Successful research into new therapies for cancer requires a ready supply of patients willing to participate in clinical trials, and physicians and other health care professionals who will refer their patients to the appropriate studies. In each issue, we provide up-to-date information on current or recently announced phase I, II, and III clinical trials focused on biotech-related oncology pharmaceutical therapies.
The current guidelines for the management of heart failure in women are based upon data collected from studies predominantly enrolling men. However, because important differences exist in the sex-based pathogenesis of and prognosis for heart failure, the current risk-benefit analyses that guide the evidence-based management of heart failure in women demands prospective assessment.
Dr. Gwenn examines the impact of the Internet on teenagers' understanding of health issues pertinent to them and how a teenager's use of the Internet for information differs from a physician's.
We evaluated the prevalence of primary aldosteronism in subjects newly diagnosed with hypertension who were referred to specialized hypertension centers. An aldosterone-producing adenoma was diagnosed in the subjects with lateralized aldosterone secretion, adenoma at surgery and on pathologic evaluation, and a blood pressure fall after adrenalectomy. Evidence of excess autonomous aldosterone secretion without such criteria led to a diagnosis of idiopathic hyperaldosteronism. Aldosterone-producing adenoma and idiopathic hyperaldosteronism were conclusively diagnosed in 4.8% and 6.4% of the subjects, respectively. Thus, with a prevalence of 11.2%, primary aldosteronism is quite common in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension.
On July 2, 2010, CMS released the proposed changes to the Medicare Outpatient Hospital Prospective Payment System for 2011.
The lack of a reliable quantitative measurement analysis package for regional left ventricular wall motion is not new.
The latest United States Preventive Service Task Force screening guidelines for diabetes, released in October 2015, miss 55% of high-risk individuals with prediabetes or diabetes, a new study shows.
Studies have identified lower-than-normal BMIs to be associated with higher mortality in comparison with normal body weight and overweight individuals in patients with coronary artery disease. This has given rise to the term "obesity paradox" in which being overweight/obese confers a survival advantage in individuals that have been diagnosed with a medical condition. Against this backdrop, this study attempted to evaluate whether there is an association between BMI and death risk among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Stroke is an especially important disease to study in terms of secular trends because it is so common, deadly, and disabling.
Percutaneous closure of the patent foramen ovale (PFO) can be accomplished within 15 minutes using only fl uoroscopy for guidance. Local anesthesia and femoral vein puncture in the groin with a 9 French catheter can achieve about a 90% complete closure rate when the Amplatzer® PFO Occluder is used. Complications are extremely rare and physical restrictions are unnecessary starting a couple of hours after the intervention. Aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) are typically prescribed for a few months after the procedure, and the therapy concludes with transesophageal echocardiography at follow-up approximately 6 months later.
We examined the prevalence and risks associated with undiagnosed diabetes mellitus among more than 7000 patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass graft surgery. At the perioperative and postoperative stages, patients with undiagnosed diabetes showed a significantly higher morbidity and mortality rate.
Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems hold great promise. However, like many new technologies, the difficulty of achieving EHRs' promise has been vastly underestimated, as have the risks. The current national initiatives pushing for widespread EHR implementation may be leading us into an unmapped minefield.
Several studies point to the links between prenatal exposure to painkillers and increased risks for ADHD and autism symptoms.
Cardiology Review editor-in-chief Debabrata Mukherjee, MD, reviews the contents of this month's issue.