Cluster analysis and visualisation of electronic health records data to identify undiagnosed patients with rare genetic diseases

Rare genetic diseases affect 5-8% of the population but are often undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. Electronic health records (EHR) contain large amounts of data, which provide opportunities for analysing and mining. Data mining, in the form of cluster analysis and visualisation, was performed on a database containing deidentified health records of 1.28 million patients across 3 major hospitals in Singapore, in a bid to improve the diagnostic process for patients who are living with an undiagnosed rare disease, specifically focusing on Fabry Disease and Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH). On a baseline of 4 patients, we identified 2 additional patients with potential diagnosis of Fabry disease, suggesting a potential 50% increase in diagnosis. Similarly, we identified > 12,000 individuals who fulfil the clinical and laboratory criteria for FH but had not been diagnosed previously. This proof-of-concept study showed that it is possible to perform mining on EHR data albeit with some challenges and limitations.

Individual lifetime benefit from low-dose colchicine in patients with chronic coronary artery disease

AIMS

Low-dose colchicine reduces cardiovascular risk in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), but absolute benefits may vary between individuals. This study aimed to assess the range of individual absolute benefits from low-dose colchicine according to patient risk profile.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guideline-recommended SMART-REACH model was combined with the relative treatment effect of low-dose colchicine and applied to patients with CAD from the Low-Dose Colchicine 2 (LoDoCo2) trial and the Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort-Second Manifestations of ARTerial disease (UCC-SMART) study (n = 10 830). Individual treatment benefits were expressed as 10-year absolute risk reductions (ARRs) for myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death (MACE), and MACE-free life-years gained. Predictions were also performed for MACE plus coronary revascularization (MACE+), using a new lifetime model derived in the REduction of Atherothrombosis for Continued Health (REACH) registry. Colchicine was compared with other ESC guideline-recommended intensified (Step 2) prevention strategies, i.e. LDL cholesterol (LDL-c) reduction to 1.4 mmol/L and systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduction to 130 mmHg. The generalizability to other populations was assessed in patients with CAD from REACH North America and Western Europe (n = 25 812). The median 10-year ARR from low-dose colchicine was 4.6% [interquartile range (IQR) 3.6-6.0%] for MACE and 8.6% (IQR 7.6-9.8%) for MACE+. Lifetime benefit was 2.0 (IQR 1.6-2.5) MACE-free years, and 3.4 (IQR 2.6-4.2) MACE+-free life-years gained. For LDL-c and SBP reduction, respectively, the median 10-year ARR for MACE was 3.0% (IQR 1.5-5.1%) and 1.7% (IQR 0.0-5.7%), and the lifetime benefit was 1.2 (IQR 0.6-2.1) and 0.7 (IQR 0.0-2.3) MACE-free life-years gained. Similar results were obtained for MACE+ and in American and European patients from REACH.

CONCLUSION

The absolute benefits of low-dose colchicine vary between individual patients with chronic CAD. They may be expected to be of at least similar magnitude to those of intensified LDL-c and SBP reduction in a majority of patients already on conventional lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering therapy.

Occurrence and Risk Factors of Relapse Activity after Vaccination against COVID-19 in People with Multiple Sclerosis: 1-Year Follow-Up Results from a Nationwide Longitudinal Observational Study

Several studies reported post-SARS-CoV-2-vaccination (PV) symptoms. Even people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) have concerns about disease activity following the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. We aimed to determine the proportion of PwMS with PV relapses, the PV annualized relapse rate (ARR), the time from vaccination to subsequent relapses, and identify sociodemographic/clinical risk factors for PV relapses. PwMS were surveyed several times at baseline and four follow-ups as part of a longitudinal observational study regarding the safety and tolerability of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. The inclusion criteria for this analysis were age ≥18 years, ≥1 SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, and ≥1-year observation period since initial vaccination. Of 2466 PwMS, 13.8% reported PV relapses (mostly after second [N = 147] or booster vaccination [N = 145]) at a median of 8.0 (first/third quantile: 3.55/18.1) weeks PV, with the shortest period following initial vaccination (3.95 weeks). The ARR was 0.153 (95% confidence interval: 0.138-0.168), with a median observation period since initial vaccination of 1.2 years. Risk factors for PV relapses were younger age, female gender, moderate-severe disability levels, concurrent autoimmune diseases, relapsing-remitting MS courses, no DMT, and relapses within the year prior to the first vaccination. Patients' health conditions before/during initial vaccination may play a more important role in PV relapse occurrence than vaccination per se.

