Off–label long acting injectable antipsychotics in real–world clinical practice: a cross-sectional analysis of prescriptive patterns from the STAR Network DEPOT study

Introduction: Information on the off–label use of Long–Acting Injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in the real world is lacking. In this study, we aimed to identify the sociodemographic and clinical features of patients treated with on– vs off–label LAIs and predictors of off–label First– or Second–Generation Antipsychotic (FGA vs. SGA) LAI choice in everyday clinical practice. Method: In a naturalistic national cohort of 449 patients who initiated LAI treatment in the STAR Network Depot Study, two groups were identified based on off– or on–label prescriptions. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to test several clinically relevant variables and identify those associated with the choice of FGA vs SGA prescription in the off–label group. Results: SGA LAIs were more commonly prescribed in everyday practice, without significant differences in their on– and off–label use. Approximately 1 in 4 patients received an off–label prescription. In the off–label group, the most frequent diagnoses were bipolar disorder (67.5%) or any personality disorder (23.7%). FGA vs SGA LAI choice was significantly associated with BPRS thought disorder (OR = 1.22, CI95% 1.04 to 1.43, p = 0.015) and hostility/suspiciousness (OR = 0.83, CI95% 0.71 to 0.97, p = 0.017) dimensions. The likelihood of receiving an SGA LAI grew steadily with the increase of the BPRS thought disturbance score. Conversely, a preference towards prescribing an FGA was observed with higher scores at the BPRS hostility/suspiciousness subscale. Conclusion: Our study is the first to identify predictors of FGA vs SGA choice in patients treated with off–label LAI antipsychotics. Demographic characteristics, i.e. age, sex, and substance/alcohol use co–morbidities did not appear to influence the choice towards FGAs or SGAs. Despite a lack of evidence, clinicians tend to favour FGA over SGA LAIs in bipolar or personality disorder patients with relevant hostility. Further research is needed to evaluate treatment adherence and clinical effectiveness of these prescriptive patterns

Comparing Long-Acting Antipsychotic Discontinuation Rates Under Ordinary Clinical Circumstances: A Survival Analysis from an Observational, Pragmatic Study

Background: Recent guidelines suggested a wider use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) than previously, but naturalistic data on the consequences of LAI use in terms of discontinuation rates and associated factors are still sparse, making it hard for clinicians to be informed on plausible treatment courses. Objective: Our objective was to assess, under real-world clinical circumstances, LAI discontinuation rates over a period of 12 months after a first prescription, reasons for discontinuation, and associated factors. Methods: The STAR Network ‘Depot Study’ was a naturalistic, multicentre, observational prospective study that enrolled subjects initiating a LAI without restrictions on diagnosis, clinical severity or setting. Participants from 32 Italian centres were assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Psychopathology, drug attitude and treatment adherence were measured using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, the Drug Attitude Inventory and the Kemp scale, respectively. Results: The study followed 394 participants for 12 months. The overall discontinuation rate at 12 months was 39.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 34.4–44.3), with paliperidone LAI being the least discontinued LAI (33.9%; 95% CI 25.3–43.5) and olanzapine LAI the most discontinued (62.5%; 95% CI 35.4–84.8). The most frequent reason for discontinuation was onset of adverse events (32.9%; 95% CI 25.6–40.9) followed by participant refusal of the medication (20.6%; 95% CI 14.6–27.9). Medication adherence at baseline was negatively associated with discontinuation risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.853; 95% CI 0.742–0.981; p = 0.026), whereas being prescribed olanzapine LAI was associated with increased discontinuation risk compared with being prescribed paliperidone LAI (HR 2.156; 95% CI 1.003–4.634; p = 0.049). Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware that LAI discontinuation is a frequent occurrence. LAI choice should be carefully discussed with the patient, taking into account individual characteristics and possible obstacles related to the practicalities of each formulation

Microcephaly, characteristic facies, joint abnormalities, and deficient leucocyte chemotaxis: a further case of the syndrome of Say et al

Fil: Perandones, Claudia. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.Fil: Cerretini, Roxana Inés. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.Fil: Vargas Vera, R. M. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.Fil: Aranda, Eliseo Isaac. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.Fil: Alba, Liliana. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.Fil: Pivetta, Omar H. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica; Argentina.We report on a 13 year old boy with microcephaly, sloping forehead, prominent nose, scoliosis, and flexion contractures involving the elbows and knees. The patient showed severe mental and growth retardation. Since birth and up to the present he has suffered from multiple and varied infections. Immunological studies showed a marked decrease in leucocyte chemotaxis. Clinical and laboratory findings confirm the similarity of this case to the two brothers described by Say et al. We have not found any descriptions of similar patients. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the phenotypic delineation of this syndrome and to highlight the need for immunological investigation in patients with multiple congenital malformations

