Clinical Publication
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What Coronary Artery Calcium Score Signifies Secondary Prevention?
A large registry study of individuals without known cardiovascular disease but with known coronary artery CT calcium scores showed those with an Agatston score higher than 300 are at risk of experiencing major cardiac events similar to patients with known cardiovascular disease over five years.
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Risk of Incidental Coronary Calcium on Chest CT Scans
A deep learning-derived algorithm for measuring coronary artery calcium scores in non-ECG-gated, non-contrast chest CT scans ordered for non-cardiac reasons was predictive of death and adverse atherosclerotic cardiovascular events. This may provide an opportunity for earlier prevention interventions.
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Coronary CT Angiography in Patients with Type 2 Myocardial Infarction
In an observational, single-center study of patients with type 2 myocardial infarction who underwent coronary CT angiography, researchers reported fewer than half had a significant anatomic stenosis (50% or greater), but only 26% had a hemodynamically significant lesion by CT fractional flow reserve.
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How Many Steps a Day Will Improve Patients’ Longevity?
A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of the association of step counts and cadence with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events showed the benefits in these outcomes are statistically significant, at about 2,600 steps/day and peak at about 8,000 steps/day. Also, faster step cadence augments these benefits.
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Can Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Help with Insomnia?
In this randomized clinical trial, telephone-administered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia significantly outperformed education alone in alleviating insomnia and reducing daytime fatigue in older adults with osteoarthritis pain.
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Exploring the Relationship Between Alcohol and Cardiovascular Events
Researchers reported consuming two to 14 alcoholic drinks per week was associated with fewer major adverse cardiovascular events, which the authors noted could be explained in part by less stress-related neural activity demonstrated on PET and CT scans.
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Running to Keep Ahead of Coronary Artery Disease
In this cross-sectional review of the Master Athlete Heart study, the authors found lifelong endurance sport participation was not associated with a more favorable coronary plaque composition vs. a healthy lifestyle. Lifelong endurance athletes exhibited more coronary plaques.
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More Reports of Severe Group A Streptococcal Infection
Around the world, rates of severe illness caused by group A Streptococcus are rising. Possible explanations for the increase include immunity-altering, post-pandemic changes in exposure to respiratory pathogens and the emergence of new pathogenic M strains of Streptococcus.
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Steroids and Pneumonia — So Meta?
In a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, hydrocortisone lowered mortality rates among patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.
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COVID-19 Vaccine, 2023-2024 Formula (Comirnaty, Spikevax)
The newest vaccines target XBB.1.5, which is no longer the dominant circulating variant, but they offer protection against XBB.1.16 and more distant variants (e.g., EG.5.1, FL.1.1.1, and BA.2.86).