Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Simple biomarker model to predict heart failure risk

The most widely used models for predicting heart failure rely on a complex combination of lifestyle, demographic, and cardiovascular risk factor information.

8 Nov 2012

African leaders must do more to ensure continent meets farming potential

"Images of starving children, epitomized in news coverage from Ethiopia in the 1980s, have given Africa a reputation for famine that does an injustice to the continent's potential," Olusegun Obasanjo, former president of Nigeria and a member of the Africa Progress Panel, writes in a CNN opinion piece.

8 Nov 2012

AHA honors Children's National pediatrician with Meritorious Achievement Award

Children's National Medical Center is pleased to announce that David L. Wessel, MD, has received the prestigious Meritorious Achievement Award from the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Cardiovascular Disease of the Young. The award is a national career achievement award recognizing an individual who has made a significant impact in the field of pediatric cardiovascular disease.

8 Nov 2012

U-M to improve disease diagnosis through metabolic profiling

The University of Michigan Health System has earned a $9.1 million core grant from the National Institutes of Health to improve disease diagnosis through metabolic profiling.

8 Nov 2012

Studies provide first clues of balanced de novo chromosomal rearrangements

Whole genome sequencing of the DNA code of three prenatal samples provided a detailed map of the locations of their chromosomal abnormalities in 14 days, scientists reported today at the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) 2012 meeting in San Francisco.

8 Nov 2012

EUROECHO 2012 reveals how imaging improves early diagnosis of atherosclerosis

"Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and the leading killer in Europe," said Professor Patrizio Lancellotti, President-Elect of the EACVI and Chairman of the EUROECHO Scientific Programme Committee. "Many of these deaths could be averted by diagnosis at a preclinical stage or early after the onset of symptoms."

8 Nov 2012

BMI may not be best measure for estimation of cancer risk

A study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that body mass index (BMI)-the most commonly used weight-for-height formula for estimating fatness-may not be the best measure for estimating disease risk, and particularly the risk of certain types of cancer. The study was published today in the online edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology.

8 Nov 2012

Metformin more effective than sulfonylurea in controlling type 2 diabetes

A Vanderbilt study examining the impact of the two most commonly prescribed oral diabetes medications on the risk for heart attack, stroke and death has found the drug metformin has benefits over sulfonylurea drugs.

8 Nov 2012

Calcium intake does not increase risk of coronary artery calcification

Researchers at the Institute for Aging Research (IFAR) at Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School (HMS), have published a study that shows no evidence of a link between calcium intake and coronary artery calcification, reassuring adults who take calcium supplements for bone health that the supplements do not appear to result in the development of calcification of blood vessels.

8 Nov 2012

Washington University, SRI investigators launch Global Metabolomic Initiative

Investigators at Washington University and The Scripps Research Institute have announced the launch of a "Global Metabolomic Initiative" to facilitate meta-analyses on studies of the metabolism of bacteria, yeast, plants, animals and people.

7 Nov 2012

WU researchers to study blood-clotting disorders

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have received a $9 million grant to investigate blood-clotting disorders. From heart attacks and strokes to uncontrolled bleeding, clotting disorders cause more deaths each year in the United States than all types of cancer combined.

7 Nov 2012

Arisaph’s ARI-3037MO well tolerated in healthy male and female volunteers

Arisaph Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today during an oral presentation at the American Heart Association (AHA) meeting in Los Angeles, CA that its niacin analog, ARI-3037MO, was extremely well tolerated in a single-ascending dose (SAD) and a multiple-ascending dose (MAD) trial in healthy male and female volunteers.

7 Nov 2012

FDA EMDAC votes unanimously in support of Signifor use for treatment of Cushing's disease

The US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) has voted unanimously in support of the use of Signifor (pasireotide) for the treatment of patients with Cushing's disease who require medical therapeutic intervention.

7 Nov 2012

People more likely to take heart medicines in combo pill

People are much more likely to take heart medicines if they're combined in one pill, according to a late-breaking clinical trial presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

7 Nov 2012

Researchers sequence the DNA of 6,700 exomes of cystic fibrosis patients

A multi-institutional team of researchers has sequenced the DNA of 6,700 exomes, the portion of the genome that contains protein-coding genes, as part of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded Exome Sequencing Project, one of the largest medical sequencing studies ever undertaken.

7 Nov 2012

Ion AmpliSeq Community Panels from Life Technologies

Life Technologies Corporation today announced Ion AmpliSeq Community Panels, a community-driven solution to gene panel sequencing that leverages the expertise of scientific thought leaders and the Ion Community to create gene panels for conditions ranging from cancer to inherited diseases.

7 Nov 2012

Elafin protein protects against inflammatory diseases

This protection is provided by a human protein, Elafin, which is artificially introduced into dairy produce bacteria (Lactococcus lactis and Lactobacillus casei). In time, this discovery could be useful for individuals suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

7 Nov 2012

Texas Biomed develops rapid, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats

Texas Biomedical Research Institute scientists in San Antonio have developed a faster, less expensive route to screen suitable tests for bioterror threats and accelerate the application of countermeasures.

7 Nov 2012

UMDNJ physician reminds residents to be alert for health hazards associated with Hurricane cleanup

As the northeastern United States begins its long recovery from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Sandy, a family physician with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ)-School of Osteopathic Medicine is reminding residents to be alert for potential health hazards associated with the cleanup.

7 Nov 2012