Diagnostic-driven antifungal therapy in neutropenic patients using the D-index and serial serum galactomannan testing

Introduction

Invasive mold disease is an important complication of patients with hematologic malignancies, and is associated with high mortality. A diagnostic-driven approach has been an alternative to the classical empiric antifungal therapy. In the present study we tested an algorithm that incorporated risk stratification using the D-index, serial serum galactomannan and computed tomographic-scan to guide the decision to start antifungal therapy in neutropenic patients.

Patients and methods

Between May 2010 and August 2012, patients with acute leukemia in induction remission were prospectively monitored from day 1 of chemotherapy until discharge or death with the D-index and galactomannan. Patients were stratified in low, intermediate and high risk according to the D-index and an extensive workup for invasive mold disease was performed in case of positive galactomannan (≥0.5), persistent fever, or the appearance of clinical manifestations suggestive of invasive mold disease.

Results

Among 29 patients, 6 (21%), 11 (38%), and 12 (41%) were classified as high, intermediate, and low risk, respectively. Workup for invasive mold disease was undertaken in 67%, 73% and 58% (p = 0.77) of patients in each risk category, respectively, and antifungal therapy was given to 67%, 54.5%, and 17% (p = 0.07). Proven or probable invasive mold disease was diagnosed in 67%, 45.5%, and in none (p = 0.007) of high, intermediate, and low risk patients, respectively. All patients survived.

Conclusion

A risk stratification using D-index was a useful instrument to be incorporated in invasive mold disease diagnostic approach, resulting in a more comprehensive antifungal treatment strategy, and to guide an earlier start of treatment in afebrile patients under very high risk.

Shared care management of patients with type 2 diabetes across the primary and secondary healthcare sectors: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is growing globally and hospital-based outpatient clinics are burdened with increasing numbers of patients. To ensure high quality treatment and care, it is necessary to structurally reorganise the management of patients with T2D. The objective of this study is to test if T2D patients (who are at intermediate risk of or are already having incipient diabetic complications) jointly managed by a hospital-based outpatient clinic and general practitioners (shared care programme) have a non-inferior outcome compared to an established programme in a specialised (hospital based) outpatient diabetes clinic.

METHODS

The study is designed as a randomised controlled trial. The shared care model will be tested during a period of 3 years, with data collection at baseline and at 12, 24 and 36 months. All patients will be offered four medical visits a year; the shared care intervention consists of one annual comprehensive check-up at the outpatient clinic and three quarterly visits at the general practitioners' office. The control group will be followed with four quarterly visits at the outpatient clinic, including an annual comprehensive check-up. In the outpatient clinic, the patients will be treated by a specialised diabetes team, including an endocrinologist. On the basis of a predefined stratification model, we will recruit patients stratified to be at intermediate risk of or already having incipient diabetic complications. We plan to include 140 patients. The primary outcome is glycated haemoglobin. Other outcome measures include (1) the proportion of patients who meet the Danish standard indicators reflecting quality of care; (2) quality of life measured by Short Form 36; and (3) the functionality of the patients' families measured by Family Assessment Measure III. The experiences of the patients and families when participating in the shared care program will be explored by collecting dyadic interviews.

DISCUSSION

This study will evaluate the quality of a shared care programme for patients with T2D, and provide evidence about advantages and disadvantages compared with a programme in a specialised outpatient clinic. The results may provide important information on how to organise the care for patients with T2D in the future.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov on 21 October 2015, registration number: NCT02586545 .

External validation of the ProACS score for risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndromes

INTRODUCTION

The ProACS risk score is an early and simple risk stratification score developed for all-cause in-hospital mortality in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) from a Portuguese nationwide ACS registry. Our center only recently participated in the registry and was not included in the cohort used for developing the score. Our objective was to perform an external validation of this risk score for short- and long-term follow-up.

METHODS

Consecutive patients admitted to our center with ACS were included. Demographic and admission characteristics, as well as treatment and outcome data were collected. The ProACS risk score variables are age (≥72 years), systolic blood pressure (≤116 mmHg), Killip class (2/3 or 4) and ST-segment elevation. We calculated ProACS, Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) and Canada Acute Coronary Syndrome risk score (C-ACS) risk scores for each patient.

RESULTS

A total of 3170 patients were included, with a mean age of 64±13 years, 62% with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. All-cause in-hospital mortality was 5.7% and 10.3% at one-year follow-up. The ProACS risk score showed good discriminative ability for all considered outcomes (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve >0.75) and a good fit, similar to C-ACS, but lower than the GRACE risk score and slightly lower than in the original development cohort. The ProACS risk score provided good differentiation between patients at low, intermediate and high mortality risk in both short- and long-term follow-up (p<0.001 for all comparisons).

CONCLUSIONS

The ProACS score is valid in external cohorts for risk stratification for ACS. It can be applied very early, at the first medical contact, but should subsequently be complemented by the GRACE risk score.

Heterogeneity of the prognostic significance of B-type natriuretic peptide levels on admission in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure syndromes

BACKGROUND

We hypothesized that variation in baseline characteristics of patients with acute heart failure syndromes (AHFS) affects the prognostic significance of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels because of heterogeneity of this patient population. We evaluated the association of elevated BNP levels on admission with an increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes in subgroups of patients hospitalized for AHFS.

METHODS

This study included patients from the acute decompensated heart failure syndromes (ATTEND) study, a multicenter prospective cohort of 4501 AHFS patients with BNP data on admission.

RESULTS

The geometric mean BNP level was 654.9pg/mL (95% confidence interval: 636.1-674.2), and the optimal cut-off value for all-cause death was 1157pg/mL. All-cause mortality after admission was significantly higher in patients with high BNP levels (>1157pg/mL) than in those with low BNP levels (≤1157pg/mL) (median follow-up: 508days, log-rank P<0.001). Subgroup analyses were performed to evaluate the heterogeneity of the prognostic significance of BNP levels. The effect of high BNP levels on the risk of all-cause mortality was significantly greater in the subgroup of patients with a non-hypertensive etiology, low creatinine levels (<1.3mg/dL), and high sodium levels (≥135mEq/L) than in those without these factors (P=0.024, P<0.001, and P<0.001 for the interaction, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The present analysis shows that underlying etiology of heart failure (i.e., hypertensive), renal function, and sodium levels should be considered for assessing the clinical significance of elevated BNP levels on admission in relation to the risk of adverse outcome after hospitalization for AHFS.

Impact of tumor location and fourth ventricle infiltration in medulloblastoma

BACKGROUND

Medulloblastoma is the most common intracranial malignancy in children; with comprehensive treatment the 5-year overall survival (OS) is now greater than 80 %. Only few studies have addressed the relation of tumor location with patient's prognosis. Based on experiences in our institution, we further classified the tumor location. This study aimed to investigate the impact of tumor location and fourth ventricle infiltration in medulloblastoma (MB) prognosis.

METHODS

We retrospectively followed all MB patients at the Beijing Tiantan Hospital between 2004 and 2007 to investigate treatment outcomes and prognostic factors in MB patients. The data of 119 patients were collected. Tumor removal was performed in all patients, and all patients received postsurgical radiotherapy or chemotherapy. The patients were subclassified into three subtypes according to tumor location and tumor infiltration into the fourth ventricular floor (V4 floor). The prognostic factors were analyzed using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis.

RESULTS

The median follow-up period was 75 months (range, 6-127 months). A total of 65 patients experienced recurrence or progression, and 56 patients were still alive at the time of follow-up. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 47.1 ± 4.6 % and 54.6 ± 4.6 %, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

According to the multivariate analysis, large cell and anaplastic (LC/A) subtype, patient age, and metastasis were found to be independent prognostic factors. Tumors with V4 floor infiltration exhibited a trend toward recurrence (P = 0.054). This investigation is the largest single-institution study of MB cases in China. The LC/A subtype, patient age, and metastasis were important prognostic factors. V4 floor infiltration was correlated with metastasis and younger age.

