Concomitant treatment with safinamide and antidepressant drugs: Safety data from real clinical practice

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to assess the possible pharmacological interactions between safinamide and antidepressants, and in particular the appearance of serotonin syndrome with data from real life.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients with Parkinson's disease from our Movement Disorders Unit, who were under treatment with any antidepressant drug and safinamide. Specifically, symptoms suggestive of serotonin syndrome were screened for. Also, we collected time of simultaneous use, doses of levodopa and other antiparkinsonian drugs.

RESULTS

Clinical records were reviewed for the study period of September 2018 to September 2019. Seventy-eight PD patients who were treated with safinamide of which 25 (32.05%) had a concomitant treatment with an antidepressant drug, being sertraline and escitalopram the most frequent. Mean age was 80 years±8.43 and H&Y stage was 3 [2-4]. Mean dose of levodopa used was 703.75mg±233.15. Median duration of concomitant treatment with safinamide and antidepressant drug was 6 months (IQR 20.5), and over eighteen months in 5 cases. No case of serotonin syndrome was recorded, neither was any of its typical manifestations combined or in isolation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our real clinical practice study suggests that concomitant use of safinamide with antidepressant drugs in PD patients seemed to be safe and well tolerated, even in the long term. However, caution is warranted, individualizing treatment regimens and monitoring the potential appearance of adverse effects.

CPEB alteration and aberrant transcriptome-polyadenylation lead to a treatable SLC19A3 deficiency in Huntington's disease

[Figure: see text].

Concomitant treatment with safinamide and antidepressant drugs: Safety data from real clinical practice

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to assess the possible pharmacological interactions between safinamide and antidepressants, and in particular the appearance of serotonin syndrome with data from real life.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study of patients with Parkinson's disease from our Movement Disorders Unit, who were under treatment with any antidepressant drug and safinamide. Specifically, symptoms suggestive of serotonin syndrome were screened for. Also, we collected time of simultaneous use, doses of levodopa and other antiparkinsonian drugs.

RESULTS

Clinical records were reviewed for the study period of September 2018 to September 2019. Seventy-eight PD patients who were treated with safinamide of which 25 (32.05%) had a concomitant treatment with an antidepressant drug, being sertraline and escitalopram the most frequent. Mean age was 80 years±8.43 and H&Y stage was 3 [2-4]. Mean dose of levodopa used was 703.75mg±233.15. Median duration of concomitant treatment with safinamide and antidepressant drug was 6 months (IQR 20.5), and over eighteen months in 5 cases. No case of serotonin syndrome was recorded, neither was any of its typical manifestations combined or in isolation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our real clinical practice study suggests that concomitant use of safinamide with antidepressant drugs in PD patients seemed to be safe and well tolerated, even in the long term. However, caution is warranted, individualizing treatment regimens and monitoring the potential appearance of adverse effects.

Tbx5 variants disrupt Nav1.5 function differently in patients diagnosed with Brugada or Long QT Syndrome

AIMS

The transcription factor Tbx5 controls cardiogenesis and drives Scn5a expression in mice. We have identified two variants in TBX5 encoding p.D111Y and p.F206L Tbx5, respectively, in two unrelated patients with structurally normal hearts diagnosed with Long QT (LQTS) and Brugada (BrS) Syndrome. Here we characterized the consequences of each variant to unravel the underlying disease mechanisms.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We combined clinical analysis with in vivo and in vitro electrophysiological and molecular techniques in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs), HL-1 cells, and cardiomyocytes from mice trans-expressing human wildtype (WT) or mutant proteins. Tbx5 increased transcription of SCN5A encoding cardiac Nav1.5 channels, while repressing CAMK2D and SPTBN4 genes encoding Ca-calmodulin kinase IIδ (CaMKIIδ) and βIV-spectrin, respectively. These effects significantly increased Na current (INa) in hiPSC-CMs and in cardiomyocytes from mice trans-expressing Tbx5. Consequently, action potential (AP) amplitudes increased and QRS interval narrowed in the mouse electrocardiogram. p.F206L Tbx5 bound to the SCN5A promoter failed to transactivate it, thus precluding the pro-transcriptional effect of WT Tbx5. Therefore, p.F206L markedly decreased INa in hiPSC-CM, HL-1 cells, and mouse cardiomyocytes. The INa decrease in p.F206L trans-expressing mice translated into QRS widening and increased flecainide sensitivity. p.D111Y Tbx5 increased SCN5A expression but failed to repress CAMK2D and SPTBN4. The increased CaMKIIδ and βIV-spectrin significantly augmented the late component of INa (INaL) which, in turn, significantly prolonged AP duration in both hiPSC-CMs and mouse cardiomyocytes. Ranolazine, a selective INaL inhibitor, eliminated the QT and QTc intervals prolongation seen in p.D111Y trans-expressing mice.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to peak INa, Tbx5 critically regulates INaL and the duration of repolarization in human cardiomyocytes. Our original results suggest that TBX5 variants associate with and modulate the intensity of the electrical phenotype in LQTS and BrS patients.

