Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Phase I of new Heart Hospital opens at MedStar Washington Hospital Center

An entire floor of the new Heart Hospital at MedStar Washington Hospital Center was dedicated earlier this month by MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute medical staff, associates and administrators. The opening of the new 60-bed unit marks the completion of Phase I of four phases in the construction of the first dedicated Heart Hospital in the nation's capital.

24 Jan 2015

Research findings may accelerate work to safely control diabetes

For those with diabetes, managing blood sugar is a balancing act -- if blood sugar is too high it raises the risk for nerve damage, blindness, kidney failure, and heart trouble, and if too low it can lead to a seizure or unconsciousness.

24 Jan 2015

Survey sheds light on issues that limit acute heart failure patients' ability to care for themselves

A tool designed to assess what interferes with acute heart failure patients' ability to care for themselves after hospital discharge holds promise for improving patient outcomes and reducing readmissions to the hospital.

24 Jan 2015

Study shows how gut bacteria can affect normal brain activity

The hundred trillion bacteria living in an adult human--mostly in the intestines, making up the gut microbiome--have a significant impact on behavior and brain health. The many ways gut bacteria can impact normal brain activity and development, affect sleep and stress responses, play a role in a variety of diseases, and be modified through diet for therapeutic use are described in a comprehensive Review article in Journal of Medicinal Food, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

23 Jan 2015

Cardiac regeneration strategies need to be based on severity of heart injury

A new study by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles has shown that neonatal mouse hearts have varying regenerative capacities depending upon the severity of injury. Using cryoinjury - damaging the heart through exposure to extreme cold in order to mimic cellular injury caused by myocardial infarction - investigators found that neonatal mouse hearts can fully recover normal function following a mild injury, though fail to regenerate after a severe injury.

23 Jan 2015

First Major Analysis Of Human Protein Atlas Is Published In Science

A research article published today in Science presents the first major analysis based on the Human Protein Atlas, including a detailed picture of the proteins that are linked to cancer, the number of proteins present in the bloodstream, and the targets for all approved drugs on the market.

23 Jan 2015

Thyroid disease can affect woman's reproductive health

Thyroid disease can have significant effects on a woman's reproductive health and screening for women presenting with fertility problems and recurrent early pregnancy loss should be considered, suggests a new review published today (23 January) in The Obstetrician & Gynaecologist.

23 Jan 2015

UVA's new program uses EpicCare electronic medical record to improve patients' access to specialists

The University of Virginia Health System is piloting a new program that uses its EpicCare electronic medical record to speed patients' access to specialists.

23 Jan 2015

Childbearing women who take painkillers may face increased risk of birth defects

More than one-fourth of privately-insured and one-third of Medicaid-enrolled women of childbearing age filled prescriptions for opioid-based (narcotic) painkillers between 2008 and 2012, according to a new analysis published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).

23 Jan 2015

UAB Research Probes Molecular Basis Of Rare Genetic Disorder

An international group co-led by University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Mary MacDougall, Ph.D., has unraveled the molecular basis for the rare, inherited genetic disorder, Singleton-Merten Syndrome (SMS). Individuals with SMS develop extreme, life-threatening calcification of the aorta and heart valves, early-onset periodontitis and root resorption of the teeth, decreases in bone density, and loss of bone tissue at the tips of fingers and toes.

23 Jan 2015

Improving sleep early in life may delay age-related changes in memory

Sound sleep in young and middle-aged people helps memory and learning, but as they hit their seventh, eighth and ninth decades, they don't sleep as much or as well -- and sleep is no longer linked so much to memory, a Baylor researcher says.

23 Jan 2015

OUP publishes first issue of ESC's European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy

Oxford University Press is delighted to announce the publication of the first issue of European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy (EHJCVP), which it is publishing on behalf of the European Society for Cardiology and the Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy.

22 Jan 2015

Twitter can indicate community's psychological well being, predict rates of heart disease

Twitter has broken news stories, launched and ended careers, started social movements and toppled governments, all by being an easy, direct and immediate way for people to share what's on their minds. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have now shown that the social media platform has another use: Twitter can serve as a dashboard indicator of a community's psychological well being and can predict rates of heart disease.

22 Jan 2015

LA BioMed's physician-researchers named among Southern California Super Doctors for 2015

Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute's physician-researchers continue to rate among the nation's and the region's best doctors, with 44 of them listed among Southern California Super Doctors for 2015 or set to be listed among America's Top Doctors when it issues its 2015 publication later this year.

22 Jan 2015

AliveCor receives CE Mark clearance for algorithm to detect atrial fibrillation

AliveCor, Inc. announced today it has received CE Mark clearance for its automated analysis process (algorithm) to detect atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common heart rhythm disturbance and a leading cause of stroke. The latest version of the AliveECG app for users in the United Kingdom and Ireland now provides patients with real-time AF detection in electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings using the AliveCor Heart Monitor.

From AliveCor, Inc. 22 Jan 2015

Scientists take a huge step forward in identifying root causes of psoriasis

Case Western Reserve scientists have taken a huge leap toward identifying root causes of psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition affecting 125 million people around the world. Of the roughly 50,000 proteins in the human body, researchers have zeroed in on four that appear most likely to contribute this chronic disease.

22 Jan 2015

Two new drug compounds appear to be effective in treating endometriosis

Two new drug compounds - one of which has already proven useful in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis - appear to be effective in treating endometriosis, a disorder that, like MS, is driven by estrogen and inflammation, scientists report in Science Translational Medicine.

22 Jan 2015

U.S. News & World Report recognizes Jenny Craig with Best Diets rankings

U.S. News & World Report, a nationally recognized publisher of consumer advice and rankings, recognized Jenny Craig as the 2nd Best Commercial Diet Plan, 2nd Easiest Diet to Follow, and 3rd Best Weight-Loss Diet in its annual Best Diets rankings.

21 Jan 2015

St. Mary's wins Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence for second consecutive year

Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center has received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ from Healthgrades, the leading online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. This is the second consecutive year St. Mary's has received this award, which recognizes St. Mary's as among the top five percent of more than 4,500 hospitals nationwide for clinical performance.

21 Jan 2015

Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) linked to serious side effects

New warnings have been added to the prescribing information for the Alzheimer's drug Aricept (donepezil) advising of the risk of two rare but potentially serious conditions: muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) and a neurological disorder called neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS).

21 Jan 2015