Context Acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. In experimental models of MI, erythropoietin reduces infarct size and improves left ventricular (LV) function. Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single intravenous bolus of epoetin alfa in patients with STEMI. Design, Setting, and Patients Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a dose-escalation safety phase and a single-dose (60,000 units of epoetin alfa) efficacy phase involving 222 patients with STEMI who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) as a primary or rescue reperfusion strategy. Intervention Participants were randomly assigned to treatment with intravenous epoetin alfa or matching saline placebo administered within 4 hours of reperfusion. Main Outcome Measure Infarct size, expressed as a percentage of LV mass, assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging 2–6 days after study medication administration. Results In the efficacy cohort (n=138), infarct size did not differ between groups at either 2–6 days (15.8±10.3 vs. 15.0±10.0, P=.666) or 12±2 weeks (10.6±8.6 vs. 10.4±7.6, P=.886). Left ventricular ejection fraction also did not differ between groups at either the early (48.2±9.1 vs. 48.9±8.7, P=.671) or late (52.5±9.3 vs. 52.0±8.8, P=.760) timepoints. In pre-specified analyses of patients aged ≥70 years (n=21), mean infarct size within the first week was larger in the epoetin alfa arm than in the placebo group (19.9±9.9 vs.11.7±7.2, P=.026). Patients who received epoetin alfa had a higher incidence of the composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or stent thrombosis (4.0% vs. 0.0%, P=.042), and a higher incidence of serious adverse events (20.0% vs. 10.3%, P=.052). Conclusions In STEMI patients successfully reperfused with primary or rescue PCI, a single intravenous bolus of epoetin alfa did not reduce infarct size and was associated with higher rates of adverse cardiovascular events. Furthermore, it may be associated with increased infarct size in older patients. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT00378352.

Background Interleukin-1 plays a pivotal role in in the pathogenesis of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (sJIA). We assessed the efficacy and safety of rilonacept (IL-1 trap), an IL-1 inhibitor, in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Methods An initial 4-week double-blind placebo phase was incorporated into a 24-week randomized multi-center design, followed by an open label phase. We randomized 71 children with at least 2 active joints 1:1 to 2 arms of the study. Patients in the rilonacept arm received rilonacept (4.4mg/kg loading dose followed by 2.2mg/kg weekly, subcutaneously) from day 0; patients in the placebo arm received placebo for 4 weeks followed by a loading dose of rilonacept at week 4 followed by weekly maintenance doses. The primary endpoint was time to response, using adapted JIA ACR30 response criteria coupled with absence of fever and taper of systemic corticosteroids using pre-specified criteria. Results Time to response was shorter in the rilonacept arm than in the placebo arm (Chi-square 7.235, P=.007). Secondary analysis showed 20/35 (57%) of patients in the rilonacept arm responded at week 4 compared to 9/33 (27%) in the placebo arm (P=.016) using the same response criteria. Exacerbation of sJIA (4) was the most common SAE. More patients in the rilonacept arm had elevated liver transaminases, including more than three times the upper limits of normal, as compared to those in the placebo arm. Adverse events were similar in the two arms of the study. Conclusions Rilonacept was generally well tolerated and demonstrated efficacy in active sJIA.

Physical pain among persons seeking treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and characteristics associated with pain were examined in a secondary analysis of data from the Drug Abuse Treatment Outcome Study (DATOS), a multi-site treatment outcome study. Patients (N = 7,876) in four treatment modalities - long-term residential (LTR), short-term inpatient (STI), outpatient methadone treatment (OMT), and outpatient drug-free (ODF) - reported severity of physical pain experienced during the preceding 12 months. Moderate to severe physical pain was reported by 21.2% of LTR patients, 26.8% of STI patients, 33.6% of OMT patients, and 17.6% of ODF patients. Individuals with and without physical pain were compared across treatment modalities. Patients with pain were more likely to report weekly heroin use [aOR = 1.73 (1.44-2.08)], weekly narcotics use [aOR = 1.43 (1.18-1.74)] and greater depressive symptoms [aOR = 1.30 (1.21-1.38)]. These findings support the presence of a sizable proportion of SUD patients with pain who may benefit from pain assessment as part of their SUD treatment.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network launched the Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study (POATS) in response to rising rates of prescription opioid dependence and gaps in understanding the optimal course of treatment for this population. POATS employed a multi-site, two-phase adaptive, sequential treatment design to approximate clinical practice. The study took place at 10 community treatment programs around the United States. Participants included men and women age ≥18 who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4 th Edition criteria for dependence upon prescription opioids, with physiologic features; those with a prominent history of heroin use (according to pre-specified criteria) were excluded. All participants received buprenorphine/naloxone (bup/nx). Phase 1 consisted of 4 weeks of bup/nx treatment, including a 14-day dose taper, with 8 weeks of follow-up. Phase 1 participants were monitored for treatment response during these 12 weeks. Those who relapsed to opioid use, as defined by pre-specified criteria, were invited to enter Phase 2; Phase 2 consisted of 12 weeks of bup/nx stabilization treatment, followed by a 4-week taper and 8 weeks of post-treatment follow-up. Participants were randomized at the beginning of Phase 1 to receive bup/nx, paired with either Standard Medical Management (SMM) or Enhanced Medical Management (EMM; defined as SMM plus individual drug counseling). Eligible participants entering Phase 2 were re-randomized to either EMM or SMM. POATS was Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. developed to determine what benefit, if any, EMM offers over SMM in short-term and longer-term treatment paradigm. This paper describes the rationale and design of the study. NIH Public Access