RESULTS: Egg production with two types of eggs, namely reproductive and trophic eggs, by physogastric workers was found. The reproductive egg was confirmed to be haploid and male-destined, suggesting that the workers produced males via arrhenotokous parthenogenesis as no spermatheca was discovered. Detailed observations suggested that larvae were mainly fed with trophic eggs. Along with consumption of trophic eggs by queens and other castes as part of their diet, the vital role of physogastric workers as "trophic specialist" is confirmed.
CONCLUSION: We propose that adaptive advantages derived from worker reproduction for A. gracilipes may include 1) trophic eggs provisioned by physogastric workers likely assist colonies of A. gracilipes in overcoming unfavorable conditions such as paucity of food during critical founding stage; 2) worker-produced males are fertile and thus might offer an inclusive fitness advantage for the doomed orphaned colony.
METHODS: This was a post-hoc analysis from the all-comers EASTBOURNE Registry (NCT03085823). Out of 2083 patients enrolled, an SCB was used to treat 968 (46.5%) ACS and 1115 (53.5%) CCS patients. The primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization at 12 months, while secondary endpoints were angiographic success and major adverse cardiovascular events.
RESULTS: Baseline demographics, mean reference vessel diameter and mean lesion length were comparable between ACS and CCS. Predilatation was more commonly performed in ACS (P=.007). SCB was inflated at a standard pressure in both groups with a slight trend toward longer inflation time in ACS. Angiographic success was high in both groups (ACS 97.4% vs CCS 97.7%, P=.820) with limited bailout stenting. Similarly, at 12 months the cumulative incidence of target lesion revascularization (ACS 6.6% vs CCS 5.2%, P=.258) was comparable between ACS and CCS. Conversely, a higher rate of major adverse cardiovascular events in acute presenters was mainly driven by myocardial infarction recurrencies (ACS 10.4% vs CCS 8.3%, P=.009). In-stent restenosis showed a higher proportion of target lesion revascularization and major adverse cardiovascular events than de novo lesions, independently of the type of presentation at the index procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: This SCB shows good performance in terms of acute and 1-year outcomes independently of the clinical presentation.
AIMS: To explore the safety and the feasibility of single antiplatelet therapy in percutaneous coronary intervention with sirolimus-coated balloons.
METHODS: The All-comers Sirolimus-coated Balloon European Registry (EASTBOURNE) is a prospective investigator-driven registry assessing the performance of a novel sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) in a real-world population. This prespecified post hoc analysis aimed at comparing the outcome in patients prescribed either single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) or dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT); choice of antiplatelet agent and duration of the regimen were at operator's discretion in both groups. Primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were bleeding grade 3-5 according to The Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 12 months follow-up.
RESULTS: Among 2123 patients enrolled in the study between September 2016 and November 2020, 113 patients (5.8 %) received SAPT while 1826 patients (94.1 %) received DAPT after SCB. The majority of the patients underwent DCB PCI for de novo lesions (n = 1091, 56.3 %) while 848 patients (47.7 %) had DCB revascularization for in-stent restenosis. No cases of TLR occurred in the SAPT group within one month after the index procedure, and no acute occlusive events were recorded during follow up in patients taking a single antiplatelet agent. Moreover, no differences in terms of TLR were observed between SAPT vs DAPT regimens nor in case of de novo treatment with an overall rate of TLR at 12 months of 7.7 % for SAPT and 5.6 % for DAPT (p = 0.6). The cumulative rate of MACE at 12 months was not different between SAPT and DAPT regimens (n = 12 [11.2 %] vs. n = 162 [8.9 %], p = 0.4), and results were consistent in the de novo and in-stent restenosis groups.
CONCLUSIONS: Our post hoc analysis of the EASTBOURNE registry suggests that the use of single antiplatelet agent after sirolimus-DCB PCI for both de novo or in-stent restenosis lesions is safe and effective and can help to contain the risk of bleeding in a selected population.
CONDENSED ABSTRACT: The manuscript aims to explore the feasibility of a single antiplatelet regimen following angioplasty using drug coated balloon with sirolimus. Among 2123 patients treated with sirolimus coated balloon (SCB), 113 patients (5.8 %) received a single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) while 1826 patients (94.1 %) received dual antiplatelet therapy DAPT. No cases of target lesion revascularization occurred in the SAPT group within one month after the index procedure, and no acute occlusive events were recorded during follow up in patients taking a single antiplatelet agent. The cumulative rate of major adverse cardiovascular events at 12 months was not different between SAPT and DAPT regimens and results were consistent in the de novo and in-stent restenosis groups.
