Tag Archives: PURE

Self-monitoring of type 2 diabetes cuts costs Self-monitoring of type 2 diabetes used in combination with an electronic feedback system results in considerable savings on health care costs and also travel costs for patients, especially in sparsely populated areas, a new study shows. The study, carried out in Northern Karelia by the University of Eastern Finland, found that by replacing half of the required follow-up visits for type 2 diabetes with self-measurements and electronic feedback, total costs of glycated haemoglobin monitoring were reduced by nearly 60%. The annual per-patient cost was down from 280 euros to 120 euros. Fewer follow-u

Results from the PURE (Prospective Urban-Rural Epidemiology) study, carried out on 135,000 individuals aged 35 to 70 years from 18 low, middle and high-income countries (North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East, South Asia, China, South East Asia and Africa) has contrasted with current dietary advice, by finding that high carbohydrate intake is linked to worse total mortality and non-cardiovascular mortality outcomes, while high fat intake is associated with lower risk. “Our findings do not support the current recommendation to limit total fat intake to less than 30% of energy and saturated fat intake to less than 10% of energ

PRAMI: preventive PCI of other lesions beneficial in STEMI Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) have better outcomes if non-culprit lesions are also treated, according to results from the PRAMI (Preventive Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction Trial) study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine (http://dx.doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1305520). In the trial, patients who also had PCI of the non-culprit lesions had a 65% reduction in event rate, driven by reductions in subsequent myocardial infarction (MI) and refractory angina. Presenting the results, Dr David Wa

ARISTOTLE: apixaban superior to warfarin in AF patients Another oral anticoagulant has shown good results in comparison to warfarin for use in the prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The new oral factor Xa inhibitor, apixaban, was superior to warfarin in preventing stroke or systemic embolism and was also associated with less bleeding and lower mortality than warfarin in the ARISTOTLE trial. Apixaban is the third of the new generation of oral anticoagulants to be tested in this indication, and seems to have performed the best. The other two agents – dabigatran and rivaroxaban – have also been shown to be viable