Outcomes of Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension After Balloon Pulmonary Angioplasty and Pulmonary Endarterectomy.

Background: The contemporary outcome of balloon pulmonary angioplasty (BPA) and pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) are unclear. Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the characteristics and outcomes of CTEPH patients treated with BPA and PEA in Japan. Methods: Among 1,270 participants enrolled between 2018 and 2023 in the CTEPH AC (Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Anticoagulant) registry, a Japanese nationwide CTEPH registry, 369 treatment-naive patients (BPA strategy: n = 313; PEA strategy: n = 56) and 690 on-treatment patients (BPA strategy: n = 561; PEA strategy: n = 129) were classified according to the presence of prior reperfusion therapy. Morbidity and mortality events (all-cause death, rescue mechanical reperfusion therapy, and/or initiation of parenteral pulmonary vasodilators), pulmonary hemodynamics, exercise tolerance, and relevant laboratory test results were evaluated. Results: The BPA strategy was chosen in older patients than the PEA strategy (mean age, BPA vs PEA: 66.5 ± 12.6 years vs 62.5 ± 11.8 years; P = 0.028). Median follow-up period was 615 (Q1-Q3: 311-997) days in treatment-naive patients and 1,136 (Q1-Q3: 684-1,300) days in on-treatment patients. BPA strategy had as acceptable morbidity and mortality as PEA strategy (5-year morbidity and mortality event rate, BPA vs PEA: 10.2% [95% CI: 5.2%-19.5%] vs 16.1% [95% CI: 4.3%-50.6%] in treatment-naive patients; 9.7% [95% CI: 6.7%-13.8%] vs 6.9% [95% CI: 2.7%-17.3%] in on-treatment patients), with greater improvement of renal function; glomerular filtration rate in propensity score-matched population (difference between change: 4.9 [95% CI: 0.5-9.3] mL/min/1.73 m2; P = 0.030). Conclusions: BPA strategy was more frequently chosen in older patients compared with PEA strategy and showed acceptable outcomes for efficacy with greater advantage for improvement in renal function. (Multicenter registry of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Japan; UMIN000033784).

Insulin resistance assessed by short insulin tolerance test and its association with obesity and insulin resistance-related parameters in humans: A pilot randomized trial.

The aim of this study was to examine the association of insulin resistance (evaluated by the short insulin tolerance test [SITT]) with parameters related to obesity and insulin resistance. We prospectively recruited controls and patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), subjected them to the SITT, and calculated the K indices of the intravenous insulin tolerance test (KITT(iv)) and the subcutaneous insulin tolerance test (KITT(sc)). We compared KITT(iv) results between the volunteers and patients and examined its correlation with KITT(sc). We also examined the association of KITT(iv) with obesity, insulin resistance-related parameters, and the insulin dose required for glycemic control. A total of 24 participants (seven controls and 17 patients with T2DM) were studied. The mean KITT(iv) was significantly lower in patients with T2DM than in the controls (2.5%±2.1% vs. 4.5%±1.8%). In all participants, KITT(iv) was significantly correlated with the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) values (r = -0.601, p<0.05) but not with KITT(sc) (p = 0.62). KITT(iv) was correlated positively with the serum adiponectin concentration, but negatively with the visceral fat area and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α and branched-chain amino acids. In patients with T2DM, KITT(iv) and HOMA-IR values were significantly correlated with the total insulin dose required for glycemic control. Insulin resistance evaluated using KITT(iv) was correlated with the HOMA-IR values, but not with the resistance evaluated using KITT(sc). The degree of insulin resistance was associated with biomarkers, such as adiponectin, tumor necrosis factor-α, branched-chain amino acids, the visceral fat area, and the dose of insulin required for glycemic control.

A PrOsPective Cohort Study on Interstitial Lung Disease-Associated Pulmonary Hypertension with a ParticulaR Focus on the Subset with Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Features (POPLAR Study).

