October 26th, 2011
Danish Study Clarifies VTE Risk Associated with Newer Progestogens in Oral Contraceptives
Larry Husten, PHD
A large new study from Denmark provides the best evidence yet that third-generation oral contraceptives (OCs) containing drospirenone, desogestrel, or gestodene (sometimes used to treat dysmenorrhea) are associated with twice the risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) as second-generation OCs containing levonorgestrel. In a paper published in BMJ, Øjvind Lidegaard and colleagues analyzed data from national registries containing […]
October 24th, 2011
New Study Proposes Possible Causative Role for HPV in Atherosclerosis
Larry Husten, PHD
Human papillomavirus (HPV) may play a role in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Hus-Ko Kuo and Ken Fujise speculated that HPV may be a risk factor for CVD because it inactivates the tumor-suppressor protein p53, which plays a […]
October 24th, 2011
Midlife Obesity Increases Risk for CHD Mortality
Larry Husten, PHD
Obesity in early adulthood doubles the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, but this association is eliminated after midlife BMI is factored into the equation, according to a report in Archives of Internal Medicine. Linsay Gray and colleagues utilized data from the Harvard Alumni Health Study, which included nearly 19,000 men who were undergraduates between […]
October 20th, 2011
EMA’s CHMP Finds No Cancer Link for ARBs
Larry Husten, PHD
Following the lead of the FDA earlier this year, the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has completed a safety review of angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ARBs) and found no evidence of any increased risk of cancer associated with the drugs. The FDA and EMA safety reviews were initially prompted by a meta-analysis […]
October 19th, 2011
First-Trimester Hypertension, Not ACE Inhibitors, Linked to Birth Defects
Larry Husten, PHD
Although the teratogenic properties of ACE inhibitors in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy are well-documented, the effects of their use in the first trimester have been unclear. Now a study suggests that hypertension itself, rather than ACE inhibitors or other antihypertensive drugs, is the likely cause of an increased risk for birth defects […]
October 17th, 2011
My Doctor Is a Technophobe
William Kent Cornwell, MD
What one patient witnessed when he observed his physicians trying to interact with their electronic medical records systems
October 13th, 2011
Coronary Heart Disease Prevalence in U.S. Continues to Decline
Larry Husten, PHD
The prevalence of coronary heart disease in the U.S. continues to drop, according to the CDC. Data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys, published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, show a significant decrease in overall CHD prevalence from 6.7% to 6% from 2006 to 2010. In an apparent paradox, the authors note that the […]
October 7th, 2011
FDA Approves Juvisync, Combination of Sitagliptin and Simvastatin
Larry Husten, PHD
The FDA has approved a fixed-dose combination tablet consisting of sitagliptin and simvastatin, two drugs previously approved for type 2 diabetes and hypercholesterolemia. Merck will market the new drug as Juvisync. “This is the first product to combine a type 2 diabetes drug with a cholesterol lowering drug in one tablet,” said Mary H. Parks, […]
October 5th, 2011
Does Intuition Lead to Bad Medical Decisions?
John E Brush, MD
Discussing how medical practitioners use intuition and cognitive shortcuts (heuristics) to make decisions can elicit strong reactions. Some people heartily agree that reflecting on their use is informative and helpful; others believe that to entertain this topic is to condone sloppy thinking and to renounce rationality and hard science. These critics are concerned that heuristic […]
October 4th, 2011
Is “Stent and Send” Safe for Older Patients?
Richard A. Lange, MD, MBA and L. David Hillis, MD
Should older patients who undergo elective coronary artery stenting be sent home the same day? Using data from the CathPCI Registry, Rao and colleagues examined outcomes in Medicare-eligible patients who underwent elective, first-time PCI. The investigators identified 107,018 patients (<11% of the million-plus older patients undergoing PCI during 2005–2008 after exclusion of those with ACS or shock and those transferred from another hospital or […]
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