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The therapeutic efficacy of clopidogrel as an antiplatelet drug varies among individuals, being the mainstream hypothesis that its bioavailability depends on the individual genetic background and/or interactions with other drugs. A total of 477 patients receiving double antiaggregation therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel, after suffering a first event, were followed for 1 year to record relapse, as a surrogate end point to measure their therapeutic response, as defined by presenting with an acute coronary event (unstable angina, ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction, or non–ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction), stent thrombosis/restenosis, or cardiac mortality. Anthropometric, clinical, and pharmacological variables along with CYP2C19 genotypes were analyzed for their association with the disease relapse phenotype. Only 75 patients (15%) suffered a relapse, which occurred during the first 6 months of therapy, with a peak at 4.5 months. An initial univariate analysis identified that patients in the relapse group were significantly older (67.4 ± 11.0 vs 61.6 ± 12.3 years old) and presented with diffuse coronary disease, insulin‐dependent type 2 diabetes mellitus dyslipidemia, and arterial hypertension. A poor clinical response to the platelet antiaggregation regime also occurred more frequently among patients taking acenocoumarol and calcium channel blockers, along with aspirin and clopidogrel, while no association was found according to CYP2C19 genotypes. A retrospective multivariate analysis indicated that patients belonging to the nonresponder phenotype to treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel were older, presented with diffuse coronary disease, a group largely overlapping with type 2 insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus, and were taking dihidropyrimidinic calcium channel blockers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Serum gamma‐glutamyl transferase activity (GGT) seems to predict cardiovascular events in different populations. However, no data exist on patients with congenital heart disease (CHD). Methods: Observational, analytic, prospective cohort study design involving CHD patients and a control population to determine the effect of GGT levels on survival. Results: A total of 589 CHD patients (58% males, 29 ± 14 years old) and 2745 matched control patients were followed up. A total of 69 (12%) CHD patients had a major acute cardiovascular event (MACE) during the follow‐up time (6.1 [0.7–10.4] years). Patients with CHD and a GGT >60 U/L were significantly older, more hypertensive and dyslipidemic, had a worse NYHA functional class and a greater anatomical complexity than CHD patients with a GGT ≤60 U/L. The binary logistic regression analysis showed that age, a great CHD anatomical complexity, and having atrial fibrillation/flutter were the predictive factors of higher GGT levels (>60 U/L). The Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that patients with CHD and a GGT concentration above 60 UL showed the lowest probability of survival compared to that of CHD with GGT ≤60 U/L and controls irrespective of their GGT concentrations (p <.001). Similarly, the multivariable Cox regression analysis found an independent association between higher GGT levels (>60 U/L) and a worse prognosis (HR 2.44 [1.34–4.44], p =.003) among patients with CHD. Conclusion: Patients with CHD showed significant higher GGT levels than patients in the control group having those with higher GGT concentrations (>60 U/L) the worst survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine psychological distress in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients. Methods: Cross‐sectional study among consecutive CHD patients recruited from a single hospital outpatient clinic to determine anxiety and depression according to the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) questionnaire. Results: One hundred and sixty‐nine CHD patients [29 (19–39) years old, 100 (59%) males] were studied. A total of 25% and 9% of CHD patients showed anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. Patients with an HADS score ≥ 8 had a significantly worse New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class, needed more psychological support, had more mental health history, and took more anxiolytic/antidepressant medication than the CHD patients with an HADS score below 8. A worse NYHA functional class [OR, 1.88 (1.01–3.52)] proved to be a predictor of a borderline/abnormal HADS score. Conclusion: Psychological distress has a high prevalence among CHD patients and having an NYHA Class II and III is a significant predictor of an HADS score ≥ 8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Dextro-transposition of the great arteries ( d- TGA) patients is at high risk of developing right ventricular dysfunction and tricuspid regurgitation in adulthood. Determining the relation between echocardiographic parameters, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide ( NT-pro- BNP) levels and the New York Heart Association ( NYHA) functional class may help determining the best time to operate them. Methods Patients with simple d- TGA operated in infancy with an atrial switch procedure (Mustard or Senning operation) were followed up in our Adult Congenital Heart Disease Unit. Analytical, echocardiographic, and clinical parameters were determined to evaluate the correlation between right echocardiographic ventricular function, NT-pro- BNP levels, and NYHA functional class. Results Twenty-four patients with d- TGA were operated in infancy of whom 17 alive patients had simple d- TGA. Nine patients had NT-pro- BNP levels lower than 200 pg/mL and eight patients were above 200 pg/mL. Patients with lower hemoglobin concentration, higher right ventricular diameter or under diuretic treatment showed significant higher NT-pro- BNP levels (above 200 pg/dL). The Spearman test showed a positive correlation between basal right ventricular diameter and tricuspid regurgitation with pro NT BNP levels (correlation coefficient of .624; P=.017 and .490; P=.046, respectively) and a negative correlation with the right ventricle fractional area change (−.508, P=.045). No correlation was seen between NT-pro- BNP levels and the rest of echocardiographic parameters or the NYHA functional class. Conclusion NT-pro- BNP levels showed a positive correlation with basal right ventricular diameter and tricuspid regurgitation but not with NYHA association functional class in d- TGA patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clopidogrel has been the therapy of choice, combined with aspirin, against platelet aggregation in patients at risk of suffering a vascular thrombotic event. Not all patients respond equally to clopidogrel, an observation that has led to searching for a test that, in the clinical setting, could predict patients' 'resistance' to therapy. The evidence reveals a complex pharmacokinetic profile for clopidogrel, with multiple players involved, including cytochromes, characteristics of the target tissue, and accompanying clinical conditions. Despite FDA black box warnings recommending CYP2C19 genotyping before clopidogrel use, no robust evidence indicates that CYP2C19 function determines clinical response to the drug, either based on the presence of loss of function alleles or drug interactions with CYP2C19 inhibitors, like omeprazole. A tailored anti-aggregation treatment based on ex vivo platelet reactivity also seems unlikely due to the lack of robustness of most assays. The identification of clinical conditions that are at higher risk of new cardiovascular events, such as diabetes, obesity, coronary artery disease, or specific stenting procedures, seems to be a prudent approach to tailor anti-platelet therapy with more powerful drugs, accompanied by careful counseling to promote patient compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is increasing controversy about the influence of serum paraoxonase type 1 and cytochrome CYP2C19 in the conversion of clopidogrel to its pharmaceutically active metabolite. The effect of concomitant medication with the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole has been also subject of intense scrutiny. We present a cohort of 263 patients receiving anti-platelet aggregation treatment with clopidogrel and aspirin for 1 year. The paraoxonase 1 gene Q192R variant along with the presence of CYP2C19*2 and *3 loss of function alleles, concomitant medication with proton pump inhibitors and known cardiovascular risk factors were examined to determine their influence in disease relapse due to an ischaemic event during the 12 month treatment period. The low number of patients suffering a relapse (20 out of 263), indicates that double anti-aggregation therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel was very effective in our patients. Among the relapsers, evidence of coronary heart disease was the most influencial factor affecting response to therapy, while the presence of the paraoxonase 1 Q192R variant, loss of function of CYP2C19, and concomitant medication with omeprazole were non-significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]