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JAMA Cardiology Jun 2024The appropriate follow-up surveillance strategy for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains...
IMPORTANCE
The appropriate follow-up surveillance strategy for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains unknown.
OBJECTIVE
To assess clinical outcomes in patients with and without ACS who have undergone high-risk PCI according to a follow-up strategy of routine stress testing at 12 months after PCI vs standard care alone.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
The POST-PCI (Pragmatic Trial Comparing Symptom-Oriented vs Routine Stress Testing in High-Risk Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) trial was a randomized clinical trial that compared follow-up strategies of routine functional testing vs standard care alone 12 months after high-risk PCI. Patients were categorized as presenting with or without ACS. Patients were enrolled in the trial from November 2017 through September 2019, and patients were randomized from 11 sites in South Korea; data analysis was performed in 2022.
INTERVENTION
Patients categorized as presenting with or without ACS were randomized to either a routine functional testing or standard care alone follow-up strategy 12 months after high-risk PCI.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was a composite of death from any cause, myocardial infarction, or hospitalization for unstable angina at 2 years following randomization. Kaplan-Meier event rates through 2 years and Cox model hazard ratios (HRs) were generated, and interactions were tested.
RESULTS
Of 1706 included patients, 350 patients (20.5%) were female, and the mean (SD) patient age was 64.7 (10.3) years. In total, 526 patients (30.8%) presented with ACS. Compared with those without ACS, patients with ACS had a 55% greater risk of the primary outcome (HR, 1.55; 95% CI, 1.03-2.33; P = .03) due to higher event rates in the first year. The 2-year incidences of the primary outcome were similar between strategies of routine functional testing or standard care alone in patients with ACS (functional testing: 16 of 251 [6.6%]; standard care: 23 of 275 [8.5%]; HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.40-1.44; P = .39) and in patients without ACS (functional testing: 30 of 598 [5.1%]; standard care: 28 of 582 [4.9%]; HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.62-1.74; P = .88) (P for interaction for ACS = .45). Although a landmark analysis suggested that the rates of invasive angiography and repeat revascularization were higher after 1 year in the routine functional testing group, the formal interactions between ACS status and either invasive angiography or repeat revascularization were not significant.
CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE
Despite being at higher risk for adverse clinical events in the first year after PCI than patients without ACS, patients with ACS who had undergone high-risk PCI did not derive incremental benefit from routine surveillance stress testing at 12 months compared with standard care alone during follow-up.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03217877.
PubMed: 38922632
DOI: 10.1001/jamacardio.2024.1556 -
JAMA Network Open Jun 2024Opioid medications are commonly prescribed for the management of acute postoperative pain. In light of increasing awareness of the potential risks of opioid prescribing,...
IMPORTANCE
Opioid medications are commonly prescribed for the management of acute postoperative pain. In light of increasing awareness of the potential risks of opioid prescribing, data are needed to define the procedures and populations for which most opioid prescribing occurs.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the surgical procedures accounting for the highest proportion of opioids dispensed to adults after surgery in the United States.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
This cross-sectional analysis of the 2020-2021 Merative MarketScan Commercial and Multi-State Databases, which capture medical and pharmacy claims for 23 million and 14 million annual privately insured patients and Medicaid beneficiaries, respectively, included surgical procedures for individuals aged 18 to 64 years with a discharge date between December 1, 2020, and November 30, 2021. Procedures were identified using a novel crosswalk between 3664 Current Procedural Terminology codes and 1082 procedure types. Data analysis was conducted from November to December 2023.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The total amount of opioids dispensed within 3 days of discharge from surgery across all procedures in the sample, as measured in morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs), was calculated. The primary outcome was the proportion of total MMEs attributable to each procedure type, calculated separately among procedures for individuals aged 18 to 44 years and those aged 45 to 64 years.
RESULTS
Among 1 040 934 surgical procedures performed (mean [SD] age of patients, 45.5 [13.3] years; 663 609 [63.7%] female patients), 457 016 (43.9%) occurred among individuals aged 18 to 44 years and 583 918 (56.1%) among individuals aged 45 to 64 years. Opioid prescriptions were dispensed for 503 058 procedures (48.3%). Among individuals aged 18 to 44 years, cesarean delivery accounted for the highest proportion of total MMEs dispensed after surgery (19.4% [11 418 658 of 58 825 364 MMEs]). Among individuals aged 45 to 64 years, 4 of the top 5 procedures were common orthopedic procedures (eg, arthroplasty of knee, 9.7% of total MMEs [5 885 305 of 60 591 564 MMEs]; arthroscopy of knee, 6.5% [3 912 616 MMEs]).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
In this cross-sectional study of the distribution of postoperative opioid prescribing in the United States, a small number of common procedures accounted for a large proportion of MMEs dispensed after surgery. These findings suggest that the optimal design and targeting of surgical opioid stewardship initiatives in adults undergoing surgery should focus on the procedures that account for the most opioid dispensed following surgery over the life span, such as childbirth and orthopedic procedures. Going forward, systems that provide periodic surveillance of opioid prescribing and associated harms can direct quality improvement initiatives to reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality.
