Volume 4, Issue 4

Provident News

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Announcements

Kristen Taggart, Regulatory Specialist at the Addison site, passed the certification exam for Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) offered by the American Healthcare Information Management Association.  Congratulations Kristen!

Our Bloomington site has consolidated operations at the 1st Street location.  All site activity now happens all under one roof!  Our former officemate Dr. Calli has moved into neighboring office space. 

Daniel Hedinger, RN, MSN, NP has recently left to pursue new career opportunities in the corporate world.  Daniel has been a sub-investigator for several Provident trials. We wish Daniel well in his new endeavors!

Our Addison site is up and running!  We have completed 2 trials and are on track to complete the 3rd by the end of this year.  We currently have 5 trials enrolling with 12 more to begin before the end of the first quarter of 2009!  Great work Addison!

Dr. Maki has published Practical Lipid Management: Concepts and Controversies with Dr. Peter Toth.  This would make a great stocking stuffer!

Recent and Upcoming Publications and Presentations

Publications

Maki KC, Mustad V, Dicklin MR, Geohas J. Postprandial metabolism with 1,3-diglyceride oil vs. equivalent intakes of long-chain and medium-chain triglyceride oils. Nutrition. 2008 (in press).

Maki KC, Reeves MS, Farmer M, Yasunaga K, Noburu M, Katsuragi Y, Komikado M, Tokimitsu I, Wilder DM, Jones F, Blumberg JB, Cartwright Y.  Green tea catechin consumption enhances exercise-induced abdominal fat loss.  J Nutr. 2008 (in press).

Maki KC, Kanter M, Rains TM, Hess SP, Geohas J.  Acute effects of low insulinemic sweeteners on postprandial insulin and glucose concentrations in obese men.  Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2008 (in press).

Sanchez-Muniz FJ, Maki KC, Schaefer EJ, Ordovas JM.  Serum lipid and antioxidant responses in hypercholesterolemic men and women receiving plant sterol esters vary by apolipoprotein E genotype.  J Nutr. 2009;139:1-7.

Maki KC, Carson ML, Miller MP, Kerr Anderson WH, Turowski M, Reeves MS, Kaden V, Dicklin MR.  Hydroxymethylcellulose lowers cholesterol in statin-treated men and women with primary hypercholesterolemia. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2008 (in press).

 

Toth PP, Maki KC. A commentary on the implications of the ENHANCE (ezetimibe and simvastatin in hypercholesterolemia enhances atherosclerosis regression) trial: should ezetimibe move to the “back of the line” as a therapy for dyslipidemia? J Clin Lipidol. 2008;2:313-317.

 

Maki KC, Reeves MS, Carson ML, Miller MP, Turowski M, Rains TM, Anderson K, Papanikolaou Y, Wilder DM.  Dose-response characteristics of high-viscosity hydroxypropylmethylcellulose in subjects at risk for the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus.  Diabetes Technol Ther. 2008 (in press).

 

Voss AC, Maki KC, Carvey TW, Hustead DS, Alish C, Fix B, Mustad VA. Effect of two carbohydrate-modified tube-feeding formulas on metabolic responses in patients with type 2 diabetes. Nutrition. 2008;24:990-997.

 

Maki KC, McKenney JM, Reeves MS, Lubin BC, Dicklin MR. Effects of adding prescription omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters to simvastatin (20 mg/day) on lipids and lipoprotein particles in men and women with mixed dyslipidemia. American Journal of Cardiology. 2008;102:429-33.  Erratum Am J Cardiol. (in press).

 

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Abstracts/Presentations

American Heart Association – 49th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Conference.  Maki KC, Davidson MH, Doyle RT, Ballantyne CM.  Effect of Prescription Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Non-HDL Cholesterol (Stratified by Baseline LDL Cholesterol Level) in Statin-Treated Patients with Hypertriglyceridemia.  March 11-14, 2009, Poster.

 

American Heart Association – 49th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention Conference.  Davidson MH, Maki KC, Feinstein S, Bell M.   Triglyceride/High-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Ratio is the Strongest Predictor of Carotid Intima-media Thickness Progression.  March 12, 2009, Poster.

 

American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.  Reeves MR.  Judicious Use of NSAIDs in Athletic Populations.  October 29th, 2008.  Oral presentation.

American Dietetic Association 2008.  Maki KC, Carson, ML, Miller, MP, Anderson WHK, Turowski M, Reeves MS, Dicklin MR.  Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose lowers cholesterol in statin-treated men and women with primary hypercholesterolemia.  October 28, 2008.  Oral presentation, Session 112.

