Comprehensive physical rehabilitation of patients with heart failure: impact on clinical and functional status and analysis of problems related to the enrollment

Aim. To evaluate functional, clinical and psychological status of patients with class II-III heart failure, who underwent comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation program.Material and methods. Patients of both sexes with class II-III heart failure who met the inclusion criteria, did not have the exclusion criteria, and signed informed consent were included. The training process consisted of a 4-week respiratory muscle (RM) training using the THRESHOLD® IMT breathing trainer followed by a 12-week moderate intensity aerobic exercise (AE). AE were conducted under the supervision of an instructor 3 times a week for 40 minutes. RM training was carried out by patients at home on their own 5-7 times a week. Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLwHFQ.23) was used to assess quality of life. In addition, we applied Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The evaluation was performed before the start of the study (visit 1), after 4 weeks of respiratory training (visit 2) and at the end of 16 weeks of AE (visit 3). The baseline characteristics of patients who were screened and not enrolled in the study were compared with those who participated in training.Results. A total of 102 patients were included in the study (passed the first visit). Subsequently, for various reasons, including due to the pandemic, 82 patients refused to participate in the study. Only 20 patients participated in RM training for 4 weeks followed by a 12-week cycle of moderate-intensity AR (median age, 67,0 (58,7-74,3) years; men, 70%; Δ peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) (1-2) =1,1, p=0,3863; ΔVO2 peak (1-3) =2,3 ml/kg/min, p=0,139. During 16-week training, we revealed an increase in expiratory muscle strength (EMS) (ΔEMS =10 cmH2O (p=0,037), six-minute walk test (6MWT) (Δ6MTX=60 meters, p=0,005), and SHOKS score (p=0,0117), as well as improvement in anxiety and depression symptoms (ΔHADS =-2 points, p=0,0346). Patients who refused to be included in the study were older, had lower blood pressure, and had a worse quality of life. The groups did not differ significantly in other clinical, functional and laboratory parameters.Conclusion. Patients’ motivation to exercise was associated with younger age and better subjective health perception and did not depend on objective status. In patients undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation program, there was a significant change in RM strength, as well as an increase in 6MWT distance, clinical and psychological status already at the stage of respiratory training. This trend continued at the AE stage as well

Steroid pulse -therapy in patients With coronAvirus Pneumonia (COVID-19), sYstemic inFlammation And Risk of vEnous thRombosis and thromboembolism (WAYFARER Study)

Introduction: Coronavirus pneumonia not only severely affects the lung tissue but is also associated with systemic autoimmune inflammation, rapid overactivation of cytokines and chemokines known as “cytokine storm”, and a high risk of thrombosis and thromboembolism. Since there is no specific therapy for this new coronavirus infection (COVID-19), searching for an effective and safe anti-inflammatory therapy is critical.Materials and Methods: This study evaluated efficacy and safety of pulse therapy with high doses of glucocorticosteroids (GCS), methylprednisolone 1,000 mg for 3 days plus dexamethasone 8 mg for another 3-5 days, in 17 patients with severe coronavirus pneumonia as a part of retrospective comparative analysis (17 patients in control group). The study primary endpoint was the aggregate dynamics of patients’ condition as evaluated by an original CCS-COVID scale, which included, in addition to the clinical status, assessments of changes in the inflammation marker, C-reactive protein (CRP); the thrombus formation marker, D-dimer; and the extent of lung injury evaluated by computed tomography (CT). Patients had signs of lung injury (53.2 % and 25.6 %), increases in CRP 27 and 19 times, and a more than doubled level of D-dimer (to 1.41 µg/ml and 1.15 µg/ml) in the active therapy and the control groups, respectively. The GCS treatment group had a more severe condition at baseline.Results: The GCS pulse therapy proved effective and significantly decreased the CCS-COVID scores. Median score difference was 5.00 compared to the control group (р=0.011). Shortness of breath considerably decreased; oxygen saturation increased, and the NEWS-2 clinical status scale scores decreased. In the GCS group, concentration of CRP significantly decreased from 134 mg/dl to 41.8 mg/dl (р=0.009) but at the same time, D-dimer level significantly increased from 1.41 µg/ml to 1.98 µg/ml (р=0.044). In the control group, the changes were nonsignificant. The dynamics of lung injury by CT was better in the treatment group but the difference did not reach a statistical significance (р=0.062). Following the GCS treatment, neutrophilia increased (р=0.0001) with persisting lymphopenia, and the neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratio, a marker of chronic inflammation, increased 2.5 times (р=0.006). The changes in the N/L ratio and D-dimer were found to correlate in the GCS pulse therapy group (r =0.49, p=0.04), which underlined the relationship of chronic autoimmune inflammation with thrombus formation in COVID-19. No significant changes were observed in the control group. In result, four patients developed venous thromboembolic complications (two of them had pulmonary artery thromboembolism) after the GCS pulse therapy despite the concomitant antiplatelet treatment at therapeutic doses. Recovery was slower in the hormone treatment group (median stay in the hospital was 26 days vs 18 days in the control group, р=0.001).Conclusion: Pulse therapy with high doses of GCS exerted a rapid anti-inflammatory effect but at the same time, increased the N/L ratio and the D-dimer level, which increased the risk of thromboembolism

