Longitudinal Neuroimaging Analysis in Mild-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Patients Treated with Plasma Exchange with 5% Human Albumin

Altres ajuts: This study was funded by Grifols. [...] James T. Becker (Department of Psychiatry, Neurology and Psychology. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, USA) read and commented on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Jordi Bozzo PhD, CMPP (Grifols) is acknowledged for medical writing and editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.Recently, modifications of Aβ levels in CSF and plasma associated with improvement in memory and language functions have been observed in patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) treated with plasma exchange (PE) with albumin replacement. To detect structural and functional brain changes in PE-treated AD patients as part of a Phase II clinical trial. Patients received between 3 and 18 PE with albumin (Albutein ® 5%, Grifols) or sham-PE (controls) for 21 weeks (divided in one intensive and two maintenance periods) followed by 6-month follow-up. Brain perfusion assessed by SPECT scans using an automated software (NeuroGam ®) and brain structural changes assessed by MRI were performed at weeks 0 (baseline), 21, and 44 (with additional SPECT at weeks 9 and 33). Statistical parametric mapping (voxel-based analysis, SPM) and Z-scores calculations were applied to investigate changes to baseline. 42 patients were recruited (39 evaluable; 37 analyzed: 18 PE-treated; 19 controls). There was a trend toward decreasing hippocampi and total intracranial volume for both patient groups during the study (p < 0.05). After six months, PE-treated patients had less cerebral perfusion loss than controls in frontal, temporal, and parietal areas, and perfusion stabilization in Brodmann area BA38-R during the PE-treatment period (p < 0.05). SPM analysis showed stabilization or absence of progression of perfusion loss in PE-treated patients until week 21, not observed in controls. Mild-moderate AD patients showed decreased brain volume and impairment of brain perfusion as expected for the progression of the disease. PE-treatment with albumin replacement favored the stabilization of perfusion

Identification of Myocardial Insulin Resistance by Using Liver Tests: A Simple Approach for Clinical Practice

Cardiovascular risk; Myocardial insulin resistance; Non-alcoholic fatty liver diseaseRiesgo cardiovascular; Resistencia a la insulina del miocardio; Enfermedad del higado graso no alcoholicoRisc cardiovascular; Resistència a la insulina del miocardi; Malaltia del fetge gras no alcohòlicBackground: We report that myocardial insulin resistance (mIR) occurs in around 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in comparison with patients with insulin-sensitive myocardium (mIS). These two phenotypes (mIR vs. mIS) can only be assessed using time-consuming and expensive methods. The aim of the present study is to search a simple and reliable surrogate to identify both phenotypes. Methods: Forty-seven patients with T2D underwent myocardial [18F]FDG PET/CT at baseline and after a hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp (HEC) to determine mIR were prospectively recruited. Biochemical assessments were performed before and after the HEC. Baseline hepatic steatosis index and index of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4) were calculated. Furthermore, liver stiffness measurement was performed using transient elastography. Results: The best model to predict the presence of mIR was the combination of transaminases, protein levels, FIB-4 score and HOMA (AUC = 0.95; sensibility: 0.81; specificity: 0.95). We observed significantly higher levels of fibrosis in patients with mIR than in those with mIS (p = 0.034). In addition, we found that patients with mIR presented a reduced glucose uptake by the liver in comparison with patients with mIS. Conclusions: The combination of HOMA, protein, transaminases and FIB-4 is a simple and reliable tool for identifying mIR in patients with T2D. This information will be useful to improve the stratification of cardiovascular risk in T2D.This work was supported by the Carlos III Health Institute and the European Regional Development Fund (PI16/02064, PI20/01588) and the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR) of Catalonia (2017SGR1303)

Localización y cuantificación del área en riesgo mediante tomografía computarizada por emisión de fotones simples de perfusión miocárdica durante la oclusión arterial coronaria

Introducción y objetivos. Analizar la extensión y distribución del miocardio en riesgo en los mapas polares de la tomografía computarizada por emisión de fotones simples (SPECT) de perfusión miocárdica correspondientes a las arterias descendente anterior (DA), coronaria derecha (CD) y circunfleja (CX), obtenidos mediante la inyección de un radiotrazador tecneciado durante su oclusión en el curso de una angioplastia. Pacientes y método. Se estudió a 50 pacientes (24 de la DA, 15 de la CD y 11 de la CX) a los que, inmediatamente después del inicio del inflado del globo de angioplastia, se inyectó por vía intravenosa un compuesto tecneciado manteniendo ocluida la arteria durante unos 90 s. Posteriormente, se procedió a captar los mapas polares con la distribución y extensión de la zona isquémica (captación < 50% respecto a la máxima). Resultados. El porcentaje de extensión media del territorio isquémico con relación a todo el ventrículo izquierdo durante las oclusiones de la DA proximal fue del 49,8 ± 10,3% (mínimo 35%, máximo 67%); para la DA media, del 39,8 ± 8,3% (mínimo 20%, máximo 51%); para la CD, del 20,3 ± 7,6% (mínimo 8,3%, máximo 35%), y para la CX, del 21,3 ± 10,8% (mínimo 10,2%, máximo 30%). Conclusiones. Los contornos y la extensión de la isquemia obtenidos en los mapas polares durante la oclusión de las arterias coronarias permiten definir el área en riesgo real de cada arteria con una distribución y extensión diferentes de las de los mapas polares clásicos utilizados habitualmente en la mayoría de los programas de cuantificación del SPECT de perfusión miocárdica

