Risk is highest when AF develops more than 1 month after MI.

The effect of atrial fibrillation (AF) on prognosis in myocardial infarction (MI) patients is unclear. In this cohort study, Minnesota investigators identified 3220 patients hospitalized with first MIs and identified them as having (1) no AF, (2) AF before MI, or (3) AF within 2, 3–30, or >30 days after MI.

High-Selenium Yeast Supplementation Doesn't Lower Plasma Lipid Levels

Selenium supplementation should not be recommended.

Prevalent resistance to other drugs makes this old standby a cost-effective alternative for urinary tract infections.

Uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) has become surprisingly complicated to treat in recent years because of growing prevalence of microbial resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) and quinolones. Many experts now propose resurrection of the venerable antibiotic nitrofurantoin as a first-line treatment for uncomplicated cystitis.

Salicylic Acid Is as Effective as Cryotherapy for Plantar Warts

And costs were lower for home-administered salicylic acid treatment.

Preventing Gadolinium-Associated Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis

At one U.S. institution, adherence to guidelines has virtually eliminated this condition.

11% of patients had symptomatic arrhythmias.

The yield of Holter monitoring in patients with syncope depends on clinical characteristics and patient age, which affect pretest probability of an arrhythmic cause. In this study, Swiss researchers examined the diagnostic yield of 24-hour Holter monitoring in 475 consecutive patients (age, >80; 13% ?90) with syncope. Patients whose initial evaluations revealed obvious causes of syncope (e.g., orthostatic hypotension, diagnostic 12-lead electrocardiogram [ECG] finding) and those with previously implanted pacemakers were excluded. At baseline, half the patients had known structural heart disease.

Ambulatory BP Monitoring Appears to Be Cost-Effective for Diagnosing Hypertension

In a hypothetical cohort, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was better than office- or home-based monitoring.

Mortality Rises with Longer Intervals Between Dialysis Sessions

Hospitalizations for adverse cardiovascular events also were more common after 2-day interdialytic intervals.

Time Trends for Mortality Among Patients with Early- vs. Late-Onset Type 1 Diabetes

Early-onset patients are faring better, but late-onset patients are doing worse.