Summer 2018 LipidSpin Articles | National Lipid Association Online

ALAN S. BROWN, MD, FNLA	From the NLA President: Keeping Up the Momentum The National Lipid Association has been quite busy since the 2018 Scientific Sessions in Las Vegas. Below are some of the recent highlights. Stay tuned for more recurring updates from our organization. Guidelines Dissemination Task Force With the anticipated November 2018 release of the 2018 Guideline on the Management of Blood Cholesterol, the NLA is determined to participate actively in the dissemination of the update. As a result, I have developed a Guidelines... more
DAVID R. NEFF, DO	From the MWLA President: President's Views Greetings from those of us at the Midwest Lipid Association (MWLA). We all trust that you had an excellent summer as we head into cooler weather and color changes up here in the Midwest and Canada. For those of you who do not know, our Canadian partners who are National Lipid Association (NLA) members are represented through the MWLA Chapter. It’s our pleasure to bring you this issue of LipidSpin. At the MWLA, we are proud of our leadership heritage from the Midwest in the... more
KAYE-EILEEN WILLARD, MD, FNLA	From the LipidSpin Editor: Emphasizing Population Health Management Our healthcare organization has designated “population health management” as a core part of our strategy planning and accountability. This is reflected through the implementation of what is defined as the “quadruple aim:” –providing health care which is affordable, improves the patient experience from the standpoint of quality and satisfaction in terms of outcomes, and also supports the physicians and providers of that healthcare in their life goals and personal quality–... more
PATRICK M. MORIARTY, MD, FNLA MICHAEL B. BOFFA, PhD MARLYS KOSCHINSKY, PhD, FNLA	Clinical Feature: Lipoprotein(a) – Fast Facts and Clinical Perspectives What is the Structure of Lp(a)? Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] was first described as an antigenic variant of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in 1963.¹ Indeed, Lp(a) contains an LDL-like moiety but is distinguished by the attached unique protein apolipoprotein(a) [apo(a)]. (Fig. 1) Apo(a) confers unique structural and functional properties to Lp(a) and likely plays a key role in the cardiovascular disease risk associated with elevated levels of this lipoprotein.... more
JONATHAN Q. PURNELL, MD ELIOT A. BRINTON, MD, FNLA SERGIO FAZIO, MD, PhD, FNLA DAVID R. NEFF, DO	Guest Editorial: A Glimpse at Lipodystrophy – Diagnosis and Treatment Lipodystrophies are a group of disorders of fat tissue loss that are classified according to whether the condition is genetic or acquired and by the distribution of fat loss, either generalized or partial (Table 1).¹ Generalized lipodystrophy is a rare, complex, and clinically heterogeneous disorder characterized by the widespread loss of adipose tissue. Patients appear lean and muscular because muscle definition is often obvious due to absence of... more
DEAN A. BRAMLET, MD, FNLA DAVID R. NEFF, DO DEAN G. KARALIS, MD, FNLA PAUL E. ZIAJKA, MD, PhD, FNLA	EBM Tools for Practice: A National Lipid Association Best Practices Guide: PCSK9 Inhibitors COMMITTEE NOTE TO MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LIPID ASSOCIATION: At the request of the NLA President, the NLA Board of Directors, the Science and Policy Council, the Practice Management Council and the Health Quality and Research Committee, it is with pleasure that the 2017-18 NLA Therapeutics Committee presents a Special Report on how to best incorporate PCSK9 Inhibitors into routine clinical lipid practice by integrating best available evidence into the routine process of care... more
DAVID J. DAVIDSON, MD	Lipid Luminations: Evolving Therapeutic Options for Treating Familial Hyperchylomicronemia Syndrome Volanesorsen is a novel pharmacotherapy designed to treat patients with Familial Chylomicronemia Syndrome (FCS). This is a highly comorbid disease without any currently available pharmacotherapies to help reduce triglycerides or the more feared complication, pancreatitis. This has left a void in treatment that volanesorsen has attempted to address. As with many rare diseases, there are several challenges to develop effective therapy including identifying a proper target, creating a safe and... more
GEORGE S. ABELA, MD, MSc, MBA	Science Corner: Cardiovascular Injury Induced by Phase Change of Cholesterol from the Liquid to Crystalline Form Background The random occurrence of heart attacks and strokes has always posed a medical challenge. Despite the association of circadian rhythm with increased incidence of cardiovascular events in the early morning hours, and triggers such as anger and emotional distress, the occurrence of most heart attacks remains... more
SARAH J. HALLBERG, DO, MS, FNLA	Chapter Update: A Year of Success The Midwest Lipid Association is 510 members strong and represents Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska. We are pleased to have David R. Neff, DO, FNLA, serving as our President this year. We have an active and diverse group and Sanford A. Carimi, MD, FNLA, our Immediate Past President, took time at our February meeting to acknowledge the great MWLA representation on national level projects. Ann M. Liebeskind... more
P. BARTON DUELL, MD, FNLA W. VIRGIL BROWN, MD, FNLA	Special Report: A Recap of the Inaugural Donald S. Fredrickson Conference on Familial Lipoprotein Disorders The inaugural Donald Fredrickson Conference on Familial Lipoprotein Disorders was convened on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at the end of the National Lipid Association Annual Scientific Sessions in Las Vegas. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Virgil Brown. Dr. Donald Fredrickson was an esteemed lipid specialist who may be best known by some for the Fredrickson classification of lipid disorders, but who also made many other important contributions to the field. He was able to accomplish what... more
GEORGE S. ABELA, MD, MSc, MBA	Member Spotlight: George S. Abela, MD, MSc, MBA Q: Your work in discovering the role of cholesterol crystals on cardiovascular attacks is renowned. Could you tell us about the impact that this made on how we view and treat plaque? A: Understanding the mechanism underlying the cause of plaque rupture/ erosion that leads to a heart attack or stroke is critical in developing novel strategies to address this issue. It is the unpredictable nature of cardiovascular events that contributes much to adverse outcomes.... more
ANNE C. GOLDBERG, MD, FNLA	Foundation Update The Foundation of the NLA has seen great progress over the past several months. At our summer board of directors meeting, the board voted unanimously to add seven new at-large board members: Joyce L. Ross, MSN, CRNP, CLS, FNLA from the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Lori A. Alexander, MSHS, RD, CCRC, CLS, FNLA from the Jacksonville Center for Clinical Research, Robert A. Wild, MD, MPH, PhD, FNLA, FASPC from Oklahoma University Health Sciences Center, Don P. Wilson, MD, FNLA from... more