Topics: Humans; Analgesics, Opioid; Adult; Female; Middle Aged; Male; Cross-Sectional Studies; Pain, Postoperative; Practice Patterns, Physicians'; Patient Discharge; United States; Adolescent; Young Adult; Drug Prescriptions; Surgical Procedures, Operative
PubMed: 38922619
DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.17651 -
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology Apr 2024
PubMed: 38922591
DOI: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000001580 -
Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology Apr 2024Hyper-catecholaminergic conditions are known to cause heart failure and cardiac fibrosis when severe. Although previous investigations have studied the effects of...
Hyper-catecholaminergic conditions are known to cause heart failure and cardiac fibrosis when severe. Although previous investigations have studied the effects of beta-blockade in experimental models of catecholaminergic states, the detailed benefits of beta-blockade in more realistic models of hyper-adrenergic states were less clear. In this study, we examined acute cardiac changes in rats with hyper-acute catecholamine-induced heart failure with and without propranolol treatment. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12) underwent a 6-hour infusion of epinephrine and norepinephrine alone, with an additional propranolol bolus (1 mg/kg) at hour 1 (n=6). Cardiac tissues were examined after 6 hours. Cardiac immunohistochemistry revealed significantly decreased expression of phosphorylated p-38 (LV, p= 0.021; RV, p=0.021), with upregulation of reactive oxidative species and other pro-fibrosis proteins, after catecholamine infusion alone. After one propranolol 1 mg/kg bolus, the levels of phosphorylated-p38 returned to levels comparable to sham (LV, p= 0.021; RV, p= 0.043), with additional findings including downregulation of the apoptotic pathway and pro-fibrotic proteins. We conclude that catecholamine-induced heart failure exerts damage through the p-38 MAP kinase pathway, and demonstrates pro-fibrotic changes mediated by matrix metalloproteinase 9, alpha smooth muscle actin, and fibroblast growth factor-23. Changes in these pathways attenuated acute catecholamine-induced heart failure after propranolol bolus 1 mg/kg. We conclude that propranolol bolus at 1 mg/kg is able to mediate the effects of catecholamine excess through the p-38 MAP kinase pathway, pro-fibrosis, and extrinsic apoptosis pathway.
PubMed: 38922579
DOI: 10.1097/FJC.0000000000001571 -
Minerva Pediatrics Jun 2024The first aim of this study was to compare Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) admissions for acute bronchiolitis during the 2022-2023 season to those of the season...
BACKGROUND
The first aim of this study was to compare Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) admissions for acute bronchiolitis during the 2022-2023 season to those of the season 2021-2022. The secondary aim was to assess the difference in the recurrence of bronchiolitis episodes in the same patient between the two seasons.
METHODS
This is a retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study conducted at the PED of IRCCS A. Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation (Rome, Italy). We included all children aged between 0 and 2 years admitted to PED with the diagnosis of bronchiolitis. We compared features of seasons 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
RESULTS
The median age of children enrolled during the 2022-23 season was 5 months (IQR: 2-8) compared to 7 months (IQR: 2-14) in the previous one (P=0.02). We observed in the last season a higher number of children admitted to PED with a high priority code and an increased therapeutic use of high-flow nasal cannula and inhaled adrenaline. During the 2022-23 season we found 31 (12.8%) children presenting more than one episode of bronchiolitis in the same epidemic season, compared to 16 (7.6%) children in the previous season (P=0.048).
CONCLUSIONS
Our data emphasize that the epidemiological features of bronchiolitis after COVID-19 outbreak have changed and are still evolving.
PubMed: 38922571
DOI: 10.23736/S2724-5276.24.07510-4 -
Journal of Neurovirology Jun 2024The cellular prion protein (PrP) is an extracellular cell membrane protein. Due to its diversified roles, a definite role of PrP has been difficult to establish. During...