INTRODUCTION: The pathogenesis and clinical profiles of patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD-PH) are poorly understood. Whether and to what extent pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-specific therapy improves hemodynamic and outcome in ILD-PH are also unknown. STUDY OBJECTIVE: This study aims to clarify the characteristics, clinical course and response to PAH-specific therapy of ILD and/or PH by enrolling three unique subsets: PAH, ILD-PH, and ILD. METHODS: The proposed study is a retrospective and prospective, multi-centre, observational cohort study of patients treated at any of three university hospitals in the Hokkaido region of Japan who have any one of the following: PAH; ILD-PH with or without PAH features; or ILD without PH. We aim to enrol 250 patients in total. For the retrospective observation period, data obtained after 1 January 2010, will be analysed, and the prospective observation period will be 1 year. We will compare the clinical data of patients with ILD-PH with those of patients with PAH and those of patients with ILD without PH in the real-world clinical setting. In addition, within the cohort of patients with ILD-PH, we will explore the subset with "ILD-PH with PAH features" and compare the response to PAH-specific therapy with that of PAH. The primary outcome will be the change in pulmonary vascular resistance from first treatment to follow-up in patients with PAH and ILD-PH with PAH features (excluding ILD-PH without PAH feature and ILD-no-PH for the primary outcome). The exploratory outcomes will include analyses of PH-associated biomarkers, right ventricular function and patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: This is a protocol article and the results will be presented after data collection is completed. CONCLUSION: The POPLAR study will provide data that help better understand the pathophysiology of ILD-PH and improve the quality of life and outcome of patients with PH and/or ILD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Japan Registry of Clinical Trials: jRCT1010230018.

Exploratory analysis of the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters for the assessment of right ventricular function and right ventricular-pulmonary artery coupling.

Echocardiography is a widely used modality for the assessment of right ventricular (RV) function; however, few studies have comprehensively compared the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters using invasively obtained reference values. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to compare the accuracy of echocardiographic parameters of RV function and RV-pulmonary artery (PA) coupling. We calculated four indices of RV function (end-systolic elastance [Ees] for systolic function [contractility], τ for relaxation, and ß and end-diastolic elastance [Eed] for stiffness), and an index of RV-PA coupling (Ees/arterial elastance [Ea]), using pressure catheterization, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and a single-beat method. We then compared the correlations of RV indices with echocardiographic parameters. In 63 participants (54 with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and nine without PH), Ees and τ correlated with several echocardiographic parameters, such as RV diameter and area, but the correlations were moderate (|correlation coefficients (ρ)| < 0.5 for all parameters). The correlations of ß and Eed with echocardiographic parameters were weak, with |ρ| < 0.4. In contrast, Ees/Ea closely correlated with RV free wall longitudinal strain (RVFW-LS)/estimated systolic PA pressure (eSPAP) (ρ = -0.72). Ees/Ea also correlated with tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion/eSPAP, RV diameter, and RV end-systolic area, with |ρ | >0.65. In addition, RVFW-LS/eSPAP yielded high sensitivity (0.84) and specificity (0.75) for detecting reduced Ees/Ea. The present study indicated a limited accuracy of echocardiographic parameters in assessing RV systolic and diastolic function. In contrast to RV function, they showed high accuracy for assessing RV-PA coupling, with RVFW-LS/eSPAP exhibiting the highest accuracy.

Pulmonary Hypertension With Interstitial Pneumonia: Initial Treatment Effectiveness and Severity in a Japan Registry.

