BMI, Waist Circumference, and Mortality in the Oldest-Old

A prospective Chinese Mendelian randomization study revealed that participants with higher body mass index (BMI) but lower waist circumference (WC) had the lowest mortality risk among the oldest-old. The study enrolled 5306 community-based oldest-old (mean age 90.6 years) between 1998 and 2018. Genetic risk scores were constructed from 58 single-nucleotide […]

Brain’s Stress-Related Activity Mediated CVD Benefit of Physical Activity

A US cohort study suggested that physical activity (PA) appears to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in part by acting through the brain’s stress-related activity. The study included a total of 50,359 adults (median age 60 years; 40.1% male). Stress-related neural activity was measured as the ratio of resting amygdalar-to-cortical […]

MAD On Par to CPAP for Reducing BP

A randomized, non-inferiority trial in Singapore showed that mandibular advancement device (MAD) was non-inferior to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for reducing 24-hour mean arterial blood pressure (BP) in patients with high BP and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The trial randomized 220 participants with moderate-to-severe OSA (apnea–hypopnea index AHI ≥15 […]

HR Variation and Common Clinical Correlations

A Swedish population-based study provided reference ranges of ambulatory heart rate (HR) in a middle-aged population and suggested that the wide range of interindividual differences in HR largely independent of common clinical risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. The study included 5809 atrial fibrillation-free individuals, aged 50–65 years, with a healthy […]

A New ECG Criterion for LBBB

A time to notch in lead I longer than 75 milliseconds has been proposed as a new ECG criterion for left bundle branch block (LBBB). The derivation cohort was from a prospective study of patients undergoing electrophysiological study from March 2016 through November 2019 and a validation cohort was assembled […]

Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Obesity Linked to Increased Mortality

Data from a population-based cohort study in the Netherlands suggested that sarcopenic obesity (SO) may be associated with worse survival, and screening for muscle function may help for early identification and prevent premature death among older people. From March 1, 2009, to June 1, 2014, 5888 participants (mean age, 69.5 […]

Prevailing Perspective of Processed/Red Meat and CAD/T2D Challenged

A Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis did not find sufficient evidence to support a causal relationship between red/processed meat consumption and cardiovascular disease (CAD), hypertension, stroke, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). The analysis used data of publicly published genome-wide association studies. The inverse-variance weighted analyses revealed no causal association between the […]

Concomitant SSRIs and OACs Use Linked to Higher Bleeding Risk

A UK nested case-control study suggested that concomitant use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and oral anticoagulants (OACs) was associated with bleeding risk and should be closely monitored, particularly within the initial months of treatment. Between January 1998, and March 2021, 42 190 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients with major bleeding […]

AF Antiarrhythmic Drug Therapy Linked to Syncope and Pacemaker Implantation

A Korean population-based study suggests an association between antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs) and risk of pacemaker implantation or syncope in patients of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF). A total of 770,977 new-onset AF cases were identified from 2013 to 2019 and 142,141 patients were prescribed AADs within 1 year of AF diagnosis. […]

Effect of Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements on Mortality

The post hoc analysis of postintervention follow-up of calcium and vitamin D (CaD) supplements suggested reduced cancer mortality and increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The multicenter trial across the US included 36 282 postmenopausal women randomized 1:1 to 1000 mg of calcium carbonate (400 mg of elemental calcium) with 400 IU […]