Inadequate dietary magnesium intake increases atherosclerotic plaque development in rabbits

Epidemiological studies have shown dietary magnesium (Mg) intake and serum Mg levels to be inversely correlated with the development of atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that low levels of Mg would promote atherosclerotic plaque development in rabbits. New Zealand white rabbits (4 months old, n = 22) were fed an atherogenic diet containing 0.12% (−Mg), 0.27% (control), or 0.43% (+Mg) Mg for 8 weeks. Blood samples were obtained at baseline, 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks and were assayed for total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), non-HDL, triglycerides (TG), C-reactive protein, serum Mg, and erythrocyte Mg. Aortas from −Mg had significantly more plaque, with an intima thickness 42% greater than control and 36% greater than +Mg. Serum cholesterol levels rose over time, and at 8 weeks, −Mg had the highest and +Mg the lowest total and non-HDL cholesterol and TG levels, although these results did not reach significance. Over time, serum Mg levels increased, and erythrocyte Mg levels decreased. C-reactive protein significantly increased in all groups at 4 and 6 weeks but returned to baseline levels by 8 weeks. This study supports the hypothesis that inadequate intake of Mg results in an increase in atherosclerotic plaque development in rabbits.     

循证医学对心血管病研究的影响

循证医学的出现使现有的医学观念从理论知识加个人经验的医学模式转变到科学证据为基础的医学模式。随着临床流行病学的深入开展及临床科研方法的重大发展,循证医学正在逐渐深入医学的各个角落,在心血管领域也是如此。文章将主要阐述循证医学在心血管病临床医疗实践、科研、卫生决策和医学教育方面产笺重要影响;客观分析循证医学在此领域的发展史及现状;同时也概括了我国心血管研究在循证医学方面的成果与不足。从而进一步揭示,科学的证据正有利地促进着医学的全方位发展,以问题为基础的循证医学是当今临床医学发展的必然趋势。     

农村社区人群心脑血管病综合防治效果评价

目的了解心脑血管病(CVD)综合防治措施在社区实施的效果以及所需的卫生成本,总结适合农村社区CVD综合防治的工作模式.方法对古镇社区6.3万人口进行以社区为基础的CVD综合防治干预,内容包括高血压管理、控烟、合理营养、全民健身运动及糖尿病管理等.结果通过10年的干预,全人群血压知晓率为70.29%高血压管理率和控制率逐年提高,其中管理率达到80.50%,总控制率达到45.80%,而血压＜160/95mmHg控制率为58.80%,血压＜140/90mmHg控制率为32.80%;干预点社区人群收缩压和舒张压水平均下降,其差值分别为7.23mmHg和3.92mmHg;全人群CVD相关知识、态度及行为(KAB)水平明显提高;全人群脑卒中发病率和死亡率呈逐年下降趋势,分别由1997年的146.90/10万和108.63/10万下降到 2002年的105.83/10万和69.90/10万,6年来分别减少了41.07/10万和38.73/10万,且发病年龄后移;经济学分析表明,1997～2001年的平均效益-成本比为2.32.结论以社区为基础的CVD综合防治是有效的,但尚需加大干预力度和广度.     

广州居民恶性肿瘤和心脑血管病死亡分析

目的分析广州居民1990、1996和2000年恶性肿瘤和心脑血管病死亡情况。结果(1)广州居民仍以肺癌、肝癌、脑血管病和心脏病死亡为主，绝大部分恶性肿瘤死亡率男大于女，心脑血管病死亡率男女相近；(2)与1990年比，10年来，肺、肝、肠、鼻咽、乳腺(女性)等几种主要恶性肿瘤和脑血管病、心脏病和高血压病死亡率均明显上升，其中30～44岁组男性以肺癌、肝癌和鼻咽癌死亡危险性增加为主，女性则以乳腺癌和肺癌死亡危险性增加为主；30～44岁组脑血管病和心血管病死亡危险性分别增加63％和141％；30～59岁组高血压病死亡危险性增加172％。结论恶性肿瘤和心脑血管病防治宜从早开始；应重点抓好肺、肝、肠癌、女性乳腺癌、心血管病和高血压的防治。     

Secondary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease in Older Adults

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is extremely common in older adults and the potential benefits of secondary prevention are perhaps greater in this population than in younger patients. While there is good evidence that secondary prevention efforts are justified in patients up to 80 years of age, limited data are available on secondary prevention in octogenarians and there is no evidence to guide treatment in patients ≥ 90 years of age. Further, the value of secondary prevention may be confounded by prevalent comorbidities, polypharmacy, and limited life expectancy. It is therefore essential that all management decisions be made in relation to individual preferences and goals of care, with understanding by patients that benefits as well as risks may increase with age. Furthermore, research is needed to refine markers to better delineate which older adults are most likely to benefit from preventive therapies.     