Estimating the economic burden of influenza on the older population in Malaysia

BACKGROUND

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness that can cause life-threatening complications among high-risk groups. Estimating the economic burden of influenza is essential to guide policy-making on influenza vaccination programmes, especially in resource-limited settings. This study aimed to estimate the economic burden of influenza on older adults (those aged ≥60 years) in Malaysia from the provider's perspective.

METHODS

The main data source in this study was the MY-DRG Casemix database of a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Cases with principal and secondary diagnoses coded in the International Classification of Diseases version 10 (ICD-10) as J09, J10.0, J10.1, J10.8, J11.0, J11.1, J11.8, J12.8, and J12.9, which represent influenza and its complications, were included in the study. The direct cost of influenza at all severity levels was calculated from the casemix data and guided by a clinical pathway developed by experts. The effect of the variations in costs and incidence rate of influenza for both the casemix and clinical pathway costing approaches was assessed with sensitivity analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 1,599 inpatient and 407 outpatient influenza cases were identified from the MY-DRG Casemix database. Most hospitalised cases were aged <18 years (90.6%), while 77 cases (4.8%) involved older people. Mild, moderate, and severe cases comprised 56.5%, 35.1%, and 8.4% of cases, respectively. The estimated average annual direct costs for managing mild, moderate, and severe influenza were RM2,435 (USD579), RM6,504 (USD1,549), and RM13,282 (USD3,163), respectively. The estimated total annual economic burden of influenza on older adults in Malaysia was RM3.28 billion (USD782 million), which was equivalent to 10.7% of the Ministry of Health Malaysia budget for 2020. The sensitivity analysis indicated that the influenza incidence rate and cost of managing severe influenza were the most important factors influencing the total economic burden.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our results demonstrated that influenza imposes a substantial economic burden on the older Malaysian population. The high cost of influenza suggested that further efforts are required to implement a preventive programme, such as immunisation for older people, to reduce the disease and economic burdens.

Utility of left ventricular ejection fraction in atrial fibrillation patients without pre-existing heart failure

AIMS

Atrial fibrillation (AF) increases the risk of heart failure (HF); however, little focus has been placed on the prevention of HF in patients with AF. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is an established echocardiographic parameter in HF patients. We sought to investigate the association of LVEF with HF events in AF patients without pre-existing HF.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The Fushimi AF Registry is a community-based prospective survey of AF patients in Fushimi-ku, Japan. In this analysis, we excluded patients with pre-existing HF (defined as having one of the following: prior HF hospitalization, New York Heart Association class ≥ 2 in association with heart disease, or LVEF < 40%). Among 3233 AF patients without pre-existing HF, we investigated 2459 patients with the data of LVEF at enrolment. We divided the patients into three groups stratified by LVEF [mildly reduced LVEF (40-49%), below normal LVEF (50-59%), and normal LVEF (≥60%)] and compared the backgrounds and incidence of HF hospitalization between the groups. Of 2459 patients [mean age: 72.4 ± 10.5 years, female: 917 (37%), paroxysmal AF: 1405 (57%), and mean CHA2 DS2 -VASc score: 3.0 ± 1.6], the mean LVEF was 66 ± 8% [mildly reduced LVEF: 114 patients (5%), below normal LVEF: 300 patients (12%), and normal LVEF: 2045 patients (83%)]. Patients with lower LVEF demonstrated lower prevalence of female and paroxysmal AF (both P < 0.01), but age and CHA2 DS2 -VASc score were comparable between the three groups (both P > 0.05). During the median follow-up period of 6.0 years, 255 patients (10%) were hospitalized for HF (annual incidence: 1.9% per person-year). Multivariable Cox regression analysis demonstrated that lower LVEF strata were independently associated with the risk of HF [mildly reduced LVEF (40-49%): hazard ratio = 2.98, 95% confidence interval = 1.99-4.45 and below normal LVEF (50-59%): hazard ratio = 2.01, 95% confidence interval = 1.44-2.82, compared with normal LVEF (≥60%)] after adjustment by age, sex, type of AF, and CHA2 DS2 -VASc score. LVEF < 60% was significantly associated with the higher risk of HF hospitalization across all major subgroups without significant interaction (P for interaction; all P > 0.05). LVEF had an independent and incremental prognostic value for HF hospitalization in addition to natriuretic peptide levels in AF patients without pre-existing HF.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower LVEF was significantly associated with the higher incidence of HF hospitalization in AF patients without pre-existing HF, leading to the future risk stratification for and prevention of incident HF in AF patients.