2020 Clinical practice guidelines for Myocarditis in adults

Russian Society of Cardiology (RSC)With the participation: Eurasian Association of Therapists (EUAT), Society of Specialists in Heart Failure (OSSN), Russian Scientific Medical Society of Therapists (RNMOT), Russian Society of Pathologists, Russian Society of Radiologists and Radiologists (RSR)Endorsed by: Research and Practical Council of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federatio

Sphingolipid accumulation causes mitochondrial dysregulation and cell death

Sphingolipids are structural components of cell membranes that have signaling roles to regulate many activities, including mitochondrial function and cell death. Sphingolipid metabolism is integrated with numerous metabolic networks, and dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism is associated with disease. Here, we describe a monogenic yeast model for sphingolipid accumulation. A csg2Δ mutant cannot readily metabolize and accumulates the complex sphingolipid inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC). In these cells, aberrant activation of Ras GTPase is IPC-dependent, and accompanied by increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced mitochondrial mass. Survival or death of csg2Δ cells depends on nutritional status. Abnormal Ras activation in csg2Δ cells is associated with impaired Snf1/AMPK protein kinase, a key regulator of energy homeostasis. csg2Δ cells are rescued from ROS production and death by overexpression of mitochondrial catalase Cta1, abrogation of Ras hyperactivity or genetic activation of Snf1/AMPK. These results suggest that sphingolipid dysregulation compromises metabolic integrity via Ras and Snf1/AMPK pathways

Эффективность и безопасность комбинации ленватиниба и эверолимуса у больных диссеминированным раком почки, прогрессирующим на фоне антиангиогенной таргетной терапии: второй анализ данных российского многоцентрового наблюдательного исследования

