Heparin based prophylaxis to prevent venous thromboembolic events and death in patients with cancer - a subgroup analysis of CERTIFY.

Background: Patients with cancer have an increased risk of VTE. We compared VTE rates and bleeding complications in 1) cancer patients receiving LMWH or UFH and 2) patients with or without cancer.

Methods: Acutely-ill, non-surgical patients ≥ 70 years with (n = 274) or without cancer (n = 2,965) received certoparin 3,000 UaXa o.

Certoparin versus unfractionated heparin to prevent venous thromboembolic events in patients hospitalized because of heart failure: a subgroup analysis of the randomized, controlled CERTIFY study.

Background: Despite the elevated risk for developing venous thromboembolic events in patients with heart failure, there are no randomized, double-blind, controlled trial data on the comparison of low-molecular-weight heparin with unfractionated heparin (UFH) in this patient population.

Methods: This was a subgroup analysis of the CERTIFY trial, which included 3,239 nonsurgical, acutely ill medical patients 70 years or older. Patients were randomized to receive 3,000-U anti-Xa certoparin once daily or 5,000-IU UFH 3 times a day.

An open-label comparison of the efficacy and safety of certoparin versus unfractionated heparin for the prevention of thromboembolic complications in acutely ill medical patients: CERTAIN.

Objective: Guidelines recommend low-dose unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low-molecular-weight heparin for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in acutely ill medical patients. We report the findings of an open-label, active-controlled, multicenter study in acutely ill medical patients comparing certoparin and UFH.

Research Design And Methods: Open-label, active-controlled, multicenter study.

Different galenic formulations of fluvastatin have equal lipid-lowering potential but differ in reducing lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Background: Postprandial lipemia is known to exert a reversible detrimental effect on endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD). Fasting FMD has shown to be improved by fluvastatin. In this study, we investigated whether lipemia-induced endothelial dysfunction can be mitigated by fluvastatin in two (immediate-release and extended-release) formulations.

Fluvastatin treatment and withdrawal: effects on endothelial function.

Fluvastatin lowers lipids and protects endothelial function. This study investigated how 2 preparations of fluvastatin would affect endothelial function after treatment and early after its discontinuation. Twenty-seven patients received 80 mg extended-release fluvastatin every day, 40 mg immediate-release fluvastatin twice a day, or placebo for 5 weeks.

Effect of the angiotensin receptor blocker Valsartan on coronary microvascular flow reserve in moderately hypertensive patients with stable coronary artery disease.

Aims: To noninvasively investigate the effects of the angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) Valsartan. on myocardial microcirculation in moderately hypertensive patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods And Results: In this prospective open-label study, patients with mild stable CAD and moderate systolic and/or diastolic hypertension were treated with 160 mg Valsartan daily.

The renal safety profile of fluvastatin: results of a pooled analysis.

A pooled analysis was designed to evaluate the effects of fluvastatin on the kidney, in terms of renal adverse events, laboratory abnormalities, and renal function over time. An analysis of adverse events was performed on data from 30 completed clinical trials of fluvastatin in 11,815 patients. An analysis of renal function was also performed on data from patients who participated in long-term studies >6 months in treatment duration.

The effect of fluvastatin on cardiac outcomes in patients with moderate to severe renal insufficiency: a pooled analysis of double-blind, randomized trials.

Background: Individuals with chronic kidney disease are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and have a high prevalence of hyperlipidemia. Lipid-lowering therapy may help patients with renal disease reduce their risk for cardiovascular events.

Methods: A pooled analysis of 30 completed clinical trials compared the efficacy and safety profiles of fluvastatin in subgroups of patients with moderate to severe renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance < 50 ml/min) and patients with normal renal function or mild renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance > or = 50 ml/min).

Efficacy and safety of fluvastatin-extended release in hypercholesterolemic patients: morning administration is equivalent to evening administration.

Background: Flexibility in the time of administration of statin therapy is likely to improve patient compliance. This study compared the efficacy and tolerability of morning and evening administration of the extended-release formulation of fluvastatin (fluvastatin XL).

Methods: In this prospective, double-blind, multicenter, multiple dose study, 236 patients with type IIa/b hypercholesterolemia were randomized to receive fluvastatin XL, 80 mg, in the morning or evening for 8 weeks.

Fluvastatin slow-release lowers platelet-activating factor acetyl hydrolase activity: a placebo-controlled trial in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Fluvastatin reduces atherogenic dense low-density lipoprotein (dLDL) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). dLDLs are associated with platelet-activating factor acetyl hydrolase (PAF-AH), an enzyme involved in inflammation and related to coronary artery disease (CAD). The association of preexisting CAD and PAF-AH and the effect of fluvastatin on enzyme activity is investigated in a placebo-controlled trial in patients with T2DM.

Effect of fluvastatin slow-release on low density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: baseline LDL profile determines specific mode of action.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of slow-release (XL) fluvastatin on low density lipoprotein (LDL) subfractions in type 2 diabetes. A multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group comparison of fluvastatin XL 80 mg (n = 42) and placebo (n = 47), each given once-daily for 8 wk, in 89 patients with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c: 7.2 +/- 1.

Dysregulation of coronary microvascular reactivity in asymptomatic patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

In diabetic patients, a number of studies have suggested an impairment of vascular reactivity in response to vasodilatory stimuli. The pattern of dysregulation at the coronary microcirculatory level, however, has not been clearly defined. Thus, it was the aim of this study to characterise coronary microvascular function non-invasively in a homogeneous group of asymptomatic type 2 diabetic patients.