Background: Recent guidelines discourage the use of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-targeted therapies in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) associated with respiratory diseases. Therefore, stratifications of the effectiveness of PAH-targeted therapies are important for this group. Objectives: The authors aimed to identify phenotypes that might benefit from initial PAH-targeted therapies in patients with PH associated with interstitial pneumonia and combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. Methods: We categorized 270 patients with precapillary PH (192 interstitial pneumonia, 78 combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema) into severe and mild PH using a pulmonary vascular resistance of 5 WU. We investigated the prognostic factors and compared the prognoses of initial (within 2 months after diagnosis) and noninitial treatment groups, as well as responders (improvements in World Health Organization functional class, pulmonary vascular resistance, and 6-minute walk distance) and nonresponders. Results: Among 239 treatment-naive patients, 46.0% had severe PH, 51.8% had mild ventilatory impairment (VI), and 40.6% received initial treatment. In the severe PH with mild VI subgroup, the initial treatment group had a favorable prognosis compared with the noninitial treatment group. The response rate in this group was significantly higher than the others (48.2% vs 21.8%, ratio 2.21 [95% CI: 1.17-4.16]). In multivariate analysis, initial treatment was a better prognostic factor for severe PH but not for mild PH. Within the severe PH subgroup, responders had a favorable prognosis. Conclusions: This study demonstrated an increased number of responders to initial PAH-targeted therapy, with a favorable prognosis in severe PH cases with mild VI. A survival benefit was not observed in mild PH cases. (Multi-institutional Prospective Registry in Pulmonary Hypertension associated with Respiratory Disease; UMIN000011541).

Switching from Beraprost to Selexipag in the Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Insights from a Phase IV Study of the Japanese Registry (The EXCEL Study: EXChange from bEraprost to seLexipag Study).

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) remains a significant challenge in cardiology, necessitating advancements in treatment strategies. This study explores the safety and efficacy of transitioning patients from beraprost to selexipag, a novel selective prostacyclin receptor agonist, within a Japanese cohort. Employing a multicenter, open-label, prospective design, 25 PAH patients inadequately managed on beraprost were switched to selexipag. Key inclusion criteria included ongoing beraprost therapy for ≥3 months, a diagnosis of PAH confirmed by mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) ≥ 25 mmHg, and current treatment with endothelin receptor antagonists and/or phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. Outcomes assessed were changes in hemodynamic parameters (mPAP, cardiac index, pulmonary vascular resistance) and the 6 min walk distance (6-MWD) over 3-6 months. The study found no statistically significant changes in these parameters post-switch. However, a subset of patients, defined as responders, demonstrated improvements in all measured hemodynamic parameters, suggesting a potential benefit in carefully selected patients. The transition was generally well-tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. This investigation underscores the importance of personalized treatment strategies in PAH, highlighting that certain patients may benefit from switching to selexipag, particularly those previously on higher doses of beraprost. Further research is needed to elucidate the predictors of positive response to selexipag and optimize treatment regimens for this complex condition.

Prophylactic Anticoagulation and Thrombosis in Hospitalized Patients with Clinically Stable COVID-19 at Admission: From the Practice-Based Observational Study.

Objectives: The potential benefit of routine prophylactic anticoagulation for all hospitalized patients with clinically stable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still controversial. Method: The CLOT-COVID Study was a multicenter observational study enrolling 2894 consecutive hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The current study population consisted of 1738 hospitalized patients with mild COVID-19 at admission not requiring oxygen administration, who were divided into 2 groups: patients with prophylactic anticoagulation (n = 326) and those without (n = 1412). Results: Patients with prophylactic anticoagulation had more severe status of the worst severity of COVID-19 during hospitalization compared with those without (mild: 38% versus 82%, moderate: 55% versus 17%, and severe or death at discharge: 6.4% versus 0.7%, P <0.001). During hospitalization, 8 patients (0.5%) developed thrombosis, and the incidences of thrombosis were numerically higher in patients with more severe status of worst severity of COVID-19 during hospitalization (mild: 0.2%, moderate: 1.2%, and severe or death at discharge: 3.2%). Conclusions: Among hospitalized patients with clinically stable COVID-19 at admission, patients who did not worsen in COVID-19 severity after admission rarely developed thrombosis, although patients with worsening of COVID-19 severity after admission more often received prophylactic anticoagulation and might have a higher risk of thrombosis.

