Background:A substantial proportion of patients clinically diagnosed as having familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) do not manifest causative mutation(s) in the FH genes such asLDLR,APOB, andPCSK9. We ...aimed to evaluate the effect of rare and deleterious mutation(s) inABCG5/ABCG8on hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterolemia in individuals who meet the clinical criteria for FH.Methods and Results:We compared the LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) values among 487 subjects with FH; the subjects were grouped according to the presence of mutation(s) in FH andABCG5/ABCG8genes. We identified 276 individuals with a deleterious mutation in 1 FH gene (57%, monogenic FH), but found no causative mutations in 156 individuals (32%, mutation-negative). A total of 37 individuals had deleterious mutations inABCG5orABCG8, but not in FH genes (8%,ABCG5/ABCG8mutation carriers). Among these, 3 individuals had sitosterolemia (0.6%) with double mutations. We also identified 18 individuals with deleterious mutations in an FH gene andABCG5orABCG8(4%,ABCG5/ABCG8-oligogenic FH). Subjects without mutations had significantly higher polygenic scores than those in any other groups. LDL-C levels in oligogenic FH subjects were significantly higher than in the monogenic FH subjects. Moreover, sitosterol/lathosterol levels were significantly affected by those mutations.Conclusions:The results suggested that rare and deleterious mutations inABCG5/ABCG8contribute substantially to mimicking and exacerbation of the FH phenotype.
Sitosterolemia is a rare inherited disease characterized by increased levels of plant sterols, such as sitosterol. The cause of this disease is ATP-binding cassette (ABC) subfamily G member 5 or ...member 8 (ABCG5 or ABCG8, respectively) gene mutations. Recent advances in genetics have revealed that the prevalence of subjects with deleterious mutations in ABCG5 and/or ABCG8 genes could be more than 1 in ~200,000 individuals among the general population. Furthermore, accumulated evidence, including infantile cases exhibiting progression/regression of systemic xanthomas associated with LDL cholesterol levels, have shown that the elevation of LDL cholesterol seems to be the major cause of development of atherosclerosis and not the elevation of sitosterol. Regarding therapies, LDL apheresis, as well as proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, could be useful for sitosterolemia, in addition to ezetimibe and/or colestimide. In this study, we provide the current understanding and future perspectives of sitosterolemia, which is currently considered an extremely rare disorder but is expected to be much more prevalent in clinical settings.
Background
Lipoprotein (a) Lp(a) is associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, the role of healthy lifestyle against the risk of CAD with consideration of high Lp(a) levels remains ...unclear.
Methods
This study examined 4512 participants who underwent serum Lp(a) level assessment at Kanazawa University Hospital from 2008 to March 2016. Their lifestyle habits were examined based on four questionnaires regarding dietary pattern, exercise habits, smoking status and body weight. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the association between healthy lifestyle and CAD independent of Lp(a) levels.
Results
The Lp(a) levels were significantly associated with CAD (odds ratio OR: 1.12, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.08–1.17, p = 1.3 × 10−7 per 10 mg/dL). Under these circumstances, the lifestyle risk score was also significantly associated with CAD (OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.12–1.36, p = 2.4 × 10−8). Compared with patients with a favourable lifestyle who have Lp(a) levels of <30 mg/dL, those with an intermediate or unfavourable lifestyle were at higher risk for CAD (OR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.02–1.20, p = 0.003 and OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.16–1.54, p = 3.6 × 10−5, respectively). Further, patients with a favourable, intermediate or unfavourable lifestyle who have Lp(a) levels of ≥30 mg/dL were at high risk for CAD (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.08–1.34, p = 0.0014; OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.14–1.48, p = 1.2 × 10−4; and OR: 1.81, 95% CI: 1.44–2.18, p = 2.2 × 10−7, respectively).
Conclusions
Healthy lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of CAD regardless of Lp(a) levels.
The impact of positive clinical signs (xanthoma and/or family history) and positive familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) mutation status on risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) over and above that ...predicted by low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level alone has not been fully determined. We assessed whether positive clinical signs and genetic FH diagnosis affected CAD risk among subjects with significantly elevated LDL cholesterol levels (≥180 mg/dL, or ≥140 mg/dL in subjects <15 years of age).
