Is local anaesthesia a favourable approach for transcatheter aortic valve implantation? A systematic review and meta-analysis comparing local and general anaesthesia

OBJECTIVES

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify the potential favourable effects of local anaesthesia plus sedation (LAS) compared with general anaesthesia (GA) in transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).

METHODS

Electronic databases (PubMed/Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and the reference lists of eligible publications were screened for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies published between 1 January 2006 and 26 June 2016 that compare LAS to GA in an adult study population undergoing TAVI. We conducted study quality assessments using the Cochrane risk of bias tool and structured the review according to PRISMA. A meta-analysis calculating the pooled risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) under the assumption of a random-effects model was performed. Statistical heterogeneity was evaluated using the I² statistic and Cochran's Q-test.

RESULTS

After database screening, one RCT and 19 observational studies were included in the review. We found no differences between LAS and GA in terms of 30-day mortality, in-hospital mortality and other endpoints that addressed safety and complication rates. LAS was associated with a shorter ICU and hospital stay and with lower rates of catecholamine administration and red blood cell transfusion. New pacemaker implantations occurred more frequently under LAS. The overall conversion rate from LAS to GA was 6.2%.

CONCLUSION

For TAVI, both LAS and GA are feasible and safe. LAS may have some benefits such as increased haemodynamic stability and shorter hospital and ICU stays, but it does not impact 30-day mortality. Since there is a paucity of randomised trial data and the findings are mainly based on observational study data, this review should be considered as a hypothesis-generating article for subsequent RCTs that are required to confirm the potential favourable effects we detected for LAS.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42016048398 (PROSPERO).

Interleukin-6 predicts inflammation-induced increase of Glucagon-like peptide-1 in humans in response to cardiac surgery with association to parameters of glucose metabolism

Objective

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone, which gets secreted in response to nutritional stimuli from the gut mediating glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Interestingly, GLP-1 was recently found to be also increased in response to inflammatory stimuli in an interleukin 6 (IL-6) dependent manner in mice. The relevance of this finding to humans is unknown but has been suggested by the presence of high circulating GLP-1 levels in critically ill patients that correlated with markers of inflammation. This study was performed to elucidate, whether a direct link exists between inflammation and GLP-1 secretion in humans.

Research design and methods

We enrolled 22 non-diabetic patients scheduled for cardiac surgery as a reproducible inflammatory stimulus with repeated blood sampling before and after surgery.

Results

Mean total circulating GLP-1 levels significantly increased in response to surgery from 25.5 ± 15.6 pM to 51.9 ± 42.7 pM which was not found in a control population. This was preceded by an early rise of IL6, which was significantly associated with GLP-1 under inflammatory but not basal conditions. Using repeated measure ANCOVA, IL6 best predicted the observed kinetics of GLP-1, followed by blood glucose concentrations and cortisol plasma levels. Furthermore, GLP-1 plasma concentrations significantly predicted endogenous insulin production as assessed by C-peptide concentrations over time, while an inverse association was found for insulin infusion rate.

Conclusion

We found GLP-1 secretion to be increased in response to inflammatory stimuli in humans, which was associated to parameters of glucose metabolism and best predicted by IL6.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12933-016-0330-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Evaluation of bone resorption in fibula and deep circumflex iliac artery flaps following dental implantation: A three-year follow-up study

Long-term results of dental implant treatment in fibula free and deep circumflex iliac artery (DCIA) free flaps are scarce. The purpose of this study was to assess and compare peri-implant bone resorption of vascularized bone flaps treated with dental implants. A total of 28 patients, 14 fibula and 14 DCIA flaps, respectively, underwent reconstruction of the lower and upper jaw by the use of vascularized bone flaps and were treated with dental implants. Peri-implant bone resorption was measured using digital panographs up to 3 years. Radiographic pictures were taken immediately after implant surgery before prosthetic rehabilitation (T0), the second after 6-12 months (T1), the third after 13-24 months (T2), and the fourth after 25-36 months (T3). Over a period of 3 years, implant resorption changed significantly over time (p_D1 = 0.0113, p_D2 = 0.0232, p_D3 = 0.0143). However, a significant difference in overall resorption between implants with fibula flaps and DCIA could not be detected for the patient average or within the implant-level analysis. Flaps presented minimal resorption from beneath (mean resorption DCIA 0.65, fibula = 0.26). Strong peri-implant bone resorption changed significantly over time. However, no significant difference was observed between fibula and DCIA flaps.

