Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid appears to increase risk of CVD and peripheral arterial disease

Exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), a manmade chemical used in the manufacture of some common household products, appears to be associated with cardiovascular disease and peripheral arterial disease in a study of 1,216 individuals, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

4 Sep 2012

Exercise paves way to healthy old age

Middle-aged people who have a high level of physical fitness have a significantly lower and later incidence of chronic conditions in old age than those who are less fit, report researchers.

3 Sep 2012

Herpes virus eventually impairs glucose regulation

The common herpes virus cytomegalovirus may be a risk factor for the development of Type 2 diabetes among elderly individuals, show study findings.

3 Sep 2012

Low blood pressure increases diabetes mortality risk

Tight blood pressure control fails to confer a survival benefit in patients newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, and may even increase mortality risk when low blood pressure levels are achieved, UK investigators have discovered.

3 Sep 2012

$Noninvasive fractional flow reserve still out of reach$

Noninvasive fractional flow reserve still out of reach

A novel, noninvasive approach to determining fractional flow reserve failed to show sufficient diagnostic accuracy to meet the primary endpoint of the DeFACTO trial, but was more accurate for diagnosing coronary artery ischemia than computed tomography, reported the trial’s lead investigator.

3 Sep 2012

Potassium-channel autoimmunity linked to chronic pain

A substantial proportion of patients with voltage-gated potassium channel-complex autoimmunity experience chronic idiopathic pain, although the specific antigenic complex associated with pain remains to be determined, conclude US scientists.

3 Sep 2012

Heart rate marks out poststroke survival

The heart rate of stroke survivors may give an indication of their long-term prognosis, report researchers.

3 Sep 2012

Obesity and breast cancer recurrence: an interview with Dr. Joseph Sparano

Breast cancer recurrence is a major problem after treatment of localized breast cancer. The risk of recurrence depends on several factors including the stage of presentation and the biology of the disease.

3 Sep 2012

iBC Quality Solutions helps to change UK care home system

As care homes struggle to stay compliant with regulations, iBC quality solutions company step in to help.

3 Sep 2012

CT scan appears to predict risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations

The respective size of two major arteries, visible on a simple computed tomography, or CT, scan, is a strong predictor of the risk of exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to new research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham published online Sept. 3, 2012, in the New England Journal of Medicine.

3 Sep 2012

Marathon running linked to increased risk of pulmonary oedema

A new study has found evidence that marathon running could trigger pulmonary oedema, where fluid builds up in the lungs.

3 Sep 2012

Triple-threat approach can reduce invasive bloodstream infections in pediatric cancer patients

Hospitals can dramatically reduce the number of life-threatening central line infections in pediatric cancer patients by following a set of basic precautions, by encouraging families to speak up when they observe noncompliance with the protocol and by honest analysis of the root cause behind every single infection, according to a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study.

3 Sep 2012

Policymakers need to continue funding for adolescent smoking prevention programs: WSU

While many might see the case for programs to prevent adolescent cigarette smoking as already made, a pair of Wayne State University researchers believes that due to increasingly challenging economic times, policymakers need to be reminded to continue allocating funding for such programs.

3 Sep 2012

Metabolic syndrome associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents

A new study by researchers at NYU School of Medicine reveals for the first time that metabolic syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive and brain impairments in adolescents and calls for pediatricians to take this into account when considering the early treatment of childhood obesity.

3 Sep 2012

Articles explore potential policy measures that could promote healthier behaviour

Obesity rates in North America are a growing concern for legislators. Expanded waistlines mean rising health-care costs for maladies such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. One University of Alberta researcher says that if people do not take measures to get healthy, they may find that governments will throw their weight into administrative measures designed to help us trim the fat.

3 Sep 2012

FSU researchers achieve significant benchmarks in alpha-tropomyosin study

Florida State University researchers led by physics doctoral student Campion Loong have achieved significant benchmarks in a study of the human cardiac protein alpha-tropomyosin, which is an essential, molecular-level component that controls the heart's contraction on every beat.

3 Sep 2012

Potential new COPD drug

A study led by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) has shown that a compound used in some skin creams may halt the progression of emphysema and reverse some of the damage caused by the disease. When the compound Gly-His-Lys (GHK) was applied to lung cells from patients with emphysema, normal gene activity in altered cells was restored and damaged aspects of cellular function were repaired.

1 Sep 2012

Justice department asks for review of questionable defibrillator surgeries

In what experts say is a novel legal tactic to resolve hundreds of ongoing investigations simultaneously, the Justice Department is e-mailing hospitals across the country today with instructions to examine questionable implantable defibrillator surgeries on Medicare patients and estimate potential penalties under the False Claims Act.

1 Sep 2012

Democrats plan attack on GOP Medicare plan

The Wall Street Journal reports the Obama campaign will offer counter arguments to Republican proposals to revamp Medicare at the Democrats' convention next week.

1 Sep 2012

Some smaller clots may not require potentially risky treatment

Men and women who undergo joint replacement procedures, as well as those who have significant fractures, tend to be at an increased risk of developing pulmonary emboli (PE), blood clots that travel to the lungs where they may cause serious complications and even death.

1 Sep 2012