Screening and management of cardiovascular disease in Australian adults with HIV infection.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common in HIV infection. With no specific Australian guidelines for the screening and management of CVD in HIV-infected patients, best clinical practice is based on data from the general population. We evaluated adherence to these recommendations by primary care physicians who treat HIV-infected patients.

Reducing clinical trial monitoring resource allocation and costs through remote access to electronic medical records.

Purpose: With electronic medical records (eMRs), the option now exists for clinical trial monitors to perform source data verification (SDV) remotely. We report on a feasibility study of remote access to eMRs for SDV and the potential advantages of such a process in terms of resource allocation and cost.

Methods: The Clinical Trials Unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, in collaboration with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia, conducted a 6-month feasibility study of remote SDV.

Vascular function and mortality in haemodialysis patients: a pilot study.

Background: Haemodialysis patients often have impaired vascular function that can contribute to mortality. Endothelial-dependent and -independent vascular function can be assessed using the brachial artery reactivity (BAR) technique that measures flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and the response to glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), respectively.

Aims: The aim of this pilot study was to determine whether BAR measurements in haemodialysis patients were associated with mortality.

Pharmacoeconomic evidence of bosentan for pulmonary arterial hypertension.

In this article, we review randomized controlled trials, open-label trials and pharmacoeconomic models of bosentan for the management of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Bosentan consistently improves WHO functional class and quality of life, slows clinical worsening and is associated with improved survival compared with historical treatment. Although head-to-head trials are scarce, data directly comparing bosentan with sildenafil indicate no clinically significant differences between treatments as measured by the 6-min walk distance alone.

Hemodynamics in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): do they explain long-term clinical outcomes with PAH-specific therapy?

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has witnessed dramatic treatment advances over the past decade. However, with the exception of epoprostenol, data from short-term randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have not shown a benefit of these drugs on survival. There remains a need to differentiate between available therapies and current endpoint responses which in turn, could be used to guide treatment selection and provide long-term prognostic information for patients.

Efficacy, safety and tolerability of bosentan in Chinese patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Bosentan has an established role in the management of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This clinical trial assessed the benefits of bosentan in the Chinese population.

Methods: We investigated the efficacy and safety of bosentan in 92 Chinese citizens (mean +/- standard deviation age, 29.

Integrated care and optimal management of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) may occur as an idiopathic process or as a component of a variety of diseases, including connective tissue diseases, congenital heart disease, and exposure to appetite suppressants or infectious agents such as HIV. Untreated, it is a potentially devastating disease; however, diagnosis can be difficult due to the non-specific nature of symptoms during the early stages, and the fact that patients often present to a range of different medical specialties. The past decade has seen remarkable improvements in our understanding of the pathology associated with the condition and the development of PAH-specific therapies with the ability to alter the natural history of the disease.

No relationship between low-density lipoproteins and endothelial function in hemodialysis patients.

Background: Relationships between low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and endothelial function in hemodialysis patients have yet to be investigated. Furthermore, current reporting of endothelial function data using flow-mediated dilatation has recognised limitations. The aims of the study were to determine the relationship between low-density lipoproteins and endothelial function in hemodialysis patients and to investigate the validity of determining the area under the curve for data collected during the flow-mediated dilatation technique.

Near-infrared detection of potential evidence for microscopic organisms on Europa.

The possibility of an ocean within the icy shell of Jupiter's moon Europa has established that world as a primary candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life within our Solar System. This paper evaluates the potential to detect evidence for microbial life by comparing laboratory studies of terrestrial microorganisms with measurements from the Galileo Near Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (NIMS). If the interior of Europa at one time harbored life, some evidence may remain in the surface materials.