Japan-United States of America Harmonized Assessment by Randomized Multicentre Study of OrbusNEich's Combo StEnt (Japan-USA HARMONEE) study: primary results of the pivotal registration study of combined endothelial progenitor cell capture and drug-eluting stent in patients with ischaemic coronary disease and non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome.

Aims: Harmonized Assessment by Randomized Multicentre Study of OrbusNEich's Combo StEnt (HARMONEE) (NCT02073565) was a randomized pivotal registration trial of the Combo stent, which combined sirolimus and an abluminal bioabsorbable polymer with a novel endoluminal anti-CD34+ antibody coating designed to capture endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and promote percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) site healing. Methods and results: Clinically stabilized PCI subjects were randomized 1:1 to receive Combo or everolimus-eluting stents (EES). Between February 2014 and June 2016, 572 subjects with 675 coronary lesions underwent 1-year angiography and fractional flow reserve, with optical coherence tomography (OCT) in the first 140 patients. The primary clinical endpoint was non-inferior 1-year target vessel failure (TVF). The primary mechanistic endpoint of EPC capture activity was superior strut coverage by OCT. Target vessel failure occurred in 7.0% Combo (20/287) vs. 4.2% EES (12/285), a 2.8% [95% confidence interval (95% CI) -1.0%, 6.5%] difference, meeting the non-inferiority hypothesis (P = 0.02). There were no cardiac deaths, with one stent thrombosis observed in the EES group. Quantitative coronary angiography late loss with Combo was equivalent to EES. Optical coherence tomography strut coverage at 1 year was superior with Combo vs. EES [91.3% (95% CI 88.7%, 93.8%) vs. 74.8% (95% CI 70.0%, 79.6%), P < 0.001], with homogeneous tissue in 81.2% vs. 68.8%, respectively. Conclusion: Combo stent demonstrated non-inferior 1-year TVF and late loss in a randomized comparison to EES, with superior strut-based tissue coverage by OCT as a surrogate of EPC capture technology activity.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of intracoronary application of a novel bioabsorbable cardiac matrix for the prevention of ventricular remodeling after large ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction: Rationale and design of the PRESERVATION I trial.

Postinfarction left ventricular (LV) remodeling can result in chronic heart failure and functional impairment. Although pharmacological strategies for established heart failure can be beneficial, preventing remodeling remains a challenge. Injectable bioabsorbable alginate or "bioabsorbable cardiac matrix" (BCM), composed of an aqueous mixture of sodium alginate and calcium gluconate, is a sterile colorless liquid that is a polysaccharide polymer produced from brown seaweed. When exposed to excess ionized calcium present in infarcted myocardium, BCM assembles to form a flexible gel, structurally resembling extracellular matrix, which provides temporary structural support to the infarct zone through and beyond the time needed for mature fibrotic tissue to develop. The PRESERVATION I trial is an early phase randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing intracoronary application of 4 mL of BCM with saline control in patients who develop large infarctions after successful reperfusion of large ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (MI). Subjects will be randomized 2:1 to either BCM or saline control and will have the study device deployed through an intracoronary microcatheter in the infarct-related artery 2 to 5 days after index ST-segment elevation MI treated with successful primary or rescue percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary effectiveness end point is the absolute change in LV diastolic volume index as measured by 3-dimensional echocardiography from baseline to 6 months after BCM deployment. Secondary effectiveness end points include clinical outcomes, patient-reported quality of life, additional echocardiographic measures, and functional status measures. In summary, the PRESERVATION I trial is a randomized double-blind trial evaluating the effectiveness and safety of the novel device BCM in preventing LV remodeling patients who have large MIs despite undergoing successful primary or rescue percutaneous coronary intervention.

A randomized, partially blinded, multicenter, active-controlled, dose-ranging study assessing the safety, efficacy, and pharmacodynamics of the REG1 anticoagulation system in patients with acute coronary syndromes: design and rationale of the RADAR Phase IIb trial.

