Cholesterol News and Research

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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is important for good health and is needed for making cell walls, tissues, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acid.

New technique shows promise for early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease

A new technique developed at Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology shows promise for early diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

9 Dec 2014

Triple hormone reduces body weight, improves insulin sensitivity

Recently, the researchers had constructed several single molecules with dual hormone action. Now, for the first time, the researchers succeeded in designing a substance that combines three metabolically active hormone components (GLP-1, GIP and glucagon) and offers unmatched potency to fight metabolic diseases in pre-clinical trials.

9 Dec 2014

Weight-loss surgery may reduce lower urinary tract symptoms

Metabolic syndrome is linked with an increased frequency and severity of lower urinary tract symptoms, but weight loss surgery may lessen these symptoms. The findings, which come from two studies published in BJU International, indicate that urinary problems may be added to the list of issues that can improve with efforts that address altered metabolism.

8 Dec 2014

Study sheds new light on well-known mechanism required for immune response

A new study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America sheds new light on a well-known mechanism required for the immune response. Researchers at the IRCM, led by Tarik Möröy, PhD, identified a protein that controls the activity of the p53 tumour suppressor protein known as the "guardian of the genome".

6 Dec 2014

Growth genes seem different in Hunger Winter children

Individuals conceived in the severe Dutch Famine, also called the Hunger Winter, may have adjusted to this horrendous period of World War II by making adaptations to how active their DNA is. Genes involved in growth and development were differentially regulated, according to researchers at the Leiden University Medical Center, Harvard University, and Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

5 Dec 2014

Study explores association between statin use and cataracts

Few classes of drugs have had such a transformative effect on the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as have statins, prescribed to reduce total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

4 Dec 2014

Promising new therapeutic strategy for chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects at least one in four Americans who are older than 60 and can significantly shorten lifespan. Yet the few available drugs for CKD can only modestly delay the disease's progress towards kidney failure. Now, however, a team led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has found an aspect of CKD's development that points to a promising new therapeutic strategy.

1 Dec 2014

Australian Prescriber publishes top 10 subsidised drugs in Australia

The annual publication of the top 10 subsidised drugs appears in the December edition of Australian Prescriber. Statins (cholesterol-lowering medicines) top the lists again.

1 Dec 2014

Pivotal Therapeutics announces accomplishments, financial results for Q3 2014

Pivotal Therapeutics Inc., ("Pivotal" or the "Company"), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on Omega-3 therapies for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and overall health, announced its accomplishments and financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2014.

29 Nov 2014

Researchers uncover easily detectable, 'pre-malignant' state in the blood

Researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard-affiliated hospitals have uncovered an easily detectable, "pre-malignant" state in the blood that significantly increases the likelihood that an individual will go on to develop blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, or myelodysplastic syndrome.

27 Nov 2014

Presence of certain proteins in HDL can lead to cardiovascular risk

A current study by the MedUni Vienna has shown that changes to the "good cholesterol" HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein) can be associated with cardiovascular diseases: by developing a new laboratory test, scientists at the Institute of Medical Genetics and the Department of Nephrology & Dialysis (University Department of Internal Medicine III) at the MedUni Vienna have demonstrated for the first time that the presence of certain proteins in the HDL can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

26 Nov 2014

Plaque buildup in the arteries associated with mild cognitive impairment

In a study of nearly 2,000 adults, researchers found that a buildup of plaque in the body's major arteries was associated with mild cognitive impairment. Results of the study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

25 Nov 2014

Researchers say that promoting healthy gut microbiota can help treat metabolic syndrome

Promoting healthy gut microbiota, the bacteria that live in the intestine, can help treat or prevent metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that increases a person's risk for heart disease, diabetes and stroke, according to researchers at Georgia State University and Cornell University.

24 Nov 2014

Obese people experience silent cardiac damage that fuels risk for heart failure

Using an ultrasensitive blood test to detect the presence of a protein that heralds heart muscle injury, researchers from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have found that obese people without overt heart disease experience silent cardiac damage that fuels their risk for heart failure down the road.

21 Nov 2014

Changes in one gene can influence person's cholesterol levels from midlife through late life

It's known that cholesterol levels typically rise as people age and that high cholesterol levels are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. What's less known is that cholesterol levels begin to decline the more a person ages. Recently, researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and the University of Kentucky found that differences in one gene can influence a person's cholesterol levels from midlife to late life.

19 Nov 2014

Cholesterol efflux appears to be superior indicator of cardiovascular risk

Groundbreaking research from UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that cholesterol efflux capacity (cholesterol efflux), which measures HDL cholesterol function, appears to be a superior indicator of cardiovascular risk and a better target for therapeutic treatments than standard measurements of HDL. Current measurement methods reflect only the circulating levels of HDL and not the functional properties of this lipoprotein.

19 Nov 2014

Cigna Foundation awards World of Difference grant to improve heart healthy behaviors in women

When it comes to hearts, men and women are not created equally. Women who have experienced a heart attack have a higher risk of a subsequent heart attack, or death, compared to men, according to the American Heart Association.

18 Nov 2014

Researchers present results of The Heart of New Ulm Project at AHA Scientific Sessions

Researchers from Allina Health and the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation have presented on the results and implications of The Heart of New Ulm Project on heart disease risk factors at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago, Ill.

18 Nov 2014

Asthma associated with higher risk of heart attack or stroke

Asthma that requires daily medication is associated with a significantly higher risk of heart attack or stroke, according to a new study from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

18 Nov 2014

Adding ezetimibe to statin therapy reduces cardiovascular events

More than a decade ago, researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital demonstrated that a high dose statin, which lowered cholesterol further than a regular dose statin, provided better clinical outcomes. But questions remained about whether further reducing cholesterol would be even more effective in reducing cardiovascular-related events.

18 Nov 2014