Safety and efficacy of alirocumab in a real-life setting: the ODYSSEY APPRISE study

Aims

To obtain safety and efficacy data of alirocumab, a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitor, in a real-life setting in high cardiovascular (CV) risk patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) or very-high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels despite maximally tolerated dose of statin ± other lipid-lowering therapies (MTD ± LLTs). ODYSSEY APPRISE was a prospective, single-arm, Phase 3b open-label (≥12 weeks to ≤ 30 months) European/Canadian study with alirocumab.

Methods and results

Patients received alirocumab 75 or 150 mg every 2 weeks, with dose adjustment based on physician’s judgment. In total, 994 patients were enrolled and treated. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] duration of alirocumab exposure was 72.4 (42.5) weeks. Patients with HeFH were younger [mean (SD) age of 53.8 (11.6) vs. 61.6 (10.1) years], more likely to be female (41.7% vs. 29.1%) and had higher baseline LDL-C compared with non-familial hypercholesterolaemia (non-FH) patients [mean (SD) of 5.1 (1.7) vs. 4.1 (1.1) mmol/L]. The overall incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was 71.6%; common TEAEs included nasopharyngitis (7.8%), myalgia (7.1%), and headache (6.2%). At Week 12, mean (SD) LDL-C was reduced by 54.8 (20.1)% from baseline [2.6 (1.2) mmol/L], maintained for the trial duration. LDL-C was reduced below 1.8 mmol/L and/or by ≥50% reduction from baseline in 69.1% of patients overall, and for 64.7 and 77.4% of the HeFH and non-FH subgroups, respectively.

Conclusion

In a real-life setting in patients with hypercholesterolaemia and high CV risk, alirocumab was generally well tolerated and resulted in clinically significant LDL-C reductions.

Iatrogenic Atrial Septal Defect After Percutaneous Mitral Valve Repair With MitraClip: Should We Consider Closing Them Routinely?

Percutaneous MitraClip intervention for treatment of severe mitral regurgitation in high surgical risk patients requires large-diameter transseptal sheaths that can result in iatrogenic atrial septal defect (iASD), and its prevalence is higher compared with non-MitraClip procedures. This iASD is not routinely closed because the possible consequences are still not fully understood. However, we believe it is important to identify patients who may benefit from its closure immediately after the procedure to prevent hemodynamic deterioration and long-term negative clinical outcomes. We describe our experience with 2 patients who required iASD closure after MitraClip procedure due to right-to-left shunt resulting from increase in right heart pressures.

COVID-19 in Parkinson's disease: what holds the key?

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is more frequent in the elderly and increases the risk of respiratory infections. Previous data on PD and SARS-CoV-2 are scarce, suggesting a poor prognosis in advanced disease and second-line therapies.

Methods

A retrospective case–control study comparing patients with PD and COVID-19 and patients with PD without COVID-19 was conducted during the pandemic period in Spain (March 1st–July 31st 2020) in a tertiary university hospital.

Results

Thirty-nine (COVID-19 +) and 172 (COVID-19-) PD patients were included. Fifty-nine percent were males in both groups, with similar age (75.9 ± 9.0 COVID-19 + , 73.9 ± 10.0 COVID-19-), disease duration (8.9 ± 6.2 COVID-19 + , 8.5 ± 5.6 COVID-19-) and PD treatments. COVID-19 was mild in 10 (26%), required admission in 21 (54%) and caused death in 8 (21%) patients. Dementia was the only comorbidity more frequent in COVID-19 + patients (36% vs. 14%, p = 0.0013). However, in a multivariate analysis, institutionalization was the only variable associated with COVID-19 + (OR 17.0, 95% CI 5.0–60.0, p < 0.001). When considering severe COVID-19 (admission or death) vs. mild or absent COVID-19, institutionalization, neoplasm, dementia and a lower frequency of dopamine agonists were associated with severe COVID-19. In multivariate analysis, only institutionalization [OR 5.17, 95% CI 1.57–17, p = 0.004] and neoplasm [OR 8.0, 95%CI 1.27–49.8, p = 0.027] remained significantly associated.

