Clinical value of serum biomarkers, squamous cell carcinoma antigen and apolipoprotein C-II in follow-up of patients with locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with radiation: A multicenter prospective cohort study

There are currently no reliable, established serum biomarkers to predict the prognosis of radiotherapy for advanced cervical cancer. We aimed to identify serum biomarkers for survival after radiotherapy for cervical cancer. In this multicenter prospective cohort study, the usefulness of pre- and posttreatment serum protein levels of potential biomarkers, including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), apolipoprotein C-II (ApoC-II), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)1, and MMP2, were evaluated together with clinical factors in 145 cervical cancer patients in order to determine their suitability to predict survival. Progression-free survival (PFS) was the primary endpoint, and overall survival (OS), pelvic PFS (PPFS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were the secondary endpoints. Blood samples were collected before and 1 month after radiotherapy to measure serum biomarker levels. ApoC-II was measured using a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, which was developed for this purpose. Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, and univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used for statistical analyses. In multivariate analysis, larger tumor size was independently associated with shorter PFS, OS, PPFS, and DMFS, while longer overall treatment time was independently associated with shorter PPFS. Higher pretreatment SCC-Ag (P < 0.001) was associated with shorter DMFS. Higher posttreatment SCC-Ag (P = 0.017) was also associated with shorter DMFS. Pretreatment ApoC-II was associated with PPFS in univariate analysis (P = 0.048), but not in multivariate analysis. Patients with pretreatment ApoC-II levels ≤ 25.8 μg/ml had shorter PPFS than those with pretreatment ApoC-II levels > 25.8 μg/ml (P = 0.023, log-rank test). Pre- and posttreatment serum SCC-Ag and pretreatment serum ApoC-II levels may be important biomarkers to predict survival outcomes of patients with cervical cancer after radiotherapy. Pre- and posttreatment SCC-Ag and pretreatment ApoC-II might be useful in clinical settings for screening patients to improve treatment strategies in cervical cancer.

Cardiovascular Disease Risk in Children With Chronic Kidney Disease: Impact of Apolipoprotein C-II and Apolipoprotein C-III

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an evolving process that begins in the early stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in children. Several surrogate markers, such as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), left ventricular (LV) mass, and arterial stiffness assessment, allow for the early detection of subclinical CVD in pediatric CKD. Four groups of plasma samples (n = 3/group) from congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT), as well as non-CAKUT patients with or without BP abnormalities, were studied to screen differentially expressed proteins using isobaric tags for relative and absolute protein quantification (iTRAQ)-based proteomics. As a result, 20 differentially expressed proteins associated with hypertension in children with CKD were discovered. Among them, apolipoprotein C-II (apoC-II) was found to have the highest abundance among the CKD patients with hypertension. As such, we hypothesized that apoC-II and apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) levels were related to BP abnormalities and CVD in children suffering from mild-to-moderate CKD. We examined their associations with surrogate markers of CV risk in 88 pediatric patients with CKD stages G1–G4. Children with CKD stages G2–G4 had a higher plasma apoC-II level than G1 patients (6.35 vs. 5.05 mg/dl, p &lt; 0.05). We observed that ABPM abnormalities, LV mass, and arterial stiffness parameters were greater in CKD children who had stages G2–G4 than in those who had stage G1 (all p &lt; 0.05). Plasma levels of apoC-II and apoC-III were positively correlated with total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (all p &lt; 0.001). In multivariate linear regression analyses, apoC-II was correlated with a high LV mass index and an abnormal ABPM profile, and apoC-III was correlated with 24-h hypertension (r = 0.303, p = 0.003) and asleep hypertension (r = 0.379, p &lt; 0.001). Early evaluations of apoC-II and apoC-III, ABPM, and surrogate markers of CV risk will aid in early preventative interventions to reduce the risk of CV in youths suffering from CKD.

Lipids and Lipoproteins in Health and Disease: Focus on Targeting Atherosclerosis

Despite advances in pharmacotherapy, intervention devices and techniques, residual cardiovascular risks still cause a large burden on public health. Whilst most guidelines encourage achieving target levels of specific lipids and lipoproteins to reduce these risks, increasing evidence has shown that molecular modification of these lipoproteins also has a critical impact on their atherogenicity. Modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by oxidation, glycation, peroxidation, apolipoprotein C-III adhesion, and the small dense subtype largely augment its atherogenicity. Post-translational modification by oxidation, carbamylation, glycation, and imbalance of molecular components can reduce the capacity of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) for reverse cholesterol transport. Elevated levels of triglycerides (TGs), apolipoprotein C-III and lipoprotein(a), and a decreased level of apolipoprotein A-I are closely associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Pharmacotherapies aimed at reducing TGs, lipoprotein(a), and apolipoprotein C-III, and enhancing apolipoprotein A-1 are undergoing trials, and promising preliminary results have been reported. In this review, we aim to update the evidence on modifications of major lipid and lipoprotein components, including LDL, HDL, TG, apolipoprotein, and lipoprotein(a). We also discuss examples of translating findings from basic research to potential therapeutic targets for drug development.

Abstract P020: Triglyceride-lowering Lipoprotein Lipase Gene Variants And Improvements In Lipids And Lipoprotein Subspecies Defined By Apolipoprotein C-iii: Pounds Lost Trial

Introduction: Triglyceride-lowering variants in the lipoprotein lipase ( LPL ) gene have been associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease. Lipoproteins are heterogeneous, and lipoprotein subspecies containing apolipoprotein C-III (ApoCIII) have adverse effects on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Hypothesis: We examined associations of triglyceride-lowering LPL gene variants with long-term improvement in lipids and lipoprotein subspecies with ApoCIII in patients with obesity. We also investigated whether the LPL gene variants were significantly related to the improvement of the 10-year CVD risk estimated using the Framingham risk score in the participants of a weight-loss dietary intervention trial. Methods: This study included 382 overweight and obese adults of white European ancestry in a 2-year weight-loss dietary intervention, the POUNDS Lost trial. We evaluated changes in lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) and lipoproteins (such as very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL)) subfractions defined by the presence or absence of ApoCIII from baseline to 2 years after the intervention. A genetic risk score of LPL (LPL-GRS) was calculated by summing triglyceride-lowering alleles of five independent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We calculated the Framingham risk score and estimated changes in the 10-year CVD risk after the intervention. Results: At baseline, higher scores of triglyceride-lowering LPL-GRS were significantly associated with higher levels of HDL cholesterol (p= 0.0065) and lower levels of triglycerides (p= 0.017). Higher LPL-GRS was also associated with more decreases in total triglycerides (p= 0.028) and triglycerides in VLDL with ApoCIII (p=0.018) at 2 years. The LPL-GRS was also predictive of 2-year improvements in other atherogenic lipoprotein subtypes, such as cholesterol in VLDL with ApoCIII (p= 0.037) and cholesterol in LDL with ApoCIII (p= 0.027) after the intervention. Further, the LPL-GRS was significantly associated with a 2-year reduction of the estimated CVD risk, regardless of the initial risk status (p=0.034). Conclusion: The triglyceride-lowering LPL-GRS was significantly predictive of improvements in unfavorable lipid profiles, including lipoprotein subtypes containing ApoCIII after consuming a weight-loss diet in patients with obesity. The reduction of the estimated CVD risk after the dietary intervention was predicted by the LPL-GRS at the pre-intervention.