Banishing secondhand smoke

The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Office of the Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC, 2006.

Sleiman M, Gundel LA, Pankow JF, Jacob P, 3rd, Singer BC, Destaillats H. Formation of carcinogens indoors by surface-mediated reactions of nicotine with nitrous acid, leading to potential thirdhand smoke hazards. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2010; published online ahead of print.

A no-surgery fix for atrial ablation?

Short R. Pioneers in cardiology: Michel Haissaguerre, MD. Circulation 2006; 114:f166-7. http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/reprint/114/17/f165

Calkins H, Brugada J, Packer DL, et al. HRS/EHRA/ECAS expert Consensus Statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. A report of the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) Task Force on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation. Heart Rhythm 2007; 4:816-61.

Calkins H, Reynolds MR, Spector P, et al. Treatment of atrial fibrillation with antiarrhythmic drugs or radiofrequency ablation: two systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses. Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology 2009; 2:349-61.

Wilber DJ, Pappone C, Neuzil P, et al. Comparison of antiarrhythmic drug therapy and radiofrequency catheter ablation in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA 2010; 303:333-40.

Cappato R, Calkins H, Chen SA, et al. Prevalence and causes of fatal outcome in catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Journal of the American College of Cardiology 2009; 53:1798-803.

Blood clot prevention lacking in hospitals

Amin AN, Stemkowski S, Lin J, Yang G. Inpatient thromboprophylaxis use in U.S. hospitals: adherence to the seventh American College of Chest Physician's recommendations for at-risk medical and surgical patients. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009; 4:E15-21.

Amin AN, Lin J, Ryan A. VTE Prophylaxis Across the Continuum of Care in US Medical Patients at Risk of Venous Thromboembolism. Blood 2009; 114:Abstract 1386.

The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. Office of the Surgeon General, Department of Health and Human Services: Washington, DC, 2008.

Walnuts and arteries

Ma Y, Njike VY, Millet J, et al. Effects of walnut consumption on endothelial function in type 2 diabetic subjects: a randomized controlled crossover trial. Diabetes Care 2010; 33:227-32.

Women and heart disease

Mosca L, Mochari-Greenberger H, Dolor RJ, Newby LK, Robb KJ. Twelve-Year Follow-Up of American Women's Awareness of Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Barriers to Heart Health. Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes 2010; published online February 10 ahead of print.

Diabetes drug interferes with vitamin B₁₂

Wile DJ, Toth C. Association of metformin, elevated homocysteine, and methylmalonic acid levels and clinically worsened diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes Care 2010; 33:156-61.

Motorized scooters

Zagol BW, Krasuski RA. Effect of motorized scooters on quality of life and cardiovascular risk. American Journal of Cardiology 2010; 105:672-6.

In brief

Shingles and stroke: Kang JH, Ho JD, Chen YH, Lin HC. Increased risk of stroke after a herpes zoster attack: a population-based follow-up study. Stroke 2009; 40:3443-8.

A bowl of avenanthramides: Oats: cooling inflammation and unhealthy cell proliferation. Agriculture Research 2010; 58:10.

HIV drug warning: FDA Drug Safety Communication: Ongoing safety review of Invirase (saquinavir) and possible association with abnormal heart rhythms. Food and Drug Administration Web site

Ask the Doctor — smoking cessation

Quit Smoking. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.