worn wearable device to predict an individual’s response to viral exposure prior to symptoms is feasible. Harnessing this technology would support early interventions to limit presymptomatic spread of viral respiratory infections, which is timely in the era of COVID-19., This cohort study evaluates the feasibility of using noninvasive, wrist-worn wearable devices to detect presymptomatic viral infection after exposure and predict infection severity in patients exposed to H1N1 influenza or human rhinovirus.

Introduction Severe hemophilia A (SHA) is characterized by spontaneous (non-trauma related) bleeding episodes into the joint space and muscle tissue, leading to progressive joint deterioration and chronic pain. Chronic joint damage is most often associated with severe hemophilia, however more recent research has illustrated that people with moderate hemophilia A (MHA) also experience hemophilic arthropathy and functional impairment. The need to measure joint health in children as well as adults, is underscored by findings from the Joint Outcome Continuation Study, which found that FVIII prophylaxis was insufficient to protect joints from damage, from childhood through adolescence in severe HA (Warren et al., 2020). The objective of this analysis is to gain a more patient-centric understanding of the clinical, economic and humanistic burden associated with 'Problem Joints', a measure of joint morbidity developed in consultation with an expert panel to overcome limitations with existing measures, in people with MHA and SHA. Methods A descriptive cohort analysis was conducted, utilizing retrospective, cross-sectional real-world data from the 'Cost of Haemophilia in Europe: a Socioeconomic Survey' (CHESS Paeds and CHESS II), studies of adult and pediatric persons with hemophilia. The analysis population is comprised of children (17 and below) with MHA or SHA in CHESS Paeds, and adults aged 20 and over with MHA or SHA in CHESS II. To account for the possibility that persons aged 18 or 19 in CHESS II may have participated in CHESS Paeds, these individuals were excluded from the analysis. Physician-reported clinical outcome data and patient/caregiver-reported quality of life were analyzed. A problem joint (PJ) is defined as having chronic joint pain and/or limited range of movement due to compromised joint integrity (i.e. chronic synovitis and/or hemophilic arthropathy). Analyses were stratified by number of PJs: none, 1 PJ, and 2+ PJs. We report retrospective data of the 12 months prior to study enrollment, on annualized bleeding rate (ABR), prevalence of target joints (TJ), as defined by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, and EQ-5D-/5L/Y/Proxy score. Results are presented as mean (standard deviation) or N (%). Results Among 785 participants (N = 464 SHA; N = 321 MHA) in CHESS Paeds, mean age and BMI were 10.33 (4.63) and 22.50 (17.07), respectively. Of 493 participants (aged 20 and above) in CHESS II (N = 298 SHA; N = 195 MHA), the mean age and BMI were 38.61 (14.06) and 24.55 (2.92), respectively. Current inhibitor to FVIII replacement was more prevalent in children than in adults (10% vs. 5%). In CHESS II, approximately 40% of people with MHA and 49% with SHA had one or more PJs, respectively [1 PJ (23% vs. 28%); 2+ PJs (16% vs. 21%)]. In CHESS Paeds, approximately 14% of children with MHA and 18% with SHA had at least one PJ, respectively [1 PJ (9% vs. 14%); 2+ PJs (5% vs. 3%)]. TJs were less prevalent with MHA in comparison to SHA, in both adults (24% vs. 45%) and children (13% vs. 22%). Clinical burden was higher among both children and adults with PJs compared to those with no PJs. ABR correlates with the number of PJs, in those with MHA and SHA in CHESS II (Figure 1). Similarly, PJs were associated with higher ABR across MHA and SHA in CHESS Paeds (Figure 2). Hemophilia-related hospitalizations were higher in both adult and pediatric participants with PJs. In CHESS II, MHA with no PJs had fewer [0.73 (1.23)] hospitalizations compared to having those with 1 PJ [1.38 (1.11)] or 2+ PJs [1.28 (1.25)]. Similarly, children with MHA with 2+ PJs had 1.60 (1.92) hemophilia-related hospitalizations, compared to 1.38 (1.92) with 1 PJ and 0.71 (1.14) with no PJs. PJs were associated with impaired quality of life. In CHESS II, MHA and SHA EQ-5D-5L values in persons with no PJs were 0.81 (0.19) and 0.79 (0.18), respectively, compared to 0.65 (0.16) and 0.62 (0.23) with 1 PJ, and 0.65 (0.14) and 0.51 (0.33) in with 2+ PJs. A similar trend was observed in EQ-5D-Y and EQ-5D-proxy scores in CHESS Paeds. Conclusions Data from CHESS Paeds and CHESS II demonstrate an association between chronic joint damage, as measured by the 'problem joint' definition, and worsening clinical and quality of life outcomes, across both MHA and SHA. Further analyses will seek to expand upon the initial results presented here, to investigate the wider elements of burden associated with compromised long-term joint health. Disclosures McLaughlin: BioMarin: Consultancy; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sobi: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Roche/Chugai: Speakers Bureau; Takeda: Speakers Bureau. Hermans:Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Sobi: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Biogen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; CAF-DCF: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; CSL Behring: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Shire, a Takeda company: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bayer: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; WFH: Other; EAHAD: Other; Octapharma: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Kedrion: Speakers Bureau; LFB: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Asghar:HCD Economics: Current Employment. Burke:HCD Economics: Current Employment; University of Chester: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Nissen:GSK: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Actelion: Consultancy; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment. Aizenas:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Meier:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Dhillon:HCD Economics: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Other: All authors received editorial support for this abstract, furnished by Scott Battle, funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland. . O'Hara:F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy; HCD Economics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company.

