Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Cardiology for May 2008. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Men with High Hormone Bioactivity Have Better Survival
FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- Elderly men with high circulating insulin-like growth factor-I bioactivity have better survival than men with low bioactivity, particularly if they have a history of cardiovascular disease or a high inflammatory risk profile, according to a report released online April 15 in advance of publication in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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High Biomarker Levels in Acute Thrombotic Disease
THURSDAY, May 29 (HealthDay News) -- High plasma levels of a novel biomarker of platelet activation are present in patients with acute coronary syndrome and acute ischemic stroke, but not in healthy people or patients with chronic coronary artery disease, according to the results of a study published in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Calcium Coverage Score May Give Useful Heart Risk Info
WEDNESDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- Calcium coverage score -- which represents the percentage of the coronary arteries affected by calcific plaque -- may help stratify patients according to risk of cardiovascular events better than the Agatston or calcium mass scores, according to research published in the June issue of Radiology.
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Score Determines Risk of Right Ventricular Failure
WEDNESDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- A score composed from routinely collected preoperative data can predict the risk of right ventricular failure in patients implanted with left ventricular assist devices, researchers report in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Electrical and Mechanical Faults Raise Heart Failure Risk
WEDNESDAY, May 28 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), a combination of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic left atrial dysfunction carries a higher risk of heart failure and death than left atrial mechanical dysfunction alone, according to study findings published in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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More Expensive Health Care Not Necessarily Better
TUESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- Spending more on medical care does not appear to improve patients' perception of the quality of medical care received, according to an article published in the May 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Cocoa Improves Vascular Function in Diabetics
TUESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- Flavanols found in cocoa significantly improve vascular function in patients with diabetes, researchers report in the June 3 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Patients' Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms Inadequate
TUESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with known heart disease have substantial gaps in their knowledge about acute coronary syndrome, and many are unaware of their elevated risk of a future heart attack, according to an article published in the May 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Succinobucol No Help for Acute Coronary Syndrome Outcomes
TUESDAY, May 27 (HealthDay News) -- The antioxidant succinobucol has no impact on cardiovascular outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome but it has a positive impact on new-onset diabetes and a negative impact on new-onset atrial fibrillation as well as bleeding episodes and anemia, according to study findings published in the May 24 issue of The Lancet.
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Oral Estrogen Therapy Linked to Venous Thromboembolism
MONDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- In postmenopausal women, the use of oral estrogen is associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism -- especially during the first year of treatment -- while the use of transdermal estrogen may be safer in terms of thrombotic risk, according to research published online May 20 in BMJ.
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Lifestyle Interventions May Delay Diabetes for Many Years
MONDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Onset of diabetes can be delayed for up to 14 years by six years of lifestyle interventions, according to study findings published in the May 24 issue of The Lancet.
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U.S. Smoking Restrictions Increasing, CDC Report Reveals
MONDAY, May 26 (HealthDay News) -- Since 2004, state laws regulating
smoking in private-sector worksites, restaurants and bars have significantly increased in number and in the level of restrictiveness, according to a report published in the May 23 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Simvastatin-Niacin Combo Improves Patients' Lipid Profiles
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a combination of simvastatin and extended-release niacin resulted in larger decreases in non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol compared to simvastatin alone in high-risk patients with predominantly mixed dyslipidemia, according to research published in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Low-Income Women Face Barriers to Physical Activity
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Low-income women lack motivation to engage in physical activity due to a range of perceived barriers, including fatigue and lack of encouragement, according to a report in the May issue of Applied Nursing Research.
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Consumers Can Appropriately Self-Select for Lovastatin
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Consumers can interpret an over-the-counter drug label without supervision to decide if lovastatin is an appropriate choice to self-manage their cholesterol, according to research published in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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High Troponin Often Not Due to Acute Coronary Syndrome
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-third of patients with elevated troponin levels hospitalized in an Israeli medical center during the course of a year had increased levels related to a process other than acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and these patients had a higher risk of mortality than those with ACS, according to research published in the May 15 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Blood Pressure Should Be Taken at Home
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- A joint expert panel from the American Heart Association, the American Society of Hypertension and the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association recommends that patients with hypertension should use home blood pressure monitoring and that the expenses associated with home blood pressure monitoring be reimbursed, according to a scientific statement published online May 22 in Hypertension.