Neonatal hypocalcaemia associated with rotavirus diarrhoea

We observed an association between rotavirus diarrhoea and hypocalcaemia in several patients and therefore started a prospective evaluation with measurement of calcium levels in all patients with rotavirus infection during a period of 8 months. We report on 54 infants with rotavirus gastro-enteritis. Serum concentrations of sodium, potassium, and total and ionized calcium were measured on admission. If hypocalcaemia was detected, total and ionized calcium were measured every day until recovery. Calcium was supplemented as calcium gluconate which was added to milk. Out of 54 newborns with rotavirus gastro-enteritis, 20 developed hypocalcaemia. All these newborns had severe diarrhoea. Seven infants were admitted because of convulsions, but EEG and ultrasonographic examination of the brain revealed no abnormalities. Once the infants' clinical condition and the consistency and frequency of the stool had improved, calcium concentrations increased and remained within the reference range without supplementation.

CONCLUSION

Rotavirus gastro-enteritis seems to be a cause of neonatal hypocalcaemia.

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide secretion is induced by inflammatory stimuli in an interleukin-1-dependent manner in mice

Recently, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) levels have been found to be increased in response to inflammatory stimuli, leading to insulin secretion and prevention of hyperglycaemia during endotoxemia in mice. In the present study, we assess the relevance of the other incretin hormone, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), as a regulator of glucose metabolism under inflammatory conditions. We found that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) increased GIP secretion in a time- and dose-dependent manner in C57BL/6J mice. To elucidate the underlying mechanisms, mice were injected with inflammatory cytokines known to be released by LPS. Circulating GIP levels significantly increased in response to interleukin (IL)-1β but not IL-6 or tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α administration. Using respective knockout mice we found that LPS-mediated GIP secretion was selectively dependent on IL-1 signalling. To evaluate the functional relevance of inflammatory GIP secretion we pretreated mice with the GIP-receptor antagonist (Pro3)GIP. This blunted LPS-induced TNF-α and IL-6 secretion but did not affect LPS-induced insulin secretion or blood glucose-lowering. In conclusion, GIP provides a novel link between the immune system and the gut, with proinflammatory-immune modulatory function but minor glucose regulatory relevance in the context of acute endotoxemia.

Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts outcome and renal failure in open and endovascular thoracic abdominal aortic aneurysm surgery

Urine neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin (uNGAL) has been evaluated as a biomarker for AKI detection and adverse outcome in open and endovascular thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm surgery. This observational, retrospective study included 52 patients. UNGAL was measured peri-operatively (48 h) and correlated with AKI requiring dialysis, tracheotomy and adverse outcome. Mean patients’ age was 64.5 years. A total of 26.9% (n = 14) developed AKI, and 21.1% (n = 11) required dialysis, tracheotomy rate was 19.2% (n = 10) and in-hospital mortality rate was 7.6% (n = 4). uNGAL levels were related to AKI requiring dialysis at ICU (p = 0.0002), need for tracheotomy at baseline and admission on ICU (p = 0.0222, p = 0.0028, respectively), as well as adverse discharge modality (p = 0.0051, p = 0.0048, respectively). Diagnostic quality was good for uNGAL levels at admission to ICU regarding AKI requiring dialysis (sensitivity: 81.8% [48.2–97.7]; specificity: 87.8% [73.8–95.9]; area under the curve (AUC): 0.874 [0.752–0.949]). The diagnostic quality of uNGAL was favorable for the prediction of tracheotomy (sensitivity: 70.0% [34.8–93.3]; specificity: 83.3% [68.6–93.0]; AUC: 0.807 [0.674–0.903]) and adverse discharge (sensitivity: 77.8% [40.0–97.2]; specificity: 83.7% [69.3–93.2]; AUC: 0.817 [0.685–0.910]). uNGAL may be valuable as an post-operative predictor of AKI and adverse outcome after open and endovascular TAAA repair.

Evaluation of the NMR-MOUSE as a new method for continuous functional monitoring of the small intestine during different perfusion states in a porcine model

Objective

The study aim was to evaluate a small low-field NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) scanner, the NMR-MOUSE^®, for detecting changes in intestinal diffusion under different (patho-) physiological perfusion states.