INTRODUCTION Severe hemophilia, i.e., The ability of people living with hemophilia to participate in the labor force, without barriers to job choice or working hours, is a key outcome in the drive to achieve health equity. The objective of the analysis is to examine the relationship between adherence and the labor force participation of people with severe hemophilia in the US. METHODS This analysis draws data from a patient-reported study, the 'Cost of Severe Hemophilia Across the US: A Socioeconomic Survey' (CHESS US+). Conducted in 2019, the CHESS US+ study is a cross-sectional patient-centered study of adults with severe hemophilia in the US. A patient-completed questionnaire collected data on clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes, for a 12-month retrospective period. This analysis examines labor force participation and employment status (full-time, part-time, unemployed, retired) and chronic pain categorized by 'none', low-level ('1-5'), and high-level ('6-10'). The analysis was stratified by adherence to treatment, self-reported on a 1-10 scale, from "not at all" to "fully", categorized into low (1-6), moderate (7-9) and full (10) adherence. Results are presented as mean (standard deviation) or N (%). RESULTS The analysis comprised 356 people with severe hemophilia A (73%) and B (27%) who participated in CHESS US+ study. In Table 1, the baseline characteristics of the study population are stratified by full adherence (N = 119), moderate adherence (N=134) and low adherence (N=103). Having no chronic pain was most prevalent in the full adherence group (37.7%), compared to moderate (8.3%) or low (13.9%) adherence cohorts. Chronic pain, both low- and high-levels were least prevalent among people with full adherence. Moreover, people with low adherence were disproportionately more likely to have high-levels of chronic pain relative to moderate adherence or full adherence (Table 1). Unemployment, however, was highest in full adherence (21.1%), and people with full adherence were also least likely to be in full-time employment (42%). The full-time employment rate decreased as adherence declined from full to moderate (Table 1), and was comparable in people with low adherence (57.3%) or moderate adherence (54.5%). CONCLUSIONS This analysis of CHESS US+ examined the complex relationship between labor market outcomes and adherence to treatment, among adults with severe hemophilia in the US. Adherence was associated with lower rates of chronic pain, representing the importance of achieving an optimal treatment strategy. Nonetheless, patients achieving optimal adherence were less likely to be in full-time employment, and more likely to be part-time or unemployed, comparatively. Together, these data characterize a trade-off in clinical outcomes versus workforce participation, and suggest that the goal of achieving health equity may currently still be unmet. Disclosures Burke: HCD Economics: Current Employment; University of Chester: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy. Asghar:HCD Economics: Current Employment. Misciattelli:Freeline: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Kar:Freeline: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Morgan:uniQure: Consultancy; HCD Economics: Current Employment. Dhillon:HCD Economics: Current Employment; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Other: All authors received editorial support for this abstract, furnished by Scott Battle, funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Basel, Switzerland. . O'Hara:HCD Economics: Current Employment, Current equity holder in private company; F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd: Consultancy.

Background Difficulty distinguishing bacterial and viral infections contributes to excess antibiotic use. A host response strategy overcomes many limitations of pathogen-based tests, but depends on a functional immune system. This approach may therefore be limited in immunocompromised (IC) hosts. Here, we evaluated a host response test in IC subjects, which has not been extensively studied in this manner. Methods An 81-gene signature was measured using qRT-PCR in previously enrolled IC subjects (chemotherapy, solid organ transplant, immunomodulatory agents, AIDS) with confirmed bacterial infection, viral infection, or non-infectious illness (NI). A regularized logistic regression model estimated the likelihood of bacterial, viral, and noninfectious classes. Clinical adjudication was the reference standard. Results A host gene expression model trained in a cohort of 136 immunocompetent subjects (43 bacterial, 41 viral, and 52 NI) had an overall accuracy of 84.6% for the diagnosis of bacterial vs. non-bacterial infection and 80.8% for viral vs. non-viral infection. The model was validated in an independent cohort of 134 IC subjects (64 bacterial, 28 viral, 42 NI). The overall accuracy was 73.9% for bacterial infection (p=0.03 vs. training cohort) and 75.4% for viral infection (p=0.27). Test utility could be improved by reporting probability ranges. For example, results divided into probability quartiles would allow the highest quartile to be used to rule in infection and the lowest to rule out infection. For IC subjects in the lowest quartile, the test had 90.1% and 96.4% sensitivity for bacterial and viral infection, respectively. For the highest quartile, the test had 91.4% and 84.0% specificity for bacterial and viral infection, respectively. The type or number of immunocompromising conditions did not impact performance. Illness Etiology Probabilities Conclusion A host gene expression test discriminated bacterial, viral, and non-infectious etiologies at a lower overall accuracy in IC patients compared to immunocompetent patients, though this difference was only significant for bacterial vs non-bacterial disease. With modified interpretive criteria, a host response strategy may offer clinically useful and complementary diagnostic information for IC patients. Disclosures Thomas W. Burke, PhD, Predigen, Inc (Consultant) Geoffrey S. Ginsburg, MD PhD, Predigen, Inc (Shareholder, Other Financial or Material Support) Christopher W. Woods, MD, MPH, FIDSA, Predigen, Inc (Shareholder, Other Financial or Material Support) Ephraim L. Tsalik, MD, MHS, PhD, FIDSA, Predigen, Inc (Scientific Research Study Investigator, Shareholder, Other Financial or Material Support)

Objective Distinguishing bacterial, viral, or other etiologies of acute illness is diagnostically challenging with significant implications for appropriate antimicrobial use. Host gene expression offers a promising approach, although no clinically useful test has been developed yet to accomplish this. Here, Qvella’s FAST HR (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada) process was developed to quantify previously identified host gene expression signatures in whole blood in Method Whole blood was collected from 128 human subjects (mean age 47, range 18–88) with clinically adjudicated, microbiologically confirmed viral infection, bacterial infection, noninfectious illness, or healthy controls. Stabilized mRNA was released from cleaned and stabilized RNA-surfactant complexes using e-lysis, an electrical process providing a quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction-ready sample. Threshold cycle values (CT) for 10 host response targets were normalized to hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1 expression, a control mRNA. The transcripts in the signature were specifically chosen to discriminate viral from nonviral infection (bacterial, noninfectious illness, or healthy). Classification accuracy was determined using cross-validated sparse logistic regression. Results Reproducibility of mRNA quantification was within 1 cycle as compared to the difference seen between subjects with viral versus nonviral infection (up to 5.0 normalized CT difference). Classification of 128 subjects into viral or nonviral etiologies demonstrated 90.6% overall accuracy compared to 82.0% for procalcitonin (P = .06). FAST HR achieved rapid and accurate measurement of the host response to viral infection in less than 45 minutes. Conclusions These results demonstrate the ability to translate host gene expression signatures to clinical platforms for use in patients with suspected infection. Clinical Trials Registration NCT00258869.

