ICM Partners

About: ICM Partners is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Breast cancer. The organization has 1311 authors who have published 1521 publications receiving 33745 citations. The organization is also known as: International Creative Management Partners.

Interpretable Machine Learning Model for Locoregional Relapse Prediction in Oropharyngeal Cancers

Abstract: Background: There is no evidence to support surgery or radiotherapy as the best treatment for resectable oropharyngeal cancers with a negative HPV status. Predictive algorithms may help to decide which strategy to choose, but they will only be accepted by caregivers and European authorities if they are interpretable. As a proof of concept, we developed a predictive and interpretable algorithm to predict locoregional relapse at 18 months for oropharyngeal cancers as a first step towards that goal. Methods: The model was based on clinical and Pyradiomics features extracted from the dosimetric CT scan. Intraclass correlation was used to filter out features dependant on delineation. Correlated redundant features were also removed. An XGBoost model was cross-validated and optimised on the HN1 cohort (79 patients), and performances were assessed on the ART ORL cohort (45 patients). The Shapley Values were used to provide an overall and local explanation of the model. Results: On the ART ORL cohort, the model trained on HN1 yielded a precision—or predictive positive value—of 0.92, a recall of 0.42, an area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic of 0.68 and an accuracy of 0.64. The most contributory features were shape Voxel Volume, grey level size zone matrix Small Area Emphasis (glszmSAE), gldm Dependence Non Uniformity Normalized (gldmDNUN), Sex and Age. Conclusions: We developed an interpretable and generalizable model that could yield a good precision—positive predictive value—for relapse at 18 months on a different test cohort.

COVID-19 infection in NMO/SD patients: a French survey.

Abstract: COVID-19 pandemic due to SARS-CoV2 virus is ongoing, with a fatality rate around 5.4% [1]. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMO/SD) is a rare disabling disease requiring immunosuppressive therapy. The risk of severe COVID-19 remains unknown in NMO/SD. The aim of this case-series study is to describe the prevalence and characteristics of COVID-19 in NMO/SD patients. We conducted a monocentric retrospective caseseries study of NMO/SD patients with highly suspected or proven COVID-19. They fulfilled at least one of the three NMO diagnostic criteria sets [2–4] and were registered in the NOMADMUS cohort (gathering data from French expert NMO/SD centers). Among 117 NMO/ SD patients followed in the department of neurology of Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, 75 were questioned by phone about COVID-19 infection between 05/05/2020 and 06/15/2020 (33 were lost to follow-up, 9 were unreachable by phone). We collected demographics, neurological history, comorbidities, COVID-19 characteristics and outcome. COVID-19 diagnosis was retained on ≥ 1 of the following criteria was fulfilled: (1) positive SARS-CoV2 PCR (naso-pharyngeal swab) or serology (IgG); (2) typical thoracic ground glass opacities on CT scan; (3) acute anosmia/ageusia of sudden onset in the absence of rhinitis or nasal obstruction; (4) typical triad symptoms (cough, fever, asthenia) in epidemic zone of COVID-19. The study received approval from the ethic committee of Sorbonne University (#CER-2020-19). Demographical and clinical characteristics of the 75 NMO/SD questioned by phone are summarized in Table 1. During the lockdown in France (03/17/2020–05/11/2020), neurologists were available at hospital and by phone/video consults. NMO/SD treatments were maintained, including in-hospital infusions. Patients mostly stopped 100% (n = 44; 58.7%) or > 50% of their outings (n = 29; 38.7%); two patients (2.7%) continued to attend their workplace. Nine patients (12.0%) reported an interaction with a symptomatic person. Five patients (6.7% of the whole cohort) fulfilled the diagnosis of COVID-19 (Table 2). Their last biological analysis before COVID-19 [median (Q1–Q3) delay: 45 (10–60) days] found: grade 1 lymphopenia (n = 3/5) or normal lymphocyte count (n = 1/5), and normal neutrophilic counts (n = 4/5, missing data for one patient). The two patients receiving anti-CD20 treatment had a B-lymphocyte depletion. No patient had a severe infection or neurological state worsening. One patient treated with anti-CD20 and weekly plasmapheresis was hospitalized for closed monitoring he did not require oxygenotherapy, had a normal thoracic CT scan, and plasmapheresis was resumed three weeks later. In this systematic survey of 75 NMO/SD patients, 6.7% had a highly suspected or confirmed COVID-19, which is consistent with the estimated seroprevalence in Ilede-France [5]. This rate is slightly higher than the 3.8% prevalence reported in an Iranian study [6], while a large survey in China described a very low risk of COVID-19: 2 confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia out of 3060 NMO/SD patients [7]. Despite ongoing immunosuppressive therapy, no severe infection was encountered in our study. It may be related to the young age and low rate of comorbidity in the infected patients. Some authors reported a favorable outcome of COVID-19 in anti-CD20-treated patients [8,9], possibly due to its minor impact on T-cell counts [10]. A * Caroline Papeix caroline.papeix@aphp.fr

