Winter 2014 2015 LipidSpin Articles | National Lipid Association Online

TERRY A. JACOBSON, MD, FACP, FNLA	From the NLA President: Full Speed Ahead Greetings, National Lipid Association members! I hope this holiday season has been a joyous one. As we look back on 2014, we can reflect on the many accomplishments the NLA has put forth. And, as we look toward the New Year, we are encouraged for what’s to come — both for the NLA as a whole and for the field of clinical lipidology. Most recently, I had the opportunity to attend the American Heart Association’s Annual Scientific Sessions in Chicago in November, where the results of the... more
LORI A. ALEXANDER, MSHS, RD, CCRC, FNLA	From the SELA President: Researching Progress I am honored and excited to serve as President of the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA). My passion for lipids heralds back to the formation of the Florida Lipid Associates in 1994, led by Paul Ziajka, MD, PhD, FNLA, and some others interested in lipid research and treatment. It has been gratifying to see the progression of that passion over the years and the formation of SELA, and then the National Lipid Association (NLA). One of the duties of a chapter president is to host an issue... more
JAMES A. UNDERBERG, MD, MS, FACPM, FACP, FNLA	Letter From the Lipid Spin Editors: Holiday Gifts I write this with the holiday season having just passed us. As I sit back and reflect on the past year, it occurs to me that we have much to be thankful for! This past year we embraced the extensive statin safety report from the National Lipid Association. This was followed in September by the release of our Recommendations for the Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia. Finally, just this past November in Chicago at the American Heart Association meeting, the long-awaited... more
RALPH VICARI, MD, FACC, FNLA	Clinical Feature: Translating Clinical Trial Evidence into Practical Medicine Over the course of my 36-year career, the practice of medicine has changed dramatically. When I was an intern at Georgetown University Hospital, we treated heart attacks with oxygen, morphine, and sometimes not much more than prayers. Barely anyone at that time could conceive of doing a cardiac catheterization on an acute myocardial infarction. The progress we all enjoy in medicine is based on two major factors: the rapid evolution of medical technology, and scientific evidence gleaned from... more
KHALID H. SHEIKH, MD, MBA, FACC, FNLA	Guest Editorial: Guidelines for the Guidelines -- Impact and Controversies This issue of LipidSpin is dedicated to “Evaluating Published Clinical Trials and Translating Them into Practice.” Clinical trials are the basis for advancing our knowledge of effective therapies in medicine. Well-conducted clinical trials, particularly those with results that can be replicated, traditionally have been used to develop practice guidelines. Practice guidelines have far-reaching implications. They provide medical practitioners with guidance on the standard of... more
GREGORY S. POKRYWKA, MD, FACP, NCMP, FNLA	EBM Tools for Practice: Clinical Trials of Alternative Medicine: Testing Whether Magic Works I have in mind a prospective clinical trial in which I study a common children’s phenomenon, detailing the differences between genders, location, ethnicity, biometrics, dental data, monetary value, etc. It’s a common phenomenon that most parents have photos of and have experienced ourselves. I’m sure we could generate a lot of highly statistically significant data and make many useful insights. I’m talking about what our children find left under their pillows by the Tooth Fairy. One... more
DAVE DIXON, PharmD, BCPS, CDE, AACC, FNLA EVAN SISSON, PharmD, MSHA, CDE, FAADE	Lipid Luminations: HPS2-THRIVE Commentary The Heart Protection Study 2 — Treatment of HDL to Reduce the Incidence of Vascular Events (HPS2-THRIVE) trial was a randomized, double-blind, multicenter clinical trial.¹ Enrolled subjects were between ages 50 and 80 and had a history of vascular disease. After a four-week run-in phase with simvastatin 40mg daily (ezetimibe was added if total cholesterol remained >135 mg/dL), subjects were randomized to extended-release niacin-laropiprant or matching placebo. Laropiprant, a... more
RALPH LAFORGE, MSC, CLS, FNLA	Specialty Corner: Physical Activity and Lipid Disorders: Circa 2014 Blood Lipid Response to Physical Activity and Exercise Training A prevailing myth among patients and many healthcare providers is the notion that physical exercise “burns” or oxidizes cholesterol or cholesterol-rich particles similar to the utilization of fatty acids and glucose. This doesn’t happen. Cholesterol is a sterol, a lipid molecule biosynthesized by all animal cells because, among other purposes, it is an essential structural component of animal cell... more
PAMELA B. MORRIS, MD, FACC, FACP, FACPM, FAHA, FNLA	Practical Pearls: Selection of Dyslipidemia Guidelines in Special Populations Atherogenic lipoproteins play a critical role in the initiation and progression of vascular atherosclerosis, and decades of research have clearly demonstrated the benefits of lipid-lowering therapy for prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events. However, despite the publication of guidelines for management of dyslipidemia by numerous professional societies, there still are inadequate numbers of patients receiving evidence-based therapy. One factor contributing to... more
PAUL ZIAJKA, MD, PhD, FNLA	Case Study: Applying Clinical Trial Data to Patient Management Case: The patient was a 62-year-old Caucasian woman when she was first seen at the Florida Lipid Institute in 2010. She had hypertension that was treated with losartan/HCTZ. She had no other significant past medical history. She had a family history of hypertension and diabetes and one brother who developed angina at the age of 48. Her review of systems was negative — specifically, she had no complaints of chest pain, transient ischemic episodes, or claudication. Her... more
LORI A. ALEXANDER, MSHS, RD, CCRC, FNLA	Chapter Update: Contributing to the NLA Mission It was an honor and privilege for the Southeast Lipid Association (SELA) to host the National Lipid Association (NLA) Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. this past May 2014. Excellent topics and presenters offered practical knowledge for integrating the latest clinical research guidelines into practice. I was pleased to chair the Abstracts Committee, and was impressed with all the submissions. Marisa Schoen, BA, was recognized with the First Place Young Investigator Award. Her poster was... more
DEBORAH S. CROY, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, CLS, AACC	Member Spotlight: Deborah S. Croy, DNP, RN, ANP-BC, AGPCNP-BC, CLS, AACC “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller This quote is a favorite of Deborah S. Croy, DNP. She says, “If one female who was blind and deaf could make such a contribution to humanity, if we who have no or limited disabilities apply ourselves, think of what we can do.” This... more
ANNE C. GOLDBERG, MD, FNLA	Foundation Update I hope everyone had a wonderful Holiday Season and a Happy New Year! To kick off the New Year, the Foundation of the National Lipid Association (FNLA) is hard at work with new projects and partnerships. Most recently, the FNLA collaborated with Sanofi US and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in their launching of an unbranded cholesterol awareness campaign, “Cholesterol Counts” on Dec. 15, 2014. The campaign consists of polling patients on their base knowledge of cholesterol, lipid... more