CardioExchange Archive

October 11th, 2010

Obesity: Good News and Bad News

Larry Husten, PHD

Two new trials and accompanying editorials published online in JAMA offer hope that lifestyle interventions can result in significant weight loss. The bad news: The results are fairly modest, and it is difficult to obtain reimbursement for lifestyle interventions. In one study, Cheryl Rock and colleagues compared usual care with a program that included free […]

---

October 8th, 2010

Abbott Withdraws Sibutramine from U.S. Market

Larry Husten, PHD

Abbott has pulled its weight-loss drug sibutramine (Meridia) from the U.S. market. A safety communication from the FDA said the “drug may pose unnecessary cardiovascular risks to patients.” Earlier this year the drug was withdrawn in Europe. Sibutramine was approved by the FDA in 1997. The FDA recommendation is based upon a recent analysis of […]

---

October 8th, 2010

Analysis of ADVANCE Explores Role of Hypoglycemia

Larry Husten, PHD

A new analysis of the ADVANCE (Action in Diabetes and Vascular Disease: Preterax and Diamicron Modified Release Controlled Evaluation) trial sheds light on the role of hypoglycemia in recent trials of glucose control. In a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, the ADVANCE investigators report that 2.1% of 11,140 patients with type 2 diabetes […]

---

October 7th, 2010

Rolofylline Fails in Heart-Failure Trial

Larry Husten, PHD

In a report in the New England Journal of Medicine, Massie and colleagues randomized 2033 patients hospitalized with acute heart failure and impaired renal function to receive intravenous roloflylline or placebo. Earlier studies had suggested that the use of an adenosine A1-receptor antagonist might be beneficial in this patient population. There was no difference between […]

---

October 7th, 2010

Genome Studies Pool Data to Gain Power

Larry Husten, PHD

Leaders of several genome-wide association studies have agreed to collaborate and combine their data in the hope that by dramatically raising the sample size of their studies, they will “contribute to our understanding of the role of common genetic variation on risk for CAD and MI.” In an article in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics, Michael Preuss and […]

---

October 6th, 2010

Study Finds No Evidence for Clopidogrel-Omeprazole Interaction

Sanjay Kaul, MD and Larry Husten, PHD

A large clinical trial has found no evidence that omeprazole interferes with the cardiovascular efficacy of clopidogrel. COGENT (Clopidogrel and the Optimization of Gastrointestinal Events Trial) randomized 3873 patients eligible for dual antiplatelet therapy to receive aspirin, clopidogrel, and either omeprazole or placebo. The COGENT investigators had planned to enroll 5000 patients, but the trial […]

---

October 5th, 2010

Compression-Only CPR Gains More Support

Larry Husten, PHD

There’s more evidence to encourage widespread adoption of chest compression-only CPR by nonmedical responders. Bentley Bobrow and colleagues analyzed data from 4415 adults with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who did not receive CPR from a medical professional. After adjusting for baseline differences, the survival rate did not differ between people who received conventional CPR from lay […]

---

October 4th, 2010

Gene Expression Test Brings Modest Improvement to Patient Classification

Larry Husten, PHD

A gene expression test can improve the prediction of CAD but may not be clinically useful, according to results of the Personalized Risk Evaluation and Diagnosis in the Coronary Tree (PREDICT) study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The PREDICT investigators, led by Eric Topol, evaluated a gene expression test based on 23 genes […]

---

October 4th, 2010

Study Finds Deep Ties Between Sleep and Weight Loss

Larry Husten, PHD

A good night’s sleep might be a key to losing weight. In a crossover study among 10 overweight people, Arlet Nedeltcheva and colleagues compared the effects of 2 weeks of dieting with 8.5 or 5.5 hours of sleep each night. They found that during the sleep curtailment period, weight loss came more from lean body […]

---

October 4th, 2010

Widespread Routine Use of Closure Devices Not Recommended

Larry Husten, PHD

Arterial closure devices (ACDs) “have the potential to improve patient comfort,” but the current evidence isn’t sufficient to support routine use after cardiac catheterization, according to a scientific statement from the AHA published in Circulation. Led by Manesh Patel, the committee analyzed the data and concluded that although it is “reasonable” to consider using an […]

---