Summary Background Early and accurate identification of individuals with viral infections is crucial for clinical management and public health interventions. We aimed to assess the ability of transcriptomic biomarkers to identify naturally acquired respiratory viral infection before typical symptoms are present. Methods In this index-cluster study, we prospectively recruited a cohort of undergraduate students (aged 18–25 years) at Duke University (Durham, NC, USA) over a period of 5 academic years. To identify index cases, we monitored students for the entire academic year, for the presence and severity of eight symptoms of respiratory tract infection using a daily web-based survey, with symptoms rated on a scale of 0–4. Index cases were defined as individuals who reported a 6-point increase in cumulative daily symptom score. Suspected index cases were visited by study staff to confirm the presence of reported symptoms of illness and to collect biospecimen samples. We then identified clusters of close contacts of index cases (ie, individuals who lived in close proximity to index cases, close friends, and partners) who were presumed to be at increased risk of developing symptomatic respiratory tract infection while under observation. We monitored each close contact for 5 days for symptoms and viral shedding and measured transcriptomic responses at each timepoint each day using a blood-based 36-gene RT-PCR assay. Findings Between Sept 1, 2009, and April 10, 2015, we enrolled 1465 participants. Of 264 index cases with respiratory tract infection symptoms, 150 (57%) had a viral cause confirmed by RT-PCR. Of their 555 close contacts, 106 (19%) developed symptomatic respiratory tract infection with a proven viral cause during the observation window, of whom 60 (57%) had the same virus as their associated index case. Nine viruses were detected in total. The transcriptomic assay accurately predicted viral infection at the time of maximum symptom severity (mean area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUROC] 0·94 [95% CI 0·92–0·96]), as well as at 1 day (0·87 [95% CI 0·84–0·90]), 2 days (0·85 [0·82–0·88]), and 3 days (0·74 [0·71–0·77]) before peak illness, when symptoms were minimal or absent and 22 (62%) of 35 individuals, 25 (69%) of 36 individuals, and 24 (82%) of 29 individuals, respectively, had no detectable viral shedding. Interpretation Transcriptional biomarkers accurately predict and diagnose infection across diverse viral causes and stages of disease and thus might prove useful for guiding the administration of early effective therapy, quarantine decisions, and other clinical and public health interventions in the setting of endemic and pandemic infectious diseases. Funding US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

RationaleAsthma exacerbations often occur due to infectious triggers, but determining whether infection is present and whether it is bacterial or viral remains clinically challenging. A diagnostic strategy that clarifies these uncertainties could enable personalized asthma treatment and mitigate antibiotic overuse.ObjectivesTo explore the performance of validated peripheral blood gene expression signatures in discriminating bacterial, viral, and noninfectious triggers in subjects with asthma exacerbations.MethodsSubjects with suspected asthma exacerbations of various etiologies were retrospectively selected for peripheral blood gene expression analysis from a pool of subjects previously enrolled in emergency departments with acute respiratory illness. RT-PCR quantified 87 gene targets, selected from microarray-based studies, followed by logistic regression modeling to define bacterial, viral, or noninfectious class. The model-predicted class was compared to clinical adjudication and procalcitonin.ResultsOf 46 subjects enrolled, 7 were clinically adjudicated as bacterial, 18 as viral, and 21 as noninfectious. Model prediction was congruent with clinical adjudication in 15/18 viral and 13/21 noninfectious cases, but only 1/7 bacterial cases. None of the adjudicated bacterial cases had confirmatory microbiology; the precise etiology in this group was uncertain. Procalcitonin classified only one subject in the cohort as bacterial. 47.8% of subjects received antibiotics.ConclusionsOur model classified asthma exacerbations by the underlying bacterial, viral, and noninfectious host response. Compared to clinical adjudication, the majority of discordances occurred in the bacterial group, due to either imperfect adjudication or model misclassification. Bacterial infection was identified infrequently by all classification schemes, but nearly half of subjects were prescribed antibiotics. A gene expression-based approach may offer useful diagnostic information in this population and guide appropriate antibiotic use.

Background: Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) describes a group of inherited hemolytic disorders caused by structurally abnormal variants of hemoglobin, which result in the sickle-shaped red blood cells (RBCs) that are characteristic of the disease. In patients with SCD, overexpression of adhesion molecules such as P-selectin bind sickled RBCs to endothelial cells; this contributes to hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), which are associated with severe acute and chronic pain. Patients with sickle cell disease often experience disease-related complications, affecting a diverse range of organs, thought to be due to the systemic impact of chronically inflamed vasculature, ongoing hemolysis and ischemic damage as a result of vaso-occlusive events. Many of these SCD-related complications are associated with significant morbidity and poor quality of life. The relationship between VOC frequency and the incidence of these complications is still being assessed. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the number of VOC experienced in the previous year and the occurrence of complications using real world evidence from the UK, specifically the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the number of VOCs reported in the previous 12 months and the presence of SCD-related complications using a mixed modelling approach. METHODS: All patients reported with a diagnosis of SCD between 2008 and 2017 in the NHS England's HES database were identified. Detailed follow-up data on the number of vaso-occlusive crisis events and occurrence of complications was evaluated using ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Assuming no unmeasured confounding, the causal effect of VOCs, categorized into 3 groups (0, 1-2, 3+), was estimated using marginal structural models (MSM) for the complications reported in the dataset. To obtain inverse probability of treatment and censoring weights (IPTW and IPCW), the probability of being in each VOC category was estimated with a multinomial logistic model, and subsequently, the probability of being censored was estimated with a binary logistic model. The two models were adjusted for age, gender, ethnicity, and the occurrence in the previous 12 months of the 20 most common SCD complications and comorbidities in the dataset. Pooled logistic regressions were used to approximate the IPW-MSM Cox model. E-values were used to assess the minimum strength of association that an unmeasured confounder would have to have with both exposure (VOC) and outcome in order to fully explain away the observed relationship. Uncertainty in the magnitude of the E-value required to explain observed associations was explored by calculating values for both the point estimate and the lower bound of the confidence interval. RESULTS: A total of 15,076 patients were identified with a diagnosis of SCD in the HES database for this analysis. Patients had a median age of 30 and a female-male ratio of 1.7:1. A broad range of SCD related-complications were experienced by patients in the UK as shown in Table 1. Rates of some complications were observed less frequently than expected, in particular, leg ulcers, pulmonary hypertension, osteomyelitis, priapism and acute kidney injury, reported at E-values (Table 1) suggest that most outcomes are robust to considerable unmeasured confounding, although large confidence intervals resulted in small lower-bound E-values for some outcomes (e.g. leg ulcers: 3.62 lower-bound: 1.00). Large E-values (>= 3 based on similar research in SCD) suggest results are robust to considerable unmeasured confounding, while small values imply greater fragility. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis shows that vaso-occlusive crises are related to the occurrence of important complications of sickle cell disease. Reducing the annual incidence of VOC may significantly lessen the ongoing organ damage and morbidity but may also improve the patient's quality of life with respect to these conditions. Disclosures Bailey: Novartis: Employment. Abioye:Novartis: Employment. Morgan:HCD Economics: Employment. Burke:HCD Economics: Employment. Disher:Cornerstone Research Group: Employment. Brown:Cornerstone Research Group: Employment. Bonner:Cornerstone Research Group: Employment. Herquelot:HEVA: Employment. Lamarsalle:HEVA: Employment. Raguideau:HEVA: Employment.

