Angiotensin News and Research

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Angiotensin is an oligopeptide in the blood that causes vasoconstriction, increased blood pressure, and release of aldosterone from the adrenal cortex. It is a powerful dipsogen. It is derived from the precursor molecule angiotensinogen, a serum globulin produced in the liver. It plays an important role in the renin-angiotensin system.

Surgery for angina in the elderly provides long-term mortality

Elderly people who undergo surgery or angioplasty to treat chest pain fare just as well long-term as those treated with medication, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Aug 2004

New guidelines urge early and long-term treatment with Aldosterone blockade therapy

Patients who have had a recent heart attack with ST-elevation (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction, or STEMI), complicated by heart failure should be treated with aldosterone blockers according to new guidelines issued recently by the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

17 Aug 2004

Important for physicians to identify patients at risk for hyperkalemia and implement corresponding measures when using ACE inhibitors

Some patients with hypertension or other cardiovascular diseases should be closely monitored in order to maintain safe potassium levels in the body when prescribed certain medications, counsels a nephrologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

11 Aug 2004

Third of heart failure patients face increased risk of death because they do not receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor

Overwhelming evidence accumulated during almost 20 years of clinical experience has established the benefits of this drug, which blocks the harmful effects of angiotensin, a substance that causes blood vessels to narrow, said the study authors.

3 Aug 2004

Hormone that is important in the control of blood pressure may also inhibit the growth of lung cancer cells

Their studies found that angiotensin-(1-7) significantly slows the growth of three different types of human lung cancer cells in the laboratory. "Our experiments provide the first evidence that angiotensin-(1-7) inhibits the proliferation of human lung cancer cells," they said.

2 Aug 2004

Trial sparks debate over treatment of diabetic hypertensives

A major new international study published in the Journal of Hypertension has challenged traditional thinking by revealing that the thiazide-like diuretic indapamide SR (Natrilix SR) has equivalent efficacy to enalapril in reducing microalbuminuria (MA) in patients with type 2 diabetes.

22 Jul 2004

New guidelines for treating heart attacks

If your chest pain worsens and lasts more than five minutes, especially if you’re short of breath, feel weak, nauseated or lightheaded, call 9-1-1—you could be having a heart attack.

8 Jul 2004

Exercise found to be equally effective as diuretics in preventing high blood pressure and an enlarged heart

Only recently was a type of diuretic known as thiazides been found to be superior to angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and calcium antagonists (calcium channel blockers) in preventing one or more major types of cardiovascular disease.

30 Jun 2004

Valsartan may reduce cardiac illness and death

Results of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET provide further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk. The study also emphasises the importance of early blood-pressure lowering after the start of treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

17 Jun 2004

Further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk

Results of a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provide further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk. The study also emphasises the importance of early blood-pressure lowering after the start of treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

17 Jun 2004

Heart attack patients are discharged without evidenced-based, guideline recommended, life-prolonging therapies

Heart attack care is more likely to match recommended guidelines when health care providers use standardized forms and other reminders, and institutional systems reinforce goals for treatment and patient lifestyles, according to a new study in the June 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jun 2004

65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.

11 Jun 2004

Prescribing ACE inhibitors to in-patients is important, but outpatients need ongoing support

Use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors by heart failure patients drops sharply within a month after they go home from the hospital and then continues to decline, according to a new study in the June 2, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jun 2004

Study has important implications for African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure

A new study has important implications for the millions of African Americans who suffer from high blood pressure. The study, AADVANCE, shows Diovan HCT(R) (valsartan and hydrochlorothiazide) lowers blood pressure in African Americans to aggressive recommended target blood pressure goals as effectively as amlodipine.

20 May 2004

Blood pressure screening for children should start at age 3, according to the latest government diagnosis and treatment guidelines

Blood pressure screening for children should start at age 3, according to the latest government diagnosis and treatment guidelines that were presented at the American Society of Hypertension’s Nineteenth Annual Scientific Meeting.

19 May 2004

Mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity

Northwestern University researchers has identified what they believe is a built-in biological mechanism that prevents kidney damage in the early stages of diabetes associated with obesity.

14 May 2004

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is nearly four times as common in veterans of the first Persian Gulf War as in nonveterans, according to a new study.

13 May 2004

Genomed treatment helps bald eagles with West Nile virus encephalitis

GenoMed, Inc. a Next Generation Disease Management company that uses its expertise in genomics to improve clinical outcomes in as many species as possible, announced today that two non-profit groups which care for wild birds with West Nile virus encephalitis, including American bald eagles, will be using the Company's patent-pending treatment this season.

13 May 2004

Belarus to collaborate with GenoMed on West Nile virus encephalitis

GenoMed, Inc. has announced that the leading experts in West Nile virus encephalitis in Belarus will collaborate with the Company in treating cases of suspected West Nile virus encephalitis this summer. Belarus, formerly part of the USSR, is now a democratic country of 10.5 million people lying between Poland and Russia; its capital is Minsk.

7 May 2004

West Nile treatment showing 100% response rate among immunocompetent patients

GenoMed, Inc. has announced that it will be limiting its treatment for West Nile virus encephalitis to immunocompetent patients only, where it has posted a 100% success rate.