Antiinflammatory Therapy with Canakinumab for Atherosclerotic Disease

Background: Experimental and clinical data suggest that reducing inflammation without affecting lipid levels may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the inflammatory hypothesis of atherothrombosis has remained unproved. Methods: We conducted a randomized, double-blind trial of canakinumab, a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-1β, involving 10,061 patients with previous myocardial infarction and a high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level of 2 mg or more per liter. The trial compared three doses of canakinumab (50 mg, 150 mg, and 300 mg, administered subcutaneously every 3 months) with placebo. The primary efficacy end point was nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or cardiovascular death. RESULTS: At 48 months, the median reduction from baseline in the high-sensitivity C-reactive protein level was 26 percentage points greater in the group that received the 50-mg dose of canakinumab, 37 percentage points greater in the 150-mg group, and 41 percentage points greater in the 300-mg group than in the placebo group. Canakinumab did not reduce lipid levels from baseline. At a median follow-up of 3.7 years, the incidence rate for the primary end point was 4.50 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group, 4.11 events per 100 person-years in the 50-mg group, 3.86 events per 100 person-years in the 150-mg group, and 3.90 events per 100 person-years in the 300-mg group. The hazard ratios as compared with placebo were as follows: in the 50-mg group, 0.93 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80 to 1.07; P = 0.30); in the 150-mg group, 0.85 (95% CI, 0.74 to 0.98; P = 0.021); and in the 300-mg group, 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.99; P = 0.031). The 150-mg dose, but not the other doses, met the prespecified multiplicity-adjusted threshold for statistical significance for the primary end point and the secondary end point that additionally included hospitalization for unstable angina that led to urgent revascularization (hazard ratio vs. placebo, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73 to 0.95; P = 0.005). Canakinumab was associated with a higher incidence of fatal infection than was placebo. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality (hazard ratio for all canakinumab doses vs. placebo, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.83 to 1.06; P = 0.31). Conclusions: Antiinflammatory therapy targeting the interleukin-1β innate immunity pathway with canakinumab at a dose of 150 mg every 3 months led to a significantly lower rate of recurrent cardiovascular events than placebo, independent of lipid-level lowering. (Funded by Novartis; CANTOS ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01327846.

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely

Identification of Lactate as a Cardiac Protectant by Inhibiting Inflammation and Cardiac Hypertrophy Using a Zebrafish Acute Heart Failure Model

Acute heart failure (AHF) commonly arises from decompensated chronic heart failure or sudden structural and functional breakdown causing a decrease in cardiac contractility and consequently fluid accumulation and systemic congestion. Current treatment for AHF aims at reducing fluid overload and improving hemodynamic which results in quick symptom relief but still poor prognostic outcome. This study utilizes a zebrafish AHF model induced by aristolochic acid (AA) to look for natural products that could attenuate the progression of AHF. The project started off by testing nearly seventy herbal crude extracts. Two of the positive extracts were from Chinese water chestnuts and are further studied in this report. After several rounds of chromatographical chemical fractionation and biological tests, a near pure fraction, named A2-4-2-4, with several hydrophilic compounds was found to attenuate the AA-induced AHF. A2-4-2-4 appeared to inhibit inflammation and cardiac hypertrophy by reducing MAPK signaling activity. Chemical analyses revealed that the major compound in A2-4-2-4 is actually lactate. Pure sodium lactate showed attenuation of the AA-induced AHF and inflammation and cardiac hypertrophy suppression as well, suggesting that the AHF attenuation ability in A2-4-2-4 is attributable to lactate. Our studies identify lactate as a cardiac protectant and a new therapeutic agent for AHF

Behavioural and emotional problems, intellectual impairment and health-related quality of life in patients with organic acidurias and urea cycle disorders

BACKGROUND Organic acidurias (OADs) and urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are inborn metabolic disorders with a risk for acute and chronic metabolic decompensation resulting in impairments of the central nervous system and other organ systems. So far, there is no systematic study of intellectual functioning, behavioural/emotional problems and health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and how these domains are connected. METHODS Data of 152 patients with OADs (n = 100) and UCDs (n = 52) from the European Registry and Network of intoxication type Metabolic Diseases (E-IMD) using standardized instruments were compared with normative data. RESULTS Behavioural/emotional problems are increased in OADs or UCDs patients by a factor of 2.5 (3.0), in female asymptomatic carriers of X-linked inherited UCD ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (fasOTCD) by a factor of 1.5. All groups show similar patterns of behavioural/emotional problems, not different from epidemiological data. Mental disability (IQ ≤ 70) was found in 31 % of OAD, 43 % of UCD, but not in fasOTCD subjects. HRQoL was decreased in the physical domain, but in the normal range. Behavioural/emotional problems were significantly associated with intellectual functioning (OR = 6.24, 95 %CI: 1.39-27.99), but HRQoL was independent from both variables. CONCLUSIONS Patients with OADs and UCDs show increased frequencies of mental disability and behavioural/emotional problems. Profiles of behavioural/emotional problems were similar to epidemiological data. Intellectual disability and behavioural/emotional problems were strongly associated. Patients' HRQoL was in the normal range, possibly compensated by coping strategies of their families. Diagnostics and clinical care of OAD/UCD patients should be improved regarding behavioural/emotional, intellectual and quality of life aspects