Centrosome associated genes pattern for risk sub-stratification in multiple myeloma

Background

The genome of multiple myeloma (MM) cells is extremely unstable, characterized by a complex combination of structure and numerical abnormalities. It seems that there are several “myeloma subgroups” which differ in expression profile, clinical manifestations, prognoses and treatment response. In our previous work, the list of 35 candidate genes with a known role in carcinogenesis and associated with centrosome structure/function was used as a display of molecular heterogeneity with an impact in myeloma pathogenesis. The current study was devoted to establish a risk stratification model based on the aforementioned candidate genes.

Methods

A total of 151 patients were included in this study. CD138+ cells were separated by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). Gene expression profiling (GEP) and Interphase FISH with cytoplasmic immunoglobulin light chain staining (cIg FISH) were performed on plasma cells (PCs). All statistical analyses were performed using freeware R and its additional packages. Training and validation cohort includes 73 and 78 patients, respectively.

Results

We have finally established a model that includes 12 selected genes (centrosome associated gene pattern, CAGP) which appears to be an independent prognostic factor for MM stratification. We have shown that the new CAGP model can sub-stratify prognosis in patients without TP53 loss as well as in IMWG high risk patients’ group.

Conclusions

We assume that newly established risk stratification model complements the current prognostic panel used in multiple myeloma and refines the classification of patients in relation to the disease risks. This approach can be used independently as well as in combination with other factors.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12967-016-0906-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The value of surgeon-specific outcome data: results of a questionnaire

OBJECTIVES

The publication of surgeon-specific data has been controversial. To assess the profession's opinion, a forum was organized at the 2015 EACTS meeting followed by a questionnaire of the value of surgeon-specific outcome and its impact.

METHODS

A series of presentations were made including assessments of quality and safety in one major European country, the relationship between volume and outcome, the role of guidelines, the effect of publication of results on training, and discussion for and against publication of surgeon-specific data. A questionnaire was given to all attendees at the forum on the value of surgeon-specific data and their impact on the specialty.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was completed by 118 attendees. Of the total, 69% felt that mortality is a surrogate for quality and that it should be reported at the hospital and unit level as opposed to the individual surgeon level, but 81% wished there were different criteria for quality outcome. Of the total, 91% felt that the individual surgeons' data should be collected but not published in public portals, and that publication produces risk-averse behaviour; 65% felt that it hinders innovation; 86% felt that EuroSCORE II is not reliable in identifying high-risk patients and the same number felt that it has affected entry into the specialty.

CONCLUSIONS

The information that is collectable will be published, but we can control the way in which it is published and presented.

Cardiac troponin T elevation at dialysis initiation is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality on dialysis in patients without diabetic nephropathy

BACKGROUND

It is not known whether asymptomatic cardiac troponin T (cTnT) elevation is associated with all-cause or cardiovascular mortality in non-diabetic and advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.

METHODS

We measured cTnT in 248 consecutive patients at 1-2 weeks before dialysis initiation between March 2005 and August 2010 and followed them prospectively. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to investigate the relationship between cTnT and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality on dialysis.

RESULTS

The median age of the patients was 67 years (male 59.3 %), and the prevalence of diabetic nephropathy (DN) was 38.3 %. Asymptomatic cTnT elevation (>0.01 ng/mL) was observed in 196 (79 %) and 111 (73 %) patients among the overall patients and among patients without DN, respectively. A total of 51 patients died during a median follow-up period of 31.6 months. The cTnT level was associated with all-cause [hazard ratio (HR) 1.453; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.093-1.931; P = 0.010] and cardiovascular mortality [HR 1.973; 95 % CI 1.127-3.454; P = 0.017] on dialysis after extensive adjustment in the overall patient population. Patients without DN showed similar associations as those for the overall patient population (all-cause mortality: HR 1.566; 95 % CI 1.048-2.339; P = 0.029 and cardiovascular mortality: HR 2.657; 95 % CI 1.115-6.328; P = 0.027).

CONCLUSION

Asymptomatic cTnT elevation might be strongly associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients without DN, as well as in the overall advanced CKD patients. We suggest that cardiovascular risk in patients with pre-dialysis CKD should be stratified according to cTnT levels.

Actuating critical care therapeutics

Viewing the intensive care unit (ICU) as a control system with inputs (patients) and outputs (outcomes), we focus on actuation (therapies) of the system and how to enhance our understanding of status of patients and their trajectory in the ICU. To incorporate the results of these analytics meaningfully, we feel that a reassessment of predictive scoring systems and of ways to optimally characterize and display the patient's "state space" to clinicians is important. Advances in sensing (diagnostics) and computation have not yet led to significantly better actuation, and so we focus on ways that data can be used to improve actuation in the ICU, in particular by following therapeutic burden along with disease severity. This article is meant to encourage discussion about how the critical care community can best deal with the data they see each day, and prepare for recommendations that will inevitably arise from application of major federal and state initiatives in big data analytics and precision medicine.

Intoxication with alcohol: An underestimated trigger of Brugada syndrome?

Alcohol intoxication is a potentially under-recognised precipitant of Brugada syndrome. Higher pre-cordial electrocardiogram lead placement increases sensitivity of detecting the Brugada pattern.

A Study to derive distribution of carotid intima media thickness and to determine its COrrelation with cardiovascular Risk factors in asymptomatic nationwidE Indian population (SCORE-India)

BACKGROUND

There is presently no data to describe normal distribution of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), an established measure of subclinical atherosclerosis, in Indian subjects.

METHODS

In this multi-centric study, 1229 subjects with age ≥30 years and no previous cardiovascular disease (CVD) underwent CVD risk factor assessment and CIMT measurement. Mean far wall common carotid artery IMT was measured on both sides and averaged.

RESULTS

Mean age of the subjects was 48.0±12.0 years and 54.2% were men. CIMT measurement was feasible in 1157 subjects. Mean, median and 75th percentile values of CIMT for different age-groups were derived for men and women separately. There was a progressive increase in CIMT with increasing age (P<0.001) and men had higher CIMT values than women (0.608±0.12mm vs. 0.579±0.11mm, P<0.001). The CIMT values were also higher in diabetics (0.635±0.10mm) and hypertensives (0.624±0.10mm) as compared to non-diabetics (0.589±0.12mm, P<0.001) and non-hypertensives (0.592±0.12, P 0.02) respectively. Among continuous variables, age, systolic blood pressure and fasting blood glucose had strong to modest correlation with CIMT (Pearson's r 0.524, 0.282 and 0.192 respectively, all P values <0.001), whereas body mass index, diastolic blood pressure and serum triglycerides exhibited weak but still statistically significant relationship (Pearson's r 0.069, P 0.019; Pearson's r 0.065, P 0.026; and Pearson's r 0.094, P 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to provide age- and gender-specific distribution of CIMT in Indian subjects free from CVD. This information should help facilitate further research and clinical work involving CIMT in India.

The incremental prognostic and clinical value of multiple novel biomarkers in heart failure

AIMS

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of biomarkers in heart failure (HF). The clinical role for these novel biomarkers in combination is not clear.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The following novel biomarkers were measured from 628 patients recently hospitalized with decompensated HF; mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM), mid-regional pro-atrial natriuretic peptide (MR-proANP), copeptin, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), ST2, galectin-3, cystatin C, combined free light chains (cFLC) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP). The incremental prognostic value of these novel biomarkers was evaluated within an extensive model containing established predictors of mortality. During a mean (SD) follow-up of 3.2 (1.5) years, 290 (46%) patients died. Elevated concentrations of all novel biomarkers were associated with an increased unadjusted risk of mortality but only two-thirds were independent predictors following multivariable analysis. Using dichotomized cut-points from receiver operating characteristic analysis, MR-proADM, hs-cTnT, cFLC, hsCRP, and ST2 remained independent predictors of mortality. Further dichotomization into low (0-2 elevated biomarkers) or high (at least three of the five biomarkers elevated) risk groups provided greatest incremental prognostic value (hazard ratio 2.20, 95% confidence interval 1.37-3.54; P = 0.001) and improved the performance of the model (C-statistic 0.730 from 0.721, net reclassification index 32.5%).

