CardioExchange Archive

April 13th, 2011

Increasing Disparity Found in Stroke Mortality in Europe and Central Asia

Larry Husten, PHD

The difference in stroke mortality among countries in Europe and Central Asia is large and, somewhat surprisingly, is growing larger, according to a new analysis of data from the World Health Organization. In a paper published online in the European Heart Journal, Josep Redon and colleagues examine recent 15-year trends from 39 countries. They report that, […]

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April 12th, 2011

Particle Trap Reduces Harmful Diesel Emissions, Could Be Cardioprotective

Larry Husten, PHD

A commonly available particle trap can dramatically reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines and may prevent adverse cardiovascular effects from the emissions, according to a new study published in Circulation. In a randomized, double-blind, three-way crossover trial, Andrew Lucking and colleagues compared the effects of filtered air to diesel exhaust with or without a particle […]

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April 12th, 2011

Two Studies Try to Improve Risk Prediction for Kidney Disease Progression

Larry Husten, PHD

Two papers presented at the World Congress of Nephrology and simultaneously published online in JAMA raise hope for better tools to calculate the risk for developing kidney failure, but the techniques are not yet ready for clinical use, according to an accompanying editorial. In the first study, Carmen Peralta and colleagues evaluated a triple-marker strategy combining […]

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April 11th, 2011

Phentermine-Topiramate Combination Yields Significant Weight Loss

Larry Husten, PHD

The experimental diet drug combination of phentermine and topiramate demonstrated “robust efficacy” in  CONQUER, a large new trial published online in the Lancet. The trial’s results come after a year in which the FDA turned down three investigational diet drugs (including Qnexa, the phentermine-topiramate combination used here) and removed the diet drug sibutramine from the […]

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April 6th, 2011

Large Study Finds Wide Differences in Risks Among Diabetes Drugs

Larry Husten, PHD

A very large observational study has found an increase in death and cardiovascular risk in people taking insulin secretagogues (ISs) compared with those taking metformin. Tina Ken Schramm and colleagues, reporting in the European Heart Journal, analyzed data from the entire population of Denmark and identified 107,806  people who initiated therapy with an IS or […]

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March 30th, 2011

FDA Warns Against Repackaging Dabigatran

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has issued a safety communication regarding dabigatran (Pradaxa). Because the drug is subject to product breakdown and loss of potency due to moisture, the FDA recommends that it should be dispensed and stored in its original packaging and that consumers avoid using pill boxes or pill organizers with it. Pradaxa is supplied as either […]

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March 24th, 2011

Study Finds Pioglitazone Prevents Progression To Diabetes

Larry Husten, PHD

Pioglitazone significantly reduces the development of type 2 diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance, according to the results of the ACT NOW study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Ralph DeFronzo and colleagues randomized 602 patients with impaired glucose tolerance to pioglitazone or placebo. During a median followup of  2.4 years, diabetes developed […]

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March 23rd, 2011

Fibrate Prescriptions: A Tale Of Two Countries

Larry Husten, PHD

During the past decade, fibrate use more than doubled in the U.S. but remained relatively stable in Canada, according to a study just published in JAMA. In January 2002, fibrate use was similar in the two countries: 336 prescriptions per 100,000 population in the U.S. versus 402 per 100,000 in Canada. By December 2009, the number […]

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March 22nd, 2011

Good News And Bad News About Physical And Sexual Activity and Cardiac Events

Larry Husten, PHD

The bad news is that physical and sexual activity can trigger acute cardiac events. The good news is that the immediate increase in risk becomes much smaller with more frequent activity, and the long-term overall benefits of activity remain unchallenged. These are the key findings of a meta-analysis by Issa Dahabreh and Jessica Paulus published […]

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March 22nd, 2011

PROTECT Compares Unfractionated Heparin And Dalteparin In Critically Ill Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

ICU patients are at high risk to develop venous thromboembolism. Published in NEJM, PROTECT (the Prophylaxis for Thromboembolism in Critical Care Trial) compared the effects of the low-molecular-weight heparin dalteparin with unfractionated heparin (UFH) in 3746 critically ill patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups in the primary outcome of the trial. Proximal […]

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