Anticoagulants are the cornerstone of current acute coronary syndrome (ACS) therapy; however, anticoagulation regimens that aggressively reduce ischemic events are almost uniformly associated with more bleeding. REG1, an anticoagulation system, consists of RB006 (pegnivacogin), an RNA oligonucleotide factor IXa inhibitor, and RB007 (anivamersen), its complementary controlling agent. Phase I and IIa studies defined predictable relationships between doses of RB006, RB007, and degree of antifactor IX activity. The efficacy and safety of REG1 for the treatment of patients with ACS managed invasively and the safety of reversing RB006 with RB007 after cardiac catheterization are unknown. Randomized, partially-blinded, multicenter, active-controlled, dose-ranging study assessing the safety, efficacy, and pharmacodynamics of the REG1 anticoagulation system compared to unfractionated heparin or low molecular heparin in subjects with acute coronary syndrome (RADAR) is designed to assess both the efficacy of the anticoagulant RB006 and the safety of a range of levels of RB006 reversal with RB007. The objectives of RADAR are (1) to determine the safety of a range of levels of RB006 reversal with RB007 after catheterization, (2) to confirm whether a dose of 1 mg/kg RB006 results in near-complete inhibition of factor IXa in patients with ACS, and (3) to assess the efficacy of RB006 as an anticoagulant in patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

A double-blind, randomized, controlled, multicenter study to assess the safety and cardiovascular effects of skeletal myoblast implantation by catheter delivery in patients with chronic heart failure after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the safety and preliminary efficacy of transcatheter intramyocardial administration of myoblasts in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS: MARVEL is a randomized placebo-controlled trial of image-guided, catheter-based intramyocardial injection of placebo or myoblasts (400 or 800 million) in patients with class II to IV HF and ejection fraction <35%. Primary end points were frequency of serious adverse events (safety) and changes in 6-minute walk test and Minnesota Living With HF score (efficacy). Of 330 patients intended for enrollment, 23 were randomized (MARVEL-1) before stopping the study for financial reasons. RESULTS: At 6 months, similar numbers of events occurred in each group: 8 (placebo), 7 (low dose), and 8 (high dose), without deaths. Ventricular tachycardia responsive to amiodarone was more frequent in myoblast-treated patients: 1 (placebo), 3 (low dose), and 4 (high dose). A trend toward improvement in functional capacity was noted in myoblast-treated groups (Δ6-minute walk test of -3.6 vs +95.6 vs +85.5 m [placebo vs low dose vs high dose; P = .50]) without significant changes in Minnesota Living With HF scores. CONCLUSIONS: In HF patients with chronic postinfarction cardiomyopathy, transcatheter administration of myoblasts in doses of 400 to 800 million cells is feasible and may lead to important clinical benefits. Ventricular tachycardia may be provoked by myoblast injection but appears to be a transient and treatable problem. A large-scale outcome trial of myoblast administration in HF patients with postinfarction cardiomyopathy is feasible and warranted.

Safety and tolerability of SCH 530348 in patients undergoing non-urgent percutaneous coronary intervention: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study.

BACKGROUND: An antithrombotic drug is needed that safely reduces cardiovascular events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We therefore assessed the tolerability and safety of SCH 530348-an oral platelet protease-activated receptor-1 antagonist. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients aged 45 years or older and undergoing non-urgent PCI or coronary angiography with planned PCI to an oral loading dose of SCH 530348 (10 mg, 20 mg, or 40 mg) or matching placebo in a 3:1 ratio in a multicentre international study. Those in the SCH 530348 group who subsequently underwent PCI (primary PCI cohort) continued taking an oral maintenance dose (0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, or 2.5 mg per day), and patients in the placebo group continued placebo for 60 days. The primary endpoint was the incidence of clinically significant major or minor bleeding according to the thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) scale. Both investigators and patients were unaware of treatment allocation. Analysis was by intention to treat. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00132912. FINDINGS: 257 patients were assigned to placebo and 773 to SCH 530348. The primary endpoint occurred in 2 (2%) of 129, 3 (3%) of 120, and 7 (4%) of 173 patients, respectively, in the SCH 530348 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg groups compared with 5 (3%) of 151 patients in the placebo group (p=0.5786). TIMI major plus minor bleeding occurred in 3 (2%) of 136, 5 (4%) of 139, and 4 (3%) of 138 patients given SCH 530348 0.5 mg, 1.0 mg, and 2.5 mg once per day, respectively (p=0.7561). INTERPRETATION: Oral SCH 530348 was generally well tolerated and did not cause increased TIMI bleeding, even when administered concomitantly with aspirin and clopidogrel. Further testing in phase III trials to accurately define the safety and efficacy of SCH 530348 is warranted.

