Reperfusion therapy for ST elevation acute myocardial infarction 2010/2011: current status in 37 ESC countries

Aims Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the preferred reperfusion therapy in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). We conducted this study to evaluate the contemporary status on the use and type of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member countries. Methods and results A cross-sectional descriptive study based on aggregated country-level data on the use of reperfusion therapy in patients admitted with STEMI during 2010 or 2011. Thirty-seven ESC countries were able to provide data from existing national or regional registries. In countries where no such registries exist, data were based on best expert estimates. Data were collected on the use of STEMI reperfusion treatment and mortality, the numbers of cardiologists, and the availability of PPCI facilities in each country. Our survey provides a brief data summary of the degree of variation in reperfusion therapy across Europe. The number of PPCI procedures varied between countries, ranging from 23 to 884 per million inhabitants. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolysis were the dominant reperfusion strategy in 33 and 4 countries, respectively. The mean population served by a single PPCI centre with a 24-h service 7 days a week ranged from 31 300 inhabitants per centre to 6 533 000 inhabitants per centre. Twenty-seven of the total 37 countries participated in a former survey from 2007, and major increases in PPCI utilization were observed in 13 of these countries. Conclusion Large variations in reperfusion treatment are still present across Europe. Countries in Eastern and Southern Europe reported that a substantial number of STEMI patients are not receiving any reperfusion therapy. Implementation of the best reperfusion therapy as recommended in the guidelines should be encourage

Significant prevalence of antibodies reacting with simian virus 40 mimotopes in sera from patients affected by glioblastoma multiforme.

Background Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a rare tumour, which affects 1/100,000 individuals, but it represents 30% of central nervous system (CNS) malignancies. GBM is a severe tumor responsible of 2% of all cancer related deaths. GBM, although characterized by genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneities, invariably resists to conventional chemo- and radio-therapies. Several chromosome alterations and gene mutations were detected in GBM. Simian Virus 40 (SV40), a small DNA tumour virus, have been found in GBM specimens by some studies, while other other investigations did not confirm the association. Methods Indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with two synthetic peptides mimicking SV40 antigens of viral capsid proteins 1-3 was employed to detect specific antibodies against SV40 in serum samples from GBM affected patients, together with controls represented by patients affected by breast cancer and normal subjects, with the same median age. Results Our data indicate that in serum samples from GBM affected patients (n = 44) the prevalence of antibodies against SV40 VPs antigens is statistically significant higher (34%, P=0.016 and P=0.03) than in the control groups (15%), represented by healthy subjects (n=101) and patients affected by breast cancers (n=78), respectively. Conclusion Our data indicate that SV40, or a closely related yet undiscovered human polyomavirus, is associated with a subset of glioblastoma multiforme and circulates in humans. Our study can be transferred to the clinical oncology application to discriminate different types of the heterogeneous glioblastoma multiforme, which in turn may address an innovative therapeutic approach to this fatal cancer