Methods

Laparotomy was performed on 8 female landrace pigs (body weight 70±6 kg) and the feeding vessels of several intestinal loops were dissected. Successively, the intestinal loops were examined using O2C (oxygen to see, LEA Medizintechnik GmbH, Giessen, Germany) for microcirculatory monitoring and the NMR-MOUSE^® for diffusion measurement (fast and slow components). On each loop the baseline measurement (physiological perfusion) was followed by one of the following main procedures: method 1 –ischemia; method 2 –flow reduction; method 3 –intraluminal glucose followed by ischemia; method 4 –intraluminal glucose followed by flow reduction. Additionally, standard perioperative monitoring (blood pressure, ECG, blood gas analyses) and histological assessment of intestinal biopsies was performed.

Results

There was no statistical overall time and method effect in the NMR-MOUSE measurement (fast component: p_time = 0.6368, p_method = 0.9766, slow component: p_time = 0.8216, p_method = 0.7863). Yet, the fast component of the NMR-MOUSE measurement showed contrary trends during ischemia (increase) versus flow reduction (decrease). The slow-to-fast diffusion ratio shifted slightly towards slow diffusion during flow reduction. The O2C measurement showed a significant decrease of oxygen saturation and microcirculatory blood flow during ischemia and flow reduction (p < .0001). The local microcirculatory blood amount (rHb) showed a significant mucosal increase (p_{Clamping(method 1)} = 0.0007, p_{Clamping(method 3)} = 0.0119), but a serosal decrease (p_{Clamping(method 1)} = 0.0119, p_{Clamping(method 3)} = 0.0078) during ischemia. The histopathological damage was significantly higher with increasing experimental duration and at the end of methods 3 and 4 (p < .0001,Fisher-test).

Conclusion

Monitoring intestinal diffusion changes due to different perfusion states using the NMR-MOUSE is feasible under experimental conditions. Despite the lack of statistical significance, this technique reflects perfusion changes and therefore seems promising for the evaluation of different intestinal perfusion states in the future. Beforehand however, an optimization of this technology, including the optimization of the penetration depth, as well as further validation studies under physiological conditions and including older animals are required.

Comparative effects of dopamine and dobutamine on glucoregulation in a rat model

The influence of dopamine as compared with dobutamine on glucose homeostasis has been assessed in thyroidectomized euthyroid rats. Both sympathomimetic agents were given intravenously over 6 h at four dosages, varying from 2 to 30 micrograms.kg-1.min-1. Immediately before the end of the infusion period, serum concentrations of glucose and insulin as well as plasma glucagon concentrations were measured. Dobutamine infusions did not exert any influence on these parameters. At a dose of 7.5 micrograms.kg-1.min-1, dopamine infusion caused a decrease in glucose concentrations, accompanied by a rise of glucagon and insulin levels. Glucose levels were significantly increased in the presence of unaltered insulin and decreasing glucagon levels at higher dopamine doses. The rise in glucose levels was reversed by 8 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 and inverted to a decrease by 12 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 of the alpha-adrenergic blocking agent phentolamine, simultaneously infused with 15 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 dopamine, while the insulin levels were increased and glucagon levels remained elevated. These findings demonstrate that dopamine acts on glucoregulation divergently, according to the dosage applied. The data suggest that dopamine rather than dobutamine treatment may disturb glucose homeostasis.

Comparison of urine and serum neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin after open and endovascular thoraco-abdominal aortic surgery and their meaning as indicators of acute kidney injury

BACKGROUND

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been described as a potential biomarker of acute kidney injury (AKI) in different settings, but its behaviour under influence of open and endovascular repair of thoraco-abdominal aortic aneurysms (TAAA) has not been assessed yet. In this study, the course of NGAL was observed and differences of serum- (sNGAL) and urine-NGAL (uNGAL) levels following TAAA repair, especially with regard to AKI, were evaluated.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In this retrospective single centre study, 52 patients (mean age 64.5 years, [43-85 years]), including 39 (75 %) men, were enrolled (2014-2015, 13.2 months mean follow-up). Levels of sNGAL and uNGAL were measured perioperatively for 48 hours on intensive care unit. Twenty-three patients were treated by endovascular and 29 by open TAAA-repair.

RESULTS

Logistic regression revealed an increase in NGAL (sNGAL p = 0.0263, uNGAL p = 0.0080) corresponding with an increase in serum creatinine within the first 48 hours. Fourteen patients (26.9 %) developed AKI and 11 (21.1 %) required dialysis. The course of NGAL differed significantly (uNGAL p < .0001, sNGAL p = 0.0002) between patients suffering from AKI requiring dialysis and patients without AKI. The predictive power of uNGAL was three times higher than that of sNGAL (estimate of the regression slope 0.1382 vs. 0.0460). No significant difference between patients undergoing open or endovascular TAAA repair regarding the perioperative course of sNGAL and uNGAL was observed.

