(Press-News.org) ATS 2011, DENVER – Despite their beneficial effects in treating heart disease, neither aspirin nor simvastatin appear to offer benefit to patients suffering from pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), according to a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded study conducted at four U.S. medical centers. This was the first NIH-funded randomized clinical trial (RCT) in PAH.
The results of the study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.
PAH is a progressive, incurable disease characterized by increased blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs, which causes shortness of breath, dizziness and fatigue, and can lead to heart failure and death. PAH can occur on its own or be associated with other conditions, such as connective tissue diseases and congenital heart disease.
Although both aspirin and simvastatin are effective in many types of cardiovascular disease, these drugs have not been well-studied in the treatment of PAH, said Steven Kawut, MD, MS lead author and associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The study was designed to determine if the drugs could be effective in the treatment of patients with PAH.
"Surprisingly, we found no evidence that aspirin or simvastatin had beneficial clinical effects in this population, and the study was terminated early by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute upon the recommendation of the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)," said Dr. Kawut, who is also director of the university's Pulmonary Vascular Disease Program. "The results of this study do not support the routine treatment of PAH with these medications."
Researchers enrolled 65 patients in this placebo-controlled trial and randomized them into four groups: one in which patients received aspirin, one in which patients received simvastatin, one in which patients received both drugs, and one in which patients received neither drug. The main outcome, six-minute walk distance (6MWD) (a measure of how far a person can walk in six minutes), tended to be lower in the group taking simvastatin at six months. Based on these early results, the DSMB recommended stopping the study since there was a low probability of demonstrating a beneficial effect of simvastatin even if the study enrolled the planned number of subjects (92). There was no significant difference in the 6MWD between the group taking aspirin and the group taking placebo.
"Multiple animal studies have suggested that simvastatin would be effective in PAH, and aspirin has biologic effects which would be expected to benefit PAH patients," Dr. Kawut said. "This study demonstrates that federally-funded, investigator-initiated RCTs in PAH and other pulmonary vascular diseases are feasible. The findings show the importance of subjecting traditional cardiovascular therapies and drugs which appear effective in the laboratory to placebo-controlled RCTs in humans before recommending their use."
"Aspirin and simvastatin may be prescribed for usual clinical indications in patients with PAH, but should not be administered specifically to treat PAH," he added.
###
"A Randomized Clinical Trial Of Aspirin And Simvastatin For Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: ASA-STAT" (Session D96, Wednesday, May 18, 2:00-4:30 p.m., Room 505-506-507 (Street Level), Colorado Convention Center; Abstract 16864)
* Please note that numbers in this release may differ slightly from those in the abstract. Many of these investigations are ongoing; the release represents the most up-to-date data available at press time.
Heart drugs ineffective in treating pulmonary arterial hypertension
2011-05-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Maternal smoking causes changes in fetal DNA
2011-05-19
ATS 2011, DENVER - Children whose mothers or grandmothers smoked during pregnancy are at increased risk of asthma in childhood, but the underlying causes of this are not well understood. Now a new study indicates changes in a process called DNA methylation that occurs before birth may be a root cause.
The study will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference.
DNA methylation is a process that can alter a gene's usual function. These altered genes can be passed along from parent to child. In this case, researchers observed DNA methylation-related changes ...
Standing up to fight
2011-05-19
SALT LAKE CITY, May 18, 2011 – A University of Utah study shows that men hit harder when they stand on two legs than when they are on all fours, and when hitting downward rather than upward, giving tall, upright males a fighting advantage.
This may help explain why our ape-like human ancestors began walking upright and why women tend to prefer tall men.
"The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that our ancestors adopted bipedal posture so that males would be better at beating and killing each other when competing for females," says David Carrier, ...
UCSF team discovers key to fighting drug-resistant leukemia
2011-05-19
Doctors who treat children with the most common form of childhood cancer – acute lymphoblastic leukemia – are often baffled at how sometimes the cancer cells survive their best efforts and the most powerful modern cancer drugs.