The cellular prion protein (PrP) is an extracellular cell membrane protein. Due to its diversified roles, a definite role of PrP has been difficult to establish. During viral infection, PrP has been reported to play a pleiotropic role. Here, we have attempted to envision the function of PrP in the neurotropic m-CoV-MHV-RSA59-induced model of neuroinflammation in C57BL/6 mice. A significant upregulation of PrP at protein and mRNA levels was evident in infected mouse brains during the acute phase of neuroinflammation. Furthermore, investigation of the effect of MHV-RSA59 infection on PrP expression in specific neuronal, microglial, and astrocytoma cell lines, revealed a differential expression of prion protein during neuroinflammation. Additionally, siRNA-mediated downregulation of prnp transcripts reduced the expression of viral antigen and viral infectivity in these cell lines. Cumulatively, our results suggest that PrP expression significantly increases during acute MHV-RSA59 infection and that PrP also assists in viral infectivity and viral replication.
PubMed: 38922550
DOI: 10.1007/s13365-024-01215-w -
Pain and Therapy Jun 2024Dexketoprofen/tramadol 25/75 mg (DKP/TRAM) is a fixed-dose combination of a cyclooxygenase inhibitor and opioid receptor agonist. To better understand the efficacy and...
Dexketoprofen Trometamol and Tramadol Hydrochloride Fixed-Dose Combination in Moderate to Severe Acute Low Back Pain: A Phase IV, Randomized, Parallel Group, Placebo, Active-Controlled Study (DANTE).
INTRODUCTION
Dexketoprofen/tramadol 25/75 mg (DKP/TRAM) is a fixed-dose combination of a cyclooxygenase inhibitor and opioid receptor agonist. To better understand the efficacy and safety of DKP/TRAM in the treatment of moderate to severe acute lower back pain (LBP) with or without radiculopathy, we carried out a large explorative phase IV international, multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled study (DANTE).
METHODS
A total of 538 patients with or without a history of LBP and experiencing acute LPB of moderate to severe intensity [Numerical Rating Scale-Pain Intensity (NRS-PI) score > 5] were randomized 4:4:1:1 to DKP/TRAM 25/75 mg every 8 h (n = 211), tramadol (TRAM) 100 mg (n = 207), placebo-matched DKP/TRAM (n = 59), or placebo-matched TRAM (n = 61).
RESULTS
The proportion of patients achieving the primary endpoint, defined as the time to first achieve NRS-PI score < 4 or pain intensity reduction ≥ 30% from drug intake up to 8 h after the first dose, was higher in the DKP/TRAM arm than in the placebo group, but the difference was not statistically significant (46.1% vs. 42.6%, respectively; hazard ratio 1.11; 95% confidence interval 0.775, 1.595; p = 0.566). DKP/TRAM achieved superiority over TRAM in total pain relief at 4, 6, and 8 h (p < 0.05). Conversely, in relation to the secondary endpoints, a significantly greater reduction in NRS-PI score was seen with DKP/TRAM versus placebo starting from 1 h, and this reduction remained numerically lower throughout 8 h. Summed pain intensity difference values were also significantly lower at 4, 6, and 8 h with DKP/TRAM compared to TRAM (p < 0.05). Overall, DKP/TRAM was well tolerated.
CONCLUSION
Although the primary endpoint was not met, secondary efficacy analyses suggest the superiority of DKP/TRAM over placebo and TRAM alone in terms of total pain relief. DKP/TRAM can be considered to be an effective and safe option for the treatment of moderate to severe acute LBP.
DANTE STUDY REGISTRATION
EudraCT number: 2019-003656-37; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05170841.
PubMed: 38922520
DOI: 10.1007/s40122-024-00623-4 -
Neurosurgical Review Jun 2024Coagulopathy development in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the significant complications that can negatively affect the clinical course and outcome of TBI...
Coagulopathy development in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the significant complications that can negatively affect the clinical course and outcome of TBI patients. Timely identification of this complication is of utmost importance in the acute clinical setting. We reviewed TBI patients admitted to our trauma center from 2015 to 2021. Demographic data, mechanism of injury, findings on admission, imaging studies, procedures during hospitalization, and functional outcomes were gathered. INR with a cutoff of 1.3, platelet count less than 100 × 10⁹/L, or partial thromboplastin time greater than 40s were utilized as the markers of coagulopathy. A total of 4002 patients were included. Coagulopathy occurred in 38.1% of the patients. Age of the patients (Odds Ratio (OR) = 0.993, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 0.986-0.999, p = 0.028), systolic blood pressure (OR = 0.993, 95% CI = 0.989-0.998, p = 0.005), fibrinogen level (OR = 0.998, 95% CI = 0.996-0.999, p < 0.001), and hemoglobin level (OR = 0.886, 95% CI = 0.839-0.936, p < 0.001) were independently associated with coagulopathy. Furthermore, coagulopathy was independently associated with higher mortality rates and longer ICU stays. Coagulopathy had the most substantial effect on mortality of TBI patients (OR = 2.6, 95% CI = 2.1-3.3, p < 0.001), compared to other admission clinical characteristics independently associated with mortality such as fixed pupillary light reflex (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.5-2.4, p < 0.001), GCS (OR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.88-0.94, p < 0.001), and hemoglobin level (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.88-0.98, p = 0.004). Early coagulopathy in TBI patients can lead to higher mortality rates. Future studies are needed to prove that early detection and correction of coagulopathy and modifiable risk factors may help improve outcomes of TBI patients.