Conclusion

In our experience, institutionalization and oncologic comorbidity, rather than PD-related variables, increased the risk of developing COVID-19, and impacted on its severity. These findings suggest that epidemiologic factors and frailty are key factors for COVID-19 morbidity/mortality in PD. Appropriate preventive strategies should be implemented in institutionalized patients to prevent infection and improve prognosis.

Coronary Thrombosis From Superficial Calcific Sheet

We present a case in which optical coherence tomography was useful to characterize in vivo superficial calcific sheet and exclude other causes of acute coronary syndromes.

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Apixaban Versus Edoxaban in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation for Stroke Prevention

OBJECTIVE

Our objective was to assess the cost effectiveness of apixaban versus edoxaban in the prevention of stroke and systemic embolism (SE) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) in Spain.

METHODS

We customized a Markov model with ten health states to estimate the lifetime economic and clinical outcomes in 6-week cycles. The efficacy (clinical event rates per 100 patient-years) and safety data were derived from a pairwise indirect treatment comparison. The analysis was conducted from both the national health service (NHS) and societal perspectives, and included pharmaceutical costs (retail price plus value-added tax (VAT) and applicable national deductions) according to daily dosages (apixaban 10 mg (5 mg twice daily (bid)) and edoxaban 60 or 30 mg) and complications and disease-management costs, obtained from national databases. Utilities for quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) calculations reflected EuroQoL 5-Dimension scores in patients with AF. An annual discount rate of 3% was applied for costs (€, year 2019 values) and outcomes.

RESULTS

In a 1000-patient cohort, apixaban 5 mg bid versus edoxaban 60 mg could avoid five strokes, six major bleedings and 29 clinically relevant non-major bleedings (CRNMBs). Compared with edoxaban 30 mg, apixaban could avoid 21 strokes and two SEs. An increase in bleedings was observed with apixaban (seven haemorrhagic strokes, 48 major bleedings and 17 CRNMBs). Apixaban yielded 0.04 additional QALYs compared with edoxaban 60 mg or 30 mg. Incremental costs/QALY were €9639.33 and €354.22 for apixaban versus edoxaban 60 mg and edoxaban 30 mg, respectively, from the NHS perspective and €7756.62 for apixaban versus edoxaban 60 mg from the societal perspective. Apixaban was dominant versus edoxaban 30 mg from the societal perspective. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the model.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that apixaban 5 mg bid is a cost-effective alternative to edoxaban for stroke prevention in the AF population in Spain.

Clinical Outcomes After Implantation of Polyurethane-Covered Cobalt-Chromium Stents: Insights from the Papyrus-Spain Registry

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

The main indication of covered stents (CS) is coronary artery perforation (CAP), but, they have been increasingly used in other scenarios. Data on the long-term follow-up of CS is limited, and no studies have been conducted specifically using new-generation polyurethane-covered cobalt-chromium Papyrus CS.

PURPOSE

to evaluate the clinical outcomes after hospital discharge of Papyrus CS and to compare their outcome after implantation in CAP or coronary artery aneurysms (CAA).

METHODS/MATERIALS

We evaluated the baseline clinical characteristics, lesion subsets, procedural features and the outcomes after initial discharge of Papyrus CS implanted in 17 high-PCI-volume centers.

RESULTS

127 Papyrus CS were implanted in 108 patients (68 ± 1 years; 82.8% male) admitted for stable coronary disease (32.3%), NSTEMI (42.4%) or STEMI (25.3%). The number of CS per patient was 1.2 ± 0.6 (diameter: 3.5 ± 1.7 mm; length: 18.5 ± 3.7 mm). Angiographic success rate was 96%. CS diameter was larger in CAA (CAP:3.04 ± 0.5 mm vs CAA:4.1 ± 2.7 mm; p = .022). Intracoronary imaging techniques were used more frequently in CAA (p < .0001). After a mean follow-up of 22 ± 16 months, the major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) rate was 7.1% [cardiac death: 2%, Myocardial infarction: 5%, Target Lesion Revascularization: 5% and Stent Thrombosis (ST): 3%]. MACE rate was similar in CAP (7.7%) and CAA (7.1%) (p = .9). However, CAA showed a higher ST rate (CAP: 0% vs CA: 7.1%; p = .04).

