Calcification News and Research

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Drug-eluting stents exhibit some benefits in patients over 80

Rarely tested in patients over the age of 80, a study found that drug-eluting stents exhibited some benefits over bare-metal stents, though both types of stents demonstrated a clinical benefit. Results of the XIMA trial were presented today at the 24th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

29 Oct 2012

Ultrasound may help predict future tendon injuries in dancers

Asymptomatic focal hypoechoic changes in the patellar and achilles tendons moderately increase the risk for future injury in professional dancers, show study findings.

15 Oct 2012

$Stent fracture after stent implantation linked to thrombosis$

Stent fracture after stent implantation linked to thrombosis

Stent fracture after everolimus-eluting stent implantation occurs in 2.9% of lesions and is associated with a significantly increased rate of major adverse cardiac events, say researchers.

2 Oct 2012

Cytochroma commences CTAP101 phase 3 study in secondary hyperparathyroidism

Cytochroma today announced the initiation of a phase 3 study of CTAP101 capsules in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT), stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) and vitamin D insufficiency.

21 Sep 2012

Novel serum assay measures calcification risk

Researchers have devised a nephelometer-based assay that measures the risk for calcification in serum samples.

12 Sep 2012

Test to identify potentially deadly calcium deposits in tissues and blood vessels

A new test could help identify and treat individuals at risk of developing potentially deadly calcium deposits in their tissues and blood vessels, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Heart disease is the number one killer of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and vascular calcification is thought to play a major role.

7 Sep 2012

Kidney stones signal poor renal prognosis

People who develop kidney stones may be at an increased risk for developing serious kidney disease later in life, report researchers.

5 Sep 2012

Researchers deciphered function of claudin-10 gene in the kidney

Sodium chloride, better known as salt, is vital for the organism, and the kidneys play a crucial role in the regulation of sodium balance. However, the underlying mechanisms of sodium balance are not yet completely understood.

24 Aug 2012

$Vertebral fractures flag vascular disease risk$

Vertebral fractures flag vascular disease risk

Abdominal aortic calcification in elderly men appears to be associated with vertebral fractures, say Moroccan scientists.

19 Jun 2012

Cardiovascular risks for excessive endurance training highlighted

Ironman triathlons, ultramarathons, and even marathons are potentially associated with a risk for adverse cardiovascular effects.

19 Jun 2012

Targeting stem cells might be more effective in treating vascular disease

One of the top suspects behind killer vascular diseases is the victim of mistaken identity, according to researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, who used genetic tracing to help hunt down the real culprit.

7 Jun 2012

Vitamin D deficiency may be an important risk factor for erectile dysfunction

A paper just published hypothesizes that vitamin D deficiency may be an important risk factor for erectile dysfunction (ED).

7 Jun 2012

Regular and moderate exercise most beneficial for cardiovascular health

Micah True, legendary ultra-marathoner, died suddenly while on a routine 12-mile training run March 27, 2012. The mythic Caballo Blanco in the best-selling book, Born to Run, True would run as far as 100 miles in a day. On autopsy his heart was enlarged and scarred; he died of a lethal arrhythmia (irregularity of the heart rhythm). Although speculative, the pathologic changes in the heart of this 58 year-old veteran extreme endurance athlete may have been manifestations of "Phidippides cardiomyopathy," a condition caused by chronic excessive endurance exercise.

4 Jun 2012

Two types of stent systems are both effective in treating iliac artery disease

Two types of stent systems are both effective in treating patients who have severe forms of peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to results of the MOBILITY trial presented today as a late-breaking clinical trial at the SCAI 2012 Scientific Sessions.

11 May 2012

City centre residents more likely to suffer from coronary artery calcification

City centre residents who took part in a study were almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery calcification (CAC), which can lead to heart disease, than people who lived in less polluted urban and rural areas, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

27 Apr 2012

PET/CT could help improve prediction of heart attack

An award-winning research project, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has tested a new imaging method which could help improve how doctors predict a patient's risk of having a heart attack.

25 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins cardiologists support use of statins for primary prevention of heart attack

Writing the first commentary for a new feature in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), called Viewpoint, Johns Hopkins cardiologists make the case for why a 55-year-old man with a 10 percent estimated risk of heart attack over the next 10 years should be offered statin medication. They were invited to debate a professor who argues against prescribing statins for "primary" prevention—for those who have not had a cardiovascular event, such as a heart attack—even though they may be considered at "intermediate" risk because of elevated cholesterol or other factors.

12 Apr 2012

Metformin drug appears to prevent growth of atherosclerosis in patients with HIV

Treatment with the common diabetes drug metformin appears to prevent progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients infected with HIV.

8 Mar 2012

Scientists identify and describe molecular mechanism behind holoprosencephaly

Researchers of the Max Delbr-ck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch have now identified and described a molecular mechanism underlying the most common malformation of the brain in humans. In holoprosencephaly (HPE), the forebrain (prosencephalon) is only incompletely formed.

14 Feb 2012

Leading medical groups collaborate to ensure consistent, responsible uptake of TAVR

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recent approval of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) for patients with aortic valvular stenosis, the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), along with the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), today released an expert consensus document to provide important guidance on its use.

1 Feb 2012