Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

CVD prevention strategies for high-risk individuals may widen health inequalities

In a Policy Forum published this week in PLoS Medicine, Simon Capewell and Hilary Graham review different population strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease and conclude that screening and treating high-risk individuals may be ineffective and widen social inequalities. The authors conclude "there is evidence that CVD prevention strategies for screening and treating high-risk individuals may represent a relatively ineffective approach that typically widens social inequalities.

24 Aug 2010

Asian-Americans subgroups lack data on cardiovascular disease

Asians are the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the U.S., but data on cardiovascular disease is lacking. There are marked differences in heart disease risk and occurrence among Asian-American subgroups, but data on these subgroups is limited, prompting the American Heart Association to call for more research on this fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the U.S., according to a scientific statement published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

24 Aug 2010

'Pre-vascularization' of device prior to implantation sustains circulation and suppresses scar formation

By creating a unique system of blood vessels that is engineered to interact with the tissue surrounding an implanted device, the longevity and function of these devices may be better preserved, according to a study led by researchers in the University of Louisville/ Jewish Hospital's Cardiovascular Innovation Institute (CII).

24 Aug 2010

BTE, Leapfrog Group, and PROMETHEUS Payment support NBCH's eValue8 health plan evaluation program

As the U.S. moves forward with health reform, health care purchasers are working to eliminate waste, overuse, and misuse in the health care system at the point of care. To that end, several of the nation's foremost quality and measurement organizations – Bridges to Excellence (BTE), the Leapfrog Group, and PROMETHEUS Payment® – announced their support of eValue8™, a program of the National Business Coalition on Health (NBCH).

24 Aug 2010

Removing corticosteroid regimen after surgery results in better graft survival rates

University of Cincinnati (UC) analysis of 10 years of data from local kidney transplant patients shows that patients removed from a corticosteroid regimen shortly after surgery have better graft survival rates, better survival rates and fewer cardiovascular events than patients kept on the traditional regimen of long-term steroids.

24 Aug 2010

Study finds high glucose level blocks infectious bacteria detection, affects immunity

Research led by the Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick has found that unhealthy glucose levels in patients with diabetes can cause significantly more problems for the body than just the well-known symptoms of the disease such as kidney damage and circulation problems.

24 Aug 2010

Genzyme announces publication of phase 2 clinical trial results of eliglustat tartrate for Gaucher disease

Genzyme Corporation announced today that the two-year follow-up results from the phase 2 clinical trial of its investigational therapy known as eliglustat tartrate have been accepted for publication in the journal Blood. The results have been pre-published on the journal's website and are available to subscribers.

23 Aug 2010

Researchers find medication for diabetes, smoking cessation

The script for two research teams inducted today into the American Chemical Society (ACS) scientific "hall of fame" the ACS Heroes of Chemistry is a tale of two pills. One team invented a medication that helps people with diabetes control their blood sugar levels. The second team invented a medicine that helps people stop smoking, an addiction that experts regard as today's single greatest preventable cause of death worldwide.

23 Aug 2010

Scientists discover new ways to boost antioxidant levels in potatoes

Scientists today reported discovery of two simple, inexpensive ways of boosting the amounts of healthful antioxidant substances in potatoes. One involves giving spuds an electric shock. The other involves zapping them with ultrasound, high frequency sound waves.

23 Aug 2010

Perry Ellis International launches corporate "Healthy Heart" initiative

Perry Ellis International today unveiled the first in a full roster of community involvement efforts scheduled for this fall.

21 Aug 2010

Pharma-Nutrition conference to highlight latest research on medical nutrition

Pharma-Nutrition, the new international scientific conference organised by Elsevier, the leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, aims to discuss the latest research, concepts and practical applications of medical nutrition in patient treatments, disease management and patient outcomes.

21 Aug 2010

Low testosterone levels to blame for low libido, fatigue and weight gain

While most frequently associated with women's health, age-related hormone changes, often dubbed menopause, can occur in men as well, causing symptoms of fatigue, mood swings, decreased desire for sex, hair loss, lack of concentration and weight gain. Experts estimate that more than 5 million men are affected, yet worry the number may be considerably higher since symptoms are frequently ignored.

21 Aug 2010

Study links obesity rates with walking and cycling rates

A study authored by Professor David Bassett Jr. from the Department of Kinesiology, Recreation and Sport Studies at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and three other researchers was published in the American Journal of Public Health, concluding that communities with more walkers and cyclists are healthier than those where people must rely on cars to get around.

20 Aug 2010

Tasigna receives approval for chronic myeloid leukemia in Canada

Tasigna (nilotinib) capsules have been approved with conditions in Canada as a new therapy for patients with CML, in the chronic phase (first phase) of the disease. Patients must be resistant to or intolerant of at least one prior therapy, including (Pr)Gleevec (imatinib mesylate), an established standard of care.

20 Aug 2010

St. Vincent's Hospital performs Australia's first implant of SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart

On Aug. 5, St. Vincent's Hospital in Sydney performed Australia's first implant of the SynCardia temporary Total Artificial Heart. The patient, a 50-year-old male suffering from total heart failure, is the first recipient of the Total Artificial Heart in the Southern Hemisphere. The surgery was performed by heart surgeons Drs. Phillip Spratt and Paul Jansz.

20 Aug 2010

Study finds black women with SLE develop cardiovascular disease at early age

A recent study by researchers at Penn State College of Medicine found significant racial disparities in the age of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients at the time of hospital admission for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and CVD-related death. Black women were youngest to both be admitted with CVD and to have an in-hospital death due to CVD.

20 Aug 2010

Study suggests elective surgical repair is safe intervention for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Research from the Society for Vascular Surgery in collaboration with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine Department of Health Evidence and Policy in New York City evaluated the data of 3.1 million patients who were at risk for an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA).

20 Aug 2010