Clinicopathological Correlates of γδ T Cell Infiltration in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Abstract: The prognostic impact of the different tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) subpopulations in solid cancers is still debated. Here, we investigated the clinicopathological correlates and prognostic impact of TILs, particularly of γδ T cells, in 162 patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). A high γδ T cell density (>6.625 γδ T cells/mm2) was associated with younger age (p = 0.008), higher tumor histological grade (p = 0.002), adjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.010), BRCA1 promoter methylation (p = 0.010), TIL density (p < 0.001), and PD-L1 (p < 0.001) and PD-1 expression (p = 0.040). In multivariate analyses, γδ T cell infiltration (cutoff = 6.625 γδ T cells/mm2) was an independent prognostic factor (5-year relapse-free survival: 63.3% vs. 89.8%, p = 0.027; 5-year overall survival: 73.8% vs. 89.9%, p = 0.031, for low vs. high infiltration). This prognostic impact varied according to the tumor PIK3CA mutational status. High γδ T cell infiltration was associated with better survival in patients with PIK3CA wild-type tumors, but the difference was not significant in the subgroup with PIK3CA-mutated tumors. Altogether, these data suggest that high γδ T cell infiltrate is correlated with immune infiltration and might represent a candidate prognostic tool in patients with TNBC.

Improving efficiency of data assimilation procedure for a biomechanical heart model by representing surfaces as currents

Abstract: We adapt the formalism of currents to compare data surfaces and surfaces of a mechanical model and we use this discrepancy measure to feed a data assimilation procedure. We apply our methodology to perform parameter estimation in a biomechanical model of the heart using synthetic observations of the endo- and epicardium surfaces of an infarcted left ventricle. We compare this formalism with a more classical signed distance operator between surfaces and we numerically show that we have improved the efficiency of our estimation justifying the use of state-of-the-art computational geometry formalism in the data assimilation measurements processing.

Does imitation act as an oxytocin nebulizer in autism spectrum disorder

Abstract: Sir, There is a growing interest in using oxytocin to improve the social and emotional impairments of individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). In an elegant paper recently published in Brain , oxytocin was shown to enhance both the score of correct inferences and the low autistic brain activity in the right anterior insula when inferring the emotions and beliefs of others (Aoki et al. , 2014). Using a revisited version of the Sally-Anne Task, Aoki and colleagues suggest that reduced activity of the right anterior insula is a potential neural marker of autistic deficit in social inferences. Oxytocin may target this abnormal insula activity. Children and adults with ASD are described as lacking empathy, affiliative behaviour and social overture. Several studies have suggested that oxytocin has therapeutic effects on autistic deficits in social responses and the understanding of emotion in others (Andari et al. , 2010; Striepens et al. , 2012). More generally, literature on human and non-human primates presents converging evidence of oxytocin’s positive effects on prosocial behaviour (Guastela and MacLeod, 2012; Chang and Platt, 2014). Recently, 7- to 14-day-old macaques where found to increase their facial gesturing at a human caregiver after oxytocin nebulization (Simpson et al. , 2014). Moreover, being imitated predicted oxytocin-associated increases in affiliative behaviours. Even without nebulization, newborn macaques are shown to display more affiliation toward humans who imitate them; they look longer at imitators, spend more time in their proximity and prefer exchanging tokens with them (Paukner et al. , 2009). Such results promote the idea that an empathic connection results from behavioural matching. Indeed, our own research with low-functioning children with ASD similarly assessed the affiliative role of being imitated; children come in close proximity, smile, look at the unacquainted experimenter, touch or kiss the experimenter and decrease self-injuring …