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).

Management of cardiovascular risk associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome

Adi Mehta, MD stresses the growing severity of the metabolic syndrome in the May 2010 edition of Postgraduate Medicine. Metabolic syndrome often leads to cardiovascular disease (CVD) because of its key components: diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. With obesity maintaining its status as a huge problem worldwide, physicians must act as soon as possible when they recognize metabolic syndrome or any of its components.

16 Jun 2010

New perspectives in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and treatment goals

An article published in the May 2010 issue of Postgraduate Medicine highlights the seriousness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of death in > 65% of patients with diabetes, and when complicated by the presence of obesity, the lifetime risk of developing CVD increases to 90%. The inherent problem is that many of the antihyperglycemic medications used to combat high glycated hemoglobin are associated with weight gain and/or hypoglycemia, which negatively affect CVD.

16 Jun 2010

FDA unveils safety reports on recently approved drugs, biologics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today unveiled a new source of information for patients and health care professionals on the safety of recently approved drugs and biologics.

16 Jun 2010

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

Researchers reported today that Soliris® (eculizumab), a first-in-class terminal complement inhibitor developed by Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., may provide clinical benefits to patients with thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) resulting from uncontrolled complement activation. TMA, the formation of blood clots in capillaries and small arteries, can lead to life-threatening damage in multiple organs including kidney failure, thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count) and anemia.

15 Jun 2010

First hospital in Mexico to use GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for transcatheter closure of ASD

W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore) today announced that Instituto Nacional De Cardiologia in Mexico City, Mexico, is the first hospital in the country to use the GORE® HELEX Septal Occluder for the transcatheter closure of an atrial septal defect (ASD). Department Chief, Dr. Carlos Zabal and Dr. Jose Garcia Montes of the Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia, in Mexico City, achieved the milestone procedure in March, 2010.

14 Jun 2010

Lantheus Medical Imaging reports new Phase 4 data from DEFINITY study

Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic medical imaging, today announced new data from a Phase 4, open-label safety study evaluating the effect of DEFINITY® Vial For (Perflutren Lipid Microsphere) Injectable Suspension, an echocardiography contrast agent, on pulmonary and systemic artery hemodynamics in patients with either normal or increased baseline pulmonary artery pressure.

14 Jun 2010

New research evaluating substantial disease burden of PNH presented at European Hematology Association

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced new research evaluating the substantial disease burden of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, an ultra-rare blood disorder, in patients worldwide. The International PNH Registry, involving 580 patients from 99 sites in 14 countries as of May 2010, found that the debilitating symptoms and life-threatening complications of PNH are similar across patient populations around the world.

14 Jun 2010

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

Telmisartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, is one of the best researched drugs worldwide. It has been studied in clinical trials in more than 50,000 patients. Its positive safety profile has been confirmed also in a market exposure of 34.5 million patient years. Convincing safety data for patients with a high cardiovascular risk were collected in the three long-term outcome trials ONTARGET, PRoFESS and TRANSCEND which followed some of the patients for up to five years.

14 Jun 2010

Chiasma successfully completes Phase I clinical study of Octreolin

Chiasma, Inc., a privately held biopharma company, announced that it has successfully completed a Phase I clinical study evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of its proprietary product Octreolin, which contains the active ingredient octreotide actetate and is administered orally

14 Jun 2010

Phase II study results of riociguat for CTEPH and PAH published online

Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the study "Riociguat for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary arterial hypertension: a phase II study" was published online this week by the European Respiratory Journal. Results of this study to assess the safety, tolerability and the feasibility of individual dose titration of riociguat were previously presented at the 2009 International Conference of the American Thoracic Society.

11 Jun 2010

AVEO Pharmaceuticals presents tivozanib’s Phase 2 trial data at ASCO meeting

AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing cancer therapeutics, today announced data from a subgroup analysis of a Phase 2 randomized discontinuation trial showing that the median progression-free survival (PFS) achieved by patients with advanced clear cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) who had undergone a prior nephrectomy was 14.8 months.

11 Jun 2010

Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Nearly half of patients hospitalized with bipolar disorder may suffer from hypertension, and the younger a person is diagnosed with the psychiatric condition the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure, according to a recent Michigan State University study.

