24 research outputs found
Remote monitoring field trial : Application to automated air sampling : Report on Task FIN-E935 of the Finnish Support Programme to IAEA Safeguards
Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTICâHF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials
Aims:
The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTICâHF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTICâHF and how these compare with other contemporary trials.
Methods and Results:
Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA)ââ„âII, EF â€35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokineticâguided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50âmg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), nonâwhite (22%), mean age 65âyears] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NTâproBNP 1971âpg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTICâHF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressureâ<â100âmmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate <â30âmL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitrilâvalsartan at baseline (n = 1594).
Conclusions:
GALACTICâHF enrolled a wellâtreated, highârisk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation
Durable remission of pure red cell aplasia after treatment with high-dose intravenous gammaglobulin and prednisone
Comparative Cardiopulmonary Effects of Particulate Matter- And Ozone-Enhanced Smog Atmospheres in Mice
Diagnostic accuracy of vaccine and vaccine excipient testing in the setting of allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines: AÂ systematic review and meta-analysis
For persons with immediate allergic reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, skin testing (ST) to the vaccine/excipients (polyethylene glycol[PEG] and polysorbate 80 [PS]) has been recommended, but has unknown accuracy. To assess vaccine/excipient ST accuracy in predicting all-severity immediate allergic reactions upon re-vaccination, systematic review was performed searching Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the WHO global coronavirus database (inception-Oct 4, 2021) for studies addressing immediate (â€4 h post-vaccination) all-severity allergic reactions to 2nd mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in persons with 1st dose immediate allergic reactions. Cases evaluating delayed reactions, change of vaccine platform, or revaccination without vaccine/excipient ST were excluded. Meta-analysis of diagnostic testing accuracy was performed using Bayesian methods. The GRADE approach evaluated certainty of the evidence, and QUADAS-2 assessed risk of bias. Among 20 studies of mRNA COVID-19 first dose vaccine reactions, 317 individuals underwent 578 ST to any one or combination of vaccine, PEG, or PS, and were re-vaccinated with the same vaccine. Test sensitivity for either mRNA vaccine was 0.2 (95%CrI 0.01â0.52) and specificity 0.97 (95%CrI 0.9â1). PEG test sensitivity was 0.02 (95%CrI 0.00â0.07) and specificity 0.99 (95%CrI 0.96â1). PS test sensitivity was 0.03 (95%CrI 0.00â0.0.11) and specificity 0.97 (95%CrI 0.91â1). Combined for use of any of the 3 testing agents, sensitivity was 0.03 (95%CrI 0.00â0.08) and specificity was 0.98 (95%CrI 0.95â1.00). Certainty of evidence was moderate. ST has low sensitivity but high specificity in predicting all-severity repeat immediate allergic reactions to the same agent, among persons with 1st dose immediate allergic reactions to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. mRNA COVID-19 vaccine or excipient ST has limited risk assessment utility.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175406/1/all15571-sup-0003-supplementaryfigureE2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175406/2/all15571-sup-0002-supplementaryfigureE1.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175406/3/all15571_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/175406/4/all15571.pd
Early-Life Persistent Vitamin D Deficiency Alters Cardiopulmonary Responses to Particulate Matter-Enhanced Atmospheric Smog in Adult Mice
Early life nutritional deficiencies
can lead to increased cardiovascular
susceptibility to environmental exposures. Thus, the purpose of this
study was to examine the effect of early life persistent vitamin D
deficiency (VDD) on the cardiopulmonary response to a particulate
matter-enhanced photochemical smog. Mice were fed a VDD or normal
diet (ND) after weaning. At 17 weeks of age, mice were implanted with
radiotelemeters to monitor electrocardiogram, heart rate (HR), and
heart rate variability (HRV). Ventilatory function was measured throughout
the diet before and after smog exposure using whole-body plethysmography.
VDD mice had lower HR, increased HRV, and decreased tidal volume compared
with ND. Regardless of diet, HR decreased during air exposure; this
response was blunted by smog in ND mice and to a lesser degree in
VDD. When compared with ND, VDD increased HRV during air exposure
and more so with smog. However, smog only increased cardiac arrhythmias
in ND mice. This study demonstrates that VDD alters the cardiopulmonary
response to smog, highlighting the possible influence of nutritional
factors in determining responses to air pollution. The mechanism of
how VDD induces these effects is currently unknown, but modifiable
factors should be considered when performing risk assessment of complex
air pollution atmospheres
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Disruption of cardiac thin filament assembly arising from a mutation in : A novel mechanism of neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy
Neonatal heart failure is a rare, poorly-understood presentation of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Exome sequencing in a neonate with severe DCM revealed a homozygous nonsense variant in leiomodin 2 (LMOD2, p.Trp398*). Leiomodins (Lmods) are actin-binding proteins that regulate actin filament assembly. While disease-causing mutations in smooth (LMOD1) and skeletal (LMOD3) muscle isoforms have been described, the cardiac (LMOD2) isoform has not been previously associated with human disease. Like our patient, Lmod2-null mice have severe early-onset DCM and die before weaning. The infant's explanted heart showed extraordinarily short thin filaments with isolated cardiomyocytes displaying a large reduction in maximum calcium-activated force production. The lack of extracardiac symptoms in Lmod2-null mice, and remarkable morphological and functional similarities between the patient and mouse model informed the decision to pursue cardiac transplantation in the patient. To our knowledge, this is the first report of aberrant cardiac thin filament assembly associated with human cardiomyopathy.NIHUnited States Department of Health & Human ServicesNational Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA [R01HL108625, R01HL123078, T32GM008638, T32GM07526-41]Open access journalThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]
Clinical Effectiveness of Telemedicine-Based Pediatric Genetics Care
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Telemedicine may increase access to medical genetics care. However, in the pediatric setting, how telemedicine may affect the diagnostic rate is unknown, partially because of the perceived importance of the dysmorphology physical examination. We studied the clinical effectiveness of telemedicine for patients with suspected or confirmed genetic conditions. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of outpatient encounters before and after the widespread implementation of telemedicine (N = 5854). Visit types, diagnoses, patient demographic characteristics, and laboratory data were acquired from the electronic health record. Patient satisfaction was assessed through survey responses. New molecular diagnosis was the primary end point. RESULTS: Patients seen by telemedicine were more likely to report non-Hispanic White ancestry, prefer to speak English, live in zip codes with higher median incomes, and have commercial insurance (all P \u3c .01). Genetic testing was recommended for more patients evaluated by telemedicine than in person (79.5% vs 70.9%; P \u3c .001). Patients seen in person were more likely to have a sample collected, resulting in similar test completion rates (telemedicine, 51.2%; in person, 55.1%; P = .09). There was no significant difference in molecular diagnosis rate between visit modalities (telemedicine, 13.8%; in person, 12.4%; P = .40). CONCLUSIONS: Telemedicine and traditional in-person evaluation resulted in similar molecular diagnosis rates. However, improved methodologies for remote sample collection may be required. This study reveals the feasibility of telemedicine in a large academic medical genetics practice and is applicable to other pediatric specialties with perceived importance of physical examination