No Apparent Motive in Reno Hospital Shooting Deaths
Police are interviewing neighbors of a California man in an attempt to learn why he shot and killed a urologist and wounded 2 other people at a Reno, Nevada, hospital Tuesday before killing himself, according to media reports.
BP, Cholesterol Drugs Recalled Over Fears of Contaminated Packaging
HANOVER, NJ — More than five-million bottles of antihypertensives, statins, and other drugs made by Novartis may have been contaminated by a chemical used in their packaging, the company has confirmed. Novartis had issued a voluntary recall last summer for Exforge (amlodipine and valsartan) and Exforge HCT (with hydrochlorothiazide); news of the recall was posted publicly in an FDA enforcement report this week.
As Herceptin Goes Off Patent, ’Biosimilars’ Emerge
SAN ANTONIO — As the epoch-making breast cancer targeted therapy trastuzumab (Herceptin, Genentech) is coming to the end of its patent protection, a new kind of knock-off product is being developed to compete in the drug’s large market.
Head Blows Linked to Brain Changes, Even Without Concussion
Even in the absence of a concussion, repeated blows to the head during a season of US football or ice hockey appear to be associated with changes in brain white matter and may also be linked to reduced cognition, a new study shows.
Glaxo’s New Doc-Pay Policy Mostly Pleases Critics
The recent decision by GlaxoSmithKline to stop paying physicians to promote its drugs and reform other marketing practices represents progress, Big Pharma critics told Medscape Medical News, but some said the company can’t stop there.
New SGR Repeal Bill Includes Slight Pay Hikes
Robert Lowes
Facing a March 31 deadline to avert catastrophe in medical practices, a bipartisan group of House and Senate members today introduced a bill that would repeal Medicare’s sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for setting physician reimbursement.
First AHA/ASA Guidelines to Reduce Stroke Risk in Women
Sue Hughes
The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) has issued the first guidelines for reducing stroke risk specifically in women.
Fruit, Tea, and Wine Could Guard Against Type 2 Diabetes
Lisa Nainggolan
A new study in healthy women suggests that consuming high levels of flavonoids, including compounds found in berries, tea, grapes, and wine, could potentially lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Gout Incidence Increasing, but Most Patients Go Untreated
Janis C. Kelly
Previous hopes that gout incidence and prevalence had plateaued in the United Kingdom were dashed by a new report published online January 15 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Caffeine: No Downside, Hint of Benefit in Atrial Fibrillation
A meta-analysis from Chinese researchers has concluded that there is an inverse relationship between regular caffeine consumption and atrial fibrillation risk.
AHA Joins New Cardiovascular Certification Group ABCVM
The American Heart Association (AHA) has now formally voted to join several other cardiovascular societies to form a new professional certification board for cardiovascular medicine, to be known as the American Board of Cardiovascular Medicine (ABCVM).
Coronary artery calcium: from risk prediction to treatment allocation and clinical trials
Coronary artery calcium (CAC) is a direct measure of an individual’s coronary atherosclerotic burden.
New EHRA Practical Guide on Novel Oral Anticoagulants
A new version of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) practical guide on non–vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) aims to help physicians navigate various new data — including some just presented last month in the United States — but also a more complex clinical landscape.
"As health care providers get more comfortable using NOACs, treatment of more complex patients, such as the elderly, frail, those with multiple co-medications, is getting increasingly more common. We felt that not only an update but a fully revised version would be appropriate," writing committee chair, Jan Steffel, MD, University Heart Center, Zurich, Switzerland, told theheart.org | Medscape Cardiology.
THE THIRD DAY OF THE FORUM
Today is the final day of the Forum. The scientific program continues until 5.30 pm in parallel 4 halls. The activity of doctors increased, discussions and questions became substantive. Delegates during breaks linger in the halls and behind the scenes continue to exchange opinions with the lecturers. The number of graduate students from medical universities has increased noticeably. Volunteers in each hall and check-in desks conduct a survey on a 5-point system in various areas, including the organization of the forum and the quality of reports and symposia. This will help optimize our work. Participants of the exhibition express their gratitude for the active participation of delegates and lively interest.