Topics: Humans; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Female; Male; Adult; Middle Aged; Retrospective Studies; Blood Coagulation Disorders; Incidence; Aged; Risk Factors; Young Adult; Cohort Studies; Partial Thromboplastin Time
PubMed: 38922506
DOI: 10.1007/s10143-024-02523-9 -
International Ophthalmology Jun 2024To provide a comprehensive microbiological profile of bacterial dacryocystitis in South Australia. By identifying the specific microorganism and antibiotic...
PURPOSE
To provide a comprehensive microbiological profile of bacterial dacryocystitis in South Australia. By identifying the specific microorganism and antibiotic susceptibility, this study intends to aid ophthalmologists in choosing appropriate empirical antibiotic therapies and development of evidence-based clinical guidelines.
METHOD
A retrospective study was conducted at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) over five years (2018-2023) of patients with acute dacryocystitis. The study included 43 patients, and data encompassed demographic information, clinical presentation, microbiological analysis, management, and outcomes. Patients with chronic dacryocystitis were excluded.
RESULTS
Among the 43 patients included in the study (female 28 (65%), mean age: 64 years old), the most common clinical features were pain (74%) and swelling (70%). Organisms were identified in 49% of patients, with the predominant bacteria being Staphylococcus aureus (42%), Streptococcus species (19%), and Escherichia coli (8%). Aggregatibacter species (8%), Morganella morganii (4%), Enterobacter cloaceae (4%), Hafnia alvei (4%), mixed anaerobes (4%), E coliforms (4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4%) were also identified. The most frequently prescribed empirical antibiotics were amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (50%), flucloxacillin (33%) and cefalexin (18%).
CONCLUSION
The microbiological trends of acute dacryocystitis have largely remained consistent, with a predominance of Gram positive organisms. This is the most recent profile analysis of acute dacryocystitis in South Australia and will help form evidence-based clinical guidelines.
Topics: Humans; Female; Middle Aged; Dacryocystitis; Male; Eye Infections, Bacterial; Retrospective Studies; South Australia; Acute Disease; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Aged; Tertiary Care Centers; Adult; Bacteria; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Aged, 80 and over
PubMed: 38922457
DOI: 10.1007/s10792-024-03236-0 -
Emerging Microbes & Infections Jun 2024Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of acute hepatitis, however, is highly neglected and largely underreported. This study aimed to describe the...
Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important cause of acute hepatitis, however, is highly neglected and largely underreported. This study aimed to describe the detailed epidemiology of hepatitis E (HE) through a 10-year surveillance. A community-based active hepatitis surveillance was conducted between November 2007 and October 2017 in 11 townships of Dongtai City in China, involving 355,673 residents. Serum samples were obtained from patients presenting with hepatitis symptoms for more than 3 days. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels greater than 2.5 times the upper limit of normal (ULN) were considered acute hepatitis. Samples were subsequently tested for IgG and IgM anti-HEV antibodies, HEV RNA, and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The data indicated the incidence of HE fluctuated downward from 2007 to 2017, with an average annual age-standardized incidence of 17.50 per 100,000, exceeding the 10.26 per 100,000 in the National Notifiable Disease Report System (NNDRS). The incidence was notably higher among males (20.95 per 100,000) and individuals aged 50-69 years (37.47 per 100,000). Genotype 4 (HEV-4) was the predominantly circulating genotype during the study period. Furthermore, the study revealed the incidence of hepatitis with HEV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection was 4.99 per 100,000. Conclusion The active surveillance system identified a higher incidence of HE compared to NNDRS, with a decreased prevalence over a 10-year period. While efforts are still needed to prevent HE in high-risk populations, including individuals with hepatitis B and the elderly.
PubMed: 38922438
DOI: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2373315