Publications by authors named "Castellucci L"

Bleeding complications associated with oral anticoagulant (OAC) frequently lead to emergency department visits and hospitalization. Short-term all-cause mortality after severe bleeding is substantial ranging from approximately 10% for gastrointestinal bleeding (the most frequent single site) to approximately 50% for intracranial bleeding. A protocol for multidisciplinary approach to bleeding is needed to (i) ensure rapid identification of patients at risk of adverse outcomes, (ii) optimize delivery of supportive measures, (iii) treat the source of bleeding, and (iv) administer anticoagulant reversal or hemostatic therapies judiciously for patients most likely to benefit.

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  • Limited language proficiency significantly impacts research participation among racialized populations, particularly in studies related to venous thromboembolism (VTE).
  • An analysis of VTE studies from 2014 to 2024 found that 3.2 out of every 100 eligible patients were unable to consent due to language barriers, with the highest rates observed among cancer studies (5.6) and those recruiting from non-clinic settings (10.8).
  • The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address linguistic barriers and enhance equitable access to VTE research for underrepresented groups.
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Introduction: Factor Xa inhibitor (FXaI)-associated bleeding events are common and associated with substantial morbidity. Systematic evaluation of widely available, effective, and affordable FXaI bleed management strategies is needed.

Materials And Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of FXaI-treated patients presenting to a tertiary academic medical center from January 2018 to May 2019 who received 25-50 IU/kg 4F-PCC for either FXaI-associated major bleeding or urgent surgery.

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The currently approved direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used in clinical practice. Although serious bleeding risks are lower with DOACs than with vitamin K antagonists, bleeding remains the most frequent side effect. Andexanet alfa and idarucizumab are the currently approved specific reversal agents for oral factor (F)Xa inhibitors and dabigatran, respectively.

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Background: Clinical trials suggest that therapeutic-dose heparin may prevent critical illness and vascular complications due to COVID-19, but knowledge gaps exist regarding the efficacy of therapeutic heparin including its comparative effect relative to intermediate-dose anticoagulation.

Objectives: The authors performed 2 complementary secondary analyses of a completed randomized clinical trial: 1) a prespecified per-protocol analysis; and 2) an exploratory dose-based analysis to compare the effect of therapeutic-dose heparin with low- and intermediate-dose heparin.

Methods: Patients who received initial anticoagulation dosed consistently with randomization were included.

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Introduction: Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) increases the risk of pulmonary embolism (PE). AECOPD and PE have similar symptoms which results in a high proportion of patients with AECOPD undergoing imaging to rule out PE. Finding predictors and explanatory factors of PE in AECOPD, such as purulence status, could help reduce the need for imaging.

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  • There are currently no direct comparisons of the effectiveness and safety of the two most common oral anticoagulants, apixaban and rivaroxaban, for older patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), creating uncertainty regarding which drug is better.
  • This study examined older adults (66 and older) in Ontario, Canada, comparing the incidence of major bleeding and thromboembolic events in patients treated with either apixaban or rivaroxaban from 2011 to 2020.
  • The findings revealed that apixaban was associated with a significantly lower risk of major and any bleeding compared to rivaroxaban, while both drugs had similar risks for thromboembolic events.
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  • Clinical trials are increasingly adopting Bayesian methods for design and analysis, using simulation-based approaches like Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC), which can be computationally expensive and complex.
  • The Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations (INLA) algorithm offers a more efficient alternative to MCMC for approximate Bayesian inference without heavy simulation costs.
  • Research using data from a COVID-19 trial will compare INLA and MCMC to assess INLA's feasibility and accuracy for Bayesian trial design, providing insights for trialists.
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  • Venous thromboembolism (VTE) significantly impacts cancer patients' health but education and awareness about it are severely lacking, with 63.5% of surveyed patients receiving inadequate information.
  • A study of 2262 cancer patients from 42 countries revealed that many felt unprepared to recognize VTE risks, with only 67.8% receiving guidance on seeking medical help when needed.
  • The research highlights critical gaps in VTE education and support, emphasizing the need for improved patient-centered care in managing cancer-associated VTE risks.
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Background: Since administration of COVID-19 vaccines, there has been growing evidence of thrombotic and thrombocytopenic events following vaccination. However, there remains limited data on long-term management of these adverse hematologic events.

Key Clinical Question: We report on 9 patients presenting with thrombocytopenia following COVID-19 vaccination, with 4 subsequently diagnosed with vaccine-induced thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) and 5 with immune thrombocytopenia.

