The prevalence and correlates of depression among patients with chronic diseases in the United Arab Emirates

BACKGROUND

Chronic diseases constitute a major public health problem in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity. Chronic diseases have been found to be associated with an increased prevalence of depression and depressive symptoms. Depression can have detrimental effect on the prognosis of the disease and quality of life in patients.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of depression in a sample of patients suffering from chronic disease in Al-Ain city, UAE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-sectional survey based study was conducted with 417 participants recruited from seven primary health care centers of Al-Ain city. Men and women aged 18 years and above suffering from chronic disease filled the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Univariate and multivariable logistic regressions were performed on the collected data to investigate correlates of different factors with depression. Data was analyzed using SPSS (version 26). The study was approved by Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) Human Ethics Research Committee.

RESULTS

The majority 62.41% (n = 254) of the sample were females, 57.97% (n = 240) aged above 55 years and with a median (Q25, Q75) duration of chronic disease of 8 (4, 15) years. The prevalence of depression was 21.1% (95% CI: 17.5%-25.3%). With severe depression was in 1.7% and mild-moderate in 34.7% of the participants. Depression severity was statistically significantly associated with increasing age (p = 0.006), low level of education (p<0.001), presence of asthma (p = 0.007) and heart disease (p = 0.013). Unadjusted logistic regression reported that presence of depression was significantly associated with female gender (cOR = 1.8, [95% CI; 1.1-3.1], p = 0.025), and presence of chronic kidney disease (cOR = 4.9, [95% CI; 1.3-20.2], p = 0.020) and heart disease (cOR = 2.9, [95% CI; 1.6-5.4], p = 0.001) longer duration of disease in years (cOR = 1.04, [95% CI; 1.01-1.07], p = 0.003). However, in the adjusted logistic regression analysis, participants with heart disease (aOR = 2.8, [95% CI; 1.4-5.5], p = 0.004), and with longer duration of disease (aOR = 1.04, [1.01-1.07], p = 0.014) remained significantly associated statistically with higher chance of having depression.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of depression was quite high and the study highlights for health care professionals and policy makers, the importance of mental health support as part of a comprehensive management plan for patients with chronic diseases. A multidisciplinary comprehensive program will improve the long-term outcomes of these patients. Patients with chronic diseases may need more support and counseling at primary health care levels.

Cohort profile: the ESC EURObservational Research Programme Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infraction (NSTEMI) Registry

AIMS

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) EURObservational Research Programme (EORP) Non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) Registry aims to identify international patterns in NSTEMI management in clinical practice and outcomes against the 2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without ST-segment-elevation.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Consecutively hospitalised adult NSTEMI patients (n = 3620) were enrolled between 11 March 2019 and 6 March 2021, and individual patient data prospectively collected at 287 centres in 59 participating countries during a two-week enrolment period per centre. The registry collected data relating to baseline characteristics, major outcomes (in-hospital death, acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, bleeding, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, and 30-day mortality) and guideline-recommended NSTEMI care interventions: electrocardiogram pre- or in-hospital, pre-hospitalization receipt of aspirin, echocardiography, coronary angiography, referral to cardiac rehabilitation, smoking cessation advice, dietary advice, and prescription on discharge of aspirin, P2Y12 inhibition, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi)/angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), beta-blocker, and statin.

CONCLUSION

The EORP NSTEMI Registry is an international, prospective registry of care and outcomes of patients treated for NSTEMI, which will provide unique insights into the contemporary management of hospitalised NSTEMI patients, compliance with ESC 2015 NSTEMI Guidelines, and identify potential barriers to optimal management of this common clinical presentation associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

A comparative study between ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral block, pectoral nerves block, and erector spinae block for pain management in cancer breast surgeries. A randomized controlled study

OBJECTIVES

Achieving adequate perioperative analgesia can be challenging in patients undergoing breast surgeries due to the complex nerve supply of the breast and axilla. The study aims to investigate the efficacy of ESPB in comparison to conventional regional anesthesia techniques (TPVB and PECS).

METHODS

Eighty female patients who were scheduled for elective MRM, with ASA score I-II, and aged between 18 and 60 years, were included in the study. Patients were randomized into four groups, the TPVB, PECS, ESPB, and the control group. All patients in either block groups received 25 ml bupivacaine 0.25% with ultrasound guidance. The control group received only opioids for perioperative pain management. The patients were observed for 48 h after surgery for the duration of analgesia (primary outcome).

RESULTS

ESPB has a shorter duration of analgesia than PECS block with no significant statistical difference compared with group TPVB. Morphine consumption is increased in ESPB compared to the PECS group, with an insignificant difference compared to group TPVB. There was an insignificant difference between the groups concerning hemodynamics and complications, with one pneumothorax case reported in the TPVB group.

CONCLUSION

PECS and ESPB represent a good alternative to TPVB for post-mastectomy analgesia with a superior analgesic effect of PECS block regarding opioid consumption, duration of the analgesia, and VAS score.

Telemedicine in Low- and Middle-Income Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Scoping Review

Background

COVID-19 has impacted the capacity of healthcare systems worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which are already under strain due to population growth and insufficient resources. Since the COVID-19 pandemic's emergence, there has been an urgent need for a rapid and adequate reaction to the pandemic's disruption of healthcare systems. To this end, telemedicine has been shown in prior research to be a feasible approach. The overarching objective of this scoping review was to determine the extent and acceptance of telemedicine in healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

This scoping review followed PRISMA guidelines and Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage framework to identify available evidence. We systematically searched four academic databases for peer-reviewed literature published between January 2020 and April 2021: Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, as well as Google Scholar as a source for grey literature.

Results

The search identified 54 articles with 45,843 participants, including 6,966 healthcare professionals and 36,877 healthcare users. We identified a range of reasons for introducing telemedicine in LMICs during COVID-19, most notably to maintain non-emergency healthcare, enhance access to healthcare providers, and reduce the risk of infection among health users and providers. Overall, healthcare providers and users have shown a high level of acceptance for telemedicine services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telemedicine provided access to healthcare in the majority of included articles. Nonetheless, some challenges to accepting telemedicine as a method of healthcare delivery have been reported, including technological, regulatory, and economical challenges.