Randomized phase III trial of a neoadjuvant regimen of four cycles of adriamycin plus cyclophosphamide followed by four cycles of docetaxel (AC4-D4) versus a shorter treatment of three cycles of FEC followed by three cycles of docetaxel (FEC3-D3) in node-positive breast cancer (Neo-shorter; NCT02001506)

PURPOSE

To determine whether six cycles of FEC3-D3 has a comparable efficacy to eight of AC4-D4.

METHODS

The enrolled patients (pts) were clinically diagnosed with stage II or III breast cancer. The primary endpoint was a pathologic complete response (pCR), and the secondary endpoints were 3 year disease-free survival (3Y DFS), toxicities, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). We calculated that 252 pts were needed in each treatment group to enable the detection of non-inferiority (non-inferiority margin of 10%).

RESULTS

In terms of ITT analysis, 248 pts were finally enrolled. The 218 pts who completed the surgery were included in the current analysis. The baseline characteristics of these subjects were well balanced between the two arms. By ITT analysis, pCR was achieved in 15/121 (12.4%) pts in the FEC3-D3 arm and 18/126 (14.3%) in the AC4-D4 arm. With a median follow up of 64.1 months, the 3Y DFS was comparable between the two arms (75.8% in FEC3-D3 vs. 75.6% in AC4-D4). The most common adverse event (AE) was Grade 3/4 neutropenia, which arose in 27/126 (21.4%) AC4-D4 arm pts vs 23/121 (19.0%) FEC3-D3 arm cases. The primary HRQoL domains were similar between the two groups (FACT-B scores at baseline, P = 0.35; at the midpoint of NACT, P = 0.20; at the completion of NACT, P = 0.44).

CONCLUSION

Six cycles of FEC3-D3 could be an alternative to eight of AC4-D4. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02001506. Registered December 5,2013. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02001506.

Acute Administration of the GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Lixisenatide Diminishes Postprandial Insulin Secretion in Healthy Subjects But Not in Type 2 Diabetes, Associated with Slowing of Gastric Emptying

INTRODUCTION

It is uncertain whether lixisenatide has postprandial insulinotropic effects when its effect on slowing gastric emptying is considered, in healthy subjects and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We evaluated the effects of single administration of 10 μg sc lixisenatide on glycaemia, insulin secretion and gastric emptying (GE), measured using the 'gold standard' technique of scintigraphy following an oral glucose load (75 g glucose).

METHODS

Fifteen healthy subjects (nine men, six women; age 67.2 ± 2.3 years) and 15 patients with T2DM (nine men, six women; age 61.9 ± 2.3 years) had measurements of GE, plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide for 180 min after a radiolabeled 75 g glucose drink on two separate days. All subjects received lixisenatide (10 μg sc) or placebo in a randomised, double-blind, crossover fashion 30 min before the drink. Insulin secretory response (ISR) was determined using the C-peptide deconvolution method.

RESULTS

GE was markedly slowed by lixisenatide compared with placebo in both healthy subjects (1.45 ± 0.10 kcal/min for placebo vs. 0.60 ± 0.14 kcal/min for lixisenatide) and diabetes (1.57 ± 0.06 kcal/min for placebo vs. 0.75 ± 0.13 kcal/min for lixisenatide) (both P < 0.001) with no difference between the two groups (P = 0.42). There was a moderate to strong inverse correlation between the early insulin secretory response calculated at 60 min and gastric retention at 60 min with lixisenatide treatment in healthy subjects (r = - 0.8, P = 0.0003) and a trend in type 2 diabetes (r = - 0.4, P = NS), compared with no relationships in the placebo arms (r = - 0.02, P = NS, healthy subjects) and (r = - 0.16, P = NS, type 2 diabetes).

CONCLUSION

The marked slowing of GE of glucose induced by lixisenatide is associated with attenuation in the rise of postprandial glucose in both healthy subjects and diabetes and early insulin secretory response in healthy subjects.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT02308254.

Web-based intervention to reduce psychological barriers to insulin therapy among adults with non-insulin-treated type 2 diabetes: study protocol for a two-armed randomised controlled trial of 'Is insulin right for me?'

