Current and Future Directions in Developing Effective Treatments for PRPH2-Associated Retinal Diseases: A Workshop Report.

Purpose And Methods: A workshop of affected individuals and their families, clinicians, researchers, and industry representatives was convened in March 2023 to define the knowledge landscape of peripherin 2 (PRPH2) biology and identify challenges and opportunities towards developing PRPH2-associated inherited retinal disease (IRD) treatments.

Results: The results of an online survey and presentations from affected individuals and their family members revealed disease characteristics and impacts on daily living. Scientific sessions highlighted the significant heterogeneity in clinical presentation of PRPH2-related retinopathy; PRPH2's crucial function in rod and cone outer segment formation and maintenance; the usefulness of existing animal and cellular models for understanding disease pathophysiology; and possible therapeutic approaches for autosomal dominant PRPH2-associated IRDs, including gene-specific therapies and gene-agnostic approaches.

Avidity sequencing of whole genomes from retinal degeneration pedigrees identifies causal variants.

Whole genome sequencing has been an effective tool in the discovery of variants that cause rare diseases. In this study, we determined the suitability of a novel avidity sequencing approach for rare disease applications. We built a sample to results workflow, combining this sequencing technology with standard library preparation kits, analysis workflows, and interpretation tools.

The economic burden of recurrence in elderly patients with completely resected, stage IIB/IIC or III melanoma: an analysis of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database.

Aims: To compare healthcare resource utilization (HRU) and costs between patients with or without melanoma recurrence and between patients with distant or locoregional melanoma recurrence.

Methods: Patients aged ≥65 years with completely resected, stage IIB/IIC or III melanoma were identified from Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data and stratified based on whether they experienced a recurrence, and whether it was distant or locoregional (separately for each stage). The index date was the date of recurrence (recurrence group) or a randomly assigned date (non-recurrence group).

A real-world study of persistence and adherence to prescription medications in patients with chronic idiopathic constipation in the United States.

Background: At present, 4 prescription therapies have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC) in adults.

Objectives: To compare persistence with and adherence to prucalopride vs 3 other prescription medications for CIC in a US population.

Methods: This retrospective, observational cohort study used data from the IBM MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters and Medicare Supplemental Databases (January 2015-June 2020).

Substitution of a single non-coding nucleotide upstream of TMEM216 causes non-syndromic retinitis pigmentosa and is associated with reduced TMEM216 expression.

Genome analysis of individuals affected by retinitis pigmentosa (RP) identified two rare nucleotide substitutions at the same genomic location on chromosome 11 (g.61392563 [GRCh38]), 69 base pairs upstream of the start codon of the ciliopathy gene TMEM216 (c.-69G>A, c.