 

 

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Books and Book Chapters

 

                 

 

·         Toth PP, Maki KC. Practical Lipid Management: London: John Wiley & Sons.  Practical Lipid Management: Concepts and Controversies, is a text on the clinical management of dyslipidemias. As its title suggests, the book provides a straightforward and practical approach to the identification and treatment of abnormalities in lipid metabolism. The target audience consists of family physicians, internists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, cardiologists, endocrinologists and allied health professionals involved in the care of patients with lipid disorders.  The book is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

 

·         The book Therapeutic Lipidology edited by Drs. Michael Davidson, Peter Toth and Kevin Maki is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

 

·         Maki KC. High-viscosity hydroxypropylmethylcellulose   (HV-HPMC) a promising agent for metabolic risk factor management.  ACS Press, 2008 (in press).

 

 

                   

 

 

 

 

 

·         Maki KC, Matsuo N, Dicklin MR. Clinical studies evaluating the benefits of diacylglycerol for managing excess adiposity.  In: Katsuragi Y, Yasukawa T, Matsuo N, Flickinger BD, Tokimitusu I, and Matlock MG. (eds) Chapter 10. Diacylglycerol Oil, AOCS Press, 2nd ed. 2008.

 

·         Maki, KC and Dicklin M. How well do various lipids and lipoprotein measures predict cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality. In: Toth PP, Sica D. (eds). Clinical Challenges in Lipid Disorders. Oxford: Clinical Publishing.  June, 2008.

 

·         Huth PJ, Rains TM, Yang Yifan, Philips SM. Current and emerging role of whey protein on muscle accretion.  In: Onwulata CI and Huth PJ. (eds) Chapter 13. Whey Processing, Functionality and Health Benefits. Wiley-Blackwell. 2008.

 

 

In the Literature

Rosuvastatin to Prevent Vascular Events in Men and Women with Elevated C-Reactive Protein.  Ridker PM, Danielson E, Fonseca FAH, Genest J, Gotto AM, Jr., Kastelein JJP, et al for the Justification for the Use of Statins in Prevention: an Intervention Trial Evaluating Rosuvastatin (JUPITER) Study Group

 

Background:  Statins are recommended as first-line therapy for prevention of cardiovascular events in high-risk patients, including those with hyperlipidemia, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.  However, many cardiovascular events occur in people for whom lipid drug therapy is not recommended under the current guidelines.  High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is an inflammatory biomarker that is predictive of cardiovascular events in normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic individuals.  Studies have demonstrated that statin therapy reduces hs-CRP levels.  However, whether or not lowering hs-CRP with statin therapy translates to reductions in cardiovascular events is unknown.  The JUPITER trial was conducted to evaluate whether rosuvastatin (20 mg/d), compared with placebo, would decrease the rate of occurrence of first major cardiovascular events (nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, arterial revascularization, hospitalization for unstable angina, death due to cardiovascular causes) in otherwise healthy individuals with elevated hs-CRP and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels below 130 mg/dL.

Methods:   This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted at 1,315 sites in 26 countries.  Men aged 50 years and older, and women aged 60 years and older, with no history of cardiovascular disease, LDL-C <130 mg/dL, hs-CRP ≥2 mg/L, and triglycerides <500 mg/dL were eligible for enrollment.  Subjects were assigned randomly (1:1) to receive rosuvastatin (20 mg/d) or matched placebo pills for up to 5 years.  Follow-up visits were conducted at 13 weeks and twice annually thereafter.  Laboratory evaluations, pill counts, and assessments of cardiovascular and other adverse events were performed during follow-up.

Results:  A total of 17,802 subjects were randomly assigned to treatment, 8901 to each group (rosuvastatin 20 mg/d or placebo).  The majority of subjects were white (71.1%) and male (61.8%) with a median age of 66 years (range 60 – 71 years).  At baseline, median (interquartile range) LDL-C and hs-CRP levels were 108 mg/dL (94 – 119 mg/dL) and 4.3 mg/L (2.8 – 7.2 mg/L), respectively.  At 12 months, rosuvastatin therapy reduced LDL-C by 50% and hs-CRP by 37% compared with placebo.  The study was terminated on a recommendation from the data safety monitoring committee after a median follow-up of 1.9 years because of benefits observed in the rosuvastatin group.

The rates of the primary endpoint, first occurrence of a major cardiovascular event, were 0.77 and 1.36 per 100 person-years of follow-up in the rosuvastatin and placebo groups, respectively (hazard ratio for rosuvastatin, 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.46 - 0.69, p <0.00001).  Corresponding rates were 0.17 and 0.37 for myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30 – 0.70, p = 0.0002); 0.18 and 0.34 for stroke (hazard ratio, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.34 – 0.79, p = 0.002); 0.41 and 0.77 for revascularization or unstable angina (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.40 – 0.70, p <0.00001); 0.45 and 0.85 for the combined endpoint of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from cardiovascular causes (hazard ratio, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.40 – 0.69, p < 0.00001); and 1.00 and 1.25 for death from any cause (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.67 – 0.97, p = 0.02).