Deep learning to assess right ventricular ejection fraction from two-dimensional echocardiograms in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) is characterized by a sustained increase in right ventricular (RV) afterload, impairing systolic function. Two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography is the most performed cardiac imaging tool to assess RV systolic function; however, an accurate evaluation requires expertise. We aimed to develop a fully automated deep learning (DL)-based tool to estimate the RV ejection fraction (RVEF) from 2D echocardiographic videos of apical four-chamber views in patients with precapillary PH. METHODS: We identified 85 patients with suspected precapillary PH who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and echocardiography. The data was divided into training (80%) and testing (20%) datasets, and a regression model was constructed using 3D-ResNet50. Accuracy was assessed using five-fold cross validation. RESULTS: The DL model predicted the cardiac MRI-derived RVEF with a mean absolute error of 7.67%. The DL model identified severe RV systolic dysfunction (defined as cardiac MRI-derived RVEF < 37%) with an area under the curve (AUC) of .84, which was comparable to the AUC of RV fractional area change (FAC) and tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE) measured by experienced sonographers (.87 and .72, respectively). To detect mild RV systolic dysfunction (defined as RVEF ≤ 45%), the AUC from the DL-predicted RVEF also demonstrated a high discriminatory power of .87, comparable to that of FAC (.90), and significantly higher than that of TAPSE (.67). CONCLUSION: The fully automated DL-based tool using 2D echocardiography could accurately estimate RVEF and exhibited a diagnostic performance for RV systolic dysfunction comparable to that of human readers.

Echocardiographic estimation of right ventricular diastolic stiffness based on pulmonary regurgitant velocity waveform analysis in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

Right ventricular (RV) diastolic stiffness is an independent predictor of survival and is strongly associated with disease severity in patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). Therefore, a fully validated echocardiographic method for assessing RV diastolic stiffness needs to be established. This study aimed to compare echocardiography-derived RV diastolic stiffness and invasively measured pressure-volume loop-derived RV diastolic stiffness in patients with precapillary PH. We studied 50 consecutive patients with suspected or confirmed precapillary PH who underwent cardiac catheterization, magnetic resonance imaging, and echocardiography within a 1-week interval. Single-beat RV pressure-volume analysis was performed to determine the gold standard for RV diastolic stiffness. Elevated RV end-diastolic pressure (RVEDP) was defined as RVEDP ≥ 8 mmHg. Using continuous-wave Doppler and M-mode echocardiography, an echocardiographic index of RV diastolic stiffness was calculated as the ratio of the atrial-systolic descent of the pulmonary artery-RV pressure gradient derived from pulmonary regurgitant velocity (PRPGDAC) to the tricuspid annular plane movement during atrial contraction (TAPMAC). PRPGDAC/TAPMAC showed significant correlation with ß (r = 0.54, p < 0.001) and RVEDP (r = 0.61, p < 0.001). A cut-off value of 0.74 mmHg/mm for PRPGDAC/TAPMAC showed 83% sensitivity and 93% specificity for identifying elevated RVEDP. Multivariate analyses indicated that PRPGDAC/TAPMAC was independently associated with disease severity in patients with precapillary PH, including substantial PH symptoms, stroke volume index, right atrial size, and pressure. PRPGDAC/TAPMAC, based on pulmonary regurgitation velocity waveform analysis, is useful for the noninvasive assessment of RV diastolic stiffness and is associated with prognostic risk factors in precapillary PH.

