International journal of cardiology
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Observational Study
High-sensitivity cardiac troponin for risk prediction in patients with and without coronary heart disease.
In stable patients with unknown coronary anatomy, higher levels of cardiac troponin are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. It was supposed that this association might be explained by the ability of cardiac troponin to detect minor myocardial necrosis which might be caused by subclinical coronary atherosclerosis. Thus, this analysis tested if the predictive value of high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) in stable patients is dependent of the presence or absence of angiographically documented coronary heart disease. ⋯ ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT00457236).
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Review Meta Analysis
Remote preconditioning and major clinical complications following adult cardiovascular surgery: systematic review and meta-analysis.
A number of 'proof-of-concept' trials suggest that remote ischaemic preconditioning (RIPC) reduces surrogate markers of end-organ injury in patients undergoing major cardiovascular surgery. To date, few studies have involved hard clinical outcomes as primary end-points. ⋯ Pooled data from pilot trials cannot confirm that RIPC has any significant effect on clinically relevant end-points. Heterogeneity in study inclusion and exclusion criteria and in the type of preconditioning stimulus limits the potential for extrapolation at present. An effort must be made to clarify the optimal preconditioning stimulus. Following this, large-scale trials in a range of patient populations are required to ascertain the role of this simple, cost-effective intervention in routine practice.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Monotherapy with the PCSK9 inhibitor alirocumab versus ezetimibe in patients with hypercholesterolemia: results of a 24 week, double-blind, randomized Phase 3 trial.
Efficacy and safety of alirocumab were compared with ezetimibe in hypercholesterolemic patients at moderate cardiovascular risk not receiving statins or other lipid-lowering therapy. ⋯ Alirocumab demonstrated significantly greater LDL-C lowering versus ezetimibe after 24 weeks with the lower 75 mg Q2W dose sufficient to provide ≥ 50% LDL-C reduction in the majority of the patients. Adverse events were comparable between groups.