Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

FDA incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tried to discredit one of its own experts after he told a US Senate hearing that the FDA had failed to protect the public over rofecoxib (Vioxx), according to two articles published online by the British Medical Journal.

24 Nov 2004

Smoking killed almost 5 million people around the world in 2000

Smoking killed almost 5 million people around the world in 2000, reveals research in Tobacco Control. Over half the deaths were in smokers aged 30 to 69.

24 Nov 2004

Having diabetes raises a woman's risk of having a heart attack to nearly 10 times

Having diabetes raises a woman's risk of having a heart attack to nearly 10 times that of other women, according to a study in the December issue of Diabetes Care. The study also describes why women with diabetes are at much higher risk than men with diabetes when it comes to having cardiac events.

23 Nov 2004

Stem cells' repair skills could be link to cancer

Johns Hopkins researchers say there is growing evidence that stem cells gone awry in their efforts to repair tissue damage could help explain why long-term irritation, such as from alcohol or heartburn, can create a breeding ground for certain cancers.

23 Nov 2004

Highly obese women are 12 times more likely to have diabetes

Highly obese women are 12 times more likely to have diabetes or knee replacement surgery, and five times more likely to have high blood pressure than women who are at a normal weight, says a new study.

23 Nov 2004

Low-dose antioxidant supplementation may reduce the risk of cancer among men, but not in women

According to the article, antioxidants including beta carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin E, selenium, and zinc may prevent some of the harmful effects caused by free radicals – reactive molecules produced by metabolism in the body.

23 Nov 2004

Researchers have found that a blood-reduction program in cardiac surgery results in a reduced need for transfusions

Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Medical Center have found that a blood-reduction program in cardiac surgery is resulting in a reduced need for transfusions without compromising patients’ recoveries.

23 Nov 2004

Ingredient present in chocolate could help stop persistent coughs

According to research published online in FASEB Journal the team have discovered that theobromine, a derivative found in cocoa, is nearly a third more effective in stopping persistent coughs when compared with codeine, currently considered the best cough medicine.

23 Nov 2004

Risk of a blocked vessel stroke increases nearly twofold in young women with a history of stroke

Young women with a family history of stroke in their parents or siblings may be at increased risk for stroke themselves, according to a new report.

23 Nov 2004

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

Mast cells are immune cells known mostly for their unwanted effects: they cause the wheezing of asthma, the itching of eczema, the sneezing and runny nose of hay fever and, in extreme cases, the life-threatening shock of anaphylaxis.

20 Nov 2004

Call for elimination of processed trans fats in the Canadian food supply

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada has expressed its support for the debate in the House of Commons on the important issue of effectively eliminating processed trans fats in the Canadian food supply.

19 Nov 2004

FDA Vioxx fiasco raises questions about AIDS drug approvals for developing world

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), today noted that the current "FDA fiasco" involving the agency's initial approval and subsequent recall of Merck's troubled arthritis drug, Vioxx, raises serious questions about the FDA's ongoing parallel role in the approval of generic AIDS drugs for widespread use in Africa and the developing world.

19 Nov 2004

U.S. nuclear power workers show no unexepected radiation related cancer

A first-of-its-kind study of more than 53,000 U.S. nuclear power workers has found that employees in the commercial nuclear industry are less likely than the general population to die from cancer or non-cancer diseases due, in large measure, to the so-called "healthy worker effect."

18 Nov 2004

Nearly two-thirds of smokers are not concerned about developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of smokers are not concerned about developing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), America’s fourth ranking cause of death even though more than half of them (55 percent) experience at least one of the symptoms of COPD a minimum of once a week.

18 Nov 2004

Animal research and its benefits to both humans and animals

From preventing polio to finding cures for cancer patients, animal research has saved countless lives.

18 Nov 2004

Unusual protein pair that stops blood vessels' growth in the developing back

In experiments with mice, a research team led by Johns Hopkins scientists has discovered an unusual protein pair that stops blood vessels' growth in the developing back.

18 Nov 2004

Some hospitals face financial upheaval under new NHS payment system

Some hospitals will face sizeable changes to their incomes under a new NHS payment system, say researchers at Dr Foster in this week's BMJ.

18 Nov 2004

New findings have implications for chronic use of COX-2 Inhibitors in pre-menopausal women

Heart disease is less pronounced in women than in men as humans age, but this difference narrows after menopause. Some studies have shown that estrogen slows heart disease in mouse models, but the mechanism is largely unknown.

18 Nov 2004

Eating apples may protect against Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism

A group of chemicals in apples could protect the brain from the type of damage that triggers such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's and Parkinsonism, according to two new studies from Cornell University food scientists.

18 Nov 2004

FDA clarifies it's position on Vioxx

For the past several weeks, various allegations and characterizations have circulated and been reported on regarding FDA's approval and post market review of the drug Vioxx, a "Cox-2 inhibitor," that its sponsor, Merck, voluntarily withdrew from the market September 30th, 2004.

17 Nov 2004