Venlafaxine and SCD Risk

Use of venlafaxine compared with other antidepressants and the risk of sudden cardiac death or near death: a nested case-control study — Martinez et al. 340: c249 — BMJ

Conclusions In this large, population based study, the use of venlafaxine was not associated with an excess risk of sudden cardiac death or near death compared with fluoxetine, dosulepin, or citalopram, in patients with depression or anxiety.

Carotid Artery Stenosis – Endarterectomy or Stent?

Short term and intermediate term comparison of endarterectomy versus stenting for carotid artery stenosis: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled clinical trials — Meier et al. 340: c467 — BMJ

Conclusions Carotid endarterectomy was found to be superior to carotid artery stenting for short term outcomes but the difference was not significant for intermediate term outcomes; this difference was mainly driven by non-disabling stroke. Significantly fewer cranial nerve injuries and myocardial infarctions occurred with carotid artery stenting.

High Risk for Recurrence or Death After 1st Stroke

After a Stroke, High Risk for a Recurrence – BusinessWeek

For the study, published in the Feb. 16 issue of Neurology, Feng’s team collected data on almost 10,400 people in South Carolina who’d had a stroke.

They found that 25 percent of those who had a stroke died within a year, and eight percent had another stroke within a year of their first stroke.

After one year, the risk for another stroke or death continued to rise, the researchers found, with about 18 percent having had another stroke within four years. In that time, about six percent had a heart attack and 41 percent had died from any cause, including 27 percent whose deaths were attributed to a stroke or heart attack.

Define “Celebratory” Please

“Celebratory” of course refers to the practice of some insurance company underwriting departments to allow non-tobacco rates for applicants with occasional use of cigars and pipes.

Cigars, Pipes No ‘Healthy’ Alternative to Cigarettes – BusinessWeek

The study results show clearly that cigar and pipe smokers are exposed to toxins and run the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a progressive destruction of airways than can be crippling. Emphysema and chronic obstructive bronchitis are the two major forms of COPD, which is a leading cause of death among U.S. adults.

Soft Drinks and Pancreatic Cancer – a Weak Link

Medical News: Soft Drinks Linked to Pancreatic Cancer Risk – in Hematology/Oncology, Other Cancers from MedPage Today

Pereira and colleagues followed 60,524 men and women who enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study between April 1993 and December 1998 and were followed for 14 years.

At enrollment, the participants completed a 146-question food frequency questionnaire, which contained three items related to soft drinks and juice. The questions asked the participants how much, if any, they drank of soft drinks such as Coca-Cola and 7-Up, orange juice, and other fruit and vegetable juices.

The dietary data was later cross-referenced with records from the Singapore Cancer Registry and the Singapore Registry of Births and Deaths, to determine which of the participants had died of pancreatic cancer and whether it might be related to their soft drink or juice consumption.

Overall, researchers found that 140 participants had contracted pancreatic cancer.

The results were largely consistent with three of four previous U.S. studies on the links between pancreatic cancer and soft drinks. Three of the U.S. studies found an association between soft drinks and cancer.

Watch That Paxil in Breast Cancer Applicants

Medical News: SSRI and Tamoxifen Increase Mortality Risk – in Hematology/Oncology, Breast Cancer from MedPage Today

Overlapping use of tamoxifen and the antidepressant paroxetine (Paxil) significantly increases the risk of breast cancer mortality, data from a large cohort of breast cancer patients showed.

The excess breast-cancer mortality risk ranged as high as 91%, depending on the duration of simultaneous use, researchers reported online in BMJ.

Oops.