Atherosclerosis News and Research

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Atherosclerosis is the progressive buildup of plaque - the fatty deposits and other cells - in the inner walls of the arteries. The condition is a consequence of elevated cholesterol and for many it's a silent disease, with no visible signs or symptoms. The disease can begin in early adulthood and continues to progress for the rest of a person's life. Despite the serious nature of atherosclerosis, many people do not understand how it develops and progresses.

Insulin suppresses receptors that cause cascade of inflammation

Researchers at the University at Buffalo -- the first to identify the anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective properties of insulin -- now have discovered one pathway through which the hormone produces this effect.

13 Jul 2008

Lipid Association responds to new cholesterol guidelines for kids

When the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued its recommendation on July 7 regarding the treatment of children with high cholesterol, it generated a strong response from the community of medical professionals and patients. The National Lipid Association (NLA), a group of healthcare professionals who specialize in cholesterol and heart disease issues, believes that the AAP has acted in the interests of patient care by raising the issue of lipid abnormalities in children.

10 Jul 2008

The benefits of green tea in reducing an important risk factor for heart disease

More evidence for the beneficial effect of green tea on risk factors for heart disease has emerged in a new study reported in the latest issue of European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

1 Jul 2008

New details on how low blood flow promotes vascular disease

Researchers have found the first direct proof that a key protein drives the clogging of arteries in two ways, and that lowering levels of it opens them up, according to study results published in the June edition of the journal Circulation.

24 Jun 2008

Lower blood levels of vitamin D linked to increased heart problems

Individuals with lower blood levels of vitamin D appear to have an increased risk of death overall and from cardiovascular causes, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

23 Jun 2008

New way to limit gene transfer and expression

Researchers from Northwestern University and Texas A & M University have discovered a new way to limit gene transfer and expression to specific tissues in animals.

23 Jun 2008

Study provides direct proof on how key protein promotes vascular disease

23 Jun 2008

Why depression and diabetes often go together ...but which comes first?

While researchers have long been aware that type-2 diabetes and depression often go together, which develops first has always been unclear.

19 Jun 2008

The 'chicken-and-egg' problem with diabetes and depression

Researchers have long known that type-2 diabetes and depression often go hand in hand. However, it's been unclear which condition develops first in patients who end up with both. Now, a new study led by Johns Hopkins doctors suggests that this chicken-and-egg problem has a dual answer: Patients with depression have an increased risk of developing type-2 diabetes, and patients with type-2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing depression.

17 Jun 2008

BHF Help a Heart Campaign aims to raise £1.5 million pounds in June to achieve pioneering heart research solutions

British Heart Foundation (BHF) researchers Dr Elinor Griffiths and Dr Andy James and the rest of the team at the Bristol Heart Institute joined up with BHF fundraisers Paul Bancroft and Lucy Culverhouse to launch the BHF Help a Heart Campaign in Bristol this week (Monday 9 June) at Bristol University.

11 Jun 2008

World's oldest woman had normal brain

A 115-year-old woman who remained mentally alert throughout her life had an essentially normal brain, with little or no evidence of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the August issue of Neurobiology of Aging.

9 Jun 2008

New perspective on coronary disease thanks to ultrasound

Compared to other techniques, Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is much better at monitoring the increase or decrease of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. Can the method even be used to predict the odds of a heart attack or other cardiovascular event? Studies indicate this may be the case, states Professor Clemens von Birgelen in his inaugural address at the University of Twente.

5 Jun 2008

Increased screening may better predict those at higher risk for heart disease

Adding noninvasive imaging to current risk-assessment protocols may identify more people who are at risk of developing heart disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

27 May 2008

Increased screening may better predict those at higher risk for heart disease

Adding noninvasive imaging to current risk-assessment protocols may identify more people who are at risk of developing heart disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

26 May 2008

Flavanols in cocoa improve artery function, help relieve stress on heart

For people with diabetes, sipping a mug of steaming, flavorful cocoa may seem a guilty pleasure. But new research suggests that indulging a craving for cocoa can actually help blood vessels to function better and might soon be considered part of a healthy diet for the prevention of cardiovascular disease.

26 May 2008

The emerging role of infection in Alzheimer’s

A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis. The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2008

New blood test reveals risk for metabolic syndrome

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered that people with high oxidation levels of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle that carries cholesterol throughout the blood are much more likely to develop metabolic syndrome - which can lead to a considerably increased risk of developing heart disease.

20 May 2008

Erection problems may signal serious heart disease

Erectile dysfunction is always a matter of the heart, but new research shows that more than romance is at stake. Two new studies of men with type 2 diabetes found that erectile dysfunction (ED) was a powerful early warning sign for serious heart disease, including heart attack and death.

19 May 2008

Obesity and heart failure risk

Heart specialists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere report what is believed to be the first wide-scale evidence linking severe overweight to prolonged inflammation of heart tissue and the subsequent damage leading to failure of the body's blood-pumping organ.

1 May 2008

Researchers create heart and blood cells from reprogrammed skin cells

Stem cell researchers at UCLA were able to grow functioning cardiac cells using mouse skin cells that had been reprogrammed into cells with the same unlimited properties as embryonic stem cells.

30 Apr 2008