Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

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Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries of the body is higher than it should be. Much like the pressure of the air in a tire, if the pressure of the blood is too high it can damage the arteries and organs of the body. Just like the tire, if the pressure suddenly becomes very high, catastrophic events can happen. Similarly, if the pressure remains somewhat elevated for a long enough period of time, premature wear and failure can occur.

Hypertension has its worst effects on the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, hemorrhages of the retina of the eye, and generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries all over the body).

Hidden sugar in “healthy” fruit drinks often underestimated

The Glasgow University study asked more than 2,000 people in the UK to estimate how much sugar was in a range of drinks. While many overestimated the amount in fizzy beverages, they underestimated levels in ‘smoothies’ and fruit juices. The research also found soft drinks could be accounting for a large chunk of their recommended calorie intake.

17 Apr 2012

Synthon receives tentative approval for tadalafil tablets

Synthon has announced that its subsidiary Synthon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its abbreviated new drug application for tadalafil tablets, 20 mg on April 13, 2012. Synthon's product is a generic and bioequivalent version of Eli Lilly & Co and United Therapeutics’ Adcirca® tablets, which are indicated for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension to improve exercise ability.

16 Apr 2012

Changes in thromboxane synthase may lead to hypertension in women with preeclampsia

Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that changes in the gene expression of a key enzyme may contribute to high blood pressure and increase susceptibility to forming blood clots in pregnant women with preeclampsia.

16 Apr 2012

UVA engineer and biologist named recipients of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

University of Virginia engineer Silvia Salinas Blemker and biologist Christopher Deppmann have been named recipients of 2011 Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards, which provide $100,000 in annual research support for three years to each awardee.

16 Apr 2012

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Low-income patients are underrepresented in clinical trials and are disproportionately prone to obesity and the related problems of high blood pressure and heart disease. Researchers conducted a 24-month trial of more than 300 low-income, obese patients from various Boston community health centers, randomizing participants "to usual care or a behavioral intervention that promoted weight loss and hypertension self-management using eHealth components. The intervention included tailored behavior change goals, self-monitoring, and skills training, available via a website or interactive voice response."

16 Apr 2012

Europe's largest hypertension conference to take place in London

Europe's largest hypertension conference, the 22nd Scientific Meeting of the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) will take place in London, UK, from April 26 to 29, 2012.

16 Apr 2012

New findings on out-of-hand nut consumption and health

In a study published in Nutrition Research, researchers looked at the association of out-of-hand nut (OOHN) consumption with nutrient intake, diet quality and the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome in both children and adults.

16 Apr 2012

Indomethacin given after digestive diagnostic procedure may prevent pancreatitis: Study

There is a high risk of pancreatitis after a diagnostic procedure - ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography). ERCP is a procedure that is commonly utilized to treat or diagnose problems of the bile and pancreatic ducts. During an ERCP procedure, a lighted scope is inserted through the mouth while X-ray pictures are taken to check the tubes that drain the liver, pancreas and gallbladder.

15 Apr 2012

AstraZeneca introduces DUTOPROL for hypertension

AstraZeneca today announced the availability of DUTOPROL (metoprolol succinate extended release/hydrochlorothiazide) Tablets, the first and only once-daily antihypertensive agent that contains the active ingredient of TOPROL-XL (metoprolol succinate) plus a low-dose diuretic that provides proven blood pressure lowering at 24 hours.

12 Apr 2012

Timing pregnancy an important health concern for women

A newly published article in the journal Nursing for Women’s Health highlights the importance of a woman’s ability to time her childbearing. The author asserts that contraception is a means of health promotion and women who work with their health care providers to ensure they are healthy prior to conceiving can minimize their risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

11 Apr 2012

Losartan may not increase risk of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients

Although observational studies have suggested that losartan, a drug used primarily for the treatment of hypertension, may be associated with an increased risk of death among patients with heart failure compared with other medications in the same class of drugs (angiotensin II receptor blockers [ARBs]), an analysis that included nearly 6,500 patients found that overall, use of losartan was not associated with increased all-cause death or cardiovascular death compared with use of the ARB candesartan, according to a study in the April 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Apr 2012

EKG can detect heart attack in healthy senior citizens

Can a simple diagnostic test used to measure a heart's electrical activity help predict heart attacks? And can that knowledge help doctors reroute their patients away from coronary heart disease? These are the questions researchers at UCSF asked in a comprehensive eight-year study focused on senior citizens in the United States. Researchers found a higher risk of heart attack when abnormalities showed up on electrocardiogram (EKG) results of healthy elderly people.