Conclusion

Telemedicine was found to improve access to high-quality healthcare and decrease infection risk in LMICs during COVID-19. In general, infrastructure and regulatory barriers found to be the most significant barriers to wider telemedicine use, and should be considered when implementing telemedicine more broadly. There appears to be a need to prioritize patient data safety, as many healthcare practitioners utilized commercial apps and services as telemedicine systems. Additionally, it appears as though there is a need to increase capacity, skill, and transparency, as well as to educate patients about telemedicine.

AB0571 DERIVATION AND INDEPENDENT VALIDATION OF THE LUPUS ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE (LAMDA): A MORE SENSITIVE, SPECIFIC AND RESPONSIVE TOOL FOR LUPUS ARTHRITIS

Background

The MSK components of the BILAG and SLEDAI have limited sensitivity, specificity and responsiveness.

Objectives

To develop a better disease activity tool for MSK lupus.

Methods

“LAMDA” was derived using data from the multicentre USEFUL study (PMID:33792659); 133 patients with inflammatory MSK pain received intramuscular depomedrone then were assessed for 66/68 SJC/TJC, BILAG-2004, SLEDAI-2K, physician MSK-VAS, inflammatory markers, patient pain and disease-activity-VAS and MSK-ultrasound. Baseline variables were modelled against US using penalized (Lasso) regression. For validation we evaluated: (i) responsiveness at week 6 in USEFUL and (ii) association with quality of life and treatment decision in an independent study (n=100).

Results

LAMDA was a composite of SJC, patient-MSK-pain-VAS, physician-MSK-disease-activity-VAS and ESR ranging from 0 to 26.5. Response effect size was greater for the LAMDA (0.37) than the BILAG-MSK (0.31), SLEDAI-MSK (0.27) and total US score (0.33). With active US at baseline, LAMDA’s effect size was 0.42.

In the validation study LAMDA score correlated with better physical function (R = -0.49, p<0.001), pain (R = -0.44, p=0.002) and Burden to Others (R = -0.38, p=0.009). LAMDA was higher when therapy was increased (mean (95% CI) difference 12.9 (5.8, 19.9), p<0.001).

Conclusion

LAMDA is a continuous disease activity instrument for MSK lupus that is sensitive to imaging-synovitis without swelling, more responsive than other instruments and correlates with quality of life and treatment decision. LAMDA may improve the ability of clinicians to monitor and treat MSK lupus, and determine the efficacy of therapies in clinical trials.

Acknowledgements

Funding: Lupus UK and NIHR

Disclosure of Interests

Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Ahmed Zayat: None declared, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof: None declared, Lee-Suan Teh: None declared, Shah Khan: None declared, Chee-Seng Yee: None declared, David D’Cruz: None declared, Nora Ng: None declared, David Isenberg: None declared, Coziana Ciurtin: None declared, Philip G Conaghan: None declared, Paul Emery: None declared, Christopher John Edwards: None declared, Elizabeth Hensor: None declared, Edward Vital Speakers bureau: GSK, AstraZeneca, Consultant of: GSK, AstraZeneca, Roche, Aurinia, Lilly, ILTOO, Novartis, Grant/research support from: AstraZeneca, Sandoz

P–122 Benefit of use of theophilline in ICSI with testicular sperm

Study question

Would the use of theophylline have an effect on ICSI outcomes?

Summary answer

The cumulative pregnancy rate after the transfer of fresh and frozen embryos (FET) becomes more important justifying the addition of theophylline as an efficacy variable.

What is known already

Absolute immotile spermatozoa is one of the most important causes of reduced fertilization and pregnancy rates after ICSI, immotility of testicular spermatozoa is a physiological event resulting from metabolic sperm immaturity. Over the years, there have been numerous attempts to resolve this problem by identification of pharmacological agents that might improve sperm motility. In particular, theophylline turned out to be an effective tool in stimulating motility in human semen and identifying viable sperm in testicular sperm extraction sperm (TESE) patients. aim of this study is to evaluate ICSI outcomes after the use of theophylline to select viable spermatozoa

Study design, size, duration

This prospective, comparative randomised study was conducted in Fertillia ART center in Tunisia, between november 2017 to november 2020. All patients underwent ICSI cycles with testicular sperm were included. The exclusion criteria consist of cycles with female partner age &gt;42 years and/or cycles with no information about pregnancy outcomes. In our study, the cycles were categorized into two groups according to sperm selection method used in ICSI procdure.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

The present study include 678 cycles. This cohort was randomly divided into two groups according to method of spermatozoa selection. Treatements arms were performed by theophylline to improve sperm motility (Group A) and the Hyposmotic swelling (HOS) test to indicate sperm vitality (Group B). Clinical and biological parameters, the duration of sperm selection and ICSI outcomes were compared between the two groups. A statistical significant difference was accepted when the p value was &lt;0.05.

Main results and the role of chance

Baseline clinical parameters were found to be comparable in the two groups. No differences regarding number of oocytes retrieved or MII oocytes were reported . he sperm selection was easier in the group A (time interval : 12±7,2 minutes) than group B (time interval : 22±10 minutes) (p &lt; 0,05). No significative difference was observed between goups in the Fertilization rate (group A : 66% vs group B : 68%) ; Cleavage rate (group A : 76.20% vs. Group B : 75.56%) and Blasulation rate (group A : 63.60% vs. Group B 60.61%) p &gt; 0 ,05. The Cumulative Pregnancy rate for group A (31. 5%) was higher than group B (30%, p &gt; 0 ,05). Indeed, The rate of frozen cycles is significantly higher for group A compared to group B (30% vs. 4.5% p &lt; 0,05).

Limitations, reasons for caution

Need large sample size.

