Williams CD et al. – Calcium from food is associated with lower risk for prostate cancer, particularly among black men, and lower risk for high–grade prostate cancer among all men. 

Cerveri I et al. – One out of 4 subjects with asthma continues smoking and reports significantly more chronic cough and phlegm than never smokers and ex–smokers. This stresses the importance of smoking cessation in all patients with asthma, even in those with less severe asthma.

• The authors studied 9,092 subjects without asthma and 1,045 with asthma at baseline who participated in both the European Community Respiratory Health Survey I (20–44 years old in 1991–1993) and II (1999–2002).

• At follow-up, smoking was significantly less frequent among subjects with asthma than in the rest of the population (26 vs. 31%; p < 0.001).
• Subjects with asthma who were already ex-smokers at the beginning of the follow-up in the 1990s had the highest mean asthma score (number of reported asthma-like symptoms, range 0–5), probably as a result of the healthy smoker effect (2.80 vs. 2.44 in never smokers, 2.19 in quitters and 2.24 in smokers; p < 0.001).
• The influence of smoking on FEV1 decline did not depend on asthma status.
• Smokers had the highest proportion of subjects with chronic cough/phlegm (p < 0.01).

Ogihara T et al. – Further studies will be necessary to evaluate the usefulness of benidipine combined with a β–blocker in terms of the incidence of stroke and new–onset diabetes in older patients.

• Authors further evaluated the efficacy and safety of these combination therapies in older (≥65 years) and younger (<65 years) hypertensive patients.
• In this sub–analysis of the COPE trial 3293 patients (1533≥65 years old and 1760 <65 years old) were randomly assigned to receive benidipine–based therapy with an ARB, a β–blocker or a thiazide.
• In each group, the average BP did not differ among the three treatment groups.
• The incidence of the primary cardiovascular composite end point in the older group was higher than in the younger group (12.7 vs. 8.3 per 1000 person–years, P=0.023).

• The primary composite cardiovascular end point, achievement (%) of target BP, and cardiovascular hard composite end points were similar among the three treatment groups.
• However, the hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals in older patients were 2.74 (1.08–6.96; β–blocker vs. thiazide, P=0.022) for fatal and non–fatal stroke, and 2.47 (1.03–5.91; β–blocker vs. ARB, P=0.043) for new–onset diabetes.
• Thus, benidipine combined with an ARB, a β–blocker, or a thiazide was similarly effective in preventing cardiovascular events and achieving the target BP in both older and younger hypertensive patients.