Is glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonism as effective in women as in men following percutaneous coronary intervention?. Lessons from the ESPRIT study.

OBJECTIVE: The study was done to determine whether eptifibatide, a platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonist, prevents ischemic complications following percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) in women as well as in men. BACKGROUND: Eptifibatide reduces ischemic complications after nonurgent coronary stent interventions. METHODS: We compared outcomes in women (n = 562) and men (n = 1,502) enrolled in the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet GP IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy (ESPRIT) trial of double-bolus eptifibatide during PCI. RESULTS: Women in the ESPRIT trial were older, and more frequently had hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or acute coronary syndromes, but were less likely to have prior PCI or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The primary end point, a composite at 48 h of death, myocardial infarction (MI), urgent target vessel revascularization (TVR), and unplanned GP IIb/IIIa use, occurred in 10.5% of women and 7.9% of men (p = 0.082). The composite of death, MI, or TVR after one year occurred in 24.5% of women compared with 18% of men (p = 0.0008). At 48 h, eptifibatide reduced the composite of death, MI, and TVR from 14.5% to 6.0% in women versus 9.0% to 6.8% in men. At one year, these differences persisted: 28.9% versus 20.0% for women and 19.5% versus 16.6% for men. No statistical interaction existed between treatment and gender at either 48 h (p = 0.063) or one year (p = 0.2). Bleeding occurred more commonly in women (5.5% vs. 2.6%, p = 0.002), and was more common in eptifibatide-treated women. After adjustment for age, weight, and hypertension, no interaction between treatment and gender was present. CONCLUSION: Eptifibatide is effective to prevent ischemic complications of PCI in women and may eliminate gender-related differences in PCI outcomes.

The PRoject of Ex-vivo Vein graft ENgineering via Transfection IV (PREVENT IV) trial: study rationale, design, and baseline patient characteristics.

BACKGROUND: Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery with autologous vein graft (VG) conduit is one of the most frequently performed operations in the United States. Unfortunately, many VGs become occluded during long-term follow-up largely because of neointimal hyperplasia. A novel approach to preventing neointimal hyperplasia is with the double-stranded oligonucleotide edifoligide (Corgentech Inc, South San Francisco, Calif). Edifoligide inhibits E2F, a transcription factor that activates cell-cycle genes responsible for neointimal hyperplasia. METHODS: PREVENT IV is a phase-III, multicenter, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial of ex vivo treatment of autologous VGs with edifoligide in patients undergoing initial CABG surgery. The primary end point is VG failure, defined as death or > or =75% stenosis in a treated VG at 12- to 18-month angiographic follow-up. Secondary end points include major adverse cardiac events through at least 5 years and adverse events through 30 days. RESULTS: Enrollment of 3014 patients from 107 sites was completed on October 22, 2003. The baseline and procedural characteristics of the PREVENT IV population are generally well matched to a contemporary population of patients undergoing initial CABG from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons National Database. Angiographic follow-up is ongoing and scheduled to be completed in March 2005. CONCLUSIONS: The PREVENT IV data will establish whether VG pretreatment with an E2F transcription factor decoy, edifoligide, can improve graft patency and reduce the long-term morbidity and mortality of patients undergoing CABG surgery.

A helpline for patients with chronic dermatological conditions.

A telephone line was set up for patients with chronic dermatological diseases in response to patients' concerns about having a point of contact for advice and for more appropriate and timely access to care when they needed to be seen. The aims were firstly to improve the quality of care and empower patients by providing advice and support with a safety net for those discharged from the authors' service. The second aim was to increase efficiency by reducing unnecessary return appointments. An audit was undertaken to evaluate the telephone service. This showed that patients were reassured that they could access the service according to their needs. There was a high level of satisfaction with the initiative and the advice received. The data also showed that there was a significant improvement in the ratio of new outpatient slots to return appointment slots and waiting times for a first appointment.

Genome-wide association study of perioperative myocardial infarction after coronary artery bypass surgery.

