Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Hearing loss may increase risk of falls

Hearing loss has been linked with a variety of medical, social and cognitive ills, including dementia. However, a new study led by a Johns Hopkins researcher suggests that hearing loss may also be a risk factor for another huge public health problem: falls.

27 Feb 2012

The Lancet publishes Takeda's TAK-875 Phase 2 data on type 2 diabetes

Phase 2 clinical data of an investigational type 2 diabetes therapy, TAK-875 of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, were published online first in The Lancet.

27 Feb 2012

Lung function, obstructive airway diseases linked with increased risk of heart failure

A large population-based study has found that lung function and obstructive airway diseases are strongly and independently associated with increased risk of heart failure. Importantly, say the investigators, this association was even evident in never-smokers and was still evident after adjustment for smoking status and number of years smoking. This, they add, indicates "that our results are not primarily confounded by smoking".

26 Feb 2012

Citrus fruits may keep stroke at bay for women

In the study published last Thursday in Stroke, a journal of the American Heart Association, researchers analyzed the flavonoid intake of 69,622 women from the U.S.-based Nurses’ Health Study, which has followed nurses since 1976 to assess risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cancer. The total flavonoid intake of the 69,622 women was calculated after they completed food intake questionnaires collected every four years using a U.S. Department of Agriculture database. They found that during 14 years of follow up surveys beginning in 1990, 1,803 incidents of strokes were confirmed from the women.

26 Feb 2012

Study strengthens statistical link between BPA and heart disease

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a controversial chemical widely used in the plastics industry. A new study followed people over a 10-year time period and shows that healthy people with higher urine concentrations of BPA were more likely to later develop heart disease.

24 Feb 2012

Circadian rhythm can influence a heart attack

Researchers have found that a biological clock can influence a heart attack. The risk of “sudden cardiac death” peaks in the morning and rises again in the evening as shown in lab animals.

23 Feb 2012

Overall positive attitude towards concept of uniform CVD prevention guidelines across Europe

The next Joint European CVD Prevention Guidelines, scheduled for publication later this year at EuroPRevent 2012, will be shorter, tighter and supported by fewer references.

23 Feb 2012

Experts to discuss current treatments for children with heart disease at Cardiology 2012

An international group of almost 1000 medical experts gathers this week to discuss the most current treatments for children with heart disease. Affecting about a million children born each year throughout the world, congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect. In its severe forms, it is also the leading cause of death from birth defects in infants.

23 Feb 2012

Assessing family medical history helps spot patients at high risk of heart disease

A new study by researchers at The University of Nottingham has proved that assessing family medical history is a significant tool in helping GPs spot patients at high risk of heart disease and its widespread use could save lives.

23 Feb 2012

Novel test identifies toxic foods which, when avoided, will help lose weight

Why did Oprah say, "I hope he can show me how to stop craving potato chips" during her Tony Robbins' segment this week? Does she really think that her potato chip binging and craving causes all of her weight fluctuations? Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine may have the answer hidden in a novel laboratory test called a Bloodprint® and published this month in the Journal of Obesity and Weight Loss Therapy.

23 Feb 2012

First molecular evidence links body's natural circadian rhythms to SCD

A fundamental discovery reported in the March 1st issue of the journal Nature, uncovers the first molecular evidence linking the body's natural circadian rhythms to sudden cardiac death (SCD). Ventricular arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms, are the most common cause of sudden cardiac death: the primary cause of death from heart disease.

23 Feb 2012

Statins can reduce risk of depression

Researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the University of California San Francisco have studied the link between medication taken for cardiovascular disease and the development of depression. In their studies, scientists have determined that a particular class of medication, i.e. statins, can reduce the risk of developing depression.

22 Feb 2012

Study examines impact of EHR on childhood obesity evaluation

Electronic health records and embedded tools can alert and direct pediatricians so they can better manage the weight of children and teenagers, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics.

22 Feb 2012

Researchers discover new evidence on how cholesterol transfers from HDLs to LDLs

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have found new evidence to explain how cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) mediates the transfer of cholesterol from "good" high density lipoproteins (HDLs) to "bad" low density lipoproteins.

21 Feb 2012

ReCor Medical's PARADISE ultrasound platform for achieving renal denervation receives CE mark

ReCor Medical, an emerging medical device company, announced today that its PARADISE (Percutaneous Renal Denervation System) ultrasound platform for achieving renal denervation has received the CE mark. PARADISE is designed to treat patients with 'resistant' hypertension, a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

20 Feb 2012

Low dose carbon monoxide therapy can prevent fetal death

Heme oxygenase-1 is essential for the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and in establishing blood flow in the umbilical cord. Too little HO-1 can lead to a restriction in the growth of the fetus and even in fetal death and miscarriage. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Medical Gas Research has shown that low dose carbon monoxide therapy is able to restore placental function and prevent fetal death in mice, without any detrimental effects.

19 Feb 2012

Quit-smoking drug Chantix effective in cocaine and alcohol addiction

Varenicline is unique among anti-addiction medications in the way it affects the brain. Like nicotine, varenicline activates a specific receptor for a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, but it does so less intensely than the active ingredient of cigarettes does. The net effect is that the drug seems to help by both cutting cravings and making the formerly desired drug less pleasant — without making non-drug pleasures less intense. Alcohol works on the same chemical receptors in the brain as nicotine, and it may enhance the pleasurable effects of smoking.

18 Feb 2012

FDA approves Medtronic's Resolute Integrity DES to treat CAD

Advancing the clinical practice of interventional cardiovascular medicine, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT) today announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the Resolute Integrity Drug-Eluting Stent (DES) for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

From Medtronic 17 Feb 2012

Brandeis professor investigates wallpaper-like liner technology for tackling malaria

Can an innovative wallpaper-like liner help reduce the number of cases of malaria, and if so, will it be cost effective? Donald S. Shepard, a professor at the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy at the Heller School wants to know. And he has gotten the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to help. A grant, totaling nearly $500,000 over the next three years, will allow Shepard and collaborators to pursue their research in Kenya and Tanzania.

17 Feb 2012

UCSF stem cell study suggests novel strategy for heart attack

A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels - and avoid the risk of tissue rejection.

16 Feb 2012