Immunotherapy-Related Publications in Colorectal Cancer: A Bibliometric Analysis

Patients with microsatellite-instability-high (MSI-H) or mismatched repair-deficient colorectal cancer (CRC) appear to be responsive to checkpoint inhibitors. This study aimed to assess research trends in CRC immunotherapy. Publication patterns of articles covering immunotherapies in CRC in the Web of Science Core Collection database were retrospectively examined using VOS viewer software (version 1.6.16) prior to 25 May 2021. Ultimately, 3977 records were identified that were published between 1975 and 2021, which received a total of 128,681 citations (an average of 32.36 citations per item), with a noticeable rise in 2014. The majority of articles were published in the US (35.8%), China (17.7%), and Germany (9.4%). Publications mainly originated from the Institut National de la Santé Et De La Recherche Medicale Inserm, followed by the University of Texas System and Harvard University; however, Johns Hopkins University received the most citations (18,666 for 69 publications). The Journal of Clinical Oncology issued the most publications (n = 146), while the most referenced item (7724 citations) was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2012. The most common keywords were associated with tumors (expression and microsatellite instability) or immune system components (t-cells/dendritic cells). The findings demonstrate the scientific community’s interest in the MSI-H subtype of colorectal tumors and how immunotherapy may be employed more successfully to treat metastatic CRC.

FOREST protocol: a qualitative study exploring health and sexuality of transmasculine individuals in France

IntroductionWhile current research on sexuality and health often explores sexual behaviours among heterosexual and gay cisgender individuals, little is known about the sexualities of transgender people, especially transmasculine people. When data are available, sexual health is often reduced to risk exposure, not considering in detail social context and determinants that could contribute to a more comprehensive approach, such as general health, class, race, exposure to violence or social representations. Recognising this gap, identified in both national (French) and international scientific literature, this study aims to explore the sexual health of transmasculine people, employing an intersectional approach and considering both positive and negative health determinants.MethodsThis 2-year research based in the disciplinary field of social psychology, with a gender perspective, and will apply qualitative methods. We adopt a community-based research approach, integrating one university and one community-based organisation in the coordination of the study. In a triangulation perspective, two rounds of semistructured interviews will be performed with key informants (medical practitioners, community-based support services workers, etc) and with people self-identifying as transmasculine. Focus groups will complement data collection.Ethics and disseminationFOREST protocol was approved by the Comité d’Évaluation Éthique (CEEI) de l’Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale (CEEI/International Review Board 00003888). The research adopts the principles of open science, and findings will be published assuring participants’ confidentiality. Informative flyers and videos will be elaborated to communicate study findings to participants, stakeholders and the transcommunities at large, and data will be stored in lasting archives.

Communication: Implementation of biosafety in infection control: a 10-year review

Biosafety is an important issue globally, as a line of defence that protects health personnel, public and the environment from exposure to hazardous agents. Most developing nations have weak health systems and consequently weak biosafety. Engaging in an external quality program such as an accreditation process will help build capacity and competence in all areas. The Centre for Human Virology and Genomics (CHVG) laboratory of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Lagos, Nigeria started its biosafety program in compliance to international standards stipulated by ISO 15189:2012, in its journey towards laboratory accreditation. Accreditation is widely used to attest for laboratory competence. In the quest for laboratory accreditation, several processes were implemented to ensure compliance, one of which was biosafety. Simple remedial actions and policies that have worked in other climes were applied over a 10-year period in the CHVG laboratory. A significant drop in nonconforming incidences and laboratory accidents was seen while biosafety audits showed improvement in safety practices. Keywords: Biosafety, Infection control, audit French Title: Mise en œuvre de la biosécurité dans la lutte contre les infections: un examen décennal La biosécurité est une question importante à l'échelle mondiale, en tant que ligne de défense qui protège le personnel de santé, le public et l'environnement de l'exposition à des agents dangereux. La plupart des pays en développement ont des systèmes de santé faibles et, par conséquent, une faible sécurité biologique. S'engager dans un programme de qualité externe tel qu'un processus d'accréditation aidera à renforcer les capacités et les compétences dans tous les domaines. Le laboratoire du Centre de virologie humaine et de génomique (CHVG) de l'Institut nigérian de recherche médicale de Lagos, au Nigéria, a commencé son programme de biosécurité conformément aux normes internationales stipulées par ISO 15189: 2012, dans son parcours vers l'accréditation des laboratoires. L'accréditation est largement utilisée pour attester la compétence du laboratoire. Dans la recherche de l'accréditation des laboratoires, plusieurs processus ont été mis en œuvre pour assurer la conformité, dont l'un était la biosécurité. Des mesures correctives simples et des politiques qui ont fonctionné sous d'autres climats ont été appliquées sur une période de 10 ans dans le laboratoire du CHVG. Une baisse significative des incidents non conformes et des accidents de laboratoire a été observée tandis que les audits de biosécurité ont montré une amélioration des pratiques de sécurité. Mots clés: Biosécurité, Contrôle des infections, audit

