The duration of oral anticoagulant therapy after a second episode of venous thromboembolism. The Duration of Anticoagulation Trial Study Group

BACKGROUND

A consensus has not been reached about the optimal duration of oral anticoagulant therapy after a second episode of venous thromboembolism.

METHODS

In a multicenter trial, we compared six months of oral anticoagulant therapy with anticoagulant therapy continued indefinitely in patients who had had a second episode of venous thromboembolism. Of 227 patients enrolled, 111 were randomly assigned to six months of anticoagulation and 116 were assigned to receive anticoagulant therapy indefinitely; for both groups, the target international normalized ratio was 2.0 to 2.85. The initial episodes of deep-vein thrombosis (n = 193) and pulmonary embolism (n = 34), as well as recurrent episodes, were all objectively confirmed.

RESULTS

After four years of follow-up, there were 26 recurrences of venous thromboembolism that fulfilled the diagnostic criteria, 23 in the group assigned to six months of therapy (20.7 percent) and 3 in the group assigned to continuing therapy (2.6 percent). The relative risk of recurrence in the group assigned to six months of therapy, as compared with the group assigned to therapy of indefinite duration, was 8.0 (95 percent confidence interval, 2.5 to 25.9). There were 13 major hemorrhages, 3 in the six-month group, (2.7 percent) and 10 in the infinite-treatment group (8.6 percent). The relative risk of major hemorrhage in the six-month group, as compared with the infinite-treatment group was 0.3 (95 percent confidence interval, 0.1 to 1.1). There was no difference in mortality between the two groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Prophylactic oral anticoagulation that was continued for an indefinite period after a second episode of venous thromboembolism was associated with a much lower rate of recurrence during four years of follow-up than treatment for six months. However, there was a trend toward a higher risk of major hemorrhage when anticoagulation was continued indefinitely.

Effect of diets varying in nitrogen or phosphorus content on indicators of bone growth in lambs

Growing lambs were fed diets low in nitrogen and phosphorus (LNLP), low in nitrogen and high in phosphorus (LNHP), high in nitrogen and low in phosphorus (HNLP) or high in nitrogen and phosphorus (HNHP) and the effects on bone growth and on blood and urinary bone marker levels or excretion rates were monitored. Plasma calcium concentrations were higher, and phosphorus concentrations lower, in lambs fed the low phosphorus diets but there were no differences in plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) concentrations. Lambs fed both low phosphorus diets (LNLP and HNLP) had lower plasma osteocalcin and higher bone-specific alkaline phosphatase concentrations than those fed the high phosphorus diets. Urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline excretion were also affected by treatment, with their rates of excretion being highest in lambs fed the diet low in both nitrogen and phosphorus (LNLP). Lambs fed the low phosphorus diets were lighter in weight at slaughter and had lighter bones that were less well mineralized than those fed the high phosphorus diets. Reducing the nitrogen content of the diet appeared to have little effect on bone composition. These results suggest that bone markers that have proved useful in the diagnosis and treatment of bone disease are sensitive to variation in nutrient supply and may prove useful in early detection of nutrient deficiencies that affect bone growth.

Randomized trial of insulin-glucose infusion followed by subcutaneous insulin treatment in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction (DIGAMI study): effects on mortality at 1 year

OBJECTIVES

We tested how insulin-glucose infusion followed by multidose insulin treatment in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction affected mortality during the subsequent 12 months of follow-up.

BACKGROUND

Despite significant improvements in acute coronary care, diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction still have a high mortality rate.

METHODS

A total of 620 patients were studied: 306 randomized to treatment with insulin-glucose infusion followed by multidose subcutaneous insulin for > or = 3 months and 314 to conventional therapy.

RESULTS

The two groups were well matched for baseline characteristics. Blood glucose decreased from 15.4 +/- 4.1 to 9.6 +/- 3.3 mmol/liter (mean +/- SD) in the infusion group during the 1st 24 h, and from 15.7 +/- 4.2 to 11.7 +/- 4.1 among control patients (p < 0.0001). After 1 year 57 subjects (18.6%) in the infusion group and 82 (26.1%) in the control group had died (relative mortality reduction 29%, p = 0.027). The mortality reduction was particularly evident in patients who had a low cardiovascular risk profile and no previous insulin treatment (3-month mortality rate 6.5% in the infusion group vs. 13.5% in the control group [relative reduction 52%, p = 0.046]; 1-year mortality rate 8.6% in the infusion group vs. 18.0% in the control group [relative reduction 52%, p = 0.020]).