CONCLUSION

The novel biomarkers included in this study added little, if any, incremental prognostic value on their own to a model containing established predictors of mortality. However, following dichotomization, five of the novel biomarkers provided incremental prognostic value. There was a clear gradient in the risk of death with increasing numbers of elevated novel biomarkers, with the presence of at least three identifying patients at greatest risk of mortality.

Assessing the risk for development of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in surgical patients using Adapted Caprini scoring system

AIM

To determine the incidence, morbidity and mortality due to Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in surgical patients, and to assess the validity and reliability of Adapted Caprini scoring in risk stratification for VTE prophylaxis.

METHODOLOGY

This was a prospective observational study in a tertiary care hospital of South India on patients who underwent both elective and emergency surgeries over a period of 9 months. An Adapted Caprini score was devised which included only the clinical criteria. The patients were scored by two persons independently at admission and followed up till the 30th post-operative day and primary and secondary end points were statistically analyzed.

RESULTS

Three hundred and one patients were included and the overall incidence of VTE at 30 days was 7.3%. The risk of developing VTE was found to be significantly higher among the >8 score group as compared to 3-4 group (OR = 153.5, p < 0.001), or the 5-6 group (OR = 52.9, p < 0.001) or the 7-8 group (OR = 2.3, p = 0.002). Patients with a score of 7-8 were more likely to develop VTE as compared to 3-4 group (OR = 67.5, p < 0.001) or the 5-6 group (OR = 23.2, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The risk of developing VTE is less significant in the 5-6 score group compared to 7-8 or more score group. Further stratification of the highest risk groups is recommended to provide appropriate prophylaxis only to the patients with high scores, thereby reducing complications due to VTE prophylaxis.

Assessment of metastatic risk of gastric GIST based on treatment-naïve CT features

OBJECTIVE

To study whether the CT features of treatment-naïve gastric GIST may be used to assess metastatic risk.

METHODS

In this IRB approved retrospective study, with informed consent waived, contrast enhanced CT images of 143 patients with pathologically confirmed treatment-naïve gastric GIST (74 men, 69 women; mean age 61 years, SD ± 14) were reviewed in consensus by two oncoradiologists blinded to clinicopathologic features and clinical outcome and morphologic features were recorded. The metastatic spread was recorded using available imaging studies and electronic medical records (median follow up 40 months, interquartile range, IQR, 21-61). The association of maximum size in any plane (≤10 cm or >10 cm), outline (smooth or irregular/lobulated), cystic areas (≤50% or >50%), exophytic component (≤50% or >50%), and enhancing solid component (present or absent) with metastatic disease were analyzed using univariate (Fisher's exact test) and multivariate (logistic regression) analysis.

RESULTS

Metastatic disease developed in 42 (29%) patients (28 at presentation, 14 during follow-up); 23 (16%) patients died. On multivariate analysis, tumor size >10 cm (p = 0.0001, OR 9.9), irregular/lobulated outline (p = 0.001, OR 5.6) and presence of a enhancing solid component (p < 0.0001, OR 9.1) were independent predictors of metastatic disease. On subgroup analysis, an irregular/lobulated outline and an enhancing solid component were more frequently associated with metastases in tumors ≤5 cm and >5-≤10 cm (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

CT morphologic features can be used to assess the metastatic risk of treatment-naïve gastric GIST. Risk assessment based on pretreatment CT is especially useful for patients receiving neoadjuvant tyrosine kinase inhibitors and those with tumors <5 cm in size.

Imaging for assessment of sudden death risk: current role and future prospects

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major public health problem and there is an urgent need to maximize the impact of primary prevention using the implantable defibrillator. While implantable defibrillators are of utility for prevention of SCD, current methods of selecting candidates have significant shortcomings. Major advancements have occurred in the field of cardiac imaging, with significant potential to identify novel cardiac substrates for improved prediction. While assessment of the left ventricular ejection fraction remains the current major predictor, it is likely that several novel imaging markers will be incorporated into future risk stratification approaches. The goal of this review is to discuss the current status and future potential of cardiac imaging modalities to enhance risk stratification for SCD.

A simple sarcopenia screening test predicts future adverse events in patients with heart failure

BACKGROUND

Progressive loss of skeletal muscle termed "sarcopenia" is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with cardiovascular diseases. A simple screening test that can identify sarcopenia using three variables (age, grip strength and calf circumference) was recently developed. We evaluated the clinical utility of this screening test in patients with heart failure (HF).

METHODS AND RESULTS

HF patients were divided into the sarcopenia (n=82) and non-sarcopenia (n=37) groups based on the sarcopenia score. Circulating BNP and high-sensitive cardiac troponin T levels were significantly higher, and left ventricular ejection fraction was lower in the sarcopenia group than non-sarcopenia group. Kaplan-Meier curve showed that HF event-free survival rate was significantly lower in the sarcopenia group. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis identified BNP (ln[BNP]) (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.09-2.29, p=0.02), hs-CRP (ln[CRP]) (HR: 1.82; 95% CI: 1.23-2.68; p<0.01) and sarcopenia score (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 1.01-1.05, p<0.01) as independent predictors of HF events. In receiver operating characteristic analysis, adding the sarcopenia score to BNP levels increased an area under the curve for future HF events (sarcopenia score alone, 0.77; BNP alone, 0.82; combination, 0.89).

CONCLUSIONS

The sarcopenia screening test can be used to predict future adverse events in patients with HF.

Incremental utility of prognostic variables at discharge for risk prediction in hospitalized patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure

OBJECTIVES

To assess the incremental prognostic utility of discharge serum creatinine (SCr), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and NT-proBNP and sodium concentrations in hospitalized patients with acutely decompensated chronic heart failure.

BACKGROUND

Whether key prognostic variables at discharge provide incremental prognostic information beyond that provided by a model based on admission variables (referent) remains incompletely defined.

METHODS

The primary outcome was a composite of death, urgent heart transplantation, or ventricular assist device implantation at 1 year. The gain in predictive performance was assessed using C index, Bayesian Information Criterion, and Net Reclassification Improvement.

RESULTS

The best fit was obtained when discharge NT-proBNP was added to the referent model. No interaction between admission and discharge NT-proBNP was found. Discharge SCr, SBP, and sodium did not improve goodness-of-fit.

CONCLUSIONS

Admission and discharge NT-proBNP provide complementary and independent prognostic information; as such, they should be taken into account concurrently.

Risk stratification by endocrinologists of patients with type 2 diabetes in a Danish specialised outpatient clinic: a cross-sectional study

Background

To target optimised medical care the Danish guidelines for diabetes recommend stratification of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) into three levels according to risk and complexity of treatment. The aim was to describe the T2D population in an outpatient clinic, measure the compliance of the endocrinologists’ to perform risk stratification, and investigate the level of concordance between stratification performed by the endocrinologists and objective assessments.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with data collected from medical records and laboratory databases. The Danish risk stratification model contained the following criteria: HbA_1c, blood pressure, metabolic complications, microvascular and macrovascular complications. Stratification levels encompassed: level 1 (uncomplicated), level 2 (intermediate risk) and level 3 (high risk). Objective assessments were conducted independently by two health professionals, and compared with the endocrinologists’ assessments. In order to test the degree of concordance, we conducted Cohen's kappa, McNemar’s test for marginal homogeneity, and Bowker’s test for symmetry.

