Factors associated with 2-year persistence in fully non reimbursed lipid-lowering treatments

Objective

to evaluate the main factors associated with long-term persistence in fully paid lipid-lowering treatment.

Methods

We selected 628 moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects (M: 307; F: 311, mean age 59 ± 9 years old), to whom we firstly prescribed a statin (N. 397) or different kinds of lipid-lowering nutraceuticals (N. 231). Then, depending on their will, patients took brand statin (N. 194) or generic statins (N. 203).

Results

The main determinants of long-term persistence in therapy are female sex (OR 1.21, 95%CI 1.08–1.42), family history of early cardiovascular disease (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.13–1.49), baseline LDL-C (OR 1.19, 95%CI 1.02–1.33) and treatment with nutraceuticals versus statins (OR 1.29, 95%CI 1.14–1.38). Persistence appears not to be influenced by patient's age, smoking habit, adverse events during treatment, and estimated cardiovascular risk.

Conclusion

Among self-paying patients with mild hyperlipidemia, medication persistence is highest among those taking nutraceuticals, followed by brand statins, followed by generic statins.     

A kindred with fish eye disease,corneal opacities,marked high-density lipoprotein deficiency,and statin therapy

A kindred affected with fish eye disease (FED) from Oklahoma is reported. Two probands with corneal opacification had mean levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (C), apolipoprotein (apo) A-I, and apoA-I in very large alpha-1 HDL particles that were 9%, 17%, and 5% of normal, whereas their parents and 1 sibling had values that were 61%, 77%, and 72% of normal. The probands had no detectable lipoprotein-X, and had mean low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride levels that were elevated. Their mean lecithin cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) activities, cholesterol esterification rates, and free cholesterol levels were 8%, 42%, and 258% of normal, whereas their parents and 1 sibling had values that were 55%, 49%, and 114% of normal. The defect was due to 1 common variant in the LCAT gene in exon 1: c101t causing a proline34leucine substitution and a novel mutation c1177t causing a threonine37methionine substitution, with the former variant being found in the father and 1 sibling, and the latter mutation being found in the mother, and both mutations being present in the 2 probands. FED is distinguished from familial LCAT deficiency (FLD) by the lack of anemia, splenomegaly, and renal insufficiency as well as normal or increased LDL-C. Both FLD and FED cases have marked HDL deficiency and corneal opacification, and FED cases may have premature coronary heart disease in contrast to FLD cases. Therapy, using presently available agents, in FED should be to optimize LDL-C levels, and 1 proband responded well to statin therapy. The investigational use of human recombinant LCAT as an enzyme source is ongoing.     

Statin as a therapeutic agent in gastroenterological cancer

Statins inhibit 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, and are widely used as an effective and safe approach handle hypercholesterolemia. The mevalonate pathway is a vital metabolic pathway that uses acetyl-CoA to generate isoprenoids and sterols that are crucial to tumor growth and progression. Multiple studies have indicated that statins improve patient prognosis in various carcinomas. Basic research on the mechanisms underlying the antitumor effects of statins is underway. The development of new anti-cancer drugs is progressing, but increasing medical costs from drug development have become a major obstacle. Readily available, inexpensive and well-tolerated drugs like statins have not yet been successfully repurposed for cancer treatment. Identifying the cancer patients that may benefit from statins is key to improved patient treatment. This review summarizes recent advances in statin research in cancer and suggests important considerations for the clinical use of statins to improve outcomes for cancer patients.     

他汀类药物治疗脓毒血症的进展

他汀类药物是临床上常用的一种降血脂药物,此外,它还具有抗炎、改善内皮细胞的功能、调节免疫功能,近年来研究发现,他汀类药物对脓毒血症有着重要的影响,它可以抑制炎症因子的释放,抑制炎症细胞的黏附,降低脓毒血症的发生率和病死率,本文对这一领域的最新进展作一综述.