A34 ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT AND ORAL IRON SUPPLEMENTATION SHAPE THE COMPOSITION, RECOVERY AND FUNCTION OF THE GUT MICROBIOTA

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) induces anemia in a large proportion of patients and is usually treated with oral iron supplementation. Surgery, the main treatment for CRC, is routinely accompanied by prophylactic antibiotics to avoid infection. However, the combined effect of antibiotics and luminal iron in the gut on the microbiota and intestinal homeostasis remains unknown. Aims We aim to characterize the dynamics of gut microbiota composition and recovery from antibiotic exposure under iron-sufficient and iron-supplemented diets in mice. We will investigate how microbial shifts induced by antibiotics and iron influence the function of the gut microbiota and metabolites in the gut. Methods Mice were subjected to antibiotic treatment with different concentrations of dietary iron. The composition of the gut microbiota and its recovery after these interventions were assessed in stool samples by 16S rRNA sequencing before and after antibiotic exposure and during the recovery period. Gut microbiota functions were inferred by using the PICRUSt2 prediction tool, and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration in feces were assessed by liquid-chromatography mass spectrometry. Results Recovery from antibiotics under high luminal iron concentration shifted the gut microbiota toward a Bacteroidetes phylum-dominant composition. Four bacterial species characterized as CRC markers and/or CRC initiators were significantly more abundant, and nitrogen and pentose phosphate metabolism were higher after recovery under oral iron supplementation. Antibiotic exposure induced a long-term increase in SCFAs linked to gut inflammation, propionate and succinate, and was independent of luminal iron concentration. For mice recovering from antibiotics under high luminal iron concentration, they showed a lack of recovery in baseline levels of butyrate, a SCFA that inhibits cancer cell proliferation in the gut. Conclusions Gut microbiota recovery from antibiotic exposure under oral iron supplementation is frequent in CRC patients, but is also common in the general population. This study identifies possible deleterious effects of the concomitance of these two disruptive agents of the gut microbiota and may lead to modifications in the management of anemia in patients with CRC. Funding Agencies CIHR Bourse de Mérite Rougier-Armandie en recherche médicale de la Faculté de médecine

Monitoring the proportion infected by SARS-CoV-2 from age-stratified hospitalisation and serological data

BackgroundRegional monitoring of the proportion infected by SARS-CoV-2 is important to guide local management of the epidemic, but is difficult in the absence of regular nationwide serosurveys.MethodsWe developed a method to reconstruct in real-time the proportion infected by SARS-CoV-2 and the proportion of infections being detected from the joint analysis of age-stratified seroprevalence, hospitalisation and case data. We applied our approach to the 13 French metropolitan regions.FindingsWe estimate that 5.7% [5.1%-6.4%] of adults in metropolitan France had been infected by SARS-CoV-2 by May 2020. This proportion remained stable until August and increased to 12.6% [11.2%-14.3%] by the end of November. With 23.8% [21.2%-26.8%] infected in the Paris region compared to 4.0% [3.5% - 4.6%] in Brittany, regional variations remained large (Coefficient of Variation CV: 0.53) although less so than in May (CV: 0.74). The proportion infected was twice higher (17.6% [13.4%-22.7%]) in 20-49 y.o. than in 50+ y.o (8.0% [5.7% - 11.5%]). Forty percent [33.7% - 45.4%] of infections in adults were detected in June-August compared to 55.7% [48.7% - 63.1%] in September-November. Our method correctly predicted seroprevalence in 11 regions in which only hospitalisation data were used.InterpretationIn the absence of contemporary serosurvey, our real-time monitoring indicates that the proportion infected by SARS-CoV-2 may be above 20% in some French regions.FundingEU RECOVER, ANR, Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale, Inserm.