The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

The International Severe Asthma Registry (ISAR) was established in 2017 to advance the understanding of severe asthma and its management, thereby improving patient care worldwide. As the first global registry for adults with severe asthma, ISAR enabled individual registries to standardize and pool their data, creating a comprehensive, harmonized dataset with sufficient statistical power to address key research questions and knowledge gaps. Today, ISAR is the largest repository of real-world data on severe asthma, curating data on nearly 35,000 patients from 28 countries worldwide, and has become a leading contributor to severe asthma research. Research using ISAR data has provided valuable insights on the characteristics of severe asthma, its burdens and risk factors, real-world treatment effectiveness, and barriers to specialist care, which are collectively informing improved asthma management. Besides changing clinical thinking via research, ISAR aims to advance real-world practice through initiatives that improve registry data quality and severe asthma care. In 2024, ISAR refined essential research variables to enhance data quality and launched a web-based data acquisition and reporting system (QISAR), which integrates data collection with clinical consultations and enables longitudinal data tracking at patient, center, and population levels. Quality improvement priorities include collecting standardized data during consultations and tracking and optimizing patient journeys via QISAR and integrating primary/secondary care pathways to expedite specialist severe asthma management and facilitate clinical trial recruitment. ISAR envisions a future in which timely specialist referral and initiation of biologic therapy can obviate long-term systemic corticosteroid use and enable more patients to achieve remission.

[摘 要] 目的：探讨精氨酸-甘氨酸-天冬氨酸（RGD）修饰对肿瘤抑素19肽（T-19）抗肝癌活性的影响，比较分析T-19及RGD修饰的T-19（RGD-T-19）对肝癌SK-Hep-1细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移能力的影响。方法：用Fmoc固相法合成T-19及RGD-T-19，用高效液相色谱仪和质谱进行分离、鉴定。常规培养SK-Hep-1细胞，用0、50、100、150、200、250 mg/mL的T-19及RGD-T-19分别处理细胞，分为0 mg/mL（对照）组、50 mg/mL组、100 mg/mL组、150 mg/mL组、200 mg/mL组、250 mg/mL组。CCK-8法、克隆形成实验、划痕愈合实验和Tanswell小室实验、WB法和qPCR法分别检测SK-Hep-1细胞的增殖、迁移、侵袭能力，以及环氧合酶-2（COX-2）、基质金属蛋白酶-2（MMP-2）、MMP-9、组织基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂-1（TIMP-1）、TIMP-2蛋白和MMP-1、MMP-2 mRNA的表达。结果：经质谱鉴定，用Fmoc固相法合成的T-19及RGD-T-19纯度高。T-19和RGD-T-19均能显著抑制SK-Hep-1细胞的增殖、迁移、侵袭能力，抑制COX-2蛋白、MMP-2和MMP-9蛋白及mRNA的表达、促进TIMP-1、TIMP-2蛋白的表达（P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001），RGD-T-19的抑制或促进效应均明显强于T-19（均P < 0.05）。结论：利用Fmoc固相法合成了纯度高、活性好的T-19及RGD-T-19，两种肽均能抑制SK-Hep-1细胞增殖、侵袭和迁移能力，RGD-T-19作用明显强于T-19。

[摘 要] 目的：探究野生型水疱性口炎病毒印第安纳株（VSV-IN）对小鼠三阴性乳腺癌4T1细胞移植模型小鼠的免疫调节及肿瘤转移的影响。方法：VSV以MOI=1、MOI=10、MOI=100感染4T1细胞12、24、48 h后，CCK-8法检测4T1细胞死亡率，划痕愈合实验检测细胞迁移能力，qPCR检测细胞中E-cadherin、MMP-2、MMP-9 mRNA的表达。于雌性BALB/c小鼠脂肪垫接种1×106个/mL的4T1细胞0.1 mL，构建4T1细胞荷瘤小鼠模型，待小鼠肿瘤体积达200 mm3，分别向移植瘤内注射PBS、紫杉醇（TAX）（15 mg/kg）、VSV-IN（1×106 pfu/只），每周1次。给药4次后，处死小鼠、剥离完整移植瘤组织，测量肿瘤体积及质量，肺组织病理切片经H-E染色后观察肿瘤肺部转移结节，流式细胞术检测脾组织中T细胞亚群比例，ELISA法检测小鼠血清IL-6及TNF-α水平，利用GEPIA在线分析乳腺肿中迁移相关蛋白mRNA的表达，免疫组化法检测肿瘤中MMP-2、MMP-9与E-cadherin的表达，利用蛋白-蛋白对接技术预测VSV-IN的G蛋白、M蛋白与ERK2、E-cadherin的亲和力。结果：经MOI=10、100的VSV-IN处理48 h后，4T1细胞死亡率显著高于对照组（均P<0.01）；与对照组相比，VSV-IN组（MOI=10）细胞迁移率明显降低（P<0.01），MMP-9 mRNA的相对表达量明显降低（P<0.05）；与对照组小鼠相比，VSV-IN组移植瘤生长较对照组减缓且终点体积显著减小（P<0.05），VSV-IN组小鼠肺转移结节数量显著减少[（12.86±1.86） vs （24±3.67）个，P<0.01]，脾内CD4+ T、CD8+ T细胞比例显著升高（均P<0.05），血清TNF-α、IL-6含量显著升高（均P<0.01）；GEPIA分析发现在乳腺癌中E-cadherin、MMP-9表达水平均高于癌旁组织（P<0.05）；VSV-IN组小鼠肿瘤细胞内MMP-9表达明显低于对照组（P<0.05）；VSV-IN的G、M蛋白与ERK2的结合自由能分别为–11.7 kcal/mol、–6.4 kcal/mol。结论：野生型VSV-IN可抑制4T1细胞荷瘤小鼠的移植瘤生长及转移，这可能与其促进抗肿瘤免疫及调控迁移相关蛋白表达有关。