11 Apr 2012

Lee's Pharma licenses rights to commercialize PL2200 Aspirin in China

PLx Pharma Inc, a Houston based pharmaceutical company developing gastrointestinal (GI) safer drugs has licensed to Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Limited (Lee's Pharma) the rights to register and commercialize in China, Hong Kong and Macau the PL2200 Aspirin, a GI safer aspirin product currently in development in the US, for prevention of cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular is one of the focus areas of Lee's Pharma.

10 Apr 2012

ReCor Medical provides updated data from REDUCE Percutaneous Renal Denervation System study

ReCor Medical, an emerging medical device company, disclosed today updated data for the REDUCE First-In-Man clinical study of its PARADISE (Percutaneous Renal Denervation System) ultrasound platform for achieving renal denervation.

10 Apr 2012

First study to examine links between neurodevelopmental disorders and maternal metabolic conditions

A major study of the relationships between maternal metabolic conditions and the risk that a child will be born with a neurodevelopmental disorder has found strong links between maternal diabetes and obesity and the likelihood of having a child with autism or another developmental disability.

9 Apr 2012

Elevated pulse pressure may increase risk of CVD in older adults with AD

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System have shown that elevated pulse pressure may increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) in older adults with Alzheimer's disease.

7 Apr 2012

Weight loss pill Qnexa wins panel vote and awaits approval

The drug was rejected in a 10-6 vote the first time it came before a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel, in 2010, due to safety concerns. However when the medication returned for another review in February, the advisory committee gave it near-unanimous approval (20-2). Because the FDA often follows the advisory panel's advice, Qnexa is likely to get FDA approval, probably by mid-April.

5 Apr 2012

Poor countries must adapt health systems to meet chronic care needs of aging population, WHO says

"Health systems, particularly in poorer countries, need to adapt to meet the chronic care needs of older people as the shift to aging populations gathers pace in low- and middle-income countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) said" Wednesday in a briefing paper to mark World Health Day, observed on Saturday, the Guardian reports.

5 Apr 2012

Bare platinum coils vs. newer gel-coated coils for aneurysm treatment

Approximately 6 million Americans have brain aneurysms, a condition that occurs when a weak or thin spot develops on a blood vessel in the brain causing it to balloon. Often, these do not cause symptoms and go undetected, but every year an estimated 30,000 Americans experience a ruptured aneurysm that bleeds into the brain causing a life threatening injury.

4 Apr 2012

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute performs most adult heart transplants of any U.S. medical center

For the second year in a row, the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute and Comprehensive Transplant Center performed the most adult heart transplants of any U.S. medical center, according to government statistics.

4 Apr 2012

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

Further Reading

Hidden sugar in “healthy” fruit drinks often underestimated

Synthon receives tentative approval for tadalafil tablets

Changes in thromboxane synthase may lead to hypertension in women with preeclampsia

UVA engineer and biologist named recipients of Hartwell Individual Biomedical Research Awards

Research roundup: Obesity treatment for low-income patients; Medicare vs. private plans

Europe's largest hypertension conference to take place in London

New findings on out-of-hand nut consumption and health

Indomethacin given after digestive diagnostic procedure may prevent pancreatitis: Study

AstraZeneca introduces DUTOPROL for hypertension

Timing pregnancy an important health concern for women

Losartan may not increase risk of all-cause mortality in heart failure patients

EKG can detect heart attack in healthy senior citizens

Lee's Pharma licenses rights to commercialize PL2200 Aspirin in China

ReCor Medical provides updated data from REDUCE Percutaneous Renal Denervation System study

First study to examine links between neurodevelopmental disorders and maternal metabolic conditions

Elevated pulse pressure may increase risk of CVD in older adults with AD

Weight loss pill Qnexa wins panel vote and awaits approval

Poor countries must adapt health systems to meet chronic care needs of aging population, WHO says

Bare platinum coils vs. newer gel-coated coils for aneurysm treatment

Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute performs most adult heart transplants of any U.S. medical center

Industry Focus eBook - Cell & Gene Therapy (1st Edition) eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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