Mark Woodward

..The objective of this study was to determine whether PAD is prevalent in an HIV-infected population, and to identify an association with HIV-specific and traditional cardiovascular risk factors, as well as levels of osteoprotegerin...

..The metabolic syndrome (MS) is a popularly used risk marker for coronary heart disease (CHD), yet its utility is in doubt...

..The inverse relationship between high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD) is well established. Questions remain about the association between HDL cholesterol and stroke, particularly for stroke subtypes...

..It would be prudent for women who suffer migraine with aura to seek medical advice and consider lifestyle changes in order to improve their cardiovascular risk profile...

..About half of the world's cases of cardiovascular disease occur in the Asia-Pacific region. The contribution of serum total cholesterol (TC) to this burden is poorly quantified...

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..To assess the magnitude and independence of the effects of routine blood pressure lowering and intensive glucose control on clinical outcomes in patients with long-standing type 2 diabetes...

..We could not identify a BP threshold below which renal benefit is lost...

..However, the greater baseline level of cardiovascular risk in those with higher body mass index meant that these patients obtained the greatest benefit...

..To assess whether there is a statistical interaction between smoking and diabetes that is related to the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in men in the Asia Pacific region...

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..If these 2 risk factors have a synergistic impact on cardiovascular events, lowering BP and quitting smoking will contribute more to reducing CVD than would be expected from ignoring their interaction...

..This report presents a contemporary model for predicting cardiovascular risk in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus...

..To assess the benefits of blood pressure (BP) lowering on vascular events separately for Asian and for Western participants with particular emphasis on stroke subtypes and cardiac outcomes...

..Previous comparative studies have generally had insufficient numbers of women to quantify such differences reliably...

..We sought to determine the sex- and region-specific associations between height and cardiovascular outcomes, and deaths due to cancer, respiratory and injury in populations from the Asia-Pacific region...

..However, SBP may be the simplest and most useful predictor across a wider range of age groups and populations...

..We analyzed data from a large study of intensive glucose lowering to explore the relationship between severe hypoglycemia and adverse clinical outcomes...

..The objective is to determine whether lowering of blood pressure (BP) provides protection for this high-risk patient group...

..CONCLUSIONS: Fibrinogen and CRP are risk predictors for ischemic but not hemorrhagic stroke, independent of potential confounders...

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..To compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by combinations of MetS components derived from the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (ATPIII) and International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definitions...

..We conclude that the added value of fibrinogen to two currently used risk scores is low; hence population screening with fibrinogen for this purpose is unlikely to be clinically useful or cost-effective...

..36 (1.76 - 3.16), adjusted for age and alcohol drinking. Tobacco control policies are urgently required in Asia to prevent millions of deaths from UADTC that smoking will otherwise cause...

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..BMI, whether categorised according to current guidelines for Asian groups or World Health Organisation recommendations, was not associated with liver cancer in any of our analyses...

..29), and 2.26 (95% confidence interval 1.30 to 3.94), respectively. In conclusion, the coexistence of MA and reduced eGFR was associated with a high prevalence of PAD and might be useful in identifying patients with vascular disease...

..BP-lowering is likely to be one of the most effective and generalizable strategies across a variety of major vascular events including stroke and myocardial infarction...

..01-1.24) after the full adjustment. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that homocysteine has an effect on cardiovascular risk over and above that of inflammatory markers and the major cardiovascular risk factors...

..Smoking was also an important risk factor for IS and HS; risk was reduced by quitting...

..In these analyses of the ADVANCE trial, we assessed the effects of a fixed combination of perindopril-indapamide on renal and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes according to baseline CKD stage...

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..The aims of these overview analyses were to quantify the effects of blood pressure-lowering treatment in each sex and to determine if there are important differences in the proportional benefits of treatment between men and women...

..To explore the use and effects of using mobile phones while driving...

..Activities to prevent them can be expected to lead to a major reduction in the number of deaths from this cancer, particularly in Asia with its enormous population...

..Further research is needed to investigate the factors underlying the increased risks...

..End point adjudication committees (EPAC) are widely used in large-scale clinical trials to ensure the robustness of diagnosis for end points...

..dal-PLAQUE is the first multicentre study using novel non-invasive multimodality imaging to assess structural and inflammatory indices of atherosclerosis as primary endpoints...

..To assess the additional discriminative value of adding each of five inflammatory biomarkers to the ASSIGN risk score, which includes social deprivation...

..The purpose of this study was to determine if patients with traditional risk factors and prior MACE had increased cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) plaque burden measures compared to patients with risk factors but no prior events...

..4). CONCLUSIONS: For most patients with atrial fibrillation, routine blood pressure-lowering is likely to provide protection against major vascular events additional to that conferred by anticoagulation...

..Results are expected in 2011...

..Nonadherence to statins limits the benefits of this common drug class. Individual studies assessing predictors of nonadherence have produced inconsistent results...

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..For two studies with over 60% missing values, no imputation method seemed to be satisfactory...

..To improve equity in cardiovascular disease prevention by developing a cardiovascular risk score including social deprivation and family history...

..To compare the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) by four MetS definitions in four Asia-Pacific populations, and to compare the prevalence of individual metabolic components...

..We examined the association between unlicensed driving and car crash injury using data from a population-based case control study...

..To determine the benefits and risks of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) as prophylaxis for ectopic bone formation in patients undergoing total hip replacement (or revision) surgery...

