Social Connection Issues Linked to Mortality

A UK prospective cohort analysis suggested that both functional (subjective) and structural (objective) measures of social connection were independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality. The analysis included 458,146 participants with a median of 12.6 years follow-up, 33,135 (7.2%) deaths, including 5112 (1.1%) CVD deaths. Friends/family visit frequencies < monthly were […]

Differential Effect of BP-Lowering Agents on Microvascular Function

A multicenter, open-label, randomized crossover trial with blinded endpoint assessment in Europe revealed that 4 weeks of treatment with amlodipine, losartan, or atenolol resulted in differential effects on cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in patients with cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) but not in patients with symptomatic […]

Metformin Cessation Linked to Increased Dementia Incidence

A US cohort study suggested that metformin cessation was associated with increased dementia incidence. The cohort consisted of 12 220 early terminators and 29 126 routine users, respectively (women 46.2% and 46.6%, respectively; mean age at start of first metformin prescription 59.4 and 61.1 years, respectively). Early terminators had 1.21 times the […]

Delayed Gut Microbiota Maturation in Infants Predictive of Allergic Diseases

Data from a multi-center longitudinal, prospective, general Canadian population birth cohort study provide insight of the infant microbiome that may be predictive of allergic diseases. Deeply phenotyped participants in the birth cohort (n = 1115) were compared to non-allergic comparator group. There are early-life influences and microbiome features which are uniformly associated […]

Harms May Outweigh Benefits for Anticoagulation in Subclinical AF

A double-blind, double-dummy, randomized trial in European countries revealed that among patients with atrial high-rate episodes (AHREs) detected by implantable devices, anticoagulation with edoxaban led to a higher incidence of a composite of death or major bleeding but did not significantly improve efficacy outcomes. A total of 2536 patients 65 […]

Sleep Restriction Therapy Effective in Insomnia

A UK pragmatic, superiority, open label, randomized controlled trial of sleep restriction therapy (SRT) versus sleep hygiene concluded that brief primary care nurse delivered SRT is both clinically effective and cost-effective in treating insomnia disorder and improving other aspects of mental health and functioning. A total of 642 participants (mean […]

High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Prognostic in Chronic CAD

A UK prospective cohort study in patients with symptoms suggestive of stable angina suggested that cardiac troponin predicts risk of myocardial infarction or cardiovascular death independent of cardiovascular risk factors and disease severity. The study included 4,240 patients (mean age 66 years, 33% female), coronary artery disease (CAD) was identified […]

Subclinical AF Common in HF Patients

A cohort study revealed that subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF) was common in heart failure (HF) patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFmrEF). The study included 367 patients with cardiac monitoring data at baseline and follow-up in a randomized clinical trial of atrial shunt therapy. The […]