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Scientists reveal a new target to fight bad cholesterol

Scientists have uncovered a new region in the genome that is responsible for the body's ability to regulate bad cholesterol which is linked to heart attack and stroke.

8 Feb 2008

Novel drug shows promise in limiting heart attack damage

A novel drug designed to lessen muscle damage from a heart attack has passed initial safety tests at the Duke Clinical Research Institute.

8 Feb 2008

Improving statins

Statin drugs are helping many people lower their cholesterol, but a new study in the February Journal of Lipid Research reveals that statins actually increase the production of another protein that limits their benefit.

8 Feb 2008

Discovery of new cellular mechanisms that lead to in insulin resistance in people with diabetes

Researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet have in collaboration with researchers from Finland, China, Japan and the US discovered new cellular mechanisms that lead to in insulin resistance in people with diabetes.

8 Feb 2008

HIV drugs, Abacavir and Didanosine increase the risk of heart attack

A study to assess the adverse effects of anti-retroviral drugs shows that two widely-used HIV drugs are associated with an increased risk of heart attack/the formation of blood clots in the heart.

8 Feb 2008

Beneficial bacteria found in healthy women provide clues for slowing HIV transmission

Beneficial bacteria found in healthy women help to reduce the amount of vaginal HIV among HIV-infected women and might make it more difficult for the virus to spread, boosting the possibility that "good bacteria" might someday be tapped in the fight against HIV.

8 Feb 2008

Discovery of protein that stops the growth of melanomas

One might call it a tale of two melanocytes. Given the same genetic mutation, why does one melanocyte shut down growth and become a relatively benign mole, while another rages out of control and develops into deadly melanoma"

8 Feb 2008

FDA approves novel allograft product

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared for marketing the first replacement heart valve from donated human tissue in which the cells have been removed.

8 Feb 2008

Seniors more likely to deny smoking when asked

More elderly adults are lighting up cigarettes and not reporting their nicotine habits to doctors and others, according to findings from one of the first studies to examine the accuracy of self-reported smoking habits by age, race and gender of adults 18 years and older by researchers at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and other university collaborators.

8 Feb 2008

Asian women at risk for congenital aneurismal fistulas

A seemingly random arterial abnormality that can cause heart attack and sudden death in adults with no previous symptoms may not be so random after all.

8 Feb 2008

Whole grain diets lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Diets with high amounts of whole grains may help achieve significant weight loss, and also reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to a team of Penn State researchers at University Park and the College of Medicine.

7 Feb 2008

Endurance training improves metabolism in mice

Researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that in mice, the use of barbells may be as important to losing weight and improving health as the use of running shoes.

7 Feb 2008

Could a simple vitamin A and zinc supplement help protect young children from malaria?

A randomized double blind trial reported in the open access publication, Nutrition Journal, would suggest the answer is yes.

7 Feb 2008

Beetroot juice reduces blood pressure

Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure.

7 Feb 2008

Poor recognition of 'self' found in high functioning people with autism

Contrary to popular notions, people at the high end of the autism spectrum disorder continuum suffer most from an inability to model "self" rather than impaired ability to respond to others, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers in a report that appear in the journal Neuron.

7 Feb 2008

Novel small molecule therapy shows benefit for anemic patients via hydration of red blood cells

Researchers are identifying innovative therapeutics for sickle cell anemia that focus on specific factors in the disease's progression, such as the important role of hydration of the red blood cells.

7 Feb 2008

Ischaemic heart disease in Europe

New figures show there are still large variations between and within European countries in the numbers of stroke and heart disease-related deaths. Several countries, particularly in northern and eastern Europe, have rates of death that are as much as 7-14 times higher than other countries, while countries such as Poland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the UK have large regional variations.

7 Feb 2008

Impact of electronic personal health record on hypertension under study

Whether patients with an electronic handle on their health are more successful at beating one of the nation's leading chronic diseases is under study.

7 Feb 2008

Calcium channel blockers cut risk of Parkinson's disease

People taking a widely used group of drugs known as calcium channel blockers to treat high blood pressure also appear to be cutting their risk of Parkinson's disease, according to a study published in the February 6, 2008, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

7 Feb 2008

Half of patients undergoing cerebrovascular stent placement do not respond well to clopidogrel

A study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Neuroradiology, finds that half of patients undergoing cerebrovascular stent placement did not respond well to clopidogrel.

7 Feb 2008