Background Severe haemophilia is associated with major psychological and economic burden for patients, caregivers, and the wider health care system. This burden has been quantified and documented for a number of European countries in recent years. However, few studies have taken a standardised methodology across multiple countries simultaneously, and sought to amalgamate all three levels of burden for severe disease. The overall aim of the ‘Cost of Haemophilia in Europe: a Socioeconomic Survey’ (CHESS) study was to capture the annualised economic and psychosocial burden of severe haemophilia in five European countries. A cross-section of haemophilia specialists (surveyed between January and April 2015) provided demographic and clinical information and 12-month ambulatory and secondary care activity for patients via an online survey. In turn, patients provided corresponding direct and indirect non-medical cost information, including work loss and out-of-pocket expenses, as well as information on quality of life and adherence. The direct and indirect costs for the patient sample were calculated and extrapolated to population level. Results Clinical reports for a total of 1,285 patients were received. Five hundred and fifty-two patients (43% of the sample) provided information on indirect costs and health-related quality of life via the PSC. The total annual cost of severe haemophilia across the five countries for 2014 was estimated at EUR 1.4 billion, or just under EUR 200,000 per patient. The highest per-patient costs were in Germany (mean EUR 319,024) and the lowest were in the United Kingdom (mean EUR 129,365), with a study average of EUR 199,541. As expected, consumption of clotting factor replacement therapy represented the vast majority of costs (up to 99%). Indirect costs are driven by patient and caregiver work loss. Conclusions The results of the CHESS study reflect previous research findings suggesting that costs of factor replacement therapy account for the vast majority of the cost burden in severe haemophilia. However, the importance of the indirect impact of haemophilia on the patient and family should not be overlooked. The CHESS study highlights the benefits of observational study methodologies in capturing a ‘snapshot’ of information for patients with rare diseases.

Background Host response-based diagnostics are an alternative to pathogen-based tests. Host response strategies include proteomic and transcriptomic approaches. Here, we compare three host response strategies for ARI diagnosis: Procalcitonin (PCT), a 3-protein panel, and an mRNA panel. Methods PCT, a 3-protein panel (CRP, IP-10, TRAIL), and a host gene expression mRNA panel were measured in a cohort of 286 participants presenting to one of the four Emergency Departments with ARI due to bacterial (n = 47), viral (n = 162), or noninfectious (n = 77) etiologies. Multinomial logistic regression and leave-one-out cross-validation were used to train and evaluate the protein and mRNA panels. Performance characteristics were calculated for each method, and their combination, for the ability to discriminate bacterial vs. non-bacterial infection and viral vs. nonviral infection. PCT was not evaluated for viral vs. nonviral discrimination since it does not discriminate viral and noninfectious etiologies. McNemar’s test was used to compare overall accuracy of mRNA and protein panels. Results For discriminating bacterial vs. non-bacterial etiologies, the mRNA panel had an AUC of 0.93 vs. 0.83 for both the protein panel and PCT. A model utilizing all three strategies was the same as mRNA alone. Using previously established cutoffs, overall accuracy was similar between mRNA and protein panels, but the protein panel had widely discordant sensitivity (43%) and specificity (92%). When selecting an optimal cutoff for the protein panel that balanced the two (82% and 73%, respectively), the mRNA panel had a significantly greater overall accuracy (P < 0.001). Similar results were found when discriminating viral vs. non-viral subjects: the mRNA panel (AUC = 0.93) outperformed the protein panel (AUC = 0.84). Combining the mRNA and protein panels was equivalent to the mRNA panel alone. Conclusion A host-based gene expression signature is the most effective platform for classifying subjects with bacterial, viral, or noninfectious ARI. A gene expression approach, when translated to a clinically available platform, may facilitate diagnosis and clinical management of acute infectious diseases, mitigating antibiotic overuse. Disclosures Ephraim L. Tsalik, MD, MHS, PhD, Immunexpress: Consultant; Predigen, Inc.: Officer or Board Member, Research Grant.

