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James Torner

Publications and source records attributed to James Torner.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Is it time for a cardiovascular primary prevention trial in the elderly?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Statins have been shown conclusively to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in subjects with clinical cardiovascular disease or diabetes aged 65 to 80 years of age. However, few data are available for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in those aged > or =70 years. SUMMARY OF REVIEW: A moderate-dose statin was of little benefit in a population aged 70 to 82 years when given for 3 years in the setting of suboptimally treated blood pressure. More evidence supports the use of blood pressure-lowering medications, but few data are available regarding the appropriate blood pressure target and most effective agents in the elderly. Some evidence also suggests that the elderly could experience higher mortality with antihypertensive treatment. These findings, along with greater safety concerns and an increasing number of competing risks and medical conditions with advancing age, make it imperative to carefully evaluate the risk/benefit balance from treating hypercholesterolemia and hypertension in persons aged > or =70 years. CONCLUSIONS: We propose a 5-year 2x2 factorial trial of primary prevention in the elderly that will (1) evaluate whether statin therapy will reduce the risk of cardiovascular events when added to the treatment of hypertension to achieve a blood pressure <140/90 mm Hg in most patients and (2) determine the most appropriate blood pressure regimen for the prevention of cardiovascular and renal events.

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PubMed2006

Panic attacks, daily life ischemia, and chest pain in postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Chest pain is a common symptom of panic attacks, but little is known about the relationship in older women among panic attacks, chest pain, and daily life ischemia. METHODS: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey of 3063 community-dwelling, generally healthy postmenopausal women enrolled between 1997 and 2000 in the Myocardial Ischemia and Migraine Study in 10 clinical centers of the 40-center Women's Health Initiative. Participants, ages 50 to 79 years, completed a questionnaire about occurrence of panic attacks in the previous 6 months and underwent 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring (AECG); 2705 women had valid AECG recordings and panic attack questionnaires. ST depression on AECG, heart rate variability (HRV), and chest pain episodes were compared among women with and without a 6-month history of panic attack. RESULTS: There was no difference in overall prevalence of ischemic episodes during AECG between women with and without panic attacks. Women with a recent history of panic were more likely to experience chest pain during AECG after controlling for potential confounders (odds ratio [OR] = 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.40-2.88), including both nonischemic (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.26-2.65) and ischemic chest pain (OR = 4.94; 95% CI = 1.41-17.30). Although mean HRV was lower in those with panic attacks (p = .017), this was not significant after controlling for confounders. CONCLUSIONS: Postmenopausal women with a recent history of panic attacks do not appear to have more daily life ischemia as measured by occurrence of ST depression during 24-hour monitoring, but do have more chest pain and possibly lower HRV, suggesting that even sporadic panic attacks may be related to cardiovascular risk.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2006

Effects of conjugated equine estrogen on stroke in the Women's Health Initiative.

BACKGROUND: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI) Estrogen Alone trial assessed the balance of benefits and risks of hormone use in healthy postmenopausal women. The trial was stopped prematurely because there was no benefit for coronary heart disease and an increased risk of stroke. This report provides a thorough analysis of the stroke finding using the final results from the completed trial database. METHODS AND RESULTS: The WHI Estrogen Alone hormone trial is a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in 10,739 women aged 50 to 79 years who were given daily conjugated equine estrogen (CEE; 0.625 mg; n=5310) or placebo (n=5429). During an average follow-up of 7.1 years, there were 168 strokes in the CEE group and 127 in the placebo group; 80.3% of strokes were ischemic. For all stroke the intention-to-treat hazard ratio [HR] (95% CI) for CEE versus placebo was 1.37 (1.09 to 1.73). The HR (95% CI) was 1.55 (1.19 to 2.01) for ischemic stroke and 0.64 (0.35, 1.18) for hemorrhagic stroke. The HRs indicate excess risk of ischemic stroke was apparent in all categories of baseline stroke risk, including younger and more recently menopausal women and in women with prior or current use of statins or aspirin. CONCLUSIONS: CEE increases the risk of ischemic stroke in generally healthy postmenopausal women. The excess risk appeared to be present in all subgroups of women examined, including younger and more recently menopausal women. There was no convincing evidence to suggest that CEE had an effect on the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

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PubMed2006

Comparison of anterolateral and posterior approaches in the management of thoracolumbar burst fractures.

