Heart Health

This news channel includes content on cardiovascular disease prevention, cardiac risk stratification, diagnosis, screening programs, and management of major risk factors that include diabetes, hypertension, diet, life style, cholesterol, obesity, ethnicity and socio-economic disparities.
 

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Metformin reduces left ventricular mass in nondiabetic patients with CAD

The popular diabetes drug metformin reversed left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in a randomized trial of patients with coronary artery disease but without diabetes, suggesting a potential new use for the medication.

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Hydrogel capsules cleared by FDA to help with weight loss

The FDA has cleared Gelesis100 hydrogel capsules to be used as a weight management aid alongside diet and exercise in adults with body mass indexes (BMIs) ranging from 25 to 40, according to an April 14 press release from the product’s manufacturer.

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Younger-onset diabetes linked to most extreme CVD risks

People diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 40 or younger were about twice as likely to die over 5.6 years of follow-up compared to age-matched controls, according to a registry study from Sweden. But the relationship weakened substantially as the age of onset progressed, such that patients diagnosed in their 80s carried no excess mortality risk.

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Medtronic, Blue Cross ink outcomes-based agreement for glucose monitor

Medtronic has struck a value-based agreement with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota in which the medical device company will pay back the insurer if patients using the Guardian Connect continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system fail to keep their blood sugar levels within a specified range.

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Genetic variants may guard against heart disease

Rare protein-truncating variants in the apolipoprotein B (APOB) gene are linked to lower triglycerides and LDL cholesterol levels and also appear to be protective against coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a study published in Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine.

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Meta-analysis highlights BP-lowering effect of renal denervation

A meta-analysis of sham-controlled renal denervation trials published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found the catheter-based procedure was associated with statistically significant drops in ambulatory and office blood pressure measurements among hypertensive patients.

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Nighttime trips to toilet may warn of high blood pressure

People who reported waking up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom were 40 percent more likely to have hypertension, according to a study presented March 30 at the Japanese Circulation Society’s annual scientific meeting.

Icosapent ethyl, dapagliflozin gain ground in diabetes care recommendations

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued updates to its 2019 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes on March 27 in light of recent evidence surrounding icosapent ethyl and dapagliflozin.

Around the web

Several key trends were evident at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting, including new CT and MR technology and evolving adoption of artificial intelligence.

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.