CONCLUSION

serum-NGAL and urine-NGAL correlate with serum creatinine levels and AKI requiring dialysis. Furthermore, the postoperative course of sNGAL and uNGAL after open and endovascular TAAA repair is not significantly different. Taken together, the results indicate that uNGAL and, to a lesser extent, sNGAL could be considered biomarkers for early detection of perioperative AKI after open and endovascular TAAA surgery.

Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor Predicts Outcome in Complex Aortic Surgery

The perioperative inflammatory response is associated with outcome after complex aortic repair. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) shows protective effects in ischemia-reperfusion (IR), but also adverse pro-inflammatory effects in acute inflammation, potentially leading to adverse outcome, which should be investigated in this trial. This prospective study enrolled 52 patients, of whom 29 (55.7%) underwent open repair (OR) and 23 (44.3%) underwent endovascular repair (ER) between 2014 and 2015. MIF serum levels were measured until 72 h post-operatively. We used linear mixed models and ROC analysis to analyze the MIF time-course and its diagnostic ability. Compared to ER, OR induced higher MIF release perioperatively; at 12 h after ICU admission, MIF levels were similar between groups. MIF course was significantly influenced by baseline MIF level (P = 0.0016) and acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score (P = 0.0005). MIF level at 24 h after ICU admission showed good diagnostic value regarding patient survival [sensitivity, 80.0% (28.4–99.5%); specificity, 51.2% (35.1–67.1%); AUC, 0.688 (0.534–0.816)] and discharge modality [sensitivity, 87.5% (47.3–99.7%); specificity, 73.7% (56.9–86.6%), AUC, 0.789 (0.644–0.896)]. Increased perioperative MIF-levels are related to an increased risk of adverse outcome in complex aortic surgery and may represent a biomarker for risk stratification in complex aortic surgery.

Establishment and Characterization of a Unilateral UV-Induced Photoreceptor Degeneration Model in the C57Bl/6J Mouse

Purpose

To investigate whether UV irradiation of the mouse eye can induce photoreceptor degeneration, producing a phenotype reminiscent of the rd10 mouse, left eyes of female C57Bl/6J mice were irradiated with a UV LED array (370 nm). A lens was placed between the cornea and LED, allowing illumination of about one-third of the retina. The short-term and long-term effects on the retina were evaluated.

Methods

First, a dose escalation study, in which corneal dosages between 2.8 and 9.3 J/cm² were tested, was performed. A dosage of 7.5 J/cm² was chosen for the following characterization study. Before and after irradiation slit-lamp examinations, full-field electroretinography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography and macroscopy were performed. After different time spans (5 days to 12 weeks) the animals were sacrificed and the retinae used for immunohistochemistry or multielectrode array testing. Right eyes served as untreated controls.

Results

In treated eyes, spectral domain optical coherence tomography revealed a decrease in retinal thickness to 53%. Full-field electroretinography responses decreased significantly from day 5 on in treated eyes. Multielectrode array recordings revealed oscillatory potentials with a mean frequency of 5.2 ± 0.6 Hz in the illuminated area. Structural changes in the retina were observed in immunohistochemical staining.

Conclusions

UV irradiation proved to be efficient in inducing photoreceptor degeneration in the mouse retina, while leaving the other retinal layers largely intact. The irradiated area of treated eyes can be identified easily in spectral domain optical coherence tomography and in explanted retinae.

Translational Relevance

This study provides information on anatomic and functional changes in UV-treated retina, enabling the use of this model for retinitis pigmentosa-like diseases in animals suited for experimental retinal surgery.

Differential effects of dopamine on glucoregulatory hormones in rats

The effect of dopamine at different doses on serum concentrations of insulin, glucose and corticosterone and on plasma glucagon concentration was investigated in rats. Dopamine was given intravenously over 6 h with infusion rates of 2.5, 7.5, 15, and 60 micrograms/kg.min and in combination with phentolamine. Serum insulin concentration was unchanged at low doses of dopamine. It was significantly increased from 6.0 +/- 0.7 ng/ml to 13.7 +/- 2.3 ng/ml (P less than 0.01) when 7.5 micrograms/kg.min of dopamine were used, whereas it was significantly depressed to 3.96 +/- 0.89 and to 4.0 +/- 0.34 ng/ml (P less than 0.01), respectively, at the high doses of dopamine. This latter effect could be reversed to 6.7 +/- 1.19 ng/ml and inverted to 9.2 +/- 1.7 ng/ml (P less than 0.01) by simultaneously applied phentolamine at appropriate dosages. Serum glucose levels were markedly elevated from 154 +/- 7 to 234 +/- 42 mg/dl (P less than 0.01) by the higher doses of dopamine. A significant alteration of glucagon plasma concentrations from 18.9 +/- 2.8 to 42.3 +/- 14 pg/ml (P less than 0.01) was elicited only by 7.5 micrograms/kg.min of dopamine. The data clearly demonstrate that exogenous dopamine acts differently on glucose homeostasis according to the dosage. The study provides strong evidence that dopamine decreases insulin levels via alpha-adrenergic receptor stimulation. This effect may contribute to the deterioration of glucose homeostasis with high doses of dopamine.

