CardioExchange Archive

October 9th, 2013

People Who Live Near Airports at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Most previous research on the health effects of noise has focused on road noise. Now two new observational studies published in BMJ extend the research to noise from airports and provide fresh evidence that people who live near airports are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. In the first paper, Anna Hansell and colleagues in the U.K. analyzed data from 3.6 […]

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October 7th, 2013

A Novel Risk Score for Predicting MACE in Patients with Vasospastic Angina

Hiroaki Shimokawa, MD, PhD

Hiroaki Shimokawa discusses his research group’s JACC study, in which they developed a comprehensive clinical risk score for VSA patients.

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October 3rd, 2013

ABI-Based Screening for PAD: Which Guidelines Are Right?

Rita F Redberg, MD, MSc and Mark A. Creager, MD

Rita Redberg and Mark Creager discuss the differences between the USPSTF and the ACCF/AHA guideline recommendations on whether to use the ankle-brachial index to screen patients for peripheral artery disease.

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October 3rd, 2013

News From Our ‘Statin Civilization’: High-Dose Statins Found to Reduce Gum Disease Inflammation

Larry Husten, PHD

In addition to their well-known benefits in heart disease, high-dose statins appear to reduce gum inflammation caused by periodontal disease, a new report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows. The findings offer more evidence that heart disease and gum disease may be linked, and also help support the view that statins achieve at least […]

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October 1st, 2013

Long-Term Study Results Offer Broad Perspective on Hormone Therapy for Menopausal Women

Larry Husten, PHD

More than a decade ago, the NHLBI’s Women’s Health Initiative trials overturned the conventional wisdom that hormone therapy (HT) for menopausal women helped protect women from a broad spectrum of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. The findings caused dramatic reductions in the use of HT but important questions remained, many involving the age or time since menopause […]

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September 27th, 2013

Saying Sorry May Not Be Good Enough for Novartis

Larry Husten, PHD

Novartis has issued a formal apology over misconduct relating to valsartan (Diovan) research in Japan, but that apology does not appear likely to satisfy the Japanese Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which plans to fully investigate the company’s role in the scandal. If necessary, ministry officials are prepared to raid the company’s offices in Japan. A Novartis official apologized to […]

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September 26th, 2013

Increase In Deaths Linked To First-Line Treatment With Sulfonylureas

Larry Husten, PHD

First-line treatment with sulfonylureas instead of metformin in people with type 2 diabetes is associated with a significantly elevated risk of death, according to results from an observational study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) meeting in Barcelona. Although guidelines do not recommend the use of sulfonylureas for first-line treatment, the drugs are still […]

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September 23rd, 2013

HDL-P: The Better Marker of Residual Risk?

Samia Mora, MD, MHS

CardioExchange Editors interview Samia Mora about her investigative group’s analysis of data from the JUPITER trial, which reveals that HDL-P may be a better marker of residual risk than chemically measured HDL-C or apoA-1.

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September 20th, 2013

Taking a Clear-Eyed View of Statins and Cataracts

Larry Husten, PHD

Past observational studies have turned up conflicting findings about the effects, if any, of statins on developing cataracts. Now a large new observational study finds a small but significant increase in cataracts in statin users, however, experts warn that without further support the new finding should probably not influence clinical practice. In a paper published in JAMA […]

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September 19th, 2013

Clopidogrel’s Benefits Seen Mainly in Smokers

Nicholas Downing, MD

Clopidogrel appears to offer more protection against cardiovascular events among smokers than nonsmokers, according to a systematic review in BMJ. Researchers examined data from six randomized trials comparing clopidogrel (alone or with aspirin) with control treatments (namely, aspirin alone or lower-dose clopidogrel plus aspirin). Nearly 75,000 patients with established cardiovascular disease, 30% of whom were smokers, […]

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