Cardiology panels
From evidence to practice: Narrowing the gap
Dr Keith Fox talks to Drs Gregg Stone and Robert Harrington about why it takes so long for new evidence-based therapies to be adopted in clinical practice, the importance of national registries, and what can be done to make treatment guidelines more useful.
Genetic beta-blockade
What are the implications of an exciting discovery of intrinsic genetic beta-blockade common to 40% of people of African ancestry?

Dr Eric Topol invites you to share your opinions.

Click here to view the video blog and join the discussion.

HeartWire clips
On moving to industry: Interview with Dr Terry Ferguson
In conversation with heartwire news and features editor Larry Husten, Dr Terry Ferguson muses on changes to daily life, decision making processes, and patient care from a different perspective resulting from his new position in industry.
The Cardiology Show
Surrogate end points on trial: ENHANCE and other controversies
Part 2 is now live!
Nine of the world's top cardiologists gathered in Chicago to take on the issues raised by data released at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

Dr Valentin Fuster moderates this frank and sometimes heated discussion on the results of ENHANCE, STRADIVARIUS, ONTARGET, and PERISCOPE, and the questions they raise about the responsibility of industry and the relevance of surrogate end points.
Forum
Smoking ban?
Read about our forum moderator's heroic and sometimes comic efforts to get a smoking ban passed by her city council in tobacco country.
Thumbs up, thumbs down
Controversies: ENHANCE and ACCORD
Clinical trials are under attack and in the headlines. What is the proper role of the investigators? What are the responsibilities of industry? Join Drs Eric J Topol and Robert M Califf in a discussion of the many issues surrounding ENHANCE and ACCORD.
Question
Is insufficient disclosure of conflicts of interest a bigger problem in the cardiac device literature than it is in that of cardiac drugs?”
(See:Both researchers and journals are to blame for inconsistent disclosure of conflicts of interest)
Yes
No
Vote








