Cardiovascular Business - October/November 2007 - (Page 40) News Beat › for week ly news, visit cardiovascul arbusiness.com [ food & drug administration ] [ clinical studies ] AHRQ, FDA study to determine whether ADHD drugs cause heart attacks Drug coated stents better than bare metal stents Cordis’ Cypher sirolimus-eluting coronary stent provides clinical benefits compared to a baremetal stent in up to five years of follow-up with no differences in safety based on the results of an e-Sirius trial, according to clinical investigators at the 2007 European Society of Cardiology Congress this fall. The five-year trial involved 352 patients from 35 European clinical centers, who were considered to be at moderate to high clinical risk for restenosis, and compared the restenosis rates between the Cypher stent and a bare-metal stent. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the FDA will collaborate in a study of medications used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and the potential risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular problems. The study will include the clinical data of about 500,000 children and adults, who have taken ADHD medications, to determine whether those drugs increase cardiovascular risks since these medications can increase heart rate and blood pressure. OIG RePORT: FDA needs to improve clinical trial methods Weaknesses in the FDA’s information systems and management processes hinder the agency’s ability to oversee clinical trial inspections, according to a recent report by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The FDA only has 200 specially-trained inspectors to audit an estimated 350,000 investigative sites. The OIG identified five steps to improve its system of oversights. Radial artery cath lab approach more cost-effective [ food for thought ] For diagnostic cardiac catheterization, the radial artery approach is more cost-effective than the femoral artery approach with or without the use of femoral closure devices, according to The Journal of Invasive Cardiology. Although the cost savings per case may appear small, between $77.40 and $183.90 per patient, when annual numbers are considered, there is potential for tremendous savings. Strawberries may reduce risk of inflammation Study subjects who reported eating the most strawberries experienced lower blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker for inflammation in the blood vessels, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Multidetector CT outdoes MR, echo in assessing AVA Multidetector CT most accurately assessed the aortic valve area (AVA) compared to cine MR imaging and transthoracic (TTE) and transesophageal (TEE) echocardiography, according to study results published in Radiology. Multidetector CT correctly depicted all 21 normal, six of eight mildly stenotic, seven of eight moderately stenotic, and 10 of 11 severely stenotic valves. It also correctly depicted all 14 bicuspid valves identified with TEE, eight of which were missed with TTE. Grape juice could mimic heart benefits of red wine Panic attacks, cardio risks linked in older women Panic attacks may be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events in older women, according to study in the October issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Excluding the 149 women with a history of cardiovascular disease yielded similar hazard ratios, which is 3.5 for coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women. Many studies have suggested that moderate red wine consumption is beneficial to cardiovascular health, but new research shows that Concord grape juice stimulates an arterial relaxation effect in a similar fashion to red wine, according to a study presented at the 2007 annual Winehealth conference. This study supports other preliminary research in which Concord grape juice also had a blood pressure-lowering effect. 40 Cardiovascular Business October/November 2007 http://www.cardiovascularbusiness.com
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