A study in Diabetes Care showed that middle-aged adults with increasing fasting glucose levels had an increased risk for cardiovascular disease over 30 years, such as coronary heart disease and stroke, compared with individuals with normal blood glucose levels. Researchers analyzed data from seven observational cohorts and found that those who transitioned from impaired fasting glucose to diabetes levels and those who transitioned from normal fasting glucose to diabetes levels had a higher CVD risk than those whose fasting glucose levels remained under the diabetes threshold at all glucose measurements.

A study in a medical journal showed that individuals who slept less than six hours at night were at 27% increased risk of developing atherosclerosis throughout the body, compared with those who slept seven to eight hours. Researchers studied nearly 4,000 Spanish men and women with no history of heart disease and an average age of 46, and they found that fractured sleep is associated with 34% higher likelihood of having plaque buildup.

Researchers have found a correlation between unbalanced diets and premature cardiovascular disease death -- specifically diets low in seafood omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, nuts and seeds, and whole grains but high in sodium. The international study, published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, analyzed data from more than 50 countries over a 26-year period, with attention paid particularly to 2010 through 2016.

Individuals with obesity who were metabolically healthy or metabolically unhealthy were at an increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, compared with metabolically healthy participants with normal weight, researchers reported in Obesity. The findings, based on 47,870 residents in Norway, showed that among participants who had recently developed overweight or obesity, those who were metabolically healthy had a reduced AFib risk compared with those who were metabolically unhealthy.

A federal court has granted the Justice Department's request to temporarily suspend appeal proceedings related to a judge's ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The Justice Department cited the partial government shutdown as the reason for the delay.

Prescription drug prices are increasing faster than US inflation rates, a study in Health Affairs found, and the trend is forcing some patients, such as those with type 1 diabetes who depend on insulin, to ration their medication. Researchers analyzed national drug codes from 2008 to 2016 and found the price of specialty drugs rose 13 times faster than inflation each year, prices for oral brand-name drugs increased five times faster than inflation, and generic oral drugs saw the smallest price hikes at 4.4% each year, still twice the rate of inflation.

The ASNC Leadership Development Program (LDP) is a three-year mentorship program developed to prepare future leaders of the society and the field of nuclear cardiology. ASNC LDP participants will be paired with an ASNC mentor and leader who will provide guidance through the program and in their early career. In addition, LDP participants join in a series of live webinars focused on the basics in furthering ASNC's missions in advocacy, guideline development and education. Participants receive training in how to cultivate important leadership skills such as effective presentation tactics, strategic planning, consensus building and media training. Learn more and apply.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) bring you the first in a series of complimentary webinars designed to provide the best practices in nuclear cardiology to cardiologists, radiologists, technologists and nuclear medicine physicians. This first webinar will be on the subject of heart failure at 9 p.m. PST on Feb. 13. Register now!