Primary Care/Hospitalist
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Lactobacillus casei Supplementation Improves Inflammatory Markers and Disease Activity Scores in Rheumatoid Arthritis
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, the probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei 01 was provided to women with rheumatoid arthritis at a dosage of 108 colony forming units for a period of 8 weeks and compared to a placebo treatment. Disease activity score and levels of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6, and interleukin-12 were found to be significantly decreased at the end of the intervention. Additional parameters of state and trait anxiety were also evaluated and were not significantly altered by therapies.
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Acupuncture and Moxibustion in the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
This randomized, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that acupuncture and moxibustion treatment in patients with Crohn’s disease significantly improved the patient’s CD symptoms, quality of life, mucosal inflammation, serum hemoglobin, and C-reactive protein levels compared to the control group.
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Live Longer: Substitute in Whole Grains
When adjusted for possible confounding variables, this analysis of U.S. men and women found an association between higher whole grain intake and lower mortality from all causes, including cardiovascular disease, but no association for cancer mortality.
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The Disruptive Effects of Tablet Readers on Sleep Patterns
The use of light-emitting tablet devices prior to bedtime negatively impacts sleep patterns through disturbances in circadian rhythms.
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Urinary Tract Infection
MONOGRAPH: More than 8 million medical visits per year are for the chief complaint of UTI and the diagnosis accounts for 100,000 admissions annually.
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Clinical Briefs
Clinical Briefs on topics such as: Chronobiology and Insulin Glargine, Dual Add-on Therapy for Type 2 Diabetes When Metformin is Not Enough, and Might Long-term Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Be Better? Not
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Are Atrial Premature Complexes Benign?
Atrial premature complexes (APCs) are commonly observed on routine ECGs and believed to be harbingers of atrial fibrillation, especially in patients with cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the long-term prognosis of APCs in the general population. Thus, these investigators from Japan analyzed the database of a large community-based cohort from 1993 to 2008 to determine the risks of APCs seen on the subjects’ baseline ECGs.
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Statins After an MI: Does it Happen?
Following a hospitalization for coronary heart disease (CHD) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS), randomized trials demonstrate that high-intensity atorvastatin is more effective than either placebo or low- to moderate-intensity therapy with either pravastatin or atorvastatin.1-3 Based on this evidence, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association guidelines recommend high-intensity therapy in cases of an acute cardiac event and that therapy be initiated before discharge.
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Is it Worth it? Do “Healthy” Dietary Guidelines Lower the Risk of Heart Disease?
Recent controversy surrounds diet and its impact on cardiovascular disease (CVD). In this study, Reidlinger and her colleagues sought to assess diet by comparing the effects on vascular and lipid CVD risk factors of adhering to a diet consistent with United Kingdom (UK) dietary guidelines (DG group) to a traditional British diet (control group).
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Another Reason to Recommend Smoking Cessation
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice, affecting an estimated 2.7 million individuals in the United States.1 The proportion of strokes attributable to AF increases strikingly from 1.5% at 50-59 years of age to 23.5% at 80-89 years of age.2 Approximately 15-20% of all strokes are due to AF. To predict the thromboembolic risk in the individual patient, risk models used most frequently are CHA2DS2-VASc and CHADS2 scores. The CHA2DS2-VASc score may be the better option since both the 2014 American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Heart Rhythm Society AF guidelines, and the 2012 European Society of Cardiology AF guidelines prefer it when evaluating the individual thromboembolic risk associated with AF and to determine the risk:benefit ratio of antithrombotic therapy.3