CardioExchange Archive

March 9th, 2015

The Coffee Conundrum – What Do You Say to Your Patient?

John Ryan, MD

John Ryan presents a scenario based on a recent study’s findings that people who consume moderate amounts of coffee may be less likely to have atherosclerosis.

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March 2nd, 2015

Moderate Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Coronary Calcium

Larry Husten, PHD

The relationship of coffee and cardiovascular disease has been difficult to assess. Although early studies found a possible increased risk associated with heavy coffee consumption, more recent studies have found the opposite. Now a new study published in Heart finds that people who consume moderate amounts of coffee may be less likely to have atherosclerosis. In a […]

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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 8th, 2013

Selections from Richard Lehman’s Literature Review: April 8th

Richard Lehman, BM, BCh, MRCGP

This week’s topics include an article on open science through data sharing, primary prevention of CVD with a Mediterranean diet, atherosclerosis found in mummies, and more.

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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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March 10th, 2013

Was Atherosclerosis the Real Curse of the Mummy?

Larry Husten, PHD

For more of our ACC.13 coverage of late-breaking clinical trials, interviews with the authors of the most important research, and blogs from our fellows on the most interesting presentations at the meeting, check out our Coverage Headquarters. From a growing evidence base of mummies, researchers are now concluding that atherosclerosis may have been common in people […]

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December 25th, 2012

Autopsy Studies Find Dramatic Drop in Early Atherosclerosis Over the Past 60 Years

Larry Husten, PHD

Military service members who died during the past decade were far less likely to have atherosclerosis than service members who died in Korea or Vietnam, according to a new study published in JAMA. Although it is impossible to fully understand the causes and implications of the finding, the results provide powerful new evidence of a very […]

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May 7th, 2012

Another Surrogate Endpoint Falls Short

Brahmajee Kartik Nallamothu, MD, MPH

Brahmajee Nallamothu puts into context the most recent study on the value of measuring the progression of carotid intima-media thickness.

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March 15th, 2012

Strongest Evidence to Date for Causative Role of Inflammation in Heart Disease

Larry Husten, PHD

Two large new meta-analyses published in the Lancet provide the first strong evidence demonstrating a cause-effect relationship between a specific inflammatory protein and the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). Both studies illuminate the role of interleukin-6 receptor (IL6R) by focusing on the common Asp358Ala variant of the IL6R gene. The variant is known to dampen the inflammatory effect […]

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September 2nd, 2011

Rosuvastatin Fails to Best Atorvastatin in IVUS Study of Atherosclerosis Progression

Larry Husten, PHD

AstraZeneca announced today that its lipid-lowering agent rosuvastatin (Crestor) was not superior to atorvastatin (Lipitor, Pfizer) in reducing the progression of atherosclerosis, as assessed by IVUS. The company announced the top-line results of SATURN (Study of Coronary Atheroma by InTravascular Ultrasound: Effect of Rosuvastatin Versus AtorvastatiN), which is scheduled to be presented at the American Heart Association meeting in November. The […]

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