Wider implications of the findings: Theophylline reduces significantly the time needed for sperm selection, Which positively affects the ICSI result.

Trial registration number

Not applicable

POS0175 ASSOCIATION BETWEEN BIOMARKERS AND THERAPEUTIC PATHWAY IN PATIENTS WITH SLE

Background:

SLE is heterogeneous in clinical presentation, underlying immunology, and response to therapy. Patients with severe or resistant disease receive cyclophosphamide or rituximab. Although effective, late use of these therapies entails cumulative damage.

Emerging predictors of response to rituximab include demographics, IFN-Scores and autoantibodies. For such predictors to change treatment strategy we need to understand their association with the effectiveness of other therapeutic options at earlier decision points.

Prospective studies of treatment pathways are difficult to perform, requiring large populations followed for many years. We therefore investigated this question by analysing retrospective treatment pathways since diagnosis in patients whose biomarker status is subsequently known.

Objectives:

To use interferon scores and other markers to;

[1]identify SLE patients more likely to need escalation of therapy to either rituximab or cyclophosphamide, and

[2]determine if this occurred sooner than in others.

Methods:

In patients with established SLE, attending Leeds SLE clinic, we collected demographics, clinical characteristics and blood at a single timepoint. Two previously validated IFN-Scores[1,2] (IFN-Score A and IFN-Score B) were measured using Taqman. Autoantibodies were measured using immunoprecipitation. Treatment history covering all antimalarials, oral and intravenous immunosuppressants (agent, start and stop dates and reasons) since diagnosis was collected. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to test variables as predictors of the primary endpoint: time to cyclophosphamide/rituximab.

Results:

124 patients were included. Follow up since diagnosis was Median (IQR) 37.5 (27.4-52.3) years, total therapies per patient was 3 (1-4), therapies per year was 0.2 (0.1-0.3). 54/124 (44%) patients required cyclophosphamide/rituximab.

Results of Cox regression are shown in the table 1. There was a significant association between high expression of IFN-Score B and requirement for cyclophosphamide/rituximab as well as trends for age in the first quartile (<28 years), IFN-Score A and anti-Sm/U1RNP antibodies. Both age <28 and IFN-Score B retained trends as independent predictors in a multivariable model.

Table 1.CharacteristicCYC/RTX=Yes n(%)CYC/RTX =No n(%)Univariable Hazard ratio (95% CI)Univariable p valueMultivariable Hazard Ratio (95% CI)Multivariable p valueAge-Q1: under 2822 (71%)9 (29%)2.25 (0.99,5.12)0.0541.74 (0.95,3.18)0.074-Q2: 28 – 3812 (39%)19 (61%)1.03 (0.41,2.56)0.949Not includedNot included-Q3: 38 – 5212 (39%)19 (61%)1.52 (0.62,3.72)0.360Not includedNot included-Q4: over 528 (26%)23 (74%)referencereferenceNot includedNot includedEthnicity-Caucasian42 (48%)46 (52%)1.17 (0.58,2.35)0.660Not includedNot included-AfroCaribbean, South Asian, East Asian, Other10 (36%)18 (64%)referencereferenceIFN Score A, mean (SD)−2.59 (−2.67)−3.84 (−2.71)1.10 (0.98,1.24)0.113Not includedNot includedIFN Score B, mean (SD)−2.61 (−1.16)−3.53 (−1.76)1.31 (1.05,1.64)0.0171.23 (0.98,1.55)0.079Anti-Sm/U1RNP Ab positive17 (61%)11 (39%)1.50 (0.84,2.67)0.171Not includedNot includedAnti-Ro(60) Ab positive14 (45%)17 (55%)0.88 (0.47,1.65)0.686Not includedNot included

Conclusion:

Patients developing SLE before age 28 with raised interferon scores may be forecast to develop severe disease, fail oral therapies, and require rituximab. While this retrospective analysis may be confounded by a survivorship bias, our findings are consistent with other literature on these variables as predictors of severe disease. Future work will analyse more biomarkers in a larger and more varied patient population.

References:

[1]Md Yusof et al. Ann Rheum Dis 2018

[2]El-Sherbiny et al. Sci Rep 2018

Disclosure of Interests:

Sabih-Ul Hassan: None declared, Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Zoe Wigston: None declared, Agata Burska: None declared, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof: None declared, Edward Vital Grant/research support from: Honoraria and research grant support from Roche, GSK and AstraZeneca.

POS0746 THE ARTHRITIS COMPONENT OF THE SLEDAI SHOULD ONLY BE SCORED IF THERE IS JOINT SWELLING

Background:

SLE disease activity tools do not optimally define disease activity and response. The SLEDAI arthritis item is common, and sufficient to define SRI response. Lupus patients with arthralgia often have no swelling. Glossary definitions of arthritis in different versions of the SLEDAI have included: swelling, swelling between visits, effusion, tenderness, warmth and erythema. MSK ultrasound in SLE can identify synovitis without swelling, ultrasound synovitis is associated with worse symptoms and serology, predicts response to therapy, and is more responsive to therapy than clinical variables.

Objectives:

To validate different glossary definitions for SLEDAI arthritis using musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Methods:

We analysed baseline data from a multicentre longitudinal study. Physicians scored SLEDAI-2K in 133 patients with joint pain that was considered inflammatory, but not necessarily swelling. Stable immunosuppressants and prednisolone <=5mg were permitted. If the arthritis criterion was scored, we asked physicians to report which glossary features drove their decision. Musculoskeletal ultrasound of hands and wrists was performed on the same day, blinded to clinical findings. We defined abnormal grey-scale in joints as 1 joint with GS>=2, and in tendons as >=1 tendon with GS >=1, and abnormal power Doppler as >=1 joint or tendon with PD >=1.