Effect of administration of the C6 Kisspeptin analogue in jennies in estrus

International audienc

Germline pathogenic variants in BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2 and RAD51C in breast cancer women from Argentina

Fil: Cerretini, R. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica Dr. Eduardo Castilla; Argentina.Fil: Mercado, G. ANLIS Dr.C.G.Malbrán. Centro Nacional de Genética Médica Dr. Eduardo Castilla; Argentina.Fil: Morganstein, Josh. Women’s College Research InstituteWomen’s College Hospital; CanadaFil: Schiaffi, Jorge. Sección de Patología Mamaria. Servicio de Ginecología Hospital Bernardino Rivadavia; Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Reynoso, M. Servicio de Ginecología. Hospital Evita de Lanús; Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Montoya, D. Servicio de Patología Mamaria. Instituto de Oncología Dr. Angel H Roffo; Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Valdez, R. Servicio de Genética. Hospital Militar Central; Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Narod, SA. Dalla Lana School of Public Health. University of Toronto; Toronto; CanadáFil: Akbari, MR. Women’s College Research Institute. Women’s College Hospital; CanadaEach year, 17,000 new breast cancer cases are diagnosed in Argentina, and 5400 women die of breast cancer. The contribution of cancer-related mutations to the incidence of breast cancer in Argentina has not yet been explored

Preliminary spectrum of genetic variants in familial hypercholesterolemia in Argentina

Highlights: - First description of familial hypercholesterolemia mutations in Argentina; - Identification of 7 patients with severe familial hypercholesterolemia; - Wide genetic heterogeneity with 1 relatively common allele, the Lebanese mutation; Description and deep bioinformatics characterization of 4 novel genetic variants; - Studying the exon 14 in a first step could be a low-cost approach for this population. Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disorder characterized by elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and early cardiovascular disease. As cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in Argentina, early identification of patients with FH is of great public health importance. Objective: The aim of our study was to identify families with FH and to approximate to the characterization of the genetic spectrum mutations of FH in Argentina. Methods: Thirty-three not related index cases were selected with clinical diagnosis of FH. Genetic analysis was performed by sequencing, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, and bioinformatics tools. Results: Twenty genetic variants were identified among 24 cases (73%), 95% on the low-density lipoprotein receptor gene. The only variant on APOB was the R3527Q. Four were novel variants: c.-135C>A, c.170A>C p.(Asp57Ala), c.684G>C p.(Glu228Asp), and c.1895A>T p.(Asn632Ile); the bioinformatics’ analysis revealed clear destabilizing effects for 2 of them. The exon 14 presented the highest number of variants (32%). Four variants were observed in more than 1 case and the c.2043C>A p.(Cys681*) was carried by 18% of index cases. Two true homozygotes, 3 compound heterozygotes, and 1 double heterozygote were identified. Conclusion: This study characterizes for the first time in Argentina genetic variants associated with FH and suggest that the allelic heterogeneity of the FH in the country could have 1 relative common low-density lipoprotein receptor mutation. This knowledge is important for the genotype–phenotype correlation and for optimizing both cholesterol-lowering therapies and mutational analysis protocols. In addition, these data contribute to the understanding of the molecular basis of FH in Argentina.The authors thank the support from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, UBACyT-B093 and from the Centro Nacional de Genetica Medica, ANLIS ‘‘Dr. Carlos Malbram,’’ Argentina.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cancer risk in patients with constitutional chromosome deletions: a nationwide British cohort study

The finding of increased risks of specific cancers in individuals with constitutional deletions of chromosomes 11p and 13q led to the discovery of cancer predisposition genes at these locations, but there have been no systematic studies of cancer risks in patients with constitutional deletions, across the chromosome complement. Therefore, we assessed cancer incidence in comparison with national cancer incidence rates in a follow-up of 2561 patients with constitutional autosomal chromosome deletions diagnosed by microscopy or fluorescence in situ hybridisation in Britain during the period 1965-2002. Thirty cancers other than non-melanoma skin cancer occurred in the cohort (standardised incidence ratio (SIR)=2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-3.5). There were significantly increased risks of renal cancer in persons with 11p deletions (SIR=1869, 95% CI 751-3850; P=4 x 10(-21)), eye cancer with 13q deletions (SIR=1084, 95% CI 295-2775; P=2 x 10(-11)), and anogenital cancer with 11q deletions (SIR=305, 95% CI 63-890; P=3 x 10(-7)); all the three latter cancers were in the 11 subjects with 11q24 deletions. The results strongly suggest that in addition to suppressor genes relating to Wilms' tumour risk on 11p and retinoblastoma on 13q, there are suppressor genes around 11q24 that greatly affect anogenital cancer ris