INTRODUCTION

Psychological barriers to insulin therapy are associated with the delay of clinically indicated treatment intensification for people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), yet few evidence-based interventions exist to address these barriers. We describe the protocol for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) examining the efficacy of a novel, theoretically grounded, psychoeducational, web-based resource designed to reduce psychological barriers to insulin among adults with non-insulin treated T2D: 'Is insulin right for me?'.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Double-blind, parallel group RCT. A target sample of N=392 participants (n=196/arm) will be randomised (1:1) to 'Is insulin right for me?' (intervention) or widely available online resources (control). Eligible participants include adults (18-75 years), residing in Australia, currently taking oral hypoglycaemic agents to manage T2D. They will be primarily recruited via invitations and reminders from the national diabetes registry (from a purposefully selected sample of N≥12 000).

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

experience of self-administered injectable; previously enrolled in pilot RCT; 'very willing' to start insulin as baseline. Outcomes will be assessed via online survey at 2 weeks and 6 months. Primary outcome between-group: difference in mean negative Insulin Treatment Appraisal Scores (ITAS negative) at 2-week and 6-month follow-up.

SECONDARY OUTCOMES

between-group differences in mean positive insulin appraisals (ITAS positive) and percentage difference in intention to commence insulin at follow-up time points. All data analyses will be conducted according to the intention-to-treat principle.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (2020-073). Dissemination via peer-reviewed journals, conferences and a plain-language summary.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

ACTRN12621000191897; Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry.

Outcomes of decreasing versus increasing cardiac troponin in patients admitted with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Surveillance Study

BACKGROUND

The fourth universal definition of myocardial infarction requires an increase or decrease in cardiac troponin for the classification of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. We sought to determine whether the characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients admitted with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction differ by the initial biomarker pattern.

METHODS

We identified patients in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Surveillance Study admitted with chest pain and an initially elevated cardiac troponin I, who presented within 12 hours of symptom onset and were classified with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A change in cardiac troponin I required an absolute difference of at least 0.02 ng/mL on the first day of hospitalization, prior to invasive cardiac procedures.

RESULTS

A total of 1926 hospitalizations met the inclusion criteria, with increasing cardiac troponin I more commonly observed (78%). Patients with decreasing cardiac troponin I were more often black (45% vs. 35%) and women (54% vs. 40%), and were less likely to receive non-aspirin antiplatelets (44% vs. 63%), lipid-lowering agents (62% vs. 80%), and invasive angiography (38% vs. 64%). Inhospital mortality was 3%, irrespective of the cardiac troponin I pattern. However, patients with decreasing cardiac troponin I had twice the 28-day mortality (12% vs. 5%; P=0.01). Fatalities within 28 days were more often attributable to non-cardiovascular causes in those with decreasing versus increasing cardiac troponin I (75% vs. 38%; P=0.01).

CONCLUSION

Patients presenting with chest pain and an initially elevated cardiac troponin I which subsequently decreases are less often managed by evidence-based therapies and have greater mortality, primarily driven by non-cardiovascular causes. Whether associations are attributable to type 2 myocardial infarction or a subacute presentation merits further investigation.

Association between BDNF Polymorphism and Depressive Symptoms in Patients Newly Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

PURPOSE

Little is known about the relationship between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms and psychiatric symptoms in diabetes patients. We investigated the effects of BDNF Val/66/Met polymorphism, glucose status, psychological susceptibility, and resilience on anxiety and depression symptoms in patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We examined biochemical factors and BDNF polymorphism in 89 patients who were newly diagnosed with T2DM. Psychiatric symptoms were investigated with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and Impact of Event Scale (IES) were used to assess psychological resilience and susceptibility to psychological distress, respectively. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate factors associated with psychiatric symptoms.

RESULTS

We determined that 62 patients (70%) were Met-carriers. No significant differences were found between the Val/Val homozygous and Met-carrier groups regarding age, sex, body mass index, and clinical factors related to glycemic control and lipid profiles. HADS-anxiety and HADS-depression scores and IES factor scores were higher in the Met-carrier than the Val/Val homozygous group. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was significantly inversely correlated with the severity of depressive symptoms. Resilience factors showed significant inverse correlations, and IES factors showed positive correlations with depressive symptom severity. In the logistic regression analysis model, depressive symptoms were significantly associated with HbA1c and BDNF polymorphism, whereas only the hyperarousal factor of the IES scale was associated with anxiety.

CONCLUSION

Depressive symptoms are associated with the presence of the Met-carriers and lower HbA1c in patients newly diagnosed with T2DM.

