Heart Failure News and Research

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Heart failure (HF) is a condition in which a problem with the structure or function of the heart impairs its ability to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the body's needs. It should not be confused with cardiac arrest or myocardial infarction.

Corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation

High doses of medications known as corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm disorder characterized by an irregular heartbeat, according to an article in the May 8 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 May 2006

Cardiovascular disease impact varies according to age, gender, other factors

Cardiovascular disease deaths have declined in the last 25 years, but the effect of America's No. 1 killer varies greatly based on gender, age, location and type, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

9 May 2006

Smokers more likely to receive jolt from defibrillators

If some patients with heart disease don't take their doctor's advice to quit smoking, they are probably going to get "shocking" reminders.

8 May 2006

Study helps explain why aerobic training helps heart failure patients

Aerobic training is associated with a reversal of abnormal hormonal patterns that underlie many of the debilitating symptoms of heart failure, according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

3 May 2006

New drug lixivaptan reduces excess fluid build-up in patients with congestive heart failure

Researchers believe they may have identified a new agent to reduce the excess fluid build-up in patients with congestive heart failure, one that avoids the relative sodium-depleting effects of diuretics, now the most commonly used drugs for this purpose.

3 May 2006

Transplanted stem cells hoped to be able to regenerate damaged heart muscle in first heart attack victims

Rush cardiologists are hoping that transplanted stem cells can regenerate damaged heart muscle in those who experience a first heart attack. The study involves an intravenous infusion of adult mesenchymal stem cells from healthy donor bone marrow that might possibly reverse damage to heart tissue.

28 Apr 2006

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Researchers believe they have found a way to change the action of 60 percent of currently available medications, in some cases making them many times more effective, according to an article published in the April 21 edition of the journal Science. The discovery has the potential to improve treatments for diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression and arthritis. The study describes a new way to manipulate perhaps the most important signaling mechanism in human cells: G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).

28 Apr 2006

Study shows drugs work differently in the brains of men and women

A Johns Hopkins discovery could lead to tailored treatments for drug abuse and neurological diseases after providing what is believed to be the first evidence in people that amphetamines have a greater effect on men's brains than women's.

24 Apr 2006

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

UC Irvine researchers have found that a protein best known for building connections between nerve cells and muscle also plays a role in controlling brain cell activity.

23 Apr 2006

New medical device improves blood pressure control

Physicians at the Hypertension and Vascular Disease Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have proven that a new medical device improves blood pressure management in patients with the most common form of uncontrolled hypertension.

19 Apr 2006

New guidelines for pulmonary complications

Pulmonary complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, are a common - and dangerous - problem for patients following major surgery.

19 Apr 2006

Only 43 percent of older people with diabetes receive medicines that could protect their heart and kidneys

...despite the fact that virtually all of them could benefit from those drugs, a new University of Michigan study finds. And even among those with the most to gain from the medicines, the rate of use barely reaches 53 percent.

18 Apr 2006

New test for heart disease

Building on years of research on the way that blood flows through the heart valves, researchers from the California Institute of Technology and Oregon Health Science University have devised a new index for cardiac health based on a simple ultrasound test.

18 Apr 2006

Getting to the heart of cardiovascular diseases

A new collaboration covers the spectrum from molecules to therapies. Three research organisations have announced the merging of their expertise to fight cardiovascular diseases, which are among the most common health problems and causes of death in the world.

13 Apr 2006

Angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors may reduce cardiovascular risk

Angiotension-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, medications commonly used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure), may reduce cardiovascular risk and the risk of death in patients with coronary artery disease, according to a new analysis of previously conducted clinical trials reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

13 Apr 2006

Maintaining high blood pressure treatment may reduce the risk of dementia in old age

Lead author of the study Rita Peila, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), said "For every year of hypertension treatment, there is increased protection against dementia."

13 Apr 2006

Physicians with more experience are better able to detect a third heart sound that is an indicator of heart disease

Physicians with more experience are better able to detect a third heart sound that is an indicator of heart disease, according to a study on stethoscope accuracy in cardiac patients at UCSF Medical Center.

13 Apr 2006

Swine disease in China caused toxic shock syndrome

A large and deadly outbreak of Streptococcus suis disease, in Sichuan province in China last year alarmed health officials worldwide and now scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and other Chinese institutions have published the first scientific details of the outbreak.

12 Apr 2006

Statins may be able to play a role in preventing or slowing heart valve disease

Research to be published in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology provides the first explanation of an active rather than passive process that leads to heart valve degeneration, furthering a Northwestern researcher's effort to lead a paradigm shift in the medical community's beliefs about the cause of valve disease.

11 Apr 2006

Similarities and differences in outcomes of cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatitis C

Cirrhosis related to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is associated with fewer complications and a lower mortality compared to cirrhosis from hepatitis C, despite NASH patients' greater risk of dying from cardiovascular events.

11 Apr 2006

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Corticosteroids may be linked to an increased risk for atrial fibrillation

Cardiovascular disease impact varies according to age, gender, other factors

Smokers more likely to receive jolt from defibrillators

Study helps explain why aerobic training helps heart failure patients

New drug lixivaptan reduces excess fluid build-up in patients with congestive heart failure

Transplanted stem cells hoped to be able to regenerate damaged heart muscle in first heart attack victims

Study indicates how drug efficacy can be increased by manipulating the signalling mechanism

Study shows drugs work differently in the brains of men and women

Protein discovery opens up new therapeutic possibilities for epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases

New medical device improves blood pressure control

New guidelines for pulmonary complications

Only 43 percent of older people with diabetes receive medicines that could protect their heart and kidneys

New test for heart disease

Getting to the heart of cardiovascular diseases

Angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors may reduce cardiovascular risk

Maintaining high blood pressure treatment may reduce the risk of dementia in old age

Physicians with more experience are better able to detect a third heart sound that is an indicator of heart disease

Swine disease in China caused toxic shock syndrome

Statins may be able to play a role in preventing or slowing heart valve disease

Similarities and differences in outcomes of cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatitis C

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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