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  • Balancing the safety and effectiveness of antithrombotic drugs in patients with gastrointestinal disorders is complex due to issues with drug absorption and increased bleeding risks.
  • The review focuses on enteral antithrombotic therapy for patients with cardiovascular conditions and gastrointestinal issues, outlining risk assessment and methods to reduce gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB).
  • It emphasizes the importance of teamwork in customizing antithrombotic therapy, based on medical society guidelines and the unique needs of patients with both cardiovascular and gastrointestinal conditions.
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Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) caused by Leishmania braziliensis, is a disease characterized by well-limited ulcerated lesions with raised borders in exposed parts of the body. miRNAs are recognized for their role in the complex and plastic interaction between host and pathogens, either as part of the host's strategy to neutralize infection or as a molecular mechanism employed by the pathogen to modulate host inflammatory pathways to remain undetected. The mir155 targets a broad range of inflammatory mediators, following toll-like receptors (TLRs) signaling.

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Mycobacterium leprae infects skin and peripheral nerves causing a broad of clinical forms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) control immune mechanisms such as apoptosis, autophagy as well as to target genes leading to abnormal proliferation, metastasis, and invasion of cells. Herein we evaluated miRNAs expression for leprosy phenotypes in biopsies obtained from patients with and without reactions.

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Background: Leishmaniasis is an infectious disease caused by protozoa of the genus . There are still no vaccines, and therapeutic options are limited, indicating the constant need to understand the fine mechanisms of its pathophysiology. An approach that has been explored in leishmaniasis is the participation of microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small non-coding RNAs that act, in most cases, to repress gene expression.

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Introduction: Hemostasis and bleeding are difficult to measure. Thrombin generation assays (TGAs) can measure both procoagulant and anticoagulant contributions to coagulation. TGAs might prove useful for the study of bleeding disorders.

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Background: Patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are at high risk of thrombotic complications and organ failure, and often exhibit severe inflammation, which may contribute to hypercoagulability.

Objectives: To determine whether patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experience differing frequencies of thrombotic and organ failure complications and derive variable benefits from therapeutic-dose heparin dependent on the extent of systemic inflammation and whether observed benefit from therapeutic-dose anticoagulation varies depending on the degree of systemic inflammation.

Methods: We analyzed data from 1346 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 enrolled in the ATTACC and ACTIV-4a platforms who were randomized to therapeutic-dose heparin or usual care for whom levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were reported at baseline.

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Background: Data on availability, affordability, and accessibility is key for the planning of global strategies to reduce the burden of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Objectives: A survey was conducted for the 10th anniversary of World Thrombosis Day to assess the availability of VTE therapies worldwide and challenges in uniform implementation.

Methods: We gathered information on the approval status, availability, utilization, occurrence of shortages, and spread of medical and interventional therapies for VTE.

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Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with COVID-19 is partly mediated by thromboinflammation. In noncritically ill patients with COVID-19, therapeutic-dose anticoagulation with heparin increased the probability of survival to hospital discharge with reduced use of cardiovascular or respiratory organ support.

Objectives: We investigated whether therapeutic-dose heparin reduces the incidence of AKI or death in noncritically ill patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

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 Direct factor Xa inhibitors (FXaIs) account for most oral anticoagulant use and FXaI-associated bleeding events are common. Clinicians have variable national and regional access to specific FXaI reversal agents such as andexanet alfa. Many centers have adopted the use of prothrombin complex concentrates (PCCs) as hemostatic therapy for FXaI-associated major bleeding events.

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Importance: Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of therapeutic-dose heparin in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 produced conflicting results, possibly due to heterogeneity of treatment effect (HTE) across individuals. Better understanding of HTE could facilitate individualized clinical decision-making.

Objective: To evaluate HTE of therapeutic-dose heparin for patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and to compare approaches to assessing HTE.

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Despite the growing number of pediatric antithrombotic clinical trials, standardized safety and efficacy outcome definitions for pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE) clinical trials have not been updated since 2011. Many recent trials have adapted the recommended definitions, leading to heterogeneity in outcomes and limiting our ability to compare studies. The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis Scientific and Standardization Subcommittee (SSC) on Pediatric and Neonatal Thrombosis and Hemostasis organized a Task Force to update the efficacy and safety outcome definitions for pediatric VTE clinical trials.

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Article Synopsis
  • Oral anticoagulation therapy has advanced from traditional vitamin K antagonists to newer options like direct thrombin inhibitors and factor Xa inhibitors, collectively known as direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), which are now standard for treating conditions such as atrial fibrillation and venous thromboembolism.
  • New medications targeting factors XI/XIa and XII/XIIa are being researched for various thrombotic and nonthrombotic conditions, potentially offering different benefits and risks compared to current DOACs.
  • The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis has suggested a new naming system for anticoagulants based on their administration route and target, aiding clarity in their clinical use.
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Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) account for most oral anticoagulant use. DOAC-associated bleeding events are commonly encountered in clinical practice and are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Both specific reversal agents and nonspecific hemostatic therapies, such as prothrombin complex concentrates, are used in the management of DOAC-associated bleeding.

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