CONCLUSIONS

Insulin-glucose infusion followed by a multidose insulin regimen improved long-term prognosis in diabetic patients with acute myocardial infarction.

A comparison of six weeks with six months of oral anticoagulant therapy after a first episode of venous thromboembolism. Duration of Anticoagulation Trial Study Group

BACKGROUND

The optimal duration of oral anticoagulant therapy after a first episode of venous thromboembolism is still a matter of debate.

METHODS

We performed a multicenter trial comparing six weeks of oral anticoagulant treatment with six months of such therapy in patients who had a first episode of venous thromboembolism. Anticoagulant therapy consisted of warfarin or dicumarol. Of the 902 patients enrolled, 5 were later excluded because they had congenital protein C deficiency; 443 were randomly assigned to receive six weeks of oral anticoagulant therapy with a targeted international normalized ratio (INR) of 2.0 to 2.85, and 454 were randomly assigned to receive six months of such therapy. The initial diagnoses were confirmed by means of venography in cases of deep-vein thromboses (n = 790) and with perfusion-ventilation scanning or angiography in cases of pulmonary embolism (n = 107); recurrences were confirmed in the same way.

RESULTS

After two years of follow-up, there had been 123 recurrences of venous thromboembolism that met the diagnostic criteria, 80 in the six-week group (18.1 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 14.5 to 21.6) and 43 in the six-month group (9.5 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 6.8 to 12.2). The odds ratio for recurrence in the six-week group was 2.1 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 3.1). There was no difference in mortality or the rate of major hemorrhage between the six-week and six-month groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Six months of prophylactic oral anticoagulation after a first episode of venous thromboembolism led to a lower recurrence rate than did treatment lasting for six weeks. The difference between the two groups occurred between 6 weeks and 6 months after the start of treatment, and the rates of recurrence remained nearly parallel for 1 1/2 years thereafter.

Pharmacokinetic, metabolic, and antidiarrheal properties of (D and L) heptapeptides of sorbin in rodent

The C-terminal heptapeptide-amide (C7-sorbin) is the minimal biologically active fragment of sorbin inducing an increase in intestinal hydroelectrolytic absorption. An analogue (D7-sorbin), characterized by the replacement of the ultimate C-terminal amino acid L-alanine-amide by D-alanine-amide, was synthetized. For pharmacokinetic studies, D7-sorbin and C7-sorbin were tritium labeled. After IV injection, clearances were 10.6 and 30.2 ml-1 for D7-sorbin and C7-sorbin, respectively, and MRT were 34 and 18 min. After SC administration, Cmax attained 0.41% and 0.12% of the dose/ml, respectively. The IP route showed a 45-min delay before Cmax and a 100% bioavailability for both peptides. D7-sorbin was principally excreted in urine, as shown by balance study, and in part in intact form, as controlled by mass spectrometry. D7-sorbin induced a significant decrease of the VIP-induced ileal secretion, previously observed with C7-sorbin. The change of L-Ala to D-Ala increased the stability of the synthetic C-terminal peptide of sorbin whereas its biological activity, bioavailability, and route of elimination were unchanged.

Urinary hydroxypyridinium crosslinks of collagen in population-based screening for overt vertebral osteoporosis: results of a pilot study

The urinary pyridinium crosslinks pyridinoline (PYD) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) have been shown to provide valid indices of bone resorption. At present, both crosslink components are determined by reversed-phase HPLC, a time-consuming method precluding the use of these markers for routine purposes. Therefore, efforts have been made to develop simple immunoassays for the rapid measurement of urinary crosslinks, and their application to large-scale osteoporosis screening has been proposed. To evaluate the applicability and diagnostic validity of pyridinium crosslink measurements for screening purposes, urinary concentrations of total and free PYD and DPD were determined by HPLC and immunoassay technique (ELISA) in a sample of 269 individuals (male to female ratio = 130:139; age 50-81 years) recruited at random within a population survey of vertebral osteoporosis. On a molar basis, ELISA measures of crosslink-related epitopes were highly correlated with both total and free PYD and DPD as determined by HPLC (r > 0.82, p < 0.001). Age-specific means for creatinine-corrected total and free pyridinium crosslinks were significantly higher in females than in males (p < 0.001). In both sexes, neither age nor anthropometric variables (weight, height, and body mass index) showed a linear effect on the urinary crosslink/creatinine ratio. On average, 50% of the total amount of urinary crosslinks were present in free form. For both PYD and DPD, this proportion was significantly higher in women than in men (p < 0.05), but no change was observed with age or anthropometric measures. The excretion of pyridinium crosslinks was higher in osteoporotic (n = 18) than in nonosteoporotic individuals (n = 208) from the same population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Accelerated nodulosis, pleural effusion, and pericardial tamponade during methotrexate therapy

We describe a patient with seropositive erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who developed accelerated nodulosis, pleural effusion, and pericardial tamponade during methotrexate (MTX) therapy while her arthritis remained inactive. MTX is an effective therapy for the articular manifestations of RA. However, on occasion it may result in triggering the development of extraarticular manifestations of RA.

