A novel model describing blood pressure profiles

IntroductionBlood pressure follows a circadian rhythm and is influenced by various factors. Blood pressure rises in the morning and decreases at night. It is known that deviations from this pattern are associated with an increased cardiovascular risk. Therefore, it is important to analyze blood pressure profiles and blood pressure variability.MethodsA blood pressure model was developed based on data from cuffless blood pressure measurements of six healthy volunteers over a 14-day period. Exponential formulas were applied for the description of blood pressure curves (systolic and diastolic), which were used for a non-linear regression model in R.ResultsAll six subjects showed a circadian pattern in systolic and diastolic blood pressure over a 14-day period. Both the measured values and the predicted values show that each subject's blood pressure was lower at night than during the day. Differences emerged in the level of blood pressure, the fluctuation, and the sleep times, which revealed individual characteristics in the daily blood pressure curves.DiscussionThis novel blood pressure model can be used to visualize blood pressure profiles for several days and enables the assessment of the intra- and inter-individual variability of blood pressure

Influence of Age, Heart Failure and ACE Inhibitor Treatment on Plasma Renin Activity in Children:Insights from a Systematic Review and the European LENA Project

BACKGROUND: Plasma renin activity (PRA) has gained relevance as prognostic marker in adults with heart failure. The use of PRA as a clinically meaningful parameter in children and children with heart failure requires a thorough knowledge of the factors that influence PRA to correctly assess PRA levels. We aim to evaluate the influence of age, heart failure and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) on PRA levels in children. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search to identify studies on PRA levels in healthy children and in children with heart failure. In addition, we analysed PRA data measured before (n = 35, aged 25 days-2.1 years), 4 hours after (n = 34) and within the first 8 days of enalapril treatment (n = 29) in children with heart failure from the European project Labeling of Enalapril from Neonates up to Adolescents (LENA). RESULTS: Age has a profound effect on PRA levels in healthy children, as PRA levels in the literature are up to about 7 times higher in neonates than in older children. Children with heart failure younger than 6 months showed 3-4 times higher PRA levels than healthy peers in both the literature and the LENA studies. In the LENA studies, the ACEi enalapril significantly increased median predose PRA by a factor of 4.5 in children with heart failure after 4.7 ± 1.6 days of treatment (n = 29, p &lt; 0.01). Prior to treatment with enalapril, LENA subjects with symptomatic heart failure (Ross score ≥3) had a significantly higher PRA than LENA subjects with asymptomatic heart failure of comparable age (Ross score ≤2, p &lt; 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Age, heart failure and ACEi treatment have a notable influence on PRA and must be considered when assessing PRA as a clinically meaningful parameter. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trials are registered on the EU Clinical Trials Register (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: EudraCT 2015-002335-17, EudraCT 2015-002396-18.</p

Influence of Age, Heart Failure and ACE Inhibitor Treatment on Plasma Renin Activity in Children:Insights from a Systematic Review and the European LENA Project

BACKGROUND: Plasma renin activity (PRA) has gained relevance as prognostic marker in adults with heart failure. The use of PRA as a clinically meaningful parameter in children and children with heart failure requires a thorough knowledge of the factors that influence PRA to correctly assess PRA levels. We aim to evaluate the influence of age, heart failure and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) on PRA levels in children. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search to identify studies on PRA levels in healthy children and in children with heart failure. In addition, we analysed PRA data measured before (n = 35, aged 25 days-2.1 years), 4 hours after (n = 34) and within the first 8 days of enalapril treatment (n = 29) in children with heart failure from the European project Labeling of Enalapril from Neonates up to Adolescents (LENA). RESULTS: Age has a profound effect on PRA levels in healthy children, as PRA levels in the literature are up to about 7 times higher in neonates than in older children. Children with heart failure younger than 6 months showed 3-4 times higher PRA levels than healthy peers in both the literature and the LENA studies. In the LENA studies, the ACEi enalapril significantly increased median predose PRA by a factor of 4.5 in children with heart failure after 4.7 ± 1.6 days of treatment (n = 29, p &lt; 0.01). Prior to treatment with enalapril, LENA subjects with symptomatic heart failure (Ross score ≥3) had a significantly higher PRA than LENA subjects with asymptomatic heart failure of comparable age (Ross score ≤2, p &lt; 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Age, heart failure and ACEi treatment have a notable influence on PRA and must be considered when assessing PRA as a clinically meaningful parameter. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trials are registered on the EU Clinical Trials Register (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBERS: EudraCT 2015-002335-17, EudraCT 2015-002396-18.</p

Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Rotigotine Transdermal Patch in Healthy Japanese and Caucasian Subjects

