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).

Roundup: San Diego launches new HIV testing effort; Study finds economy hurt by Mass. health law; Texas schools turning to safe sex curriculum

The Centers for Disease Control says 20 percent of Americans with HIV don't know they're infected, and those people are responsible for about half of all new infections. A new effort in San Diego is trying to reduce those numbers by making HIV testing more widespread.

17 Sep 2011

Two reports reveal sad state of affairs in some UK hospitals

Nurses at some institutions are serving up people’s evening meals at 3pm – just because it is more convenient, inspectors found. And several hospitals do not have enough nurses on wards to feed or wash patients, or help move them to prevent bedsores. Nurses arrive unannounced at elderly patients’ bedsides and strap blood pressure monitors round their arms without telling them what they are doing.

16 Sep 2011

Estrogen therapy can reverse progression of pulmonary hypertension

UCLA researchers have found that the hormone estrogen may help reverse advanced pulmonary hypertension, a rare and serious condition that affects 2 to 3 million individuals in the U.S., mostly women, and can lead to heart failure.

16 Sep 2011

A good laugh truly the best medicine: Study

British researchers carried out experiments in which volunteers watched either comedy clips from Mr. Bean or Friends or non-humorous items such as golf or wildlife shows while their resistance to mild pain was monitored. Another test was conducted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where the volunteers watched either a stand-up comedy show or a theatrical drama.

15 Sep 2011

Psychological stress of racial discrimination may contribute to health disparities

The consequences of psychological stress, resulting from racial discrimination, may contribute to racial health disparities in conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other age-associated diseases.

15 Sep 2011

Reminder packaging improves adherence to long-term hypertension medications

People with chronic illnesses are more likely to take long-term medications according to doctors' instructions if the packaging includes a reminder system, according to a new review of evidence.

14 Sep 2011

A woman's pregnancy outcome can be an indicator of future health conditions

"A woman's pregnancy outcome can be an indicator of future health conditions," stated George R. Saade, M.D., president of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas.

14 Sep 2011

New data from Pfizer's investigational oncology compounds to be presented at EMCC 2011

Pfizer Oncology announced today that data evaluating crizotinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as well as data from Pfizer's renal cell carcinoma (RCC) portfolio on axitinib, an investigational compound, and SUTENT(sunitinib malate) will be presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress in Stockholm, Sweden, September 23 - 27, 2011.

14 Sep 2011

African-Americans have higher risk of high blood pressure earlier

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13 Sep 2011

A squirt of insulin up the nose for prevention of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have noted in a small pilot study that squirting insulin deep into the nose where it travels to the brain might hold early Alzheimer’s disease at bay. At present there are no effective ways to prevent or delay the progress of Alzheimer’s. More than 5.4 million Americans and 35 million people worldwide have Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia.

13 Sep 2011

Cytta completes first client deployment of remote medical monitoring system

Cytta Corp is pleased to announce that we have now successfully completed the first client installation and deployment of our remote medical monitoring system. This installation enables the Company to commence a full scale roll out of its technology, concentrating initially on our clients consisting of payors and providers, such as: Health Plans, Managed Care Organizations, Health Delivery Organizations, Medical Groups and IPAs, located in the Southern California area.

12 Sep 2011

Scientists identify 28 blood pressure-associated genetic variants

A new report from scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and their colleagues in centers around the world finds that common variants in 28 regions of DNA are associated with blood pressure in human patients.

12 Sep 2011

Researchers identify 29 DNA sequence variations linked with blood pressure

A study involving more than 200,000 people worldwide has identified 29 DNA sequence variations in locations across the human genome that influence blood pressure.

12 Sep 2011

Researchers discover 16 new gene regions that influence blood pressure

Findings, published today in Nature and Nature Genetics by the International Consortium for Blood Pressure Genome-Wide Association Studies represent a major advance in our understanding of the inherited influences on blood pressure and offer new potential therapeutic targets for prevention of heart disease and stroke - the biggest cause of death worldwide.

12 Sep 2011

Feds stop brain stent stroke study after failures

A promising but expensive device to prop open blocked arteries in the brain in the hope of preventing disabling or fatal strokes failed in a rigorous study, researchers reported on Wednesday. Those who got the device actually had so many more strokes than those assigned to control risk factors, like blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes, that the study was abruptly terminated.

9 Sep 2011

Stents for blocked brain arteries may not be as successful in prolonging survival as believed: Study

A study out this Wednesday says that insertion of an artery-opening device called a stent into the brain to improve blood flow to prevent a second stroke may do more harm than managing high-risk patients with drugs and lifestyle changes. Blocked brain arteries caused by the build-up of fatty deposits called plaque account for more than 50,000 of the 795,000 strokes occurring in the United States each year. Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States.

8 Sep 2011

First Edition: September 8, 2011

In today's headlines, reports from last night's GOP presidential debate, as well as explorations of what the future might hold for the 'Super Committee' and news developments related to physician payment issues.

8 Sep 2011

Aggressive medical management better than stenting for prevention of recurrent stroke

Patients at a high risk for a second stroke who received intensive medical treatment had fewer strokes and deaths than patients who received a brain stent in addition to the medical treatment, a large nationwide clinical trial has shown. The investigators published the results in today's online first edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

8 Sep 2011

Intensive medical treatment more effective in preventing second stroke than stenting

People who received intensive medical treatment following a first stroke had fewer second episodes and were less likely to die than people who received brain stents in addition to medical treatment, according to a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine, to be published online Sept. 7.

8 Sep 2011

APS sponsors 7th International Symposium on Aldosterone and the ENaC/Degenerin Family of Ion Channels

The American Physiological Society is sponsoring the 7th International Symposium on Aldosterone and the ENaC/Degenerin Family of Ion Channels, being held September 18-22 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, Calif. This scientific conference explores the connection between fluid balance in the body and hypertension, a growing global health concern.

8 Sep 2011