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Racial Differences Seen in Kidney Disease Mortality
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Younger black individuals with chronic kidney disease have a 78 percent increased risk of death compared to their white counterparts, and socioeconomic disparities may be to blame, according to an article published in the June issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.
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Carbon Monoxide Protects Pigs' Lungs in Heart Bypass
FRIDAY, May 23 (HealthDay News) -- Inhaled carbon monoxide reduces lung inflammation in pigs undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, suggesting that carbon monoxide could represent a potential new therapeutic modality for preventing lung injury in patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass, according to an article published in the June issue of Anesthesiology.
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Utility of Metabolic Syndrome Diagnosis Questioned
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Metabolic syndrome and its components are strong predictors of diabetes but are only weakly associated with cardiovascular disease in elderly populations, according to an article published online May 22 in The Lancet.
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Lipid Profile Tied to Heart Risk with Hormone Replacement
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Lipid profiles have predictive value in determining the risk of coronary heart disease events in postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy, according to an article published in the June issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.
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Echo with Contrast Shows Benefits in Imaging
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- Since real-time myocardial contrast echocardiography during dobutamine stress echocardiography can identify subendocardial ischemia even when transmural wall thickening seems normal, it's the ideal ultrasound imaging approach while using contrast during dobutamine stress testing, according to research published in May in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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NIH Program to Explore Most Puzzling Cases
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- The National Institutes of Health has launched a new clinical research program to learn more about perplexing medical cases and provide better disease management for individuals with such conditions, according to an announcement this week.
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Outpatient Nesiritide Infusions Don't Improve Heart Failure
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- New research provides insight into the outpatient management of individuals with moderate to severe heart failure, according to two studies published in Circulation: Heart Failure in May.
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Cardiopulmonary Bypass Does Not Affect Cognition
THURSDAY, May 22 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with coronary artery disease, undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting surgery does not have an impact on late cognitive decline, according to a report published online May 14 in the Annals of Neurology.
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Drugs Do Not Boost Coronary Intervention Outcome
WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Prior to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to treat acute myocardial infarction, anticoagulation with bivalirudin alone gets better results than heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, but there is no advantage to using a facilitated pharmacologic strategy for reperfusion before PCI, according to two studies of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, published in the May 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Stone
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Abstract - Ellis
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Regadenoson Shows Benefits in Myocardial Imaging
WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Regadenoson performed equally as well as adenosine in myocardial perfusion imaging for detecting ischemia and was better tolerated, researchers report in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Imaging.
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Prasugrel Superior to Plavix for Heart Attack Treatment
WEDNESDAY, May 21 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the new antiplatelet agent prasugrel appears to be superior to clopidogrel during the acute phase as well as over the weeks and months that follow, according to an article published in the May 27 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Metabolic Syndrome Linked with Cholesterol Levels
TUESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- There is an association between levels of oxidized low-density lipoprotein and presence of the metabolic syndrome and its components, according to research published in the May 21 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Thyroid Dysfunction Linked to Modestly Higher Mortality
TUESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Subclinical hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are associated with a modestly increased risk of coronary heart disease and death, according to a review published online May 20 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Erectile Dysfunction Predicts Heart Trouble in Diabetics
TUESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- New data suggests that men with type 2 diabetes who have erectile dysfunction are at an increased risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke, according to two articles published in the May 27 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Abstract - Ma
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Abstract - Gazzaruso
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Physical Activity Lessens Severity of Heart Attacks
TUESDAY, May 20 (HealthDay News) -- Among individuals who develop a heart attack, those who were more active during their lifetimes tend to have less severe heart attacks and are less likely to die while hospitalized compared to more sedentary individuals, according to research published in the May 27 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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BH4 May Be Useful in Diastolic Heart Failure
FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Administration of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) stopped progressive chamber dilation and reversed hypertrophy in mice that underwent proximal aortic constriction, suggesting it may be useful in treating advanced hypertrophic heart disease, according to research published in the May 20 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
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Falls a Common Problem Among Stroke Survivors
FRIDAY, May 16 (HealthDay News) -- Falls among older people are common during the first few months after a stroke, and a considerable number of the falls result in injuries that require medical treatment, according to research published online May 15 in the journal Stroke.
