Sporadic high blood pressure deserves attention

Mancia G, Bombelli M, Facchetti R, et al. Long-term risk of sustained hypertension in white-coat or masked hypertension. Hypertension 2009; 54:226-32.

Pickering TG, Miller NH, Ogedegbe G, Krakoff LR, Artinian NT, Goff D. Call to action on use and reimbursement for home blood pressure monitoring: a joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association, American Society Of Hypertension, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. Hypertension 2008; 52:1-9.

Exercise prescription for diabetes

Marwick TH, Hordern MD, Miller T, et al. Exercise training for type 2 diabetes mellitus: impact on cardiovascular risk: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2009; 119:3244-62.

6 steps to safer use of triple therapy

Holmes DR, Jr., Kereiakes DJ, Kleiman NS, Moliterno DJ, Patti G, Grines CL. Combining antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2009; 54:95-109.

Using music to tune the heart

Bradt J, Dileo C. Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009:CD006577.

Mandel SE, Hanser SB, Secic M, Davis BA. Effects of music therapy on health-related outcomes in cardiac rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Music Therapy 2007; 44:176-97.

Hanser SB, Mandel SE. The effects of music therapy in cardiac healthcare. Cardiology in Review 2005; 13:18-23.

Help from nature

Korpela KM, Ylen MP. Effectiveness of favorite-place prescriptions: a field experiment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2009; 36:435-8.

Setting standards for pacemaker and ICD lead extraction

Wilkoff BL, Love CJ, Byrd CL, et al. Transvenous lead extraction: Heart Rhythm Society expert consensus on facilities, training, indications, and patient management. Heart Rhythm 2009; 6:1085-104.

Heart failure tough on B vitamins

Keith ME, Walsh NA, Darling PB, et al. B-vitamin deficiency in hospitalized patients with heart failure. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009; 109:1406-10.

Statins before vascular surgery

Schouten O, Boersma E, Hoeks SE, et al. Fluvastatin and perioperative events in patients undergoing vascular surgery. New England Journal of Medicine 2009; 361:980-9.

Go Mediterranean for the brain and heart

Feart C, Samieri C, Rondeau V, et al. Adherence to a Mediterranean diet, cognitive decline, and risk of dementia. JAMA 2009; 302:638-48.

Scarmeas N, Luchsinger JA, Schupf N, et al. Physical activity, diet, and risk of Alzheimer disease. JAMA 2009; 302:627-37.

Blood pressure reading affected by eating

Ahuja KD, Robertson IK, Ball MJ. Acute effects of food on postprandial blood pressure and measures of arterial stiffness in healthy humans. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2009; 90:298-303.

In brief

Warfarin alternative: Connolly SJ, Ezekowitz MD, Yusuf S, et al. Dabigatran versus warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation. New England Journal of Medicine 2009; 361:1139-51.

Fried cholesterol doubly bad: Zhen-Yu Chen, Nan Yang. Oxidized cholesterol is more hypercholesterolemic and atherogenic than nonoxidized cholesterol in hamsters. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, August 20, 2009, Washington DC.

Reducing stroke risk: Amarenco P, Goldstein LB, Messig M, et al. Relative and cumulative effects of lipid and blood pressure control in the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels trial. Stroke 2009; 40:2486-92.

High-dose statin vs. combinations: Sharma M, Ansari MT, Abou-Setta AM, et al. Systematic Review: Comparative Effectiveness and Harms of Combinations of Lipid-Modifying Agents and High-Dose Statin Monotherapy. Annals of Internal Medicine 2009; published online August 31, 2009.