Effect of Bacillus clausii Capsules in Reducing Adverse Effects Associated with Helicobacter pylori Eradication Therapy: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial

INTRODUCTION

Antibiotic treatment can alter the gut microbiome and cause short-term gastrointestinal adverse effects (AEs). This study assessed the efficacy of lyophilized capsules containing 2 × 109 spores of Bacillus clausii (Enterogermina®; Sanofi Synthelabo) in reducing AEs associated with Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy in Italy.

METHODS

In this randomized, double-blind, single-center, phase IIIB study, 130 adult outpatients with H. pylori infection were assigned to receive one Enterogermina® capsule or placebo three times daily for 2 weeks (1:1). During week 1, all patients received clarithromycin 500 mg, amoxicillin 1 g, and rabeprazole 20 mg twice daily. The primary efficacy outcome was the presence of diarrhea in week 1.

RESULTS

A total of 130 patients were randomized. The incidence of diarrhea in week 1 was 29% in the B. clausii group and 48% in the placebo group [relative risk (RR) 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39-0.97; p = 0.03]. The incidence of diarrhea remained lower with B. clausii than with placebo in week 2 (RR 0.38; 95% CI 0.14-1.02; p = 0.0422). In week 1, the number of days without diarrhea was significantly higher in the B. clausii group than in the placebo group (6.25 vs. 5.86; p = 0.0304). In both groups, the number of days without diarrhea increased significantly (p < 0.0001) from week 1 to week 2. A total of three AEs occurred in two patients in the placebo group, but none were serious.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with placebo, Enterogermina® reduced the incidence of, and the number of days with, diarrhea in patients receiving H. pylori eradication therapy. Enterogermina® was well tolerated.

Net contribution and predictive ability of the CUN-BAE body fatness index in relation to cardiometabolic conditions

BACKGROUND

The CUN-BAE (Clínica Universidad de Navarra-Body adiposity estimator) index is an anthropometric index based on age, sex and body mass index (BMI) for a refined prediction of body fatness in adults. CUN-BAE may help detect metabolically unhealthy individuals with otherwise normal weight according to BMI or waist circumference (WC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether CUN-BAE, independent of its components (BMI, age and sex), was associated with cardiometabolic conditions including arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome (MetS).

METHODS

The ENRICA study was based on a cross-sectional sample of non-institutionalized men and women representative of the adult Spanish population. Body weight, height, and WC were measured in all participants. The residual of CUN-BAE (rCUN-BAE), i.e. the part of the index not explained by its components, was calculated. The associations of CUN-BAE, rCUN-BAE, BMI and WC with hypertension, diabetes and MetS were analysed by multivariate logistic regression, and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) was calculated.

RESULTS

The sample included 12,122 individuals. rCUN-BAE was associated with hypertension (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.07-1.21) and MetS (OR 1.48, 1.37-1.60), but not with diabetes (OR 1.05, 0.94-1.16). In subjects with a BMI < 25 kg/m2, CUN-BAE was significantly associated with all three outcome variables. CUN-BAE was more strongly associated with the cardiometabolic conditions than BMI and WC and fit similar AICs.

CONCLUSIONS

The CUN-BAE index for body fatness was positively associated with hypertension, diabetes and MetS in adults independent of BMI or WC. CUN-BAE may help to identify individuals with cardiometabolic conditions beyond BMI, but this needs to be confirmed in prospective settings.

Protocol of the China ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) Care Project (CSCAP): a 10-year project to improve quality of care by building up a regional STEMI care network

INTRODUCTION

Successful ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) management is time-sensitive and is based on prompt reperfusion mainly to reduce patient mortality. It has evolved from a single hospital care to an integrated regional network approach over the last decades. This prospective study, named the China STEMI Care Project (CSCAP), aims to show how implementation of different types of integrated regional STEMI care networks can improve the reperfusion treatment rate, shorten the total duration of myocardial ischaemia and lead to mortality reduction step by step.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

The CSCAP is a prospective, multicentre registry study of three phases. A total of 18 provinces, 4 municipalities and 2 autonomous regions in China were included. Patients who meet the third universal definition of myocardial infarction and the Chinese STEMI diagnosis and treatment guidelines are enrolled. Phase 1 (CSCAP-1) focuses on the in-hospital process optimisation of primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) hospitals, phase 2 (CSCAP-2) focuses on the PPCI hospital-based regional STEMI care network construction together with emergency medical services and adjacent non-PPCI hospitals, while phase 3 (CSCAP-3) focuses on the whole-city STEMI care network construction by promoting chest pain centre accreditation. Systematic data collection, key performance index assessment and subsequent improvement are implemented throughout the project to continuously improve the quality of STEMI care.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study has been reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Peking University First Hospital. Ranking reports of quality of care will be generated available to all participant affiliations. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed scientific journals and presentations at congresses.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

NCT03821012.

