Is phased implementation of HPV testing and triage with dual staining the way to transform organized cytology screening?

OBJECTIVE: The substantial material and legislative investments in establishing and maintaining cytological screening in the Czech Republic represent barriers to a direct transition to primary HPV screening. Therefore, the LIBUSE project was implemented to test the efficacy of phasing in HPV DNA testing as a co-test to cytology in routine screening of women >30 years of age. METHODS: Women aged 30 to 60 years who underwent regular annual Pap smears were co-tested for HPV DNA with selective 16/18 genotyping at 3-year intervals. All HPV 16/18-positive cases and/or cases with a severe abnormality in cytology were sent for colposcopy; HPV non-16/18-positive cases and LSILs were graded using p16/Ki67 dual-stain cytology, and positive cases were sent for colposcopy. RESULTS: Overall, 2409 patients were included. After the first combined screening (year 'zero') visit, 7.4% of women were HPV-positive and 2.0% were HPV16/18-positive; only 8 women had severe Pap smear abnormalities. Triage by dual staining was positive in 21.9% of cases (28/128). Biopsy confirmed 34 high-grade precancer lesions. At the second combined visit (year 'three'), the frequency of HPV infection (5.3% vs. 7.4%) frequency of HPV16/18 (1.1% vs. 2.0%), referrals for colposcopy (35 vs. 83), and biopsy verified high-grade lesions (5 vs. 34) were significantly lower (all P  ≤ 0.001). CONCLUSION: The addition of HPV DNA testing with selective genotyping of HPV16/18 to existing cytology screening significantly increased the safety of the program. The gradual introduction of HPV testing was well received by healthcare professionals and patients, and can facilitate transformation of the cytology-based screening. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05578833.

Nonprocedural bleeding after left atrial appendage closure versus direct oral anticoagulants: A subanalysis of the randomized PRAGUE-17 trial.

INTRODUCTION: Observational studies have shown low bleeding rates in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) treated by left atrial appendage closure (LAAC); however, data from randomized studies are lacking. This study compared bleeding events among patients with AF treated by LAAC and nonvitamin K anticoagulants (NOAC). METHODS: The Prague-17 trial was a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial that compared LAAC to NOAC in high-risk AF patients. The primary endpoint was a composite of a cardioembolic event, cardiovascular death, and major and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (CRNMB) defined according to the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis (ISTH). RESULTS: The trial enrolled 402 patients (201 per arm), and the median follow-up was 3.5 (IQR 2.6-4.2) years. Bleeding occurred in 24 patients (29 events) and 32 patients (40 events) in the LAAC and NOAC groups, respectively. Six of the LAAC bleeding events were procedure/device-related. In the primary intention-to-treat analysis, LAAC was associated with similar rates of ISTH major or CRNMB (sHR 0.75, 95% CI 0.44-1.27, p = 0.28), but with a reduction in nonprocedural major or CRNMB (sHR 0.55, 95% CI 0.31-0.97, p = 0.039). This reduction for nonprocedural bleeding with LAAC was mainly driven by a reduced rate of CRNMB (sHR for major bleeding 0.69, 95% CI 0.34-1.39, p = .30; sHR for CRNMB 0.43, 95% CI 0.18-1.03, p = 0.059). History of bleeding was a predictor of bleeding during follow-up. Gastrointestinal bleeding was the most common bleeding site in both groups. CONCLUSION: During the 4-year follow-up, LAAC was associated with less nonprocedural bleeding. The reduction is mainly driven by a decrease in CRNMB.

Systematic Approach Revealed SERPING1 Splicing-Affecting Variants to be Highly Represented in the Czech National HAE Cohort.

Hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (C1-INH-HAE) is a rare and life-threatening condition characterized by recurrent localized edema. We conducted a systematic screening of SERPING1 defects in a cohort of 207 Czech patients from 85 families with C1-INH-HAE. Our workflow involved a combined strategy of sequencing extended to UTR and deep intronic regions, advanced in silico prediction tools, and mRNA-based functional assays. This approach allowed us to detect a causal variant in all families except one and to identify a total of 56 different variants, including 5 novel variants that are likely to be causal. We further investigated the functional impact of two splicing variants, namely c.550 + 3A > C and c.686-7C > G using minigene assays and RT-PCR mRNA analysis. Notably, our cohort showed a considerably higher proportion of detected splicing variants compared to other central European populations and the LOVD database. Moreover, our findings revealed a significant association between HAE type 1 missense variants and a delayed HAE onset when compared to null variants. We also observed a significant correlation between the presence of the SERPING1 variant c.-21 T > C in the trans position to causal variants and the frequency of attacks per year, disease onset, as well as Clinical severity score. Overall, our study provides new insights into the genetic landscape of C1-INH-HAE in the Czech population, including the identification of novel variants and a better understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations. Our findings also highlight the importance of comprehensive screening strategies and functional analyses in improving the C1-INH-HAE diagnosis and management.

Secondary malignancies and survival of FCR-treated patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in Central Europe.

This is the first large-scale cross-country analysis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) aimed to evaluate the incidence, types, and key prognostic factors of secondary malignancies, and to assess the impact on overall survival based on retrospective claims data from three Central European countries. We analyzed 25,814 newly diagnosed CLL patients from Czechia, Hungary, and Poland; 10,312 (39.9%) patients were treated for CLL in study periods between 2004 and 2016. Out of the treated patients, 1986 (19.3%) received the FCR therapy in the first line and 779 (7.6%) received FCR in subsequent lines. We observed that 33.7% of treated patients developed secondary malignancies during the study. Based on country estimates, the probability to develop a secondary malignancy within 4 years since starting the first-line FCR therapy ranged between 28.0% and 36.8%. We found the age at diagnosis, male gender, any malignancy prior to the CLL diagnosis, and the CLL treatment to be the key risk factors for developing secondary malignancies. Specifically, the FCR therapy was a statistically significant (p < 0.001) prognostic factor for risk increase with the hazard ratio between 1.46 and 1.60. Across the three Central European countries, we observed consistent results indicating FCR increased the risk of secondary malignancies in CLL patients. We conclude that secondary malignancies are clearly an undervalued burden for CLL patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system. When evaluating new therapies in regulatory and reimbursement decision making, the factor of secondary malignancies deserves deeper considerations.

4-Year Outcomes After Left Atrial Appendage Closure Versus Nonwarfarin Oral Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: The PRAGUE-17 (Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs Novel Anticoagulation Agents in Atrial Fibrillation) trial demonstrated that left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) was noninferior to nonwarfarin direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for preventing major neurological, cardiovascular, or bleeding events in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who were at high risk. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to assess the prespecified long-term (4-year) outcomes in PRAGUE-17. METHODS: PRAGUE-17 was a randomized noninferiority trial comparing percutaneous LAAC (Watchman or Amulet) with DOACs (95% apixaban) in patients with nonvalvular AF and with a history of cardioembolism, clinically-relevant bleeding, or both CHA2DS2-VASc ≥3 and HASBLED ≥2. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardioembolic events (stroke, transient ischemic attack, or systemic embolism), cardiovascular death, clinically relevant bleeding, or procedure-/device-related complications (LAAC group only). The primary analysis was modified intention-to-treat. RESULTS: This study randomized 402 patients with AF (201 per group, age 73.3 ± 7.0 years, 65.7% male, CHA2DS2-VASc 4.7 ±1.5, HASBLED 3.1 ± 0.9). After 3.5 years median follow-up (1,354 patient-years), LAAC was noninferior to DOACs for the primary endpoint by modified intention-to-treat (subdistribution HR [sHR]: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.56-1.18; P = 0.27; P for noninferiority = 0.006). For the components of the composite endpoint, the corresponding sHRs were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.39-1.20; P = 0.19) for cardiovascular death, 1.14 (95% CI: 0.56-2.30; P = 0.72) for all-stroke/transient ischemic attack, 0.75 (95% CI: 0.44-1.27; P = 0.28) for clinically relevant bleeding, and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.31-0.97; P = 0.039) for nonprocedural clinically relevant bleeding. The primary endpoint outcomes were similar in the per-protocol (sHR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.54-1.18; P = 0.25) and on-treatment (sHR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.56-1.20; P = 0.30) analyses. CONCLUSIONS: In long-term follow-up of PRAGUE-17, LAAC remains noninferior to DOACs for preventing major cardiovascular, neurological, or bleeding events. Furthermore, nonprocedural bleeding was significantly reduced with LAAC. (PRAGUE-17 [Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs Novel Anticoagulation Agents in Atrial Fibrillation]; NCT02426944).

