Use of rosiglitazone and pioglitazone immediately after the cardiovascular risk warnings

BackgroundMeta-analyses of oral hypoglycemic agents (OHAs) revealed that rosiglitazone increased the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF) and that pioglitazone increased the risk of HF and decreased the risk of MI.ObjectiveTo characterize the change in the pattern of use of OHAs immediately after the publication of these meta-analyses on May 21, 2007.MethodsPharmacy and medical claims data for a managed care organization were analyzed for patients continuously enrolled from January 1, 2005, to November 30, 2007, with at least 1 pharmacy claim for OHA in the 13-month period between November 1, 2006, and November 30, 2007. A 5-month pre-publication period (November 1, 2006, through March 31, 2007) was compared with a 5-month post-publication period (July 1, 2007, through November 30, 2007) using a differences-in-differences multinomial logistic regression. This regression explored discontinuation; continuation with monotherapy or adding another drug; and switching to a drug different from the index monotherapy drug after adjusting for gender, age, type of insurance, past 1-year history of MI or HF, and risk factors for MI and HF in the past 1 year.ResultsThe relative rate of switching to nonindex drug in the postpublication relative to prepublication was 2.64 (P = .046) for monotherapy rosiglitazone users and 0.72 (P = .583) for monotherapy pioglitazone users. The differences-in-differences estimate of the rate of switching to nonindex drugs for monotherapy rosiglitazone users was 3.64 (P = .090) times higher relative to the estimate for monotherapy pioglitazone users.ConclusionThe pattern of use differed fundamentally between monotherapy rosiglitazone users and users of all other monotherapy OHAs in the postperiod. Not only were monotherapy rosiglitazone patients switching to non-rosiglitazone drugs at a higher rate, but the rate also was more than 3 times higher than similar switches among monotherapy pioglitazone users in the postperiod relative to the preperiod. This shows that the market response as observed by patient/prescriber decisions to the adverse news was interpreted narrowly to monotherapy rosiglitazone, and there is little or no spillover to the other drugs. Therefore, this study found that there was a differential effect of meta-analyses on the use of the 2 drugs.     

Perceval Sutureless Valve – are Sutureless Valves Here?

With the advent of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) techniques, a renewed interest has developed in sutureless aortic valve concepts in the last decade. The main feature of sutureless aortic valve implantation is the speed of insertion, thus making implantation easier for the surgeon. As a result, cross clamp times and myocardial ischemia may be reduced. The combined procedures (CABG with AVR in particular) can be done with a short cross clamp time. Perceval valve also provides an increased effective orifice area as compared with a stented bioprosthesis. Sutureless implantation of the Perceval valve is not only associated with shorter cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times but improved clinical outcomes too. This review covers the sutureless aortic valves and their evolution, with elaborate details on Perceval S valve in particular (which is the most widely used sutureless valve around the globe).     

Therapy‐related B‐lymphoblastic leukemia associated with Philadelphia chromosome and MLL rearrangement: Single institution experience and the review of the literature

Therapy related acute lymphoblastic leukemia (t‐ALL) of B cell origin is rare and constitutes approximately 2% of all ALL. Previously compiled data on the complete cytogenetic analysis of 48 t‐B‐ALL cases suggested that MLL rearrangement at 11q23 gene locus is the most common abnormality. Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) and a normal karyotype were reported as the second and third most common karyotypes, respectively. We investigated cytogenetic karyotypes of six t‐B‐ALL cases with a pre‐B cell immunophenotype. Ph + t‐B‐ALL was noted in four of six patients previously treated with radiation and/or chemotherapy. In addition, one case demonstrated MLL rearrangement at 11q23 locus while one case demonstrated normal cytogenetic karyotype. Five of the six t‐B‐ALL patients had persistent leukemia following initiation of chemotherapy for secondary leukemia with survival ranging from 10 to 21 months. To our knowledge, only fourteen patients with Ph + t‐B‐ALL have been described in the literature. In the current study, three of four cases with Ph + t‐B‐ALL were associated with treated breast carcinoma while one patient was treated for Hodgkin lymphoma. All four patients had undergone radiation therapy. The results may indicate a plausible association between Ph+t‐B‐ALL and prior radiation exposure.     

Food Security and Nutrition Interventions in Response to the Aids Epidemic: Assessing Global Action and Evidence

The number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy in developing countries has increased dramatically. The last decade has brought an increased understanding of the interconnectedness between HIV/AIDS, food insecurity, and undernutrition and a surge of evidence on how to address the food security and nutrition dimensions of the epidemic. We review this evidence as well as the corresponding evolution of policy support for incorporating food security and nutrition concerns into HIV programming. The available evidence, although varied in scope and methodologies, shows that nutrition supplementation and safety nets in the form of food assistance and livelihood interventions have potential in certain contexts to improve food security and nutrition outcomes in an HIV/AIDS context. In the face of funding uncertainties and competing priorities, we must maintain momentum towards effective and sustainable solutions to the epidemic through continued systematic research to inform policy and through the strengthening of monitoring systems to dynamically inform intervention development.