Cholesterol Solutions Today:The Good & The Bad

A simple, safe, one-a-day capsule of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can reduce mortality and admission to hospital for cardiovascular reasons in patients with heart failure. These are the conclusions of the first of two Articles based on the GISSI-HF* study published early Online and in an upcoming edition of The Lancet. The second Article concludes that statin treatment with rosuvastatin does not affect clinical outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure.

So-called reality TV programs, such as The biggest loser, which focus on extreme weight loss and drastic changes to a person’s appearance, may be an important driving force behind a dramatic increase in cosmetic and weight reduction surgery, according to an editorial in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia. In 2007, The biggest loser Australia averaged more than one million viewers per episode, with the finale drawing nearly two million watchers.

Statins, a group of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of having cardiovascular disease, should be used more frequently to combat the adverse cardiovascular outcomes from atherosclerosis, according to new research published in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

Statins, a group of drugs used to lower cholesterol levels in people with or at risk of having cardiovascular disease, should be used more frequently to combat the adverse cardiovascular outcomes from atherosclerosis, according to new research published in the September 2008 issue of the Journal of Vascular Surgery.

People who walk on a treadmill even years after stroke damage can significantly improve their health and mobility, changes that reflect actual “rewiring” of their brains, according to research spearheaded at Johns Hopkins. “This is great news for stroke survivors because results clearly demonstrate that long-term stroke damage is not immutable and that with exercise it’s never too late for the brain and body to recover,” says Daniel Hanley, M.D.

People who walk on a treadmill even years after stroke damage can significantly improve their health and mobility, changes that reflect actual “rewiring” of their brains, according to research spearheaded at Johns Hopkins. “This is great news for stroke survivors because results clearly demonstrate that long-term stroke damage is not immutable and that with exercise it’s never too late for the brain and body to recover,” says Daniel Hanley, M.D.

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) expressed its extreme disappointment and surprise at the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA’s) draft Children’s Television Standards 2008. The draft standards proposals include no general restrictions on food and beverage advertising during children’s viewing times.

Disability due to recurrent stroke and cognitive decline in patients with ischaemic stroke were not different between two anticlotting (antiplatelet) regimens and were not affected by the preventive use of telmisartan. These are conclusions of an Article published early Online and in the October issue of Lancet Neurology, authored by Dr Hans-Christoph Diener, University Hospital Essen, Germany, and colleagues.

Researchers in the UK have found that all drugs used in psychosis treatment are associated with an increased risk of stroke. The findings are published on bmj.com, and include evidence that people who both suffer from dementia and use antipsychotics are at double the risk of stroke compared to those without dementia.

AstraZeneca welcomes the recommendations by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on the treatment of Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (FH) 1, a genetic condition resulting in high cholesterol levels. As part of its comprehensive review on the identification and management of people with FH, NICE has recommended that adults with the condition be treated with high intensity statins in order to reduce LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by 50%.