Agnieszka Serafin

Genetic determinants of platelet reactivity during acetylsalicylic acid therapy in diabetic patients: evaluation of 27 polymorphisms within candidate genes

Summary.  Aims: Decreased platelet responsiveness to acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) reported previously in diabetic patients could be attributed to patient‐based, clinical, genetic and cellular factors. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of the genomic polymorphism on the platelet reactivity in diabetic patients treated with ASA. Methods and results: The study cohort consisted of 295 Caucasians with diabetes type 2 who had been taking ASA tablets at the dose of 75 mg per day for at least 3 months for primary or secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI). Platelet reactivity analyzes were performed using VerifyNow ASA and PFA‐100 assays. Genotyping for the selected 27 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 19 genes was performed using a Sequenom iPLEX platform. The results indicate that the statistically significant differences in platelet reactivity were observed in the PFA‐100 assay for SNPs in following genes: TXBA2R (rs1131882), ADRA2A (rs4311994), PLA2G7 (rs7756935) and 9p21.3 (rs10120688) (P = 0.02, P = 0.03, P = 0.02, P = 0.03, respectively, all significance levels corrected for multiple comparisons). When using the VerifyNow ASA test, a weak nominal statistical significance (i.e. before multiple comparison testing) was observed for two SNPs in the GPVI gene: rs1671152 and rs1613662 [P = 0.025 (0.5) for both SNPs, corrected for multiple comparisons test]. Conclusions: The results from the present study suggest that the four analyzed genes may contribute to platelet reactivity measured with the PFA‐100 assay in the diabetic population treated with ASA.

A core curriculum for the continuing professional development of nurses: Developed by the Education Committee on behalf of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions of the ESC

Background: The European Society of Cardiology and the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions share a vision; to decrease the burden of cardiovascular disease in Europe. Nurses represent the largest sector of the health professional workforce and have a significant contribution to make, which has not yet been fully realised. Recent evidence highlights an association between the level of nurse education and inpatient mortality making this an important topic, particularly as the provision of nurse education in Europe is variable. Aim: To develop a core curriculum to inform the education of nurses following initial qualification for work in cardiovascular settings. Method: A syllabus was developed using published literature, policy documents and existing curricula with expert input from service users, specialist nurses, cardiologists, educationalists and academics. The syllabus formed the framework for the development of the core curriculum. Results: Eight key themes characterise the core curriculum which are presented together with an account of the development process. While the curriculum is not intended to cover all aspects of the highly complex role of the cardiovascular nurse, the themes do exemplify the science and art of nursing and are transferable across different levels of clinical practice and settings. The curriculum functions both as a ‘map’, which identifies key themes to include in nurse education, and as a ‘tool’ to inform educational provision that bridges’ the gap between initial nurse education and advanced specialist practice. Content can be adapted for use to fit the national context and reflects the specific needs, health priorities, legislative and regulatory standards that govern safe nursing practice across different countries. Conclusion: The core curriculum can be used as a learning framework to guide nurse education, in particular the continuing professional education of post-qualifying nurses working in cardiovascular settings. This represents a significant step towards streamlining cardiovascular nurse education in Europe.