CONCLUSION

After hospital discharge, clinical outcomes after Papyrus CS implantation are acceptable (considering the clinical scenario and compared with other treatment alternatives) with no significant differences in the MACE rate between those implanted in CAA or in CAP. However, CAA group showed a higher ST rate.

Innate Immune Receptors, Key Actors in Cardiovascular Diseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death in the industrialized world. Most CVDs are associated with increased inflammation that arises mainly from innate immune system activation related to cardiac damage. Sustained activation of the innate immune system frequently results in maladaptive inflammatory responses that promote cardiovascular dysfunction and remodeling. Much research has focused on determining whether some mediators of the innate immune system are potential targets for CVD therapy. The innate immune system has specific receptors-termed pattern recognition receptors (PRRs)-that not only recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns, but also sense danger-associated molecular signals. Activation of PRRs triggers the inflammatory response in different physiological systems, including the cardiovascular system. The classic PRRs, toll-like receptors (TLRs), and the more recently discovered nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs), have been recently proposed as key partners in the progression of several CVDs (e.g., atherosclerosis and heart failure). The present review discusses the key findings related to the involvement of TLRs and NLRs in the progression of several vascular and cardiac diseases, with a focus on whether some NLR subtypes (nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain, leucine rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing receptor 3 and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 1) can be candidates for the development of new therapeutic strategies for several CVDs.

Long term clinical outcomes in survivors after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Information regarding long-term outcomes in patients surviving out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is scarce. Our aim was to study the long-term clinical outcomes of a large cohort of OHCA patients surviving until hospital discharge and to identify predictors of mortality and cardiovascular events.

METHODS

Consecutive OHCA patients admitted in the Acute Cardiac Care Unit who survived at least until hospital discharge between 2007 and 2019 were included. All received therapeutic hypothermia according to the local protocol. Pre- and intra-hospital clinical and analytical variables were analyzed, as well as the clinically relevant events during follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 201 patients were included, with a mean age of 57.6 ± 14.2 years, 168 (83.6%) were male. Thirty-six (17.9%) died during a median follow-up of 40.3 months (18.9-69.1), the most frequent causes of death being cardiovascular and neurological, followed by cancer. We calculated a predictive model for mortality during follow-up using Cox regression that included the following variables: poor neurological outcome [HR 3.503 (1.578-7.777)], non-shockable rhythm [HR 2.926 (1.390-6.163)], time to onset of CPR [HR 1.063 (0.997-1.134)], older age [1.036 (1.008-1.064)) and worse ejection fraction at discharge [1.033 (1.009-1.058)].

CONCLUSIONS

Even though few patients experience recurrent cardiac arrest events, survivors after OHCA face high morbidity and mortality during long-term follow-up. Therefore, they may benefit from multidisciplinary teams providing an integral management and ensuring continuity of care.

Precision and reproducibility of non-automatic measurement of the QRS complex in potential candidates for cardiac resynchronization therapy

BACKGROUND

Accurate measurement of QRS complex duration (QRSd) remains crucial for the selection of patients for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, assessment of QRSd on conventional surface electrocardiograms (ECG), especially when performed without computer assistance, may be challenging due to the limited accuracy of the human eye to discriminate differences in the range of 10 ms at 25 mm/s. The value and reproducibility of visual assessment of QRSd at 25 mm/s on conventional ECGs was compared to those obtained using an electrophysiology recording system (EPRS) with simultaneous 12 lead traces at 100 mm/s, which was considered the gold standard.

METHODS

The ECGs of 102 consecutive patients with left ventricular dysfunction undergoing electrophysiological evaluation were collected. Two sets of measurements were obtained: 1) QRSd-25 measured on conventional 12-lead ECGs printed at 25 mm/s with standard amplification (10 mm/mV) by 4 different observers, and 2) QRSd-100 measured on simultaneous 12-lead traces at 100 mm/s and 40 mm/mV by 2 different observers using electronic callipers.

