April 25th 2024
The second in our 3-part quiz series based on the NLA's 2024 update to their 2019 scientific statement on use of lipoprotein(a) in clinical practice focuses on recommendations for patients.
The prognostic role of metabolic syndrome after myocardial infarction
September 24th 2008We evaluated the prognostic role of metabolic syndrome after myocardial infarction and found that metabolic syndrome correlated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events and death. The risk of developing diabetes decreased with weight loss in patients with metabolic syndrome. These results indicate that a more aggressive approach to the treatment of patients with metabolic syndrome, particularly with regard to changes in lifestyle, would be beneficial.
Thoracic and abdominal aorticatherosclerosis
It was not until Virchow identified the cellular contributions to thrombosis that physicians began to visualize arteries as dynamic tissues.
Lipoprotein particle numbers: A better index of coronary events than lipoprotein cholesterol?
September 17th 2008In a case-control substudy of the Veterans Affairs High-Density Lipoprotein Intervention Trial, therapy with gemfibrozil was shown to reduce the total number of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles, especially small, more oxidizable LDL particles, which was associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. Gemfibrozil also increased small-sized high-density lipoprotein particle numbers, which also correlated with a decrease in CHD events. Notably, these changes in particle numbers were not associated with significant changes in lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations, which current guidelines have made the principal target of lipid therapy.
Prevalent atherosclerosis-Choose your biomarker
Circulating biomarkers have been used in cardiovascular medicine as predictors of incident or prevalent disease.
Statins are the most commonly used pharmacologic intervention in patients with increased cardiovascular risk. In addition to their beneficial effect on the atherogenic lipid profile, they have been shown to exert several pleiotrophic effects, including the reduction of low-grade inflammation. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are a new class of antidiabetic drugs that have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and to reduce cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes. Our study is the first to show a complementary effect of TZD and statin treatment on several cardiovascular risk factors in subjects without diabetes. These findings may have important implications for further discussion on cardiovascular risk reduction, especially for patients with metabolic syndrome.
One drug, so many off-target beneficial effects?
The background required for assessing this paper by Hanefeld and Forst is derived from clinical studies using statin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR)γ agonists.
A total of 114 patients with an intermediate pretest likelihood of coronary artery disease were evaluated with both multislice computed tomography (MSCT) and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Results showed that in the majority of cases, a normal MSCT scan was associated with normal perfusion. However, only half of patients with significant stenoses showed abnormal perfusion. Accordingly, MPI and MSCT are intrinsically different techniques and appear to be complementary rather than overlapping as they provide information on atherosclerosis versus ischemia, respectively.
Diabetes and inflammation influence the development of atherosclerosis. We performed a study that showed the inflammatory markers high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 were lowered with the use of fenofibrate, simvastatin, and combination therapy. The anti-inflammatory effects were most pronounced among patients with elevated baseline inflammatory markers. Combination therapy significantly altered lipid concentrations and exerted a greater positive effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides than monotherapy with either drug.
Multislice CT Identifies Coronary Atherosclerosis in
September 8th 2008Multislice computed tomography (MSCT) detects proximal coronary atherosclerotic plaque or obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) in "a significant proportion" of patients with a low or intermediate Framingham risk score, according to research conducted at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.