Cardiometabolic risk  >  Abdominal obesity
Cardiometabolic risk in the spotlight: Which therapies should take center stage?
Dec 18, 2007 13:39 EST / Drs Smith, Rader, Nesto, Plutzky, Nemeroff, and Pagotto explore the interrelated role of cardiometabolic risk factors and analyze the mechanism of action and evidence for the effectiveness of cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) blockade in CVD.
Taming abdominal obesity: Preventing the attack of CVD and diabetes
Nov 21, 2007 10:45 EST / Recent studies reveal that weight loss can directly decrease CV mortality and increase longevity. How do clinicians determine the right combination of therapies to promote weight loss and decrease risk factors associated with CVD and diabetes? Join our international faculty for this stimulating discussion.
Abdominal obesity: The perfect storm of CVD and diabetes
Nov 16, 2007 15:00 EST / Should clinicians intervene for "overweight" patients or just for the "obese" regarding risk of CVD and diabetes? Does abdominal obesity create the perfect storm for catastrophic events? Join Professors Deanfield and Steg as they examine these questions through case study review.
ESC 2007: Prevention and lifestyle interventions to minimize CV risk
Sep 28, 2007 15:00 EDT / According to the World Health Report 2003, cardiovascular disease (CVD) was the leading cause of death, killing 16.7 million people worldwide. In Europe each year CVD causes over 4.35 million deaths, which represents 49% of all deaths. Newly developed European guidelines focus more stringently on lifestyle intervention and preventive measures to decrease CV risks. This session will highlight various presentations at this years ESC conference targeting such programs, which may influence CV risks worldwide.
Juggling multiple risk factors to target global cardiometabolic risk
Apr 3, 2007 13:39 EDT / With over 300 million obese individuals worldwide, the incidence of CVD and type 2 diabetes continue to escalate. The clinician is perplexed with managing multiple risk factors and juggling many treatment regimens. The potential for CB1 blockade represents a novel approach to addressing multiple synergistic risks by targeting the primary culprit — abdominal obesity.
Knowledge of cardiometabolic risk: How do you measure up?
Dec 20, 2006 10:32 EST / Despite lifestyle changes and current drug therapies, obesity and cardiometabolic risk remain persistent treatment challenges. Are you up to date on emerging pharmacological options? Test your knowledge against your peers regarding the use of CB1 blockade.
Treating patients with CB1 blockade: The United Kingdom experience
Dec 19, 2006 11:51 EST / With 23% of the population worldwide now obese, the risks of developing CV disease and type 2 diabetes are escalating. Lifestyle changes and current pharmacological interventions are having limited success. Explore case studies of CB1 blockade as part of the treatment regimen in countries where approved.
CB1 blockade: Who's the ideal patient?
Nov 23, 2006 11:50 EST / In recent years, healthcare providers have become more aware of the risks of CVD and diabetes associated with abdominal obesity. What if the patient is not obese but simply overweight? How do we best assess the risk? What do we do when lifestyle changes and conventional pharmacological treatments are not successful? Evidence supports that cannabinoid-1 receptor (CB1) blockade therapy could be a promising alternative. If CB1 blockade becomes available in the United States, who will be the ideal candidate? Join our faculty as they explore these thought-provoking questions.
Tackling abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk around the world
Oct 12, 2006 10:32 EDT / Obesity is a growing epidemic around the world, with over 300 million obese individuals worldwide. The presence of abdominal obesity, which is easily determined by measuring waist circumference, has been identified as a contributing factor to cardiovascular risk. Ethnic and gender differences related to this disorder exist around the globe. This program will highlight the magnitude of the problem, explore gender and ethnic differences, and discuss strategies for managing the care of obese patients. Get the Canadian perspective on abdominal obesity and cardiovascular risk from Drs Abramson, Genest, and Lonn.
CB blockade with rimonabant
Sep 5, 2006 11:45 EDT / Abdominal obesity is known to increase the risk of comorbidities such as insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension, and has been linked to cardiovascular risk independently of body mass index. This health threat is largely due to an excess of intra-abdominal adipose tissue. CB1 receptor blockade has been shown to improve cardiometabolic risk factors both directly and indirectly by reducing intra-abdominal adiposity. This symposium will review the risks associated with abdominal obesity as well as data surrounding rimonabant, the first CB1 receptor antagonist.
Knowledge of cardiometabolic risk: How do you measure up?
Jul 24, 2006 09:35 EDT /
Cardiometabolic risk in women: An equal opportunity killer
Jun 1, 2006 16:30 EDT / CVD remains the number one killer of both men and women. Sex disparities are well documented with some speculation that suboptimal preventive care and lack of awareness of personal CVD risk may contribute to poor outcomes in women. This program highlights the findings of a recently published large study which focused on screening of cardiometabolic risk in women.
Knowledge of cardiometabolic risk: How do you measure up?
May 12, 2006 12:00 EDT / Increasing awareness of the relationship between specific cardiometabolic risk factors and CVD remains at the forefront of medical education. Are you familiar with each risk factor and how it impacts your patients' health? Are you informed regarding the most recent research, treatment strategies, and potential new treatments on the horizon? It is highly important to measure your knowledge in this arena so you can optimize preventive measures in your patients. Take this opportunity to evaluate your knowledge and see how you measure up in comparison to your peers.
Expert commentary: Evaluating the shape of our world: The IDEA survey
Mar 31, 2006 15:05 EST / Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the major cause of mortality worldwide and is responsible for approximately 17 million deaths per year. This figure is expected to rise to 24 million by 2030. Recent findings support that abdominal obesity is a much better predictor of CVD than weight or body mass index, but this information is not available in all countries. The IDEA survey addresses the assessment of abdominal obesity in 63 countries in over 177 000 patients presenting to primary care.
ACC 2006 Focus on: Exploration of cardiometabolic risk
Mar 22, 2006 16:13 EST / Cardiometabolic risk combines classical risk factors (smoking, elevated cholesterol, hypertension, and diabetes) with emerging markers such as intra-abdominal obesity and insulin resistance. At the American College of Cardiology 2006 Scientific Sessions many presentations focused on assessing cardiovascular risk. This program will highlight several of those presentations and provide new insights related to ethnic/gender differences, new serum markers, economic impact, and strategies for assessing and treating patients at risk for cardiovascular disease.