Adult-onset idiopathic peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis (PPS) refers to stenosis of the pulmonary artery from the trunk to the peripheral arteries. Although paediatric PPS is well described, the clinical characteristics of adult-onset idiopathic PPS have not been established. Our objectives in this study were to characterise the disease profile of adult-onset PPS. METHODS: We collected data in Japanese centres. This cohort included patients who underwent pulmonary angiography (PAG) and excluded patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or Takayasu arteritis. Patient backgrounds, right heart catheterisation (RHC) findings, imaging findings and treatment profiles were collected. RESULTS: 44 patients (median (interquartile range) age 39 (29-57) years; 29 females (65.9%)) with PPS were enrolled from 20 centres. In PAG, stenosis of segmental and peripheral pulmonary arteries was observed in 41 (93.2%) and 36 patients (81.8%), respectively. 35 patients (79.5%) received medications approved for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and 22 patients (50.0%) received combination therapy. 25 patients (56.8%) underwent transcatheter pulmonary angioplasty. RHC data showed improvements in both mean pulmonary arterial pressure (44 versus 40 mmHg; p<0.001) and pulmonary vascular resistance (760 versus 514 dyn·s·cm-5; p<0.001) from baseline to final follow-up. The 3-, 5- and 10-year survival rates of patients with PPS were 97.5% (95% CI 83.5-99.6%), 89.0% (95% CI 68.9-96.4%) and 67.0% (95% CI 41.4-83.3%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, patients with adult-onset idiopathic PPS presented with segmental and peripheral pulmonary artery stenosis. Although patients had severe pulmonary hypertension at baseline, they showed a favourable treatment response to PAH drugs combined with transcatheter pulmonary angioplasty.

The chest CT signs for pulmonary veno-occlusive disease correlate with pulmonary haemodynamics in systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with systemic sclerosis (PAH-SSc) sometimes accompanies pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD). We aimed to reveal the relation between clinical signs of PVOD and severing of pulmonary vasculopathy in SSc. METHODS: This study comprised 52 consecutive SSc patients who had pulmonary haemodynamic abnormalities (mPAP > 20 mmHg, PVR > 2 W.U. or PAWP > 15 mmHg). The chest CT scan was evaluated in all patients. Patients were divided into two groups, the 0-1 group and the 2-3 group, according to the number of chest CT signs for PVOD, including 1) mediastinal lymph node enlargement, 2) thickened interlobular septal wall, and 3) ground glass opacity. Pulmonary haemodynamics, echocardiography and MRI-based cardiac function, pulmonary function, and serum biomarkers were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Mediastinal lymph node enlargement, thickened interlobular septal wall, and ground glass opacity were observed in 11 (21%), 32 (62%), and 11 (21%) patients, respectively. The 2-3 group (n = 15) had higher mPAP (p= 0.02) while lower DLco/VA (p= 0.02) compared with the 0-1 group (n = 37). Other parameters, including PAWP, cardiac output, left ventricular ejection fraction, left atrial diameter, forced vital capacity, brain natriuretic peptide, and Krebs von den Lunge-6 were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The CT signs for PVOD had positive correlation with mPAP but negative correlation with DLco in SSc patients, indicating that PAH-SSc may reflect a spectrum of pulmonary vascular disease that ranges from the pulmonary artery to the vein.

Association of longitudinal cardiac troponin trajectory with adverse events in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis.

BACKGROUND: Although high-sensitivity cardiac troponins may be sensitive and easily repeatable markers of disease activity in patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS), the association between longitudinal cardiac troponin trajectory and adverse events remains unclear. This study aimed to clarify whether longitudinal cardiac troponin levels were associated with adverse events in patients with CS. METHODS: We examined 63 consecutive CS-initiated prednisolone (PSL) patients with available longitudinal high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT) data between December 2013 and March 2023. The area under the cTnT trajectory, which reflected cumulative cTnT release, was calculated to assess the association between longitudinal cTnT levels and adverse events. Patients were divided into two groups according to the median area under the cTnT trajectory per month. The primary outcome was a composite of sustained ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation, worsening heart failure, and sudden cardiac death (SCD). RESULTS: In total, 463 cTnT measurements were collected over a median follow-up period of 30.4 (interquartile range [IQR] 15.6-34.2) months. The primary outcome was observed in 12 (19%) patients. A higher area under the cTnT trajectory was significantly associated with an increased incidence of the primary outcome (P = 0.027), while cTnT levels before and one month after initiation of PSL, and these changes were not related to adverse events (P = 0.179, 0.096, and 0.95, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal cTnT trajectory following PSL initiation was associated with adverse cardiac events in patients with CS, suggesting that longitudinal measurement of cTnT would be useful for the early identification of high-risk patients.

