25. Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys. By D. B. Rubin. ISBN 0 471 08705 X. Wiley, Chichester, 1987. 258 pp. £30.25.

Multiple Imputation for Nonresponse in Surveys

ACC
: American College of Cardiology
ACE
: angiotensin-converting enzyme
ACS
: acute coronary syndrome
AF
: atrial fibrillation
AGNES
: Arrhythmia Genetics in the Netherlands
AHA
: American Heart Association
AMIOVIRT
: AMIOdarone Versus Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator:

/pdf/2015-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-patients-with-3hzn8vw0c4.pdf

2015 ESC Guidelines for the management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death: The Task Force for the Management of Patients with Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Endorsed by: Association for European Paediatric and Congenital Cardiology (AEPC)

It is important that the medical profession plays a significant role in critically evaluating the use of diagnostic procedures and therapies as they are introduced and tested in the detection, management, or prevention of disease states. Rigorous and expert analysis of the available data documenting absolute and relative benefits and risks of those procedures and therapies can produce helpful guidelines that improve the effectiveness of care, optimize patient outcomes, and favorably affect the overall cost of care by focusing resources on the most effective strategies.

The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have jointly engaged in the production of such guidelines in the area of cardiovascular disease since 1980. The ACC/AHA Task Force on Practice Guidelines, whose charge is to develop, update, or revise practice guidelines for important cardiovascular diseases and procedures, directs this effort. The Task Force is pleased to have this guideline developed in conjunction with the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Writing committees are charged with the task of performing an assessment of the evidence and acting as an independent group of authors to develop or update written recommendations for clinical practice.

Experts in the subject under consideration have been selected from all 3 organizations to examine subject-specific data and write guidelines. The process includes additional representatives from other medical practitioner and specialty groups when appropriate. Writing committees are specifically charged to perform a formal literature review, weigh the strength of evidence for or against a particular treatment or procedure, and include estimates of expected health outcomes where data exist. Patient-specific modifiers, comorbidities, and issues of patient preference that might influence the choice of particular tests or therapies are considered as well as frequency of follow-up and cost effectiveness. When available, information from studies on cost will be considered; however, review …

/pdf/acc-aha-esc-2006-guidelines-for-management-of-patients-with-5a3f1emfzy.pdf

ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 guidelines for management of patients with ventricular arrhythmias and the prevention of sudden cardiac death

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell dyscrasia that remains fatal. Despite efforts over the past 3 to 4 decades, the median survival of patients with MM does not exceed 3 to 4 years. Although patients receiving combination chemotherapy have higher response rates compared with those receiving oral melphalan and prednisolone, they have no survival advantage. High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation has documented benefit over conventional treatment and is currently the accepted mode of treatment for symptomatic MM. Allogeneic transplantation is associated with high complete remission rates, but at the cost of high therapy-related mortality. Maintenance treatment with interferon-a shows benefit, albeit in a small fraction of MM patients. The use of bisphosphonates in patients with MM has clearly demonstrated benefit and reduced morbidity associated with bone disease. All of these measures have improved remission rates and survival, but all patients with MM ultimately relapse and succumb to their disease. Novel therapeutic strategies are therefore required to improve outcome of MM patients. The responses noted to thalidomide in MM are encouraging. Immune-based strategies, including both adoptive immunotherapy and vaccinations, are currently being investigated in the preclinical and clinical setting, with the goal of enhancing autologous and allogeneic anti-MM immunity for therapeutic applications.

Multiple myeloma

2015 ESC Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death

/pdf/2015-esc-guidelines-for-the-management-of-patients-with-4lhfmy4xir.pdf

2015 ESC Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death.

Macroglossia – Not Always AL Amyloidosis

We have quantitated the levels of serum prealbumin (PA) by rate nephelometry in 33 individuals with AF from 15 unrelated kinships. PA concentrations in the AF group were significantly depressed as compared to normal individuals and patients with primary amyloidosis (AL). Serum levels of retinol binding protein (RBP), the linker molecule complexing PA to Vitamin A, were near normal in the AF patients. In 54 unaffected “at risk” relatives from 2 AF kinships, serum PA and RBP levels were not significantly different from normal values. PA concentrations were compared to serum levels of the acute phase reactants, C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA). Abnormally depressed amounts of PA corresponded to higher than normal concentrations of CRP and SAA in the AL and AA sera. However, in the AF group, lower than normal serum PA levels were not accompanied by abnormally elevated amounts of CRP and SAA. These data suggest that abnormal serum PA concentrations in patients with AF are a true manifestation of the disease, not simply a reflection of a negative acute phase response. Depressed plasma PA levels in AF may represent the expression of the genetic abnormality.

Martha Skinner

Papers

Macroglossia – Not Always AL Amyloidosis

Serum Concentrations of Prealbumin and Retinol Binding Protein in Familial Amyloid Patients from 15 Kinships

Treatment of AA amyloidosis: Results of a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with 1,3-propanedisulfonate (1,3-PDS; NC-503).

Hepatic Response after High-Dose Melphalan and Stem Cell Transplantation for AL Amyloidosis Associated Liver Disease.

Detection and Characterization of Immunoglobulin Light Chain Post-Translational Modifications Using Lc/Ms-Ms/Ms