The HealtheSteps™ lifestyle prescription program to improve physical activity and modifiable risk factors for chronic disease: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Our objective was to determine the influence of the HealtheSteps™ lifestyle prescription program on physical activity and modifiable risk factors for chronic disease in individuals at risk.

METHODS

One hundred eighteen participants were recruited from 5 sites in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and randomized to either the intervention (HealtheSteps™ program, n = 59) or a wait-list control group (n = 59). The study comprised three phases: an Active Phase (0 to 6 months) consisted of bi-monthly in-person lifestyle coaching with access to a suite of eHealth technology supports (Heathesteps app, telephone coaching and a private HealtheSteps™ social network) followed by a Minimally-Supported Phase I (6 to 12 months), in which in-person coaching was removed, but participants still had access to the full suite of eHealth technology supports. In the final stage, Minimally-Supported Phase II (12 to 18 months), access to the eHealth technology supports was restricted to the HealtheSteps™ app. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. The study primary outcome was the 6-month change in average number of steps per day. Secondary outcomes included: self-reported physical activity and sedentary time; self-reported eating habits; weight and body composition measures; blood pressure and health-related quality of life. Data from all participants were analyzed using an intent-to-treat approach. We applied mixed effects models for repeated measurements and adjusted for age, sex, and site in the statistical analyses.

RESULTS

Participants in HealtheSteps™ increased step counts (between-group [95% confidence interval]: 3132 [1969 to 4294], p < 0.001), decreased their sitting time (- 0.08 [- 0.16 to - 0.006], p = 0.03), and improved their overall healthful eating (- 1.5 [- 2.42 to - 0.58], p = 0.002) to a greater extent compared to control at 6 months. Furthermore, exploratory results showed that these individuals maintained these outcomes 12 months later, after a minimally-supported phase; and retained improvements in sedentary time and improved healthful eating after 18 months. No differences in self-reported physical activity, health-related quality of life, weight, waist circumference or blood pressure were observed between groups at 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that HealtheSteps™ is effective at increasing physical activity (i.e., step counts per day), decreasing weekday sitting time, and improving healthful eating in adults at increased risk for chronic disease after 6 months; however, we did not see change in other risk factors. Nonetheless, the maintenance of these behaviours with minimal support after 12 and even 18 months indicates the promise of HealtheSteps™ for long-term sustainability.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was registered on April 6, 2015 with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT02413385 ).

Effect of Caffeine on the Bioavailability and Pharmacokinetics of an Acetylsalicylic Acid-Paracetamol Combination: Results of a Phase I Study

INTRODUCTION

Caffeine is used as an adjuvant in analgesic combinations to enhance their efficacy. The present study aimed to determine the effect of caffeine on the pharmacokinetics of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and paracetamol when used as a fixed-dose ASA/paracetamol/caffeine combination.

METHODS

In this single-centre, two-way, cross-over phase I study, volunteers fasted overnight (≥ 12 h) and randomly received single oral doses of 250 mg ASA/200 mg paracetamol (reference) or 250 mg ASA/200 mg paracetamol/50 mg caffeine (test). Blood samples were collected before and up to 24 h after dosing. The primary end points were the area under the concentration-time curve from zero to infinity (AUC_0-∞) and maximum plasma concentration (C_max) for ASA, salicylic acid (SA) and paracetamol from the two combinations. The main secondary end points were AUC_0-∞ and C_max of caffeine and time to reach C_max (t_max) of all drugs.

RESULTS

Eighteen healthy male volunteers (32.5 ± 10.5 years) participated in the study. The geometric means of C_max for ASA, SA and paracetamol were similar in the test (3.71, 15.8 and 2.42 µg/ml, respectively) and reference groups (3.89, 15.8, 2.42 µg/ml, respectively). The geometric mean of AUC_0-∞ for ASA, SA and paracetamol from the test combination was 2.86, 60.5 and 7.68 µg h/ml, respectively, and that for the reference was 2.96, 59.1 and 7.77 µg h/ml, respectively. The medians of t_max for ASA, SA and paracetamol were similar between the two groups. The point estimates for the ratios of AUC_0-∞ and C_max for test versus reference regarding ASA, SA and paracetamol were within the predefined equivalence limits. The two treatments were well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

Caffeine did not affect the pharmacokinetics of ASA and paracetamol when used as an adjuvant in ASA/paracetamol fixed-dose combination under fasting conditions, suggesting that caffeine enhances the analgesic efficacy of these drugs by pharmacodynamic rather than pharmacokinetic interactions.