Results:

78/133 patients had arthritis scored on SLEDAI-2K. In 21/78, swelling was not a reason for that decision. These 21 patients had either tenderness (16/21), swelling reported between visits (4/21) or both of these (1/21). No patient was scored for warmth, erythema or effusion alone. Comparison of SLEDAI definitions and ultrasound is shown in Table 1. Of 57 patients with SLEDAI arthritis scored due to swelling, 90% had an abnormal ultrasound. The positive predictive value was 89% (95% CI 79 – 94). Of 21 patients with SLEDAI arthritis scored without swelling, 48% had an abnormal ultrasound. The positive predictive value was 48% (95% CI 31 – 67). There was no substantive difference in clinical and serological variables comparing patients with SLEDAI arthritis without swelling and patients without SLEDAI arthritis. In contrast, patients with SLEDAI arthritis with swelling had worse ESR (p=0.0003), Physician MSK disease activity VAS (p<0.001) and patient EMS VAS (p=0.0019) and IgG (p=0.0625) compared to the other two groups.

Conclusion:

Although ultrasound proven synovitis in the absence of swelling is not uncommon, it is not reliably identified using other signs or symptoms. The arthritis item of the SLEDAI was likely to be associated with ultrasound synovitis if scored because of swelling, but not if scored because of tenderness or swelling between visits. Our results support raising the threshold criteria for arthritis so that it should only be scored when there is joint swelling. Previous clinical trial datasets could be re-analysed excluding SLEDAI arthritis scores not confirmed by a swollen joint count greater than one.

SLEDAI-2K at baselineUltrasound Abnormalities at BaselineTest statistics for any ultrasound abnormalityGS jointsn/N (%)PD jointsn/N (%)GS tendonsn/N (%)PD tendonsn/N (%)Any abnormalityn/N (%)Sensitivity% (95% CI)Specificity% (95% CI)PPV% (95% CI)NPV% (95% CI)All patients (n=133)77/133 (58)33/133 (25)36/133 (27)27/106 (20)83/133 (62)----MSK SLEDAI = No (n=55)20/55 (36)2/55 (4)9/55 (16)3/55 (6)22/55 (40)----MSK SLEDAI = Yes (n=78)57/78 (73)31/78 (40)27/78 (35)24/78 (31)61/78 (78)73 (62, 82)b66 (51, 78) b78 (70, 84) b60 (49, 69) b-Due to swelling (n=57)48/57 (84)28/57 (49)21/57 (37)19/57 (33)51/57 (90)61 (50, 71)c88 (75, 95) c89 (79, 94) c57 (50, 64) c-Without swelling (n=21)a9/21 (43)3/21 (14)6/21 (29)5/21 (24)10/21 (48)31 (16, 50) d75 (60, 87) d48 (31, 67) d60 (45, 68) d

Disclosure of Interests:

Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Ahmed Zayat: None declared, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof: None declared, Katherine Dutton: None declared, Lee-Suan Teh: None declared, Chee-Seng Yee: None declared, David d’cruz: None declared, Nora Ng: None declared, David Isenberg: None declared, Coziana Ciurtin: None declared, Philip G Conaghan: None declared, Paul Emery: None declared, Christopher John Edwards Shareholder of: Research grant support from; Abbvie, Biogen, Pfizer, Consultant of: Personal fee from; Abbvie, BMS, Biogen, Celgene, Celltrion, Fresenius, Gilead, GSK, Janssen, Lilly, Mundipharma, Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Samsung, Sanofi, UCB, Grant/research support from: Research grant support from; Abbvie, Biogen, Pfizer, Elizabeth Hensor: None declared, Edward Vital Speakers bureau: AstraZeneca, Genentech, Aurinia, Lilly, Modus, Consultant of: AstraZeneca, Genentech, Aurinia, Lilly, Modus, Grant/research support from: Sandoz, AstraZeneca,

Prevalence and predictors of aortic root abscess among patients with left-sided infective endocarditis: a cross-sectional comparative study

BACKGROUND

Aortic root abscess (ARA) is a major complication of infective endocarditis that is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Limited data are present about patient characteristics and outcomes in this lethal disease. We aimed to study the clinical and echocardiographic characteristics of patients with ARA compared to patients with left-sided infective endocarditis without ARA. We included patients with a definite diagnosis of left-sided infective endocarditis according to modified Duke's criteria. The patients were classified into two groups according to the presence of ARA (ARA and NO-ARA groups). All the patients were studied regarding their demographic data, clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging data, and complications.

RESULTS

We included 285 patients with left-sided infective endocarditis. The incidence of ARA was 21.4% (61 patients). Underlying heart disease, mechanical prosthesis, bicuspid aortic valve, and prior IE were significantly higher in ARA. The level of CRP was higher in ARA (p = 0.03). ARA group showed more aortic valve vegetations (73.8% vs. 37.1%, p < 0.001), more aortic paravalvular leakage (26.7% vs. 4.5%, p < 0.001), and less mitral valve vegetations (21.3% vs. 68.8%, p < 0.001). Logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of ARA increased in the following conditions: aortic paravalvular leak (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.2-13, p = 0.03), mechanical prosthesis (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.5-8.7, p = 0.005), aortic valve vegetations (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.2-8.0, p = 0.02), and undetected organism (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1-4.6, p = 0.02), while the odds of ARA decreased with mitral valve vegetations (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.08-0.5, p = 0.001). We did not find a difference between both groups regarding the incidence of major complications, including in-hospital mortality.

CONCLUSION

In our study, ARA occurred in one fifth of patients with left-sided IE. Patients with mechanical prosthesis, aortic paravalvular leakage, aortic vegetations, and undetected organisms had higher odds of ARA, while patients with mitral vegetations had lower odds of ARA.