THE DIARY OF THE SECOND DAY OF THE FORUM
Today the most motivated doctors and scientists took part in the scientific sessions. The geography of the participants expanded at the expense of delegates from the Crimea and the Donbass.
Within the framework of the scientific program, a Russian-Belarusian Symposium on Comorbidity was held, and by tradition there was an active debate at the end of the meeting. On the second day, along with cardiological topics, symposiums on sports cardiology, osteoporosis, hematology and COPD were presented. Moreover, these symposiums are represented by various medical schools in Russia"s regions from Stavropol to Omsk. The forum was attended by the President of the Russian Therapeutic Society, Academician Martynov A.I.
DIARY OF THE FIRST DAY OF THE FORUM
On March 21, the opening ceremony of the International Forum of Cardiology and Internal Medicine was held and the scientific sessions began in four halls of the RussianAcademy of Sciences. An introductory speech and a greeting were made by Academician Oganov R.G. and Professor Mamedov M.N. Traditionally, the Organizing Committee awarded 5 scientists and clinicians with diplomas for their contribution to the development of cardiac science and therapeutic services. Reports were presented at the plenary session by Prof. Kukharchuk V.V. (Moscow) on dyslipidemia, Professor Khalimova Yu.Sh. (St. Petersburg) on the hypoglycemic therapy and the main therapist of Uzbekistan, Professor Kamilova U.K. (Tashkent) on nephroprotection.
HEALTHCARE SPENDING ACCELERATING, 19.7% OF ECONOMY BY 2026
By 2026, healthcare is projected to make up 19.7% of the US economy, up from 17.9% in 2016, according to a report released today by the Office of the Actuary at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Spending is projected to be $5.7 trillion by 2026, up from $3.5 trillion now. CMS projects that federal, state, and local governments will be financing 47% of that spending, up from 45% in 2016, partly related to the aging of the population.
Anniversary of the President of the Cardioprogress Foundation, Academician Rafael G. Oganov (on the occasion of his 80th birthday)
On December 9, 2017, the well-known Russian cardiologist, scientist, clinician, doctor of medical sciences, professor, academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, honored scientist of the Russian Federation, laureate of the Russian State Prize, honorary president of the Russian Cardiological Society, editor-in-chief of the 2 leader Russian cardiology journals Oganov Rafael.
Rafael Oganov was born in a working family in Moscow. He passed a great life and creative path from a clinical resident to an academician of the RussianAcademy of Medical Sciences, a scientist, a doctor and a teacher widely known in Russia and abroad.
HIGHER COFFEE INTAKE TIED TO LOWER MORTALITY RISK
Higher coffee intake is linked to significantly lower risk for death, two large studies confirm. The benefit was found in diverse European populations, as well as across different racial/ethnic groups, researchers report in articles published online today in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Because coffee is one of the most popular drinks in the United States and worldwide, the public health effect of coffee intake could be substantial, even if the effect on an individual is small.
Despite mounting evidence for the health and mortality benefits of coffee consumption, the relationship between coffee intake and mortality in different European populations in which coffee preparation methods vary has been unclear. Similarly, data on coffee drinking among nonwhite populations were lacking.
FOCUSED ISSUE ON ADVANCES IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE PREVENTION: INTERVIEW WITH PROF. NATHAN D. WONG AND PROV. IAN GRAHAM
A very focused issue on “Advances in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention” has been published in Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy(CDT). It was our honor to invite its Guest-editors Prof. Nathan D. Wong and Prof. Ian Graham for an E-interview.
Prof. Nathan Wong is a cardiovascular epidemiologist and Professor and Director, Heart Disease Prevention Program, Division of Cardiology at the University of California, Irvine in California. He holds MPH and PhD degrees in epidemiology from YaleUniversity. He is a past president (2010–2012) of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology. He is also a fellow of the AmericanCollege of Cardiology, American Heart Association, National Lipid Association, and American Society for Preventive Cardiology and is the current treasurer of the Pacific Lipid Association, and is on the board of directors of the InterAmerican Heart Federation and California Chapter of the AmericanCollege of Cardiology. He also serves on the Member Services and Credentialing Committee and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease Committee of the AmericanCollege of Cardiology and is past chair of the American Heart Association Prevention Science Subcommittee.