CardioExchange Archive

April 25th, 2013

Another Cleveland Clinic Study Links TMAO to Atherosclerosis

Larry Husten, PHD

A new study from the Cleveland Clinic research group headed by Stanley Hazen offers more evidence in support of the hypothesis that TMAO (trimethylamine-N-oxide) may play a role in the development of heart disease. The new research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, follows closely on a related study published recently in Nature […]

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April 23rd, 2013

Study Suggests Benefit for Beta Blockers During Noncardiac Surgery

Larry Husten, PHD

The use of perioperative beta-blockade for noncardiac surgery has been declining as a result of the controversial POISE study, which turned up evidence for harm associated with extended-release metoprolol in this setting. Now a large new observational study published in JAMA offers a contrary perspective by suggesting that perioperative beta-blockade may be beneficial in low- […]

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April 22nd, 2013

The FDA, Surrogate Endpoints, and Blood Pressure Drugs

Larry Husten, PHD

In recent years the FDA has come under increasing fire for approving drugs on the basis of surrogate endpoints without any evidence of greater clinical benefit. The most famous example of this is the diabetes drug rosiglitazone. Despite strong evidence demonstrating that it was effective at lower blood glucose levels — the surrogate endpoint — serious questions […]

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April 17th, 2013

Cardio Oncology: Counseling Women on The Cardiovascular Risks of Radiation Therapy

John Ryan, MD

What to tell women with breast cancer about the cardiovascular risks of radiation therapy for breast cancer.

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April 16th, 2013

Blood Sample Mismatch Leads ‘Anguished’ Authors to Retract Three Lipitor Papers

Larry Husten, PHD

Three substudies of the influential TNT (Treating to New Targets) trial have been retracted after the sponsor of the trial, Pfizer, discovered that blood samples from the study had been matched to the wrong participants. The main results of TNT, published in 2005 in the New England Journal of Medicine, had a major impact on clinical practice and statin prescription patterns. The […]

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April 16th, 2013

Small Study Links Left Anterior Fascicular Block to AF and CHF

Larry Husten, PHD

In people without known cardiovascular (CV) disease the presence of left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) has not been thought to indicate increased risk. Now a research letter published in JAMA finds evidence that elderly people with LAFB are more likely to die and to develop atrial fibrillation (AF) and congestive heart failure (CHF) than people without LAFB. […]

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April 13th, 2013

FDA Schedules Another 2-Day Avandia Advisory Panel

Larry Husten, PHD

Once again the controversial diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia, GlaxoSmithKline) will be the subject of a 2-day FDA hearing. According to a meeting announcement scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on April 15, the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee will meet on June 5 and June 6 to  “discuss the results […]

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April 11th, 2013

Cuban History Offers Important Lessons For Global Health Today

Larry Husten, PHD

A large new study from Cuba shows the impressive benefits that can be achieved with weight loss and increased exercise. Much more ominously, the same study shows the dangers associated with weight gain and less exercise. In the study, published in BMJ, researchers took advantage of a “natural” experiment that occurred in Cuba as a result of a major […]

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April 9th, 2013

The TACT Investigators Respond to Questions

Gervasio Antonio Lamas, MD, Daniel Mark, Christine Goertz, DC, PhD, Robin Boineau, M.D., M.A., Kerry L. Lee, Ph.D. and Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM

The publication in JAMA of the NIH’s Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy (TACT) has reignited a heated debate about the trial. The TACT investigators have generously agreed to respond to questions posed by Harlan Krumholz.

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April 7th, 2013

Researchers Find New Pathway Linking Heart Disease To Carnitine

Larry Husten, PHD

A new line of preliminary research has turned up a novel pathway linking atherosclerosis to red meat and a common supplement contained in energy drinks. If the research is upheld, the findings may have important implications for dietary recommendations and our understanding of atherosclerosis. The research also provides another quite surprising example of the previously […]

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