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Safety, Tolerability, and Biologic Activity of AXA1125 and AXA1957 in Subjects With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.
Harrison, SA, Baum, SJ, Gunn, NT, Younes, ZH, Kohli, A, Patil, R, Koziel, MJ, Chera, H, Zhao, J, Chakravarthy, MV
The American journal of gastroenterology. 2021;(12):2399-2409
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION AXA1125 and AXA1957 are novel, orally administered endogenous metabolic modulator compositions, specifically designed to simultaneously support multiple metabolic and fibroinflammatory pathways associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This study assessed safety, tolerability, and biologic activity of AXA1125 and AXA1957 in NAFLD. METHODS In this multicenter, 16-week, placebo-controlled, single-blind, randomized clinical study in subjects with NAFLD stratified by type 2 diabetes, AXA1125 24 g, AXA1957 13.5 g or 20.3 g, or placebo was administered twice daily. Key metabolism (MRI-proton density fat fraction [MRI-PDFF] and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance [HOMA-IR]) and fibroinflammation markers (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], corrected T1 [cT1], keratin-18 [K-18] M65, and N-terminal type III collagen propeptide [Pro-C3]) were evaluated. Safety outcomes included adverse events and standard laboratory assessments. RESULTS Baseline characteristics of the 102 enrolled subjects, including 40 with type 2 diabetes, were consistent with presumed nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. AXA1125 showed consistently greater biologic activity than AXA1957 or placebo. Week 16 changes from baseline with AXA1125 vs placebo: MRI-PDFF -22.9% vs -5.7%, HOMA-IR -4.4 vs +0.7, ALT -21.9% vs -7.2%, K-18 M65 -13.6% vs +20.1%, cT1 -69.6 vs +18.3 ms (P < 0.05), and Pro-C3 -13.6% vs -3.6%. Week 16 changes from baseline with AXA1957 20.3 g: MRI-PDFF -8.1%, HOMA-IR +8.4, ALT -20.7%, K-18 M65 6.6%, cT1 -34.7 ms, and Pro-C3 -15.6%. A greater proportion of subjects treated with AXA1125 achieved clinically relevant thresholds: ≥30% MRI-PDFF, ≥17-IU/L ALT, and ≥80-ms cT1 reductions at week 16. Study products were safe and well tolerated with stable lipid and weight profiles. DISCUSSION Both compositions showed multitargeted activity on relevant NAFLD pathways. AXA1125 demonstrated the greatest activity over 16 weeks, warranting continued clinical investigation in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis subjects.
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Arginine-stimulated copeptin measurements in the differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus: a prospective diagnostic study.
Winzeler, B, Cesana-Nigro, N, Refardt, J, Vogt, DR, Imber, C, Morin, B, Popovic, M, Steinmetz, M, Sailer, CO, Szinnai, G, et al
Lancet (London, England). 2019;(10198):587-595
Abstract
BACKGROUND Differential diagnosis of diabetes insipidus is challenging. The most reliable approach is hypertonic saline-stimulated copeptin measurements. However, this test is based on the induction of hypernatraemia and requires close monitoring of plasma sodium concentrations. Arginine-stimulated copeptin measurements might provide an alternative, simple, and safe test. METHODS In this prospective diagnostic study, we recruited a development cohort from University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland, and a validation cohort from five centres in Basel, Aarau, Luzern, Bern, and St Gallen, Switzerland, and the University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. For both cohorts, patients were eligible for inclusion if they were aged 18 years or older, were newly referred with polyuria (>50 mL/kg bodyweight per day) or had a known diagnosis of central diabetes insipidus or primary polydipsia. We also recruited a comparator cohort of healthy controls in parallel to each cohort, comprising adults (aged 18 years and older, with normal drinking habits, and no history of polyuria) and children who underwent arginine stimulation to diagnose growth hormone deficiency (children were only included in the comparator cohort to the development cohort as proof of concept). Patients and healthy controls underwent arginine stimulation with measurement of plasma copeptin at baseline and 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min. The primary objective in the development cohort was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of plasma copeptin concentrations to discriminate between diabetes insipidus and primary polydipsia, and in the validation cohort was to confirm those results. Adverse effects of the test were monitored in all participants, with tolerability of the test rated using a visual analogue scale (VAS) that ranged from no (0) to maximum (10) discomfort. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00757276. FINDINGS Between May 24, 2013, and Jan 11, 2017, 52 patients were enrolled in the development cohort (12 [23%] with complete diabetes insipidus, nine [17%] with partial diabetes insipidus, and 31 [60%] with primary polydipsia) alongside 20 healthy adults and 42 child controls. Between Oct 24, 2017, and June 27, 2018, 46 patients were enrolled in the validation cohort (12 [26%] with complete diabetes insipidus, seven [15%] with partial diabetes insipidus, and 27 [59%] with primary polydipsia) alongside 30 healthy adult controls (two patients in this cohort were excluded from the main analysis because of early vomiting during the test). In the pooled patient and control datasets, median arginine-stimulated copeptin concentrations increased in healthy adult controls (from 5·2 pM [IQR 3·3-10·9] to a maximum of 9·8 pM [6·4-19·6]) and in participants with primary polydipsia (from 3·6 pM [IQR 2·4-5·7] to a maximum of 7·9 pM [5·1-11·8]), but only minimally in those with diabetes insipidus (2·1 pM [IQR 1·9-2·7] to a maximum of 2·5 pM [1·9-3·1]). In the development cohort, a cutoff of 3·5 pM at 60 min provided the highest diagnostic accuracy of 94% (95% CI 84-98). The accuracy of this cutoff in the validation cohort was 86% (95% CI 73-94). By pooling the data from both cohorts, an optimal accuracy of 93% (95% CI 86-97) was reached at a cutoff of 3·8 pM copeptin at 60 min (sensitivity 93%, 95% CI 86-98; specificity 92%, 95% CI 84-100). The test was safe and well tolerated, with median VAS scores of 3·5 (IQR 2-4) in patients with diabetes insipidus, 3 (2-4) in those with primary polydipsia, 1 (1-3) in healthy adults, and 1 (0-5) in healthy children in the pooled participant dataset. INTERPRETATION Arginine-stimulated copeptin measurements are an innovative test for diabetes insipidus with high diagnostic accuracy, and could be a simplified, novel, and safe diagnostic approach to diabetes insipidus in clinical practice. FUNDING Swiss National Science Foundation and University Hospital Basel.
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A nutritional formula enriched with arginine, zinc, and antioxidants for the healing of pressure ulcers: a randomized trial.
Cereda, E, Klersy, C, Serioli, M, Crespi, A, D'Andrea, F, ,
Annals of internal medicine. 2015;(3):167-74
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trials on specific nutritional supplements for the treatment of pressure ulcers (PUs) have been small, inconsistent in their formulations, or unsuccessful in controlling for total supplement calorie or protein content. OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether supplementation with arginine, zinc, and antioxidants within a high-calorie, high-protein formula improves PU healing. DESIGN Multicenter, randomized, controlled, blinded trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01107197). SETTING Long-term care and home care services. PATIENTS 200 adult malnourished patients with stage II, III, and IV PUs. INTERVENTIONS An energy-dense, protein-rich oral formula enriched with arginine, zinc, and antioxidants (400 mL/d) or an equal volume of an isocaloric, isonitrogenous formula for 8 weeks. MEASUREMENTS The primary end point was the percentage of change in PU area at 8 weeks. Secondary end points included complete healing, reduction in the PU area of 40% or greater, incidence of wound infections, the total number of dressings at 8 weeks, and the percentage of change in area at 4 weeks. RESULTS Supplementation with the enriched formula (n = 101) resulted in a greater reduction in PU area (mean reduction, 60.9% [95% CI, 54.3% to 67.5%]) than with the control formula (n = 99) (45.2% [CI, 38.4% to 52.0%]) (adjusted mean difference, 18.7% [CI, 5.7% to 31.8%]; P = 0.017). A more frequent reduction in area of 40% or greater at 8 weeks was also seen (odds ratio, 1.98 [CI, 1.12 to 3.48]; P = 0.018). No difference was found in terms of the other secondary end points. LIMITATION Participation was restricted to patients who were malnourished, were able to drink oral supplements, and were living in long-term care institutions or receiving home care services. CONCLUSION Among malnourished patients with PU, 8 weeks of supplementation with an oral nutritional formula enriched with arginine, zinc, and antioxidants improved PU healing. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Maggiore della Carità.