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rotigotine is a dopamine receptor agonist with activity across the D(1) through to D(5) receptors as well as select serotonergic and adrenergic sites; continuous transdermal delivery of rotigotine with replacement of the patch once daily maintains stable plasma concentrations over 24 h. Rotigotine is indicated for the treatment of early and advanced-stage Parkinson’s disease and moderate-to-severe idiopathic restless legs syndrome. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a drug may vary between subjects of different ethnic origin. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of single-dose treatment with rotigotine transdermal patch in Japanese and Caucasian subjects. METHODS: In this open-label, parallel-group study, healthy male and female subjects of Japanese or Caucasian ethnic origin were matched by sex, body mass index, and age. A single transdermal patch delivering 2 mg/24 h rotigotine (patch content 4.5 mg) was applied to the ventral/lateral abdomen for 24 h. The main outcome measures were the plasma concentrations of unconjugated and total rotigotine and its desalkyl metabolites and derived pharmacokinetic parameters (area under the concentration–time curve from time zero to last quantifiable concentration [AUC(last)], maximum plasma concentration [C(max)], and body weight- and dose-normalized values). RESULTS: The pharmacokinetic analysis included 48 subjects (24 Japanese, 24 Caucasian). The mean apparent dose of rotigotine was 2.0 ± 0.5 mg for Japanese subjects and 2.08 ± 0.58 mg for Caucasians. Plasma concentration–time profiles of unconjugated rotigotine and of the main metabolites were similar for both ethnic groups. Parameters of model-independent pharmacokinetics, C(max), time to C(max) (t(max)), and AUC(last), for unconjugated rotigotine showed no statistically significant differences between Japanese and Caucasian subjects. Values of concentration-dependent pharmacokinetic parameters were higher in female subjects; this difference was minimized after correction for body weight. A statistically significant difference between ethnic groups was observed for total rotigotine concentrations (total rotigotine = unconjugated rotigotine + conjugated rotigotine), with slightly lower values in Caucasians after correction for body weight and apparent dose. No relevant differences were observed between males and females. Inter-individual variability was high. The terminal half-life for unconjugated rotigotine was 5.3 h in Japanese subjects and 5.7 h in Caucasians; corresponding values for total rotigotine were 8.6 h and 9.6 h. Less than 0.1 % of the apparent dose was renally excreted as the parent compound. Renal elimination of total rotigotine covers 11.7 % of absorbed dose in Japanese subjects and 10.8 % of the absorbed dose in Caucasians, whereas the renal elimination via total despropyl rotigotine was 8.2 and 7.1 %, respectively. The corresponding values for total desthienylethyl rotigotine were 3.5 % in Japanese subjects and 4.2 % Caucasians. Most adverse events were mild in intensity and typical for dopamine agonists or for transdermal therapeutics. CONCLUSION: Administration of a single patch delivering 2 mg/24 h rotigotine resulted in comparable pharmacokinetic profiles in Japanese and Caucasian subjects. The rotigotine transdermal patch was generally well-tolerated. Our findings suggest similar dose requirements for Japanese and Caucasian populations

Serum protein binding of 25 antiepileptic drugs in a routine clinical setting: A comparison of free non-protein-bound concentrations

Objective Given that only the free non–protein-bound concentration of an antiepileptic drug (AED) crosses the blood–brain barrier, entering the brain and producing an antiepileptic effect, knowledge and measurement of the free drug fraction is important. Such data are sparse, particularly for newer AEDs, and have arisen from the use of disparate methodologies and settings over the past six decades. We report on the protein binding of 25 AEDs that are available for clinical use, along with two pharmacologically active metabolites (carbamazepine-epoxide and N-desmethyl clobazam), using standardized methodology and under set conditions. Methods The protein binding of the various AEDs was undertaken in sera of 278 patients with epilepsy. Separation of the free non–protein-bound component was achieved by using ultracentrifugation (Amicon Centrifree Micropartition System) under set conditions: 500 μl serum volume; centrifugation at 1,000 g for 15 min, and at 25°C. Free and total AED concentrations were measured by use of fully validated liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) techniques. Results Gabapentin and pregabalin are non–protein-bound, whereas highly bound AEDs (≥88%) include clobazam, clonazepam, perampanel, retigabine, stiripentol, tiagabine, and valproic acid as well as the N-desmethyl-clobazam (89%) metabolite. The minimally bound drugs (<22%) include ethosuximide (21.8%), lacosamide (14.0%), levetiracetam (3.4%), topiramate, (19.5%) and vigabatrin (17.1%). Ten of the 25 AEDs exhibit moderate protein binding (mean range 27.7–74.8%). Significance These data provide a comprehensive comparison of serum protein binding of all available AEDs including the metabolites, carbamazepine-epoxide and N-desmethyl-clobazam. Knowledge of the free fraction of these AEDs can be used to optimize epilepsy treatment