Intensive BP Control Harmful After Endovascular Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke

An open-label, blinded-endpoint, randomized controlled trial in China suggested that intensive control of systolic blood pressure (SBP) to lower than 120 mm Hg should be avoided to prevent compromising the functional recovery of patients who have received endovascular thrombectomy due to intracranial large-vessel occlusion. The trial enrolled 821 patients (aged […]

Gum Disease Linked to Atrial Fibrosis

A prospective histological cohort study in Japan revealed the association of periodontitis with atrial fibrosis. The study enrolled 76 patients with atrial fibrillation (AF, 55 with nonparoxysmal AF, 25 with mitral valve regurgitation, 18 with left atrial appendages [LAA] thrombus) who were scheduled to undergo LAA excision during cardiac surgery. […]

Sex-Specific Relationship of Lean Body Mass to Cardiovascular Capacity

A Canadian study of healthy adults showed that leg and arm lean body mass (LBM) independently associate with internal cardiac dimensions, ventricular relaxation, and systemic vascular resistance in a sex-specific manner, predominantly in women. The study included 70 white women and men matched by age (60±12 vs 58±15 years), physical […]

Short Sleep Duration Linked to Multimorbidity

A prospective UK cohort study suggested that short sleep duration was associated with the onset of chronic disease and multimorbidity. The study included 7,864 (32.5% women) participants free of multimorbidity. Self-reported sleep duration was measured 6 times between 1985 and 2016. Incidence of multimorbidity was defined as having 2 or […]

Sustaining SBP Control Critical for Mortality Reduction

The secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized clinical trial in the US and Puerto Rico showed that the beneficial effect of intensive treatment on cardiovascular and all-cause mortality did not persist after the trial, with increasing outpatient systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels in participants randomized to intensive treatment following the […]

Moderate Coffee Drinking Beneficial

A UK prospective cohort study suggested that decaffeinated, ground, and instant coffee, particularly at 2–3 cups/day, were consistently associated with significant reductions in incident cardiovascular disease (CVD, such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and ischemic stroke, etc.) and mortality. Ground and instant but not decaffeinated coffee was also associated with […]

Comparative Effectiveness of Common Glucose-Lowering Medications Used with Metformin

A US multicenter, parallel-group, comparative-effectiveness clinical trial showed that when added to metformin, insulin glargine and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist liraglutide were significantly, albeit modestly, more effective in achieving and maintaining target glycated hemoglobin levels than sulfonylurea glimepiride or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor sitagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes […]

Breath Training Lowers BP

A double‐blind, randomized, sham‐controlled trial concluded that high‐resistance inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) improves blood pressure (BP) and endothelial function in midlife/older adults with above‐normal initial systolic BP. Thirty‐six participants of 50–79 years old with systolic BP ≥120 mm Hg were randomized to high‐resistance IMST (75% maximal inspiratory pressure, 30 breaths/day, 6 days/week, n=18) or […]

Artificial Sweeteners Linked to CVD Risk

A French population based prospective cohort study suggests a potential direct association between higher artificial sweetener consumption (especially aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and sucralose) and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The study included 103 388 participants of the web-based cohort (mean age 42.2 years, 79.8% female, 904 206 person years) from 2009 to […]

Most Muscle Symptoms with Statin Therapy Were Not Due to Statins

An individual participant data meta-analysis concluded that most (>90%) of all reports of muscle symptoms with statin therapy were not due to the statin, although statins did cause a small proportional increase in reports of muscle pain, largely during the first year of treatment. The analysis included 19 double-blind trials […]