Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Over half of older adults hospitalized for heart disease also have reduced kidney function

Over half of older adults hospitalized for heart disease also have reduced kidney function, suggests a study in the July Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

21 Jun 2004

Cornelia de Lange syndrome gene discovered

An international team of researchers has discovered the gene for Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a disabling, multisystem genetic disease that affects an estimated one in 10,000 children.

20 Jun 2004

First license to begin research involving therapeutic cloning

A special licensing committee of the UK Human Fertilization & Embryology Authority (HFEA) met on June 16 in London to decide whether to grant a license to scientists at The Center for Life at Newcastle University.

20 Jun 2004

Valsartan may reduce cardiac illness and death

Results of a study in this week's issue of THE LANCET provide further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk. The study also emphasises the importance of early blood-pressure lowering after the start of treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

17 Jun 2004

Statins could be effective in relieving symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis

Results of a UK study in this week's issue of THE LANCET suggest that the anti-inflammatory effect of statins (a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs) could be effective in relieving symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

17 Jun 2004

FDA panel to review results of Guidant's heart failure trial

Guidant Corporation has announced that the Circulatory System Devices Panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review Guidant’s submission to expand user labeling, including indications, for its cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators

17 Jun 2004

Regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma could be endangering their patients

Physicians who prescribe the regular use of beta-agonist drugs for asthma could be endangering their patients, two new studies by researchers at Cornell and Stanford universities find.

17 Jun 2004

Further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk

Results of a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET provide further evidence that a class of drugs that lower blood pressure are a treatment option for older people at high cardiovascular risk. The study also emphasises the importance of early blood-pressure lowering after the start of treatment to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack and stroke.

17 Jun 2004

Computer cluster helps understand how human cells and organs work

This will ultimately lead to more effective ways of treating cardiovascular disease and cancer as well as other diseases. It will also eventually allow doctors to tailor treatment in a way specific to that patient rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

17 Jun 2004

Women are more likely than men to die from aortic dissection or tearing

Women are more likely than men to die from aortic dissection,a tear in the inner wall of the aorta, according to one of the first studies of its kind reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Jun 2004

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy identifies women with chest pain at high risk

Women with chest pain who have a normal coronary angiogram can benefit from a test that detects abnormal metabolism in their heart muscle, according to a study reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

16 Jun 2004

Novel findings on treatments for childhood obesity and early polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in young girls

New research findings presented this week in New Orleans during ENDO 2004, the 86th Annual Meeting of The Endocrine Society, could help keep kids healthier.

16 Jun 2004

Results from study of Rituxan in rheumatoid arthritis show promise

Genentech, Inc., Biogen Idec and Roche have announced that the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a Phase IIa study showing that two doses of Rituxan® (Rituximab), administered two weeks apart, improved symptoms in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for up to 48 weeks when combined with methotrexate (MTX), compared to MTX alone.

16 Jun 2004

Heart attack patients are discharged without evidenced-based, guideline recommended, life-prolonging therapies

Heart attack care is more likely to match recommended guidelines when health care providers use standardized forms and other reminders, and institutional systems reinforce goals for treatment and patient lifestyles, according to a new study in the June 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jun 2004

Lower rates of sudden death among women may be related to gender differences in heart arrhythmias

Lower rates of sudden death among women may be related to gender differences in heart arrhythmias, rather than to other heart disease factors or treatments, hypertension, diabetes or other measured variables, according to a new study in the June 16, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

16 Jun 2004

NICE guides new treatments for prostate cancer, drugs misuse, osteoporosis and heart failure

New treatments for prostate cancer, drugs misuse, osteoporosis and heart failure are being referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), Lord Warner announced today.

16 Jun 2004

Atrial fibrillation may be hereditary

Having a parent with atrial fibrillation (AF) strongly increased an offspring’s risk of developing this heart rhythm disorder, according to a study of participants in the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s (NHLBI) Framingham Heart Study.

15 Jun 2004

Asian Indian men more at risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Asian Indian men are at an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, whether overweight or not, because their bodies metabolize fat like people who are obese, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.

15 Jun 2004

High resolution imaging greatly aids physicians treating irregular heart beats

The findings of a new study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology demonstrate that the use of high resolution imaging can greatly aid physicians who are treating patients suffering from a particular type of irregular heart beat.

15 Jun 2004

Link between adult leg length and coronary heart disease in women

Researchers at Bristol University have found a link between adult leg length – an indicator of diet and living conditions during childhood – and coronary heart disease in women.

15 Jun 2004