The use of automated sequential blood pressure in hypertension clinics compared with office and ambulatory blood pressure measurements

BACKGROUND

Office blood pressure (OBP) measurement is the most common method of blood pressure measurement. However, it is associated with several pitfalls as white coat effect and masked hypertension. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is usually used for diagnosis of hypertension and elimination of white coat effect. This study aimed to assess the correlation and degree of agreement of the automated sequential blood pressure (ASqBP) with OBP and ABPM. Patients presented to hypertension clinic were included. Each patient had his blood pressure recorded by three methods: OBP using a digital sphygmomanometer device, unattended ASqBP using sequential BP devices with recording of the readings over 30 min, and ABPM that was performed within 48 h of office visit using portable BP devices with BP recording over 24 h.

RESULTS

We recruited 64 patients (age 50.0 ± 15.0 years and female gender 53.1%). We found a strong positive correlation between ASqBP and OBP readings (r 0.81 for SBP and 0.83 for DBP, p < 0.001). We also found a strong positive correlation between ASqBP and ABPM readings (r 0.74, p < 0.001). The ASqBP readings were lower than OBP (137.0 ± 16.8/86.4 ± 13.8 vs. 142.7 ± 15.5/88.5 ± 12.3) and close to ABPM readings (average 24 h, 134.0 ± 15.4/88.5 ± 12.3, and daytime, 135.8 ± 15.7/82.1 ± 13.7). For SBP readings, there was moderate agreement between ASqBP and AMBP (both average and daytime). For DBP readings, there was fair agreement between ASqBP and AMBP (both average and daytime).

CONCLUSION

ASqBP measurement has good correlation with OBP and ABPM readings. Unattended automated office pressure has moderate degree of agreement with ABPM for the SBP& fair degree of agreement for the DBP. It can be used in the hypertension clinics to eliminate the problems of white coat effect and marked BP variability.

OP0179 USEFUL STUDY I: A MULTICENTRE LONGITUDINAL STUDY TO TEST WHETHER ULTRASOUND CAN IDENTIFY PATIENTS WITH MUSCULOSKELETAL SYMPTOMS OF LUPUS WITH BETTER RESPONSE TO THERAPY

Background:

In SLE, musculoskeletal manifestations impact on quality of life and trial outcomes. We previously showed that assessments based on joint swelling lack sensitivity, specificity and responsiveness compared to ultrasound (US).

Objectives:

To determine clinical features predicting US synovitis and whether patients with US synovitis respond better to therapy

Methods:

SLE patients were recruited if the referring physician deemed they had inflammatory pain warranting treatment. Swollen joints were not required. At baseline, physicians recorded features of inflammation, concurrent fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. Stable doses of prednisolone (≤5mg/day), antimalarials or immunosuppressants were allowed. Participants received depomedrone 120mg IM then were assessed at 0, 2 and 6 weeks for 66/68 swollen and tender joint counts, BILAG-2004, SLEDAI-2K, physician global and MSK-VAS, inflammatory markers, patient pain and disease activity-VAS, HAQ-DI, LupusQoL, US of hands and wrists (blinded to patient and clinical assessor). An internal pilot determined the primary endpoint:(Early Morning stiffness-VAS (EMS-VAS) at 2 weeks (adjusted for baseline) between patients with US-synovitis (GS≥2 or PD≥1 in ≥1 joint) vs. normal US at baseline. 20% difference was considered clinically meaningful. Sensitivity analyses adjusted for prednisolone and immunosuppressants.

Results:

122/133 patients completed all visits. There was significant disagreement between clinical examination and US. 78/133 had US synovitis; 68% of these had ≥1 swollen joint. Of 66/133 patients with ≥ 1 swollen joint, 20% had normal US. US-synovitis was more likely with joint swelling, a symmetrical small joint distribution and active serology. Physician-determined EMS, other lupus features or prior response to therapy were not associated. Fibromyalgia or osteoarthritis did not reduce the probability of US synovitis.

In the full analysis set (n=133) there was no difference in EMS VAS at 2 weeks according to US synovial status at baseline (difference -8mm, 95% CI -19, 4mm, p=0.178). 32 patients had fibromyalgia. After excluding them, we found a statistically and clinically significantly better clinical response to depomedrone in patients with US-synovitis at baseline (baseline-adjusted EMS VAS at 2 weeks -12mm, 95% CI -24, 0mm, p=0.049). This difference was greater in the treatment-adjusted sensitivity analysis (-12.8 (95% CI -22, -3mm), p=0.007) and the per-protocol-adjusted sensitivity analysis (-14.8mm (95% CI -20.8, -8.8mm), p<0.001). Patient with US synovitis had higher rates of improvement in the MSK BILAG-2004 (56% vs. 26%, p=0.09) and SLEDAI-2K (37% vs. 15%, p=0.03).

Conclusion:

In lupus arthritis, distribution and serology, but not other features, help identify US-synovitis. US-synovitis was independent of features of fibromyalgia, but fibromyalgia confounded assessment of clinical response. US should be used to select SLE arthritis patients for therapy and clinical trials, especially when there are inflammatory symptoms without swollen joints.

Acknowledgments:

The Project was funded by Lupus-UK

Disclosure of Interests:

Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Ahmed Zayat: None declared, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof: None declared, Katherine Dutton: None declared, Lee-Suan Teh: None declared, Chee-Seng Yee: None declared, David d’cruz Grant/research support from: GlaxoSmithKline, Nora Ng: None declared, David Isenberg Consultant of: Study Investigator and Consultant to Genentech, Coziana Ciurtin Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Consultant of: Roche, Modern Biosciences, Philip G Conaghan Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Flexion Therapeutics, Galapagos, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Paul Emery Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Roche (all paid to employer), Consultant of: AbbVie (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Bristol-Myers Squibb (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Lilly (clinical trials, advisor), Merck Sharp & Dohme (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Novartis (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Pfizer (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Roche (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Samsung (clinical trials, advisor), Sandoz (clinical trials, advisor), UCB (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Christopher Edwards Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Biogen, Roche, Consultant of: Abbvie, Samsung, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, BMS, Biogen, Celgene, Fresenius, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, Mundipharma, Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Samsung, Sanofi, UCB, Elizabeth Hensor: None declared, Edward Vital Grant/research support from: AstraZeneca, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Consultant of: AstraZeneca, GSK, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Speakers bureau: Becton Dickinson and GSK

OP0091 A TWO-SCORE INTERFERON SIGNATURE AND MUSCULOSKELETAL IMAGING EXPLAIN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INTERFERON AND ARTHRITIS IN SLE

Background:

Interferon (IFN) signature is associated with disease activity and flare in SLE. We previously described two independent IFN gene expression scores; IFN Score A (the most commonly measured ISGs) and IFN Score B (less commonly measured ISGs which may also respond to IFN-II or other immune mediators)[1]. Many more clinical outcomes are associated with IFN Score B than with a “classic” interferon signature. These include progression of At-Risk individuals to SLE, response to rituximab, and differentiation of IFN signature in RA and SLE.