OBJECT: The authors undertook a retrospective cohort study of patients with T11-L2 thoracolumbar burst fractures who underwent decompression and the placement of instrumentation via the anterolateral or posterior approach. METHODS: There were 63 thoracolumbar burst fractures in 45 male and 18 female patients. The instrumentation was placed posteriorly in 25 patients and anterolaterally in 38. The mean follow-up duration after discharge from the hospital was 1.8 years (range 6 months-8 years). The mean preoperative Frankel scores in the anterolateral and posterior groups were 3.7 +/- 1.1 and 3.5 +/- 1.4, respectively (p = 0.4155). Preoperative angular deformity in the anterolateral and posterior groups measured 11.9 +/- 9.7 and 4.1 +/- 7.1 degrees, respectively (p = 0.0007). Postoperatively, angular deformity had been corrected to 2.0 +/- 7.9 and 3.4 +/- 7.5 degrees in both groups, respectively (p = 0.565). The follow-up Frankel scores had improved to 4.2 +/- 0.8 and 4.0 +/- 1.4 (p = 0.461). At the latest follow-up examination, angular deformity had progressed to 4.5 +/- 9.3 degrees in the anterolateral group and to 9.8 +/- 9.4 degrees in the posterior group (p = 0.024). dollar 18,270 +/- 6980), there was no intergroup difference in total cost of hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Rigid guidelines for the selection of anterior or posterior approaches are lacking. Evaluation of the authors' results and those of others shows that angular deformity is more successfully corrected and maintained when the anterior approach is used.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Biomechanical studies of an artificial disc implant in the human cadaveric spine.

OBJECT: The authors compared the biomechanical performance of the human cadaveric spine implanted with a metallic ball-and-cup artificial disc at L4-5 with the spine's intact state and after anterior discectomy. METHODS: Seven human L2-S1 cadaveric spines were mounted on a biomechanical testing frame. Pure moments of 0, 1.5, 3.0, 4.5, and 6.0 Nm were applied to the spine at L-2 in six degrees of motion (flexion, extension, right and left lateral bending, and right and left axial rotation). The spines were tested in the intact state as well as after anterior L4-5 discectomy. The Maverick disc was implanted in the discectomy defect, and load testing was repeated. The artificial disc created greater rigidity for the spine than was present after discectomy, and the spine performed biomechanically in a manner comparable with the intact state. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that in an in vitro setting, this model of artificial disc stabilizes the spine after discectomy, restoring motion comparable with that of the intact state.

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PubMed2004

Biomechanical testing of anterior and posterior thoracolumbar instrumentation in the cadaveric spine. Invited submission from the Joint Section Meeting on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves, March 2004.

OBJECT: Thoracolumbar burst fractures frequently require surgical intervention. Although the use of either anterior or posterior instrumentation has advantages and disadvantages, there have been few studies in which these two approaches have been compared biomechanically. METHODS: Ten human cadaveric spines were subjected to subtotal L-3 corpectomy. In five spines placement of L-3 wooden strut grafts with lateral L2-4 dual rod and screw instrumentation was performed. Five other spines underwent L1-5 pedicle screw fixation. The spines were fatigued between steps of the experiment. The spines were load tested with pure moments of 1.5, 3, 4.5, and 6 Nm in the intact state and after placement of instrumentation in six degrees of freedom (flexion, extension, right and left lateral bending, and right and left axial rotation). In axial rotation posterior instrumentation significantly increased spinal rigidity compared with that of the intact state, whereas anterior instrumentation did not. Combined anterior-posterior instrumentation did not significantly increase the rigidity of the spine when compared with anterior or posterior instrumentation alone. Posterior instrumentation alone provided a greater reduction in angular rotation compared with anterior instrumentation alone in all degrees of freedom; however, statistical significance was achieved only in extension at 6 Nm. CONCLUSIONS: The increased rigidity provided by pedicle screw instrumentation compared with the intact state or with anterior instrumentation is due to the longer construct spanning five levels and the three-column engagement of the pedicle screws. The decision to use anterior or posterior instrumentation should be based on the clinical necessity of canal decompression and correction of angulation.

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