Arch Intern Med
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Anemia is frequent in patients with cancer, but there are concerns regarding treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents. Blood transfusions are commonly used as an alternative, but with little data regarding outcomes. ⋯ Both RBC and platelet transfusions are associated with increased risks of venous and arterial thrombotic events and mortality in hospitalized patients with cancer. Further investigation is necessary to determine whether this relationship is causal.
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Overt and subclinical hyperthyroidism are both well-known independent risk factors for atrial fibrillation. We aimed to investigate the association of high-normal thyroid function with the development of atrial fibrillation in a prospective population-based study in the elderly. ⋯ Within the normal range of thyroid parameters, persons with high-normal thyroid function are at an increased risk of atrial fibrillation.
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Diabetes mellitus is common, costly, and increasingly prevalent. Despite innovations in therapy, little is known about patterns and costs of drug treatment. ⋯ Increasingly complex and costly diabetes treatments are being applied to an increasing population. The magnitude of these rapid changes raises concerns about whether these more costly therapies will result in proportionately improved outcomes.
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The "timing hypothesis," in addressing findings from the Women's Health Initiative trial, suggests that hormone therapy (HT) should be initiated within 6 years of the menopause transition to extend a favorable estrogenic environment after menopause. ⋯ Although HT users had some more favorable lipid profiles than premenopausal and postmenopausal women, there was evidence of adverse HT effects even in women free of atherosclerosis studied within the approximate 6-year period proposed with the timing hypothesis.