Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Latest Cardiovascular Disease News and Research

Helping diabetics through the holiday season

November ushers in American Diabetes Month - not only a time to be thankful for bustling basic and clinical research underway on the disease, but also the unofficial start of the holiday season.

20 Nov 2008

Exposure to Dioxin linked to increased heart problems

Dioxins, environmental pollutants resulting from the production and combustion of chlorinated compounds, have been linked to an increase in ischemic heart disease (IHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates, as reported in a review article in the November 2008 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP).

20 Nov 2008

First study to look at health of centenarian offspring

A recent study appearing in the November issue of Journal of American Geriatrics Society revealed that centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort.

20 Nov 2008

Regular religious service attendance reduces risk of death by 20 percent

A study published by researchers at Yeshiva University and its medical school, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, strongly suggests that regular attendance at religious services reduces the risk of death by approximately 20 percent.

19 Nov 2008

Metabolex announces positive results from phase 2 trial of MBX-8025

The Phase 2 study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of MBX-8025, both alone and in combination with atorvastatin (marketed as Lipitor(R)), over an 8-week treatment period.

19 Nov 2008

Genetic screening no better than traditional risk factors for predicting type 2 diabetes

Screening for a panel of gene variants associated with the risk for type 2 diabetes can identify adults at risk for the disorder but is not significantly better than assessment based on traditional risk factors such as weight, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

19 Nov 2008

Ginkgo biloba does nothing for dementia, Alzheimer's

One of the most widely used herbal supplements for improving memory and cognition has no impact on the development of dementia or Alzheimer's disease, according to new results from a $30 million, multi-center study.

18 Nov 2008

Financial incentives motivates doctors to reduce ethnic differences in heart disease treatments

Financial incentives for doctors can improve the management of coronary heart disease (CHD) and reduce ethnic differences in quality of and access to care, according to Dr. Christopher Millett, Consultant in Public Health at Imperial College Faculty of Medicine in London in the UK, and his colleagues.

17 Nov 2008

Higher levels of blood phosphate may be a previously unidentified and modifiable cardiovascular risk factor

Healthy adults with higher levels of phosphate in the blood are more likely to have increased levels of calcium in the coronary arteries-a key indicator of atherosclerosis and future cardiovascular disease risk, reports a study in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

16 Nov 2008

No clear evidence that depression screening improves cardiovascular patients' health

Results of a new study call into question recent clinical guidelines issued by leading cardiovascular groups, including the American Heart Association, which recommend patients with cardiovascular disease be screened for signs of depression and treated accordingly.

16 Nov 2008

Cigarette smoke may reshape the left ventricle

Prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke can increase levels of the stress hormone norepinephrine and enzymes in the heart that have the potential to reshape the left ventricle, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

16 Nov 2008

Adults with severe heart failure have more doctor visits, medications than others on Medicare

Adults with severe heart failure see almost three times as many Medicare providers each year compared to a typical beneficiary, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

12 Nov 2008

African-Americans with depression and heart attack have greater risk of death

African-American patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) and previously treated depression that persists at their MI hospitalization have an increased risk of post-MI death, according to Emory researcher Susmita Parashar, MD, MPH.

12 Nov 2008

Staying active may lower health risks for large, retired athletes

The larger body size of professional football players doesn't increase risk of cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis after they retire, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008.

12 Nov 2008

Joyful music has a healthy effect on blood vessel function

Listening to your favorite music may be good for your cardiovascular system.

11 Nov 2008

Sex hormones may affect atherosclerosis

Naturally produced sex hormones may influence the risk and progression of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, Johns Hopkins researchers report in a recent study.

11 Nov 2008

Large trial on low-dose aspirin in diabetics

Type 2 diabetics treated with low-dose aspirin did not have a significantly lower incidence of atherosclerotic events than those who received placebo in this primary prevention trial of low-dose aspirin, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. However, sub-group analyses showed a significant reduction with aspirin in both atherosclerotic events in those over 65 years of age, and a reduction in cerebrocardiovascular deaths.

11 Nov 2008

Folic acid does not offer any cardiovascular benefits

Folic acid is safe - but it lacks any cardiovascular benefits - according to researchers presenting at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2008. The results from the Study of the Effectiveness of Additional Reductions in Cholesterol and Homocysteine (SEARCH), a 12,064-person, randomized study, were presented as a late-breaking clinical trial.

11 Nov 2008

Simple blood test for high-sensitivity C-reactive protein is a useful marker for cardiovascular disease

This year, about 450,000 Americans will die of coronary heart disease – the leading cause of death for both men and women.

11 Nov 2008

Lack of sleep tied to greater risk of heart disease

Sleeping less than seven and a half hours per day may be associated with future risk of heart disease, according to a report in the November 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine , one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

11 Nov 2008