In previous work, the relationship of IFN Signatures with arthritis was less clear than for other SLE features. This may be related to the local regulatory effects of IFN-beta in the synovium, contrasting with the pro-inflammatory effects of other interferons. Another reason may be the proven imprecision of clinical examination as a measure of MSK inflammation in SLE.

USEFUL was a multicentre longitudinal study including serial ultrasound assessment of SLE patients with inflammatory MSK pain receiving treatment with glucocorticoids (GC).

Objectives:

To determine whether IFN scores A and B are associated with imaging-proven synovitis in SLE and measure the responsiveness of IFN scores to GC treatment.

Methods:

133 SLE patients were recruited into the USEFUL study if the referring physician deemed they had inflammatory pain warranting treatment. Participants received depomedrone 120mg IM then were assessed at 0, 2 and 6 weeks using clinical instruments and ultrasound (US). OMERACT US criteria were used to categorise patients as active (GS2 or PD1 in at least one joint or tendon), active in both joints and tendons, or non-active (no GS1 and PD0 or better in all joints).

Expression of 26 interferon stimulated genes, normalised to PP1A was measured in whole blood collected in TEMPUS tubes using a custom Taqman array. IFN scores A and B were calculated as previously described[1]. Missing data was imputed using expectation-maximisation method. Parametric tests were applied with post hoc Tukey to compare scores between groups.

Results:

At baseline, there was no significant difference in IFN Score A between ultrasound groups (F = 1.045, p = 0.355). In contrast, IFN Score B differed significantly between ultrasound groups (F = 4.168, p = 0.018). The greatest difference was between active ultrasound for both joints and tendons (n=22) and non-active ultrasound (n=53) (difference = 0.75, 95% CI 0.13, 1.37, p=0.013).

There was no significant change from baseline in IFN Score A at week 2 (mean difference 0.08, 95% -0.14, 0.31, p = 0.45) or week 6 (mean difference -0.03, 95% -0.25, 0.19, p = 0.79). Similarly, there was no significant change in IFN Score B at week 2 (mean difference -0.01, 95% -0.18, 0.17, p = 0.93) or week 6 (mean difference -0.07, 95% -0.21, 0.08, p = 0.36).

Conclusion:

Previous studies were unable to demonstrate an association between a typical interferon signature and arthritis in SLE. Our study includes a homogenous patient population and therapy, objective measure of synovitis, and a more detailed assessment of IFN Status. We found that imaging-proven synovitis is associated with increased expression of a specific subset of ISGs (IFN score B), but not a the more typical interferon signature genes (IFN Score A).

This increases the body of evidence for the value of IFN score B in predicting clinical outcomes. GC treatment did not affect systemic IFN signature scores at follow up. Future analysis will explore the role of IFN Scores in predicting clinical responses to therapy in this study.

References:

[1]El-Sherbiny, Y.M., et al. Scientific Reports, 2018.8(1): p. 5793.

Disclosure of Interests:

Zoe Wigston: None declared, Agata Burska: None declared, Adewonuola Alase: None declared, Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Edward Vital Grant/research support from: AstraZeneca, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Consultant of: AstraZeneca, GSK, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Speakers bureau: Becton Dickinson and GSK

FRI0599 USEFUL II: DERIVATION OF THE LUPUS ARTHRITIS AND MUSCULOSKELETAL DISEASE ACTIVITY SCORE (LAMDA) USING DATA FROM A MULTICENTRE LONGITUDINAL STUDY

Background:

Musculoskeletal (MSK) disease is the commonest manifestation of SLE. We showed that the MSK components of the BILAG index and SLEDAI have limited sensitivity, specificity and responsiveness compared to ultrasound (US) synovitis. The USEFUL study evaluated response to glucocorticoids in SLE patients with inflammatory pain.

Objectives:

To develop a disease activity tool for lupus MSK manifestations that is continuous, responsive, sensitive, and correlates with US-synovitis

Methods:

133 patients who received depomedrone 120mg IM were assessed at 0, 2 and 6 weeks for 66/68 swollen and tender joint counts, BILAG2004 index, SLEDAI-2K, physician global and MSK-VAS, inflammatory markers, patient pain and disease activity-VAS. Total US score (OMERACT-EULAR) in the hands and wrists was calculated blinded to patient and clinical assessor. Patients reported overall response using a Likert scale.

The LAMDA was developed by modelling a core set of clinical variables against total US score using penalized (Lasso) regression. Responsiveness was compared between LAMDA and other variables at week 6 using effect sizes. Minimum clinically important difference (MCID) was explored using the SEM and minimal disease activity threshold using ROC.

Results:

The variables selected for the LAMDA score were swollen joint count, patient MSK pain VAS, physician MSK disease activity VAS and ESR. A continuous score was derived. This had a theoretical range from 0 to 26.5 based on maximum ESR of 100. The highest value observed in USEFUL was 15. LAMDA was significantly higher in patients with active US (mean (SD) 5.71 (2.67), n=78) compared to patients with normal US (3.27 (1.77), n=55; difference (95% CI) -2.45 (-3.26, -1.63), t=-5.93, p<0.001). This difference remained significant in patients with no swollen joints (difference (95% CI) -0.71 (-1.40, -0.02), t=-2.06, p=0.044).

