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Aldosterone is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal cortex (the outer layer of the adrenal gland). It helps control the balance of water and salts in the kidney by keeping sodium in and releasing potassium from the body. Too much aldosterone can cause high blood pressure and a build-up of fluid in body tissues. Aldosterone is a type of mineralocorticoid hormone.
People with apple-shaped bodies more likely to develop kidney disease

People with apple-shaped bodies more likely to develop kidney disease

High blood pressure in the kidneys of people with apple-shaped bodies may be responsible for their increased risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. [More]

Study: Heart failure medications highly cost effective in saving lives

A UCLA study shows that heart failure medications recommended by national guidelines are highly cost effective in saving lives and may also provide savings to the health care system. [More]

Eplerenone may also reduce risk of heart failure, shows REMINDER trial

The prescription drug eplerenone appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality and heart failure after a heart attack by more than one-third, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. [More]
Research: Digoxin reduces hospital admission of older, acute heart failure patients

Research: Digoxin reduces hospital admission of older, acute heart failure patients

Digoxin significantly reduces the likelihood of hospital admission due to all causes among ambulatory older patients with chronic heart failure and reduced ejection fraction, according to research presented today at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. [More]
Aliskiren and standard therapy not associated with reduced CV death or HF rehospitalization

Aliskiren and standard therapy not associated with reduced CV death or HF rehospitalization

Among patients hospitalized for heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF; a measure of how well the left ventricle of the heart pumps with each contraction), initiation of the medication aliskiren in addition to standard therapy did not reduce cardiovascular death or HF rehospitalization at 6 or 12 months after discharge, according to a study published online by JAMA. [More]
Benefits of diastolic function improvement in heart failure questioned

Benefits of diastolic function improvement in heart failure questioned

The importance of left ventricular diastolic function improvement in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction has been questioned, after researchers found that treatment with spironolactone resulted in some functional improvements but failed to impact on patients’ exercise capacity. [More]

Long-term treatment with spironolactone improves left ventricular diastolic function in HF patients

Among patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, long-term treatment with the medication spironolactone improved left ventricular diastolic function but did not affect maximal exercise capacity, patient symptoms, or quality of life, according to a study appearing in the February 27 issue of JAMA. [More]

Steroid therapy impedes Duchenne’s cardiomyopathy

Steroid therapy is associated with a considerable reduction in all-cause mortality and new-onset and progressive cardiomyopathy in patients with the debilitating X-linked disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy. [More]
Investigators use genome analysis to eliminate lifetime drug prescription in two children

Investigators use genome analysis to eliminate lifetime drug prescription in two children

Using genome-wide analysis, investigators at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center and the University of Montreal have potentially eliminated a lifetime drug prescription that two children with a previously unknown type of adrenal insufficiency had been receiving for 14 years. [More]
Spacemen upset sodium balance theories

Spacemen upset sodium balance theories

Levels of salt in the body and sodium in the urine fluctuate over fixed cycles that are independent of salt intake, shows a space simulation study. [More]
Body's sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles

Body's sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles

Clinical pharmacologist Jens Titze, M.D., knew he had a one-of-a-kind scientific opportunity: the Russians were going to simulate a flight to Mars, and he was invited to study the participating cosmonauts. [More]
Study illuminates how Aldo and galectin-3 protein contribute to vascular remodeling, CHF

Study illuminates how Aldo and galectin-3 protein contribute to vascular remodeling, CHF

Cardiovascular disease will kill nearly 2.5 million people in the United States this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Over time, inflammation, collagen deposition and scar tissue formation can cause blood vessels to stiffen, a process called vascular fibrosis. Though researchers have known that the hormone aldosterone (Aldo) plays a role in this process, the precise mechanisms have been poorly understood. [More]
Genkyotex announces positive results from GKT137831 Phase I studies on healthy subjects

Genkyotex announces positive results from GKT137831 Phase I studies on healthy subjects

Genkyotex, the leading developer of NOX inhibitors to treat oxygen-radical mediated diseases, announced today that Phase I studies have demonstrated excellent safety and tolerability following single and multiple oral doses of GKT137831, the first in class NOX 1 and 4 inhibitor. In addition, GKT137831 demonstrated a favourable pharmacokinetic profile in these subjects. [More]
Researchers discover genetic biomarker for age-related hearing loss

Researchers discover genetic biomarker for age-related hearing loss

University of South Florida researchers have identified a genetic biomarker for age-related hearing loss, a major breakthrough in understanding and preventing a condition of aging that affects 30 million Americans and greatly diminishes their quality of life. [More]

Older adults do not tend to adhere to their prescribed drugs after heart attack

Older adults who have had a heart attack don't tend to adhere to their prescribed drugs according to a new study of Medicare beneficiaries by the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. [More]
Sleep apnea’s contribution to diabetic nephropathy needs attention

Sleep apnea’s contribution to diabetic nephropathy needs attention

The effect of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on the development of diabetic nephropathy requires investigation, say researchers. [More]

Spironolactone should be considered as a treatment option in hypertensive patients with DHF

Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists should be considered as a treatment option in hypertensive patients with diastolic heart failure, said Professor Burkert Pieske presenting results today of the Aldosterone Receptor Blockade in Diastolic Heart Failure (Aldo-DHF) study at ESC Congress 2012. [More]

Pendrin a possible new target for diuretic therapy

In patients with fluid overload, inhibition of the chloride-absorbing transporter pendrin and the NaCl co-transporter may provide an effective diuretic regimen without triggering hypokalemia, research suggests. [More]

First clinical trial to test cardiac drug regimen for DMD

The first landmark randomized clinical trial for a cardiac drug regimen in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is testing whether earlier treatment can stop or slow down heart damage that usually kills people with the disease. [More]
Aldosteronism linked to poor bone health

Aldosteronism linked to poor bone health

Primary aldosteronism is associated with low bone mass, increased prevalence of osteoporosis, and vertebral fractures, Italian research shows. [More]