Results

Of 245 newly referred patients, 209 (85 %) were stratified by the endocrinologists to level 1 (16 %), level 2 (55 %) and level 3 (29 %). By objective assessments, 4 % were stratified to level 1, 51 % to level 2 and 45 % to level 3. Of 419 long-term follow-up patients, 380 (91 %) were stratified by the endocrinologists to level 1 (5 %), level 2 (57 %), level 3 (38 %). By objective assessments, 3 % were stratified to level 1, 58 % to level 2 and 39 % to level 3. The concordance rate between endocrinologists’ and objective assessments was 63 % among newly referred (kappa 0.39; fair agreement) and 67 % for long-term follow-up (kappa 0.45; moderate agreement). Among newly referred patients, the endocrinologists stratified less patients at level 3 compared to objective assessments (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences in marginal distribution within long-term follow-up patients.

Conclusion

Type 2 diabetes patients, newly referred to or allocated for long-term follow-up in the out-patient clinic, were mainly intermediate and high-risk, complicated patients (96 % and 95 %, respectively). Compliance of stratification by endocrinologists was high. The concordance between endocrinologists’ and objective assessments was not strong. Our data suggest that clinician-support for stratification level categorisation might be needed.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy and sudden death risk stratification in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with midventricular obstruction: A single-center experience

BACKGROUND

Previous studies reported that the presence of midventricular obstruction (MVO) was an independent determinant of sudden death and potentially lethal arrhythmic events in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, it remains unclear whether implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) improves survival in HCM patients with MVO. In addition, the risk factors for lethal arrhythmic events in MVO-HCM patients are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the ICD therapy on sudden death prevention, and to determine the risk factors for lethal arrhythmic events in MVO-HCM patients.

METHODS

This study included 593 HCM patients. Left ventricular MVO was diagnosed when the peak midventricular gradient was estimated as ≥30mmHg.

RESULTS

MVO was identified in 56 patients (9.4%), and 15 of the 56 MVO-HCM patients (26.8%) received an ICD. Six of 15 ICD-implanted patients (40.0%) had appropriate ICD interventions over the follow-up period of 6.5±5.1years after ICD implantation. Although two of 42 patients without an ICD died suddenly, no patients experienced sudden death after ICD implantation in patients with an ICD throughout the follow-up period of 9.0±8.0years after referral to our hospital. By multivariate analysis, maximal wall thickness was an independent determinant of lethal arrhythmic events in MVO-HCM patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A quarter of MVO-HCM patients received an ICD, and the incidence of appropriate ICD intervention was about 6.2%/year. It may be necessary to give careful consideration to the prevention of lethal arrhythmic events in MVO-HCM patients, especially those with severe left ventricular hypertrophy.

Risk Stratification for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) score is a semiquantitative angiographic score developed to prospectively characterize the disease complexity of the coronary vasculature. With more than 50 validation studies, the SYNTAX score is the most-studied risk model in the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention. In this article, the evolutionary journey of the SYNTAX score is reviewed, with emphasis on its sequential modifications and adaptations, now culminating in the development and validation of the SYNTAX score II.

Risk Stratification of Patients Presenting with Transient Loss of Consciousness

Important goals in the initial evaluation of patients with transient loss of consciousness include determining whether the episode was syncope and choosing the venue for subsequent care. Patients who have high short-term risk of adverse outcomes need prompt hospitalization for diagnosis and/or treatment, whereas others may be safely referred for outpatient evaluation. This article summarizes the most important available risk assessment studies and points out key differences among the existing recommendations. Current risk stratification methods cannot replace critical assessment by an experienced physician, but they do provide much needed guidance and offer direction for future risk stratification consensus development.

Prostate cancer risk stratification with magnetic resonance imaging

In recent years, multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) has shown promise for prostate cancer (PCa) risk stratification. mpMRI, often followed by targeted biopsy, can be used to confirm low-grade disease before enrollment in active surveillance. In patients with intermediate or high-risk PCa, mpMRI can be used to inform surgical management. mpMRI has sensitivity of 44% to 87% for detection of clinically significant PCa and negative predictive value of 63% to 98% for exclusion of significant disease. In addition to tumor identification, mpMRI has also been shown to contribute significant incremental value to currently used clinical nomograms for predicting extraprostatic extension. In combination with conventional clinical criteria, accuracy of mpMRI for prediction of extraprostatic extension ranges from 92% to 94%, significantly higher than that achieved with clinical criteria alone. Supplemental sequences, such as diffusion-weighted imaging and dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging, allow quantitative evaluation of cancer-suspicious regions. Apparent diffusion coefficient appears to be an independent predictor of PCa aggressiveness. Addition of apparent diffusion coefficient to Epstein criteria may improve sensitivity for detection of significant PCa by as much as 16%. Limitations of mpMRI include variability in reporting, underestimation of PCa volume and failure to detect clinically significant disease in a small but significant number of cases.

Troponin assay use in the emergency department for management of patients with potential acute coronary syndrome: current use and future directions

Troponins are proteins commonly found in cardiac tissue that are released during myocardial ischemia or necrosis. These troponins can be detected by assays that can then be used to guide clinical decision-making and disposition, especially if the suspected insult is related to acute coronary syndrome. Timing of troponin measurement can be important as elevations may not be detectible immediately after an insult. New assays have been designed to detect troponin con-centrations previously too low to be detected by conventional assays. These tests are known as high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays. Current research is aimed at evaluating the clinical sig-nificance of troponin elevations detected by these new assays especially in management of pa-tients with suspected acute coronary syndrome. A number of risk-stratification scores exist to assist physicians with evaluating chest pain in the emergency department in the context of de-tection (or absence) of troponins in systemic circulation. Additionally, investigators are working to integrate data generated by hs-cTn measurements into existing and new risk-stratification scores.

Right bundle branch block and SIQIII-type patterns for risk stratification in acute pulmonary embolism

INTRODUCTION

Risk stratification in acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is crucial for identification of patients with poor prognosis. We aimed to investigate the ECG alterations of right bundle branch block (RBBB) and SIQIII-type patterns for risk stratification in acute PE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Retrospective analysis of PE patients, treated in the Internal Medicine Department, was performed. Patients with RBBB and/or SIQIII-type were compared with those without both patterns. Logistic regression models for association between these ECG alterations and respectively right ventricular dysfunction (RVD), high-risk PE status and myocardial injury were computed.

RESULTS

175 patients were included for this retrospective analysis. Total study sample comprised 37 PE patients (21.1%) with RBBB and/or SIQIII-type patterns and 138 PE patients (78.9%) without both signs. Heart rate (97.4±17.2 vs. 93.2±26.8/min, P=0.021), cardiac troponin I values (0.19±0.38 vs. 0.11±0.24, P=0.003) and percentage of patients with RVD (83.9% vs. 52.7%, P=0.005) were significantly higher in PE patients with RBBB and/or SIQIII-type patterns compared to PE patients without both ECG alterations. Multi-variate logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender revealed significant associations between RBBB and RVD (OR3.942, 95% CI1.054-14.747, P=0.042) and between SIQIII-type patterns and RVD (OR5.667, 95% CI1.144-28.071, P=0.034). The association between RBBB and cardiac injury (cTnI>0.4ng/ml) (OR2.531, 95% CI 0.973-6.583, P=0.06) showed a borderline significance, while the association between SIQIII-type patterns and cardiac injury was significant (OR3.956, 95% CI1.309-11.947, P=0.015).

CONCLUSIONS

RBBB and SIQIII-type patterns were both associated with RV overload and cardiac injury. RBBB and SIQIII-type patterns were connected with 3.9-fold and 5.7-fold elevated risk of RVD, respectively.

