Archive for June, 2010
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Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010Source: MedWire News
The INTERSTROKE study has identified 10 risk factors that account for 90% of the risk for stroke worldwide.
The risk factors were similar to the nine identified for myocardial infarction (MI) in the INTERHEART study, and most were modifiable.
“Targeted interventions that reduce blood pressure and smoking, and promote physical activity and a healthy diet, [...]
Even small amounts of exercise improve lipid profiles in youth
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010Source: MedWire News
There is a dose-response relationship between physical activity and dyslipidemia in young people, Canadian researchers have discovered.
Their data underline the cardiovascular benefits associated with engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), even at levels below the current target of 60 minutes per day.
“Lower MVPA targets may act as an incentive for currently sedentary youth,” [...]
Rebound effect ‘unlikely’ after post-TIA clopidogrel
Monday, June 14th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Physicians need not fear rebound events in patients completing a short course of clopidogrel following a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or minor stroke, research suggests.
Several studies have noted a two-to-three-fold increased risk for myocardial infarction or death during the first 90 days after stopping clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS).
There are [...]
Medicare Drug Spending Per Patient Varies Widely Nationwide.
Thursday, June 10th, 2010Bloomberg News (6/10, Armstrong) reports that Medicare “spends more per patient on medicine in New York City, in Anchorage, Alaska, and in Great Falls, Montana, than anywhere else,” according to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that Medicare “pays 60 percent more on each [...]
Erlotinib May Prolong Survival In Older Women With Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
Thursday, June 10th, 2010MedPage Today (6/9, Smith) reported that “the targeted agent erlotinib (Tarceva) prolonged survival by 26% in older women with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, but did not benefit men with the disease,” according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting. Investigators found, “in the randomized [...]
Psychological intervention benefits women with recurrent breast cancer
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010Source: MedWire News
A stress-reducing psychological intervention improves survival rates in women with recurrent breast cancer, US researchers report.
In a previous study, The Stress and Immunity Breast Cancer Project, Barbara Andersen (The Ohio State University, Columbus) and colleagues reported that after an average of 11 years of follow-up, women who received a psychological intervention had a [...]
Cheap Gout Drug May Be Effective Treatment Option For Patients With Chronic Stable Angina.
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010MedPage Today (6/7, Peck) reported that “an old, cheap gout drug may be an effective treatment option for patients with chronic stable angina, according to….a small placebo-controlled study” published online in The Lancet. Researchers found that “patients randomized to high dose allopurinol for six weeks significantly improved time to ST [...]
Long-term weight loss confers favorable lipid changes
Monday, June 7th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Women who maintain a reduction in abdominal fat following weight-loss intervention show beneficial changes in their blood lipid profile, a Japanese study suggests.
The authors say that long-term weight maintenance following short-term weight loss should therefore “be encouraged for obese people.”
The study, by T Matsuo (University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki) and team, involved 54 postmenopausal [...]
Statins show potent anti-ischemic effect in stable angina
Friday, June 4th, 2010Source: MedWire News
Statins could exert anti-ischemic effects in patients with chronic stable angina that are as potent as those of the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine, trial findings suggest.
Atorvastatin virtually eliminated episodes of transient myocardial ischemia (TMI) from the daily life of participants in the Double-blind Atorvastatin and Amlodipine (DUAAL) trial.
Interestingly, TMI changes did not appear to [...]
Hormone Replacement Therapy Patches May Be Safer Than Tablets
Friday, June 4th, 2010The UK’s Daily Mail (6/4, Hope) reports that “HRT patches may be safer than tablets, say researchers” in the British Medical Journal.
The UK’s Press Association (6/4) reports that researchers found that “patches containing a low dose of the hormones oestrogen or progesterone, or both, carry less risk of stroke than [...]
