Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Research shows that intense high dose cholesterol lowering drugs result in a major reduction in deaths and severe heart attacks

If you want to increase your chances of living longer, taking cholesterol drugs is an easy way to do it. That's the message from a Harvard study of 4,162 people hospitalized in 350 places in eight countries. It is the first research to show that intense lowering of cholesterol results in a major reduction in deaths and severe heart attacks.

7 Apr 2004

Completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and Stanford University report today the completion of the sequencing of human chromosome 19, the most gene-rich of all the human chromosomes. This achievement is described in the April 1, 2004 edition of the journal Nature.

7 Apr 2004

Patients with coronary artery blockages can be treated safely using drug coated stents

The researchers followed 155 consecutive patients treated with multiple sirolimus-eluting stents between April 2002 and March 2003. Each patient had at least two lesions blocking blood flow in different coronary arteries. Earlier studies have demonstrated that patients with a single, simple artery narrowing held open with a sirolimus-eluting stent are less likely to need retreatment than similar patients who received a bare metal stent. However, those studies excluded patients with complex or multiple artery lesions.

6 Apr 2004

Oral sildenafil improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension

Oral sildenafil (Viagra®) improved exercise tolerance, cardiac output and quality of life in 22 patients with primary pulmonary hypertension, according to the results of the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study, reported in the April 7, 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

6 Apr 2004

Alzheimer's live about half as long as those of similar age without dementia

Age, seriousness of impairment, and the severity of other medical conditions are important indicators of how long an individual might survive after an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis, Eric B. Larson, M.D., M.P.H. and colleagues report in the April 6 Annals of Internal Medicine. Study authors include Linda Teri, Ph.D., recipient of an Alzheimer's Association $1 million Pioneer research grant.

6 Apr 2004

Study Identifies Predictors of Alzheimer's Disease Longevity

It's among the first questions asked after someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease: "What can we expect?" It's a tough question that has been difficult to answer. But a new study suggests that assessing several key clinical aspects of the disease soon after diagnosis could help families and physicians better predict long-term survival in individuals with AD.

6 Apr 2004

Launch of The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park by Matt Ridley

The Oxford Genetics Knowledge Park is a partnership between Oxford University and the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust, and is one of six such Parks nationally, funded by the Departments of Health and Trade and Industry. The aim of the Genetics Knowledge Parks (GKPs) is to translate advances in genetics research into clinical practice.

6 Apr 2004

Number of breaths given during CPR may be linked to survival

Researchers have identified a factor that may improve cardiac arrest survival rates according to a first-of-its-kind study of paramedic responses reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

5 Apr 2004

Implantable defibrillator cuts heart attack risk of sudden death by 31%

Researchers at Loyola University Health System, Maywood, Ill., and the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, N.Y., found that the previously demonstrated survival benefit of ICDs following a heart attack can last up to 15 years.

5 Apr 2004

Cordis Cardiology receives warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Cordis Cardiology, a division of Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson Company, reported today that it received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding FDA's observations concerning the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations.

5 Apr 2004

Michigan opens new center to treat exposure to Vermiculite, Taconite, Asbestos

In response to the United States Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) identification of major sources of public asbestos exposure in Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine (COEM) affiliated with Wayne State University (WSU) have joined forces to establish The National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers.

5 Apr 2004

New Study Links Passive Smoke to Heart Attacks

A study published in today's British Medical Journal suggests that banning smoking in a community can result in an almost immediate drop-off in the number of heart attacks in that community. The study, which was originally presented at the 52nd Annual College of Cardiology Scientific Session in 2003, examined the number of people in Helena, Mont., who were admitted to the hospital for a heart attack before, during and after a local ordinance banned smoking in public and workplaces.

3 Apr 2004

New center enables genetic treatments and advances

A new state-of-the-art research facility dedicated to helping produce modified cells for treatment of cancer and other diseases recently opened at the Siteman Cancer Center.

1 Apr 2004

Gene-rich human Chromosome 19 sequence completed

31 Mar 2004

Human Genome Sciences can begin cardiovascular disease research

Human Genome Sciences, Inc.announced today that it has received a clinical development milestone payment from its partner, GlaxoSmithKline, related to the initiation of Phase 1 clinical trials of 677116 for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. 677116 is a small-molecule inhibitor of lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), an enzyme associated with the formation of atherosclerotic plaques.

30 Mar 2004

Antarctic fish may aid cardiac research

A species of fish that lives in Antarctic waters may hold clues to climate change and lead to advances in heart medicine. Researchers from the University of Birmingham and the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are investigating the behaviour and physiology of the little-known 'Antarctic Cod' that has survived in Antarctica's extreme environment for around 30 million years.

30 Mar 2004

First large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease

NYU Medical Center has begun enrolling patients in the first large-scale clinical trial of chelation therapy, a controversial treatment for heart disease widely practiced by complementary and alternative medicine physicians. The new, government-funded nationwide study will determine whether the therapy benefits people with coronary artery disease, the leading cause of death for both men and women in the United States.

30 Mar 2004

Cardiac sympathetic denervation the heart’s control from the sympathetic nervous system

Surgery to cut part of the nerves to the heart can reduce the risk of fainting or sudden death in young people with a heart rhythm disorder called long QT syndrome (LQTS), researchers reported in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

29 Mar 2004

Listening to music can ease osteoarthritis pain

US research has shown listening to music for 20 minutes a day can reduce perceived pain levels among older people suffering from chronic osteoarthritis.

29 Mar 2004

Texan child receives world's first scaled-down heart pump or child ventricular assist device

A six-year-old Texas Children's Hospital patient is the first pediatric patient in the world to receive a MicroMed/DeBakey® child ventricular assist device (VAD), recently approved by the FDA for use in children. The new, scaled-down heart pump improves blood flow for patients awaiting heart transplants.

27 Mar 2004