CARDIOPROGRESS
Foundation for the advancement of cardiology

Informational bulletin “Cardioprogress” Bulletin is published four times a year in both Russian and English (special issues) languages.

ED Drugs Linked to Increased Melanoma Risk Larry Hand Use of sildenafil (Viagra, Pfizer) is associated with an increased risk for melanoma, according to an article published online April 7 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Green Tea’s Impact on Cognitive Function Now Visible Megan Brooks Green tea appears to boost memory by enhancing functional brain connectivity, a new imaging study suggests. A study led by Stefan Borgwardt, MD, PhD, from the Department of Psychiatry, University of Basel, Switzerland, shows that drinking a green tea extract enhances memory performance, a finding that researchers suggest may have important clinical implications for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders, including cognitive impairment.

Upping Coffee Consumption Protects Against Type 2 Diabetes Lisa Nainggolan The first study to examine whether a change in the amount of tea or coffee consumed has any effect on the subsequent risk for type 2 diabetes among healthy individuals has found that it does, at least for coffee. And the effects become apparent within a relatively short period of time, 4 years.

Low Vitamin C Linked to Intracerebral Hemorrhage Pauline Anderson PHILADELPHIA — A new study finds a link between vitamin C depletion and increased risk for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).

Medicare to Pay for Multiple Chronic Disease Management Starting in 2015, physicians can collect a separate fee from Medicare for managing patients with 2 or more chronic conditions apart from face-to-face visits, according to the final version of the 2014 Medicare physician fee schedule that the government released last week.

COPD Linked to Cognitive Impairment and Memory Loss Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with increased odds of having mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and memory loss in a cross-sectional, population-based study. The study, published in the November issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, also showed a dose–response relationship with COPD duration and increasing risk for cognitive problems.

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.

Main results of the 2023 European Society of Cardiology Congress The next annual Congress of the European Society of Cardiology was held in a hybrid format (onsite and online) from August 25 to 28, 2023 inAmsterdam (Netherlands). About 31,000 specialists from 150 countries took part in the event. Traditionally, the most anticipated events at the congress are the scientific HOT LINE sessions, where the results of the most important clinical trials are presented for the first time.clinical trials. This year, participants had the opportunity to learn about 29 specially selected randomised trials in 9 sessions over 4 days.

ESC Issues First Comprehensive Cardiomyopathy Guidelines The European Society of Cardiology has released new guidelines for cardiomyopathies, their first major comprehensive international guidelines to address diagnosis and treatment of the broad causes of heart muscle dysfunction.

Personal income may increase risk of heart disease Income levels, if they are unstable, can easily turn into a stressor. However, the volatility of personal income could be having a more serious effect on people's heart health. It is often expected that a person's income will constantly rise until they reach retirement age.

Weight-Adjusted Aspirin Dosing: Evidence Builds in Primary Prevention Low-dose aspirin intended for primary prevention, typically 75 to 100 mg once daily, doesn"t protect against cardiovascular events in persons who weigh at least 70 kg (about 154 pounds), suggests a patient-level analysis of randomized trials that included more than 100,000 patients. But daily aspirin at higher dosages, usually at least 300 mg, was cardioprotective in that group, as was low-dose aspirin in people who weighed less than 70 kg.

New ADA/EASD Guidance on Diabetes: Assess CV Status First The treatment approach to type 2 diabetes should begin with an assessment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) status, other comorbidities, and patient preferences, according to a draft of the upcoming 2018 joint consensus statement from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD). The final version of the 2018 update to the current 2015 ADA/EASDManagement of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes statement (Diabetes Care.2015;38:140-149) will be presented on October 5, 2018 at the EASD annual meeting in Berlin and will be published in Diabetes Care and Diabetologia.

The Asian and the Commonwealth of Independent States Congress of Cardiologists and Therapeutics

Expert opinion. Double antiplatelet therapy after ACS: "de-escalation" In medical practice, cases in which patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and received a combination of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) with prasugrel or ticagrelor are often used, a combination of ASA with clopidogrel is started. This transition from more active platelet-derived P2Y12 blockers to less active clopidogrel has been termed "de-escalation." The possibility of "de-escalation" is considered in documents prepared by various expert groups. Among them, an updated version of the recommendations of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Association of Cardio Thoracic Surgeons for double antiplatelet therapy for coronary heart disease, where a similar transition is proposed to be discussed with side effects or intolerance of prasugrel / ticagrelor. There is also an agreement of experts from Europe and the USA, in which practical approaches to the replacement of the P2Y12 blocker of the platelet receptor are analyzed in detail. However, it should be borne in mind that these proposals are basically based on common sense and representations of the pharmacological properties of various P2Y12 receptor blockers of the platelet, while the evidence base for "de-escalation" is small.

SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS - 71ST WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY Global resolution on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease adopted at the WHA Following years of campaigning and advocacy from WHF, our members and the global RHD community, we are delighted to announce that on Friday 25 May, Member States of the World Health Organization unanimously adopted a Global Resolution on Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland.

Bread Might Be The Saltiest Part Of Your Diet, According To A New Study When you think of salty foods, bread might not come to mind. But a new study shows that it may be a bigger contributor to sodium in your diet than you think. Even though it doesn"t taste that salty, bread might be delivering more sodium than you think — but it all depends on which kind you eat and how much, according to a new study. Researchers analyzed 2,000 different breads (including white, wholemeal, mixed grain, and flatbreads) sold in 32 countries around the world and found some shockingly high numbers and wide variation in the salt and sodium levels in breads. The study was conducted by the World Action on Salt & Health (WASH) at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine of Queen Mary University of London.

The Anti-statin Lobby Strikes Again: Time to Set the Record Straight The joint Franco-German non-commercial television network ARTE recently broadcast a television programme entitled "The Big Bluff" about the link between cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and the use of statins. The programme propounded the theory that there is absolutely no relation between blood cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease, and asserted that cholesterol has become the "ideal villain" in cardiovascular disease through a series of "scientific approximations". In addition, the programme encouraged physicians and patients to interrupt lipid-lowering treatments and statins, in particular, to avoid any blood lipid assessment and last but not least, suggested that the recommendations issued by professional societies such as the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) are inappropriate and influenced by conflicts of interest.