A randomized clinical study of specifically designed isoenergetic diets, together with fecal shotgun metagenomics, showed that a select group of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing strains of the gut microbiota was promoted by dietary fibers, and correlated with improved blood-glucose regulation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). The improvement in hemoglobin […]
“Time is brain,” the time-focused mantra has been extended in acute stroke care. Findings of 2 recent trials—showing that a mechanical thrombectomy treatment window of 16 to even 24 hours can still benefit imaging-selected patient—have been adopted into the new American Heart Association/American Stroke Association guidelines. Strokes develop differently; some […]
A randomized study concluded that catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients with heart failure (HF) was associated with a significantly lower rate of death from any cause or hospitalization for worsening HF than was medical therapy. The study randomly assigned HF patients with symptomatic paroxysmal or persistent AF […]
A retrospective study of a community-based cohort in the US revealed that resting heart rate (HR) and change in heart rate over time (ΔHR) are associated with mortality and nonfatal outcomes of incident heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke. The study included 15 680 white and African American participants (55.2% women, […]
The American College of Physicians criticized that the 2017 blood pressure (BP) guideline may fall short in weighing the potential benefits against potential harms, costs, and anticipated variation in individual patient preferences, especially for average- and lower-risk adults 60 and older. Other experts echoed some of the same concerns, arguing […]
A prospective study to assess the safety of MRI at a magnetic field strength of 1.5 Tesla in patients with a pacemaker (58%) or an implantable cardioverter–defibrillator (42%) that was not considered to be MRI-conditional (termed a “legacy” device) showed no long-term clinically significant adverse events. The study included 1509 […]
A study revealed that many middle-aged individuals free of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) have atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis presence and extent was associated with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and glycosylated hemoglobin levels (HbA1c). The study evaluated 1,779 (45.0 ± 4.1 years old, 50.3% women) participants. CVRF freedom was defined as no current […]
A population-based study in the US did not find evidence of a survival advantage for obesity among persons with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study used data from an ongoing, nationally representative longitudinal survey of more than 30,000 people age 50 years and older initiated in 1992, with follow-up through […]
A 20-year cohort analysis of medical records in the UK revealed that blood pressure (BP) decreased for more than a decade before death in patients dying at 60 years and older. The analysis included 46 634 participants dying aged at least 60 years (51.7% female; mean age at death 82.4 years), […]
A retrospective analysis of heart failure (HF) patients in the US found that concurrent hemoconcentration and worsening renal function (WRF) identified a group with significantly improved post discharge survival. The analysis included 3061 patients hospitalized with HF. Hemoconcentration was defined as an increase in both hemoglobin and hematocrit, and WRF […]