Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Study suggests potential treatment for cardiovascular disease in people with apoE4 gene variant

Researchers at UT-Southwestern Medical Center have found that the most common variant of the circulating protein apolipoprotein E, called apoE3, helps repair the lining of blood vessels. Individuals with another variant, called apoE4, do not get the benefit of this repair, putting them at higher risk for cardiovascular disease.

18 Sep 2014

Studies explore role of STXBP5 gene in development of cardiovascular disease

Two independent groups of researchers led by Sidney (Wally) Whiteheart, PhD, of the University of Kentucky, and Charles Lowenstein, MD, of the University of Rochester, have published important studies exploring the role that a gene called STXBP5 plays in the development of cardiovascular disease.

18 Sep 2014

Sanofi, MyoKardia partner to develop targeted therapeutics for cardiomyopathies

Sanofi and MyoKardia, Inc., a privately-held company leading the development of precision therapies for genetic heart disease, announced today a worldwide collaboration to discover and develop first-of-its-kind targeted therapeutics for heritable heart diseases known as cardiomyopathies, the most common forms of heart muscle disease.

18 Sep 2014

APOC3 gene variant dramatically reduces triglyceride levels in the blood

Research using data collected from around 4,000 healthy people in the UK has enabled scientists to identify a rare genetic variant that dramatically reduces levels of certain types of lipids in the blood. The study is the first to emerge from the UK10K Project's cohort of samples from the general public and demonstrates the power of whole genome sequencing at scale.

17 Sep 2014

New report outlines cholesterol-targeted approach to treat people at risk for cardiovascular disease

A recent guideline for using statins to reduce atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has wavered too far from the simple cholesterol goals that have saved thousands of lives in the past decade, and doesn't adequately treat patients as individuals, experts said today in a national report.

17 Sep 2014

Milk consumption and dairy may lower blood pressure, CVD risk

Globally, cardiovascular disease (CVD) claims 17 million lives each year, while complications from high blood pressure take an additional 9.4 million. New research presented by international scientists at the 12th Euro Fed Lipid Congress in Montpellier, France on September 15, 2014, suggests that milk consumption and dairy may play a beneficial role.

17 Sep 2014

Benefits of blood pressure lowering drugs for low risk patients 'still open to question'

Dr Stephen Martin and colleagues argue that this strategy is failing patients and wasting healthcare resources. They call for a re-examination of the threshold and urge clinicians to be cautious about treating low risk patients with blood pressure lowering drugs.

16 Sep 2014

Amgen announces phase 3 ivabradine data for treatment of chronic HF

Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) today announced data from the Phase 3 SHIFT (Systolic Heart failure treatment with the If inhibitor ivabradine Trial) study evaluating ivabradine in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) were presented at the 18th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) in Las Vegas.

15 Sep 2014

New collaborative approach could help improve diabetes care in China

Diabetes has become a major public health crisis in China, with an annual projected cost of 360 billion RMB (nearly 35 billion British pounds) by 2030, but a new collaborative approach to care that uses registries and community support could help improve diabetes care, according to a new three-part Series about diabetes in China published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.

11 Sep 2014

FDA approves Contrave extended-release tablets for chronic weight management

Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. and Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. jointly announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Contrave® extended-release tablets as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese), or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.

11 Sep 2014

People with diabetes may have six-fold higher risk of developing heart failure

People with diabetes who appear otherwise healthy may have a six-fold higher risk of developing heart failure regardless of their cholesterol levels, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

11 Sep 2014

5-minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries from prolonged sitting

An Indiana University study has found that three easy -- one could even say slow -- 5-minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during three hours of prolonged sitting.

9 Sep 2014

Non-sodium dietary factor related to increases in systolic blood pressure than sodium intake

A new study published in American Journal of Hypertension finds evidence that increased Body Mass Index, age, and non-sodium dietary factors are much more closely related to increases in systolic blood pressure than sodium intake.

9 Sep 2014

Social networking programmes can help fight obesity epidemic

Social networking programmes designed to help people lose weight could play a role in the global fight against obesity, according to research.

9 Sep 2014

AMPK gene can slow aging process when activated remotely in key organ systems

UCLA biologists have identified a gene that can slow the aging process throughout the entire body when activated remotely in key organ systems.

9 Sep 2014

Intensive glycaemic control shows ischaemic heart disease benefit

Intensive glucose lowering may significantly reduce the risk of ischaemic heart disease in at-risk middle-aged people with Type 2 diabetes, a post-hoc analysis of the ACCORD trial suggests.

5 Sep 2014

Doctor receives international patents for therapeutic process to remove excess galectin-3

Isaac Eliaz, MD, MS, LAc has been awarded a USA patent as well as additional international patents for a therapeutic process that allows for the removal of excess galectin-3 from the circulatory system using plasmapheresis.

4 Sep 2014

DNA regions that contained telomeres generate RNAs

RNA is one of the most primitive molecules associated with life that has awakened most interest over the last decade; a sister molecule to cellular DNA from which it originates via a process called transcription.

4 Sep 2014

Researchers examine impact of continuous increases in health care costs

If continuing increases in health care costs are inevitable, as some economists predict, is it possible for health care delivery reform to succeed in reducing the overall burden of health care expenditures on the U.S. economy? According to the results of a new study, the focus should shift from cost control to improving utilization rates and quality outcomes, as described in detail in an article in Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

4 Sep 2014

Researchers uncover intriguing link between heart attacks and protein

A team of researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, led by Dr. Alexandre Stewart, have uncovered an intriguing link between heart attacks and a protein that is of great interest to drug companies for its impact on cholesterol.

4 Sep 2014