Background: BAY 81-8973 (Kovaltry®, Bayer) is an unmodified full-length recombinant FVIII launched in 2016 in Europe and the US for the prophylaxis and treatment of bleeds in patients with hemophilia A. BAY 81-8973 has been extensively studied in clinical trials, which have demonstrated consistent efficacy and safety in both children and adults in the LEOPOLD trials, and since launch, 6750 patient-years of experience have been accumulated. Pharmacokinetic analyses have demonstrated an increased half-life for BAY 81-8973 compared with standard factor VIII products (rFVIII-FS and rFVIII [rAHF-PFM]). Real world evidence demonstrating the effectiveness and safety of BAY 81-8973 across age groups is being collected, though aggregated international data have yet to be published. The primary objective of this analysis was to describe the effectiveness of BAY 81-8973 in the real world setting in children and adults from Europe and the US, as captured in the Cost of Haemophilia: a Socioeconomic Survey (CHESS) study. Methods: The CHESS 2018 program investigated the economic and psychological burden of moderate and severe hemophilia (FVIII < 5%) in Europe and the USA. The pediatric cohort (CHESS Pediatric) included 1050 males aged 1-17 years, with moderate or severe hemophilia, while CHESS US included 568 adults with severe hemophilia aged > 18 years. Clinical and patient reported data were obtained via medical chart abstraction and cross-sectional surveys sent to both physicians and patients. Data were collected between December 2017 and April 2018, and captured 12 months of clinical retrospective data. The current study is a descriptive analysis of patients treated with BAY 81-8973 from the CHESS pediatric and adult cohorts. Results: At the data cut off (May 2018), 49 patients were being treated with BAY 81-8973. The majority of pediatric patients were aged 6-11 years (51.7%, n=15), while 17.2% (n=5) were aged 0-5 years and 31% (n=9) were aged 12-17 years. In the adult US cohort, most (60%, n=12) were aged 18-35 years, 35% (n=7) were aged 36-59 years, and 5% (n=1) were aged > 60 years. The vast majority of patients across cohorts had severe disease (93.1% of children and 100% of adults); however, 89.7% (26/29) of children and 80% (16/20) of adults had no target joints. In this population, 75.9% (22/29) of children and 55.0% (11/20) of adults were receiving regular prophylaxis with BAY 81-8973. Children and adults on prophylaxis both had a mean (± SD) of 2 (± 1) infusions/week, with median (Q1; Q3) weekly doses of 84 (67; 110) and 62 (29; 144) IU/kg, respectively. Overall, 20.7% (6/29) of children and 35% (7/20) of adults treated with BAY 81-8973 had zero bleeds and mean annualized bleed rate (ABR) was 2.66 (± 2.06) in children and 1.45 (± 1) in adults; 68.9% (20/29) of children and 95.0% (19/20) of adults had experienced ≤ 3 bleeds in the previous year. There were no reports of inhibitor development in either the pediatric or adult cohorts while on BAY 81-8973. Conclusions: These observations suggest that BAY 81-8973 is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for adults and children with moderate and severe hemophilia A, with ABR < 3 in children and < 2 in adults and with many patients free from bleeds despite only 67% of patients studied receiving regular prophylaxis. These data confirm the observations from the LEOPOLD trials, suggest BAY 81-8973 provides good protection from bleeding across a range of patient types in routine clinical practice and illustrate how the established pharmacokinetic profile of BAY 81-8973 translates to clinical benefits for patients with hemophilia A. Study supported by Bayer Disclosures Hirst: Bayer: Employment. Rauchensteiner:Bayer: Employment.

Background Acute febrile illness is a frequent cause of hospitalization in the tropics and often presents with respiratory symptoms, even when caused by nonrespiratory pathogens. Previously, host-based gene expression signatures accurately identified acute respiratory infections as being bacterial or viral in a U.S. cohort. We determined signature performance in a Sri Lankan cohort with acute febrile respiratory illness (AFRI). Methods We enrolled patients with AFRI in Sri Lanka from July 2012 to May 2013 and collected nasopharygeal swabs, acute/ convalescent sera, and blood in PAXgene RNA tubes. Bacterial (Orientia tsutsugamushi, Leptospira spp.) and viral (influenza A/B, dengue) infections were confirmed using polymerase chain reaction, virus isolation, enzyme immunoassay, and/or microscopic agglutination testing. We extracted total RNA and performed host RNA sequencing (Illumina). We aligned reads to hg38 reference genome using Bowtie2, quantified at isoform level using Express version 1.5.1, and normalized using trimmed-mean normalization. The original model estimated three classes and separate signatures predicted bacterial infections, viral infections, and non-infectious illnesses. Regularized regression was used to predict bacterial and viral infections based on prior signatures. Accuracy was estimated using leave-one-out cross-validation. Results Among 43 patients with viral infections (14 dengue, 29 influenza) and 16 patients with bacterial infections (six Leptospira spp., 10 O. tsutsumagushi), median age was 37 years (IQR 23–51) and 49% were male. Of five respiratory symptoms (cough, sore throat, rhinitis/ congestion, shortness of breath, and pain with breathing), median (IQR) number of symptoms was 2 (1–2) for influenza, 2 (1–2) for dengue, 2 (2–3) for Leptospira spp., and 1.5 (1–2) for O. tsutsumagushi. We observed high predictive accuracy in discriminating bacterial and viral infections: AUROC 0.91 for the bacterial and AUROC 0.81 for the viral model. At enrollment, 65% of viral and 50% of bacterial AFRI patients received antibiotics. Conclusion Host gene expression classifiers performed well in a Sri Lankan population with AFRI, even with nonrespiratory pathogens that may not be readily identified. Host-based diagnostics may play a critical role in improving diagnostic ability and antibiotic use globally. Disclosures E. L. Tsalik, Host Response, Inc.: Founder, Equity. G. S. Ginsburg, Host Response Inc.: Board Member, Founder, Scientific Advisor and Shareholder, Stock (currently worth