METHODS AND RESULTS: The MY-HF Registry is a 3-year prospective, observational study comprising 2717 Malaysian patients admitted for acute HF. We report the description of baseline data at admission and outcomes of index hospitalization of these patients. The mean age was 60.2 ± 13.6 years, 66.8% were male, and 34.3% had de novo HF. Collectively, 55.7% of patients presented with New York Heart Association (NYHA) Class III or IV; ischaemic heart disease was the most frequent aetiology (63.2%). Most admissions (87.3%) occurred via the emergency department, with 13.7% of patients requiring intensive care, and of these, 21.8% needed intubation. The proportion of patients receiving guideline-directed medical therapy increased at discharge (84.2% vs. 93.6%). The median length of stay (LOS) was 5 days, and in-hospital mortality was 2.9%. Predictors of LOS and/or in-hospital mortality were age, NYHA class, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and comorbid anaemia. LOS and in-hospital mortality were similar regardless of ejection fraction.
CONCLUSIONS: The MY-HF Registry showed that the HF population in Malaysia is younger, predominantly male, and ischaemic-driven and has good prospects with hospitalization for optimization of treatment. These findings suggest a need to reassess current clinical practice and guide resource allocation to improve patient outcomes.
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to understand the role of a novel SCB for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
METHODS: EASTBOURNE (All-Comers Sirolimus-Coated Balloon European Registry) is a prospective, multicenter, investigator-driven clinical study that enrolled real-world patients treated with SCB. Primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were procedural success, myocardial infarction (MI), all-cause death, and major adverse clinical events (a composite of death, MI, and TLR). All adverse events were censored and adjudicated by an independent clinical events committee.
RESULTS: A total population of 2,123 patients (2,440 lesions) was enrolled at 38 study centers in Europe and Asia. The average age was 66.6 ± 11.3 years, and diabetic patients were 41.5%. De novo lesions (small vessels) were 56%, in-stent restenosis (ISR) 44%, and bailout stenting occurred in 7.7% of the patients. After 12 months, TLR occurred in 5.9% of the lesions, major adverse clinical events in 9.9%, and spontaneous MI in 2.4% of the patients. The rates of cardiac/all-cause death were 1.5% and 2.5%, respectively. The primary outcome occurred more frequently in the ISR cohort (10.5% vs 2.0%; risk ratio: 1.90; 95% CI: 1.13-3.19). After multivariate Cox regression model, the main determinant for occurrence of the primary endpoint was ISR (OR: 5.5; 95% CI: 3.382-8.881).
CONCLUSIONS: EASTBOURNE, the largest DCB study in the coronary field, shows the safety and efficacy of a novel SCB in a broad population of coronary artery disease including small vessels and ISR patients at mid-term follow-up. (The All-Comers Sirolimus-Coated Balloon European Registry [EASTBOURNE]; NCT03085823).
OBJECTIVE: The Malaysian Acute Vascular Events Risk (MAVERIK) study is a retrospective case-control study established to investigate the genomic, lipid-related, and other determinants of acute MI in Malaysia. In this paper, we report the study protocol and early results.
METHODS: By June 2019, we had enrolled approximately 2500 patients with their first MI and 2500 controls without cardiovascular disease, who were frequency-matched by age, sex, and ethnicity, from 17 hospitals in Malaysia. For each participant, serum and whole blood have been collected and stored. Clinical, demographic, and behavioral information has been obtained using a 200-item questionnaire.
RESULTS: Tobacco consumption, a history of diabetes, hypertension, markers of visceral adiposity, indicators of lower socioeconomic status, and a family history of coronary disease were more prevalent in cases than in controls. Adjusted (age and sex) logistic regression models for traditional risk factors indicated that current smoking (odds ratio [OR] 4.11, 95% CI 3.56-4.75; P30 kg/m2; OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.05-1.34; P=.009) were associated with MI in age- and sex-adjusted models.
CONCLUSIONS: The MAVERIK study can serve as a useful platform to investigate genetic and other risk factors for MI in an understudied Southeast Asian population. It should help to hasten the discovery of disease-causing pathways and inform regionally appropriate strategies that optimize public health action.
INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): RR1-10.2196/31885.