OBJECTIVES: Identification of patient subpopulations susceptible to develop myocardial infarction (MI) or, conversely, those displaying either intrinsic cardioprotective phenotypes or highly responsive to protective interventions remain high-priority knowledge gaps. We sought to identify novel common genetic variants associated with perioperative MI in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting using genome-wide association methodology. SETTING: 107 secondary and tertiary cardiac surgery centres across the USA. PARTICIPANTS: We conducted a stage I genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 1433 ethnically diverse patients of both genders (112 cases/1321 controls) from the Genetics of Myocardial Adverse Outcomes and Graft Failure (GeneMAGIC) study, and a stage II analysis in an expanded population of 2055 patients (225 cases/1830 controls) combined from the GeneMAGIC and Duke Perioperative Genetics and Safety Outcomes (PEGASUS) studies. Patients undergoing primary non-emergent coronary bypass grafting were included. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome variable was perioperative MI, defined as creatine kinase MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) values ≥10× upper limit of normal during the first postoperative day, and not attributable to preoperative MI. Secondary outcomes included postoperative CK-MB as a quantitative trait, or a dichotomised phenotype based on extreme quartiles of the CK-MB distribution. RESULTS: Following quality control and adjustment for clinical covariates, we identified 521 single nucleotide polymorphisms in the stage I GWAS analysis. Among these, 8 common variants in 3 genes or intergenic regions met p<10(-5) in stage II. A secondary analysis using CK-MB as a quantitative trait (minimum p=1.26×10(-3) for rs609418), or a dichotomised phenotype based on extreme CK-MB values (minimum p=7.72×10(-6) for rs4834703) supported these findings. Pathway analysis revealed that genes harbouring top-scoring variants cluster in pathways of biological relevance to extracellular matrix remodelling, endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi transport and inflammation. CONCLUSIONS: Using a two-stage GWAS and pathway analysis, we identified and prioritised several potential susceptibility loci for perioperative MI.

Optimal duration of eptifibatide infusion in percutaneous coronary intervention (an ESPRIT substudy).

Although randomized trials have clearly demonstrated the clinical efficacy with regimens of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonists that result in >80% inhibition of baseline platelet aggregation in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), there are no data available concerning the optimal duration of infusion of these agents. In an era when the length of hospitalization has a major impact on health care costs, the determination of the optimal duration of the infusion of these drugs after PCI is of great relevance. The investigators therefore sought to determine the optimal length of the infusion of eptifibatide after PCI by analyzing the outcomes of patients enrolled in the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet IIb/IIIa Receptor With Integrilin Therapy trial who were randomized to treatment with eptifibatide.

Reduction of myocardial ischemic injury following coronary intervention (the MC-1 to Eliminate Necrosis and Damage trial).

Myocardial ischemic injury complicating acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and coronary revascularization procedures remains an unresolved clinical dilemma. In preclinical studies, treatment with pyridoxal-5'-phosphate monohydrate (MC-1), a vitamin B6 metabolite, has demonstrated cardioprotective effects. Sixty patients scheduled for elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) who had clinically high-risk characteristics for ischemic complications were randomized to treatment with MC-1 or placebo in a 2:1 double-blinded fashion. The primary end point was defined as infarct size as measured by area under the curve creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) enzymes. Secondary end points included periprocedural ischemia as assessed by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, 30-day major adverse cardiac events, and net clinical safety, which included liver function testing. The primary end point, median periprocedural CK-MB area under the curve, was reduced from 32.9 ng/ml in the placebo group to 18.6 ng/ml with MC-1 treatment (p = 0.038), reflecting a shift in the distribution of CK-MB. By categorical classification, the occurrence of 30-day nonfatal AMI did not differ between groups. There were no deaths, and 30-day composite adverse event rates were similar (17.9% MC-1 vs 15.0% placebo, p = 1.0). There were no significant differences in ischemia parameters per continuous electrocardiographic monitoring, and no safety issues were identified. In this phase II pilot study, treatment of high-risk patients who underwent PCI with MC-1 was associated with a decrease in the total amount of CK-MB released after PCI. These results support the evaluation of MC-1 in pivotal trials of patients at risk for developing myocardial ischemia, infarction, or reperfusion injury.