Brain/Kidney/Peripheral
Oct 30, 2009 20:41 EDT
No differences were seen between groups, except in strokes, which were twice as high in the active-treatment group. Anticipated improvements in fatigue scores were modest and not clinically meaningful, investigators say.

San Diego, CA - Treating anemia using darbepoetin alfa (Aranesp, Amgen) has no effect on death or cardiovascular events or death or renal events, in diabetic patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and anemia, results from the Trial to Reduce Cardiovascular Events With Aranesp Therapy (TREAT) show. The only prespecified end point to demonstrate a striking difference was stroke, which was actually twice as high in patients who received darbepoetin alfa, Dr Marc Pfeffer (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA) told a late-breaking clinical-trial session at the American Society of Nephrology Renal Week. In a surprise finding, there were no clinically meaningful differences in the major quality-of-life measure in the study, a fatigue score, between the active and placebo groups. Read full article »

 
Acute Coronary Syndromes
Nov 6, 2009 17:15 EST
The latest recommendations for the treatment of ST-elevation MI issued by American cardiology associations and the European Society of Cardiology are compared and contrasted in a new paper.
Arrhythmia/EP
Nov 6, 2009 16:00 EST
No survival differences after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were seen at a preliminary DSMB review in the ROC PRIMED trial, which compared early vs delayed post-CPR assessment for defibrillation and tested the effectiveness of a device for optimizing intrathoracic pressure during CPR.
heartbriefs
Nov 5, 2009 17:00 EST
The Spokane Heart Study finds a connection between kidney function, serum phosphorus, and the risk of coronary artery calcification.
Medscape Medical News
Nov 5, 2009 11:00 EST
Toronto researchers report that a citywide prehospital protocol raised their rates of thrombolytic treatment to among the highest in North America, underlining, they say, the critical importance of organized stroke care.
Interventional/Surgery
6 COMMENTS - Nov 4, 2009 17:00 EST
A 2203-patient randomized trial of off-pump vs on-pump CABG surgery found no differences in neuropsychological outcomes and worse overall outcomes for the off-pump group at one-year follow-up.
Hypertension
2 COMMENTS - Nov 4, 2009 14:30 EST
More discussion about the J-curve in hypertension is published this week; one expert believes the undue attention being paid to this subject might discourage doctors from treating high blood pressure aggressively.
heartbriefs
Nov 4, 2009 13:15 EST
In keeping with all the other evidence showing no effects of homocysteine-lowering with B vitamins, the FAVORIT study now confirms that this lack of benefit is also seen in renal-transplant recipients.
Interventional/Surgery
5 COMMENTS - Nov 3, 2009 14:30 EST
A US update on the perioperative use of beta blockers for noncardiac surgery is, says the lead author, "similar" to recent European guidance on this issue.
heartbriefs
Nov 3, 2009 13:15 EST
The FDA has issued a warning about exenatide the same day the agency approved its first-line use along with diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Heart failure
Nov 3, 2009 10:45 EST
Statins for heart failure? After they failed to show much effect in two large randomized trials? Yes—maybe; at least in patients with ischemic heart failure who start the drugs early enough, suggests a post hoc analysis based on one of the trials.
Hypertension
3 COMMENTS - Nov 2, 2009 17:00 EST
A synergistic approach of educating general practitioners about hypertension control together with a program to send lay workers into people's homes to educate them about the management of high blood pressure has proven successful in low- to middle-income households in Pakistan.
Editorial Programs
Editorial series
Oct 30, 2009 12:35 EDT
How do regulatory pathways differ in the US and UK? Drs Harrington, Bhatt, and Cleland share their experiences and offer insight on how to support innovative research.
Editorial series
Oct 23, 2009 10:40 EDT
Dr Melissa Walton-Shirley talks to Dr Nassir Marrouche about the results of RE-LY, the impact of dronedarone on the treatment of atrial fibrillation, and his hopes for the future of MRI-guided ablation.
Editorial series
1 COMMENT - Oct 7, 2009 09:26 EDT
Drs Bonhoeffer and Kovac discuss size, sterility, location, presence of multidisciplinary teams, and imaging techniques - issues to consider in creating an ideal lab that can also adapt to future technologies and developments.
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Poll
Would you use darbepoetin alfa to treat anemia in diabetic patients with renal disease?
See: Shelley Wood. No TREAT: Darbepoetin alfa fails to reduce CV or renal events in anemic diabetics with CKD .
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