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Blood Loss Drug Removed from Market Due to Deaths
THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- Due to a recent report showing that Trasylol (aprotinin) increases the risk of death more than two other antifibrinolytic drugs in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery, its manufacturer, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, has decided to remove all remaining supplies of Trasylol from the U.S. market, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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Physician Suicide Rate Higher Than in General Population
THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- The stigma of mental illness among physicians is preventing the profession from facing the fact that the suicide rate among physicians is higher than that of the general population, according to an article published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Pulmonary Crackles May Be Clinically Significant
THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- In elderly patients, the presence of age-related pulmonary crackles (rales) is common and may interfere with management of suspected heart failure or presumable pulmonary disease, according to research published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Stent Commercial on Television Raises Concerns
THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- A 60-second commercial that aired during a nationally televised football game last Thanksgiving broke new ground in direct-to-consumer medical advertising, which deserves examination and perhaps reconsideration, according to a commentary published online May 14 in advance of publication in the May 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Biomarkers Raise Alert for Heart Risks
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A number of biomarkers may aid in the identification of patients at especially high risk from cardiovascular disease, according to three papers published in the May 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Abstract - Zethelius
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Abstract - Peacock
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Abstract - Braunwald
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Aprotinin Linked to Mortality in High-Risk Cardiac Surgery
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Although aprotinin reduces massive postoperative bleeding in patients undergoing high-risk cardiac surgery better than lysine analogues, the death rate in these patients is higher, according to study results released online May 14 in advance of publication in the May 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Computed Tomography Helps Predict Amputation Risk
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- A tibial artery calcification score, calculated using computed tomography, is better at identifying patients with peripheral arterial disease who are at high risk of amputation than traditional risk factors and an abnormal ankle-brachial index, according to research published in the May 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Potential Role for Sildenafil in Cardiomyopathy Treatment
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Enhancing cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling via genetic avenues as well as with sildenafil (Viagra) protected cardiac contractile function in a mouse model of dystrophin-deficient cardiomyopathy, according to an article published in the May 13 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Statin Linked to Lower Risks Following Bypass Surgery
WEDNESDAY, May 14 (HealthDay News) -- Using atorvastatin to aggressively lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with previous coronary artery bypass grafting surgery reduced the risk of major cardiovascular events, according to research published in the May 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Pay-for-Performance Could Widen Hospital Disparities
TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) proposed plan to financially reward hospitals for performance has the potential to exacerbate disparities, since hospitals that treat a high percentage of poor and underserved patients tend to be in a worse financial position and have smaller improvements in care over time compared to non-safety-net hospitals, researchers report in the May 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Few Adults Adequately Recognize Stroke Symptoms
TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Only 16 percent of the U.S. public can correctly recognize the five symptoms of stroke and know to call 9-1-1 immediately if they think someone is having a stroke, according to an article published in the May 9 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Perioperative Beta-Blockers May Increase Mortality
TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery with the beta-blocker metoprolol to try to reduce cardiovascular complications may actually increase the risk of death or stroke, according to study findings published online May 13 in The Lancet.
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Heart Attack Prevention in Non-Cardiac Surgery Explored
TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- The prevention strategies for perioperative myocardial infarction during non-cardiac surgery -- a growing concern given aging populations -- is the subject of a paper published in the May 20 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Multi-Ethnic Obesity Study Examines Cardiovascular Risk
MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Obesity is highly prevalent in most racial and ethnic groups and is associated with subclinical vascular diseases such as coronary artery calcification and thickening of the carotid artery lining, according to an article published in the May 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Hypertension Increases Retinal Vein Occlusion Risk
MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Hypertension and hyperlipidemia significantly increase the risk of developing retinal vein occlusion, while diabetes mellitus only modestly increases risk, according to a report in the May issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.
