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Introduction Reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) improves clinical outcomes in patients with coronary artery disease. However, rates of lipid-lowering medication adherence are far from ideal. Reducing dosage frequency from multiple dosing to once-daily dosing may improve patients’ medication adherence. Xuezhikang (XZK), an extract of Chinese red yeast rice, contains a family of naturally occurring statins and is traditionally prescribed as 600 mg two times per day. A comParative Efficacy study of XZK (APEX study) is designed to test the hypothesis that XZK prescribed 1200 mg once per day (OD group) is non-inferior to 600 mg two times per day (TD group) in patients with hypercholesterolaemia. Methods and analysis The APEX study is a multicentre, prospective randomised controlled, open-label, non-inferiority study. We plan to recruit 316 patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of mild to moderate hypercholesterolaemia for primary prevention. Patients will be randomised (1:1) to OD group and TD group. The OD group take XZK 1200 mg once per day after dinner while TD group take a traditional dose of 600 mg, two times per day after meals. Participants will have an 8-week medication period and be followed up at weeks 0, 4 and 8. The primary end point is the mean percentage change from baseline to week 8 in serum LDL-C. Secondary end points are safety and lipid-lowering effect on other lipoproteins and compliance. Data analyses will be on the intention-to- treat principle using non-inferiority analysis. Ethics and dissemination The research had been approved by the Clinical Research and Laboratory Animal Ethics Committee of the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University ((2017)286). The results will be reported through peer-reviewed journals, seminars and conference presentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This meta-analysis evaluated 14 studies which compared clinical and functional outcomes after different cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) modalities.Material and Methods: Relevant studies were selected from the Medline, PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases until June 27th, 2016. We analyzed and compared the clinical outcomes (peak O2 consumption and LVEF) and functional outcomes (6-min walk distance and quality of life (SF-36)) of HF patients who received different CRT modalities with outcomes in patients who received conventional univentricular therapy.Results: There was no significant difference in post-treatment 6-min walking distance between the biventricular (BiV) and left/right univentricular (LUV/RUV) groups (standardized difference in means = 0.049, 95% CI: -0.119 to 0.217, p = 0.566), or between the BiV and triventricular (TriV) groups (standardized difference in means = 0.035, 95% CI: -0.270 to 0.340, p = 0.822). Peak O2 consumption was comparable between BiV and LUV/RUV groups (standardized difference in means = 0.306, 95% CI: -0.002 to 0.614, p = 0.052). Patients in the TriV group had a significant improvement in LVEF compared to the BiV group (standardized difference in means = 0.647, 95% CI: 0.313 to 0.982, p < 0.001).Conclusions: TriV CRT is an attractive alternative to univentricular or BiV pacing for heart failure patients. It is necessary to conduct further large randomized trials to validate our present data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This meta-analysis evaluated 14 studies which compared clinical and functional outcomes after different cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) modalities. Material and methods: Relevant studies were selected from the Medline, PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases until June 27th, 2016. We analyzed and compared the clinical outcomes (peak O2 consumption and LVEF) and functional outcomes (6-min walk distance and quality of life (SF-36)) of HF patients who received different CRT modalities with outcomes in patients who received conventional univentricular therapy. Results: There was no significant difference in post-treatment 6-min walking distance between the biventricular (BiV) and left/right univentricular (LUV/RUV) groups (standardized difference in means = 0.049, 95% CI: -0.119 to 0.217, p = 0.566), or between the BiV and triventricular (TriV) groups (standardized difference in means = 0.035, 95% CI: -0.270 to 0.340, p = 0.822). Peak O2 consumption was comparable between BiV and LUV/RUV groups (standardized difference in means = 0.306, 95% CI: -0.002 to 0.614, p = 0.052). Patients in the TriV group had a significant improvement in LVEF compared to the BiV group (standardized difference in means = 0.647, 95% CI: 0.313 to 0.982, p < 0.001). Conclusions: TriV CRT is an attractive alternative to univentricular or BiV pacing for heart failure patients. It is necessary to conduct further large randomized trials to validate our present data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]