Metformin use by type 2 diabetics is associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a recent meta-analysis published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2008;168:2070-2080).

AMLODIPINE TREATMENT may reduce cardiovascular risks in hypertensive hemodialysis patients, according to German researchers.

Diabetic nephropathy and CVD prior to renal transplantation are the most important predictors of post-transplant cardiovascular events, researchers in The Netherlands conclude.

Supplementing diuretic therapy with a drug that conserves potassium reduces the overall risk of cardiac mortality as well as the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to a meta-analysis conducted by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.

Statin therapy may improve survival and slow renal function decline in patients with atherosclerotic renovascular disease (ARD), researchers report.

TWO NEW studies have linked early signs of kidney disease to higher risks for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

TREATMENT WITH angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may reduce the risk of fatal and non-fatal CVD events in hemodialysis patients, according to researchers at the Saitama Medical University in Saitama, Japan.

SAN FRANCISCO—New data suggest that group-based lifestyle interventions followed for longer than six years can postpone or prevent development of type 2 diabetes for up to 20 years.

Increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), as measured by ultrasonography, is associated with an elevated risk of CKD in the elderly, researchers reported in Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (2008;23:2593-2598).

STOCKHOLM—Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of death and cardiovascular problems in patients with renal disease, according to studies presented here at the European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association 2008 congress.