Low Cholesterol Good for Vessels but Bad for Nerves?

A cross-sectional, prospective cohort study in Germany suggests that low serum cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). The study included 100 T2D patients (mean age 64.6 years; 68 male) from June 1, 2015, to March 31, 2018. Quantification of the nerve’s […]


As-Needed Budesonide–Formoterol on Par with Maintenance Therapy for Mild Asthma

A 52-week, randomized, open-label, controlled trial revealed that budesonide–formoterol used as needed was superior to albuterol used as needed and on par with budesonide maintenance for the prevention of asthma exacerbations. A total of 675 patients were randomly assigned to the albuterol (100 μg as needed for asthma symptoms) group; […]


Glucosamine Supplement Linked to Lower CVD Risk

A UK prospective cohort study suggested that habitual use of glucosamine supplement to relieve osteoarthritis pain might also be related to lower risks of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) events. The study enrolled 466 039 participants from 2006 to 2010. During a median follow-up of 7 years, there were 10 204 incident CVD events, […]


BD’s Polygenic Genetic Architecture

A genome-wide study of bipolar disorder (BD) revealed an extensive polygenic genetic architecture of the disease, implicate brain calcium channels and neurotransmitter function in BD etiology, and confirmed that BD is part of a spectrum of highly correlated psychiatric and mood disorders. The study included 20,352 cases and 31,358 controls […]


ATTR Cardiomyopathy Drug Approved

The US FDA approved tafamidis meglumine (Vyndaqel) and tafamidis (Vyndamax) for the treatment of wild-type or hereditary transthyretin amyloid (ATTR) cardiomyopathy based on a trial that showed a significant reduction in mortality, cardiovascular hospitalizations, and in decline in functional capacity and quality of life. The multicenter, international, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase […]


Warnings Added to Common Sleep Pills

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring a Boxed Warning, the most prominent warning, to be added to certain common prescription insomnia medicines because of sleep behaviors, including sleepwalking, sleep driving, and engaging in other activities while not fully awake. These complex sleep behaviors have also resulted in deaths. […]


Exercise Reduced Sitting Linked Mortality

A longitudinal analysis in Australia revealed that sitting is associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risk among sedentary adults; moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) doses equivalent to meeting the current recommendations attenuate or effectively eliminate such associations. During an 8.9-year (median) follow-up, a total of 8,689 deaths (1,644 due […]