Internal and emergency medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial
A double blind randomized controlled trial investigating efficacy and safety of varenicline for smoking cessation in patients with type 2 diabetes: study protocol.
Reducing exposure to cigarette smoke is an imperative for public health and for diabetic patients. Patients with diabetes who continue to smoke face challenges at quitting and the delivery of effective smoking cessation interventions is a major unmet need. The high-affinity α4β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist varenicline in combination with counseling is effective for smoking cessation, but evidence in patients with diabetes is limited. ⋯ Efficacy end points will include carbon monoxide-confirmed continuous abstinence rate (CAR) and 7-day point prevalence of abstinence. The results of this RCT will help inform medical/health authorities and physicians worldwide whether an optimally varenicline-treated cohort of T2DM patients who smoke will experience significant success rates, without significant side effects. Trial registration NCT01387425 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01387425 ).
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Individuals belonging to ethnic minority groups are more susceptible to depression and comorbid hypertension than European host populations. Yet, data on how depression is related to hypertension in ethnic groups in Europe are lacking. Therefore, we studied the association between significant depressed mood (SDM) and hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control among ethnic groups. ⋯ There were no associations between SDM and hypertension, awareness, treatment and control in South-Asian Surinamese, African Surinamese and Ghanaian participants. The results underline significant differences in the association between SDM and hypertension awareness, treatment and control between ethnic groups. Our findings emphasize the necessity to further study ethnicity-related factors that may influence the association between SDM and hypertension to promote hypertension control especially, among Moroccans with SDM.
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A little is known about long-term hemodynamic performance of the transcatheter heart valves (THVs). The aim of the present study was to assess hemodynamic outcome, structural valve deterioration (SVD) and bioprosthetic valve failure (BVF) in patients treated with transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) five or more years ago. All consecutive patients treated at Bologna and Florence University Hospitals with TAVR between January 2008 and December 2013 were analyzed in a retrospective registry with regards to demographic, procedural and outcome data as well as follow-up data on mortality and echocardiographic characteristics. ⋯ The hemodynamic presentation was stenosis in most of the cases (12 patients). Late BVF was registered in 10 patients (3.13%) and this was mainly driven by transcatheter paravalvular leak closure (six patients) with subsequent good long-term outcome. Our results confirm that TAVR appears to be a long-lasting treatment strategy with low rates of structural valve degeneration and valve failure.