11 Jun 2010

Actelion Pharmaceuticals announces availability of PAH Mobile Reference Guide

Actelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc. is announcing the availability of the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Mobile Reference Guide, the first multimedia smart phone application that provides information on PAH disease, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines to healthcare professionals.

10 Jun 2010

Misinterpretation of genetic information may undermine efforts to promote behavioral changes for disease prevention

Does knowing that genes are partly responsible for your health condition mean you are less likely to be motivated to find out about the benefits of behavioral changes? According to Dr. Suzanne O'Neill from the National Human Genome Research Institute/National Institutes of Health, and her colleagues, people on the whole are still interested in how health habits affect disease risk.

10 Jun 2010

Allopurinol exhibits potential benefits for CKD patients

A drug commonly used to treat gout may help maintain kidney disease patients' health, according to an analysis appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). The research is the first to show that allopurinol treatment in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) decreases inflammation, slows the progression of kidney disease, and reduces patients' risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event or being hospitalized.

10 Jun 2010

Effectiveness of combination band ligation and nadolol for first variceal bleeding not established

A controlled trial conducted by researchers at the E-DA Hospital in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, suggests that a combination of band ligation and nadolol may not be the most effective prophylaxis for first variceal bleeding resulting from cirrhosis. Results of this study appear in the July issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD).

10 Jun 2010

Abnormalities in the process of blood clot formation contribute to pathogenesis of AD: Research

New research suggests that abnormalities in the process of blood clot formation may contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. The study, published by Cell Press in the June 10 issue of the journal Neuron, advances our understanding of the link between vascular pathology and AD and proposes a new therapeutic strategy aimed at slowing cognitive decline.

10 Jun 2010

PulmoBind product candidate has potential for early diagnosis of PH in pediatric population

Pulmo BioTech Inc. has announced that early indications are that its PulmoBind product candidate has the potential for early diagnosis of Pulmonary Hypertension in the pediatric population. PH is a potentially life threatening and crippling disease; it is also very hard to diagnose.

9 Jun 2010

Clinical trials of four investigational compounds in solid tumors presented at ASCO Annual Meeting

Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company today announced data from clinical trials of four investigational compounds in solid tumors presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, Illinois, June 4-8, 2010. These data include an oral presentation on MLN8237, the Company's selective Aurora A kinase inhibitor.

9 Jun 2010

Phase 2 study results of Qnexa in patients with OSA presented at SLEEP 2010

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that data from a previously reported phase 2 study evaluating the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug Qnexa for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea were presented at SLEEP 2010, the 24th Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.

8 Jun 2010

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

Further Reading

Management of cardiovascular risk associated with insulin resistance, diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome

New perspectives in type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular risk, and treatment goals

FDA unveils safety reports on recently approved drugs, biologics

Alexion's Soliris may benefit patients with thrombotic microangiopathy from uncontrolled complement activation

First hospital in Mexico to use GORE HELEX Septal Occluder for transcatheter closure of ASD

Lantheus Medical Imaging reports new Phase 4 data from DEFINITY study

New research evaluating substantial disease burden of PNH presented at European Hematology Association

Telmisartan reduces hypertension, cardiovascular risk in ACE-intolerant patients: Boehringer Ingelheim

Chiasma successfully completes Phase I clinical study of Octreolin

Phase II study results of riociguat for CTEPH and PAH published online

AVEO Pharmaceuticals presents tivozanib’s Phase 2 trial data at ASCO meeting

Hypertension linked to severity of bipolar disorders

Actelion Pharmaceuticals announces availability of PAH Mobile Reference Guide

Misinterpretation of genetic information may undermine efforts to promote behavioral changes for disease prevention

Allopurinol exhibits potential benefits for CKD patients

Effectiveness of combination band ligation and nadolol for first variceal bleeding not established

Abnormalities in the process of blood clot formation contribute to pathogenesis of AD: Research

PulmoBind product candidate has potential for early diagnosis of PH in pediatric population

Clinical trials of four investigational compounds in solid tumors presented at ASCO Annual Meeting

Phase 2 study results of Qnexa in patients with OSA presented at SLEEP 2010

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (2nd 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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