Identification of de novo mutations and rare variants in hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is one of the most severe congenital heart malformations, characterized by underdevelopment of the structures in the left heartaorta complex. The majority of cases are sporadic. Although multiple genetic loci have been tentatively implicated in HLHS, no gene or pathway seems to be specifically associated with the disease. To elucidate the genetic basis of HLHS, we analyzed 53 well-characterized patients with isolated HLHS using an integrated genomic approach that combined DNA sequencing of five candidate genes (NKX2-5, NOTCH1, HAND1, FOXC2 and FOXL1) and genome-wide screening by high-resolution array comparative genomic hybridization. In 30 patients, we identified two novel de novo mutations in NOTCH1, 23 rare patients inherited gene variants in NOTCH1, FOXC2 and FOXL1, and 33 rare patients mostly inherited copy-number variants. Some of the identified variations coexisted in the same patient. The biological significance of such rare variations is unknown, but our findings strengthen the role of NOTCH pathway in cardiac valve development, indicating that HLHS is, at least in part, a valve disease. This is the first report of de novo mutations associated with isolated HLHS. Moreover, the coexistence of multiple rare variants suggests in some cases a cumulative effect, as shown for other complex disease

Fish oil and postoperative atrial fibrillation : the Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Post-operative Atrial Fibrillation (OPERA) randomized trial

Context: Postoperative atrial fibrillation or flutter (AF) is one of the most common complications of cardiac surgery and significantly increases morbidity and health care utilization. A few small trials have evaluated whether long-chain n-3-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduce postoperative AF, with mixed results. Objective: To determine whether perioperative n-3-PUFA supplementation reduces postoperative AF. Design, Setting, and Patients: The Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Postoperative Atrial Fibrillation (OPERA) double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. A total of 1516 patients scheduled for cardiac surgery in 28 centers in the United States, Italy, and Argentina were enrolled between August 2010 and June 2012. Inclusion criteria were broad; the main exclusions were regular use of fish oil or absence of sinus rhythm at enrollment. Intervention: Patients were randomized to receive fish oil (1-g capsules containing 65840 mg n-3-PUFAs as ethyl esters) or placebo, with preoperative loading of 10 g over 3 to 5 days (or 8 g over 2 days) followed postoperatively by 2 g/d until hospital discharge or postoperative day 10, whichever came first. Main Outcome Measure: Occurrence of postoperative AF lasting longer than 30 seconds. Secondary end points were postoperative AF lasting longer than 1 hour, resulting in symptoms, or treated with cardioversion; postoperative AF excluding atrial flutter; time to first postoperative AF; number of AF episodes per patient; hospital utilization; and major adverse cardiovascular events, 30-day mortality, bleeding, and other adverse events. Results: At enrollment, mean age was 64 (SD, 13) years; 72.2% of patients were men, and 51.8% had planned valvular surgery. The primary end point occurred in 233 (30.7%) patients assigned to placebo and 227 (30.0%) assigned to n-3-PUFAs (odds ratio, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.77-1.20]; P=.74). None of the secondary end points were significantly different between the placebo and fish oil groups, including postoperative AF that was sustained, symptomatic, or treated (231 [30.5%] vs 224 [29.6%], P=.70) or number of postoperative AF episodes per patient (1 episode: 156 [20.6%] vs 157 [20.7%]; 2 episodes: 59 [7.8%] vs 49 [6.5%]; 653 episodes: 18 [2.4%] vs 21 [2.8%]) (P=.73). Supplementation with n-3-PUFAs was generally well tolerated, with no evidence for increased risk of bleeding or serious adverse events. Conclusion: In this large multinational trial among patients undergoing cardiac surgery, perioperative supplementation with n-3-PUFAs, compared with placebo, did not reduce the risk of postoperative AF. Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT0097048

The epidemiology and treatment of ALS: focus on the heterogeneity of the disease and critical appraisal of therapeutic trials.

Effective treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have remained elusive. Only riluzole, a drug thought to affect glutamate metabolism, improves survival albeit to modest extent. Explanations for the negative results of therapeutic trials include a likely heterogeneity, both in disease susceptibility and pathogenic mechanisms, and faulty methodology of clinical trials. Further understanding of these factors will lead to improvements in patient stratification, and in the design of future clinical tria