When endovascular thrombectomy procedures for acute ischemic stroke take more than an hour or require more than three attempts to remove the clot, outcomes significantly worsen, according to a study published Feb. 25 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

The FDA issued a safety alert Feb. 25 warning that a 10 mg, twice-daily dose of tofacitinib—sold under the brand names Xeljanz and Xeljanz XR—has been linked to an increased risk of pulmonary embolism and death in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. That dose is only approved for patients with ulcerative colitis, the agency said.

In the latest twist in the debate over the long-term safety of paclitaxel-coated balloons and stents, a correction published Feb. 19 in Circulation said the five-year mortality results of the Zilver PTX randomized trial were “inadvertently reversed”—and that uncoated devices were actually associated with better survival. 

A startup that sold young donors’ blood to consumers in several states with the goal of treating conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and heart disease has apparently shut down in the wake of an FDA statement that the blood-infusion technique has no scientific merit.

Women who consumed multiple artificially sweetened beverages per day, including diet sodas and fruit drinks, were significantly more likely to die or suffer ischemic strokes over an average follow-up period of 12 years, according to an observational study published Feb. 14 in Stroke.

Physiological age based on exercise performance is a better predictor of long-term survival than chronological age, according to a study of more than 126,000 patients at the Cleveland Clinic.

Paclitaxel-coated devices were found safe for the treatment of femoropopliteal artery revascularization in a JAMA Cardiology study published Feb. 12—the latest installment in a continuing debate over whether drug-coated stents and balloons raise long-term mortality risk in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD).

A study of health outcomes among more than 1 million men who enlisted in the Swedish Armed Forces decades ago has thrown into sharp relief the connection between poor health habits in adolescence and chronic disabilities later on in life.