Background Bacterial and viral infections are difficult to clinically distinguish, leading to antibiotic overuse and resistance. Host response signatures are an alternative to traditional pathogen-detection methods to differentiate these etiologies. Several gene expression signatures have been described although performance in ambiguous clinical phenotypes is unknown. Here, we validate a host response signature and explore its performance in microbiology-negative and co-infection cases. Methods RT-PCR taqman low-density array (TLDA) was used to measure 87 gene targets in a training cohort of 151 samples from patients with microbiologically confirmed and clinically adjudicated phenotypes (48 bacterial; 54 viral; 49 non-infectious illness [NI]). This data were used to construct three distinct classifiers: bacterial vs. nonbacterial; viral vs. nonviral; and non-infectious vs. infectious. This model was then applied to 75 subjects with co-infection and 40 suspected bacterial cases without microbiological confirmation. Results Leave-one-out cross validation on the training cohort demonstrated AUC values of 0.85, 0.89, and 0.88 for bacterial, viral, and NI, respectively. In 40 subjects with microbiology-negative bacterial infections, a bacterial or co-infection signature was present in 72%. Of 75 subjects with co-infection, 53 included a bacterial infection following recent viral infection and 22 were bacterial infections in patients with chronic viral infection (e.g., HCV, HIV). Bacterial infection and co-infection were successfully identified in these varied scenarios. Conclusion This gene expression signature distinguished bacterial, viral, and noninfectious causes of illness. The host response was able to confirm the majority of suspected bacterial infection without confirmatory microbiology but also highlighted a viral response in many. Furthermore, the use of distinct viral and bacterial signatures was capable of identifying co-infection. Such a host gene expression strategy, when translated to a clinically useful platform, can offer new insights into the etiology of both simple and complex cases that are not currently available. Disclosures G. S. Ginsburg, Host Response Inc.: Board Member, Founder, Scientific Advisor and Shareholder, Stock (currently worth

Background Asthma exacerbations often occur due to infectious triggers. However, determining whether an infection is present and whether it is bacterial or viral remains clinically challenging leading to antibiotic overuse. A diagnostic strategy that clarifies these uncertainties can enable personalized asthma treatment and mitigate antibiotic resistance. Host gene expression is a promising alternative to pathogen-detection methods. Methods Forty-six patients presenting to the emergency department with asthma exacerbations were enrolled. Cases were clinically adjudicated as having bacterial, viral, or non-infectious etiologies. RT-PCR taqman low density array (TLDA) was used to quantify 87 gene targets, followed by logistic regression modeling to define class. Etiologies were correlated with clinical information including symptoms and antibiotic prescriptions. Results Most clinical parameters were similar between groups including duration of symptoms, presence of sick contacts, and severity of nasal symptoms, cough, headache, throat discomfort, and malaise. Only fever/chills (P = 0.006) and a composite of all symptoms (P = 0.02) were significantly different. In contrast to clinically adjudicated phenotypes, host response signatures identified very few bacterial triggers. Notably, none of the adjudicated bacterial cases had positive confirmatory microbiology. Instead, 29 and 57% were identified as having a viral infection or no infection, respectively. Despite the absence of bacterial infections identified using host gene expression, antibiotics were prescribed in 47.8% of all cases. Conclusion Host response signatures indicated that asthma exacerbation is infrequently caused by bacterial infections, even when clinical adjudications suggest this to be the case. Instead, most are either of viral or non-infectious etiologies. Despite most cases being classified as nonbacterial, empiric antibiotics were prescribed nearly half the time. A host gene expression approach can offer clinically useful diagnostic information to guide more appropriate antibiotic use among patients with asthma exacerbation. Disclosures G. S. Ginsburg, Host Response Inc.: Board Member, Founder, Scientific Advisor and Shareholder, Stock (currently worth < $100). C. W. Woods, Host Response: Founder, Licensing agreement or royalty; Qvella: Collaborator, Research support; BioFire: Collaborator, none. E. L. Tsalik, Host Response, Inc.: Founder, Equity.

Background The inability to reliably discriminate bacterial, viral, and non-infectious illness has led to an epidemic of antibiotic overuse and rising rates of antimicrobial resistance. Host gene expression provides a powerful approach to distinguish infection etiologies and guide appropriate therapy. However, existing platforms for transcriptomic analysis are not amenable for clinical application. The FilmArray platform is a sample-to-answer multiplex RT-PCR system that automates transcriptomic analysis including sample preparation and data analysis. Here we report the validation of a host gene expression FilmArray test to discriminate bacterial, viral, and non-infectious etiologies of illness. Methods Research use only (RUO) FilmArray pouches were manufactured with 45 host response assays previously shown to discriminate bacterial, viral, and non-infectious illness. These pouches were tested on whole blood samples from 226 patients with acute respiratory illness (ARI). Using clinical adjudication as the reference standard, there were 52 bacterial, 100 viral, and 75 non-infectious cases. Quantification cycles were recorded for each assay and normalized to an internal control. A logistic regression model generated probabilities of each condition, which were used to classify subjects. Results Beginning with 100 µL of blood, the FilmArray host response panel provided results in ~45 minutes from sample to answer. Overall accuracy for bacterial ARI relative to clinical adjudication was 85% with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.92. Accuracy and AUC for viral infection were 85% and 0.91, respectively. Ill patients without infection were correctly identified 86% of the time with an AUC of 0.88. Conclusion These results show that the FilmArray system can rapidLy measure host gene expression to accurately discriminate bacterial, viral, and non-infectious illness. The development of such a system creates a new option to mitigate inappropriate antibiotic use. It also presents opportunities to use host gene expression as a diagnostic modality for a variety of disease states. Disclosures E. L. Tsalik, Host Response, Inc.: Founder, Equity. J. Montgomery, BioFire Diagnostics: Employee, Salary. J. Nawrocki, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC.: Employee, Salary. M. Deneris, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC.: Employee, Salary. C. Gritzen, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC.: Employee, Salary. J. Jones, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC.: Employee, Salary. R. Crisp, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC: Employee, Salary. G. S. Ginsburg, Host Response Inc: Board Member, Founder, Scientific Advisor and Shareholder, Stock (currently worth < $100). A. Hemmert, BioFire Diagnostics, LLC.: Employee and Investigator, Salary. C. W. Woods, Host Response, Inc.: Founder, Equity.

