Internal Medicine Alert – October 30, 2002

October 30, 2002

• Effect of Lipid-Lowering Therapy on Coronary Artery Calcification

  This cohort study prospectively compared the rate of change in the amount of coronary calcification before and after lipid-lowering therapy with the cholesterol synthesis enzyme inhibitor cerivastatin.

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• Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy and Risk of Ovarian Cancer

  There appears to be an increase in ovarian cancer with long-term estrogen-only hormone replacement therapy.

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• Does Treating Inflammation Improve Lipid Levels?

  Park and colleagues have noted adverse lipid profiles in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Since inflammation may be associated with atherosclerosis, Park et al sought to determine the effects of treating RA with antirheumatic drugs on the abnormal lipid levels.

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• The Ambulatory BP Monitoring Effect

  Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a useful adjunct for evaluating white coat hypertension, but little is known about its effect on BP. Thus, Hermida and associates from Spain studied 538 patients with mild-to-moderate office hypertension using ABPM for 48 hours.

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• IV Magnesium Sulfate in the Treatment of Acute Severe Asthma

  Silverman and colleagues used the emergency departments in 8 hospitals to assess the role of MgSO4 in acute asthma in a sizeable number of patients (n = 248).

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• Increased Caloric Intake Increases the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease

  There is evidence that diet could play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk. This epidemiologic study examined the risk of AD between quartiles of calorie, carbohydrate, fat, and protein intake after adjusting for confounders.

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• Pharmacology Update: Eplerenone Tablets (Inspra Searle) — A New Aldosterone Antagonist

  A new aldosterone receptor antagonist has been approved by the FDA. Eplereone, a selective aldosterone receptor antagonist, is the first approval in this class since the introduction of spironolactone close to 3 decades earlier.

  Read more about Pharmacology Update: Eplerenone Tablets (Inspra Searle) — A New Aldosterone Antagonist - Internal Medicine Alert – October 30, 2002

• Clinical Briefs: Vitamins and RTI; B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Heart Failure; Companions and Primary Care

  Daily vitamin E and multivitamin-mineral supplementation and acute RTI in elderly persons; B-Type natriuretic peptide levels and outcome in patients with heart failure; influence of companions during primary care medical encounters

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