Adverse Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists are a class of injective anti-diabetic drugs that improve glycemic control and many other atherosclerosis-related parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, the use of this relatively new class of drugs may be associated with certain adverse effects. Concerns have been expressed regarding the effects of these drugs on pancreatic and thyroid tissue, since animal studies and analyses of drug databases indicate an association of GLP-1 receptor agonists with pancreatitis, pancreatic cancer, and thyroid cancer. However, several meta-analyses failed to confirm a cause-effect relation between GLP-1 receptor agonists and the development of these adverse effects. One benefit of GLP-1 receptor agonists is that they do not cause hypoglycemia when combined with metformin or thiazolidinediones, but the dose of concomitant sulphonylurea or insulin may have to be decreased to reduce the risk of hypoglycemic episodes. On the other hand, several case reports have linked the use of these drugs, mainly exenatide, with the occurrence of acute kidney injury, primarily through hemodynamic derangement due to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The most common symptoms associated with the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists are gastrointestinal symptoms, mainly nausea. Other common adverse effects include injection site reactions, headache, and nasopharyngitis, but these effects do not usually result in discontinuation of the drug. Current evidence shows that GLP-1 receptor agonists have no negative effects on the cardiovascular risk of patients with T2D. Thus, GLP-1 receptor agonists appear to have a favorable safety profile, but ongoing trials will further assess their cardiovascular effects. The aim of this review is to analyze critically the available data regarding adverse events of GLP-1 receptor agonists in different anatomic systems published in Pubmed and Scopus. Whenever possible, certain differences between GLP-1 receptor agonists are described. The review also provides the reader with structured data that compare the rates of the most common adverse effects for each of the various GLP-1 receptor agonists.     

A rare case report of a primary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast with coexisting Paget disease

Neuroendocrine carcinomas are malignancies deriving from neuroendocrine cells existing in various sites of the body, most commonly in the lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Primary neuroendocrine carcinomas of the breast are extremely rare, and their diagnosis is confirmed by positive neuroendocrine markers. We describe a case of a 46-year-old woman with a palpable mass in her left breast for the previous 3 months. The tumor was resected and a primary large-cell neuroendocrine tumor of the breast was confirmed by histopathologic examination. Paget disease of the nipple was noted as well.     

Temporal stability of intracranial electroencephalographic abnormality maps for localizing epileptogenic tissue

Objective

Identifying abnormalities on interictal intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG), by comparing patient data to a normative map, has shown promise for the localization of epileptogenic tissue and prediction of outcome. The approach typically uses short interictal segments of approximately 1 min. However, the temporal stability of findings has not been established.

Methods

Here, we generated a normative map of iEEG in nonpathological brain tissue from 249 patients. We computed regional band power abnormalities in a separate cohort of 39 patients for the duration of their monitoring period (.92–8.62 days of iEEG data, mean = 4.58 days per patient, >4800 hours recording). To assess the localizing value of band power abnormality, we computed $D_{\mathrm{RS}}$—a measure of how different the surgically resected and spared tissue was in terms of band power abnormalities—over time.

Results

In each patient, the $D_{\mathrm{RS}}$ value was relatively consistent over time. The median $D_{\mathrm{RS}}$ of the entire recording period separated seizure-free (International League Against Epilepsy [ILAE] = 1) and not-seizure-free (ILAE $>$ 1) patients well (area under the curve [AUC] = .69). This effect was similar interictally (AUC = .69) and peri-ictally (AUC = .71).

Significance

Our results suggest that band power abnormality D_RS, as a predictor of outcomes from epilepsy surgery, is a relatively robust metric over time. These findings add further support for abnormality mapping of neurophysiology data during presurgical evaluation.     

A library of quantitative markers of seizure severity

Objective

Understanding fluctuations in seizure severity within individuals is important for determining treatment outcomes and responses to therapy, as well as assessing novel treatments for epilepsy. Current methods for grading seizure severity rely on qualitative interpretations from patients and clinicians. Quantitative measures of seizure severity would complement existing approaches to electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring, outcome monitoring, and seizure prediction. Therefore, we developed a library of quantitative EEG markers that assess the spread and intensity of abnormal electrical activity during and after seizures.

Methods

We analyzed intracranial EEG (iEEG) recordings of 1009 seizures from 63 patients. For each seizure, we computed 16 markers of seizure severity that capture the signal magnitude, spread, duration, and postictal suppression of seizures.

Results

Quantitative EEG markers of seizure severity distinguished focal versus subclinical seizures across patients. In individual patients, 53% had a moderate to large difference (rank sum $r>.3$, $p<.05$) between focal and subclinical seizures in three or more markers. Circadian and longer term changes in severity were found for the majority of patients.

Significance

We demonstrate the feasibility of using quantitative iEEG markers to measure seizure severity. Our quantitative markers distinguish between seizure types and are therefore sensitive to established qualitative differences in seizure severity. Our results also suggest that seizure severity is modulated over different timescales. We envisage that our proposed seizure severity library will be expanded and updated in collaboration with the epilepsy research community to include more measures and modalities.