RESULTS

Significant differences were observed between QRSd-100 and QRSd-25 measurements (19.3 ± 9.9 ms, range 1.0-47.5, p < 0.001). QRSd-25 showed significant inter and intra-observer variability. When categorizing individual ECGs in three QRSd-25 subgroups (<120 ms, 120-149 ms and ≥150 ms), low concordance was observed between both techniques (kappa index 0.25, p < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of QRSd-25 to detect QRSd-100 ≥ 150 ms was 36.6% and 100.0% respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Visual measurement of QRSd at 25 mm/s often underestimates its magnitude and presents significant inter and intraobserver variability.

Dataset regarding baseline and follow-up characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients focused on neurological outcomes

This data article contains the data related to the research article entitled “Long-term neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted-temperature management” (Caro-Codón et al., 2018). In this dataset, we report details regarding the flow chart of the included patients and the specific exclusion criteria. We also include information on the difference between the patients who attended the structured personal interview (and therefore were finally included in the study) and those who did not attend. Neuropsychiatric and functional data before and after cardiac arrest are also reported. Finally, we list all the “de novo” focal neurological deficits identified after cardiac arrest in the related population.

Long-term neurological outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients treated with targeted-temperature management

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to assess long-term cognitive and functional outcomes in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patients treated with targeted-temperature management, investigate the existence of prognostic factors that could be assessed during initial admission and evaluate the usefulness of classic neurological scales in this clinical scenario.

METHODS

Patients admitted due to OHCA from August 2007 to November 2015 and surviving at least one year were included. Each patient completed a structured interview focused on the collection of clinical, social and demographic data. All available information in clinical records was reviewed and a battery of neurocognitive and psychometric tests was performed.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine patients were finally included in the analysis. Forty-three patients (54.4%) scored below the usual cut-off points for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, even though most of these deficits went unnoticed when patients were assessed using CPC and modified Rankin scale. Nineteen (24%) developed certain degree of impairment in their attention capacity and executive functions. A significant proportion developed new memory-related disorders (43%), depressive symptoms (17.7%), aggressive/uninhibited behavior (12.7%) and emotional lability (8.9%). A greater number of weekly hours of intellectual activity and a qualified job were independent protective factors for the development of cognitive impairment. However, being older at the time of the cardiac arrest was identified as a poor prognostic factor.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high prevalence of long-term cognitive deficits and functional limitations in OHCA survivors. Most commonly used clinical scales in clinical practice are crude and lack sensitivity to detect most of these deficits.

Visit-to-visit variability of blood pressure and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with stable coronary heart disease. Insights from the STABILITY trial

Aims

To study the relation between visit-to-visit variability of blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular risk in patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Methods and results

In 15 828 patients from the STABILITY trial (darapladib vs. placebo in patients with established coronary heart disease), BP variability was assessed by the standard deviation (SD) of systolic BP, the SD of diastolic BP, maximum BP, and minimum BP, from 5 measurements (baseline and months 1, 3, 6, and 12) during the first year after randomisation. Mean (SD) average BP during the first year of study was 131.0 (13.7) mmHg over 78.3 (8.3) mmHg. Mean (SD) of the visit-to-visit SD was 9.8 (4.8) mmHg for systolic and 6.3 (3.0) mmHg for diastolic BP. During the subsequent median follow-up of 2.6 years, 1010 patients met the primary endpoint, a composite of time to cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. In Cox regression models adjusted for average BP during first year of study, baseline vascular disease, treatment, renal function and cardiovascular risk factors, the primary endpoint was associated with SD of systolic BP (hazard ratio for highest vs. lowest tertile, 1.30, 95% CI 1.10-1.53, P = 0.007), and with SD of diastolic BP (hazard ratio for highest vs. lowest tertile, 1.38, 95% CI 1.18-1.62, P < 0.001). Peaks and troughs in BP were also independently associated with adverse events.

Conclusion

In patients with stable coronary heart disease, higher visit-to-visit variabilities of both systolic and diastolic BP are strong predictors of increased risk of cardiovascular events, independently of mean BP.

Self-Reported Health and Outcomes in Patients With Stable Coronary Heart Disease

Background

The major determinants and prognostic importance of self‐reported health in patients with stable coronary heart disease are uncertain.