Objective. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival; secondary endpoints included overall survival, objective response rate and duration, tumor control rate and duration, as well as safety profile of lenvatinib with everolimus in consecutive patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma who had disease progression after targeted antiangiogenic therapy.Materials and methods. This observational study included 129 consecutive patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma resistant to targeted antiangiogenic therapy. The median age was 60 years; a male to female ratio was 3.1:1. Twenty-seven patients (20.9 %) had ECOG performance status of 2—4. The majority of study participants (n = 127; 98.4 %) had multiple metastases. Tumor lesions were located in >1 organ in 104 cases (80.6 %). The primary tumor was removed in 110 (85.3 %), including 39 (30.2 %) patients undergone cytoreductive surgery. Seventy patients (54.2 %) had earlier received more than one line of therapy. Upon enrollment, there were 13 IMDC favourable-risk patients (10.1 %), 86 IMDC intermediate-risk patients (66.6 %), and 29 IMDC poor-risk patients (22.5 %). In one patient (0.8 %), the IMDC risk was not estimated. All patients received lenvatinib at a dose of 18 mg/day and everolimus at a dose of 5 mg/day. The median follow-up was 10.5 (1—30) months.Results. Median progression-free survival was 14.9 (11.9—17.9) months; overall survival was 19.9 (15.2—24.6) months. The objective response rate was 17.0 % (median duration 9.7 (2.8—16.5) months); tumor control rate was 72.9 % (median duration 10.0 (2.5—17.5) months). Adverse events were observed in 112patients (86.8 %) with grade III—IVadverse events registered in 27participants (20.9 %). Five participants (3.9 %) needed inpatient treatment of adverse events; one patient (0.8 %) died due to adverse events. Adverse events required treatment discontinuation in 4 patients (3.1 %), treatment interruption in 35 patients (27.1 %), and dose reduction in 33 patients (25.6 %).Conclusion. The results of the secondary analysis in the ROSLERCM observational study confirmed the results obtained earlier on the efficacy and safety of the lenvatinib plus everolimus combination in the second- and subsequent-line therapy for advanced renal cell carcinoma resistant to targeted antiangiogenic therapy in consecutive Russian patients.Цель. Первичной конечной точкой являлась беспрогрессивная выживаемость, вторичными — общая выживаемость, частота и длительность ответа на лечение и контроля над опухолью, а также профиль безопасности комбинации ленватиниба и эверолимуса у неотобранных пациентов с распространенным почечно-клеточным раком, прогрессирующим после антиангиогенной таргетной терапии.Материалы и методы. В наблюдательное исследование последовательно включены 129 больных диссеминированным почечноклеточным раком, резистентным к антиангиогенной таргетной терапии. Медиана возраста — 60 лет, соотношение мужчин и женщин — 3,1:1. Соматический статус расценен как ECOG 2—4у 27 (20,9 %) больных. У127 (98,4 %) пациентов имелись множественные метастазы. Опухолевые очаги локализовались в >1 органе в 104 (80,6 %) случаях. Первичная опухоль удалена у 110 (85,3 %) больных, в 39 (30,2%) наблюдениях — с циторедуктивной целью. Ранее >1 линии предшествующей терапии получали 70 (54,2 %) больных. На момент включения в исследование к группе благоприятного прогноза по шкале IMDC относились 13 (10,1 %), промежуточного — 86 (66,6 %), неблагоприятного — 29 (22,5 %) больных; группа прогноза не определена у 1 (0,8 %) пациента. Всем больным назначали ленватиниб 18мг/сут с эверолимусом 5мг/сут. Медиана наблюдения за всеми пациентами составила 10,5 (1—30) мес. Результаты. Медиана беспрогрессивной выживаемости достигла 14,9(11,9—17,9) мес, общей выживаемости — 19,9(15,2—24,6) мес. Частота объективного ответа составила 17,0 % (медиана длительности — 9,7(2,8—16,5) мес), частота контроля над опухолью — 72,9 % (медиана длительности — 10,0 (2,5—17,5) мес). Нежелательные явления зарегистрированы у 112 (86,8 %), в том числе, III—IV степеней тяжести — у 27 (20,9 %) больных. Госпитализация для коррекции нежелательных явлений потребовалась в 5 (3,9 %) случаях, 1 (0,8 %) пациент умер из-за нежелательных явлений. Нежелательные явления послужили причиной отмены терапии в 4 (3,1 %), перерыва в лечении — в 35 (27,1 %), редукции дозы — в 33 (25,6 %) случаях.Заключение. Результаты второго анализа наблюдательного исследования ROSLERCM подтвердили ранее полученные результаты применения комбинации ленватиниба с эверолимусом во 2-й и последующих линиях терапии распространенного почечно-клеточного рака, рефрактерного к антиангиогенному лечению, у неотобранных российских больных