Predictors of high platelet reactivity during aspirin treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is associated with high platelet reactivity both in patients who do not receive antiplatelet drugs and in those treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). The pathomechanism of this phenomenon has not been fully understood. AIM 1. To evaluate variability of platelet reactivity in patients with DM2 treated with oral antidiabetic drugs and receiving chronic ASA therapy. 2. To identify independent predictors of high platelet reactivity during ASA therapy in patients with DM2. METHODS We studied 171 patients with DM2 treated with oral antidiabetic drugs and receiving long-term treatment with 75 mg of ASA daily, selected among the participants of the prospective AVOCADO study. Platelet function was simultaneously evaluated using 4 methods: 1. measurement of serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentration; 2. measurement of urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (11-dhTXB2) concentration; 3. VerifyNow® automated analyser; 4. PFA-100® automated analyser.High platelet reactivity was defined as at least 3 of the following criteria: 1. serum TXB2 concentration in the upper quartile;2. urinary 11-dhTXB2 concentration in the upper quartile; 3. value ≥ 550 aspirin reaction units (ARU) by VerifyNow®;4. collagen-epinephrine closure time (CEPI-CT) below median of readings other than 300 s by PFA-100®. In all patients, DM2 control was evaluated, insulin resistance was measured using HOMA-IR, and routine laboratory tests were performed, including full blood count, renal function parameters, and inflammation markers. RESULTS Mean patient age was 67.8 years, and median duration of DM2 was 5 years. We found poor agreement between different tests of platelet function. ARU ≥ 550 (VerifyNow®) was found in 14.0% of patients, and CEPI-CT below median of readings other than 300 s (PFA-100®) was found in 32.8% of patients. Our criteria of high platelet reactivity were met by 9.9% of patients. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent predictors of high platelet reactivity despite ASA therapy included chronic heart failure, current smoking, and higher leukocyte count. CONCLUSIONS 1. Patients with DM2 are characterised by large variability of platelet reactivity, with little agreement between various methods. 2. Smoking, chronic heart failure, and subclinical inflammation may be associated with high platelet reactivity in patients with DM2 treated with ASA.

Younger age, higher body mass index and lower adiponectin concentration predict higher serum thromboxane B2 level in aspirin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes: an observational study

BackgroundEvidence from the literature suggests diminished acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) treatment efficacy in type 2 diabetes (DM2). High on-aspirin platelet reactivity (HAPR) in DM2 has been linked to poor glycemic and lipid control. However, there are no consistent data on the association between HAPR and insulin resistance or adipose tissue metabolic activity. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between laboratory response to ASA and metabolic control, insulin resistance and adipokines in DM2.MethodsA total of 186 DM2 patients treated with oral antidiabetic drugs and receiving 75 mg ASA daily were included in the analysis. Response to ASA was assessed by measuring serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentration and expressed as quartiles of TXB2 level. The achievement of treatment targets in terms of glycemic and lipid control, insulin resistance parameters (including Homeostatic Model Assessment-Insulin Resistance, HOMA-IR, index), and serum concentrations of high-molecular weight (HMW) adiponectin, leptin and resistin, were evaluated in all patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the predictive factors of serum TXB2 concentration above the upper quartile and above the median.ResultsSignificant trends in age, body mass index (BMI), HOMA-IR, HMW adiponectin concentration, C-reactive protein concentration and the frequency of achieving target triglyceride levels were observed across increasing quartiles of TXB2. In a multivariate analysis, only younger age and higher BMI were independent predictors of TXB2 concentration above the upper quartile, while younger age and lower HMW adiponectin concentration were predictors of TXB2 concentration above the median.ConclusionsThese results suggest that in DM2, the most important predictor of HAPR is younger age. Younger DM2 patients may therefore require total daily ASA doses higher than 75 mg, preferably as a twice-daily regimen, to achieve full therapeutic effect. Higher BMI and lower HMW adiponectin concentration were also associated with less potent ASA effect. This is the first study to demonstrate an association of lower adiponectin concentration with higher serum TXB2 level in patients treated with ASA.

A Core Curriculum for the Continuing Professional Development of Nurses Working in Cardiovascular Settings: Developed by the Education Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology

© The European Society of Cardiology 2015 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1474515115580905 cnu.sagepub.com A Core Curriculum for the Continuing Professional Development of Nurses Working in Cardiovascular Settings: Developed by the Education Committee of the Council on Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions (CCNAP) on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology

71 Poster Implementation of Standards of Care for Secondary Prevention of Acute Coronary Syndromes—Comparison of the Centers of Various Degrees of Reference Apply

Significance: It is imperative to undertake a systematic process to ensure validity of translated questionnaires. Traditional forward/backward translation of study materials (as undertaken by the translation company) was insufficient. We have established that the proposed survey questionnaires are translationally and culturally equivalent, and not offensive for use across multiple ethnic and language groups.