Methods and Results

The STABILITY (Stabilization of Atherosclerotic Plaque by Initiation of Darapladib Therapy) trial randomized 15 828 patients with stable coronary heart disease to treatment with darapladib or placebo. At baseline, 98% of participants completed a questionnaire that included the question, “Overall, how do you feel your general health is now?” Possible responses were excellent, very good, good, average, and poor. Adjudicated major adverse cardiac events, which included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, and stroke, were evaluated by Cox regression during 3.7 years of follow‐up for participants who reported excellent or very good health (n=2304), good health (n=6863), and average or poor health (n=6361), before and after adjusting for 38 covariates. Self‐reported health was most strongly associated with geographic region, depressive symptoms, and low physical activity (P<0.0001 for all). Poor/average compared with very good/excellent self‐reported health was independently associated with major adverse cardiac events (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.30 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.92–2.76]; adjusted HR: 1.83 [95% CI, 1.51–2.22]), cardiovascular mortality (HR: 4.36 [95% CI, 3.09–6.16]; adjusted HR: 2.15 [95% CI, 1.45–3.19]), and myocardial infarction (HR: 1.87 [95% CI, 1.46–2.39]; adjusted HR: 1.68 [95% CI, 1.25–2.27]; P<0.0002 for all).

Conclusions

Self‐reported health is strongly associated with geographical region, mood, and physical activity. In a global coronary heart disease population, self‐reported health was independently associated with major cardiovascular events and mortality beyond what is measurable by established risk indicators.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL: http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00799903.

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 at 1 Month After an Acute Coronary Syndrome Is Associated With Increased Risk of Major Bleeding

Background

Growth differentiation factor‐15 (GDF‐15) is related to major bleeding when measured at initial presentation in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) treated with dual antiplatelet therapy. It is unknown whether follow‐up measurements provide additional information. The objective of this study was to investigate whether GDF‐15 measured 1 month after an ACS provides additional information beyond the baseline levels with regard to the risk of major bleeding.

Methods and Results

GDF‐15 was measured at baseline and at 1 month after an ACS in 4049 patients included in the PLATelet inhibition and patient Outcomes (PLATO) trial. The association between 1‐month GDF‐15 level and non–coronary artery bypass grafting surgery‐related major bleeding was assessed by a multivariable Cox model, adjusting for baseline GDF‐15, age, anemia, impaired renal function, history of gastrointestinal bleeding, and sex. Elevated GDF‐15 (>1800 ng/L) at 1 month was associated with an increased risk of non‐coronary artery bypass grafting‐related major bleeding (3.9% versus 1.2%; hazard ratio, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.89–6.06), independent of baseline GDF‐15. Patients who had elevated GDF‐15 levels at baseline and subsequent nonelevated GDF‐15 at 1 month had a similar risk as patients who had nonelevated levels at both measurements.

Conclusions

GDF‐15 at 1 month after an ACS is related to the risk of bleeding during DAPT and provides additional information on the bleeding risk beyond baseline GDF‐15 levels. GDF‐15 levels may therefore be useful as part of decision support concerning long‐term antithrombotic treatment in patients post‐ACS.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00391872.

Spanish Validation of the Problem Behaviors Assessment-Short (PBA-s) for Huntington's Disease

A prospective, observational multicenter study was carried out assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms in a sample of 117 subjects in order to validate the Spanish version of the Problem Behaviors Assessment-Short (PBA-s). The psychometric properties of this version were analyzed. Inter- and intra-rater reliability were good: the mean weighted Cohen's kappa was 0.90 for severity scores and 0.93 for frequency scores. Four factors accounting for 56% of the total variance were identified after an exploratory factor analysis: apathy, irritability, depression, and perseveration. The PBA-s correlates strongly with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, demonstrating its accuracy for assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with Huntington's disease.

Challenges in Oral Lipid-lowering Therapy: Position Document of the Spanish Society of Cardiology

Lipid-lowering therapy is one of the cornerstones of cardiovascular prevention and is one of the most effective strategies in the secondary prevention of ischemic heart disease. Nevertheless, the current treatment of lipid disorders, together with lifestyle changes, fails to achieve the targets recommended in clinical guidelines in a substantial proportion of patients. PCSK9 inhibitors have demonstrated safety and efficacy in the treatment of dyslipidemia. Due to their ability to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, these drugs have recently been approved for clinical use by Spanish regulatory agencies, with the aim of reducing cardiovascular risk in selected patient groups.