Impact of cancer on the prevalence, management, and outcome of patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) results from unresolved thrombotic obstruction of the pulmonary vasculature. Cancer is a known risk factor for CTEPH. This study aimed to determine the impact of cancer on the prevalence, management, and outcomes of patients with CTEPH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study involving 99 patients sequentially diagnosed with CTEPH in our hospital, the prevalence of 10 comorbid conditions including a past history of cancer at the time of CTEPH diagnosis were calculated. RESULTS: Among the 99 patients, 17 (17%) had a history of cancer. Breast cancer (n = 6) was the most common cancer type, followed by gastrointestinal cancer (n = 3), uterine cancer (n = 2), and malignant lymphoma (n = 2). Between patients with and without cancer, there were no differences in the demographics, severity of CTEPH, and management; however, the 5-year survival rate was lower for patients with cancer (65%) than for those without (89%). In addition, patients with cancer had significantly worse survival than those without (p = 0.03 by log-rank test). During follow-up, nine patients developed cancer after the diagnosis of CTEPH. Among the 99 patients, 13 died during follow-up, 6 (46%) of whom died of cancer. CONCLUSIONS: 17% of our patients with CETPH were diagnosed with cancer, with breast and gastrointestinal tract cancers being the most common. Cancer comorbidity was associated with a poor prognosis and contributed to death in 46% of deceased patients. The impact of cancer on CTEPH should be further evaluated in the future.

Initial Triple Combination Therapy Including Intravenous Prostaglandin I2 for the Treatment of Patients with Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Upfront combination therapy including intravenous prostaglandin I2 (PGI2-IV) is recognized as the most appropriate treatment for patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This retrospective study aimed to determine reasons why this therapy is not used for some patients with severe PAH and describe the hemodynamic and clinical prognoses of patients receiving initial combination treatment with (PGI2-IV+) or without (PGI2-IV-) PGI2-IV.Data for patients with severe PAH (World Health Organization Functional Class III/IV and mean pulmonary arterial pressure [mPAP] ≥ 40 mmHg) were extracted from the Japan Pulmonary Hypertension Registry. Overall, 73 patients were included (PGI2-IV + n = 17; PGI2-IV- n = 56). The PGI2-IV+ cohort was younger than the PGI2-IV- cohort (33.8 ± 10.6 versus 52.6 ± 18.2 years) and had higher mPAP (58.1 ± 12.9 versus 51.8 ± 9.0 mmHg), greater prevalence of idiopathic PAH (88% versus 32%), and less prevalence of connective tissue disease-associated PAH (0% versus 29%). Hemodynamic measures, including mPAP, showed improvement in both cohorts (post-treatment median [interquartile range] 38.5 [17.0-40.0] for the PGI2-IV + cohort and 33.0 [25.0-43.0] mmHg for the PGI2-IV - cohort). Deaths (8/56) and lung transplantation (1/56) occurred only in the PGI2-IV - cohort.These Japanese registry data indicate that older age, lower mPAP, and non-idiopathic PAH may influence clinicians against using upfront combination therapy including PGI2-IV for patients with severe PAH. Early combination therapy including PGI2-IV was associated with improved hemodynamics from baseline, but interpretation is limited by the small sample size.

