Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may increase risk of diabetes

The combination of obesity and vitamin D deficiency may put people at even greater risk of insulin resistance than either factor alone, according to new research from the Drexel University School of Public Health recently published early online in the journal Diabetes Care.

18 Jul 2012

Combination of Dox with MCP shows promise against prostate cancer

Doxorubicin (Dox) is an effective anti-cancer drug, but it's also a very toxic one, causing severe heart and immune damage. The doses needed to impact tumors are not well tolerated by patients, however, researchers may have found an answer through combination therapy.

18 Jul 2012

U.S. News & World Report names Methodist among 2012 America's Best Hospitals

The Methodist Hospital ranked among the country's top hospitals in 13 specialties in U.S. News & World Report's 2012 America's "Best Hospitals"issue, and was named the No. 1 hospital in Texas.

18 Jul 2012

Combination of tPA and 3K3A-APC may effectively treat stroke

A team led by a physician-scientist at the University of Southern California (USC) has created an experimental drug that reduces brain damage and improves motor skills among stroke-afflicted rodents when given with federally approved clot-busting therapy.

18 Jul 2012

Study suggests link between binge drinking and risk of dementia in older adults

Researchers from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry (PCMD), University of Exeter, will present the findings of a new study suggesting a link between binge drinking in older adults and the risk of developing dementia.

18 Jul 2012

Heart-protective protein finally found

It is a cellular component so scarce, some scientists even doubted its existence, and many others gave up searching for its molecular structure. Now a team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins has defined the protein structural composition of mitoKATP, a potassium channel in the mitochondria of the heart and other organs that is known to protect against tissue damage due to a heart attack or stroke.

18 Jul 2012

How does exercise improve heart function in diabetics?

A detailed study of heart muscle function in mice has uncovered evidence to explain why exercise is beneficial for heart function in type 2 diabetes.

18 Jul 2012

Heart defects at birth linked to workplace exposure to solvents

Workplace exposure to organic solvents is linked to several types of heart defects at birth, indicates research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

18 Jul 2012

Risk of birth defects linked to certain jobs dads do

Several types of job carried out by future fathers may be linked to an increased risk of birth defects in their babies, suggests research published online in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

18 Jul 2012

Lack of physical activity causes 1 in 10 deaths

A lack of physical activity, or people’s failure to spend 150 minutes a week doing moderate physical activity (eg, brisk walking for 30 minutes, 5 days a week), causes around 6–10% of four major non-communicable diseases (coronary heart disease [CHD], type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancer) worldwide, and was responsible for around 5.3 million of the 57 million deaths globally in 2008.

18 Jul 2012

Elderly may be undertreated for cardiac disease

Not enough elderly people are being prescribed statins, argue researchers in the BMJ.

17 Jul 2012

Ticagrelor ‘now on equal footing’ with other antiplatelets

The platelet aggregation inhibitor ticagrelor is now considered of equal effectiveness to clopidogrel and prasugrel for patients who have experienced a heart attack or have unstable angina, a report states.

17 Jul 2012

Arrhythmia finding could enhance COPD management

Arrhythmias could precede exacerbations in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, raising the possibility of a new target for management and treatment, say researchers.

17 Jul 2012

Specific therapy may cut pneumonia mortality in HIV babies

The high mortality rate associated with acute severe pneumonia-related respiratory failure in infants exposed to or infected with HIV can be reduced to 30% if a treatment plan involving antibiotics, ventilation, and fluid restriction is used, researchers report.

17 Jul 2012

Light reflexes during CPR may indicate survival chances

The presence of the papillary light reflex during cardiopulmonary resuscitation is associated with early survival and favorable neurologic status during recovery, suggest findings from a case series.

17 Jul 2012

Ticagrelor ‘now on equal footing’ with other antiplatelets

17 Jul 2012

Sorting rhinosinusitis symptoms by ‘SNOT-22’

The three leading symptoms for chronic rhinosinusitis are nasal blockage, alterations to smell/taste, and needing to blow the nose, report UK researchers.

17 Jul 2012

Trans fat ban in NYC can improve quality of meals purchased outside the home

By requiring commercial food establishments to replace trans fats with oils and spreads that are low in trans and saturated fats, New York City provides a good template for initiating public health measures to improve the quality of meals purchased outside the home, Tufts University Nutrition Scientist Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, writes in an editorial published July 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

17 Jul 2012

Johnson & Johnson second quarter sales decrease 0.7% to $16.5B

Johnson & Johnson today announced sales of $16.5 billion for the second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 0.7% as compared to the second quarter of 2011. Operational results increased 3.5% and the negative impact of currency was 4.2%.

17 Jul 2012

WCMC receives NHLBI grant to study smoking-induced COPD

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College were awarded a $6.5 million grant from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for a five-year investigation into metabolic changes occurring within airway epithelial cells in the lungs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients caused by cigarette smoking. In addition, researchers aim to identify which cigarette smokers are at highest risk of developing COPD as well as novel biomarkers to assist in the development of new therapeutic treatments for the disease.

17 Jul 2012