Modification of the Association of B-Type Natriuretic Peptides With Mortality and Hospitalization Outcomes by Sex.

Background: The effects of sex on the prognostic implications of natriuretic peptide (NP) elevation have not been fully elucidated in the population.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine if sex modifies associations of NPs with mortality and hospitalization.

Methods: In a population-based retrospective cohort study, we identified all patients (aged ≥40 years) undergoing NP testing in Ontario, Canada (2015-2020).

Low Socioeconomic Status Is Associated with Reduced Access to Natriuretic Peptide Testing in the Outpatient Setting: A Population-based Evaluation.

Background: Tests of natriuretic peptide (NP) concentrations are guideline-recommended for diagnosis and prognostication in heart failure (HF). Although NP testing is available at some hospitals, outpatient access has been limited to those who can pay out-of-pocket. We investigated whether residents who have lower socioeconomic status have differential access to NP testing.

Remote Tamponade After Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Closure.

Background: The use of percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) among patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at high thromboembolic risk and contraindication to or high risk for bleeding with oral anticoagulation is increasing.

Case Summary: The authors present a case of acute hemorrhagic tamponade 7 months after LAAC. Intraoperative findings showed device-related microperforation of the LAA and erosion of the adjacent pulmonary artery.

Association of neighbourhood-level material deprivation with adverse outcomes and processes of care among patients with heart failure in a single-payer healthcare system: A population-based cohort study.

Aim: We studied the association between neighbourhood material deprivation, a metric estimating inability to attain basic material needs, with outcomes and processes of care among incident heart failure patients in a universal healthcare system.

Methods And Results: In a population-based retrospective study (2007-2019), we examined the association of material deprivation with 1-year all-cause mortality, cause-specific hospitalization, and 90-day processes of care. Using cause-specific hazards regression, we quantified the relative rate of events after multiple covariate adjustment, stratifying by age ≤65 or ≥66 years.

Prolonged ketosis and glycosuria secondary to SGLT2 inhibitor therapy.

Clinicians should be aware of the potential for the pharmacologic activity of SGLT2 inhibitors to persist long after the standard drug clearance period of five half-lives, the typical duration used to guide pre-operative medication recommendations.

Coronary artery disease in patients with cancer: challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Purpose Of Review: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a common comorbidity in patients with cancer. We review shared risk factors between the two diseases and cancer treatments that increase the risk of CAD. We also discuss outcomes and management considerations of patients with cancer who develop CAD.

Statin Exposure and Risk of Heart Failure After Anthracycline- or Trastuzumab-Based Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer: A Propensity Score‒Matched Cohort Study.

Background Statins are hypothesized to reduce the risk of cardiotoxicity associated with anthracyclines and trastuzumab. Our aim was to study the association of statin exposure with hospitalization or emergency department visits (hospital presentations) for heart failure (HF) after anthracycline- and/or trastuzumab-containing chemotherapy for early breast cancer. Methods and Results Using linked administrative databases, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of women aged ≥66 years without prior HF who received anthracyclines or trastuzumab for newly diagnosed early breast cancer in Ontario between 2007 to 2017.

The Yield of Routine Cardiac Imaging in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Trastuzumab-Based Treatment: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background: There are limited data on the yield of routine cardiac imaging for trastuzumab-treated patients with breast cancer.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with breast cancer treated with adjuvant trastuzumab between 2007 and 2012 at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Toronto, Canada). We classified imaging tests as clinically prompted or routinely ordered and determined whether each test led to changes in patient care.

In Vitro Self-Renewal Assays for Brain Tumor Stem Cells.

Early development of human organisms relies on stem cells, a population of non-specialized cells that can divide symmetrically to give rise to two identical daughter cells, or divide asymmetrically to produce one identical daughter cell and another more specialized cell. The capacity to undergo cellular divisions while maintaining an undifferentiated state is termed self-renewal and is responsible for the maintenance of stem cell populations during development. In addition, self-renewal plays a crucial role in the homeostasis of developed organism through replacement of defective cells.

Cotargeting Ephrin Receptor Tyrosine Kinases A2 and A3 in Cancer Stem Cells Reduces Growth of Recurrent Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma (GBM) carries a dismal prognosis and inevitably relapses despite aggressive therapy. Many members of the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase (EphR) family are expressed by GBM stem cells (GSC), which have been implicated in resistance to GBM therapy. In this study, we identify several EphRs that mark a therapeutically targetable GSC population in treatment-refractory, recurrent GBM (rGBM).

Short report: Follow-up of Bahamian women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.

Purpose: We sought to determine to what extent the knowledge of carrying a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation influences the uptake of preventive surgeries in Bahamian women, including bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and bilateral mastectomy.

Patients And Methods: The study population consisted of 78 female residents of the Bahamas for whom a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation had been detected between 2004 and 2014. The mean age of the 78 participants at the time of genetic testing was 46 years (age range 22-73 years).