The effect of left atrial appendage closure on heart failure biomarkers: A PRAGUE-17 trial subanalysis.

INTRODUCTION: The randomized PRAGUE-17 trial demonstrated noninferiority of left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) to non-vitamin K anticoagulants (NOACs) for the prevention of major cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events. However, the left atrial appendage is an important source of natriuretic peptides and plays a role in left atrial reservoir function. Changes of heart failure (HF) biomarkers after LAAC compared to NOAC has not been studied. The aim of the study was to compare the changes in concentrations of HF biomarkers between LAAC and NOAC patients. METHODS: Of 402 patients randomized in the PRAGUE-17 trial, biomarkers were analyzed in 144 patients (73 in the NOAC and 71 in the LAAC group). Both groups had similar baseline characteristics. Serum concentration of NT-proBNP, NT-proANP, Galectin-3, and GDF-15 were measured at baseline (before the procedure in the LAAC group), at the 6-month (and at 24-month for NT-proBNP) follow-up timepoint. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in baseline, 6 month, and delta (δ = baseline - 6 month) concentrations of NT-proANP between the groups (NOAC: baseline 2.6 [0.5; 4.9], 6-month 3.1 [1.8; 4.8], p = .068; LAAC: baseline 3.3 [1.1; 4.6], 6-month 2.6 [0.9; 5.3], p = .51; p value for δ in concentrations between groups = 0.42). Similarly, there were no significant differences in baseline, 6, 24 months, and delta concentrations of NT-proBNP between the groups (NOAC: baseline 461.0 [113.5; 1342.0], 6 month 440.0 [120.5; 1291.5], 24 month 798 [274; 2236], p = .39; LAAC: baseline 421.0 [100.0; 1320.0], 6 month 601.0 [145.0; 1230.0], 24 month 855 [410; 1367], p = .28; p value for δ in concentrations between groups = 0.73 at 6 months, and 0.58 at 24 months). Finally, no significant differences were present in baseline, 6 month, and δ concentrations of Galectin-3 and GDF-15 between the two groups. CONCLUSION: LAAC did not significantly influence the levels of HF biomarkers 6 months after the procedure.

Left Atrial Appendage Closure Versus Direct Oral Anticoagulants in High-Risk Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) is noninferior to vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) for preventing atrial fibrillation (AF)-related stroke. However, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have an improved safety profile over VKAs, and their effect on cardiovascular and neurological outcomes relative to LAAC is unknown. OBJECTIVES: This study sought to compare DOACs with LAAC in high-risk patients with AF. METHODS: Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs. Novel Anticoagulation Agents in Atrial Fibrillation (PRAGUE-17) was a multicenter, randomized, noninferiority trial comparing LAAC with DOACs. Patients were eligible to be enrolled if they had nonvalvular AF; were indicated for oral anticoagulation (OAC); and had a history of bleeding requiring intervention or hospitalization, a history of a cardioembolic event while taking an OAC, and/or a CHA2DS2-VASc of ≥3 and HAS-BLED of >2. Patients were randomized to receive LAAC or DOAC. The primary composite outcome was stroke, transient ischemic attack, systemic embolism, cardiovascular death, major or nonmajor clinically relevant bleeding, or procedure-/device-related complications. The primary analysis was by modified intention to treat. RESULTS: A high-risk patient cohort (CHA2DS2-VASc: 4.7 ± 1.5) was randomized to receive LAAC (n = 201) or DOAC (n = 201). LAAC was successful in 181 of 201 (90.0%) patients. In the DOAC group, apixaban was most frequently used (192 of 201; 95.5%). At a median 19.9 months of follow-up, the annual rates of the primary outcome were 10.99% with LAAC and 13.42% with DOAC (subdistribution hazard ratio [sHR]: 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.53 to 1.31; p = 0.44; p = 0.004 for noninferiority). There were no differences between groups for the components of the composite endpoint: all-stroke/TIA (sHR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.40 to 2.51), clinically significant bleeding (sHR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.44 to 1.52), and cardiovascular death (sHR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.34 to 1.62). Major LAAC-related complications occurred in 9 (4.5%) patients. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients at high risk for stroke and increased risk of bleeding, LAAC was noninferior to DOAC in preventing major AF-related cardiovascular, neurological, and bleeding events. (Left Atrial Appendage Closure vs. Novel Anticoagulation Agents in Atrial Fibrillation [PRAGUE-17]; NCT02426944).

