Cardiovascular System

Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Risk of Atrial Fibrillation: Is There a Relationship?

By Carole Alison Chrvala, PhD Take Note Results from case-control studies suggest that nonselective NSAIDs and COX-2 inhibitors are associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, with the highest risk evident for new and long-term users, particularly older persons and those with a history of chronic kidney disease. This association has important clinical implications […]

Changes in Vertebral Artery Blood Flow Following Various Head Positions and Cervical Spine Manipulation

Jairus J. Quesnele, DC Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics Volume 37, Issue 1 , Pages 22-31, January 2014 Abstract Objective The objective of the study was to investigate the cerebrovascular hemodynamic response of cervical spine positions including rotation and cervical spine manipulation in vivo using magnetic resonance imaging technology on the vertebral artery (VA). […]

Dietary Fiber Lowers Risk of CVD and CHD

Michael O’Riordan December 27, 2013 LEEDS, UK — Aside from keeping you “regular,” eating fiber also appears to be good for your heart. A new review has shown that increased consumption of dietary fiber is associated with a significantly lower risk of CVD and CHD. For every 7 g of dietary fiber eaten daily—which can […]

Anxiety Linked to Increased Stroke Risk

Sue Hughes December 27, 2013 High anxiety levels were associated with an increased risk for incident stroke independent of other risk factors, including depression, in a new prospective study. “Anxiety is a modifiable experience that is highly prevalent among the general population. Its assessment and treatment may contribute to developing more effective preventive and intervention […]

Vitamin-D Deficiency Linked to Fatal CVD

Miriam E. Tucker December 23, 2013 Vitamin-D deficiency is much more strongly linked to fatal than nonfatal CV events, results of a large prospective study suggest. “Although our results were able to confirm an approximately 27% increased total CV risk in subjects with vitamin D deficiency, they indicate that the risk is much stronger for […]

Low B12 Linked to Orthostatic Tachycardia in Adolescents

Laurie Barclay, MD December 23, 2013 Vitamin B12 deficiency in adolescents may cause sympathetic nervous system baroreceptor dysfunction, leading to postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), according to a clinical study published online December 23 in Pediatrics. “Studies have shown dysfunction in the baroreflex mechanism and the autonomic nervous system, particularly in the sympathetic nervous system, […]

Coffee Consumption, the Metabolic Syndrome and Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

A. Yesil, Y. Yilmaz Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2013;38(9):1038-1044. Abstract Background Coffee consumption may modulate the risk of the metabolic syndrome (MetS) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Aim To review the experimental, epidemiological and clinical studies investigating the association between coffee consumption and the risk of MetS and NAFLD. Methods A literature search was conducted […]

Anxiety Linked to Higher Stroke Risk

12.20.2013 by Salynn Boyles Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Anxiety was found to increase stroke risk in a dose-dependent manner independent of depression and cardiovascular risk factors in a new study. Researchers reported that people with the most anxiety symptoms had a 33% increase in stroke risk compared with those with the fewest symptoms after controlling […]

Start Warfarin, Have a Stroke?

12.20.2013 by Todd Neale Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Starting warfarin for preventing stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation appeared to be associated with a transiently increased risk of ischemic stroke before the preventive effects kicked in, a large case-control study showed. Compared with not taking any antithrombotics, initiating warfarin was associated with a greater […]

Modest Weight Loss in Women Benefits Heart

Published: Dec 19, 2013 | Updated: Dec 19, 2013 By Elizabeth DeVita Raeburn, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Action Points Overweight and obese women who lost a modest amount of weight and kept it off for 2 years saw improvement in almost every measure of cardiometabolic health. Note that waist-to-height ratio, an adiposity index that may […]

The effects of co-administration of probiotics with herbal medicine on obesity, metabolic endotoxemia and dysbiosis

A randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial Sin Ji Lee Clinical Nutrition Received: June 24, 2013; Accepted: December 18, 2013; Published Online: January 02, 2014 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clnu.2013.12.006 Summary Background & aims Probiotics help maintain balance in composition of the gut microbiota, and have been considered as a potential treatment for obesity. This study was conducted in […]

Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics

Circulation 2013 Dec 18;[EPub Ahead of Print], AS Go, D Mozaffarian, VL Roger, EJ Benjamin, JD Berry, MJ Blaha, S Dai, ES Ford, CS Fox, S Franco, HJ Fullerton, C Gillespie, SM Hailpern, JA Heit, VJ Howard, MD Huffman, SE Judd, BM Kissela, SJ Kittner, DT Lackland, JH Lichtman, LD Lisabeth, RH Mackey, DJ Magid, […]

HTN Guidelines Loosen BP Cutoffs

The long-awaited update to guidelines for the management of hypertension, from the panel appointed to the Eighth Joint National Committee (JNC 8), raises the recommended blood pressure threshold to determine the need for drug therapy in many patients.

Weight Reduction and Risk Factor Management in Afib

Obesity is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation. Whether weight reduction and cardiometabolic risk factor management can reduce the burden of atrial fibrillation is not known.

Compression Stockings Do not Prevent Post-Thrombotic Syndrome

SR Kahn Lancet 2013 Dec 06;[EPub Ahead of Print] TAKE-HOME MESSAGE In this prospective study comparing the use of graduated elastic compression stockings vs no use after first proximal DVT, compression stockings did not reduce the incidence of post-thrombotic syndrome at 2 years. In addition, no improvement in venous ulcers, DVT recurrence, venous valvular reflux at […]

Video – Are Pet Owners Healthier?

Sandra Adamson Fryhofer, MD Disclosures | December 17, 2013 Hello. I’m Dr. Sandra Fryhofer. Welcome to Medicine Matters. The topic: pets and heart disease risk, a new study in the journal Circulation.[1] Here’s why it matters. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in this country. But this new study says having a pet, […]

‘Food Addiction’ May Be at Root of Some Obesity

Published: Nov 14, 2013 | Updated: Nov 15, 2013 By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ObesityWeek/42913 Action Points Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Food addiction, as defined […]

The Under-Appreciated Life-Saving Heart Test

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S. Full Story:  http://www.yourmedicaldetective.com/public/1149.cfm Most people are way too concerned about their total cholesterol when in fact the focus should be on achieving an optimal HDL (good cholesterol) level. The ideal level of HDL should be between 60-70 ng/dL. HDL acts as a wheelbarrow to carry oxidized or “bad” cholesterol […]

Excess Weight Hikes Cardiac Risk All on Its Own

Published: Nov 11, 2013 | Updated: Nov 12, 2013 By Elizabeth DeVita Raeburn, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Full Story:  http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/MyocardialInfarction/42839 Action Points Overweight and obesity are risk factors for MI and ischemic heart disease with increasing cumulative incidences of MI and ischemic heart disease from normal weight through overweight to obese individuals. The increased risk […]

No CVD Benefit With High-Dose Multivitamins

TACT: No CVD Benefit With High-Dose Multivitamins Michael O’Riordan December 16, 2013 MIAMI BEACH, FL — A high-dose regimen that includes 28 vitamins and minerals given to stable patients with a history of MI does not reduce their future risk of cardiovascular events, according to the results of a new analysis[1]. The results, from the […]