Background The health care industry, including consumers, providers, and payers of health care, recognize the importance of developing meaningful, patient-centered measures. This article describes our experience using an existing electronic medical record largely based on free text formats without structured documentation, in conjunction with tumor registry abstraction techniques, to obtain and analyze data for use in clinical improvement and public reporting. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 2467 previously untreated patients treated with curative intent who presented with laryngeal, pharyngeal, or oral cavity cancer in order to develop a system to monitor and report meaningful outcome metrics of head and neck cancer treatment. Patients treated between 1995 and 2006 were analyzed for the primary outcomes of survival at 1 and 2 years, the ability to speak at 1 year posttreatment, and the ability to swallow at 1 year posttreatment. Results We encountered significant limitations in clinical documentation because of the lack of standardization of meaningful measures, as well limitations with data abstraction using a retrospective approach to reporting measures. Almost 5000 person-hours were required for data abstraction, quality review, and reporting, at a cost of approximately $134,000. Our multidisciplinary teams document extensive patient information; however, data is not stored in easily accessible formats for measurement, comparison, and reporting. Conclusion We recommend identifying measures meaningful to patients, providers, and payers to be documented throughout the patients' entire treatment cycle, and significant investment in the improvements to electronic medical records and tumor registry reporting in order to provide meaningful quality measures for the future. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 36: 226–230, 2014

Acute respiratory infections caused by bacterial or viral pathogens are among the most common reasons for seeking medical care. Despite improvements in pathogen-based diagnostics, most patients receive inappropriate antibiotics. Host response biomarkers offer an alternative diagnostic approach to direct antimicrobial use. This observational, cohort study determined whether host gene expression patterns discriminate non-infectious from infectious illness, and bacterial from viral causes of acute respiratory infection in the acute care setting. Peripheral whole blood gene expression from 273 subjects with community-onset acute respiratory infection (ARI) or non-infectious illness as well as 44 healthy controls was measured using microarrays. Sparse logistic regression was used to develop classifiers for bacterial ARI (71 probes), viral ARI (33 probes), or a non-infectious cause of illness (26 probes). Overall accuracy was 87% (238/273 concordant with clinical adjudication), which was more accurate than procalcitonin (78%, p

Early, presymptomatic intervention with oseltamivir (corresponding to the onset of a published host-based genomic signature of influenza infection) resulted in decreased overall influenza symptoms (aggregate symptom scores of 23.5 vs 46.3), more rapid resolution of clinical disease (20 hours earlier), reduced viral shedding (total median tissue culture infectious dose [TCID50] 7.4 vs 9.7), and significantly reduced expression of several inflammatory cytokines (interferon-γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and others). The host genomic response to influenza infection is robust and may provide the means for early detection, more timely therapeutic interventions, a meaningful reduction in clinical disease, and an effective molecular means to track response to therapy.

Changes in the management of cancers such as colorectal cancer (CRC) are urgently needed, as such cancers continue to be one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers; CRC accounts for 21% of all cancers and is responsible for mortalities second only to lung cancer in the United States. A comprehensive science-driven approach towards markedly improved early detection/screening to efficacious targeted therapeutics with clear diagnostic and prognostic markers is essential. In addition, further changes addressing rising costs, stemming from recent health care reform measures, will be brought about in part by changes in how care is reimbursed. For oncology, the advances in genomics and biomarkers have the potential to define subsets of patients who have a prognosis or response to a particular type of therapy that differs from the mean. Better definition of a cancer’s behavior will facilitate developing care plans tailored to the patient. One method under study is episode-based payment or bundling, where one payment is made to a provider organization to cover all expenses associated with a discrete illness episode. Payments will be based on the average cost of care, with providers taking on a risk for overutilization and outliers. For providers to thrive in this environment, they will need to know what care a patient will require and the costs of that care. A science-driven “personalized approach” to cancer care has the potential to produce better outcomes with reductions in the use of ineffectual therapies and costs. This promising scenario is still in the future, but progress is being made, and the shape of things to come for cancer care in the age of genomics is becoming clearer.

Historically, quality measures for cancer have followed a different route than overall quality measures in the health care system. Many specialized cancer treatment centers were exempt from standard reporting on quality measures because of the complexity of cancer. Additionally, it has been difficult to create meaningful quality measures for cancer because the disease can strike so many different organs; is discovered at and progresses through different stages; and is treated using different modalities, such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Over the past decade the National Quality Forum, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bettering the quality of US health care, has endorsed measures of quality for cancer providers and patients. The Affordable Care Act of 2010, which has sections specific to cancer reporting, will also further the development and public reporting of cancer quality measures-important steps in improving the delivery of cancer care.

BackgroundSystemic therapy for advanced uterine carcinosarcoma (CS) has been disappointing. The most widely studied regimen is ifosfamide and cisplatinum. Moderate success has been documented using paclitaxel in ovarian CS. The purpose of this study was to evaluate carboplatin/paclitaxel in advanced and recurrent uterine CS.MethodsA single-arm, prospective, phase II trial opened in October 2001. Primary end points were time to progression (TTP) and response rate (RR). Quality-of-life data were obtained. Patients treated adjuvantly received 6 cycles of carboplatin/paclitaxel every 21 days. Patients with disease at study entry were treated until response, progression, or toxicity.ResultsOf 23 patients enrolled, 9 received adjuvant treatment, 13 had documented disease, 1 was inevaluable. Eight of 13 patients with measurable disease had a complete or partial response (62% RR). Overall, median TTP was 9.5 months. In the adjuvant group, median TTP was 15 months. With measurable disease, median TTP was 7.9 months. Median overall survival was 21.1 months. There was no difference in survival between patients with or without measurable disease. For patients having prior radiation, median TTP with recurrence in the radiated field was 13.3 months, and 14.5 months if outside the field (P= 0.71). Two patients (9%) had treatment-limiting toxicity. Quality-of-life scores improved from baseline over time.ConclusionsCarboplatin and paclitaxel have improved tolerability and RR (62%) compared with previous reports of ifosfamide/cisplatin or ifosfamide/paclitaxel in treating uterine CS. This regimen seems promising and should be considered in combined therapies with targeted agents.

Value-based healthcare delivery is being discussed in a variety of healthcare forums. This concept is of great importance in the reform of the US healthcare delivery system. Defining and applying the principles of value-based competition in healthcare delivery models will permit future evaluation of various delivery applications. However, there are relatively few examples of how to apply these principles to an existing care delivery system. In this article, we describe an approach for assessing the value created when treating cancer patients in a multidisciplinary care setting within a comprehensive cancer center. We describe the analysis of a multidisciplinary care center that treats head and neck cancers, and we attempt to examine how this center integrates with Porter and Teisberg's (2006) concept of value-based competition based on the results analysis. Using the relationship between outcomes and costs as the definition of value, we developed a methodology to analyze proposed outcomes for a population of patients treated using a multidisciplinary approach, and we matched those outcomes to the costs of the care provided. We present this work as a model for defining value for a subset of patients undergoing active treatment. The method can be applied not only to head and neck treatments, but to other modalities as well. Public reporting of this type of data for a variety of conditions can lead to improved competition in the healthcare marketplace and, as a result, improve outcomes and decrease health expenditures.

