hydroxymethylglutaryl co-enzyme a reductase inhibitors, also known as statins, are a class of anti-hyperlipidemic agents. these drugs have been employed vastly to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disorders. soon after their introduction, benefits other than their primary actions were discovered. along with these pleiotropic properties, a series of mainly favorable effects ha...

AIMS To study the implications of European guidelines on the use of antihypertensives and/or lipid-lowering drugs (LLDs) for primary prevention in a Norwegian population. METHODS AND RESULTS The Tromsø study is a population-based study in the municipality Tromsø, Norway (from 1974 to till now). This analysis includes 45-79-year-old participants in 2001 (n = 6362, attendance rate 86%). From th...

multiple sclerosis (ms) is a chronic auto-immune disease. most therapeutic strategies for treatment of this disease direct immune modulation and control of inflammatory processes. first-line therapeutic agents showed moderate efficacy and frequent side-effects with moderate efficacy in trials. their parental administration and limited long-term adherence restrict their efficacy compared with se...

The understanding of the basis of gender differences in vascular function is of critical importance to establish gender targeted interventions in cardiovascular medicine. In this review we concentrate on the central role of the endothelium in respect to gender differences in cardiovascular physiology and pathophysiology. The role of estrogen and its receptors is introduced not only as key playe...

Cardiovascular safety has to be proven for antidiabetic therapy for type 2 diabetes according to the guidance from regulatory bodies. Recently, the results of the respective study for the sodium-glucose transporter-2 (SGLT-2) inhibitor empagliflozin were published. Unlike similar studies for other antidiabetic agents that proved cardiovascular safety by non-inferiority compared with standard tr...

The use of cardiovascular medications can have a variety of neuropsychiatric consequences. Many cardiovascular agents cause higher rates of fatigue and sedation than placebo, and case reports of medication-induced mood syndromes, psychosis, and cognitive disturbances exist for many cardiovascular drugs. Depression has been associated with P3-blockers, methyldopa, and reserpine, but more recent ...

The effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone, also known as corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), on the cardiovascular system have been intensively researched since its discovery. Moreover, the actions of urocortin (Ucn) I on the cardiovascular system have also been intensively scrutinized following the cloning and identification of its receptor, CRF receptor type 2 (CRFR2), in peripheral ti...

DPP4 inhibitors (DPP4i) are a class of newly developed antidiabetic drugs which preserve incretin hormones and promote postprandial insulin secretion. Although the cardiovascular effect of DPP4 inhibition has been substantially studied, the exact role of DPP4 in cardiovascular disease especially in humans remains elusive. Previous small studies and meta-analyses have suggested a benefit in both...

Patients with diabetes have a greatly increased relative risk of developing cardiovascular disease when compared with patients without diabetes. Much of this risk is related to insulin resistance and is associated with both traditional and nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors. Therapy for diabetes must address these risk factors in an attempt to prevent and adequately treat cardiovascular...