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Triple therapy with pyridoxine, arginine supplementation and dietary lysine restriction in pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy: Neurodevelopmental outcome.
Coughlin, CR, van Karnebeek, CD, Al-Hertani, W, Shuen, AY, Jaggumantri, S, Jack, RM, Gaughan, S, Burns, C, Mirsky, DM, Gallagher, RC, et al
Molecular genetics and metabolism. 2015;(1-2):35-43
Abstract
Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy (PDE) is an epileptic encephalopathy characterized by response to pharmacologic doses of pyridoxine. PDE is caused by deficiency of α-aminoadipic semialdehyde dehydrogenase resulting in impaired lysine degradation and subsequent accumulation of α-aminoadipic semialdehyde. Despite adequate seizure control with pyridoxine monotherapy, 75% of individuals with PDE have significant developmental delay and intellectual disability. We describe a new combined therapeutic approach to reduce putative toxic metabolites from impaired lysine metabolism. This approach utilizes pyridoxine, a lysine-restricted diet to limit the substrate that leads to neurotoxic metabolite accumulation and L-arginine to compete for brain lysine influx and liver mitochondrial import. We report the developmental and biochemical outcome of six subjects who were treated with this triple therapy. Triple therapy reduced CSF, plasma, and urine biomarkers associated with neurotoxicity in PDE. The addition of arginine supplementation to children already treated with dietary lysine restriction and pyridoxine further reduced toxic metabolites, and in some subjects appeared to improve neurodevelopmental outcome. Dietary lysine restriction was associated with improved seizure control in one subject, and the addition of arginine supplementation increased the objective motor outcome scale in two twin siblings, illustrating the contribution of each component of this treatment combination. Optimal results were noted in the individual treated with triple therapy early in the course of the disease. Residual disease symptoms could be related to early injury suggested by initial MR imaging prior to initiation of treatment or from severe epilepsy prior to diagnosis. This observational study reports the use of triple therapy, which combines three effective components in this rare condition, and suggests that early diagnosis and treatment with this new triple therapy may ameliorate the cognitive impairment in PDE.
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Effect of oral nutritional supplementation on wound healing in diabetic foot ulcers: a prospective randomized controlled trial.
Armstrong, DG, Hanft, JR, Driver, VR, Smith, AP, Lazaro-Martinez, JL, Reyzelman, AM, Furst, GJ, Vayser, DJ, Cervantes, HL, Snyder, RJ, et al
Diabetic medicine : a journal of the British Diabetic Association. 2014;(9):1069-77
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Abstract
AIMS: Among people with diabetes, 10-25% will experience a foot ulcer. Research has shown that supplementation with arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate may improve wound repair. This study tested whether such supplementation would improve healing of foot ulcers in persons with diabetes. METHODS Along with standard of care, 270 subjects received, in a double-blinded fashion, (twice per day) either arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate or a control drink for 16 weeks. The proportion of subjects with total wound closure and time to complete healing was assessed. In a post-hoc analysis, the interaction of serum albumin or limb perfusion, as measured by ankle-brachial index, and supplementation on healing was investigated. RESULTS Overall, there were no group differences in wound closure or time to wound healing at week 16. However, in subjects with an albumin level of ≤ 40 g/l and/or an ankle-brachial index of < 1.0, a significantly greater proportion of subjects in the arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate group healed at week 16 compared with control subjects (P = 0.03 and 0.008, respectively). Those with low albumin or decreased limb perfusion in the supplementation group were 1.70 (95% CI 1.04-2.79) and 1.66 (95% CI 1.15-2.38) times more likely to heal. CONCLUSIONS While no differences in healing were identified with supplementation in non-ischaemic patients or those with normal albumin, addition of arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate as an adjunct to standard of care may improve healing of diabetic foot ulcers in patients with risk of poor limb perfusion and/or low albumin levels. Further investigation involving arginine, glutamine and β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyrate in these high-risk subgroups might prove clinically valuable.