This study reviews the experience at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center with elderly patients treated for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer with cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy.From 1978 through 1988, 215 patients with Stage III or IV, Grade 2 or 3 epithelial ovarian cancer were entered onto one of three consecutive trials involving cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. The treatment plans were as follows: Trial 1: 12 cycles of cisplatin-melphalan (75 patients); Trial 2: 12 cycles of cisplatin-cyclophosphamide (49 patients); and Trial 3: 6 cycles of cisplatin-cyclophosphamide (91 patients). End-points of analysis included the effect of age on other prognostic factors, clinical response rate, surgical response rate, toxicity, progression-free survival, and survival.Of the entire study group, 57 patients (27%) were 65 years of age and older at diagnosis. There was no effect of age on FIGO stage or histologic grade distribution, but 61% of patients younger than 65 years of age had residual tumors less than or equal to 2 cm compared with only 33% of patients 65 years of age and older (P = 0.00027). There were no differences between the two age groups with respect to response rates, recurrence rate after negative second-look surgery, toxicity, or progression-free survival. Patients in the younger than 65 years of age group, however, had a significantly longer median survival time than those 65 years of age and older (30 versus 19 months, respectively) (P = 0.0038).This analysis suggests that elderly patients are more likely to begin chemotherapy with bulky residual disease and to have a significantly shorter survival time than their younger counterparts.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of mifepristone (RU-486) in women with advanced or recurrent endometrioid adenocarcinoma or low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma (LGESS). METHODS: Mifepristone (RU-486; 200 mg orally) was given daily to patients with progesterone receptor-positive advanced or recurrent endometrioid adenocarcinoma or LGESS. Patients were evaluated every 4 weeks for toxicity and response. Quality-of-life data were obtained using the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale and Functional Assessment for Cancer Therapy. RESULTS: Twelve of 13 enrolled patients were evaluable in the first phase of accrual. Stable disease was noted in 3 of 12 patients (at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and ≥77 weeks, respectively), and the median time to disease progression was 48 days. Among the patients who had stable disease, 2 women had endometrioid endometrial cancer, and 1 woman had LGESS. No partial or complete responses were observed. The most frequent grade 1 and 2 toxicities were anorexia, fatigue, and mood alterations observed in 50%, 50%, and 58% of patients, respectively. The most common grade 3 toxicities were fatigue and dyspnea observed in 25% and 17% of patients, respectively. One patient experienced grade 4 dyspnea. Thirty-three percent of patients had asymptomatic elevations of corticotropin. No serious treatment-related adverse events occurred. There were no significant changes in quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Single-agent mifepristone used in the treatment of recurrent endometrioid adenocarcinoma or LGESS resulted in a stable disease rate of 25%. One patient who had a biopsy-positive disease recurrence remained stable at 77 weeks. Although mifepristone was tolerated well, as a single agent, it provided limited response as a single agent in women with progesterone receptor-positive uterine tumors. Recently, was been recognized that biologic agents used as single agents may result only in stable disease unless they are combined with cytotoxic agents. The authors concluded that further research into the best mode of application for mifepristone in the treatment of endometrial cancer is needed. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.

Objective. To determine the outcomes of patients with intermediate-risk Stages IC and II uterine corpus cancer treated with surgery alone or surgery followed by radiation therapy. Methods. Patients with uterine corpus cancer diagnosed in 1995 were identified from hospitals in the United States with tumor registry databases. Data were collected on histology, surgical treatment, radiation therapy, recurrence, and survival. Survival analysis was performed using life-table computational method. Results. 713 hospitals submitted data on 10,726 patients with uterine corpus cancer. 9977 patients (93.0%) underwent surgery, and 2624 patients (26.3%) received radiation therapy. Patients with clinical Stages IC and IIA disease who underwent surgery followed by radiation therapy compared to surgery alone had a trend toward improved 5-year relative survival (RS) (81.2% vs. 92.5%; 74.3% vs. 96.0%, respectively). The 5-year RS of patients with surgical Stage IC disease was not statistically different between the surgery alone group and the radiation group (93.9% vs. 91.7%). Patients with surgical Stage IIA and IIB disease did not benefit from radiation therapy compared to surgery alone (5-year RS; 83.7% vs. 98.0% and 82.3% vs. 81.8%, respectively). Conclusion. There is a trend toward improved survival in patients with clinical Stages IC and IIA uterine corpus cancer when radiation therapy is utilized following surgery. The survival of patients with surgical Stages IC and II uterine corpus cancer is not improved with adjuvant radiation therapy.

Background. Conservative treatment with progestins is a reasonable treatment option for endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia and, in the experimental setting, for some women with grade 1 endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma. The risk of progression to a high-stage endometrial cancer is quite low, with only two previously reported cases in the English literature. Case. A 40-year-old woman with endometrial complex atypical hyperplasia diagnosed by dilatation and curettage was managed conservatively with progestin therapy (initially, megesterol acetate; then, a combination oral contraceptive). More than 2 years after her original diagnosis, she developed endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma, FIGO grade 2, with lymph node metastasis. The tumor was microsatellite instability-high due to methylation of MLH1 and loss of MLH1 protein. Conclusion. Currently, there are no good criteria for predicting which patients with complex atypical hyperplasia/grade 1 endometrioid adenocarcinoma will optimally respond to progestin therapy. There is some evidence that endometrial complex hyperplasia demonstrating loss of MLH1 protein by immunohistochemistry is strongly related to subsequent or concurrent endometrial cancer, especially tumors of higher grade and stage. In a woman with a biopsy diagnosis of endometrial hyperplasia, evaluation of MLH1 protein status by immunohistochemistry may provide useful information when medical management is being considered.