Citations

Abstract White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are frequently seen on brain magnetic resonance imaging scans of older people. Usually interpreted clinically as a surrogate for cerebral small vessel disease, WMHs are associated with increased likelihood of cognitive impairment and dementia (including Alzheimer's disease [AD]). WMHs are also seen in cognitively healthy people. In this collaboration of academic, clinical, and pharmaceutical industry perspectives, we identify outstanding questions about WMHs and their relation to cognition, dementia, and AD. What molecular and cellular changes underlie WMHs? What are the neuropathological correlates of WMHs? To what extent are demyelination and inflammation present? Is it helpful to subdivide into periventricular and subcortical WMHs? What do WMHs signify in people diagnosed with AD? What are the risk factors for developing WMHs? What preventive and therapeutic strategies target WMHs? Answering these questions will improve prevention and treatment of WMHs and dementia.

Background: Efforts to improve prescription of oral anticoagulation (OAC) drugs in patients with atrial fibrillation have had limited success in improving guideline adherence. Methods: We evaluated adherence to the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association performance measures for OAC in eligible patients with a CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥2 and trends in prescription over time in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–AFIB (atrial fibrillation) registry. Adjusted associations with in-hospital outcomes were also determined. The cohort included 33 235 patients with a CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score ≥2 who were admitted for atrial fibrillation and were enrolled at 115 sites between January 1, 2013, and September 31, 2017. Results: The median (25th, 75th percentile) age was 73 years (65, 81 years); 51% were female; and the median (25th, 75th percentile) CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc score was 4 (3, 5). At admission, 16 206 (59.5%) of 27 221 patients with a previous diagnosis of atrial fibrillation were taking OAC agents, and OAC drug use at admission was associated with a lower adjusted odds of in-hospital ischemic stroke (odds ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.24–0.59; P <0.0001). At discharge, prescription of OAC in eligible patients (no contraindications) was 93.5% (n=25 499 of 27 270). In a sensitivity analysis, when excluding only strict contraindications (4.6%, n=1497 of 32 806), OAC prescription at discharge was 80.3%. OAC prescription at discharge was higher in those aged ≤75 years, men, those with heart failure, those with previous atrial fibrillation ablation, and those with rhythm control ( P <0.0001 for all). OAC use was lowest in Hispanic patients (90.2%, P <0.0001). Prescription of OAC at discharge in eligible patients improved over time from 79.9% to 96.6% ( P <0.0001). Conclusions: Among hospitals participating in the GWTG-AFIB quality improvement program, OAC prescription at discharge in eligible guideline-indicated patients increased significantly and improved consistently over time. These data confirm that high-level adherence to guideline-recommended stroke prevention is achievable.

BACKGROUND: Management of transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas remains a challenging problem and the optimal surgical approach remains elusive. Mesenchymal stem cells, increasingly being utilized for perianal Crohn’s disease, offer a novel therapy to treat cryptoglandular fistulas. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine safety and feasibility of using an autologous mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug in patients with transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas. DESIGN: This study is a phase I clinical trial. SETTING: This study was conducted at a tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS: Adult (>18 years) male and female patients with transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas were selected. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of a mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug in patients with transsphincteric fistulas. RESULTS: Fifteen patients (8 women, mean age 39.8 years) with a single-tract transsphincteric fistula received a mesenchymal stem cell-loaded fistula plug and were followed for 6 months. Duration of disease at the time of study enrollment was a median of 3.0 years (range, 1–13 years) with a median of 3.5 (range, 1–20) prior surgical interventions. Adverse events included 1 plug extrusion, 1 abdominal wall seroma, 3 perianal abscesses requiring drainage, and 1 patient with perianal cellulitis. There were no serious adverse events. At 6 months, 3 patients had complete clinical healing, 8 had partial healing, and 4 patients showed no clinical improvement. Radiographic improvement was seen in 11 of 15 patients. LIMITATIONS: This study was limited by the small cohort and short follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Autologous mesenchymal stem cell-coated fistula plug treatment of transsphincteric cryptoglandular fistulas was safe and feasible and resulted in complete or partial healing in a majority of patients. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A897.

Background We sought to study the prevalence of high‐sensitivity troponin and its association with cardiac structure and outcomes in ambulatory and hospitalized patients with heart failure with a preserved ejection fraction ( HF p EF ). Methods and Results A post hoc analysis utilized data from HF p EF patients: DOSE (Diuretic Optimization Strategies Evaluation) and CARRESS ‐ HF (Cardiorenal Rescue Study in Acute Decompensated Heart Failure) enrolled patients hospitalized with acute HF p EF , and RELAX (Phosphodiesterase‐5 Inhibition to Improve Clinical Status and Exercise Capacity in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction) enrolled ambulatory patients with HF p EF . High‐sensitivity troponin I (hs‐TnI) was measured in hospitalized patients at baseline, at 72 to 96 hours, on day 7, and on day 60. In ambulatory patients hs‐TnI was measured at baseline and at week 24. In the ambulatory cohort, correlations between hs‐TnI and cardiac structure and function were assessed. The association between hs‐TnI and a 60‐day composite of emergency room visits, readmissions, and death was assessed for hospitalized patients using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. The study population included 139 hospitalized and 212 ambulatory patients with HF p EF and hs‐TnI measured at baseline. The median (25th, 75th percentiles) baseline troponin was 17.6 (11.1, 41.0) ng/L in hospitalized patients and 9.5 (5.3, 19.7) ng/L in ambulatory patients ( P <0.001). The prevalence of elevated hs‐TnI (>99% percentile upper reference limit was 86% in hospitalized patients and 53% among ambulatory patients, with stable elevation in ambulatory patients during follow‐up. HF p EF patients with a hs‐TnI above the median were older with worse left ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction. Continuously valued hs‐TnI (per doubling) was associated with increased risk of composite end point (adjusted hazard ratio 1.20, 95% confidence interval 1.00‐1.43; P =0.042). Conclusions Hs‐TnI is commonly elevated among both hospitalized and ambulatory patients with HF p EF . Increased hs‐TnI levels are associated with worse cardiac structure and increased risk of adverse events.