Retuning mortality risk prediction in paediatric cardiac surgery: the additional role of early postoperative metabolic and respiratory profile

OBJECTIVES

The existing risk stratification scores for paediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery include the Aristotle Basic Complexity (ABC) Score, the Risk Adjustment in Congenital Heart Surgery-1 (RACHS-1) Score and the Aristotle Comprehensive Complexity (ACC) Score. They are all based on the nature of the surgical operation (ABC and RACHS-1 Scores) with possible adjustment for a number of patient conditions (ACC Score). The present study investigates if the early postoperative parameters may be used to improve the preoperative mortality risk prediction.

METHODS

A retrospective study on 1392 consecutive patients aged ≤12 years old, undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and without a residual right-to-left shunt was conducted. The ABC Score and metabolic and respiratory postoperative parameters at arrival in the intensive care unit were tested for association and discriminative power for operative mortality.

RESULTS

The ABC yielded a c-statistic of 0.746. Additional independent predictors of operative mortality were postoperative hypoxia [Formula: see text] and arterial blood lactates. In a multivariable model including the ABC Score, postoperative hypoxia and arterial blood lactates remained independently associated with operative mortality. A modified ABC Score was created, consisting of the ABC Score plus 1.5 points in case of postoperative hypoxia plus 1 point per each 1 mmol/l of arterial blood lactates. The new model was significantly (P = 0.043) more discriminative than the ABC Score, with a c-statistic of 0.803.

CONCLUSIONS

Early postoperative respiratory and metabolic parameters increased the accuracy and discrimination of the ABC Score. An external validation is needed to confirm our results.

Prediction of aortic stenosis-related events in patients with systolic ejection murmur using pocket-sized echocardiography

BACKGROUND

We have previously reported the usefulness of our newly developed visual aortic stenosis (AS) score in screening for AS using pocket-sized echocardiography. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the visual AS score and/or conventional aortic valve calcification score derived from pocket-sized echocardiography can be used to predict AS-related events.

METHODS

One hundred and nine patients with systolic ejection murmur (SEM) or known AS (64 males, age 75±9 years) were enrolled and a visual AS score and an aortic valve calcification score were assessed using pocket-sized echocardiography. The primary endpoint was defined as AS-related events, including cardiac death and aortic valve replacement, during the follow-up period.

RESULTS

In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis, AS-related events were independently predicted by an aortic valve calcification score ≥3 (HR, 3.5; 95% CI, 1.1-11; p=0.033) and a visual AS score ≥3 (HR, 15; 95% CI, 1.8-125; p=0.013). During 18±9 months of follow-up, the event-free survival rate was 98% in patients with both a visual AS score <3 and an aortic valve calcification score <3, 90% in patients with either a visual AS score ≥3 or an aortic valve calcification score ≥3 (p<0.0001), and 62% in patients with both a visual AS score ≥3 and an aortic valve calcification score ≥3 (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of visual AS score and aortic valve calcification score derived from pocket-sized echocardiography is useful for predicting AS-related events in patients with SEM.

Uncontrolled risk factors and worsening perfusion pattern on SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging in medically treated patients with stable chronic ischaemic heart disease

PURPOSE

Few data exist on the correlation between the effectiveness of risk factor control and the evolution of myocardial perfusion over time in patients with stable ischaemic heart disease. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in stress-rest myocardial perfusion in medically treated patients with stable chronic ischaemic heart disease and the relationship with risk factor control.

METHODS

The study cohort included 174 consecutive patients (age 60 ± 9 years, 68 % men) undergoing stress-rest myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) (study 1), who also underwent repeat evaluation (study 2) and who were clinically stable on medical therapy. Summed stress, rest and difference scores were calculated. According to the evolution of perfusion pattern from study 1 to study 2, patients were classified as improved, stable or worsened.

RESULTS

Study 2 was performed on average 2.7 years after study 1. Of the 174 patients, 47 (26.9 %), 53 (30.8 %) and 74 (42.5 %) were classified as stable, improved and worsened, respectively. A significant trend was observed between the number of risk factors at the time of study 1 and worsening of myocardial perfusion (24 % of patients with zero or one risk factor showed worsening, 31 % with two, and 59 % with three or more; p = 0.03). Moreover, patients with worsened perfusion had a higher number of poorly controlled risk factors.

CONCLUSION

Despite medical therapy and clinical stability, myocardial perfusion worsened in 42.5 % of patients. The risk profile was reclassified in half of the patients. Worsening occurred more frequently in patients with three or more risk factors at the time of study 1 and in those with poorly controlled risk factors at the time of study 2; in this subset of patients, even if clinically stable, reassessment after 2 years could be considered.

ALAIN01--Alemtuzumab in autoimmune inflammatory neurodegeneration: mechanisms of action and neuroprotective potential

BACKGROUND

Alemtuzumab (Lemtrada®) is a newly approved therapeutic agent for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). In previous phase II and III clinical trials, alemtuzumab has proven superior efficacy to subcutaneous interferon beta-1a concerning relapse rate and disability progression with unprecedented durability and long-lasting freedom of disease activity. The humanized monoclonal antibody targets CD52, leading to a rapid and long-lasting depletion, especially of B and T cells. Arising from hematopoietic precursor cells a fundamental reprogramming of the immune system restores tolerogenic networks effectively suppressing autoimmune inflammatory responses in the central nervous system (CNS). Despite its favourable effects alemtuzumab holds a severe risk of side effects with secondary autoimmunity being the most considerable. Markers for risk stratification and treatment response improving patient selection and therapy guidance are a big unmet need for MS patients and health care providers.

METHODS/DESIGN

This is a mono center, single arm, explorative phase IV study including 15 patients with highly active RRMS designed for 3 years. Patients will be studied by a high-resolution analysis comprising a repertoire of various immunological assays for the detection of immune cells and their function in peripheral blood as well as the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These assays encompass a number of experiments investigating immune cell subset composition, activation status, cytokine secretion, migratory capacity, potential neuroprotective properties and cytolytic activity complemented by instrument-based diagnostics like MRI scans, evoked potentials and optical coherence tomography (OCT).

DISCUSSION

Our study represents the first in-depth and longitudinal functional analysis of key immunological parameters in the periphery and the CNS compartment underlying the fundamental effects of alemtuzumab in MS patients. By combining clinical, experimental and MRI data our study will provide a deeper understanding of alemtuzumab's mechanisms of action (MOA) potentially identifying immune signatures associated with treatment response or the development of secondary autoimmunity. After validation in larger cohorts this might help to improve efficacy and safety of alemtuzumab therapy in RRMS patients.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

NCT02419378 (clinicaltrials.gov), registered 31 March 2015.

Sudden cardiac death markers in non-ischemic cardiomyopathy

Heart failure is an increasingly prevalent disease associated with high morbidity and mortality. In 30-40% of patients, the etiology is non-ischemic. In this group of patients, the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) prevents sudden death and decreases total mortality. However, due to burden of cost, the fact that many ICD patients will never need any therapy, and possible complications involved in implant and follow-up, the device should not be implanted in every patient with non-ischemic heart failure. There is an urgent need to adequately identify patients with highest sudden death risk, in whom the implant is most cost-effective. In the present paper, the authors discuss current available tests for risk stratification of sudden cardiac death in patients with non-ischemic heart failure.

Syncope: Assessment of risk and an approach to evaluation in the emergency department and urgent care clinic

Syncope is among the most frequent forms of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC), and is characterized by a relatively brief and self-limited loss of consciousness that by definition is triggered by transient cerebral hypoperfusion. Most often, syncope is caused by a temporary drop of systemic arterial pressure below that required to maintain cerebral function, but brief enough not to cause permanent structural brain injury. Currently, approximately one-third of syncope/collapse patients seen in the emergency department (ED) or urgent care clinic are admitted to hospital for evaluation. The primary objective of developing syncope/TLOC risk stratification schemes is to provide guidance regarding the immediate prognostic risk of syncope patients presenting to the ED or clinic; thereafter, based on that risk assessment physicians may be better equipped to determine which patients can be safely evaluated as outpatients, and which require hospital care. In general, the need for hospitalization is determined by several key issues: i) the patient's immediate (usually considered 1 week to 1 month) mortality risk and risk for physical injury (e.g., falls risk), ii) the patient's ability to care for him/herself, and iii) whether certain treatments inherently require in-hospital initiation (e.g., pacemaker implantation). However, at present no single risk assessment protocol appears to be satisfactory for universal application, and development of a consensus recommendation is an essential next step.