FUNDING

Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH.

The assessment of gestational age: a comparison of different methods from a malaria pregnancy cohort in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Determining gestational age in resource-poor settings is challenging because of limited availability of ultrasound technology and late first presentation to antenatal clinic. Last menstrual period (LMP), symphysio-pubis fundal height (SFH) and Ballard Score (BS) at delivery are therefore often used. We assessed the accuracy of LMP, SFH, and BS to estimate gestational age at delivery and preterm birth compared to ultrasound (US) using a large dataset derived from a randomized controlled trial in pregnant malaria patients in four African countries.

METHODS

Mean and median gestational age for US, LMP, SFH and BS were calculated for the entire study population and stratified by country. Correlation coefficients were calculated using Pearson's rho, and Bland Altman plots were used to calculate mean differences in findings with 95% limit of agreements. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated considering US as reference method to identify term and preterm babies.

RESULTS

A total of 1630 women with P. falciparum infection and a gestational age > 24 weeks determined by ultrasound at enrolment were included in the analysis. The mean gestational age at delivery using US was 38.7 weeks (95%CI: 38.6-38.8), by LMP, 38.4 weeks (95%CI: 38.0-38.9), by SFH, 38.3 weeks (95%CI: 38.2-38.5), and by BS 38.0 weeks (95%CI: 37.9-38.1) (p < 0.001). Correlation between US and any of the other three methods was poor to moderate. Sensitivity and specificity to determine prematurity were 0.63 (95%CI 0.50-0.75) and 0.72 (95%CI, 0.66-0.76) for LMP, 0.80 (95%CI 0.74-0.85) and 0.74 (95%CI 0.72-0.76) for SFH and 0.42 (95%CI 0.35-0.49) and 0.77 (95%CI 0.74-0.79) for BS.

CONCLUSIONS

In settings with limited access to ultrasound, and in women who had been treated with P. falciparum malaria, SFH may be the most useful antenatal tool to date a pregnancy when women present first in second and third trimester. The Ballard postnatal maturation assessment has a limited role and lacks precision. Improving ultrasound facilities and skills, and early attendance, together with the development of new technologies such as automated image analysis and new postnatal methods to assess gestational age, are essential for the study and management of preterm birth in low-income settings.

Sex differences in management and outcomes of patients with atrial fibrillation in the Middle East: Gulf survey of atrial fibrillation events (Gulf SAFE)

Differences in the management of atrial fibrillation (AF) between men and women were investigated by using Gulf SAFE data in the Middle East. The study included 2,043 patients presenting with AF to emergency room (ER) were prospectively enrolled and followed for one-year. Women were older, have higher body mass index (BMI), comorbidities, and health complications than men. With regard to management of AF, cardioversion was recommended more often for men (16.7% vs. 9.3%), and underwent electrical cardioversion (2.2% vs. 1.1%). Women were prescribed digoxin more frequently than men (25.6% vs. 17.4%) and a significant number women received warfarin alone (31.1% vs. 8.7%). No difference between the sexes was noticed in One-year rates of stroke/transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and all-cause of mortality after one-year follow-up (3.1% men vs. 3.3% women, and 7.5% vs. 7.4%). Older age (≥ 65 years), smoking, alcohol use, CHADS2 scores ≥5 were some of the significant risk factors in men with AF. Suboptimal use of anticoagulants, higher mortality and stroke/TIA events at one year are high but similar between the sexes. ER management revealed high use of rate control strategy and high rate of hospital admission was noticed in women.

Uremic Solutes in Chronic Kidney Disease and Their Role in Progression

Background

To date, over 150 possible uremic solutes have been listed, but their role in the progression of CKD is largely unknown. Here, the association between a selected panel of uremic solutes and progression in CKD patients was investigated.

Methods

Patients from the MASTERPLAN study, a randomized controlled trial in CKD patients with a creatinine clearance between 20 and 70 ml/min per 1.73m², were selected based on their rate of eGFR decline during the first five years of follow-up. They were categorized as rapid (decline >5 ml/min per year) or slow progressors. Concentrations of eleven uremic solutes were obtained at baseline and after one year of follow-up. Logistic regression was used to compare the odds for rapid to slow progression by uremic solute concentrations at baseline. Variability in uremic solute levels was assessed using scatter plots, and limits of variability were calculated.