..Accurate estimates of the prevalence of diabetes are of great importance and standard methods are needed for periodic surveillance across the Asia-Pacific region and elsewhere...

..g. those requiring a driver to maintain proper control of a vehicle), and progress on engineering initiatives (such as collision warning systems) are needed to reduce injury...

..We explored the risky driving behaviors and risk perceptions of a cohort of young novice drivers and sought to determine their associations with crash risk...

..However, the significance of this association, and the extent to which viscosity is associated with mortality, remain to be established in larger studies and meta-analyses...

..Underestimation of cardiovascular risk and supoptimal therapy are more likely to account for poorer outcomes among women. These differences highlight the importance of global initiatives such as 'Go Red for Women'...

..To determine which simple index of overweight and obesity is the best discriminator of cardiovascular risk factors...

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..Similar associations have also been reported for decaffeinated coffee and tea. We report herein the findings of meta-analyses for the association between coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption with risk of diabetes...

..Previous reviews have suggested that obesity may be associated with 30% to 60% greater risk of colorectal cancer, but little consideration was given to the possible effect of publication bias on the reported association...

..These data add to existing knowledge on the benefits of glycemic control in this patient population...

..This study aimed to assess the relationship between psychological distress and risk of motor vehicle crashes...

..To evaluate the role of plasma lipids in recurrent vascular events, including stroke, among individuals with established cerebrovascular disease...

..Urgent strategies are required to prevent increasing levels of dyslipidaemia in Thailand, as well as to develop and promulgate treatment guidelines that incorporate locally-relevant risk prediction functions...

..We aimed to extend data on their relationships to the risk of CHD in generally healthy populations...

..We tested whether pooled results would show mean change associated with decline in high readings only, resulting from better antihypertensive medication, or with similar falls in low, middle, and high readings, implying other causes...

..824, standard error = 0.021). We conclude that frozen samples are acceptable for epidemiological studies of plasma viscosity, which should increase their utilization...

..Eighty percent of all smokers live in low and middle-income countries of the Asia Pacific region but actual estimates of the burden of disease due to smoking in the region have yet to be quantified...

..These findings further support the recommendation that blood pressure lowering with perindopril and indapamide therapy be considered for all patients with cerebrovascular disease...

..To explore the effect of drivers' use of mobile (cell) phones on road safety...

..It will also provide a strong evidence base upon which to define ethnic-specific cut-points for overweight and obesity...

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..To investigate the relationship between marijuana use prior to driving, habitual marijuana use and car crash injury...

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..To assess 2-year excess mortality or institutionalization risk associated with hip fracture in community-dwelling people aged 60 and over...

..To estimate the relative risk for fatal coronary heart disease associated with diabetes in men and women...

..The overviews reported herein were performed to formally compare the effects on cardiovascular events and death of different BP-lowering regimens in individuals with and without diabetes...

..In conclusion, high albuminuria and low eGFR are independent risk factors for cardiovascular and renal events among patients with type 2 diabetes...

..Only limited data are available for risk factors for intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in subjects with established cerebrovascular disease...

..CONCLUSIONS: Blood pressure lowering reduces secondary stroke risk, with large absolute benefits across groups defined by age, sex and geographic region...

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..These data suggest that if time or resources are highly constrained, such as in much-needed epidemiologic surveys in developing countries, very little is lost from only measuring SBP...

..Moreover, NT-proBNP and CRP may be markers of mechanisms of CHF pathogenesis distinct from those responsive to angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor-based therapy...

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..The baseline diastolic blood pressure was an independent predictor of new SBI, but the index stroke subtype did not influence the risk of SBI...

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..We studied the association of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-18, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) with recurrent stroke in a nested case-control study derived from the Perindopril Protection Against Recurrent Stroke Study (PROGRESS)...

..Risk factors and diseases in developing countries are becoming "westernised"...

..We evaluated the association of total tooth loss with prevalent CVD in men and women; as well as with citrus fruit consumption, plasma vitamin C, and inflammatory and thrombotic variables...

..This study provides no evidence that in patients with cerebrovascular disease, knowledge of ACE genotype is useful for predicting either the risk of disease or the benefits of perindopril-based blood pressure-lowering treatment...

..To estimate the prevalence rates of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and diabetes mellitus (DM) and to evaluate the awareness, treatment, and control of DM in the Chinese adult population...

..41), and overweight (body mass index [BMI] > 25 kg/m( 2), OR = 0.54) to be significant (P < .05) predictors of PAD. The prevalence of PAD in urban, middle-class Thais was similar to that in the population in developed countries...

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..0) are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) through adverse effects on blood pressure and cholesterol levels is unclear, as is the risk of CHD that remains after these mediating effects are considered...

..Vascular mortality is increasing in economically developing countries such as Thailand but reliable data about the determinants of these changes are few...

..To determine the association of four simple anthropometric indices with coronary heart disease (CHD) in Thai men, and to determine the optimal cut-off points for each index in the prediction of CHD...

..5% yielded a 10% relative reduction in the combined outcome of major macrovascular and microvascular events, primarily as a consequence of a 21% relative reduction in nephropathy. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00145925.)..

..Health promotion programs to improve lipid profiles, such as effective exercise campaigns and dietary advice, are required to increase HDL-C and to help prevent CVD and premature death in Thailand...