And once again, high blood pressure is making headlines in the news: the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) have just released new guidelines about hypertension. Since this development is likely to cause confusion and concern for many, I’m writing this post to help you understand the debate and what this might mean for you and your family. By the way, if you’ve read any of my other blood pressure articles on this site, let me reassure you: I am not changing my clinical practice or what I recommend to others, based on the new AHA/ACC guidelines. The core principles of better blood pressure management for older adults remain the same: * Take care in how you and your doctors measure blood pressure (more on that here), * Start by aiming to get blood pressure less than 150/90 mm Hg, as recommended by these expert guidelines issued in 2017 and in 2014, * And then learn more about what are the likely benefits versus risks of aiming for more intensive BP control. Perhaps the most important thing to understand is this: treatment of high blood pressure in older adults offers “diminishing returns” as we treat BP to get lower and lower. Scientific evidence indicates that the greatest health benefit, when it comes to reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks, is in getting systolic blood pressure from high (i.e. 160-180) down to moderate (140-150). From there, the famous SPRINT study, published in 2015, did show a further reduction in cardiovascular risk, when participants were treated to a lower systolic BP, such as a target of 120. However, this was in a carefully selected group of participants, it required taking three blood pressure medications on average, and the reduction in risk was small. As I note in my article explaining SPRINT Senior, in participants aged 75 or older, pushing to that lower goal was associated with an estimated 1-in-27 chance of avoiding a cardiovascular event. (The benefit was even smaller in adults aged 50-75.) According to the above context, choose the correct option to answer the following question. Question: After the release of the new AHA guidelines, what is going to happen to the author's patients? Options: - Their blood pressure treatment protocol will stay the same. - not enough information - They will be enrolled in a study. - They will call their doctor.
Their blood pressure treatment protocol will stay the same.


Angela Hammerly dedicated her life to becoming District Attorney. At 42, she had never been married, or even seriously dated. All she could think about, night and day, was her ultimate goal. And her dream finally came true, thanks to the death of 74-year-old Porter Strickley. She could not deny that she had learned the job well, working for that old pain-in-the-butt. He was 57 when she interviewed for the position of Assistant District Attorney. At the time, she thought he was 70. Two months ago, she had become the District Attorney. She loved seeing her name on the door. And she felt a rush of adrenaline every time a judge referred to her as 'The District Attorney' in open court. The D.A.'s office would be better than ever--now that she was running the show. There was a soft knock, and Andrea Newly opened the door just enough to peek in. "Come in, Andrea." Angela sometimes wondered if she had made a mistake two weeks ago when she hired this timid young lady as her assistant. Angela had been impressed with her resume. But in person, Andrea was quiet, and seemed to be rather intimidated by Angela. But Andrea was enthralled with every word Angela spoke. And the new D.A. couldn't resist the prospect of being god to her assistant. She had hired her on the spot, even though she knew Andrea would stress her patience. But Angela was confident the 25-year-old could be molded into her mentor's image. And thereby, become a powerful force for justice in the D.A.'s office. Andrea took a chair across from the D.A. The furniture in the District Attorney's office was similar to that found in most old government offices-largely unchanged since the 1950s. Yet the hardwood chairs and desks were of such good quality that an exact replacement would be cost prohibitive in today's market. Angela planned to upsize her diminutive desk as soon as possible, even if the money came out of her own pocket. According to the above context, choose the correct option to answer the following question. Question: What is probably true about Andrea? Options: - She sees Angela as incompetent - She is obnoxious - She is introverted - not enough information
She is introverted


WASHINGTON — Republicans in the U.S. House of Representative plan to hold a vote next week on an immigration bill despite Trump urging them Friday to abandon efforts to pass legislation until after the mid-term elections. Even if the Republicans — who have a majority in both the House and Senate — approve a bill, it faces almost certain defeat in the upper chamber where Democrats hold enough seats to prevent Republicans, even if they all vote together, from reaching the 60 votes needed for passage. Earlier in the week, the president had called for Congress to quickly approve sweeping immigration legislation. But in a Friday tweet the president said, "Republicans should stop wasting their time on Immigration until after we elect more Senators and Congressmen/women in November. Dems are just playing games, have no intention of doing anything to solves this decades old problem. We can pass great legislation after the Red Wave!" Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican representing a majority Hispanic district in the state of Florida, who is not running for re-election, termed the president's tweets "schizoid policy making." Another retiring lawmaker, Republican Congressman Mark Sanford of South Carolina, a frequent Trump critic who recently lost his primary election, said Trump's reversal sends "a horrifically chilling signal" that "makes immigration reform that much more unlikely." On Saturday, California Democratic Senator Kamala Harris spoke in Otay Mesa, a community in San Diego, at a rally for revised immigration policies. "This is a fight born out of knowing who we are and fighting for the ideals of our country," she said. Harris spoke after touring a detention facility and speaking with several mothers.​ Trump's call for Congress to postpone action came as House Republican leaders failed to garner enough support for two bills that would overhaul U.S. immigration laws and bolster border security. A hard-line measure authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte failed to pass on... According to the above context, choose the correct option to answer the following question. Question: What is probably true about when immigration reform will take place? Options: - before the election in November - not enough information - after the election in November - after the next President is in office

after the election in November