TexasCVD and Stroke Digest
January 2009
This Digest is provided by the Cardiovascular Health and Wellness Program at the Texas Department of State Health Services in support of the Texas Heart and Stroke Prevention System Partnership. If you did not receive this Digest as a subscriber and would like to subscribe, please visit Information about educational opportunities, resources, tools, and reports is compiled from national, state, and local partners. The Digest does not reflect endorsements by DSHS or the Partnership.
REPORTS and DATA
High Blood Fat Levels Tied to Ischemic Stroke Risk
Study says triglyceride tests done without fasting simpler, better define those in danger
TUESDAY, Nov. 11 (HealthDay News – As reported in MedLine Plus)
What Are the Causes of Increased Triglycerides?
Vera Bittner, MD, MSPH, From Medscape Family Medicine
Ask the Experts about Triglycerides in Cardiovascular Disease
FDA Supports Use of Vytorin, Completes Year-Long Review of ENHANCE
Low LDL-cholesterol levels remain the optimal treatment target, and pending the results from IMPROVE-IT, patients should not stop taking Vytorin or other cholesterol-lowering medications, according to the FDA.
World Stroke Congress 2008: Advances in Stroke Imaging: An Expert Interview With Marc Fisher, MD
Laurie Barclay, MD, From Medscape Neurology & Neurosurgery
More: 6th World Stroke Congress
Statement from Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., Director, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on New Findings on the Role of Inflammation in Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease
Hospitals' Cost for the Top Six Cardiovascular Treatments Nearing $60 Billion
AHRQ News and Numbers, Release date: December 10, 2008
Can Racial, Awareness, Measurement, Genetic, and Possibly Religious Differences Explain Hypertensive Risk?
Who becomes hypertensive, why, and with how much risk? The evidence continues to evolve in ways that clinicians need to know and understand.
Increased Risk of Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes Mellitus, and Cardiovascular Disease in Men Receiving Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Prostate Cancer
What did a MEDLINE search indicate about increased risks for men with prostate cancer, the leading cancer diagnosis and second leading cause of cancer-related mortality for men in the United States?
Texas gets an "F" in Emergency Room access in a national report card recently released by the AmericanCollege of Emergency Physicians.
American Lung Association publishes State of Tobacco Control: 2008. Texas gets an “F”. This report tracks progress on key tobacco control laws and policies enacted as of January 1, 2009
RESOURCES and EVIDENCE BASED PROGRAMS / PRACTICES
For those working to pass smoke free ordinances:
Reduced Hospitalizations for Acute Myocardial Infarction After Implementation of a Smoke-Free Ordinance --- City of Pueblo, Colorado, 2002--2006
MMWR Weekly, January 2, 2009 / 57(51);1373-1377
An informative presentation, compiled by California Food Policy Advocates, serves as a follow-up to a recent Harvard study that discovered millions of American children may be attending school without the nutrition necessary to learn despite the fact that Congress has made the funds available
AHRQ Preventive Health Guides for Spanish Speakers over 50
Two new checklists to help Spanish-speaking men and women over the age of 50 decide whichpreventive medical tests they need and when they need to get them are now available fromAHRQ and AARP. An accompanying wall chart that can be posted in both clinical andcommunity settings, Seguir sanos después de los 50, also provides information about recommendedpreventive services. The wall chart and checklists, Mujeres: sigan sanas después de los 50 andHombres: sigan sanos después de los 50, show at a glance the evidence-based recommendations fromthe U.S. Preventive Services Task Force regarding screening tests, preventive medicines, and
healthy lifestyle behaviors for people 50 and older. Both checklists also provide numeroushealth tips, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising.
The Spanish documents are available at underthe Prevención y bienestar heading. The English-language equivalents are available at “Prevention & Wellness.”
TOOLS
The 81st Texas Legislature Regular Session is now underway. You can follow the session online, watch hearings, search for legislation, track the movement of bills or sign up for notifications about legislative actions by going to
Community Health Status Indicators Report
The goal of Community Health Status Indicators (CHSI) is to provide an overview of key health indicators for local communities and to encourage dialogue about actions that can be taken to improve a community’s health.
National Health Observances
This calendar comes from the National Health Information Center Web site:
Disseminating Rural Health Research to State and National Audiences: A Communications Toolkit forHealth Researchers
The Rural Health Research and PolicyCenters, funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy, recently published atoolkit designed to enhance communication and dissemination of rural health services research. It includes approachesfor both developing research-related documents and disseminating research results. It is a straightforward, easy-to-usereference guide that highlights common methods of packaging and dissemination information important to key targetaudiences. For more information, and to download a PDF of the toolkit, visit
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The American Heart Association’s ProfessionalEducationCenter is designed to be the one stop for all AHA continuing education. The best part is that this CME/CE is FREE of charge and is available at your convenience. Just go to to view all of our educational offerings.
Guidelines and updates on heart disease and more:
The following guidelines represent a major collaborative effort by the American Heart Association and 14 other professional and governmental organizations. You’ll find them at: Evidence-Based Guidelines for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Women: 2007 Update. Download the guidelines to your PDA or Visit ShopGoRed.com to order a pocket digest version of the guidelines.
Accredited Stroke Education Programs from National Stroke Association
Strategic Grant Writing Proposal Workshop(Sponsored by ISFD)
Location at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, February 2-4, 2009
8:30AM - 4:30 PM, CFRE Accredited Course for 20 contact hours or 20 CFRE Continuing Education Points! Participants completing the ISFD grant writing workshop will receive the following: a Certificate of Completion accredited by CFRE, grant funding & bonus fundraising CD, expert grant training instruction from grant industry leaders and much more! Please visit our website at or give us a call 877.414.8991 to sign up now
NEWS ABOUT OUR PARTNERS
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) has released Texercise Fit for the Health of It!, an exercise DVD created to promote physical activity and healthy eating practices. The program is an easy to follow way to exercise alone or in a group setting. For more information or to obtain a copy of the program contact Holly Riley, Texercise Program Coordinator at .
American Heart Association Announces Wear Red Day, your opportunity to encourage patients to live heart healthy. Many women don’t know that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women or that cardiovascular disease kills about 460,000 women per year – nearly twice as many women as all forms of cancer. Help patients understand the truth about heart disease and their risk by sharing the Go Red for Women campaign with them. Start with raising awareness on National Wear Red Day Friday, February 6, 2009!