Recent advances in the management of pulmonary embolism: focus on the critically ill patients

The aim of this narrative review is to summarize for intensivists or any physicians managing “severe” pulmonary embolism (PE) the main recent advances or recommendations in the care of patients including risk stratification, diagnostic algorithm, hemodynamic management in the intensive care unit (ICU), recent data regarding the use of thrombolytic treatment and retrievable vena cava filters and finally results of direct oral anticoagulants. Thanks to the improvements achieved in the risk stratification of patients with PE, a better therapeutic approach is now recommended from diagnosis algorithm and indication to admission in ICU to indication of thrombolysis and general hemodynamic support in patients with shock. Given at current dosage, thrombolytic therapy is associated with a reduction in the combined end-point of mortality and hemodynamic decompensation in patients with intermediate-risk PE, but this is obtained without a decrease in overall mortality and with a significant increase in major extracranial and intracranial bleeding. In patients with high-intermediate-risk PE, thrombolytic therapy should be given in case of hemodynamic worsening. Vena cava filters are of little help when anticoagulant treatment is not contraindicated, even in patients with PE and features of clinical severity. Finally, direct oral anticoagulants have been shown to be as effective as and safer than the combination of low molecular weight heparin and vitamin K antagonist(s) in patients with venous thromboembolism and low- to intermediate-risk PE.

Use of exercise capacity to improve SCORE risk prediction model in asymptomatic adults

AIMS

The SCORE risk estimation system is used for cardiovascular risk stratification in apparently healthy adults and is based on known cardiovascular risk factors. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether exercise capacity can improve the accuracy of the SCORE overall survival risk estimation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We investigated 22 878 asymptomatic men and women who were annually screened in a tertiary medical centre. All subjects were free of known ischaemic heart disease, and had completed maximal exercise stress test according to the Bruce protocol. The SCORE risk estimation system was used to evaluate individual cardiovascular risk for all subjects. The primary endpoint was mortality, after exclusion of patients with metastatic cancer during follow-up. The incremental contribution of exercise capacity in predicting the risk of death was evaluated by net reclassification improvement (NRI) and area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). Mean age of the study population was 47.4 ± 10.3, and 71.6% were men. There were 505 (2.21%) deaths during a mean follow-up of 9.2 ± 4.1 years. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that both SCORE and low exercise capacity were associated with reduced survival. When added to the SCORE risk prediction, exercise capacity allowed more accurate risk stratification: NRI analysis showed an overall improvement of 56.8% in the accuracy of classification and the AUROC increased (0.782 vs. 0.766).

CONCLUSION

Both SCORE and exercise capacity are strong independent predictors of all-cause mortality. The addition of exercise capacity to the SCORE risk model can improve the accuracy of the model.

Brugada syndrome and Brugada phenocopy. The importance of a differential diagnosis

To date Brugada syndrome (BrS) is considered a primary electrical heart disease and the diagnosis is based on precise clinical and electrocardiographic features. Many other diseases and conditions can lead to a Brugada-like ECG pattern but the vast majority of patients with BrS possess a structurally normal heart, which is consistent with the notion that this is a primary electrical heart disease. Presently, the terminology used in the literature to describe Brugada type 1 ECG pattern induced in patients without BrS is diverse and variable. Brugada phenocopies (BrP) are clinical entities that present with identical ECG patterns to those of true BrS but are elicited by various other clinical circumstances. They form a group of heterogeneous conditions that are perhaps the most difficult to differentiate from true congenital BrS due to identical ECG patterns and recently has been proposed an updated classification of conditions that may induce BrP and many criteria useful to differentiate BrP from BrS. A systematic diagnostic approach is crucial to avoid diagnostic errors that involve expenditure of time and resources, but above all it is useful to avoid to send patients without a real BrS to inopportune diagnostic and therapeutic paths that are sometimes burdened by considerable risks.

The Benefits and Pitfalls of the Use of Risk Stratification Tools in Cardiac Surgery

Risk assessment tools are increasingly used in surgery. In cardiac surgery, risk models are used for patient counselling, surgical decision-making, performance benchmarking, clinical research, evaluation of new therapies and quality assurance, among others. However, they have numerous disadvantages which need to be considered. This article evaluates the utility of risk assessment tools in cardiac surgery including a discussion of their advantages and disadvantages.

Diabetes mellitus and risk of ischemic stroke in patients with heart failure and no atrial fibrillation

OBJECTIVE

The risk of ischemic stroke, systemic thromboembolism, and all-cause death among heart failure patients previously diagnosed with diabetes mellitus is poorly described. We evaluated the risk of these endpoints among heart failure patients without diagnosed atrial fibrillation according to the presence of diabetes mellitus.

METHODS

Population-based nationwide cohort study of non-anticoagulated patients diagnosed with incident heart failure during 2000-2012, identified by record linkage between nationwide registries in Denmark. We calculated relative risks after 1year to evaluate the association between diabetes and risk of events in 39,357 heart failure patients, among whom 18.1% had diabetes. Analysis took into account competing risks of death.

RESULTS

Absolute risks of all endpoints were higher in patients with diabetes compared to patients without diabetes after 1-year follow-up (ischemic stroke: 4.1% vs. 2.8%; systemic thromboembolism: 11.9% vs. 8.6%; all-cause death: 22.1% vs. 21.4%). Diabetes was significantly associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke (adjusted relative risk [RR]: 1.27, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.51); systemic thromboembolism (RR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.11-1.30); and all-cause death (RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.11-1.23). Additionally, time since diabetes diagnosis was associated with higher adjusted cumulative incidences of ischemic stroke, systemic thromboembolism, and all-cause death (p for trend, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among heart failure patients without atrial fibrillation, diabetes was associated with a significantly increased risk of ischemic stroke, systemic thromboembolism, and all-cause death compared to those without diabetes, even after adjustment for concomitant cardiovascular risk factors. Increased focus on secondary prevention in heart failure patients with diabetes may be warranted.

Incidence of nephrolithiasis in relation to environmental exposure to lead and cadmium in a population study

Whether environmental exposure to nephrotoxic agents that potentially interfere with calcium homeostasis, such as lead and cadmium, contribute to the incidence of nephrolithiasis needs further clarification. We investigated the relation between nephrolithiasis incidence and environmental lead and cadmium exposure in a general population. In 1302 participants randomly recruited from a Flemish population (50.9% women; mean age, 47.9 years), we obtained baseline measurements (1985-2005) of blood lead (BPb), blood cadmium (BCd), 24-h urinary cadmium (UCd) and covariables. We monitored the incidence of kidney stones until October 6, 2014. We used Cox regression to calculate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios for nephrolithiasis. At baseline, geometric mean BPb, BCd and UCd was 0.29µmol/L, 9.0nmol/L, and 8.5nmol per 24h, respectively. Over 11.5 years (median), nephrolithiasis occurred in 40 people. Contrasting the low and top tertiles of the distributions, the sex- and age-standardized rates of nephrolithiasis expressed as events per 1000 person-years were 0.68 vs. 3.36 (p=0.0016) for BPb, 1.80 vs. 3.28 (p=0.11) for BCd, and 1.65 vs. 2.95 (p=0.28) for UCd. In continuous analysis, with adjustments applied for sex, age, serum magnesium, and 24-h urinary volume and calcium, the hazard ratios expressing the risk associated with a doubling of the exposure biomarkers were 1.35 (p=0.015) for BPb, 1.13 (p=0.22) for BCd, and 1.23 (p=0.070) for UCd. In conclusion, our results suggest that environmental lead exposure is a risk factor for nephrolithiasis in the general population.