Identification of Myocardial Insulin Resistance by Using Liver Tests : A Simple Approach for Clinical Practice

Background: We report that myocardial insulin resistance (mIR) occurs in around 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in comparison with patients with insulin-sensitive myocardium (mIS). These two phenotypes (mIR vs. mIS) can only be assessed using time-consuming and expensive methods. The aim of the present study is to search a simple and reliable surrogate to identify both phenotypes. Methods: Forty-seven patients with T2D underwent myocardial [18F]FDG PET/CT at baseline and after a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC) to determine mIR were prospectively recruited. Biochemical assessments were performed before and after the HEC. Baseline hepatic steatosis index and index of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4) were calculated. Furthermore, liver stiffness measurement was performed using transient elastography. Results: The best model to predict the presence of mIR was the combination of transaminases, protein levels, FIB-4 score and HOMA (AUC = 0.95; sensibility: 0.81; specificity: 0.95). We observed significantly higher levels of fibrosis in patients with mIR than in those with mIS (p = 0.034). In addition, we found that patients with mIR presented a reduced glucose uptake by the liver in comparison with patients with mIS. Conclusions: The combination of HOMA, protein, transaminases and FIB-4 is a simple and reliable tool for identifying mIR in patients with T2D. This information will be useful to improve the stratification of cardiovascular risk in T2D

Identification of myocardial insulin resistance by using liver tests: a simple approach for clinical practice

Background: We report that myocardial insulin resistance (mIR) occurs in around 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and was associated with higher cardiovascular risk in comparison with patients with insulin-sensitive myocardium (mIS). These two phenotypes (mIR vs. mIS) can only be assessed using time-consuming and expensive methods. The aim of the present study is to search a simple and reliable surrogate to identify both phenotypes. Methods: Forty-seven patients with T2D underwent myocardial [18F]FDG PET/CT at baseline and after a hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp (HEC) to determine mIR were prospectively recruited. Biochemical assessments were performed before and after the HEC. Baseline hepatic steatosis index and index of hepatic fibrosis (FIB-4) were calculated. Furthermore, liver stiffness measurement was performed using transient elastography. Results: The best model to predict the presence of mIR was the combination of transaminases, protein levels, FIB-4 score and HOMA (AUC = 0.95; sensibility: 0.81; specificity: 0.95). We observed significantly higher levels of fibrosis in patients with mIR than in those with mIS (p = 0.034). In addition, we found that patients with mIR presented a reduced glucose uptake by the liver in comparison with patients with mIS. Conclusions: The combination of HOMA, protein, transaminases and FIB-4 is a simple and reliable tool for identifying mIR in patients with T2D. This information will be useful to improve the stratification of cardiovascular risk in T2D

Longitudinal Neuroimaging Analysis in Mild-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease Patients Treated with Plasma Exchange with 5% Human Albumin

Altres ajuts: This study was funded by Grifols. [...] James T. Becker (Department of Psychiatry, Neurology and Psychology. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh PA, USA) read and commented on an earlier draft of the manuscript. Jordi Bozzo PhD, CMPP (Grifols) is acknowledged for medical writing and editorial assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.Recently, modifications of Aβ levels in CSF and plasma associated with improvement in memory and language functions have been observed in patients with mild-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) treated with plasma exchange (PE) with albumin replacement. To detect structural and functional brain changes in PE-treated AD patients as part of a Phase II clinical trial. Patients received between 3 and 18 PE with albumin (Albutein ® 5%, Grifols) or sham-PE (controls) for 21 weeks (divided in one intensive and two maintenance periods) followed by 6-month follow-up. Brain perfusion assessed by SPECT scans using an automated software (NeuroGam ®) and brain structural changes assessed by MRI were performed at weeks 0 (baseline), 21, and 44 (with additional SPECT at weeks 9 and 33). Statistical parametric mapping (voxel-based analysis, SPM) and Z-scores calculations were applied to investigate changes to baseline. 42 patients were recruited (39 evaluable; 37 analyzed: 18 PE-treated; 19 controls). There was a trend toward decreasing hippocampi and total intracranial volume for both patient groups during the study (p < 0.05). After six months, PE-treated patients had less cerebral perfusion loss than controls in frontal, temporal, and parietal areas, and perfusion stabilization in Brodmann area BA38-R during the PE-treatment period (p < 0.05). SPM analysis showed stabilization or absence of progression of perfusion loss in PE-treated patients until week 21, not observed in controls. Mild-moderate AD patients showed decreased brain volume and impairment of brain perfusion as expected for the progression of the disease. PE-treatment with albumin replacement favored the stabilization of perfusion