Alan S Go

..Left bundle-branch block (BBB) is considered an important predictor of poor outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction, but the consequences of right BBB are not well understood...

..Warfarin dramatically reduces the risk for ischemic stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, but its use among ambulatory patients with atrial fibrillation has not been widely studied...

..Accurately identifying patients who need anticoagulation is critical. We assessed the potential impact of prominent stroke risk classification schemes on this decision in a large sample of patients with NVAF...

..Atrial fibrillation is the most common arrhythmia in elderly persons and a potent risk factor for stroke. However, recent prevalence and projected future numbers of persons with atrial fibrillation are not well described...

..The purpose of the study was to evaluate coronary wall CMR in an asymptomatic older cohort...

..It is unclear, however, whether this relation is explained by underlying kidney disease, treatment differences, or associated comorbidity...

..Existing risk stratification schemes have limited predictive ability. Chronic kidney disease is a major cardiovascular risk factor, but whether it independently increases the risk for ischemic stroke in persons with AF is unknown...

..We examined the rates of death and disability resulting from warfarin-associated intracranial and extracranial hemorrhages in a large cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation...

..Blacks with diabetes are at increased risk of anemia relative to whites. These differences may account for some of the observed ethnic disparities in diabetes complications...

..Few cohort studies have focused on risk factors for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). This investigation evaluated the prognostic value of several potential novel risk factors for ESRD after considering established risk factors...

..The aim of this study was to examine whether kidney dysfunction is associated with the type of clinical presentation of coronary heart disease (CHD)...

..We examined data from a large contemporary cohort of AF patients to address this question...

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..We assessed the impact of anticoagulation on 30-day mortality from ischemic stroke versus ICH in a large community-based cohort of patients with atrial fibrillation...

..However, higher intensities increase hemorrhage risk. Optimal use of warfarin for atrial fibrillation requires precise information on the risk for intracranial hemorrhage as a function of patient age and anticoagulation intensity...

..Leptin is associated with adiposity and insulin resistance and may play a direct role in vascular calcification. It is unclear, however, whether leptin is an independent predictor of atherosclerotic burden...

..Relatively little is known about clinical outcomes, especially long-term outcomes, among patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD) and experience superimposed acute renal failure (ARF; acute on chronic renal failure)...

..The objective of this study was to describe factors associated with warfarin discontinuation in patients newly starting warfarin for atrial fibrillation...

..The purpose of this study was to develop a risk stratification score to predict warfarin-associated hemorrhage...

..Whether statin therapy has beneficial effects on clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure is unclear...

..Warfarin has been shown to be highly efficacious for preventing thromboembolism in atrial fibrillation in randomized trials, but its effectiveness and safety in clinical practice is less clear...

..This trend was not accounted for by increasing prevalence of baseline CKD or risk factors for renal failure. These findings should spur further research into other forces that drive the rise in treated ESRD...

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..In conclusion, standing sagittal abdominal diameter was a strong predictor of CHD independently of BMI and added incremental CHD risk prediction at each level of BMI...

..Patients who present with unstable coronary disease, such as acute myocardial infarction, may systematically differ from patients who present with relatively stable coronary disease, such as exertional angina...

..Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level is common in patients with chronic kidney disease, but associations between severity of chronic kidney disease, obesity, and HDL level have not been well defined...

..Previous cohort studies of the relationship between blood pressure and ESRD did not uniformly screen out baseline kidney disease...

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..This variation was not explained by differences in traditional risk factors for AF, HF etiology and severity, and treatment...

..Small asymptomatic lung nodules are found frequently in the course of cardiac computed tomography (CT) scanning. However, the utility of assessing and reporting incidental findings in healthy, asymptomatic subjects is unknown...

..These data support efforts to optimize oral health and to identify risk factors for BRONJ in older individuals receiving bisphosphonate drugs...

..The higher prevalence of diabetes among Hispanic patients only partially explained the increased risk for ESRD. Further studies are required to elucidate the cause(s) of ethnic disparities in CKD-associated outcomes...

..To determine whether ethnic differences in the incidence of albuminuria are present in patients with diabetes, and to identify social, behavioral, and provider factors that explain ethnic differences...

..Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with menstrual and reproductive abnormalities, insulin resistance, and obesity...

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..CONCLUSION: Health-related quality of life and estimates of utility are distressingly low in persons with CKD. Self-reported outcomes should be considered when evaluating health policy decisions that affect this population...

..We assessed 5 risk stratification schemes for their ability to predict atrial fibrillation (AF)-related thromboembolism in a large community-based cohort...

..Although interest in the relationship between obesity and kidney disease is increasing, few epidemiologic studies have examined whether excess weight is an independent risk factor for end-stage renal disease (ESRD)...

..To describe a protocol for active surveillance of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in users of a recently approved oral antidiabetic medication, saxagliptin, and to provide the rationale for decisions made in drafting the protocol...

..Randomized trials have demonstrated the efficacy of selected beta-blockers in systolic heart failure, but the comparative effectiveness of different beta-blockers in practice is poorly understood...

..To review recent literature about the relationship between non-dialysis-requiring chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease as well as possible explanatory factors...

..We sought to determine whether chronic conditions and functional limitations are equally predictive of mortality among older adults...

..The present study examined the prevalence of ONJ in patients receiving chronic oral bisphosphonate therapy...

..We did not detect significant associations between kidney function and systolic or diastolic function after adjusting for potential confounding variables...

..Previous studies on hospital-acquired AKI have important methodological limitations, especially their retrospective study designs and limited ability to control for potential confounding factors...

..These agents can increase heart rate and blood pressure, raising concerns about their cardiovascular safety...

..Such strategies would enhance the net benefit of oral anticoagulation. Concluding points provide information on improving risk stratification for stroke in patients with AF...

..Vascular calcification holds promise as a useful cardiovascular risk maker. Our objective was to examine the association between breast vascular calcification and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes...

..71 to 1.11). Among a contemporary, diverse population of patients who had CHF, rates of readmission overall and for CHF remained high, but gender was not independently associated with a differential risk of readmission...

..Strategies that are aimed at improving access to transplantation in Asian and Pacific Islander communities may further enhance survival among Asians and Pacific Islanders with ESRD...

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..More robust data are also needed on how well clinical trials are translated into contemporary community practice and the associated resource use, costs, and outcomes...

..The glycemic response to antihyperglycemic therapies for type 2 diabetes has been thoroughly evaluated in randomized controlled trials, but inadequately studied in real-world settings...

..We examined the association between statin use and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) risk...

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..Epidemiological studies typically diagnose heart failure (HF) at the time of hospitalization, and have not evaluated the prevalence of HF symptoms in CKD patients without a prior HF diagnosis...

..Antiretroviral agents, particularly protease inhibitors (PIs), may adversely affect lipid levels in patients with HIV infection. However, it is not known whether HIV-associated dyslipidemia is more difficult to treat...

..Previous studies have suggested a higher prevalence of thyroid abnormalities in persons with end-stage renal disease. However, little is known regarding the epidemiology of thyroid disorders in persons with less severe kidney dysfunction...

..Since atrial and venous pressures are similar, genetic variants that promote venous thromboembolism may increase the risk of atrial thrombi and subsequent stroke in atrial fibrillation...