Emerging Tools for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Ischaemic strokes resulting from atrial fibrillation (AF) constitute a devastating condition for patients and their carers with huge burden on health care systems. Prophylactic treatment against systemic embolization and ischaemic strokes is the cornerstone for the management of AF. Effective stroke prevention requires the use of the vitamin K antagonists or non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs). This article summarises the latest developments in the field of stroke prevention in AF and aims to assist physicians with the choice of oral anticoagulant for patients with non-valvular AF with different risk factor profile.

Electrophysiologic testing guided risk stratification approach for sudden cardiac death beyond the left ventricular ejection fraction

Sudden cardiac death threats ischaemic and dilated cardiomyopathy patients. Anti- arrhythmic protection may be provided to these patients with implanted cardiac defibrillators (ICD), after an efficient risk stratification approach. The proposed risk stratifier of an impaired left ventricular ejection fraction has limited sensitivity meaning that a significant number of victims will remain undetectable by this risk stratification approach because they have a preserved left ventricular systolic function. Current risk stratification strategies focus on combinations of non invasive methods like T wave alternans, late potentials, heart rate turbulence, deceleration capacity and others, with invasive methods like the electrophysiologic study. In the presence of an electrically impaired substrate with formed post myocardial infarction fibrotic zones, programmed ventricular stimulation provides important prognostic information for the selection of the patients expected to benefit from an ICD implantation, while due to its high negative predictive value, patients at low risk level may also be detected. Clustering evidence from different research groups and electrophysiologic labs support an electrophysiologic testing guided risk stratification approach for sudden cardiac death.

Impact of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging on risk group assessment of patients with prostate cancer addressed to external beam radiation therapy

PURPOSE

To investigate the impact of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) on risk group assessment of patients with prostate cancer (PCa) initially addressed to external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We prospectively performed mpMRI (3.0Tsystem) in 44 patients addressed to EBRT, using a multiparametric protocol (high-resolution multiplanar T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted and dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging). Risk group was assessed in accordance with the National comprehensive cancer network (NCCN) categories, by combining prostate-specific-antigen level, Gleason score and the T-stage as established by digital rectal examination (clinical risk assessment; c-RA) versus mpMRI (mpMRI-risk assessment; mpMRI-RA). The agreement between c-RA and mpMRI-RA was investigated using Cohen's kappa.

RESULTS

Patients were included in very low/low risk, intermediate risk, high risk, very high risk and metastatic NCCN categories in 10 (22.7%), 18 (40.9%), 15 (34.1%), 1 (2.3%) and 0 cases using c-RA vs. 8 (18.2%), 14 (31.8%), 14 (31.8%), 4 (9.1%) and 4 (9.1%) cases using mpMRI-RA, respectively, with only moderate agreement (k=0.43). mpMRI-RA determined risk downgrading in 2/44 patients (4.5%), and risk upgrading in 16/44 patients (36.3%). After mpMRI, EBRT remained indicated in all patients.

CONCLUSION

mpMRI changed clinical risk stratification in about 41% of patients with PCa, with potential impact on EBRT planning.

Data on coronary artery calcium score performance and cardiovascular risk reclassification across gender and ethnicities

The current guidelines recommend the new risk score, Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease score (ASCVD), to assess an individual׳s risk of future cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. No data exist on the predictive utility of ASCVD score with the incremental value of coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) across ethnicities and gender. Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) is a population based study (n=6814) of White (38%), Black (28%), Chinese (22%) and Hispanic (12%) subjects, aged 45–84 years, free from clinical cardiovascular disease. We performed a post-hoc analysis of 6742 participants (mean age 62, 53% female) from the MESA cohort. We evaluated the predictive accuracy for the ASCVD score for each participant in accord with the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines using pooled cohort equations. Similar to the publication by Fudim et al. “The Metabolic Syndrome, Coronary Artery Calcium Score and Cardiovascular Risk Reclassification” [1] the analytic properties of models incorporating the ASCVD score with and without CACS were compared for cardiovascular disease CVD prediction. Here the analysis focused on ASCVD score (with and without CACS) performance across gender and ethnicities.

Risk-stratification of severity for infants with CDH: Prenatal versus postnatal predictors of outcome

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to compare the predication accuracy of a newly described postnatally-based clinical prediction model to fetal imaging-based predictors of mortality for infants with CDH.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of all CDH patients treated at a comprehensive fetal care center from January 2004 to January 2014. Prenatal data reviewed included lung-to-head ratio (LHR), observed/expected-total fetal lung volume (O/E-TFLV), and percent liver herniation (%LH). Based on the postnatal prediction model, neonates were categorized as low, intermediate, and high risk of death. The primary outcome was 6-month mortality.

RESULTS

Of 176 CDH patients, 58 had a major cardiac anomaly, and 28 had a genetic anomaly. Patients with O/E-TFLV <35% and %LH >20% were at increased risk for mortality (44% and 36%, respectively). There was a significant difference in mortality between low, intermediate, and high-risk groups (4% vs. 22% vs. 51%; p<0.001). On multivariate regression, the O/E-TFLV and postnatal-based mortality risk score were the two independent predictors of 6-month mortality.

CONCLUSION

The CDH Study Group postnatal predictive model provides good discrimination among three risk groups in our patient cohort. The prenatal MRI-based O/E-TFLV is the strongest prenatal predictor of 6-month mortality in infants with CDH and will help guide prenatal counseling and discussions regarding fetal intervention and perinatal management.

Management of Transplant-Eligible Patients with Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma

Treatment approaches for newly diagnosed myeloma have changed considerably during the past decade, along with a better understanding of the disease heterogeneity. Availability of new drug classes such as proteasome inhibitors and immunomodulatory drugs, and use of these drugs in combinations have led to higher response rates and deeper responses in the vast majority of patients with newly diagnosed myeloma. In addition to improved efficacy, these regimens are tolerated better than those with conventional chemotherapy drugs, which have reduced the early mortality seen in MM, while allowing for successful stem cell collection in patients undergoing stem cell transplant consolidation. Ongoing clinical trials with newer drugs such as monoclonal antibodies are being explored as options for newly diagnosed MM. The optimal regimen continues to evolve and is often dictated by the intent to transplant, age and comorbidities. Despite the increasing response rates seen with the new regimens, autologous stem cell transplantation remains an effective modality for consolidation, further deepening the responses seen with the initial therapy. Post-transplant approaches have further added to the efficacy of this platform with both post-transplant consolidation and maintenance demonstrating value in clinical trials. Currently, the combination of an effective initial therapy followed by one or two autologous stem cell transplants, with or without consolidation followed by maintenance appear to provide the maximum benefit in terms of duration of disease control for patients with newly diagnosed MM.

[Surgical concepts in the treatment of Wilms tumor: An update]

BACKGROUND

Treatment results of Wilms tumors have been impressively improved over the past 50 years resulting in a stage-independent overall survival of greater than 90%. However, unsatisfying treatment results still remain in children with high-risk tumors and tumor relapses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This review highlights the current concepts of Wilms tumor surgery as a cornerstone of the treatment strategy for this malignancy. A selective literature review focusing on the past 5 years served as the basis for this article.

RESULTS

Nephron-sparing surgery is associated with an analogue outcome compared to tumor nephrectomy in unilateral Wilms tumors. The surgical panel of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) group has recently introduced a novel nomenclature for organ-preserving resection procedures in order to facilitate a prospective comparison of data. The minimally invasive approach represents an alternative technique with adequate outcome. In bilateral disease, nephron-sparing procedures are gold standard. Complete resection of lung and liver metastases has a significant impact on patients' survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgical guidelines for nephron-sparing surgery and minimally invasive tumor nephrectomy need to be established and implemented within newly formulated treatment protocols of the different national and international treatment trials. Risk stratification of patients needs to be more individualized with the aim of reducing late effects while at least maintaining the same survival rates. The unsatisfying treatment results of tumor relapses-associated with low patient numbers within the different trials-emphasize the need for international collaboration.

