Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Study finds previously unrecognized way that degradation can occur in silicone-urethane plastics

Scientists have discovered a previously unrecognized way that degradation can occur in silicone-urethane plastics that are often considered for use in medical devices. Their study, published in ACS' journal Macromolecules, could have implications for device manufacturers considering use of these plastics in the design of some implantable devices, including cardiac defibrillation leads.

7 Dec 2012

New technique can reduce hemodialysis complications in kidney patients

Approximately two million people around the world regularly undergo hemodialysis - blood purification outside the body - as a result of kidney failure. This usually involves creating a dialysis fistula - a connection between an artery and a vein - in the patient's arm. However this causes complications in as many as 50% of patients, primarily related to changes in blood flow.

7 Dec 2012

General thoracic surgeons perform vast majority of complex noncardiac operations

While thoracic surgeons are traditionally known as the experts who perform heart surgeries, a UC Davis study has found that general thoracic surgeons, especially those at academic health centers, perform the vast majority of complex noncardiac operations, including surgeries of the esophagus and lungs.

7 Dec 2012

Longer looks: The frustrations of academic medicine; Small business owners fear health law changes; A doctor struggles to save his mother

Like many franchisees, Robert U. Mayfield, who owns five Dairy Queens in and around Austin, Tex., is always eager to expand and - no surprise - has had his eyes on opening a sixth DQ. But he said concerns about the new federal health care law had persuaded him to hold off.

7 Dec 2012

University of Michigan to create National Kidney Disease Registry

The University of Michigan Kidney Epidemiology and Cost Center will create a National Kidney Disease Registry to monitor kidney disease among America's veterans.

7 Dec 2012

Scientists identify novel mechanism by which ketogenic diet could delay effects of aging

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have identified a novel mechanism by which a type of low-carb, low-calorie diet-called a "ketogenic diet"-could delay the effects of aging. This fundamental discovery reveals how such a diet could slow the aging process and may one day allow scientists to better treat or prevent age-related diseases, including heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and many forms of cancer.

6 Dec 2012

All-day snacking might not be beneficial for obese women

Media articles and nutritionists alike have perpetuated the idea that for healthy metabolisms individuals should consume small meals multiple times a day. However, new research conducted at the University of Missouri suggests all-day snacking might not be as beneficial as previously thought, especially for obese women.

6 Dec 2012

Bilirubin can inhibit clogging of arteries and prevent deadly consequences

Each year, about 610,000 Americans suffer their first heart attack, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart attacks and other symptoms of cardiovascular disease can be caused when blockage occurs in the arteries. In a new study from the University of Missouri, a scientist has discovered a natural defense against arterial blockage: bilirubin.

6 Dec 2012

RedHill Biopharma completes $6.5M private placement

RedHill Biopharma Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company focusing primarily on development and acquisition of late clinical stage, patent-protected, new formulations and combinations of existing drugs, reported the completion of a private placement in a total amount of approximately $6.5 million.

6 Dec 2012

UC San Diego Health System receives Comprehensive Stroke Center designation

UC San Diego Medical Center-Hillcrest is one of five facilities in the country, and the only center in San Diego County, to be recognized as one of the first Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC), the newest level of certification for advanced stroke care awarded by The Joint Commission.

6 Dec 2012

Mediterranean diet may be too expensive for many

Results from the Italian Moli-sani study suggest that the Mediterranean diet, once so typical in this region of Europe, is now too expensive for many people.

6 Dec 2012

Prenatal stress linked to affective disorders in offspring

Individuals born to women who experience major stress during early pregnancy are at increased risk for developing affective disorders, study results suggest.

6 Dec 2012

Bisphenol A blocks calcium channels in cell membranes

Bisphenol A, a substance found in many synthetic products, is considered to be harmful, particularly, for fetuses and babies. Researchers from the University of Bonn have now shown in experiments on cells from human and mouse tissue that this environmental chemical blocks calcium channels in cell membranes. Similar effects are elicited by drugs used to treat high blood pressure and cardiac arrhythmia. The results are now presented in the journal "Molecular Pharmacology."

6 Dec 2012

Health care programs a clear target in deficit reduction efforts

As negotiators debate proposals to trim entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, stakeholders ranging from public hospitals to physician groups lobby to protect their interests.

6 Dec 2012

Study questions value of coated, low-dose aspirin therapy

Roughly one-fifth of Americans take low-dose aspirin every day for heart-healthy benefits. But, based on either urine or blood tests of how aspirin blocks the stickiness of platelets - blood cells that clump together in the first stages of forming harmful clots - up to one third of patients are deemed unlikely to benefit from daily use. Such patients are called "aspirin resistant." Clots are the main cause of most heart attacks and strokes.

6 Dec 2012

Tyk2 enzyme helps regulate obesity through differentiation of brown adipose tissue

Approximately 68 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, according to the National Cancer Institute, which puts them at greater risk for developing cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a host of other chronic illnesses. But an international team of scientists led by Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researcher Andrew Larner, M.D., Ph.D., has successfully reversed obesity in mice by manipulating the production of an enzyme known as tyrosine-protein kinase-2 (Tyk2).

6 Dec 2012

Bipolar disorder prevalent in panic disorder patients

Bipolar disorder is common among Japanese patients with panic disorder, research shows.

5 Dec 2012

NICE reject intravitreal implant for diabetic macular edema

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not recommended a fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant for individuals with diabetic macular edema who do not respond to existing therapies.

5 Dec 2012

New metabolic biomarkers can detect risk of illnesses in advance

One of the big challenges of biomedicine is understanding the origin of illnesses in order to improve early detection and significantly increase recovery rates, as well as being able to do what CNIO researchers call preventive molecular medicine, which consists of identifying those individuals who have a greater molecular risk of suffering certain pathologies in order to prevent them.

5 Dec 2012

Children with HIV more likely to develop atherosclerosis

Children with HIV have a 2.5 fold increased risk of atherosclerosis, according to research presented at EUROECHO and other Imaging Modalities 2012. Antiretroviral treatment, lipid lowering drugs and prevention with healthy lifestyles are needed to prevent early death from cardiovascular disease.

5 Dec 2012