The use of statins in people at risk of developing diabetes mellitus: Evidence and guidance for clinical practice

Reducing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels using statins is associated with significant reductions in cardiovascular (CV) events in a wide range of patient populations. Although statins are generally considered to be safe, recent studies suggest they are associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (T2D). This led the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to change their labelling requirements for statins to include a warning about the possibility of increased blood sugar and HbA1c levels and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to issue guidance on a small increased risk of T2D with the statin class. This review examines the evidence leading to these claims and provides practical guidance for primary care physicians on the use of statins in people with or at risk of developing T2D. Overall, evidence suggests that the benefits of statins for the reduction of CV risk far outweigh the risk of developing T2D, especially in individuals with higher CV risk. To reduce the risk of developing T2D, physicians should assess all patients for T2D risk prior to starting statin therapy, educate patients about their risks, and encourage risk-reduction through lifestyle changes. Whether some statins are more diabetogenic than others requires further study. Statin-treated patients at high risk of developing T2D should regularly be monitored for changes in blood glucose or HbA1c levels, and the risk of conversion from pre-diabetes to T2D should be reduced by intensifying lifestyle changes. Should a patient develop T2D during statin treatment, physicians should continue with statin therapy and manage T2D in accordance with relevant national guidelines.     

The Relationship of Biological and Psychological Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disorders in a Large-scale National Representative Community Survey

A large-scale national representative community survey of 11,122 persons aged more than 35 years included the investigation of the coincidence of depressive symptoms, vital exhaustion, cardiovascular disorders, stroke, and myocardial infarction. A total of 20.3% of the survey participants reported having experienced a cardiovascular disorder (CVD). Of the subjects reporting a CVD, 52.1% exhibited depressive symptoms (22.0% subthreshold depressive symptoms, 30.1% clinical depression), and 69.7% exhibited vital exhaustion. The authors investigated 3 cardiovascular subgroups: (1) subjects having experienced a myocardial infarction (MI), (2) subjects having experienced stroke, and (3) subjects with a CVD but no experience of either an MI or a stroke. The frequency and severity of depressive symptoms did not differ significantly in the 3 subgroups. CVD subjects with no MI or stroke had almost as high frequencies of depressive symptoms and vital exhaustion as patients who experienced stroke or MI. The strength of relationships between these psychological variables and CVDs do not differ significantly from the relationships between hypertension or diabetes and CVDs. Depressive symptoms and increased vital exhaustion have exceptionally high comorbidity with CVDs. The authors detected the same high comorbidity among patients with a milder CVD and without stroke or MI. The assessment and management of depressive symptoms and vital exhaustion should be routine procedure in clinical cardiology.     

Simple versus complex carbohydrates and health: A frequently neglected problem

AimsFor several decades, there has been a notion that dietary fat is made of different components (at least SAFA, MUFA, and PUFA) that exhibit different and sometimes contrasting effects when associated with health and diseases: coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in general. A similar fact is not noticed in carbohydrates and their components considering that even some major recent studies on the issue did not segregate simple carbohydrates from complex carbohydrates. In this study, we aimed to stress this need.Data synthesisA small number of selected studies are presented and commented where segregation of simple from complex carbohydrates was either performed or disregarded to address the inconsistency of not disentangling them.ConclusionsIf only total fats were considered in investigations where fat was studied, the present notion and attitude toward different roles of the various classes of fats, at least SAFA versus unsaturated (MUFA and PUFA) would be missing. Therefore, there is a need to disentangle simple from complex carbohydrates, and this should be systematically applied when addressing CHD or CVD mortality risks and their preventive measures.