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Ciccarone Articles

Ciccarone Center Research

Journal

New England Journal of Medicine

Landmark Articles

  • Genetic associations with valvular calcification and aortic stenosis.
    Genetic variation in the lipoprotein(a) locus, mediated by lipoprotein(a) levels, is associated with aortic valve calcification across multiple ethnic groups and with incident clinical aortic stenosis.
    Published in: New England Journal of Medicine
    Read on Pubmed
  • The HALTS trial — halting atherosclerosis or halted too early?
    The premature termination of the ARBITER 6–HALTS trial, the small number of patients studied, and the limited duration of follow-up preclude us from conclusively declaring niacin the adjunctive agent of choice on the basis of the evidence. A decrease of 0.014 mm in the carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) over 14 months does not necessarily merit changes in our lipid-lowering guidelines at this time. However, for now, we would support the use of niacin as the preferred adjunctive agent to be used in combination with the maximal dose of a potent statin in persons who have low levels of HDL cholesterol and established cardiovascular disease. In summary, the ARBITER 6–HALTS results are provocative and are an important contribution to preventive cardiology research. However, the secondary choices for optimizing cholesterol-lowering therapy, constituting part of the “C” component of the “ABCDEs” of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, should not overshadow the importance of the rest of the ABCDEs: assessment of risk, antiplatelet therapy, blood-pressure management, cholesterol modification and cigarette-smoking cessation, dietary and weight modification, and exercise habits.
    Published in: New England Journal of Medicine
    Read on Pubmed
CPAP versus oxygen in obstructive sleep apnea.
By: Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Mehra R, Patel SR, Quan SF, Babineau DC, Tracy RP, Rueschman M, Blumenthal RS, Lewis EF, Bhatt DL, Redline S.
In patients with cardiovascular disease or multiple CVD risk factors, the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), but not nocturnal supplemental oxygen, resulted in a significant reduction in blood pressure.
Read on Pubmed
Genetic associations with valvular calcification and aortic stenosis.
By: Thanassoulis G, Campbell CY, Owens DS, Smith JG, Smith AV, Peloso GM, Kerr KF, Pechlivanis S, Budoff MJ, Harris TB, Malhotra R, O’Brien KD, Kamstrup PR, Nordestgaard BG, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Allison MA, Aspelund T, Criqui MH, Heckbert SR, Hwang SJ, Liu Y, Sjogren M, van der Pals J, Kälsch H, Mühleisen TW, Nöthen MM, Cupples LA, Caslake M, Di Angelantonio E, Danesh J, Rotter JI, Sigurdsson S, Wong Q, Erbel R, Kathiresan S, Melander O, Gudnason V, O’Donnell CJ, Post WS; CHARGE Extracoronary Calcium Working Group.
Genetic variation in the lipoprotein(a) locus, mediated by lipoprotein(a) levels, is associated with aortic valve calcification across multiple ethnic groups and with incident clinical aortic stenosis.
Read on Pubmed
Lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease.
By: McEvoy JW.
Read on Pubmed
The HALTS trial — halting atherosclerosis or halted too early?
By: Blumenthal RS, Michos ED.
The premature termination of the ARBITER 6–HALTS trial, the small number of patients studied, and the limited duration of follow-up preclude us from conclusively declaring niacin the adjunctive agent of choice on the basis of the evidence. A decrease of 0.014 mm in the carotid intima–media thickness (IMT) over 14 months does not necessarily merit changes in our lipid-lowering guidelines at this time. However, for now, we would support the use of niacin as the preferred adjunctive agent to be used in combination with the maximal dose of a potent statin in persons who have low levels of HDL cholesterol and established cardiovascular disease. In summary, the ARBITER 6–HALTS results are provocative and are an important contribution to preventive cardiology research. However, the secondary choices for optimizing cholesterol-lowering therapy, constituting part of the “C” component of the “ABCDEs” of secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, should not overshadow the importance of the rest of the ABCDEs: assessment of risk, antiplatelet therapy, blood-pressure management, cholesterol modification and cigarette-smoking cessation, dietary and weight modification, and exercise habits.
Read on Pubmed
Exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation from medical imaging procedures.
By: Fazel R, Krumholz HM, Wang Y, Ross JS, Ting HH, Shah ND, Nasir K, Einstein AJ, Nallamothu BK.

Imaging procedures are an important source of exposure to ionizing radiation in the United States and can result in high cumulative effective doses of radiation.

Read on Pubmed