Effect size was greater for the LAMDA (0.37) than the BILAG-MSK (0.31), SLEDAI-MSK (0.27) and total US score (0.33). In patients with active US at baseline, LAMDA’s effect size was 0.42.

The MCID was 0.71 and correlated with patient-reported change in pain. A threshold for minimal disease activity of 3.23 optimized sensitivity (0.77 (0.65, 0.89)) and specificity (0.80 (0.68, 0.92)) against US score >0.

Conclusion:

The LAMDA score is a novel continuous disease activity instrument for MSK manifestations of SLE derived from variables familiar to rheumatologists. The LAMDA score is sensitive to imaging detected synovitis without swelling and more responsive than other instruments. . LAMDA may improve the ability of clinicians to accurately determine therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials and practice. Future work will validate the LAMDA score in independent cohorts and randomized trials.

Acknowledgements:

This project was funded by Lupus UK

Disclosure of Interests:

Khaled Mahmoud: None declared, Ahmed Zayat: None declared, Md Yuzaiful Md Yusof: None declared, Coziana Ciurtin Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Consultant of: Roche, Modern Biosciences, Chee-Seng Yee: None declared, David Isenberg Consultant of: Study Investigator and Consultant to Genentech, Lee-Suan Teh: None declared, Katherine Dutton: None declared, David d’cruz Grant/research support from: GlaxoSmithKline, Nora Ng: None declared, Philip G Conaghan Consultant of: AbbVie, BMS, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono, Flexion Therapeutics, Galapagos, GSK, Novartis, Pfizer, Speakers bureau: AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Pfizer, Paul Emery Grant/research support from: AbbVie, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Pfizer, Roche (all paid to employer), Consultant of: AbbVie (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Bristol-Myers Squibb (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Lilly (clinical trials, advisor), Merck Sharp & Dohme (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Novartis (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Pfizer (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Roche (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Samsung (clinical trials, advisor), Sandoz (clinical trials, advisor), UCB (consultant, clinical trials, advisor), Christopher Edwards Grant/research support from: Abbvie, Biogen, Roche, Consultant of: Abbvie, Samsung, Speakers bureau: Abbvie, BMS, Biogen, Celgene, Fresenius, Gilead, Janssen, Lilly, Mundipharma, Pfizer, MSD, Novartis, Roche, Samsung, Sanofi, UCB, Elizabeth Hensor: None declared, Edward Vital Grant/research support from: AstraZeneca, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Consultant of: AstraZeneca, GSK, Roche/Genentech, and Sandoz, Speakers bureau: Becton Dickinson and GSK

The ESC ACCA EAPCI EORP acute coronary syndrome ST-elevation myocardial infarction registry

Aims 

The Acute Cardiac Care Association (ACCA)–European Association of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (EAPCI) Registry on ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) of the EurObservational programme (EORP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) registry aimed to determine the current state of the use of reperfusion therapy in ESC member and ESC affiliated countries and the adherence to ESC STEMI guidelines in patients with STEMI.

Methods and results 

Between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2018, a total of 11 462 patients admitted with an initial diagnosis of STEMI according to the 2012 ESC STEMI guidelines were enrolled. Individual patient data were collected across 196 centres and 29 countries. Among the centres, there were 136 percutaneous coronary intervention centres and 91 with cardiac surgery on-site. The majority of centres (129/196) were part of a STEMI network. The main objective of this study was to describe the demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics of patients with STEMI. Other objectives include to assess management patterns and in particular the current use of reperfusion therapies and to evaluate how recommendations of most recent STEMI European guidelines regarding reperfusion therapies and adjunctive pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are adopted in clinical practice and how their application can impact on patients’ outcomes. Patients will be followed for 1 year after admission.

Conclusion 

The ESC ACCA-EAPCI EORP ACS STEMI registry is an international registry of care and outcomes of patients hospitalized with STEMI. It will provide insights into the contemporary patient profile, management patterns, and 1-year outcome of patients with STEMI.

Effect of adding midazolam to bupivacaine during rectus sheath block: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Various adjuvants have been tried to improve quality and increase duration of local anaesthetics during various nerve blocks. We aimed to evaluate the effect of adding midazolam to bupivacaine on rectus sheath (RS) block in patients undergoing umbilical or epigastric hernia repair.

METHODS

In all, 60 adult patients were divided into two equal groups, each group included 30 patients. Group I received 20 ml of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25% + midazolam 50 μg/kg in 2 ml saline 0.9% (Midazolam group, n = 30), whereas Group II received 20 ml of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25% + 2 ml saline (Control group, n = 30) for RS block on each side. The primary outcome was post-operative 48 h morphine consumption, whereas secondary outcomes included analgesia duration, post-operative pain, as evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain scoring at 1, 2, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h post-operatively, reported post-operative nausea and or vomiting (PONV), somnolence or any adverse drug reactions.

RESULTS

The current study showed that addition of midazolam to bupivacaine for RS blockade provided good analgesia as evidenced by a statistically significant less morphine consumption in the post-operative 48 h [11.2 (5.3-18.3) vs. 25.9 (15.2-31.0) mg, P = 0.002], longer duration of analgesia, lower VAS during post-operative 48 h, lower incidence of PONV, somnolence and pruritus.

CONCLUSION

Midazolam addition to bupivacaine for RS blockade provided adjuvant analgesia as supported by less morphine consumption, longer duration of analgesia, and lower VAS score.