Changes in Distress Measured by the Distress Thermometer as Reported by Patients in Home Palliative Care in Germany

AIM

To identify changes in distress as reported by patients in a home palliative care program over a 2-week period.

METHODS

Prospective study in West Germany with consecutive patients cared for at home by a palliative care specialty team. Exclusion criteria were patients under 18 years of age, mentally or physically not able to complete the assessment questionnaires, or unable to comprehend German language. Distress was measured using the distress thermometer (DT); sociodemographic and medical data were collected from the patients' records.

RESULTS

One hundred three participated in the study (response rate of 69%) and 39 participants completed DT at 2-week follow-up (T₁; response rate = 38%; mean age = 67; female = 54.4%; married = 67%; living home with relatives = 60.2%; oncological condition = 91.3%; Karnofsky performance status [KPS] 0-40 = 18.9%, KPS 50-70 = 70.3%, KPS >80 = 10.8%). The mean DT score at the first visit (T₀) was 5.9 (2.3), with 82.1% of the participants scoring DT ≥5. At the 2-week follow-up (T₁), mean DT score was 5.0 (2.0), with 64.1% scoring DT ≥5, showing a statistically significant difference between T₀ and T₁. Comparing the single scores at T₀ and T₁ of each participant, the difference in DT scores was -0.9 (2.27).

CONCLUSION

The DT is a useful tool for screening severity and changes in psychological distress as well as sources of distress. The DT detected change in self-reported distress within a short treatment period, indicating success or failure of the palliative care treatment approaches.

Perioperative safety and complications in treatment of oral and maxillofacial surgery patients under general anesthesia with obstructive sleeping disorders

Patients with sleeping disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, (OSA) have a higher risk for postoperative complications after maxillofacial surgery under general anesthesia. The aim of this study was to detect specific complications after oral and maxillofacial surgery. Sixty-nine cases of patients with middle or severe sleep apnea who underwent an operation under general anesthesia in the oral and maxillofacial region were retrospectively analyzed. This group was compared with an age and diagnosis matched group without sleep apnea receiving the same operative treatment. We found a significant difference between the two groups concerning body mass index, the ASA-Index, the Cormack-Mallampati Index, the number of pre-existing conditions, and home medication (p < 0.05). Concerning the length of stay, overrun of estimated mean length of stay, and number of surgical complications and hypertonic events, no difference could be detected. Almost 28% of the patients with OSA in our study suffered a substantial respiratory complication even under intensive care observation. The number of patients with oxygen desaturation was 9% in the control group, which differed significantly (p = 0.0093) from the number of such patients in the OSA group. In this study, we have shown that the presence of OSA in patients undergoing elective maxillofacial surgery is associated with a considerable number of comorbidities in the postoperative period. Through preoperative OSA screening and OSA evaluation, an improvement in management of surveillance resources could be achieved and the OSA-specific risk could be assessed more precisely and also reduced.

A non-language-specific speech test to evaluate the speech of cleft patients from different language and cultural backgrounds - A pilot study

Cleft speech tests are not universally available. We developed a tool to fill this gap, especially in the context of a cleft mission setting. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the test's ability to differentiate between the speech of cleft patients and healthy individuals from three different language backgrounds. We used 78 made-up, nonsensical syllables to evaluate hypernasality, nasal emissions, and consonant errors. Cleft (n = 41) and non-cleft (n = 39) individuals from three countries were included in this study. Two speech and language pathologists, blinded to the examination, rated the audio recording independently. Patients from Germany (n = 12; mean age 15.2), Iran (n = 14; mean age 7), and India (n = 15; mean age 14.7 years) were evaluated. We observed a significant difference in each category (p < 0.05) between patients and control subjects of the same language and cultural background. Hypernasality was affected the most. The test proved to possess the correct phonetic characteristics to reveal and provoke relevant cleft speech pathologies independent of cultural and language backgrounds. The test sounds posed no articulatory difficulties to non-cleft individuals, with some exceptions regarding non-specific consonant errors. A comparison with other existing tests will further illuminate its value as a speech test.