Abstract BACKGROUND Emergency department (ED) overuse is a costly and often neglected source of postdischarge resource utilization after spine surgery. Failing to investigate drivers of ED visits represents a missed opportunity to improve the value of care in spine patients. OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence, drivers, and timing of ED visits following elective spine surgery. METHODS Patients undergoing elective spine surgery for degenerative disease at a major medical center were enrolled in a prospective longitudinal registry. Patient and surgery characteristics, and patient-reported outcomes were recorded at baseline and 3 mo after surgery, along with self-reported 90-d ED visits. A multivariable regression model was used to identify independent factors associated with 90-d ED visits. For a sample of patients presenting to our institution's ED, charts were reviewed to identify the reason and time to ED postdischarge. RESULTS Of 2762 patients, we found a 90-d ED visit rate of 9.4%. One-third of patients presented to our institution's ED and of these, 70% presented due to pain or medical concerns at 9 and 7 d postdischarge, respectively, with 60% presenting outside normal clinic hours. Independent risk factors for 90-d ED visits included younger age, preoperative opioid use, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, and more vertebral levels involved. CONCLUSION Nearly 10% of elective spine patients had 90-d ED visits not requiring readmission. Pain and medical concerns accounted for 70% of visits at our center, occurring within 10 d of discharge. This study provides the clinical details and a timeline necessary to guide individualized interventions to prevent unnecessary, costly ED visits after spine surgery.

Abstract Background: This is an update of the safety and efficacy of durvalumab monotherapy in pts with locally advanced/metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC) from an ongoing, phase 1/2 open-label study (NCT01693562). Methods: Pts received 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks up to 12 months or until unacceptable toxicity, progression, or starting another anticancer therapy. Pts were stratified by tumor PD-L1 expression (Ventana PD-L1 [SP263] Assay [PD-L1 cutoff: ≥25% of tumor cells and/or immune cells with membrane staining]) and treatment line. Results: As of the data cutoff (16Oct2017), 201 UC pts with Stage IV disease received treatment, with a median follow-up of 16.9 months (range, 0.4-37.7). Across treatment lines, objective response rate (ORR) by blinded independent central review was 17.4% (95% CI, 12.4, 23.4) in all pts; 27.5% in the PD-L1 ≥25% group vs 5.8% in the PD-L1 &lt;25% group. The responses have been durable regardless of PD-L1 status, with the median duration of response not yet reached in the PD-L1 ≥25% group and 12.2 months in the PD-L1 &lt;25% group. Responses lasted ≥12 mo in 62.9% of responders (max 25.7+ mo). Overall, median OS was 10.5 months (95% CI, 6.9, 15.7); 19.8 months in the PD-L1 ≥25% group vs 4.8 months in the PD-L1 &lt;25% group (Table). Pts previously treated with platinum based chemotherapy also reported similar durable responses. At least one treatment-related AE was reported in 120 pts (59.7%), including fatigue (39 [19.4%]), decreased appetite and rash (18 [9.0%] each), and diarrhea (16 [8.0%]). Grade 3/4 treatment-related AEs occurred in 19 (9.5%) pts; 6 (3.0%) treatment discontinuations and 2 (1.0%) deaths were attributed to treatment-related AEs. Conclusions: With extended follow-up, durvalumab continues to show durable clinical activity in UC pts, especially in the PD-L1 ≥25% group with an acceptable toxicity profile. PD-L1 ≥25%PD-L1 &lt;25%PD-L1 unknownTotalAll UCn=102n=86n=13N=201Confirmed ORR, %27.55.815.417.4(95% CI)(19.1, 37.2)(1.9, 13.0)(1.9, 45.4)(12.4, 23.4)CR, %7.83.57.76.0PR, %19.62.37.711.4Median DoR, monthsNR12.2NRNR(min, max)(2.7, 25.7+)(8.6, 21.7+)(14.5+, 14.6+)(2.7, 25.7+)Median PFS, months (95% CI)1.9 (1.4, 2.7)1.4 (1.3, 1.5)2.8 (1.4, NE)1.5 (1.4, 1.8)6-month PFS rate, %28.68.625.220.412-month PFS rate, %22.37.125.216.2Median OS, months (95% CI)19.8 (9.3, NE)19.8 (9.3, NE)4.8 (3.3, 8.1)NR (4.9, NE)10.5 (6.9, 15.7)6-month OS rate, %67.645.869.258.912-month OS rate, %57.629.561.546.6 Citation Format: Peter O'Donnell, Christophe Massard, Bhumsuk Keam, Sang-We Kim, Terry Friedlander, Myung-Ju Ahn, Michael Ong, Michael Gordon, Marcus Butler, Scott Antonia, Gerardo Colon-Otero, Martin Gutierrez, Sumati Gupta, Alexander Spira, Alexandra Drakaki, Michele Maio, Feng Xiao, Natasha Angra, Shaad Abdullah, Thomas Powles. Updated efficacy and safety profile of durvalumab monotherapy in urothelial carcinoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT031.