PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Metformin does not improve heart function in patients without diabetes

2014-03-31
(Press-News.org) Although some research has suggested that metformin, a medication often used in the treatment of diabetes, may have favorable effects on ventricular (heart) function, among patients without diabetes who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; a procedure such as stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram following a heart attack), treatment with metformin did not result in improved ventricular function, according to a JAMA study released online to coincide with its presentation at the 2014 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions.

Treatment for STEMI includes immediate treatment with anticlotting medications and PCI to restore coronary blood flow. STEMI results in left ventricular dysfunction (decreased pump function) in up to 50 percent of patients, and approximately 20 percent to 40 percent of patients develop heart failure sometime after STEMI; heart failure after STEMI is associated with a 3 to 4 times higher risk of death. Left ventricular dysfunction is regarded as the strongest predictor for adverse outcome after STEMI, according to background information in the article.

Chris P. H. Lexis, M.D., of the University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands, and colleagues randomly assigned 380 patients who underwent PCI for STEMI to receive metformin hydrochloride or placebo twice daily for 4 months to determine whether metformin helps preserve left ventricular function after STEMI in patients without diabetes. Left ventricular ejection fraction (a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps blood with each contraction) was assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

Left ventricular ejection fraction 4 months after beginning the study did not differ between the metformin group (53.1 percent) and the placebo group (54.8 percent). In addition, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level (a cardiac biomarker) was not different between the 2 groups.

Major adverse cardiac events were observed in 6 patients (3.1 percent) in the metformin group and in 2 patients (1.1 percent) in the placebo group.

"Because left ventricular function is currently regarded as the most important predictor of morbidity and mortality after STEMI, it is unlikely that metformin will have a significant effect on long-term outcome after STEMI in patients without diabetes," the authors write.

"The present findings do not support the use of metformin in this setting." INFORMATION: (doi:10.1001/jama.2014.3315 Available pre-embargo to the media at http://media.jamanetwork.com)

Editor's Note: This study was supported by a grant from ZonMw, the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development, The Hague, the Netherlands. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Cleveland Clinic study shows bariatric surgery provides long-term control of diabetes

2014-03-31
Cleveland: A study by Cleveland Clinic researchers shows bariatric surgery is a highly effective and durable treatment for type 2 diabetes in obese patients, enabling nearly all surgical patients to be free of insulin and many to be free of all diabetic medications three years after surgery. The STAMPEDE (Surgical Therapy And Medications Potentially Eradicate Diabetes Efficiently) trial was simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented today at the Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Washington, D.C. The ...

Addicts who live in the moment may benefit most from certain kinds of treatment

Addicts who live in the moment may benefit most from certain kinds of treatment
2014-03-31
Drug-dependent people who least take the future into account may, paradoxically, be the ones to benefit the most from certain treatments. The human instinct to choose instant gratification, such as a drug high, over a later benefit, such as good health — known as future or delay discounting — is strong in people with drug dependencies. An important component of addiction is failure to exert self-control in recognition of future consequences. In a study in Clinical Psychological Science, a team of researchers has found an unexpected pattern that may provide hope for ...

Diamonds are an oil's best friend

2014-03-31
A mixture of diamond nanoparticles and mineral oil easily outperforms other types of fluid created for heat-transfer applications, according to new research by Rice University. Rice scientists mixed very low concentrations of diamond particles (about 6 nanometers in diameter) with mineral oil to test the nanofluid's thermal conductivity and how temperature would affect its viscosity. They found it to be much better than nanofluids that contain higher amounts of oxide, nitride or carbide ceramics, metals, semiconductors, carbon nanotubes and other composite materials. ...

Academic workplace bias against parents hurts nonparents too

2014-03-31
Parents have reported before that trying to balance work and family obligations comes with career costs. But a new study from Rice University and the University of California, San Diego, shows that university workplace bias against scientists and engineers who use flexible work arrangements may increase employee dissatisfaction and turnover even for people who don't have children. "As researchers, we're interested in understanding the gap between the traditional 9-to-5 work setting and what workers actually need," said Erin Cech, an assistant professor of sociology at ...

Clonidine doesn't reduce deaths or heart attack after non-cardiac surgery

2014-03-31
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) — Clonidine – a drug that reduces blood pressure and heart rate – increased rates of clinically concerning hypotension and non-fatal cardiac arrest after noncardiac surgery, according to the POISE-2 trial presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. With more than 10,000 patients in 23 countries, this randomized clinical trial is the largest study of clonidine in surgical patients. The study's findings caught researchers by surprise. The earlier POISE-1 study found that beta blockers greatly reduced risk ...

