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Although chronic oral antiarrhythmic prophylaxis and catheter ablation both enjoy great success for preventing recurrences of atrial fibrillation (AF), some patients are not appropriate candidates for either method, especially patients with infrequent recurrences of AF.
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Examining data from a 20-year time period, correlations were sought between antisecretory drug therapy and cumulative incidence of dysplasia. Incidence of dysplasia was significantly lower in patients who had received proton pump inhibitor therapy vs no therapy or H2-receptor antagonists.
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Increased hospitalizations for abnormal bleeding were found in new users of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, with more risk associated with SSRIs containing greater degrees of serotonin reuptake inhibition.
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The most commonly prescribed statins have a low incidence of rhabdomyolysis, according to the results a new study of more than 250,000 patients.
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A new nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of insomnia.
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Pravastatin is the statin with the least interactions with cytochrome P450-(CYP) 3A4 inhibitors.
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The addition of antiplatelet therapy to reduced intensity anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation patients reduces death and embolic events without increasing bleeding.
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Although we have recently enjoyed the FDA approval of two agents for treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (duloxetine [Cymbalta], pregabalin [Lyrica]), as yet we have no treatment for diabetic peripheral neuropathy itself.
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Several classes of pharmacological agents have demonstrated benefits in hypertensive patients with CAD, but most published studies have, of necessity, enrolled only patients with an elevated or borderline elevated blood pressure. Recent clinical trials have demonstrated benefits for both angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and calcium channel blockers (in patients with coronary artery disease with relatively normal or borderline elevated blood pressures.
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These studies note that: . . .sub-clinical thyroid dysfunction is a common clinical problem with many controversial issues regarding screening, evaluation, and management.