Effects of low phosphate intake on bone and mineral metabolism and microbial protein synthesis in lambs

Growing lambs were fed diets either low or adequate in phosphorus and their effects on Ca and P retention, bone formation and resorption and on ruminal microbial protein synthesis were measured. Plasma osteocalcin was used as an indicator of bone formation rate. Levels in plasma were lower in lambs fed the low P diet and were associated with a fall in plasma P concentration and reduced Ca and P retention. Low P intake had no effect on microbial protein synthesis or on bone resorption determined using urinary pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline as markers. These results suggest that lack of mineral, rather than reduced ruminal microbial protein synthesis, is the main factor contributing to the reduction in bone formation rate seen in lambs fed low P diets.

Pharmacokinetics and organ distribution of the sorbin C-terminal peptides

Sorbin is a 153 amino acid peptide isolated from porcine small intestine. The heptapeptide-amide is the minimal active site of the natural molecule. A comparison of the distribution of C-7 and C-20 sorbin, which have been shown to share the activity of sorbin in increasing intestinal absorption of electrolytes, was undertaken by radioimmunoassay, after perfusion of 200 micrograms/kg/h. A longer half-life in plasma was observed for C-20 sorbin than for C-7 sorbin, with a clearance rate of 18 +/- 4 ml/min/kg vs. 40.6 +/- 13.5 ml/min/kg and a distribution volume of 192 +/- 35 ml/kg vs. 286 +/- 123 ml/kg. The accumulation of tritiated C-7 sorbin was observed in enterocytes, serosal acini of the salivary glands, and fundus chief cells. The recovery of intact peptide in the intestine was 0.06% per gram of tissue. Eighteen percent of the peptide was detected in urine.

Interaction between pepsin and acid secretion during fundic perfusion in cat and rabbit

1. The effect of perfusion at pH 5.5 of a Heidenhain pouch on acid and pepsin secretion was studied in cats and rabbits. 2. In basal conditions, acid secretion was not modified by the perfusion while pepsin secretion was increased in both species. 3. After a meal, the perfusion did not modify the stimulation of acid secretion in cats nor the absence of secretions in rabbit. Stimulation of pepsin secretion was the same with or without perfusion in both species. 4. In rabbit, in contrast to cat, pepsin and acid secretions were independent during the meal-induced phase of gastric secretion.

Comparative duodenal, jejunal and ileal responses to luminal saline load

Intestinal ionic exchanges were studied in rat duodenal, jejunal and ileal ligated loops in response to different luminal saline loads: NaCl concentration varied from 150-0 mM, solutions being made isoosmotic with mannitol. The contact delay was 60 min. An exponential relationship was found between water, Na and Cl movements and the initial saline concentration. Maximal absorption was obtained with 150 mM NaCl, and was significantly higher in the duodenum than in the jejunum and ileum. The NaCl concentration for which water, Na, and Cl movements were null was approximately 70 mM NaCl in the duodenum and jejunum, 41 mM for Na and 18 mM for Cl in the ileum. The water efflux induced by the 0-mM NaCl test solution was maximal in the duodenum (1.5 +/- 0.2 ml/h) and decreased in the jejunum (0.8 +/- 0.1 ml/h) and ileum (0.3 +/- 0.1 ml/h) as did sodium, chloride and non-chloride anion efflux. These data support the functional heterogeneity of the small intestine regulating the water and ion exchange in response to luminal saline load, the main difference being connected with the efflux capacity of the mucosa, decreasing from the duodenum to the jejunum and ileum.

Familial partial trisomy 5p resulting from segregation of an insertional translocation

A case of duplication of segment p13-p15 of the short arm of chromosome 5 as the result of an insertional translocation in a mentally retarded girl with congenital anomalies is reported. Some of the apparently balanced carriers of the inverted insertion showed minor congenital anomalies.