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.

Multiple interventions improve medication adherence for patients with chronic conditions

Although patients with chronic conditions who do not take medications as prescribed tend to have poorer health outcomes and higher health care costs than those who adhere to medication regimens, a new report sheds light on the potential for multiple interventions to improve medication adherence.

13 Sep 2012

Angiopoietin-like protein 2 level linked to incident diabetes

Elevated angiopoietin-like protein 2 levels are associated with the development of Type 2 diabetes, show findings from a Japanese study.

12 Sep 2012

Exercise and health: An interview with Professor Karim Khan

I’ll quote from the ‘7 investments’ document (see below) as I don’t believe we need to reinvent the wheel to argue for the benefits of exercise. I am very keen to move to the issue of ‘how can we help people exercise’. But for the record:

12 Sep 2012

Positive results from Santarus rifamycin SV MMX Phase III study on travelers' diarrhea

Santarus, Inc. today announced that its Phase III clinical study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the investigational drug, rifamycin SV MMX, met the primary endpoint of reducing time to last unformed stool (TLUS) in patients with travelers' diarrhea.

12 Sep 2012

ApoB no better than current lipid markers in CVD risk prediction

Assessment of apolipoprotein B levels does not seem to improve cardiovascular disease risk prediction over low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, report researchers.

11 Sep 2012

Karolinska Institutet professor receives Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize for obesity research

This year's Fernström Foundation Nordic Prize, worth SEK 1 million, goes to Professor Peter Arner from Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, who conducts research on fat. His team was the first to show that fat cells are formed throughout one's lifetime, not just in childhood.

11 Sep 2012

MicroRNA-145 gene therapy can drastically reduce severity and progression of atherosclerosis

Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital are one step closer to understanding why plaque bursts in coronary arteries and causes heart attacks.

11 Sep 2012

Physician empathy has positive impact on patient outcomes

Patients of doctors who are more empathic have better outcomes and fewer complications, concludes a large, empirical study by a team of Thomas Jefferson University and Italian researchers who evaluated relationships between physician empathy and clinical outcomes among 20,961 diabetic patients and 242 physicians in Italy.

10 Sep 2012

Endocrine Society issues practice guideline for diagnosis and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia

The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood and are associated with cardiovascular risk. The CPG, entitled "Evaluation and Treatment of Hypertriglyceridemia: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline" appears in the September 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society.

10 Sep 2012

Cedars-Sinai receives CIRM grant to continue study of stem cell therapy for heart disease

A team of Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute stem cell researchers today was awarded a $1.3 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine to continue study of an experimental stem cell therapy that treats heart attack patients with heart-derived cells. Earlier this year, data from the first clinical trial of the stem cell treatment showed the therapy helped damaged hearts regrow healthy muscle.

10 Sep 2012

CIRM awards Cedars-Sinai $1.3M to study stem cell therapy for heart attacks

7 Sep 2012

Exposure to household chemical may raise cardiac risk

Exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid may be associated with cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, say researchers.

7 Sep 2012

Vitamin D supplements have unintended lipid consequences

Correcting vitamin D levels in individuals at risk for cardiovascular disease may have detrimental effects on their lipid profiles, report researchers.

6 Sep 2012

Antibiotics: facts and fictions: an interview with Dr Philippa Binns, clinical adviser at NPS MedicineWise

Antibiotics are medicines used to treat infections or diseases caused by bacteria, such as some respiratory tract infections (including pneumonia and whooping cough), urinary tract infections, skin infections and infected wounds.

6 Sep 2012

Endovascular repair for abdominal aortic aneurysms has low rate of complications

A minimally invasive procedure known as endovascular repair used for abdominal aortic aneurysms has a low rate of complications, even in high-risk patients such as those with kidney, heart or lung problems, a Mayo Clinic study shows.

6 Sep 2012

Exposure to household chemical may raise cardiac risk

Exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid may be associated with cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease, say researchers.

5 Sep 2012

Study questions use of vitamin D supplements to improve cholesterol

Vitamin D has been touted for its beneficial effects on a range of human systems, from enhancing bone health to reducing the risk of developing certain cancers. But it does not improve cholesterol levels, according to a new study conducted at The Rockefeller University Hospital.

From Quest Diagnostics 5 Sep 2012