Blood Pressure News and Research

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Blood Pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of the arteries. Blood pressure is taken using two measurements: systolic (measured when the heart beats, when blood pressure is at its highest) and diastolic (measured between heart beats, when blood pressure is at its lowest). Blood pressure is written with the systolic blood pressure first, followed by the diastolic blood pressure (for example 120/80).

Opinions: Abortion in Canada's G8 initiative; Security of Afghan women; U.S. global development strategy; Mother's Day; U.S. food security initiative; Polio eradication

National Post columnist Jonathan Kay examines the ongoing debate over whether Canada's G8 child and maternal health initiative should include abortions, which according to a 2006 Oxford University Press-World Bank report, are "one small chunk of a bigger puzzle. A much larger problem, in terms of the number of female lives affected, is the decidedly less headline-grabbing subject of hemorrhages - which include antepartun hemorrhages … and primary postpartum hemorrhages.

12 May 2010

Angiogenesis inhibitors safe for cancer patients despite hypertension risk: Panel

A new class of cancer drugs can be used effectively while minimizing hypertensive side effects if patients' blood pressure is closely monitored and controlled, a clinical panel has determined.

12 May 2010

CHD mortality rate in Ontario decreased by 35%: Study

From 1994 to 2005 in Ontario, Canada, there was a 35 percent decrease in the rate of deaths from coronary heart disease, with about half of this reduction associated with improvements in traditional CHD risk factors such as total cholesterol levels and systolic blood pressure, according to a study in the May 12 issue of JAMA.

12 May 2010

Anti-inflammatory drugs help block kidney destruction that occurs with hypertension: Researchers

Anti-inflammatory drugs appear to help block the rapid kidney destruction that can occur with hypertension, Medical College of Georgia researchers report.

12 May 2010

Update on Nymox Pharmaceutical's Phase 3 program for NX-1207

Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation provided an update today on the Company's Phase 3 program for NX-1207, Nymox's investigational drug for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The most recent Safety Monitoring Committee meeting of April 30, 2010 for the Phase 3 U.S. pivotal trials of NX-1207 indicated no significant safety concerns for the trials to date.

12 May 2010

Adult patients with sickle cell disease may develop cognitive problems: Study

Sickle cell disease may affect brain function in adults who have few or mild complications of the inherited blood disease, according to results of the first study to examine cognitive functioning in adults with sickle cell disease.

12 May 2010

Overtime workers at 60% higher risk of heart-related problems

Working overtime is bad for the heart according to results from a long-running study following more than 10,000 civil servants in London (UK): the Whitehall II study.

11 May 2010

USP panel recommends to establish universal standards for prescription medication labels

To promote the establishment of universal standards for prescription medication labels-and to address the widespread problem of patient misinterpretation of medication instructions-an advisory panel formed by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) recently issued a set of recommendations to bring consistency to labeling on dispensed prescription packaging.

11 May 2010

Exposure to fine particulate matter can trigger cardiovascular deaths, heart attacks

The scientific evidence linking air pollution to heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death has "substantially strengthened," and people, particularly those at high cardiovascular risk, should limit their exposure, according to an updated American Heart Association scientific statement.

11 May 2010

Experts try to fix problem of millions who don't adhere to prescriptions

The Boston Globe: "It is a common conundrum in doctor's offices, clinics, and hospitals across the nation: patients who do not take their medication as directed. It's true for people with high cholesterol, low calcium, diabetes, and asthma. It's even true for patients with the AIDS virus and those who have received life-saving replacement organs."

11 May 2010

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals first-quarter revenues down 61%

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

10 May 2010

Steroids can raise cardiovascular risks in post-transplant patients

Post-transplant patients who have been removed from a corticosteroid regimen have fewer cardiovascular events than those patients on steroids, increasing their graft survival rates and reducing early mortality, according to study results being presented this week by University of Cincinnati (UC) transplantation researchers.

10 May 2010

Scientists report latest research on sleep disorders at SFSS meeting

Sleep disorders are common among bus and tram drivers in Gothenburg: a quarter say that they have problems with daytime sleepiness, which could affect safety. Such are the results of a new study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, presented at the annual Swedish Sleep Medicine Congress in Gothenburg on 21-23 April.

10 May 2010

Physical activity can reduce prevalence of metabolic syndrome, CVD risk factors

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is made up of unhealthy cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors including abdominal obesity, high levels of triglycerides, low level of HDL-cholesterol, elevated blood pressure, and elevated fasting glucose level as defined by the American Heart Association/ National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (AHA/NHLBI).

10 May 2010

Data comparing NUCYNTA to oxycodone IR for osteoarthritis pain presented at 29th APS

A post-hoc analysis of a Phase 3 safety study demonstrated that NUCYNTA® (tapentadol) tablets were associated with a lower incidence of nausea, vomiting and constipation when compared to oxycodone immediate release (IR) tablets in elderly patients with moderate to severe low-back or osteoarthritis pain.

7 May 2010

CardioMEMS completes $37.9M financing

CardioMEMS, Inc., a medical technology company that has developed and is commercializing a proprietary wireless sensing and communication technology for the human body, today announced the completion of a $37.9M financing. The financing provides the company with capital to complete the company's CHAMPION clinical trial.

7 May 2010

Methane in breath linked to obesity

New Cedars-Sinai research shows obese patients who test positive for methane on their breath have a significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than their peers.

7 May 2010

NHLBI grants MU $8.47 million for research on cardiovascular diseases

One of the largest medical research grants ever awarded to the University of Missouri was announced today by MU scientists and administrators. The National Institutes of Health grant will help answer important questions about such prevalent health problems as high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. The conditions are closely associated with cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death in Missouri and the nation.

7 May 2010

Researchers study effects of dark chocolates in reducing heart disease

Volunteers are to have chocolate delivered to their homes and be encouraged to eat 50g of it every day for eight weeks as part of a new research study.

7 May 2010

A checklist to stay healthy at every age

Shantanu Nundy, MD, a second-year resident in internal medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center may soon find out. Driven by his mother's health questions and the difficulty of providing simple, reliable answers, Nundy collected all of the "generally accepted truths" about preventing disease, organized them into checklists based on age, and persuaded the Johns Hopkins University Press to publish them as Stay Healthy at Every Age: What Your Doctor Wants you to Know.

7 May 2010