Regional Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in a Czech Pediatric Population: 16 Years of Experience (2002-2017).

OBJECTIVES: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is today a global disease, the incidence of which is growing in the pediatric population. This prospective study aims to decipher IBD incidence and its trend in a pediatric population through 16 years in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. METHODS: We evaluated data concerning 358 pediatric patients with newly diagnosed IBD at University Hospital Brno, which is a gastroenterology center for the entire pediatric population (0-18 years) and cares for all pediatric IBD patients in the South Moravian Region (1,187,667 inhabitants). RESULTS: The study encompassed 3,488,907 children during 16 years. We diagnosed 192 children (53.6%) with Crohn disease (CD), 123 (34.4%) with ulcerative colitis (UC), and 43 (12.0%) with IBD-unclassified (IBD-U). The incidence of IBD increased from 3.8 (CD 2.9, UC 0.9, and IBD-U 0.0) per 100 000/year in 2002 to 14.7 (CD 9.8, UC 4.0, and IBD-U 0.9) per 100,000/year in 2017 (P < 0.001). The overall IBD incidence per 100,000/year was 9.8 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 8.8--10.9). Constituent incidences per 100,000/year were CD 5.2 (95% CI: 4.5--6.0), UC 3.4 (95% CI: 2.8--4.0), and IBD-U 1.2 (95% CI: 0.9--1.6). IBD incidence was projected to reach 18.9 per 100,000/year in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: The overall incidence of pediatric IBD in the Czech Republic is increasing, and especially that of CD, whereas trends in UC and IBD-U appear to be constant. These data highlight the need to identify risk factors involved in the rising incidence of IBD.

[Treatment strategy of type 2 diabetes used in Czech Republic after metformin therapy failure]. / Strategie lécby diabetu 2. typu pri selhání lécby metforminem pouzívané ceskými lékari nebo v Ceské republice.

INTRODUCTION: Type 2 diabetes is an enormous medical problem caused by increasing prevalence of the disease and increasing prevalence of severe chronic complications of diabetes. New ADA/EASD guidelines and also Czech diabetes society guidelines enable effective individual approach to the patient. Goal of the therapy is optimal compensation of diabetes and prevention of acute and chronic complications of diabetes and decrease of mortality. Diabetes therapy is started by education in diet a regime combined with metformin. According to the progressive character of the disease it is usually necessary to intensify the therapy by adding antidiabetics from other groups. AIM: This study was proposed to analyse the use of therapy algorithm in Czech Republic in patients with insufficient metformin therapy. Secondary objectives were to describe level of compensation of diabetes in time and level of components of the metabolic syndrome in different treatment combinations.Methodic and results: In the sample of 1 516 patients, frequency of use of antidiabetic medication after metformin it was gliflozins 33% and gliptins 28% in the first phase of the study and the number increased later during the study. Median of HbA1c in the beginning of the study was 65 mmol/mol, greatest decrease was found in patents using combination of incretine analogs with metformin - 89 % of them had the HbA1c level < 60 mmol/mol. CONCLUSION: The study showed also that antidiabetic drugs used after metformin in Czech Republic are very effective in reducing weight, and improving blood pressure and lipid profile. Therapy using combination of metformin with gliflozins, gliptins or incretin analogs is most effective when metformin is not effective enough.Key words: diabetes type 2 - gliflozins - gliptins - incretine analogs - metformin therapy failure.