Nanoelectromagnetic of the N-doped single wall carbon nanotube in the extremely high frequency band

Materials offering excellent mechanical flexibility, high electrical conductivity and electromagnetic interference (EMI) attenuation with minimal thickness are in high demand, particularly if they can be easily processed into films. Carbon nanotube films deposited on a PDMS substrate combine these requirements. In this work, the potential of single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) deposited on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer substrates for EMI attenuation is demonstrated. A 6-micrometer-thick SWCNT film exhibits EMI shielding effectiveness of 24.5 decibels in the extreme high frequency band (EHF), reaching 40 decibels when the SWCNTs are N-doped, which is one of the highest specific EMI attenuation performances optimized with film thickness realized to date. This performance stems from the good electrical conductivity of N-SWCNT films (150 Siemens per centimeter) and possible internal multireflections within the SWCNTs network. The excellent mechanical flexibility and easy coating processing enable them to sheathe complex shaped surfaces while providing high electromagnetic interference attenuation efficiency.

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Impact of methods of assessment

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), using different echocardiographic parameters, varies widely in the literature. The highest prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction was detected using the mitral inflow indexes that are commonly altered in these patients due to the associated tachycardia, reduced preload, and ventricular septal shift. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the impact of the used echocardiographic method of assessment on the prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with COPD and normal LV systolic function.

METHODS

We studied 35 patients with COPD and 18 age-matched controls. A comprehensive approach to diagnose and grade the LV diastolic dysfunction was performed in accordance with the recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography published in 2009. The results were compared with those of mitral inflow indexes.

RESULTS

LV diastolic dysfunction was reported in 20 patients using the mitral inflow indexes while in only 12 patients using the comprehensive approach (P=.021). Compared to the controls, LV diastolic dysfunction was significantly more common in patients using the mitral inflow indexes (P=.001), while no statistically significant difference was detected between both groups using the comprehensive approach (P=.1).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction in patients with COPD varies according to the used echocardiographic approach. Further studies are recommended to determine which approach is the most accurate in estimating the true prevalence of LV diastolic dysfunction among this group of patients.

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine: Brussels, Belgium. 15-18 March 2016

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.].

The effect of ivabradine on functional capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Increased sympathetic tone and use of bronchodilators increase heart rate and this may worsen functional capacity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to look at the short-term effect of the heart rate lowering drug ivabradine on clinical status in COPD patients.We randomised 80 COPD patients with sinus heart rate ≥90 bpm into either taking ivabradine 7.5 mg twice per day or placebo for two weeks. We assessed all patients using the modified Borg scale and 6-minute walk test at baseline and then again 2 weeks after randomisation.There were no significant differences in age, sex, severity of airway obstruction (measured using forceful exhalation), severity of diastolic dysfunction or pulmonary artery systolic pressure between the two groups. The ivabradine group showed significant improvement in 6-minute walk distance (from 192.6±108.8 m at baseline to 285.1±88.9 m at the end of the study) compared with the control group (230.6±68.4 at baseline and 250.4±65.8 m at the end of study) (p<0.001). This improvement in the drug group was associated with significant improvement of dyspnea on modified Borg scale (p=0.007).Lowering heart rate with ivabradine can improve exercise capacity and functional class in COPD patients with resting heart rate >90 bpm.

LH/hCGR gene expression in human cumulus cells is linked to the expression of the extracellular matrix modifying gene TNFAIP6 and to serum estradiol levels on day of hCG administration

BACKGROUND

Recent studies suggest a role for luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotrophin receptor (LH/hCGR) signalling in the regulation of the oocyte-cumulus oophorus cell interplay. The present study aimed at assessing the LH/hCGR gene expression in cumulus cells (CCs) surrounding oocytes in patients undergoing controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COS) before ICSI and to relate the LH/hCGR expression to other COS quality parameters.

METHODS

CCs from single oocytes of normal responder patients were analysed by DNA microarrays. Concomitantly, estradiol levels on the day of hCG administration, CC morphology, total collected oocyte and metaphase II oocyte number were assessed in relation to LH/hCGR gene expression in CC.

RESULTS

The transcriptome analysis of CC indicated a variable expression of LH/hCGR among the patients and intra-patients. LH/hCGR mRNA expression was negatively correlated with serum estradiol level on the day of hCG administration. Eighty-five genes were significantly modulated between CCs from patients with a high and a low LH/hCGR expression. These genes are involved principally in steroid metabolism and in the ovulation process and include TNFAIP6, a gene expressed during CC-oocyte complex (COC) expansion. There were no significant differences in LH/hCGR gene expression profile between COS protocols.

CONCLUSIONS

LH/hCGR is expressed in CC under COS conditions. LH/hCGR expression level is associated with TNFAIP6 gene expression and negatively correlated with serum estradiol level on the day of hCG administration.

Gene expression profile of human endometrial receptivity: comparison between natural and stimulated cycles for the same patients

BACKGROUND

The adjunction of exogenous hormones for controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) may alter endometrial receptiveness. In order to identify the genes misregulated under COS, we compared the endometrium gene expression profiles, from the same patients, in a natural cycle and in a subsequent COS cycle.

METHODS

For the same normal-responder patients (n = 21), endometrial biopsies (n = 84) were collected during the pre-receptive (LH + 2) and receptive stages (LH + 7) of a natural cycle and, subsequently, on oocyte retrieval day (hCG + 2) and on transfer day (hCG + 5) of a stimulated cycle. Samples were analyzed using DNA microarrays. Gene expression profiles and biological pathways involved in endometrial receptivity were analyzed.

RESULTS

Although endometrium transition profiles from pre-receptive to receptive phases are similar between patients, COS regimens alter endometrial receptivity in comparison with natural cycle. Under COS conditions, two endometrial profiles were identified and were associated either with a moderately altered receptivity profile for the majority of the patients or a strongly altered profile for a sub-category of patients. The receptive endometrium transcription profile under COS was defective for biological functions such as TGFbeta signaling, leukocyte transendothelial migration and the cell cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

Gonadotrophin treatments in COS cycles led to disruptions of the transcriptional activation of genes involved in normal endometrial receptivity. We propose that when the receptiveness of the endometrium is seriously compromised by the COS protocol, fresh embryo replacement should be cancelled, the embryo frozen and thawed embryo replacement should be performed under natural cycles.