Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Pennsylvania Hospital to participate in Best Fed Beginnings

Pennsylvania Hospital (PAH) has been selected to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind national effort to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where rates are currently the lowest.

25 Jul 2012

LSDF announces $570,000 in awards to support commercialization of new health-related products

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced nearly $570,000 in awards in its inaugural corporate grant program to support commercialization of new health and health-care products by four early-stage Washington-based companies.

25 Jul 2012

Latest polypill trial yields largest improvements yet

The results of the first trial to administer the polypill on the basis of age alone has shown the largest reductions in blood pressure and cholesterol level of any polypill trial to date, researchers report.

24 Jul 2012

Implementing population level changes could avoid up to 50% of deaths from CVD

Up to 50% of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Europe could be avoided by implementing population level changes such as taxation and regulation of advertising. Population level prevention will produce greater impacts on CVD than individualised approaches, according to the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation (EACPR) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

24 Jul 2012

Two thirds of obese children have heart disease risk factors

Two out of three severely obese kids already have at least one risk factor for heart disease, suggests research published online in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

24 Jul 2012

Gout independent risk factor for myocardial infarction

Gout is a significant and independent risk factor for the development of myocardial infarction, even in younger patients and those with no other cardiovascular risk factors, researchers report in Rheumatology.

23 Jul 2012

Recent guidelines that recommend cholesterol tests for children fail to weigh health benefits

Recent guidelines recommending cholesterol tests for children fail to weigh health benefits against potential harms and costs, according to a new commentary authored by three physician-researchers at UCSF.

23 Jul 2012

All adult patients with HIV should be offered ART: International Antiviral Society-USA panel

Included in the 2012 International Antiviral Society-USA panel recommendations for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patient care is that all adult patients, regardless of CD4 cell count, should be offered antiretroviral therapy (ART), according to an article in the July 25 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on HIV/AIDS.

23 Jul 2012

Targeting monocyte activation may reduce arterial inflammation in HIV-infected patients

The elevated risk of cardiovascular disease seen in patients infected with HIV appears to be associated with increased inflammation within the arteries, according to a study that will appear in a special issue of JAMA published in conjunction with the International AIDS Conference.

23 Jul 2012

As AIDS conference opens, health panel urges treatment of all HIV infections

An international health panel has recommended for the first time that all HIV patients be treated with antiretroviral drugs, even when the virus's impact on their immune system is shown to be small. The nonprofit International Antiviral Society-USA cited new evidence that untreated infection with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS can also lead to a range of other conditions, including cardiovascular disease and kidney disease.

23 Jul 2012

Placenta-derived endothelial colony-forming cells are more vasculogenic: Study

A study comparing whether endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) derived from human placenta or those derived from human umbilical cord blood are more proliferative and better for forming new blood vessels has found that ECFCs derived from human placenta are more vasculogenic.

20 Jul 2012

New blood sugar monitor: An interview with Sherita Hill Golden

Type 1 diabetes is a disorder in which the body makes proteins (antibodies) against the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, destroying those cells. As a result, individuals are unable to secrete insulin to normalize blood sugar and hyperglycemia results.

20 Jul 2012

Link between objectively measured sleep and subsequent institutionalization among older women

Tired? Scientists have discovered another possible benefit of a night of restful and uninterrupted sleep. According to a new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health fragmented or interrupted sleep could predict future placement in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

20 Jul 2012

Overweight, obesity prevalent in psychiatric inpatients

Most inpatients with psychiatric disorders are overweight or obese, say Australian researchers who urge closer monitoring of the physical health of patients with mental illnesses.

19 Jul 2012

Carotid stenosis, ECG anomalies foreshadow Parkinson’s disease

Individuals aged 65 years and over who have carotid stenosis or electrocardiography abnormalities face an elevated risk for subsequently being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, results of a 14-year longitudinal study show.

19 Jul 2012

Only 63% of New Yorkers on Medicaid with chronic conditions are adherent to drug regimens

A new study published online this month in the Journal of Urban Health conducted by researchers in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Medical Center, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the New York State Department of Health found only 63 percent of New Yorkers on Medicaid with chronic conditions including hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol are adherent to medication regimens.

19 Jul 2012

People with schizophrenia more likely to develop cancer

People with serious mental illness —schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and disabling depression — are 2.6 times more likely to develop cancer than the general population, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

19 Jul 2012

Childhood abuse affects the heart

Severe child abuse is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in early adulthood, report researchers in Circulation.

18 Jul 2012

Cancer more likely in people with serious mental illnesses

18 Jul 2012

New roadmap provides expert guidance on how to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities

Major disparities exist along racial and ethnic lines in the United States for various medical conditions, but guidance is scarce about how to reduce these gaps. Now, a new "roadmap" has been unveiled to give organizations expert guidance on how to improve health equity in their own patient populations.

18 Jul 2012