Oxfordshire GP Dr Richard Lehman and Yale University professor Harlan Krumholz say that reducing the lowest QOF target for HbA1c from 7.5% to 7% for 2009/10 incentivises an outdated treatment strategy.

Evidence from the ACCORD and ADVANCE studies suggests that tight glycaemic control in established type-2 diabetes has little benefit and can be harmful, they say.

In addition, pursuing the target could mean patients are transferred Read more »

by Amy Cheung

The chronic form of bronchitis is defined as the enlargement of the airways or bronchi in the upper respiratory system as well as the overproduction of an abnormally high level of mucus. Ultimately, this triggers cough and expectoration in a good number of people experiencing this condition. The coughing is more often than not observed in the early hours of morning right after getting up from bed, and is frequently known as ’smokers Read more »

Svati Shah and colleagues from Duke University in North Carolina examined changes in the neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene.

They found that six variants of the gene were strongly associated with the risk of developing CAD before the age of 37.

‘These young patients are a vulnerable population on whom CAD has a significant long-term impact, but they are particularly hard to identify and therefore to initiate preventive therapies Read more »

Dr Dinesh Shrikrishna and colleagues report the case of a veterinary nurse infected with bovine TB, along with her daughter and pet dog. ‘This case demonstrates that human infection with Mycobacterium bovis [bovine TB] acquired in the UK is not a disease of the past,’ the researchers say.

They add: ‘The potential for airborne transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, particularly to segments of the rural population, highlights Read more »

The study looked at more than 3,000 employed men, aged 19-70, whose heart health was checked in the workplace between 1992 and 1995.

All of the employees were asked to rate the leadership style of their senior managers.

Overall, 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks were reported during the study.

Staff who ranked their mangers to be the least competent had a higher risk of suffering a heart attack compared Read more »

Previous studies looking at the benefits of exercise in HF patients have been inconclusive and have lacked safety data.

This latest study, called ACTION, involved 1,159 patients who were randomly assigned to exercise training and 1,172 patients who did not exercise but had moderate physical activity.

At the end of the 2.5 year study, the researchers found that exercise training reduced the risk of hospitalisation for cardiovascular Read more »