Predicting mortality in patients with acute heart failure: Role of risk scores

Acute heart failure is a leading cause of hospitalization and death, and it is an increasing burden on health care systems. The correct risk stratification of patients could improve clinical outcome and resources allocation, avoiding the overtreatment of low-risk subjects or the early, inappropriate discharge of high-risk patients. Many clinical scores have been derived and validated for in-hospital and post-discharge survival; predictive models include demographic, clinical, hemodynamic and laboratory variables. Data sets are derived from public registries, clinical trials, and retrospective data. Most models show a good capacity to discriminate patients who reach major clinical end-points, with C-indices generally higher than 0.70, but their applicability in real-world populations has been seldom evaluated. No study has evaluated if the use of risk score-based stratification might improve patient outcome. Some variables (age, blood pressure, sodium concentration, renal function) recur in most scores and should always be considered when evaluating the risk of an individual patient hospitalized for acute heart failure. Future studies will evaluate the emerging role of plasma biomarkers.

Gene-specific DNA methylation profiles and LINE-1 hypomethylation are associated with myocardial infarction risk

Background

DNA methylation profiles are responsive to environmental stimuli and metabolic shifts. This makes DNA methylation a potential biomarker of environmental-related and lifestyle-driven diseases of adulthood. Therefore, we investigated if white blood cells’ (WBCs) DNA methylation profiles are associated with myocardial infarction (MI) occurrence.

Whole-genome DNA methylation was investigated by microarray analysis in 292 MI cases and 292 matched controls from the large prospective Italian European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort (EPICOR study). Significant signals (false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P < 0.05) were replicated by mass spectrometry in 317 MI cases and 262 controls from the Dutch EPIC cohort (EPIC-NL). Long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) methylation profiles were also evaluated in both groups.

Results

A differentially methylated region (DMR) within the zinc finger and BTB domain-containing protein 12 (ZBTB12) gene body and LINE-1 hypomethylation were identified in EPICOR MI cases and replicated in the EPIC-NL sample (ZBTB12-DMR meta-analysis: effect size ± se = −0.016 ± 0.003, 95 % CI = −0.021;−0.011, P = 7.54 × 10⁻¹⁰; LINE-1 methylation meta-analysis: effect size ± se = −0.161 ± 0.040, 95 % CI = −0.239;−0.082, P = 6.01 × 10⁻⁵).

Moreover, cases with shorter time to disease had more pronounced ZBTB12-DMR hypomethylation (meta-analysis, men: effect size ± se = −0.0059 ± 0.0017, P_TREND = 5.0 × 10⁻⁴; women: effect size ± se = −0.0053 ± 0.0019, P_TREND = 6.5 × 10⁻³) and LINE-1 hypomethylation (meta-analysis, men: effect size ± se = −0.0010 ± 0.0003, P_TREND = 1.6 × 10⁻³; women: effect size ± se = −0.0008 ± 0.0004, P_TREND = 0.026) than MI cases with longer time to disease.

In the EPIC-NL replication panel, DNA methylation profiles improved case-control discrimination and reclassification when compared with traditional MI risk factors only (net reclassification improvement (95 % CI) between 0.23 (0.02–0.43), P = 0.034, and 0.89 (0.64–1.14), P < 1 × 10⁻⁵).

Conclusions

Our data suggest that specific methylation profiles can be detected in WBCs, in a preclinical condition, several years before the occurrence of MI, providing an independent signature of cardiovascular risk. We showed that prediction accuracy can be improved when DNA methylation is taken into account together with traditional MI risk factors, although further confirmation on a larger sample is warranted. Our findings support the potential use of DNA methylation patterns in peripheral blood white cells as promising early biomarkers of MI.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13148-015-0164-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Colorectal cancer diagnosis: Pitfalls and opportunities

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health problem in the Western world. The diagnostic process is a challenge in all health systems for many reasons: There are often no specific symptoms; lower abdominal symptoms are very common and mostly related to non-neoplastic diseases, not CRC; diagnosis of CRC is mainly based on colonoscopy, an invasive procedure; and the resource for diagnosis is usually scarce. Furthermore, the available predictive models for CRC are based on the evaluation of symptoms, and their diagnostic accuracy is limited. Moreover, diagnosis is a complex process involving a sequence of events related to the patient, the initial consulting physician and the health system. Understanding this process is the first step in identifying avoidable factors and reducing the effects of diagnostic delay on the prognosis of CRC. In this article, we describe the predictive value of symptoms for CRC detection. We summarize the available evidence concerning the diagnostic process, as well as the factors implicated in its delay and the methods proposed to reduce it. We describe the different prioritization criteria and predictive models for CRC detection, specifically addressing the two-week wait referral guideline from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence in terms of efficacy, efficiency and diagnostic accuracy. Finally, we collected information on the usefulness of biomarkers, specifically the faecal immunochemical test, as non-invasive diagnostic tests for CRC detection in symptomatic patients.

Artificial Neural Networks and risk stratification models in Emergency Departments: The policy maker's perspective

The primary goal of Emergency Department (ED) physicians is to discriminate between individuals at low risk, who can be safely discharged, and patients at high risk, who require prompt hospitalization. The problem of correctly classifying patients is an issue involving not only clinical but also managerial aspects, since reducing the rate of admission of patients to EDs could dramatically cut costs. Nevertheless, a trade-off might arise due to the need to find a balance between economic interests and the health conditions of patients. This work considers patients in EDs after a syncope event and presents a comparative analysis between two models: a multivariate logistic regression model, as proposed by the scientific community to stratify the expected risk of severe outcomes in the short and long run, and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), an innovative model. The analysis highlights differences in correct classification of severe outcomes at 10 days (98.30% vs. 94.07%) and 1 year (97.67% vs. 96.40%), pointing to the superiority of Neural Networks. According to the results, there is also a significant superiority of ANNs in terms of false negatives both at 10 days (3.70% vs. 5.93%) and at 1 year (2.33% vs. 10.07%). However, considering the false positives, the adoption of ANNs would cause an increase in hospital costs, highlighting the potential trade-off which policy makers might face.

Contrast inhomogeneity in CT angiography of the abdominal aortic aneurysm

BACKGROUND

If undetected, infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) growth can lead to rupture, a high-mortality complication. Some AAA patients exhibit inhomogeneous luminal contrast attenuation at first-pass CT angiography (CTA). This study assesses the association between this observation and aneurysm growth.

METHODS

Sixty-seven consecutive pre-repair AAA CTAs were included in this retrospective study. The "Gravitational Gradient" (GG), defined as the ratio of the mean attenuation in a region-of-interest placed posteriorly to that in a region-of-interest placed anteriorly within the lumen of the aortic aneurysm on a single axial slice, and the maximum aneurysm diameter were measured from each CT data set. "AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity" was defined as the absolute value of the difference between the GG and 1.0. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the association of aneurysm growth >0.4 and >1.0 cm/year to AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity, aneurysm diameter, patient characteristics and cardiovascular co-morbidities.

RESULTS

AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity was not correlated to aneurysm diameter (p = 0.325). In multivariable analysis that included initial aneurysm diameter and AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity, both factors were significantly associated with rapid aneurysm growth (initial diameter: p = 0.029 and 0.011, and, AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity: p = 0.045 and 0.048 for growth >0.4 cm/year and >1 cm/year respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

AAA Contrast Inhomogeneity is a common observation in first-pass CTA. It is associated with rapid aneurysm growth, independent of aneurysm diameter.