PLoS medicine
-
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003084.].
-
Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption is associated with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Argentina is one of the major consumers of SSBs per capita worldwide. Determining the impact of SSB reduction on health will inform policy debates. ⋯ Our study finds that, even under conservative assumptions, a relatively small reduction in SSB consumption could lead to a substantial decrease in diabetes incidence, cardiovascular events, and mortality in Argentina.
-
Meta Analysis
Efficacy and safety of bempedoic acid for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Bempedoic acid is a first-in-class lipid-lowering drug recommended by guidelines for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. Our objective was to estimate its average effect on plasma lipids in humans and its safety profile. ⋯ Our results show that bempedoic acid has favorable effects on lipid profile and hsCRP levels and an acceptable safety profile. Further well-designed studies are needed to explore its longer-term safety.
-
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is underdiagnosed and especially undertreated in China. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of unknown and untreated AF in community residents (≥65 years old) and to determine whether an education intervention could improve oral anticoagulant (OAC) prescription. ⋯ We demonstrated a noticeable gap in AF detection and treatment in community-based elderly Chinese: actionable AF constituted a high proportion of those screened. Disease education and advice on specialist referral are insufficient to close the gap. Before more frequent or intensive screening for unknown AF could be recommended in China, greater efforts must be made to increase appropriate OAC therapy in known AF to prevent AF-related stroke.
-
Efforts to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing have coincided with increasing awareness of sepsis. We aimed to estimate the probability of sepsis following infection consultations in primary care when antibiotics were or were not prescribed. ⋯ These stratified estimates of risk help to identify groups in which antibiotic prescribing may be more safely reduced. Risks of sepsis and benefits of antibiotics are more substantial among older adults, persons with more advanced frailty, or following UTIs.