[Value of suppression test as a guide to prognosis of hyper-thyroidism treated with anti-thyroid drugs (author's transl)]

23 out of 42 suppression tests in 39 hyperthyroid patients were positive. In these patients thyreostatic treatment was stopped. In the follow-up period of 1-4 years hyperthyroidism recurred in 4 cases. Eight patients out of another group of 20 patients in whom antithyroid treatment was stopped after an equally long period without previous suppression testing also had a recurrence of hyperthyroidism. Frequency of relapses after antithyroid treatment can thus be diminished considerably if treatment is stopped only after suppression of the thyroid has been demonstrated. Lack of suppression after 18 to 24 months of thyreostatic therapy is an indication for treatment with radioiodine or surgery.

P1757GLP-1 levels predict cardiovascular risk in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background

Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a gut incretin hormone, which induces post-prandial glucose-dependent insulin secretion. GLP-1 receptor agonists improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes at high cardiovascular risk. We recently found GLP-1 levels to be increased in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to assess the predictive capacity of GLP-1 for cardiovascular outcome in patients with myocardial infarction.

Methods

Total GLP-1 levels, NT-proBNP concentrations and the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) score were assessed at time of admission in 918 patients with myocardial infarction presenting with acute chest pain. Among these 597 patients presented with NSTEMI and 321 with STEMI. The primary composite outcome of the study was the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke with a median follow-up of 311 days.

Results

Kaplan-Meier survival plots (separated by tertiles with cut-off values 35.44 and 53.45) and univariate cox regression analyses found GLP-1 values to be associated with adverse outcome (combined endpoint and all-cause mortality) (logarithmized GLP-1 values HR: 5.459; p<0.0001). Further adjustment for age, sex, previous cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterinemia, kreatinin, CRP, troponin T and NT-proBNP levels did not affect the association of GLP-1 with adverse outcomes (p=0.0341). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses illustrated that GLP-1 is a strong indicator for early events (area under the curve of the combined endpoint at 7 days: 0.79; 14 days: 0.81; 30 days: 0.80 and 183 days: 0.64), which proved to be superior to Troponin T, serum creatinin, NT-proBNP and CRP within the first 100 days. Adjustment of the GRACE risk estimate by GLP-1 increased the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) after 1 month from 0.86 to 0.89 in NSTEMI patients. Addition of GLP-1 to a model containing GRACE and NT-proBNP led to a further improvement in model performance (increase in AUC from 0.88 for GRACE + NT-proBNP to 0.90 for GRACE + NT-proBNP + GLP-1).

Conclusion

GLP-1 is a new biomarker of cardiovascular risk and adverse outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction and improves the predictive value of the GRACE score in patients with NSTEMI.

Hepatic sulfhydryl content under adrenergic stimulation in male rats

The influence of a series of sympathomimetic agents on the liver content of non protein bound thiol groups (NP-SH), mainly representing glutathione, has been assessed in the male rat. The rats were intravenously and/or subcutaneously infused over 6 h at different dosages either with dopamine, dobutamine, epinephrine, terbutaline, or phentolamine, or simultaneously with dopamine and phentolamine, or with epinephrine and phentolamine. Besides NP-SH, total sulfhydryl group content was measured in liver cytosol, while glucose and insulin concentrations were determined in the serum. Liver NP-SH content was significantly decreased by epinephrine. This decrease was abolished and even inverted to an increase, when appropriate doses of phentolamine were infused simultaneously. Dopamine caused a rise in NP-SH content at a dose rate of 7.5 micrograms/kg.min, while lower and higher dose rates of dopamine exerted not any influence on liver NP-SH. When phentolamine was concomitantly infused with 15 micrograms/kg.min of dopamine, NP-SH was significantly elevated. Phentolamine, when infused exclusively, increased NP-SH as well, while it was not influenced, however, by terbutaline or dobutamine at any dosage. Cytosolic total sulfhydryls were found to be unaltered across all experimental groups. When the NP-SH values are related to the corresponding serum insulin levels, a close and linear relationship becomes evident. The study demonstrates, that some sympathomimetic agents can exert a considerable influence on hepatic non protein bound thiol content. The data suggest, that the varying liver NP-SH content under adrenergic drugs is primarily related to changes in serum insulin concentration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)