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).

Researchers investigate performance levels of resident and staff physicians

Research on the quality of US resident physician performance levels has often been limited by lack of a comparison group or strict focus on specific diseases and geographical areas. In order to gain insight on differences in quality of care provided by resident physicians versus staff physicians, Boston Medical Center and Palo Alto Medical Foundation researchers investigated performance of physicians in 33,900 hospital-based outpatient visits throughout the US.

22 Sep 2010

Study finds no benefit from self-management counseling in patients with heart failure

Patients with mild to moderate heart failure who received educational materials and self-management counseling in an attempt to improve adherence to medical advice did not have a reduced rate of death or hospitalization compared to patients who received educational materials alone, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.

22 Sep 2010

Study: Doctors who are overweight or lack training are reluctant to counsel patients about diet, exercise

Physician's confidence in their abilities to counsel patients on a healthy diet and exercise may be related to their own personal habits, according to a study by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

22 Sep 2010

Celera receives patent on KIF6 gene variant

Celera Corporation today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued United States Patent 7,799,530 relating to methods of determining heart attack risk by detecting the KIF6 gene variant and reduction of such increased risk by statin therapy.

21 Sep 2010

VIVUS announces QNEXA study results for obesity treatment

VIVUS, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from a two-year study of QNEXA(phentermine/topiramate) Controlled Release Capsules, an investigational therapy for treatment of obesity, a condition that affects approximately one-third of adult Americans.

21 Sep 2010

Annals of Internal Medicine publishes GRACE study data on HIV therapy

Data from the GRACE study will be published in the September 21st issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. GRACE is the largest-ever study of treatment experienced adult women with HIV-1 to examine gender differences in response to HIV therapy. Sponsored by Tibotec Therapeutics Clinical Affairs, a division of Centocor Ortho Biotech Services, LLC, the GRACE study enrolled 67 percent women, demonstrating that it is possible to recruit large numbers of women into U.S.-based HIV treatment studies.

21 Sep 2010

FG-4592 oral anemia therapy receives CTA approval from SFDA

FibroGen, Inc., today announced that its investigational oral anemia therapy, FG-4592, received Clinical Trial Application (CTA) approval from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to commence clinical development for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the People's Republic of China.

21 Sep 2010

Environmental factors are cause of subarachnoid haemorrhage in most cases

The Nordic twin study investigating the heritability of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) suggests that the role of genetic factors underlying the development of SAH is less than previously believed.

20 Sep 2010

Researchers find bariatric surgery reduces cardiovascular disease risk

Significant weight loss not only improves daily life of morbidly obese woman but also decreases the risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, many people can not lose weight or can not maintain weight loss without help. Bariatric surgery is emerging as a valuable procedure to help morbidly obese individuals lose weight, as studies have shown; it can improve many health profiles and lower mortality. Now, researchers have found another positive impact of significant weight loss after bariatric surgery, it can significantly improve the lipoprotein profiles of women within a year following surgery.

17 Sep 2010

Researchers suggest DASH-style diet reduces kidney stone formation

Certain key ingredients of a diet designed to prevent high blood pressure can ward off kidney stones, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). The results suggest how low-fat dairy products and/or plants may have potent kidney stone-fighting properties.

17 Sep 2010

Abbott issues statement in response to FDA's mixed vote for weight loss medication sibutramine

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today held an Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee to review the results of SCOUT and the weight loss medication sibutramine (sold as Meridia® in the United States).

16 Sep 2010

Lowfat or fat free milk daily can help maintain healthy weight

Now there's a new reason to grab a glass of milk when you're on diet, suggests a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In a 2-year weight loss study, milk drinkers had an advantage over those who skipped the milk. Israeli researchers found that adults who drank the most milk (nearly 2 glasses per day) and had the highest vitamin D levels at 6 months, lost more weight after 2 years than those who had little or no milk or milk products nearly 12 pounds weight loss, on average.

16 Sep 2010

HHS awards grant to develop patient-centered outcomes research

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Assistant Secretary for Health, Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, today announced the award of more than $14 million to develop, implement, and test strategies to increase the adoption and dissemination of interventions based on patient-centered outcomes research among racial and ethnic minority populations.

16 Sep 2010

Study finds aerobic exercise improves chronic insomnia

The millions of middle-aged and older adults who suffer from insomnia have a new drug-free prescription for a more restful night's sleep. Regular aerobic exercise improves the quality of sleep, mood and vitality, according to a small but significant new study from Northwestern Medicine.

16 Sep 2010

Bruner to encourage FDA advisory committee to consider effectiveness of obesity drug Lorcaserin

On September 16, Denise Bruner, MD, FASBP will speak in favor of FDA approval for the new obesity drug Lorcaserin, during the open public hearing hour at the Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug Advisory Committee meeting.

15 Sep 2010

NBCA arms healthcare professionals to 'Stop the Clot'

The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) is making available an easily accessible, no-cost online curriculum for nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists to help increase understanding about the diagnosis and treatment of blood clots and blood clotting disorders.

15 Sep 2010

Long-term stenting of aortic coarctation yields 77% success rate

Researchers from the Congenital Cardiovascular Interventional Study Consortium (CCISC) who evaluated the intermediate and long-term results of stent implantation for aortic coarctation found that cumulative intermediate success was 86%, and cumulative long-term success was 77%. Results of this study appear in the October issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions.

14 Sep 2010

U of A team on cusp of developing simple predictive test for preeclampsia

A team of researchers from the University of Alberta is on the cusp of developing a simple test to accurately predict which women will develop preeclampsia - a condition that affects 4 million women a year and can result in the deaths of both mothers and their babies.

14 Sep 2010

Differences between sexes affected by environment during first six months of life

It seems the old nature versus nurture debate can't be won. But a new Northwestern University study of men in the Philippines makes a strong case for nurture's role in male to female differences -- suggesting that rapid weight gain in the first six months of life predicts earlier puberty for boys.

14 Sep 2010

New insight into most common form of congenital heart disease

Repairing small, seemingly benign holes in a child's heart may be more clinically important than previously thought, as dysfunction could be lurking out of sight. These are the findings from a study conducted by doctors and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Ohio State University Medical Center examining a subset of the most common form of congenital heart disease, ventricular septal defect.

14 Sep 2010