Aspirin Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Aspirin, including details on acetylsalicylic acid, baby aspirin, side effects, overdose, allergy.

Evidence for prolonged prescribing of aspirin-clopidogrel combination in Scottish primary care.

Simpson CR, Alford K, Williams D

Department of General Practice & Primary Care, Foresterhill Health Centre, The University of Aberdeen, UK.

PURPOSE: To identify whether patients were prescribed the combination of aspirin-clopidogrel in primary care after the generally recommended 12-month period. METHODS: A population based cross-sectional study using data from 61 general practices (1st April 2003-31st March 2004). RESULTS: 691 patients (0.18% of total population) were prescribed aspirin-clopidogrel in combination. 27.78% of these patients had undergone coronary stenting or angioplasty and 34.30% were prescribed this combination for more than 1 year. 96 (13.9%) patients had a previous history of ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. CONCLUSIONS: Patients were prescribed the combination of aspirin-clopidogrel beyond the generally accepted 12-month period, which may lead to increased safety and cost concerns.

Published 3 April 2008 in Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 17(4): 397-400.
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Articles on Aspirin published 3 April 2008:

Lung cancer and regular use of aspirin and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.   Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf, 17(4): 322-7.

PURPOSE: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the US. There is evidence of a reduced risk of some cancer sites associated with use of aspirin (ASA) and nonaspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NANSAIDs). Our objective was to examine the association of regular use of ASA and NANSAIDs with lung cancer. METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study of 1884 incident cases of lung cancer and 6251 controls with noncancer diagnoses. Use of ASA and NANSAIDs was considered ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 2 April 2008:

Aspirin, NSAID, and acetaminophen use and the risk of endometrial cancer.   Cancer Res, 68(7): 2507-13.

To date, no prospective studies have explored the relationship between the use of aspirin, other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAID), and acetaminophen and endometrial adenocarcinoma. Of the 82,971 women enrolled in a prospective cohort study, 747 developed medical record-confirmed invasive endometrial cancer over a 24-year period. Use of aspirin was ascertained from 1980 to 2004, and for other NSAIDs and acetaminophen, from 1990 to 2004. Cox regression models calculated ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 25 March 2008:

Aspirin plus dipyridamole versus aspirin for prevention of vascular events after stroke or TIA: a meta-analysis.   Stroke, 39(4): 1358-63.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: This meta-analysis systematically reviewed randomized controlled trials comparing aspirin plus dipyridamole with aspirin alone in patients with stroke and TIA to determine the efficacy of these agents in preventing recurrent cerebral and systemic vascular events. METHODS: We performed separate analyses of the incidences of stroke alone and composite outcome of stroke, myocardial infarction, or vascular death. We also performed two subset analyses, planned a priori, to ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 17 March 2008:

Acetylation of prostaglandin H2 synthases by aspirin is inhibited by redox cycling of the peroxidase.   Biochem Pharmacol, 75(7): 1472-81.

Aspirin exerts its unique pharmacological effects by irreversibly acetylating a serine residue in the cyclooxygenase site of prostaglandin-H2-synthases (PGHSs). Despite the irreversibility of the inhibition, the potency of aspirin varies remarkably between cell types, suggesting that molecular determinants could contribute to cellular selectivity. Using purified enzymes, we found no evidence that aspirin is selective for either of the two PGHS isoforms, and we showed that hydroperoxide ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 14 March 2008:

NCX-4040, a nitric oxide-releasing aspirin, sensitizes drug-resistant human ovarian xenograft tumors to cisplatin by depletion of cellular thiols.   J Transl Med, 6: 9.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian carcinoma is the leading cause of mortality among gynecological cancers in the world. The high mortality rate is associated with lack of early diagnosis and development of drug resistance. The antitumor efficacy and mechanism of NCX-4040, a nitric oxide-releasing aspirin derivative, against ovarian cancer is studied. METHODS: NCX-4040, alone or in combination with cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum, cDDP), was studied in cisplatin-sensitive (A2780 WT) and ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 12 March 2008:

Optical platelet aggregometry does not appear useful as a means of assessing the risk of recurrent vascular events in aspirin-treated patients.   Acta Neurol Scand, 117(4): 250-4.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the results of optical platelet aggregometry indicate the risk of recurrent ischemic events. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cerebro- and cardiovascular patients taking aspirin for at least 30 days were studied retrospectively. Ischemic vascular events occurring prior to testing and the presence of vascular risk factors were recorded. RESULTS: 241 subjects were included. Among the 78 patients (32.4%) who displayed recurrent vascular episodes, the age (62.5 +/- 10.6 vs. ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 11 March 2008:

Association of early follow-up after acute myocardial infarction with higher rates of medication use.   Arch Intern Med, 168(5): 485-91; discussion 492.

BACKGROUND: Early outpatient follow-up after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is recommended in guidelines, but its relationship with the use of evidence-based therapies is unknown. METHODS: We evaluated 1516 patients hospitalized with AMI from the multicenter Prospective Registry Evaluating Outcomes After Myocardial Infarction: Events and Recovery registry. Early follow-up was defined as patient- reported visits with a primary care physician or cardiologist within 1 month after discharge. The ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

Articles on Aspirin published 10 March 2008:

Aspirin desensitization in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions with stent implantation.   Am J Cardiol, 101(6): 786-9.

The aim of this study was to test the safety and efficacy of a novel rapid desensitization procedure in patients with acetylsalicylic acid sensitivity and coronary artery disease who underwent cardiac catheterization and coronary stent implantation. Aspirin plays a key role in the secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events and thrombotic complications after stent implantation. Aspirin sensitivity not only limits patients to benefit from the long-term use of this antiplatelet agent but is ... [Abstract] [Full-text]

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