Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Daylight-saving time may increase risk of heart attack

Daylight-saving time this year begins March 11, and while we all might look forward to another hour of sunshine a University of Alabama at Birmingham expert says the time change is not necessarily good for your health.

8 Mar 2012

Metformin drug appears to prevent growth of atherosclerosis in patients with HIV

Treatment with the common diabetes drug metformin appears to prevent progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients infected with HIV.

8 Mar 2012

Women with chronic heart failure survive longer than their male counterparts

Women with chronic heart failure survive longer than their male counterparts, according to a large analysis of studies comprising data on more than 40,000 subjects. The analysis represents the largest assessment of gender and mortality risk in heart failure - and provides evidence which many randomised trials have failed to do because they have been dominated by male patients.

8 Mar 2012

Researchers identify key molecular player in mouse model of kidney disease

In findings that may lead to clinical trials of a promising new drug for kidney disease, researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and their colleagues have identified a key molecular player and shown how a targeted experimental drug can reverse kidney damage in mouse models of diabetes, high blood pressure, genetic kidney disease, and other kidney injuries.

8 Mar 2012

New clinical trial: Pycnogenol improves signs and symptoms of menopause

Half the population experiences menopause, and for those women, it is a condition they will experience for approximately one third of their lifetime. Alternative or natural remedies are an easy, effective way to improve signs and symptoms linked to the menopausal transition, without side effects.

7 Mar 2012

Ivabradine could save thousands of heart failure patients

Researchers behind a major trial of Procoralan believe the pill could save 10,000 lives a year in Britain alone. Ivabradine works by slowing the beating of the heart, helping it to pump blood more efficiently.

7 Mar 2012

Are Americans overdosing on cholesterol lowering statins?

Eric Topol, Chief Academic Officer for Scripps Health and cardiologist, wrote an ‘op-ed’ in the New York Times Opinion Page addressing the risk of cholesterol-reducing statins such as Lipitor, Zocor and Crestor.

7 Mar 2012

Nitrogen balance occurs with a precise 24-hour rhythm in mammals

Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine demonstrated that nitrogen balance, the process of utilizing amino acids and disposing of their toxic byproducts, occurs with a precise 24-hour rhythm - also known as circadian rhythm - in mammals. Disruption of this cycle has a direct impact on survival of organisms, and may predispose one to life altering diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

7 Mar 2012

Study finds teenage girls sit or lie down for 19 hours a day

A study undertaken by UL researchers has found that teenage girls spend an average of 19 hours a day either sitting or lying down. Some 111 girls aged between 15 and 18 years took part in the study which measured the time they spent sitting, standing or lying down using a small accelerometer device. The researchers found that although total sitting and lying time was the same between weekdays and weekends, on week-days the sitting time was accumulated in longer bouts, lasting 20 minutes or more. These long bouts of sitting were more frequent during school time.

6 Mar 2012

diaDexus introduces new PLAC Activity test in Europe

diaDexus, Inc., a company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary cardiovascular diagnostic products, today announced the commercial launch of its CE-marked PLAC Test for Lp-PLA(2) Activity in Europe.

5 Mar 2012

Novel partnership could transform breast cancer diagnosis

An innovative University of Sydney research partnership with private enterprise could see a radical change in how breast cancer is diagnosed, with the possibility to improve detection rates.

4 Mar 2012

Maintaining healthy lifestyle from young adulthood linked with low CVD risk in middle age

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle from young adulthood into your 40s is strongly associated with low cardiovascular disease risk in middle age, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

3 Mar 2012

Sleep improves with age dispelling age old myth

A new study dispels the age old belief that sleep doesn’t get more difficult with age. The study shows that sleep quality tends to improve the older people got, with adults in their 80s getting better sleep than any other age group surveyed. The new study was published in the journal Sleep.

2 Mar 2012

External cues affect cell's ability to migrate

In a paper published today in the journal, Cell, a team from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has explained for the first time how a long-studied protein complex affects cell migration and how external cues affect cell's ability to migrate.

2 Mar 2012

Poor sleep alters immune system response to stress in older adults

Older adults who sleep poorly have an altered immune system response to stress that may increase risk for mental and physical health problems, according to a study led by a University of Rochester Medical Center researcher.

2 Mar 2012

Study uncovers how FoxO1 protein contributes to heart disease in patients with diabetes

UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists have uncovered how a specific protein's previously unsuspected role contributes to the deterioration of heart muscle in patients with diabetes. Investigators in the mouse study also have found a way to reverse the damage caused by this protein.

2 Mar 2012

Serum taurine may protect against CHD in women with high cholesterol

A nutrient found in the dark meat of poultry may provide protection against coronary heart disease (CHD) in women with high cholesterol, according to a study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center.

2 Mar 2012

Four leading organizations release recommendations to ensure optimal care of TAVR patients

Four leading heart organizations representing cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons released initial recommendations today for creating and maintaining transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs.

2 Mar 2012

Patients worried about statin use after label warnings from FDA

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's announcement Tuesday stated that it would require additional safety warnings on the labels of the cholesterol-lowering drugs. Doctors have said that while the benefits of statins outweigh their potential harm, some patients are alarmed by the new announcement.

1 Mar 2012

Statins remain important for people at high risk of heart attack or stroke

NPS is urging people taking statins to continue to take their medicine as prescribed and to see their doctor if they are unsure about the benefit of the medicine for them.

1 Mar 2012