Similar results were observed in subgroup analyses in which the study sample was stratified by age, race/ethnicity, risk factors (smoking status, body weight, metabolic syndrome, family history of cardiovascular disease), and Framingham risk score.  Compared with the rosuvastatin group, the control group had a significantly higher incidence of death from cancer (58 vs. 35 events, p = 0.02).  The incidence of newly diagnosed diabetes (physician-reported) was significantly higher in the rosuvastatin group (270 vs. 216 reports, p = 0.01).

Conclusion:  These findings demonstrate that, compared with placebo, rosuvastatin (20 mg/d) significantly reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events and death from any cause in otherwise healthy subjects with elevated hs-CRP and relatively normal levels of LDL-C.

Dr. Maki’s Commentary.  In 1998, the publication of the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study results showed that treatment with a statin (lovastatin) was effective for primary prevention of cardiovascular events (relative risk 0.63, p < 0.001) in subjects with low HDL-C, most of whom (83%) would not have qualified for lipid drug therapy under the guidelines in force at the time (1).  This confirmed that the overriding policy question was not who could potentially have their cardiovascular event risk lowered by statin therapy, but rather for whom is treatment cost-effective.  The results from JUPITER underscore this point and add a new element to the debate, the question of whether, and if so, when clinicians should test for elevated hs-CRP as part of cardiovascular disease risk assessment.

Current recommendations from the American Heart Association and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest screening for elevated hs-CRP only in those at moderately high (10-20%) 10-year CHD event risk based on Framingham risk scoring (2).  Additional analyses from the JUPITER database may help to determine whether hs-CRP screening might be helpful to identify those who, on the basis of their Framingham risk score, would otherwise be considered at low or moderate risk, but whose CHD event risk is actually higher due to elevated hs-CRP.  Use of hs-CRP may also help to refine recommendations for who should receive very aggressive therapy with LDL-C and non-HDL-C goals of <70 and <100 mg/dL, respectively.

The JUPITER results provide clear evidence that those with elevated hs-CRP are at increased CHD risk and that rosuvastatin therapy lowers this risk.  However, JUPITER did not answer the question of whether hs-CRP reduction per se should be a target of therapy.  An additional outstanding question is the mechanisms that account for the increased risk associated with elevated hs-CRP.  Is hs-CRP elevation reflecting vascular inflammation, dysregulation of adipose tissue resulting in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, greater hepatic sensitivity to inflammatory stimuli, or does hs-CRP itself promote some aspect of the atherothrombotic process?  Results from genetic studies indicate that polymorphisms associated with elevated CRP are not themselves predictive of cardiovascular disease risk, suggesting that CRP itself is not raising risk, but instead that acquired hs-CRP elevation is a marker for some process that is proatherogenic and/or prothrombotic (3, 4).  One challenge associated with using hs-CRP clinically as a cardiovascular risk marker is that it increases transiently for reasons that may be unrelated to atherothrombotic risk, such as after a minor trauma or during an infection such as the common cold.  Lipoprotein associated phospholipase A2 is a marker that is believed to be more specific for vascular inflammation and, like hs-CRP, is a strong predictor of cardiovascular event risk (5).  At present it is not clear whether these markers provide comparable information regarding event risk and what the implications might be of elevations in one, the other or both concurrently.

Many additional questions remain as well, including the degree to which treatment with drugs other than rosuvastatin, including other statins, might benefit those with elevated hs-CRP levels and whether greater hs-CRP reduction will translate into greater risk reduction.  Thus, JUPITER is a major milestone in our understanding of risk reduction with lipid-altering drug therapy, it is not clear at present how the results from JUPITER will be incorporated into treatment guidelines.

References

1.    Downs JR, Clearfield M, Weis S, Whitney E, Shapiro DR, Beere PA, et al.  Primary prevention of acute coronary events with lovastatin in men and women with average cholesterol levels: results of AFCAPS/TexCAPS. Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study.  JAMA. 1998;279:1615-22.

2.    Pearson TA, Mensah, GA, Alexander RW, Anderson JL, Cannon III RO, Criqui M, et al.  Markers of inflammation and cardiovascular disease. Applications to clinical and public health practice. A statement for healthcare professionals from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association.  Circulation. 2003;107:499-511.

3.    Schunkert H, Samani N.  Elevated c-reactive protein in atherosclerosis – chicken or egg.  N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1953-1955.

4.    Zacho J, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Jensen JS, Grande P, Sillesen H, Nordestgaard BG.  Genetically elevated c-reactive protein and ischemic vascular disease.  N Engl J Med. 2008;359:1897-1908.

5.    Davidson MH, Corson MA, Alberts MJ, Anderson JL, Gorelick PB, Jones PH, et al.  Consensus panel recommendation for incorporating lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 testing into cardiovascular disease risk assessment guidelines.  Am J Cardiol. 2008;101:51F-57F.

 

 

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For more information, visit our web site: http://www.providentcrc.com.

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