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.

Clopidogrel (Plavix®) responses appear normal in largest data set

Although individual patients respond differently to treatment with the anti-platelet medication clopidogrel (brand name Plavix®), those variations appear normal and may not indicate important differences in the effectiveness of treatment, according to a new study (PDF file) in the Jan. 18, 2005 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

19 Jan 2005

New research centre for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease is one of the biggest contributors to the global burden of disease, and by 2020 will be the number one contributor according to figures from the World Health Organisation. In response, the International Centre for Circulatory Health (ICCH) has been set up by Imperial College London and St Mary’s NHS Trust as an international research centre to develop new treatments and preventative strategies for cardiovascular disease around the world.

19 Jan 2005

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Ventricular assist devices (VADs), blood pumps used in heart failure situations, now have the potential for use in additional patient groups. Scientists and clinicians gathered at the 11th Congress of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps in Germany last year to discuss past lessons learned and future directions for this technology.

10 Jan 2005

Protein in cardiac muscle cells may play a crucial role in heart failure prevention

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have shown that a protein in cardiac muscle cells may play a crucial role in heart failure prevention.

5 Jan 2005

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood effectively treated heart attacks

When injected into rats' hearts soon after a heart attack, stem cells taken from human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) greatly reduced the size of heart damage and restored pumping function to near normal. This improvement occurred without the need for drugs to prevent the rats' immune system from rejecting the human cells.

5 Jan 2005

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Sudden cardiac death from emotional stress may be triggered by uneven signals from the brain to the heart, according to a study by University College London (UCL) scientists published in the January issue of Brain.

23 Dec 2004

Biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals

In a newly reported, first-ever finding, physicists from Boston University and physiologists from Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) have found that the body’s biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals independent of sleep/wake cycle or other behavior influences.

21 Dec 2004

Living alone, financial difficulties, excessive use of alcohol associated with the onset of depression among outpatients with heart failure

Living alone, financial difficulties, excessive use of alcohol and poor results on a heart failure questionnaire were associated with the onset of depression among outpatients with heart failure, according to a new study in the Dec. 21, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

21 Dec 2004

Clinical care of community-dwelling older adults with advanced chronic diseases would be enhanced by identifying and alleviating the range of symptoms they experience

In a study to determine the prevalence of a range of symptoms among older persons living independently with advanced chronic diseases, researchers at Yale have found that the majority experienced multiple moderate or severe symptoms.

8 Dec 2004

Leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home

A pilot study has shown that leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home, adding one more example to a growing list of medical conditions that can be successfully monitored remotely.

8 Dec 2004

Resveratrol antioxidant found in red wine may benefit heart tissue

New research on rat heart cells suggests that a well-known antioxidant found in red wine, called resveratrol, may benefit heart tissue by limiting the effects of a condition called cardiac fibrosis.

8 Dec 2004

Defect in one of nature's oldest proteins may be an underlying cause in human miscarriages

University of Rochester scientists studying a vital protein called Serum Response Factor (SRF) in mice have learned new and unexpected facts about SRF's role in early cardiovascular development, and how a defect in this gene may be an underlying cause in human miscarriages.

8 Dec 2004

Heart Hospital begins experimental cell therapy

Physicians at the Heart Hospital became the first team in the UK to treat a patient with an experimental new therapy designed to repair damage to cardiac muscle resulting from a heart attack. If successful, this treatment would give doctors the ability to improve the hearts of people with heart failure, rather than just treating the symptoms.

6 Dec 2004

Implications of twin, triplet and quadruplet pregnancies on mothers

More women giving birth in their later years has given rise to fertility treatments which has in turn led to what can be described as an explosion in twin, triplets and quadruplet pregnancies.

4 Dec 2004

Heart researchers have used gene therapy to bring failing rat hearts back to normal

Scientists led by Walter Koch, Ph.D., director of the Center for Translational Medicine in the Department of Medicine in Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, used a virus to insert the gene for a protein called S100A1 into failing rat hearts.

4 Dec 2004

Heart Failure News and Research

Further Reading

Clopidogrel (Plavix®) responses appear normal in largest data set

New research centre for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Protein in cardiac muscle cells may play a crucial role in heart failure prevention

Stem cells from umbilical cord blood effectively treated heart attacks

May soon be possible to identify people at risk and even to treat a heart problem with a drug that works on the brain

Biological clock affects the patterns of heart-rate control in healthy individuals

Living alone, financial difficulties, excessive use of alcohol associated with the onset of depression among outpatients with heart failure

Clinical care of community-dwelling older adults with advanced chronic diseases would be enhanced by identifying and alleviating the range of symptoms they experience

Leg wounds can be accurately assessed using photographs taken at a patient's home

Resveratrol antioxidant found in red wine may benefit heart tissue

Defect in one of nature's oldest proteins may be an underlying cause in human miscarriages

Heart Hospital begins experimental cell therapy

Implications of twin, triplet and quadruplet pregnancies on mothers

Heart researchers have used gene therapy to bring failing rat hearts back to normal

Venom from one of the world’s deadliest snakes is being developed as a new drug to treat heart failure

Weight gain beginning in childhood can lead to an enlarged heart

Obesity could increase a person’s risk for atrial fibrillation

Highly obese women are 12 times more likely to have diabetes

Cells linked to asthma and eczema also help cure deadly illness in mice

Breaking Barriers: ANDYSMANCLUB's Fight for Men's Mental Health on World Mental Health Day

Arrayed CRISPR Screening for Revolutionizing Target Discovery

Innovations in baculovirus–insect cell expression systems

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