SGLT2 Inhibitor’s Heart Benefit Extended

A systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors reduced hospitalizations for heart failure (HF) regardless of the presence of diabetes. The analysis included trials that randomly assigned adults with HF to SGLT2 inhibitors or control. Time-to-event individual patient data were reconstructed from published Kaplan–Meier plots; time-varying risk […]

Treatment for Mild Chronic Hypertension during Pregnancy Beneficial

A US open-label, multicenter, randomized trial concluded that in pregnant women with mild chronic high blood pressure (BP), a strategy of targeting BP<140/90 mm Hg was associated with better pregnancy outcomes than a strategy of reserving treatment only for severe high BP, with no increase in the risk of small-for-gestational-age […]

Sleep Loss Predisposes to Abdominal Visceral Obesity

A US randomized, controlled, crossover study in healthy, nonobese individuals revealed that sleep restriction combined with ad libitum food promotes excess energy intake, weight gain and particularly central accumulation of fat without changing energy expenditure. The study included 12 healthy, nonobese individuals (9 males, age range 19 to 39 years), […]

Daytime Napping and Dementia May Drive Each Other

A US prospective, observational cohort study suggested that excessive daytime napping and dementia may possess a bidirectional relationship or share common pathophysiological mechanisms. The study examined the longitudinal change of daytime napping inferred objectively by actigraphy, and the association with incident Alzheimer’s dementia (AD) in 1401 participants (mean age 81.4 […]

Statin Benefits Modest

A systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that the absolute benefits of statins are modest and may not be strongly mediated through the degree of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reduction. The analysis included 21 randomized clinical trials that examined the effectiveness of statins in reducing total mortality and cardiovascular outcomes with […]

Intensive BP Control Increased Brain Blood Flow

A substudy of the randomized clinical trial compared intensive vs standard systolic blood pressure (SBP) control revealed that the intensive BP treatment was associated with increased, rather than decreased, cerebral perfusion. The substudy included 547 participants (mean age 67.5 years, 40.0% women) with whole-brain cerebral blood flow (CBF) measured at […]

Traditional Dietary Advice Preferred in Non-Constipated IBS

An UK randomized trial revealed that traditional dietary advice (TDA), low FODMAP diet (LFD) and gluten-free diet (GFD) are all effective approaches in non-constipated irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), but TDA is the most patient-friendly in terms of cost and convenience. A total of 99 patients with non-constipated IBS completed the […]

Sodium-containing Acetaminophen Linked to CVD Risk

Two UK cohort studies among individuals with and without high blood pressure (HBP) found that the initiation of sodium-containing acetaminophen was associated with a significant higher risk of incident cardiovascular disease (CVD, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure) and all-cause mortality than non-sodium-containing acetaminophen. The studies used marginal structural […]

Leg Muscle Preactivation and Tensing Mitigate initial Orthostatic Hypotension

A Canadian study demonstrated that preactivating lower body muscle (PREACT) and leg crossing with muscle tensing (TENSE) after standing attenuates symptoms and blood pressure (BP) drop of initial orthostatic hypotension (IOH) upon standing. The study included 24 female IOH participants (mean ± SD: 32 ± 8 years) completed 3 sit-to-stand […]