Major bleeds rise with perioperative aspirin for non-cardiac surgery

2014-03-31
WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) — Patients given aspirin to prevent heart problems after non-heart-related surgery had a higher risk of serious bleeding than the patients who did not receive aspirin. At the same time, aspirin did not reduce incidence of post-operative heart attacks and death, according to data from POISE-2 presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. POISE-2 is the largest clinical trial focused on major cardiovascular complications in non-cardiac surgery. Although many guidelines address prophylactic aspirin in a surgical ...

BUSM study finds increasing health coverage does not improve readmission rates

2014-03-31
Boston—In a first of its kind retrospective study, Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have found that providing health insurance coverage to previously uninsured people does not result in reducing 30-day readmission rates. The study, which appears in the British Medical Journal, used data on actual (versus self-reported) use of care and also found no change in racial/ethnic disparities in this outcome, despite a markedly higher baseline of uninsurance among African-American and Hispanics in Massachusetts. Readmissions have been the focus of health ...

Novel study into breast cancer origins paves way for personalized treatment

2014-03-31
Breast cancers can look and behave very differently. Understanding why and how they do so is key to designing more tailored therapies for patients and sparing them unnecessary treatments. In a new study published by the Journal of Pathology, Dr Matt Smalley from Cardiff University treads new ground in exploring what drives breast cancers to look and behave so differently from one another. "The ultimate aim of this research is to be able to take a more personalised approach to medicine," said Dr Smalley from Cardiff University's European Cancer Stem Cell Research Institute. ...

Mobile tools boost tobacco screening and cessation counseling

Mobile tools boost tobacco screening and cessation counseling
2014-03-31
(NEW YORK, NY, March 31, 2014) – Smartphones and tablets may hold the key to getting more clinicians to screen patients for tobacco use and advise smokers on how to quit. Even though tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the U.S., clinicians often don't ask about smoking during patient exams. Using mobile phones loaded with tobacco screening guidelines prompted nurses to ask patients about their smoking habits in 84 percent of clinic visits and to offer cessation counseling to 99 percent of smokers who expressed a willingness to kick the habit, ...

Emergency management in Arctic: Experts offer 7 key recommendations

Emergency management in Arctic: Experts offer 7 key recommendations
2014-03-31
Inadequate risk assessment, planning and training are among the gaps in many parts of Canada's Arctic, compounding the challenges of brutal weather, vast distances, difficult transportation and spotty communications and exposing the region's residents to the ever increasing risks of natural and man-made disasters and emergencies, according to a major new report released today. In the report experts identify seven key recommendations and set priorities for emergency preparedness, synthesized from a series of hearings in each of Canada's three northern territories, concluded ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Are lifetimes of big appliances really shrinking?

Pink skies

Monkeys are world’s best yodellers - new research

Key differences between visual- and memory-led Alzheimer’s discovered

% weight loss targets in obesity management – is this the wrong objective?

An app can change how you see yourself at work

NYC speed cameras take six months to change driver behavior, effects vary by neighborhood, new study reveals

New research shows that propaganda is on the rise in China

Even the richest Americans face shorter lifespans than their European counterparts, study finds

Novel genes linked to rare childhood diarrhea

New computer model reveals how Bronze Age Scandinavians could have crossed the sea

Novel point-of-care technology delivers accurate HIV results in minutes

Researchers reveal key brain differences to explain why Ritalin helps improve focus in some more than others

Study finds nearly five-fold increase in hospitalizations for common cause of stroke

Study reveals how alcohol abuse damages cognition

Medicinal cannabis is linked to long-term benefits in health-related quality of life

Microplastics detected in cat placentas and fetuses during early pregnancy

Ancient amphibians as big as alligators died in mass mortality event in Triassic Wyoming

Scientists uncover the first clear evidence of air sacs in the fossilized bones of alvarezsaurian dinosaurs: the "hollow bones" which help modern day birds to fly

Alcohol makes male flies sexy

TB patients globally often incur "catastrophic costs" of up to $11,329 USD, despite many countries offering free treatment, with predominant drivers of cost being hospitalization and loss of income

Study links teen girls’ screen time to sleep disruptions and depression

Scientists unveil starfish-inspired wearable tech for heart monitoring

Footprints reveal prehistoric Scottish lagoons were stomping grounds for giant Jurassic dinosaurs

AI effectively predicts dementia risk in American Indian/Alaska Native elders

First guideline on newborn screening for cystic fibrosis calls for changes in practice to improve outcomes

Existing international law can help secure peace and security in outer space, study shows

Pinning down the process of West Nile virus transmission

UTA-backed research tackles health challenges across ages

In pancreatic cancer, a race against time

[Press-News.org] Metformin does not improve heart function in patients without diabetes