Benjamin Howard Freed, MD
September 19th, 2012
Certification Exam Prep: An FAQ
Benjamin Howard Freed, MD
Your questions about board exam prep entertained and answered.
NEJM — Recent Cardiology Articles- Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonism — FINDing Another Benefit August 6, 2026Aldosterone plays a critical role in the homeostasis of blood pressure and volume by engaging mineralocorticoid receptors in the kidneys, heart, and other organs.1 However, overactivation of mineralocorticoid receptors contributes to the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and heart failure, in part by causing inflammation and fibrosis....
- Cardiotoxic Effects and Microdystrophin Expression after Gene Therapy for DMD August 6, 2026In a patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, cardiotoxic effects developed after treatment with delandistrogene moxeparvovec. Microdystrophin levels in the heart and skeletal muscle were less than 1% of normal dystrophin levels.
- Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy August 6, 2026A 31-year-old man was evaluated for an abnormal ECG. Echocardiography revealed marked ventricular hypertrophy. Subsequent imaging (shown in a video) showed near-complete apposition of the ventricular walls during systole.
- Oxygen Targets after Cardiac Arrest — A LOGICAL Finding August 6, 2026In unresponsive patients after cardiac arrest, a complex pathophysiological response including potential brain injury, myocardial dysfunction, and systemic ischemia–reperfusion injury is at play, in addition to the challenges of the underlying cause of cardiac arrest.1 This complex and unique, but heterogeneous, constellation has prompted clinicians and researchers to...
- Sirolimus-Eluting Technology for the Treatment of Peripheral Artery Disease August 6, 2026Patients with advanced peripheral artery disease often undergo either surgical or endovascular revascularization for the treatment of lifestyle-limiting claudication or nonhealing lower-limb wounds. Major limitations of endovascular intervention include the high incidence of restenosis and the need for repeat intervention with standard balloon angioplasty. During the past decade, the use...
- Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonism — FINDing Another Benefit August 6, 2026