Background: Severe and critical COVID-19 disease is characterized by hyperinflammation involving pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly IL-6. Tocilizumab is a monoclonal antibody that blocks IL-6 receptors. Objectives: This study evaluated the efficacy of tocilizumab in Filipino patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease. Methods: This phase 3 randomized double-blind trial, included patients hospitalized for severe or critical COVID-19 in a 1:1 ratio to receive either tocilizumab plus local standard of care or placebo plus standard of care. Patients were eligible for a repeat IV infusion within 24-48 hours if they deteriorated or did not improve. Treatment success or clinical improvement was defined as at least two categories of improvement from baseline in the WHO 7-point Ordinal Scale of patient status, in an intention-to-treat manner. Results: Forty-nine (49) patients were randomized in the tocilizumab arm and 49 in the placebo arm. There was no significant difference in age, comorbidities, COVID-19 severity, need for mechanical ventilation, presence of acute respiratory distress syndrome, or biomarker levels between groups. Use of adjunctive therapy was similar between groups, with corticosteroid used in 91.8% in tocilizumab group and 81.6% in the placebo group, while remdesivir was used in 98% of participants in both groups. There was no significant difference between groups in terms of treatment success in both the intention-to-treat analysis (relative risk=1.05, 95% CI: 0.85-1.30) and per-protocol analysis (relative risk=0.98, 95% CI: 0.80 to 1.21). There was no significant difference in time to improvement of at least two categories relative to baseline on the 7-point Ordinal Scale of clinical status. Conclusion The use of tocilizumab on top of standard of care in the management of patients with severe to critical COVID-19 did not result in significant improvement as defined by the WHO 7-point Ordinal Scale of patient status, nor in significant improvement in incidence of mechanical ventilation, incidence of ICU admission, length of ICU stay, and mortality rate.
COVID-19 ; Interleukin-6

Background: s/Aims: Socioeconomic determinants of health are incompletely characterized in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). We assessed how socioeconomic status influences initial treatment decisions and survival outcomes in patients with CCA, additionally performing multiple sub-analyses based on anatomic location of the primary tumor. Methods: Observational study using the 2018 submission of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-18 Database. In total, 5,476 patients from 2004−2015 with a CCA were separated based on median household income (MHI) into low income (< 25th percentile of MHI) and high income (> 25th percentile of MHI) groups. Seventy-three percent of patients had complete follow up data, and were included in survival analyses. Survival and treatment outcomes were calculated using R-studio. Results: When all cases of CCA were included, the high-income group was more likely than the low-income to receive surgery, chemotherapy, and local tumor destruction modalities. Initial treatment modality based on income differed significantly between tumor locations. Patients of lower income had higher overall and cancer-specific mortality at 2 and 5 years. Non-cancer mortality was similar between the groups. Survival differences identified in the overall cohort were maintained in the intrahepatic CCA subgroup. No differences between income groups were noted in cancer-specific or overall mortality for perihilar tumors, with variable differences in the distal cohort. Conclusions Lower income was associated with higher rates of cancer-specific mortality and lower rates of surgical resection in CCA. There were significant differences in treatment selection and outcomes between intrahepatic, perihilar, and distal tumors. Population-based strategies aimed at identifying possible etiologies for these disparities are paramount to improving patient outcomes.

Background: Global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a useful marker for the echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. Presently GLS is derived from speckle tracking of LV images, but speckle tracking software is not always available. We seek to determine if manually measured GLS (MM-GLS) by assessing mid-myocardial lengths can be a reliable alternative to speckle tracking GLS (ST-GLS). Methods: Transthoracic echocardiogram images of a tertiary hospital in Australia were retrospectively analyzed to study the relationships between ST-GLS, MM-GLS, and LV ejection fraction (LVEF). We further evaluated the impact of image quality and regional wall motion abnormalities on those relationships. Results: Echocardiography studies from 154 patients were included (female sex, 36%; mean age, 61.7 ± 14.8 years).The average LVEF was 51.3% ± 11.3% and the average ST-GLS was 16.7 ± 3.8. MM-GLS strongly correlated with ST-GLS (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.986; P < 0.001) and with LVEF regardless of the presence of regional wall motion abnormalities. If using GLS cutoff of more than 18% as normal, 97.5% of studies with normal ST-GLS had normal MM-GLS. If using GLS cutoff as less than 16% as abnormal, 95.5% of studies with abnormal ST-GLS had abnormal MM-GLS. There was no case with ST-GLS > 18% and MM-GLS < 16%, nor were there any case in with ST-GLS < 16% and  MM-GLS > 18%. Conclusions MM-GLS correlates strongly with ST-GLS. If ST-GLS cannot be accurately assessed, MM-GLS may be a useful alternative to provide GLS values in both clinical and research studies.