Citations

Hypertension develops soon after organ transplantation using cyclosporine- or FK506-based immunosuppression. Sustained rises in blood pressure require intervention to reduce the risk of intracranial bleeding and other cardiovascular complications. Antihypertensive treatment is complicated by reduced renal function and potential interference with absorption and/or metabolism of cyclosporine or FK506. To manage early and long-term hypertension related to immunosuppression with cyclosporine or FK506 and prednisone following orthotopic liver transplantation, a comprehensive nurse-managed hypertension clinic was developed. Blood pressure, heart rate, and antihypertensive and immunosuppressive regimens were evaluated according to a standard protocol at 1, 4, 12, 24, and 36 months after orthotopic liver transplantation. Data indicate that posttransplantation hypertension develops within the first months after orthotopic liver transplantation and persists indefinitely. If comprehensively managed by the hypertension nurse-clinician, the percentage of controlled hypertension patients can increase over time.

SummaryThe significance of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in light chain (AL) amyloidosis has not been previously explored. We studied 1019 newly diagnosed patients and correlated the elevation of LDH above the upper limit of normal (ULN) with disease characteristics and outcome. Four hundred and nine patients had an LDH above ULN, representing 40% of the study population. Patients with an elevated LDH were older, were less likely to be male and had more extensive organ involvement compared to patients with a normal LDH. Patients with high LDH had greater cardiac and renal dysfunction. Elevated LDH was an independent prognostic marker for overall survival and for death within 6 months of diagnosis, but this was restricted to patients not eligible for stem cell transplant. Serum LDH may act as a marker for organ damage and should be explored as a potential marker for tissue healing and organ recovery.

AbstractElaboration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is a very early event in development of ischemia/reperfusion injury pathophysiology. Therefore, TNF may be a prominent mediator of endothelial cell and vascular wall dysfunction in sickle cell anemia, a hypothesis we addressed using NY1DD, S+SAntilles, and SS‐BERK sickle transgenic mice. Transfusion experiments revealed participation of abnormally activated blood monocytes exerting an endothelial activating effect, dependent upon Egr‐1 in both vessel wall and blood cells, and upon NFκB(p50) in a blood cell only. Involvement of TNF was identified by beneficial impact from TNF blockers, etanercept and infliximab, with less benefit from an IL‐1 blocker, anakinra. In therapeutic studies, etanercept ameliorated multiple disturbances of the murine sickle condition: monocyte activation, blood biomarkers of inflammation, low platelet count and Hb, vascular stasis triggered by hypoxia/reoxygenation (but not if triggered by hemin infusion), tissue production of neuro‐inflammatory mediators, endothelial activation (monitored by tissue factor and VCAM‐1 expression), histopathologic liver injury, and three surrogate markers of pulmonary hypertension (perivascular inflammatory aggregates, arteriolar muscularization, and right ventricular mean systolic pressure). In aggregate, these studies identify a prominent—and possibly dominant—role for an abnormal monocyte‐TNF‐endothelial activation axis in the sickle context. Its presence, plus the many benefits of etanercept observed here, argue that pilot testing of TNF blockade should be considered for human sickle cell anemia, a challenging but achievable translational research goal.

The healthcare system is undergoing a transition from paying for volume to paying for value. Clinicians, as well as public and private payers, are beginning to implement alternative delivery and payment models, such as the patient-centered medical home, accountable care organizations, and bundled payment arrangements. Implementation of these new models will necessitate delivery system transformation and will actively involve all fields of medical care, in particular medicine and surgery. This call to action, on behalf of the American Heart Association’s Expert Panel on Payment and Delivery System Reform, serves to offer support and direction for further involvement by the American Heart Association. In doing so, it (1) provides baseline review and definition of the present models and some of the early results of these delivery models, including outcomes; (2) initiates a conversation within the American Heart Association on the impact of payment and delivery system reform, as well as how the American Heart Association should engage in the interest of patients; (3) issues a call to action to our organization and to cardiovascular and stroke health professionals across the country to become educated about these models so to as to understand their impact on patient care; and (4) asks the government and other funding agencies, including the American Heart Association, to begin supporting and prioritizing meaningful research endeavors to further evaluate these models.

Key Points PVD is an active combination in relapsed lenalidomide-refractory MM patients. PVD with weekly bortezomib offers a simpler, more convenient, and well-tolerated regimen option.

4076 Background: Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is commonly diagnosed at an advanced, unresectable disease stage and has a poor prognosis. Comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP) has a developing role in guiding systemic, precision anti-cancer therapy. Methods: We performed hybrid capture-based CGP on FFPE samples for 491 consecutive advanced GBCs. Mean coverage depth was >550X for up to 315 cancer-related genes plus 37 introns from 28 genes frequently rearranged in cancer. All 4 classes of genomic alterations (GA) were detected. Tumor mutational burden (TMB) was determined on up to 1.1 Mb of sequenced DNA. Results: Median age was 64 (range 25-88) and 69% (337/491) of patients were female. 96% (470), 2.9% (14), and 1.4% (7) of GBC patients had the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma, adenosquamous, or carcinoma not specified (NOS), respectively. Commonly altered genes were TP53 (62%), CDNK2A (31%), ARID1A (18%), and SMAD4 (15%), and most of the genetic aberrations (GA) were short variants. Potentially targetable SCNAs (including ERBB genes, MET, FGFRs, and the CCND1-FGF3/4/19 11q13 amplicon) were identified in 21% of cases (Table). Oncogenic BRAF, ALK, or FGFR2/3 rearrangements were found in 7 cases (1.4%). Moreover, 7.8% of cases had BRCA2 or ATM GA, and 0.8% had INI1loss suggesting benefit from PARP or EZH2 inhibitors, respectively. TMB was low; the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles were 2.5, 3.8 and 6.3 mutations/Mb, respectively. Less than 1% of cases had microsatellite instability. Radiological response to TKIs and immunotherapy was noted. Conclusions: In addition to the significant opportunity for anti-HER targeted therapies, other subsets of GBC cases harbored kinase GA (particularly SCNA), the 11q13 amplicon, or BRCA2/ ATM/ INI1mutations that are linked to therapeutic benefit. How the frequency of both driver SCNA and DNA repair alterations in GBC can be linked with inflammation awaits additional investigation. [Table: see text]

Key Points Over the last decade, allogeneic HCT has been increasingly administered in the United States to adults aged 70 and older with hematologic malignancies. Allogeneic transplant outcomes were reasonable; high comorbidity and ablative conditioning regimens were associated with inferior outcomes.