HDL: The good, but complex, cholesterol

Barter PJ, Caulfield M, Eriksson M, et al. Effects of torcetrapib in patients at high risk for coronary events [ILLUMINATE trial]. New England Journal of Medicine 2007; 357:2109-22.

Taylor AJ, Villines TC, Stanek EJ, et al. Extended-release niacin or ezetimibe and carotid intima-media thickness. New England Journal of Medicine 2009; 361:2113-22.

Bringing clarity to CRP testing

Genest J, McPherson R, Frohlich J, et al. 2009 Canadian Cardiovascular Society/Canadian guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of dyslipidemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease in the adult - 2009 recommendations. Canadian Journal of Cardiology 2009; 25:567-79.

Buckley DI, Fu R, Freeman M, Rogers K, Helfand M. C-reactive protein as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analyses for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine 2009; 151:483-95.

Protecting the heart from cancer therapy

Carver JR, Shapiro CL, Ng A, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical evidence review on the ongoing care of adult cancer survivors: cardiac and pulmonary late effects. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2007; 25:3991-4008.

Yeh ET, Bickford CL. Cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy: incidence, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2009; 53:2231-47.

Hewitt ME, Greenfield S, Stovall E, National Cancer Policy Board Committee on Cancer Survivorship. From Cancer Patient to Cancer Survivor: Lost in Transition. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, 2006.

Altena R, Perik PJ, van Veldhuisen DJ, de Vries EG, Gietema JA. Cardiovascular toxicity caused by cancer treatment: strategies for early detection. Lancet Oncology 2009; 10:391-9.

Cardiac cancer—uncommon but possible

Pinto DS, Blair BM, Schwartzstein RM, Smith CC. Clinical problem-solving. A sailor's heartbreak. New England Journal of Medicine 2005; 353:934-9.

Bussani R, De-Giorgio F, Abbate A, Silvestri F. Cardiac metastases. Journal of Clinical Pathology 2007; 60:27-34.

Elbardissi AW, Dearani JA, Daly RC, et al. Survival after resection of primary cardiac tumors: a 48-year experience. Circulation 2008; 118:S7-15.

New prescription for some leftover drugs

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Disposal by Flushing of Certain Unused Medicines: What You Should Know. Updated January 4, 2010.

Cut salt for resistant hypertension

Pimenta E, Gaddam KK, Oparil S, et al. Effects of dietary sodium reduction on blood pressure in subjects with resistant hypertension: results from a randomized trial. Hypertension 2009; 54:475-81.

It's never too late to quit smoking

Gerber Y, Rosen LJ, Goldbourt U, Benyamini Y, Drory Y. Smoking status and long-term survival after first acute myocardial infarction: a population-based cohort study. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2009; 54:2382-2387.

No sailing away from heart disease

Novaro GM, Bush HS, Fromkin KR, et al. Cardiovascular emergencies in cruise ship passengers. American Journal of Cardiology 2010; 105:153-157.

Lack of sex affects the heart

Hall SA, Shackelton R, Rosen RC, Araujo AB. Sexual activity, erectile dysfunction, and incident cardiovascular events. American Journal of Cardiology 2010; 105:192-197.

In brief

Heart transplants and skin cancer: Brewer JD, Colegio OR, Phillips PK, et al. Incidence of and risk factors for skin cancer after heart transplant. Archives of Dermatology 2009; 145:1391-6.

Coffee, tea, and less diabetes: Huxley R, Lee CM, Barzi F, et al. Coffee, decaffeinated coffee, and tea consumption in relation to incident type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine 2009; 169:2053-63.

What the mummies know: Allam AH, Thompson RC, Wann LS, Miyamoto MI, Thomas GS. Computed tomographic assessment of atherosclerosis in ancient Egyptian mummies. JAMA 2009; 302:2091-4.