Three genes causative for FH (LDLR, APOB, and PCSK9) were sequenced in 636 patients with severe hypercholesterolaemia (mean age, 45 years; 300 males 47%, CAD diagnosis, 185 29%), and the presence of clinical FH signs (xanthoma and/or family history) were assessed. CAD prevalence was compared between four subject groups categorized based on these parameters. Compared with the reference group without FH mutations or clinical signs of FH, subjects with clinical signs of FH or FH mutations had three- to four-fold higher odds of developing CAD (odds ratio OR, 4.6; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.5-14.5; P = 0.0011 and OR, 3.4; 95% CI, 1.0-10.9; P = 0.0047, respectively), whereas those with clinical signs of FH and FH mutation(s) had >11-fold higher odds of developing CAD (OR, 11.6; 95% CI, 4.4-30.2; P = 1.1 × 10-5) after adjusting for known risk factors including LDL cholesterol.
Our findings revealed an additive effect of positive clinical signs of FH and positive FH mutation status to CAD risk among patients with significantly elevated LDL cholesterol.
We herein present a case series of hypercholesterolemia caused by a pathogenic mutation in the ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 5 (ABCG5). Three unrelated infantile patients who were ...breastfed and had extremely elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were referred to our hospital. Their LDL cholesterol levels decreased significantly after weaning. Panel sequencing revealed a pathogenic mutation in ABCG5 in each patient. An 8-year-old girl was also referred due to suspected familial hypercholesterolemia. Panel sequencing revealed a pathogenic mutation in ABCG5. A cholesterol-reduced diet alone significantly reduced the LDL cholesterol levels. Moreover, the administration of ezetimibe was found to be beneficial.
Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis (SDSE)-related empyema is rare but can result in shock vitals, acute kidney injury, and extensive ...erythema. In the present case, a 92-year-old woman with empyema caused by SDSE developed STSS after pleural drainage and antibiotic therapy. Despite temporary improvement with clindamycin and pleural drainage, the patient ultimately died due to malnutrition. Autopsy findings suggested that the infection was well controlled, but infections with Streptococcus spp., including SDSE, can trigger STSS in patients with empyema.
Lipoprotein(a) Lp(a), discovered in 1963, has been associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) independent of other traditional risk factors, including LDL cholesterol. Lp(a) is an ...apolipoprotein B (apoB)-containing lipoprotein, which contains an LDL-like particle. Unlike LDL, which is a primary therapeutic target to decrease ASCVD, current guidelines recommend measuring Lp(a) for risk assessments because there is no clear evidence demonstrating the clinical benefit of decreasing Lp(a) using classical drugs such as niacin. However, recent Mendelian randomization studies indicate that Lp(a) causally correlates with ASCVD. In addition, novel drugs, including PCSK9 inhibitors, as well as antisense oligonucleotide for apo(a), have exhibited efficacy in decreasing Lp(a) substantially, invigorating a discussion whether Lp(a) could be a novel therapeutic target for further ASCVD risk reduction. This review aims to provide current understanding, and future perspectives, of Lp(a), which is currently considered a mere biomarker but may emerge as a novel therapeutic target in future clinical settings.
The accuracy of current prediction tools for ischaemic and bleeding events after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains insufficient for individualised patient management strategies. We developed a ...machine learning-based risk stratification model to predict all-cause death, recurrent acute myocardial infarction, and major bleeding after ACS.
Different machine learning models for the prediction of 1-year post-discharge all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and major bleeding (defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3 or 5) were trained on a cohort of 19 826 adult patients with ACS (split into a training cohort 80% and internal validation cohort 20%) from the BleeMACS and RENAMI registries, which included patients across several continents. 25 clinical features routinely assessed at discharge were used to inform the models. The best-performing model for each study outcome (the PRAISE score) was tested in an external validation cohort of 3444 patients with ACS pooled from a randomised controlled trial and three prospective registries. Model performance was assessed according to a range of learning metrics including area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).
The PRAISE score showed an AUC of 0·82 (95% CI 0·78–0·85) in the internal validation cohort and 0·92 (0·90–0·93) in the external validation cohort for 1-year all-cause death; an AUC of 0·74 (0·70–0·78) in the internal validation cohort and 0·81 (0·76–0·85) in the external validation cohort for 1-year myocardial infarction; and an AUC of 0·70 (0·66–0·75) in the internal validation cohort and 0·86 (0·82–0·89) in the external validation cohort for 1-year major bleeding.
A machine learning-based approach for the identification of predictors of events after an ACS is feasible and effective. The PRAISE score showed accurate discriminative capabilities for the prediction of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and major bleeding, and might be useful to guide clinical decision making.
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