Results

In total, 40 rapidly and 40 slowly progressing patients were included. Uremic solutes were elevated in all patients compared to reference values for healthy persons. The serum levels of uremic solutes were not associated with rapid progression. Moreover, we observed substantial variability in solute levels over time.

Conclusions

Elevated concentrations of uremic solutes measured in this study did not explain differences in rate of eGFR decline in CKD patients, possibly due to lack of power as a result of the small sample size, substantial between patient variability, and variability in solute concentrations over time. The etiology of intra-individual variation in uremic solute levels remains to be elucidated.

Impact of thoracic radiotherapy timing in limited-stage small-cell lung cancer: usefulness of the individual patient data meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy (CT) combined with radiotherapy is the standard treatment of 'limited-stage' small-cell lung cancer. However, controversy persists over the optimal timing of thoracic radiotherapy and CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We carried out a meta-analysis of individual patient data in randomized trials comparing earlier versus later radiotherapy, or shorter versus longer radiotherapy duration, as defined in each trial. We combined the results from trials using the stratified log-rank test to calculate pooled hazard ratios (HRs). The primary outcome was overall survival.

RESULTS

Twelve trials with 2668 patients were eligible. Data from nine trials comprising 2305 patients were available for analysis. The median follow-up was 10 years. When all trials were analysed together, 'earlier or shorter' versus 'later or longer' thoracic radiotherapy did not affect overall survival. However, the HR for overall survival was significantly in favour of 'earlier or shorter' radiotherapy among trials with a similar proportion of patients who were compliant with CT (defined as having received 100% or more of the planned CT cycles) in both arms (HR 0.79, 95% CI 0.69-0.91), and in favour of 'later or longer' radiotherapy among trials with different rates of CT compliance (HR 1.19, 1.05-1.34, interaction test, P < 0.0001). The absolute gain between 'earlier or shorter' versus 'later or longer' thoracic radiotherapy in 5-year overall survival for similar and for different CT compliance trials was 7.7% (95% CI 2.6-12.8%) and -2.2% (-5.8% to 1.4%), respectively. However, 'earlier or shorter' thoracic radiotherapy was associated with a higher incidence of severe acute oesophagitis than 'later or longer' radiotherapy.

CONCLUSION

'Earlier or shorter' delivery of thoracic radiotherapy with planned CT significantly improves 5-year overall survival at the expense of more acute toxicity, especially oesophagitis.

Brazilian multicenter study for the evaluation of patients' satisfaction of blood glucose self-monitoring with BGStar(®) blood glucose meter in insulinized patients with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2

BACKGROUND

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered a global epidemic, and patient self-management education and support are critical in preventing and reducing the risk of complications. Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is essential for care of individuals with DM, helping patients to achieve and maintain target blood glucose levels. The purpose of this study is to compare the satisfaction of insulinized DM patients on SMBG with use of investigational blood glucose meter (BGM) versus their routine device.

METHODS

A national, multicenter, open-label, phase 4 study was conducted on patients with type 1 or 2 DM under insulin therapy regimen, who were asked to use investigational BGM instead of their usual BGM device. The study was performed in 12 centers in Brazil for 12 weeks, with an extension period of 12 weeks. The primary endpoint was to measure the variation on the patients' level of satisfaction with investigational versus routine BGM, between visits, using a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Secondary endpoints addressed handling aspects, satisfaction, adherence and level of functionality and safety of investigational BGM.

RESULTS

The study included 292 patients (36.6 % DM1 and 63.4 % DM2), mean age 50.9 years old (±17.3 years), 57.5 % females. There was statistically significant improvement in global satisfaction with investigational BGM compared with routine BGM according to VAS [mean VAS score raised from 78.8 mm (SD = 18.0) to 90.8 mm (SD = 12.2) between visits]. After 12 weeks, level of satisfaction with investigational BGM according to questionnaires was superior to routine BGM regardless of age group (p < 0.001), type of DM (p < 0.001) or insulin regimen (p < 0.001). Investigational BGM was also regarded as safe, with 10 patients (3.4 %) reporting a total of 13 adverse events during the study.

CONCLUSIONS

Levels of satisfaction during SMBG were higher with use of investigational BGM and the device was deemed safe and easy to handle.