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Social factors increase risk of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension

Several factors, such as older age and high weight gain, are known risk factors for pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy-related blood pressure disorders.

10 Nov 2008

Five key proteins form new, early-warning blood test before heart attack strikes

A team of Johns Hopkins biochemists has identified a mixed bag of five key proteins out of thousands secreted into blood draining from the heart's blood vessels that may together or in certain quantities form the basis of a far more accurate early warning test than currently in use of impending heart attack in people with severely reduced blood flow, or ischemia.

10 Nov 2008

Rising triglyceride levels may be behind rising rates of obesity

A new 30-year analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database conducted by the National Lipid Association (NLA) indicates that while Americans are doing a better job of managing LDL or "bad" cholesterol, the percentage of adults with high triglycerides, a blood fat linked to heart disease, has doubled, leaving many people at risk for potentially life-threatening events such as heart attack or stroke.

10 Nov 2008

Low levels of potassium in diet linked to high blood pressure

As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium - especially among African Americans, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

10 Nov 2008

Hispanics less likely to have repeat revascularizations 1 year after angioplasty

Hispanic patients were 57 percent less likely than Caucasian patients to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) one year after successful angioplasty, a type of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to open blockages in the coronary arteries.

10 Nov 2008

New hybrid technology for disease prevention

The earlier cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance of effecting a cure.

10 Nov 2008

Heart failure hospitalization rates rise among nation's seniors

Heart failure is reaching epidemic levels among seniors in the United States, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

10 Nov 2008

Latest glaucoma research

Glaucoma-related highlights of today's scientific program of the 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE) include a study that correlates optic nerve damage in glaucoma patients with carotid artery narrowing and potentially elevated risk for stroke, and a survey that looks at how the practice of fasting, common to the world's seven major religions, may affect patient compliance with treatment for glaucoma and other eye diseases.

10 Nov 2008

Flu shots may reduce risk of blood clots forming in veins

Flu shots may reduce the risk of blood clots forming in veins by 26 percent, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

10 Nov 2008

Stents no help for patients with narrow kidney arteries

Using stents to open up kidney arteries is commonly done in patients with atherosclerotic renovascular disease, but the procedure provides no benefit, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

10 Nov 2008

New research on chronic corticosteroid use

An analysis of large population databases has recently yielded important findings about chronic corticosteroid use.

10 Nov 2008

Further evidence that angiogenesis drugs can be much more effective when combined with chemotherapy

Scientists have thought that one way to foil a tumor from generating blood vessels to feed its growth - a process called angiogenesis - was by creating drugs aimed at stopping a key vessel growth-promoting protein.

10 Nov 2008

Advances in ophthalmology

The 2008 Joint Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) and European Society of Ophthalmology (SOE), the largest and most comprehensive ophthalmic educational meeting in the world, is in session November 8 to 11 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta.

10 Nov 2008

Baby due as a result of first ever whole ovary transplant

In what is thought to be a world-first, a British woman who was given an ovary transplant is about to give birth to her first baby.

9 Nov 2008

Pycnogenol cuts jetlag in half

Scientists have found that Pycnogenol, a natural plant extract from the bark of pine trees, can reduce jetlag symptoms by half. Pycnogenol is the patented trade name for a water extract of the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster ssp. atlantica), which is grown in coastal southwest France.

9 Nov 2008

Overnight hemodialysis dramatically improves survival

For hemodialysis patients, undergoing dialysis for eight hours overnight, three times weekly, reduces the risk of death by nearly 80 percent, compared to conventional, four-hour dialysis, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8 Nov 2008

Study assesses potential health complications for obese kidney donors

Individuals who are obese face certain risks when donating their kidneys, but their kidney function remains strong one year later, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8 Nov 2008

Superbugs on the rise in Canadian hospitals

Although infection control has been substantially ramped up in Canadian hospitals since the SARS crisis of 2003, the number of resistant bacterial infections post-SARS have multiplied even faster, a new Queen's University study shows.

8 Nov 2008

New equation provides more accurate estimates of the glomerular filtration rate

A newly developed equation produces more accurate estimates of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) - a key indicator of kidney function in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 41st Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

8 Nov 2008

Variations of MYH9 gene help explain high rate of kidney disease in African Americans

Several recent studies have suggested that common gene variations may be responsible for much of the elevated risk of kidney disease in African Americans.

8 Nov 2008