Now a team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have uncovered the basis for this drug resistance: BCL6, a protein that leukemia cells use to stay alive. Targeting this protein may be the key to fighting drug-resistant leukemia, a discovery that may make cancer drugs more powerful and help doctors formulate ...
Auto Recyclers Seek EPA Retraction of Stormwater Permit Guidance Memorandum
2011-05-19
Today, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to retract its November, 2010 Guidance Memorandum that encourages state permitting authorities to measure industrial stormwater discharges through numeric effluent limits rather than use the traditional and effective best management practices (BMP) approach. "This Memorandum goes well beyond simply updating a policy as EPA suggests," says ARA's CEO Michael E. Wilson. "Rather, it appears to represent a major shift in how best to measure stormwater discharges - ...
The Earth's core is melting ... and freezing
2011-05-19
The inner core of the Earth is simultaneously melting and freezing due to circulation of heat in the overlying rocky mantle, according to new research from the University of Leeds, UC San Diego and the Indian Institute of Technology.
The findings, published tomorrow in Nature, could help us understand how the inner core formed and how the outer core acts as a 'geodynamo', which generates the planet's magnetic field.
"The origins of Earth's magnetic field remain a mystery to scientists," said study co-author Dr Jon Mound from the University of Leeds. "We can't go and ...
HeliScopeCAGE: A new gene expression analysis technique on a single molecule sequencer
2011-05-19
A new gene expression technique adapted for single molecule sequencing has enabled researchers at the RIKEN Omics Science Center (OSC) to accurately and quantitatively measure gene expression levels using only 100 nanograms of total RNA. The technique, which pairs RIKEN's Cap Analysis of Gene Expression (CAGE) protocol with the Helicos® Genetic Analysis System developed by Helicos BioSciences Corporation, opens the door to the detailed analysis of gene expression networks and rare cell populations.
In recent years, next-generation DNA sequencers have produced an increasingly ...
Breaking News! 2011 Urologist Report Reveals "Traction Beats Surgery for Permanent Lengthening of the Male Sex Organ"
2011-05-19
Penile enlargement is one of the most controversial topics today. Many physicians claim that there is no medical proof that the non-surgical methods for increasing the penile size actually work. In addition to that, there are many people online abusing this topic, which is one of the main reasons why everyone is so skeptic about it.
With the growing popularity of the penile extenders, one of the most reputable medical journals BJUI (British Journal of Urology International), which is issued as the official journal of the British Association of Urological Surgeons, have ...
Scottish data highlight dangerous practice in pediatric paracetamol prescribing
2011-05-19
Many of the prescriptions issued by GPs for paracetamol either give less than recommended doses to older children or exceed recommended doses in young children. Under-dosing may result in insufficient pain relief and over-dosing can damage a person's liver. "Getting the dose right can become even more complicated when parents also give their children additional paracetamol that they have bought over the counter," says James McLay, a senior member of the research team who studied this issue. The findings are published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
Paracetamol ...
'Critical baby step' taken for spying life on a molecular scale
2011-05-19
The ability to image single biological molecules in a living cell is something that has long eluded researchers; however, a novel technique, using the structure of diamond, may well be able to do this and potentially provide a tool for diagnosing, and eventually developing a treatment for, hard-to-cure diseases such as cancer.
In a study published today, Thursday, 19 May, in the Institute of Physics and the German Physical Society's New Journal of Physics, researchers have developed a technique, exploiting a specific defect in the lattice structure of diamond, to externally ...
Break the Bank at City Bingo Rewards Loyal Players of Free Bingo
2011-05-19
Free bingo site City Bingo has gone yet further in order to reward customers at the site. With existing promotions sending members to locations such as New York City and Barcelona and daily games of free bingo no deposit required, the Break the Bank deal is specifically for those logging on to City Bingo on a daily basis.
As the site has been claiming on the website - "Regular Players Can Always Feel a Buzz in the City - and our Break the Bank Promotion is the Talk of the Town!" With the site quickly becoming one of the premier free bingo brands with its distinctive ...