Clinical Features Comparing Arterial Thrombosis and Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: Result from the CLOT-COVID Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of arterial thrombosis and venous thromboembolism (VTE) in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: The CLOT-COVID Study was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study that enrolled 2,894 consecutively hospitalized patients with COVID-19 among 16 centers in Japan from April 2021 to September 2021. We compared the clinical features of arterial thrombosis and VTE. Results: Thrombosis was observed in 55 patients (1.9%) during hospitalization. Arterial thrombosis and VTE occurred in 12 (0.4%) and 36 (1.2%) patients, respectively. Among the 12 patients with arterial thrombosis, 9 (75%), 2 (17%), and 1 developed ischemic cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, and acute limb ischemia, respectively, and there were five patients (42%) without comorbidities. Among 36 patients with VTE, 19 (53%) and 17 (47%) developed pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), respectively. PE was common in the early stages of hospitalization; whereas, DVT was common beyond the early stages of hospitalization. Conclusion: Among patients with COVID-19, arterial thrombosis was less common than VTE, although ischemic cerebral infarction seemed to be relatively common, and a certain number of patients developed arterial thrombosis even in the absence of known atherosclerosis risk factors.

SATISFY-JP, a phase II multicenter open-label study on Satralizumab, an anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, use for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with an immune-responsive-phenotype: Study protocol.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an intractable disease with a poor prognosis, is commonly treated using pulmonary vasodilators modulating the endothelin, cGMP, and prostacyclin pathway. Since the 2010s, drugs for treating pulmonary hypertension based on mechanisms other than pulmonary vasodilation have been actively developed. However, precision medicine is based on tailoring disease treatment to particular phenotypes by molecular-targeted drugs. Since interleukin-6 (IL-6) is involved in the development of PAH in animal models, and some patients with PAH have elevated IL-6 levels, the cytokine is expected to obtain potentials for therapeutic targeting. Accordingly, we identified a phenotype with elevated cytokine activity of the IL-6 family in the PAH population by combining case data extracted from the Japan Pulmonary Hypertension Registry with a comprehensive analysis of 48 cytokines using artificial intelligence clustering techniques. Including an IL-6 threshold ≥2.73 pg/mL as inclusion criteria for reducing the risk of insufficient efficacy, an investigator-initiated clinical study using satralizumab, a recycling anti-IL6 receptor monoclonal antibody, for patients with an immune-responsive phenotype is underway. This study is intended to test whether use of patient biomarker profile can identify a phenotype responsive to anti-IL6 therapy.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension in an 80-year-old man with long-term use of cyclophosphamide.

An 80-year-old man diagnosed with primary macroglobulinemia 7 years earlier had been treated with cyclophosphamide, following which he developed dyspnea on exertion. Cyclophosphamide was discontinued. The patient's dyspnea, however, failed to improve. Right heart catheterization (RHC) revealed precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). He was transferred to our institution for further examination. Prior use of cyclophosphamide was the patient's only risk factor for PH, and cyclophosphamide use was considered as a possible cause of PH in this case. He was treated with tadalafil and dyspnea gradually improved. A follow-up RHC exhibited improvement in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance.

Risk Factors and Impact on Outcomes of Thrombosis in Patients with COVID-19 in Japan: From the CLOT-COVID Study.

Objectives: The relationship between the thrombotic event and prognosis in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has not yet been fully investigated in Japan. Our study aimed to investigate the clinical outcomes and risk factors for thrombosis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Japan. Materials and Methods: We compared the patient characteristics and clinical outcomes among patients with thrombosis (N=55) and those without thrombosis (N=2839) by using a large-scale data of CLOT-COVID study (thrombosis and antiCoaguLatiOn Therapy in patients with COVID-19 in Japan Study: UMIN000045800). Thrombosis included venous thromboembolism, ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and systemic arterial thromboembolism. Results: Higher rates of mortality and bleeding events were shown in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 with thrombosis compared to those without thrombosis (all-cause mortality, 23.6% vs. 5.1%, P<0.001; major bleeding, 23.6% vs. 1.6%, P<0.001). Multivariable analysis revealed that the independent risk factors of thrombosis were male sex, D-dimer level on admission>1.0 µg/mL, and moderate and severe COVID-19 status on admission. Conclusions: The development of thrombosis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 was related to higher mortality and major bleeding, and several independent risk factors for thrombosis could help determine the patient-appropriate treatment for COVID-19.