FM SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE - digital edition

three to five times per week.
The study also indicates that
more exercise was not always better.
Differences as a function of exercise
were large relative to other demographic
variables such as education and income.
Lancet Psychiatry, PIIS2215-
0366(18)30227August 2018. DOI:https://doi.
org/10.1016/S2215-0366(18)30227-X
Platelet-RBC
interaction induces
procoagulant activity
Christoph Klatt et al report the
results of a study that indicate
RBCs are essential for hemostasis and
arterial as well as venous thrombosis.
FasL-FasR–mediated cell-cell contact
between platelets and RBCs mediates PS
externalization on the RBC membrane
critical for platelet activation and
adhesion upon thrombus formation.
Thus, interfering with the FasL-FasR
interaction might be an innovative and
promising approach for a completely
novel antithrombotic strategy.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation, July 2018
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI92077..
Labour induction
vs expectant
management
William A. Grobman MD et al
evaluated the consequences of
induction of labour at 39 weeks
among low-risk nulliparous women,
and arrived at a conclusion that doing
so did not result in a significantly lower
frequency of a composite adverse
perinatal outcome, but it did result in
a significantly lower frequency of
cesarean delivery.
Before this study, the perinatal
and maternal consequences of
induction of labor at 39 weeks among
low-risk nulliparous women was
uncertain.
The multicentre trial randomly
assigned a total of 3062 women to
labor induction, and 3044 to expectant
management. The frequency of cesarean
delivery was found significantly lower
in the induction group than in the
expectant-management group.
New England Journal of Medicine 379:513-523
August 2018 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1800566
Alcohol abstention may increase
risk of dementia
Séverine Sabia, et al in a study
“Alcohol consumption and risk
of dementia: 23-year follow-up of
Whitehall II cohort study” revealed
the risk of dementia was increased in
people who abstained from alcohol
in midlife or consumed >14 units/
week. In several countries, guidelines
define thresholds for harmful alcohol
consumption much higher than 14
units/week. The present findings
encourage the downward revision of
such guidelines to promote cognitive
health at older ages.
The study stresses upon the fact
that the number of people living
with dementia is expected to triple
by 2050 and in the absence of a
cure, prevention is key. The study
highlighted that both long-term
alcohol abstinence and excessive
alcohol consumption may increase
the risk of dementia.
BMJ, 362,k2927, August 2018
doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k2927
Low doses of 3
anti-hypertensives
help achieve target BP
Ruth Webster et al report the findings
of the study conducted to assess
whether a low-dose triple combination
anti-hypertensive medication would
achieve better blood pressure (BP)
control vs usual care. They concluded
that treatment with low doses of 3 antihypertensive
drugs led to an increased
proportion of patients achieving their
target BP goal as compared to usual
care.
The study used once-daily, fixed-dose
triple combination pill containing 20 mg
of telmisartan, 2.5 mg of amlodipine,
and 12.5 mg of chlorthalidone therapy as
intervention.
The study concluded that among
patients with mild to moderate
hypertension, use of such medication as
initial therapy or to replace monotherapy
may be an effective way to improve BP
control.
JAMA. 2018;320(6):566-579, August 2018.
doi:10.1001/jama.2018.10359
—Compiled by Atiya Nishat
76 / FUTURE MEDICINE / SEPTEMBER 2018