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Pollution Raises Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis
MONDAY, May 12 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution appears to increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), according to research published in the May 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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New Drug Class Promising for Hyponatremia Treatment
FRIDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- A new class of drugs, vaptans, act by blocking the action of vasopressin and are useful in treating euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia, according to an article published in the May 10 issue of The Lancet.
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Carotid Bruits Are Coronary Risk Equivalent
FRIDAY, May 9 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of carotid bruits is useful in predicting which patients are at an elevated risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death, according to an article published in the May 10 issue of The Lancet.
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Hormones Predict Outcomes After Heart Attack
THURSDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- High levels of two peptide hormones are strong predictors of adverse outcomes after a heart attack, according to an article published in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Task Force Offers Suggestions for Disaster Response
WEDNESDAY, May 7 (HealthDay News) -- A series of papers in a supplement to the May issue of the journal Chest offers guidance for health authorities to respond to disasters in which hundreds or thousands of individuals require critical care. Though created with a flu pandemic in mind, the suggestions -- prepared by the Task Force for Mass Critical Care -- are intended to apply to other events creating surges in critically ill patients.
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Folate and B Vitamins Do Not Reduce Cardiovascular Risk
TUESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Women at high risk for cardiovascular disease derive no reduction in cardiovascular events or mortality from a combination pill of folic acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, according to a report published in the May 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Risk Model Predicts Preferred Stent Type
TUESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- A small increase in the yearly risk of very late stent thrombosis with drug-eluting stents would outweigh the restenosis benefit and make bare-metal stents the preferred option in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention, researchers report in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Aspirin Resistance Affects Cardiovascular Disease
TUESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Although aspirin has clear benefits for the secondary prevention of vascular disease, some patients may experience aspirin resistance, which has implications for the treatment of conditions associated with cardiovascular disease such as diabetes, according to a report in the May 13 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Individual Cholesterol Levels Vary in Short-Term
TUESDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Individual cholesterol level measurements vary by at least 7 percent in the short-term, and apparent increases in annual cholesterol level may be false positives in patients taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, according to an article published in the May 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Leukocyte Count of Prognostic Value in Platelet Disorder
MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Among patients with essential thrombocythemia, an elevated leukocyte count at the time of diagnosis is associated with an increased risk of thrombotic events, suggesting that leukocyte count could be used for risk stratification, according to an article released online April 28 in advance of publication in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Mouse Stem Cells Point to Regenerative Human Therapy
MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Induced pluripotent stem cells from mice have the potential to differentiate into cells of the cardiovascular and hematopoietic lineages similar to that of embryonic stem cells, according to research published online May 1 in the journal Stem Cells.
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Health Costs for Uninsured Workers Examined
MONDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- A pair of reports released by The Commonwealth Fund on May 2 examines changing trends from the 1990s to the mid-2000s related to health coverage for American workers and the public implications created by uninsured workers.
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Jobs for Medical Grads a Hot Topic in United Kingdom
FRIDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- The availability of physician jobs for medical graduates in the United Kingdom is the subject of a Head to Head feature in the May 3 issue of BMJ.
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High Blood Pressure Causes Millions of Premature Deaths
FRIDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- There are 7.6 million premature deaths worldwide each year attributable to high blood pressure, and half of all strokes and cases of ischemic heart disease are attributable to the condition, according to a report published in the May 3 issue of The Lancet.
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Half of Pregnant Women May Have At Least One Complication
THURSDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Fifty percent of the pregnant women included in a study of a large health maintenance organization had mild-to-severe pregnancy complications ranging from anemia to pelvic and perineal trauma, many of which did not require hospitalization, researchers report in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Electromagnetic Fields May Influence Newborn Heart Rate
THURSDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- The electromagnetic fields produced in incubators may create changes in newborns' heart rate variability, according to research published online May 1 in the Archives of Disease in Childhood -- Fetal & Neonatal Edition.
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