Free Sugar Intake Linked to Higher CVD Risks

A prospective UK cohort study suggested that higher free sugar intake was associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and higher triglyceride concentrations within all lipoproteins. Higher fiber intake and replacement of refined grain starch and free sugars with wholegrain starch and non-free sugars, respectively, may be protective for incident […]

Thrombectomy Benefits Extended to Large Ischemic Stroke

Three trials have shown remarkable benefits of thrombectomy in patients with large ischemic strokes in countries with different medical systems. The benefits of thrombectomy were consistent across age, degree of neurologic deficit, imaging characteristics, time of treatment, and geographic location. Thrombectomy resulted in significantly better functional outcomes than medical care […]

β-blockers Linked to Violence Reduction

A Swedish population-wide longitudinal cohort study suggested that β-blockers were associated with reductions in violence. The study included 1,400,766 individuals aged 15 years or older (50 years and over 86.8%, women 52.2%) who had collected β-blocker prescriptions and followed them for 8 years between 2006 and 2013. 6.9% of the […]

Premature CVD Linked to Worse Midlife Brain Health

A prospective US cohort study indicated that premature cardiovascular disease (CVD before 60 years) is associated with worse midlife cognition and white matter health, which is not entirely driven by stroke/TIA and even independent of CVD risk factors. The study included 3,146 participants, who were 18-30 years at baseline (1985-86, […]

CBT Efficacy for Depression More Durable Than Pharmacotherapies

A comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) is effective for depression across different formats, ages, target groups, and settings, and as effective as pharmacotherapies at the short term, but more effective at the longer term. The analysis included 409 trials (518 comparisons) with 52,702 patients. CBT had moderate […]

Antihypertensives Stimulate Type 2 and 4 Angiotensin II Receptors Linked to Lower Dementia Risk

A US cohort study suggested that initiation of medications for high blood pressure that stimulate vs inhibit type 2 and 4 angiotensin II receptors may result in a lower risk of incident dementia. The study included 57 773 patients aged 65 years or older with incident high blood pressure from January […]

Healthy Eating Patterns Linked to Lower Mortality

A prospective US cohort study with up to 36 years of follow-up concluded that greater adherence to several healthy eating patterns was associated with a lower risk of total and cause-specific mortality. The study included 75 230 women (1984-2020, mean baseline age, 50.2 years) and 44 085 men (1986-2020, mean […]

Polygenic Risk Score’s Predictive Value in CAD

A UK longitudinal cohort study suggested that the predictive ability of a polygenic risk score (PRS) for coronary artery disease (CAD) was greater in younger individuals and could be used to better identify patients with borderline and intermediate clinical risk who should initiate statin therapy. Polygenic risk for CAD was […]

Troponin and Natriuretic Peptide Change with Intensive BP Control

A US study showed that intensive systolic blood pressure (SBP) lowering increased hs-cTnT (high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T), mediated by reduced kidney filtration; and decreased NT-proBNP (N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide), mediated by the drop in SBP. The observed changes in hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels with intensive SBP lowering were associated with […]

Extreme Temperatures Linked to CVD Mortality

A global study concluded that exposure to extreme hot and cold temperatures was associated with a higher mortality from multiple common cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The study used data of daily counts of specific CVD death from 567 cities in 27 countries across 5 continents in overlapping periods ranging from 1979 […]