Yearly Archives: 2019


Adiposity Influences Blood Tests

A Canadian cohort study revealed that overweight and obese significantly influences blood levels of common laboratory markers, most notably liver enzymes, lipids/lipoproteins, inflammatory markers and uric acid, in children and adolescents. The study included 1,332 healthy subjects ages 5.1-19.0 years with body mass index (BMI) ranging from 13.4-65.0 kg/m2. Levels […]


Long Naps and Sleep Linked to Higher Stroke Risk

A Chinese prospective cohort study concluded that long sleep duration, long midday napping, and poor sleep quality were independently and jointly associated with higher risks of incident stroke. Persistently long sleep duration or switch from average to long sleep duration increased the risk of stroke. The study included 31,750 retirees […]


Common Drugs Linked to Reduced Cardiotoxicity

A meta-analysis suggested that use of beta-blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients receiving cancer treatment linked to less heart damage. For every ten patients treated with the drugs, one case of cardiotoxicity could be avoided. The meta-analysis included 9 randomized controlled trials […]


Antidepressant Maintenance Reduced Depressive Recurrence

An US 2nd phase randomized clinical trial revealed that maintenance of antidepressant medication treatment was associated with a reduced risk of depressive recurrence, but previous treatment with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) was not. The study included a total of 292 adult outpatients (171 women; mean age, 45.1 years) with chronic […]


Potential Benefit of Early Lipid-Lowering

A multinational risk-evaluation and risk-modelling study suggests that non-HDL cholesterol concentrations in blood are strongly associated with long-term risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), and highlights the potential benefit of early lipid-lowering strategies. The study identified 398 846 individuals in 38 cohorts (48·7% women; median age 51·0 years, without prevalent CVD […]


Falls and TBI in the Elderly

Dr. Bermanand Dr. Boguskisummarized the risk factors for falls in the elderly and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Risk factors for falls include lower body weakness; past history of a fall; difficulties with walking and balance; use of medicines, such as tranquilizers, sedatives, or antidepressants and medicines affect balance; vision problems; […]


Medication on Par with Early Invasive Treatment for Stable IHD

An international randomized trial revealed that an initial invasive approach compared to optimal medical therapy (OMT) in stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) patients with moderate-severe ischemia did not reduce risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) end points at a median of 3.3 years. The trial enrolled 5179 SIHD patients with moderate-severe ischemia […]


Low-Dose Colchicine Effective in CVD

A randomized, double-blind trial in Canada concluded that among patients with a recent myocardial infarction (MI), colchicine at a dose of 0.5 mg daily led to a significantly lower risk of ischemic cardiovascular events than placebo.A total of 4745 patients within 30 days after a MI were randomly assigned to […]


Lower Blood Pressure Might Reduce Dementia Risk

A meta-analysis of individual participant data from eligible observational studies suggested that use of any antihypertensive medications (AHM) with efficacy to lower blood pressure (BP) might reduce the risk for dementia among people with high BP. However, no evidence was found that a specific AHM drug class was more effective […]


Early Life Vascular Risk Linked to Brain Pathology Later

A prospective longitudinal cohort study in Britain revealed that early adulthood vascular risk is strongly associated with smaller whole-brain volume (WBV) and greater white matter–hyperintensity volume (WMHV) at age 69 to 71 years. The study assessed 502 participants in a birth cohort in 1946. Framingham Heart study–cardiovascular risk scores (FHS-CVS) […]