Antiarrhythmic drug classification
The popular Vaughan Williams classification was published in 1975 [1]. It is still being used by most of us. The Sicilian Gambit published in 1991 [2] has not been so popular because of its complexity.
Vaughan Williams classification is approximately as follows:
 Class I: Sodium channel blockers
â—¦a: Moderate Na channel block. e.g. Quinidine, Disopyramide
â—¦b: Weak Na channel block. e.g. Lignocaine, Mexiletine
â—¦c: Marked Na channel block. e.g. Flecainide, Propafenone
 Class II: Beta blockers
 Class III: Potassium channel blockers: Amiodarone, Sotalol, Ibutilide
 Class IV: Calcium channel blockers
In 2018, an exten...
Source: Cardiophile MD - October 13, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: ECG / Electrophysiology Source Type: blogs
New Technologies Drive Cost Growth Over Time
By KEN TERRY
(This is the eighth and final installment in a series of excerpts from Terry’s new book, Physician-Led Healthcare Reform: a New Approach to Medicare for All, published by the American Association for Physician Leadership.)
Medical technologies include drugs, devices, tests, and procedures. Considered as a whole, these technologies are the key driver of growth in health costs, according to Georgetown University professor Gregg Bloche and his associates.
Bloche, et al., view insurance coverage as the chief enabler of these technological innovations. In a 2017 Health Affairs Blog post, they said, â...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 5, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health Policy Ken Terry Source Type: blogs
Latest in lipidology: is lipoprotein(a) "the most dangerous particle you ’ve never heard of"?
Dr Attia's podcast on Lp(a), the link is here:https://peterattiamd.com/tomdayspring6/Discussed:- ApoB as a preferred metric over LDL-P [16:30]; Atherogenic lipoproteins (apoB/LDL-P) as front and center in pathogenesis of CVD. ApoB and LDL-P are used interchangeably, but this is not quite accurate.- Therapeutic goals for apoB concentration [21:45]-Lipoprotein(a)—the most dangerous particle you’ve never heard of [55:00];preferred lab measurements [1:17:45]; Lipoprotein(a), or Lp(a), is a distinctive particle with 2 components: - a lipoprotein core that resembles LDL- a shell that contains apolipopro...
Source: Clinical Cases and Images - Blog - October 1, 2020 Category: Universities & Medical Training Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, September 28th 2020
In conclusion, it remains unclear if brain-specific regional and temporal changes occur in the expression of the different APP variants during AD progression. Since APP is also found in blood cells, assessing the changes in APP mRNA expression in peripheral blood cells from AD patients has been considering an alternative. However, again the quantification of APP mRNA in peripheral blood cells has generated controversial results.
Brain APP protein has been analyzed in only a few studies, probably as it is difficult to interpret the complex pattern of APP variants and fragments. We previously characterized the soluabl...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 27, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Reducing Chronic Inflammation as Effective as Reducing Blood Cholesterol in Producing a Small Reversal of Atherosclerotic Lesions
This study provides characterization of a lipid-rich necrotic core, a dangerous type of coronary plaque made up of dead cells and cell debris that is prone to rupture. Ruptured plaque can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
The analysis involved 209 middle-aged patients (ages 37-62) with psoriasis who participated in the Psoriasis Atherosclerosis Cardiometabolic Initiative at the National Institutes of Health, an ongoing observational study. Of these participants, 124 received biologic therapy, and 85 were in the control group, treated only with topical creams and light therapy. To measure the effects of biologic ther...
Source: Fight Aging! - September 22, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs
Why are you still taking a statin drug?
The post Why are you still taking a statin drug? appeared first on Dr. William Davis. (Source: Wheat Belly Blog)
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 4, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle alternatives to statins cholesterol coronary disease heart disease LDL lipids Lipitor undoctored Source Type: blogs
Consider the natural ways to prevent or reverse atherosclerosis
Some people have high cholesterol but not much atherosclerosis. We think of their arteries as having nonstick surfaces. We know inflammation can predispose to plaque formation and plaque rupture, which is the trigger of most heart attacks. We know statin drugs can prevent and reverse plaque buildup, and make existing plaque sturdier and less likely […]Find jobs at  Careers by KevinMD.com.  Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.  Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 19, 2020 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/a-country-doctor" rel="tag" > Hans Duvefelt, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, August 17th 2020
In this study, we sought to elucidate the role of VRK-1 in regulation of adult life span in C. elegans. We found that overexpression of VRK-1::GFP (green fluorescent protein), which was detected in the nuclei of cells in multiple somatic tissues, including the intestine, increased life span. Conversely, genetic inhibition of vrk-1 decreased life span. We further showed that vrk-1 was essential for the increased life span of mitochondrial respiratory mutants. We demonstrated that VRK-1 was responsible for increasing the level of active and phosphorylated form of AMPK, thus promoting longevity.
