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A Review of Updated Guidelines Regarding Bradycardia and Cardiac Conduction Delay

The American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Rhythm Society have established updated guidelines on the evaluation and management of patients with bradycardia and conduction delays. Many key elements remain largely unchanged from prior guideline recommendations on pacemakers published in 2008 and 2012, but there are important new definitions, recommendations, and areas of emphasis.

The Mediterranean Diet and Cognitive Function: Keep the Mind Sharp

Italian seniors who ate a high-quality Mediterranean diet had better cognitive function than those who did not.

Probiotic Use to Reduce Clostridium difficile-Associated Diarrhea

In a systematic review of probiotic use for reducing Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD), probiotics appear to be most beneficial in populations with high baseline risk of CDAD (> 5%).

Caregivers and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Interventions

The authors of a review of randomized, controlled trials found that mindfulness-based stress reduction may reduce short-term anxiety and depressive symptoms in people caring for family members with dementia.

Alcohol Use: No Safe Level

A systematic analysis of data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016 on alcohol-linked disorders and patterns of alcohol use over 25 years worldwide found there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

Effect of Diet on Hippocampal Volume in a Population at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease

Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain in community-dwelling people (average age of 60 years) found that a long-term, high-quality diet was associated with larger hippocampal volumes after an average interval of 11 years.

Trends in Supplemental Vitamin D Intake

The authors investigated the trends in daily supplemental vitamin D intake of ≥ 1,000 IU and ≥ 4,000 IU and found increasing use of vitamin D supplementation.

Clinical Outcomes After Oral Anticoagulant-Associated Intracerebral Hematoma

In this meta-analysis of multiple observational studies, clinical outcomes after oral anticoagulant-associated intracerebral hematoma were similar for those associated with vitamin K antagonists or the new class of direct oral anticoagulants.

Correlation of Electromyography With Pathology in Myopathy

A detailed analysis of electromyography features showed a high correlation with muscle pathology. However, pathologic changes on muscle biopsy may be present even with a totally normal electromyogram.

Apolipoprotein E and CSF Levels in Men and Women With Alzheimer’s Disease

Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE4) genotype, the stronger genetic risk factor for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, negatively affects cerebrospinal levels of tau protein in a sex-dependent manner, whereby the effect of APOE4 is stronger in women than men.