Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

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

Common illnesses are associated with an increased risk of suicide in elderly people

Many common illnesses are independently associated with an increased risk of suicide in elderly people, according to an article in the June 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

15 Jun 2004

Researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize

For the first time, UCLA researchers have recreated the ability of mammalian cells to self-organize, forming evenly spaced patterns in a test tube. Published in the June 22, 2004 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the findings may help improve methods for regenerating tissue, controlling birth defects and developing new treatments for specific diseases.

14 Jun 2004

Retirees taking COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs on a long-term basis also take aspirin therapy

Findings reported in a study published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that over half of patients within a predominantly retiree population taking COX-2 anti-inflammatory drugs on a long-term basis were also taking aspirin therapy for its cardio-protective benefit.

14 Jun 2004

Possible therapeutic approach to lowering LDL cholesterol and homocysteine levels

Canadian scientists report that mice genetically altered so as to lack either of the two different pathways through which humans, mice, and other animals provide lipids for high density and low density lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) did not appear to suffer any ill effects. But animals from both groups had markedly lower levels of cholesterol in their blood stream.

14 Jun 2004

Cholesterol isn’t all bad

Cholesterol gets lots of bad press, and for good reason. An estimated 24 million women and 18 million men have total cholesterol levels of 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke.

11 Jun 2004

65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases

Government and private sector health experts now estimate that 65 percent of America’s adults are overweight and 31 percent of adults are obese and at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The link between obesity and hypertension is well known, but the exact nature of the association between the two disorders remains unclear.

11 Jun 2004

African Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases at a rate about five times higher than the rest of the U.S. population

African Americans suffer from cardiovascular diseases at a rate about five times higher than the rest of the U.S. population. In a new study, scientists may have found a culprit: a serious deficiency of nitric oxide, a small molecule vital in the regulation of blood flow and blood pressure.

11 Jun 2004

First robotic heart operations in the southern hemisphere

Monash University Department of Surgery staff have made history by performing the first robotic heart operations in the southern hemisphere.

11 Jun 2004

U.S. team to battle malaria in Peru

In the middle of the Peruvian Amazon, a battle against malaria – the second largest killer of people worldwide – will be undertaken by an international team of researchers led by tropical disease specialist Joseph Vinetz, M.D., from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

11 Jun 2004

Accurately estimating the life expectancy of persons with advanced dementia

A model has been created that can help determine the risk of death within six months for nursing home patients with advanced dementia, according to a study in the June 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

10 Jun 2004

Exercise and fish oil supplement dramatically decreases risk of atherosclerosis

Nearly one quarter of all Americans have some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control, and each year about 950,000 Americans die of heart disease.

10 Jun 2004

Untreated transient ischemic attacks put 21,000 Canadians at increased risk of death, stroke or heart attack

The Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation warns that untreated transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are putting nearly 21,000 Canadians at increased risk of death, stroke or heart attack.

9 Jun 2004

Foundation for poor heart health laid early in life

Heart disease - long viewed as a scourge of adulthood - is a growing threat to children because of soaring rates of obesity and related problems, such as diabetes.

9 Jun 2004

FDA warns against use of domperidone to increase milk production

In response to reports that women may be using an unapproved drug, domperidone, to increase milk production (lactation), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning breastfeeding women not to use this product because of safety concerns. Today, FDA also issued six letters to pharmacies that compound products containing domperidone and firms that supply domperidone for use in compounding.

9 Jun 2004