A Fisetin Variant, C...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 16, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Reducing LDL Cholesterol is the Wrong Target for Cardiovascular Disease
When people say "cardiovascular disease" in the context of blood cholesterol, they mean atherosclerosis. This is the name given to the build up of fatty deposits that narrow and weaken blood vessels, leading to heart failure and ultimately some form of disabling or fatal rupture - a stroke or heart attack. The primary approach to treatment is the use of lifestyle choices and drugs such as statins to lower cholesterol carried by LDL particles in the blood. Unfortunately, the evidence strongly suggests that this is the wrong approach, in that the benefits are small and unreliable.
Atherosclerosis does occur more readi...
Source: Fight Aging! - August 12, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Statin drugs: More than just muscle aches
The post Statin drugs: More than just muscle aches appeared first on Dr. William Davis. (Source: Wheat Belly Blog)
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 17, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle Source Type: blogs
Gender differences in cardiovascular disease: Women are less likely to be prescribed certain heart medications
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading killer of both women and men in the US. Despite the significant impact CVD has on women, awareness and education for women’s heart disease has historically been low. A recent study, based on data from over two million patients, suggests that women were less likely to be prescribed aspirin, statins, and certain blood pressure medications compared to men.
CVD is a group of diseases involving the heart or blood vessels. It includes high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary artery disease, heart attacks, heart failure, heart valve problems, and abnormal heart rhythms. CVD ca...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 16, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Hannah Gaggin, MD, MPH Tags: Drugs and Supplements Heart Health Women's Health Source Type: blogs
Marijuana may be risky for your heart
Now that marijuana is legal for medical or recreational use in many states, growing numbers of Americans — including older people — are imbibing this popular drug. In fact, the percentage of people ages 65 and older who said they used some form of marijuana almost doubled between 2015 and 2018, a recent study reports.
Compared with prescription drugs, the health consequences of using marijuana are not nearly as well studied. But converging evidence suggests that the drug may be harmful for the heart, according to a review article in JACC: Journal of the American College of Cardiology. More than two million Americans wi...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - July 1, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Julie Corliss Tags: Heart Health Marijuana Source Type: blogs
Fight Aging! Newsletter, June 29th 2020
In conclusion, metabolomics is a promising approach for the assessment of biological age and appears complementary to established epigenetic clocks.
Sedentary Behavior Raises the Risk of Cancer Mortality
https://www.fightaging.org/archives/2020/06/sedentary-behavior-raises-the-risk-of-cancer-mortality/
Living a sedentary lifestyle is known to be harmful to long term health, raising the risk of age-related disease and mortality. Researchers here show that a sedentary life specifically increases cancer mortality, and does so independently of other factors. This is one of many, many reasons to maintain a r...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 28, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Newsletters Source Type: blogs
Nanoparticles Containing Cyclodextrins to Sequester Cholesterol Do Well in an Atherosclerosis Animal Model
Cyclodextrins bind to cholesterol. This aspect of their biochemistry has been used by the Underdog Pharmaceuticals team to produce a cyclodextrin that binds the form of toxic oxidized cholesterol known as 7-ketocholesterol. 7-ketocholesterol builds up with age and is implicated in a range of age-related conditions, particularly atherosclerosis, as altered cholesterols cause dysfunction in the macrophage cells responsible for removing cholesterols and other lipids from blood vessel walls. The outcome is the creation of fatty lesions that narrow and weaken blood vessels in older individuals, an ultimately fatal condition. Re...
Source: Fight Aging! - June 24, 2020 Category: Research Authors: Reason Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs
Statins disrupt the intestinal microbiome
The post Statins disrupt the intestinal microbiome appeared first on Dr. William Davis. (Source: Wheat Belly Blog)
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - June 23, 2020 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Wheat Belly Lifestyle bowel flora microbiota prebiotic probiotic undoctored Source Type: blogs