Use of e-mail for Parkinson's disease consultations: Are answers just a clic away?

INTRODUCTION

The clinical problems of patients with movement disorders (MD) are complex, and the duration and frequency of face-to-face consultations may be insufficient to meet their needs. We analysed the implementation of an e-mail-based query service for our MD unit's patients and their primary care physicians (PCPs).

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed all consecutive emails sent and received over a period of 4 months, one year after implementation of the e-mail inquiry system. All patients received the during consultations, and PCPs, during scheduled informative meetings. We recorded and later analysed the profile of the questioner, patients' demographic and clinical data, number of queries, reason for consultation, and actions taken.

RESULTS

From 1 January 2015 to 30 April 2015, the service received 137 emails from 63 patients (43% male, mean age 71±10.5) diagnosed with Parkinson's disease (76%), atypical parkinsonism (10%), and others (14%); 116 responses were sent. Twenty (32%) emails were written by patients, 38 (60%) by their caregivers, and 5 (8%) by their PCPs. The reasons for consultation were clinical in 50 cases (80%): 16 (32%) described clinical deterioration, 14 (28%) onset of new symptoms, and 20 (40%) side effects or concerns about medications. In 13 cases (20%), the query was bureaucratic: 11 were related to appointments (85%) and 2 were requests for clinical reports (15%). In response, new appointments were scheduled in 9 cases (14%), while the rest of the questions were answered by email. Patients were satisfied overall and the additional care burden on specialists was not excessive.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing an e-mail-based consultation system is feasible in MD units. It facilitates both communication between neurologists and patients and continued care in the primary care setting.

Long-term Follow-up After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation for Severe Aortic Stenosis

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation is used as an alternative to surgical valve replacement in patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high-surgical-risk or inoperable. Two of the main areas of uncertainty in this field are valve durability and long-term survival.

METHODS

This prospective single-center registry study from a tertiary hospital included all consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous aortic valve implantation between 2008 and 2012. Clinical follow-up lasted a minimum of 2.5 years and a maximum of 6.5 years. Valve Academic Research Consortium-2 definitions were used.

RESULTS

Seventy-nine patients were included, with an immediate success rate of 94.9%. The median survival was 47.6 months (95% confidence intervals, 37.4-57.9 months), ie, 4 years. One quarter of deaths occurred in the first month, and most were of cardiovascular cause. After the first month, most deaths were due to noncardiovascular causes. The mean values of valve gradients did not increase during follow-up. The cumulative rate of prosthetic valve dysfunction was 15.3%, with no cases of repeat valve replacement.

CONCLUSIONS

Half of the patients with aortic stenosis who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation were alive 4 years after the procedure. There was a 15.3% prosthetic valve dysfunction rate in cumulative follow-up, with no cases of repeat valve replacement.

Earlobe crease shapes and cardiovascular events

Earlobe crease (ELC) has been linked to coronary artery disease; however, systematic evaluations of the earlobe and its relation to ischemic stroke are lacking. The objectives were to define the ELC using a single-blind approach and to determine through multivariate analysis its association with cardiovascular events (CVEs) comprising coronary, ischemic cerebrovascular, and peripheral vascular diseases. A single-blind cross-sectional study was performed in 2 phases: (1) an initial study (n = 300) to define ELC classification criteria and (2) a confirmation stage (n = 1,000) to analyze ELC association with CVEs. Each of the participants' pinnae were photographed and classified blindly by joint decision according to ELC's inclination, length, depth, and bilateralism. Patients' medical histories were reviewed for age, cardiovascular risk factors, and CVEs. The concordance rate after the classification of all photographs was 89.6%. The first phase did not find any correlation between the different depth degrees or vertical creases and CVEs. The second stage concluded that diagonal bilateral ELC prevalence in patients with CVEs was 43% compared with 29% in the control patients (p <0.001). The multivariate analysis showed an association between ELC and CVEs (odds ratio 1.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08 to 1.93, p = 0.012), with a sensitivity and specificity of 43% and 70%, respectively. Ischemic stroke alone was also associated with diagonal bilateral ELC (odds ratio 1.67, 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 2.51, p = 0.015). In conclusion, diagonal bilateral ELC is independently associated with CVEs in the hospitalized population. An independent association with ischemic stroke has also been demonstrated for the first time.