Intake of polyunsaturated fat in relation to mortality among statin users and non-users in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially the n3-series, may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD), but recent randomized studies have failed to demonstrate these benefits. One of the prevailing hypotheses is that PUFA intake may not confer benefits beyond those provided by statins, but studies comparing statin users to non-users with regard to effects of PUFA are lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: Black and white men and women (n = 69,559) in the Southern Community Cohort Study were studied. Cox regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, recruitment site, education, income, smoking, diabetes, and dietary variables were used. RESULTS: At baseline the mean ± SD age was 52 ± 9 years, 60% of participants were women, 54% had hypertension and 16% used statins. We observed modest inverse associations between n3-PUFA and n6-PUFA intake with mortality among non-statin users but not among statin users. In adjusted analyses, the HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality (6,396 deaths over a median of 6.4 years) comparing the highest to the lowest quintile were 0.90 (0.82-1.00) for n3-PUFA and 0.80 (0.70-0.92) for n6-PUFA among non-statin users, whereas they were 1.06 (0.87-1.28) and 0.96 (0.78-1.19) for n3-PUFA and n6-PUFA, respectively, among statin users. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest potential benefits of PUFA consumption on mortality which are only apparent in the absence of statin therapy. It seems prudent to consider the potential benefit of PUFA consumption in the primary prevention of CVD among patients who are not candidates for statin therapy but are at increased risk for CVD and mortality.

Evaluation of a simple management protocol for hyperglycaemic crises using intramuscular insulin in a resource-limited setting.

BACKGROUND: Management of hyperglycaemic crises requires expensive and labour-intensive procedures that are not achievable in all clinical settings. Intramuscular (IM) insulin therapy is a more feasible alternative, but remains insufficiently evaluated. We report here on an audit of clinical outcomes of a simple management protocol that involves IM insulin therapy, careful rehydration and inexpensive monitoring in a resource-limited setting. METHODS: In June 2006, we began the routine use of a protocol based on IM insulin administration, careful rehydration and affordable monitoring for the management of hyperglycaemic crises in Yaoundé Central Hospital. Clinical records of patients admitted for hyperglycaemic crises 6 months before and 6 months after introduction of the protocol were independently coded and compared for clinical outcomes, including the 48-hour death rate as a primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints were blood glucose (BG) normalization and duration of hospital stay. RESULTS: A total of 112 patients' files fulfilled the inclusion criteria, including 57 before and 55 after the introduction of the IM protocol (intervention). Patients of the pre-intervention group were aged 56.4+/-2.1 years versus 53.9+/-2.3 years in the intervention group (p=0.41), with 23% versus 40%, respectively, with newly diagnosed diabetes (p=0.05), and 45% versus 41%, respectively, with significant ketosis on admission (p=0.84). As for the primary endpoint, 15.8% of the pre-intervention group died within 48 hours of admission versus 3.6% in the intervention group (p=0.03). BG was normalized within 24 hours of admission in 28.1% patients of the pre-intervention group versus 90.9% of the intervention group (p<0.001). However, the overall duration of hospitalization was similar in both groups. Septic shock, ketosis and high serum creatinine on admission were associated with poor outcomes in both groups. CONCLUSION: The proposed protocol using IM insulin can be safely used to treat hyperglycaemic crises, with mortality rates comparable to those in specialized centres in developed countries.