Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Statin effects may be gender-specific

The benefit of using statins may differ according to gender, show findings from a meta-analysis.

28 Jun 2012

Atkins diet ‘dangerous to heart health’

Women who follow an Atkins-style diet have a significantly increased risk for cardiovascular disease, experts warn.

28 Jun 2012

UCLA Heart Transplant Program performs 2,000th heart transplant surgery

The UCLA Heart Transplant Program performed its 2,000th heart transplant surgery earlier this month, becoming the first program in the western United States and only the second in the world to achieve this remarkable milestone.

28 Jun 2012

LUHS among select group of hospitals nationwide to improve breastfeeding rates

Loyola University Health System (LUHS) is among a select group of 90 hospitals nationwide that have been asked to participate in Best Fed Beginnings, a first-of-its-kind initiative to significantly improve breastfeeding rates in states where they are the lowest.

28 Jun 2012

Program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information wins honors

The nation's first and only program linking paramedics in the field to patients' pre-existing health information -- enabling emergency workers to make more informed treatment decisions and to transport patients to the most appropriate facility -- has been recognized by the prestigious Computerworld Honors Program.

28 Jun 2012

Harmonizing prescription drug plans can help save millions of dollars

Taxpayers could save millions of dollars if hospitals and provincial governments harmonized their prescription drug plans, new research suggests.

28 Jun 2012

Study suggests new treatment strategy for heart attacks and strokes

A heart attack doesn't just damage heart muscle tissue by cutting off its blood supply, it also sets off an inflammatory cascade that worsens underlying atherosclerosis, actively increasing the risk for a future heart attack. These findings from a study receiving advance online publication in Nature suggest an important new therapeutic strategy for preventing heart attacks and strokes, both of which are caused when atherosclerotic plaques rupture and block important blood vessels.

28 Jun 2012

Prevalence of significant CAD in patients with chest pain symptoms is lower than expected in Europe

Preliminary findings from the EVINCI study show that the prevalence of "significant" coronary artery disease in patients with chest pain symptoms is lower than expected in Europe. In as much as 75% of this population an accurate non-invasive screening could avoid unnecessary and costly invasive procedures.

28 Jun 2012

Detailed study on how diesel soot gets stuck in the lungs

The exhaust from diesel-fuelled vehicles, wood fires and coal-driven power stations contains small particles of soot that flow out into the atmosphere. The soot is a scourge for the climate but also for human health. Now for the first time, researchers have studied in detail how diesel soot gets stuck in the lungs. The results show that more than half of all inhaled soot particles remain in the body.

28 Jun 2012

Vaccine for nicotine addiction developed

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have developed and successfully tested in mice an innovative vaccine to treat nicotine addiction.

28 Jun 2012

TB research finds body’s own response helps TB bacteria survive

Inhibiting a key immune response in mice during initial multi-drug treatment for tuberculosis could — paradoxically — shorten treatment time for the highly contagious lung infection according to new research from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center and the Center for TB Research. Shorter duration of drug therapy is key, researchers say, to increase treatment compliance for the growing global health threat posed by the disease.

28 Jun 2012

Nanosphere receives FDA marketing approval for Verigene GP Blood Culture Nucleic Acid Test

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today allowed marketing of the first nucleic acid test that can identify 12 different bacterial types known to cause bloodstream infections.

28 Jun 2012

CAPABLE program can help countless older adults avoid nursing home stays

Nursing homes do not have to be inevitable destinations for frail older adults. Many—even those with long-term health problems—can remain at home and be independent. All it takes is a little help to change "disability" to "capability".

28 Jun 2012

KKR to acquire up to 63% ownership stake in GenesisCare

GenesisCare and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. announced that agreements have been entered into under which KKR will acquire up to a 63% ownership stake in GenesisCare, subject to shareholder acceptance.

28 Jun 2012

Arena receives FDA approval for Belviq to treat obesity

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, for chronic weight management.

28 Jun 2012

Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma can be treated without radiation and intensive chemotherapy

A multicenter trial showed that nearly half of young patients with early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured without undergoing either irradiation or intensive chemotherapy that would leave them at risk for second cancers, infertility, heart and other problems later.

28 Jun 2012

ACCP, OneBreath and COPD Alliance to unite on World Spirometry Day

The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), OneBreath, the COPD Alliance, and thousands of organizations worldwide will unite on World Spirometry Day, June 27, to promote lung health and elevate the status of often overlooked lung conditions, reinforcing the value of spirometry in the diagnosis of these conditions.

28 Jun 2012

Scientists reverse diabetes in mice using stem cells

University of British Columbia scientists, in collaboration with an industry partner, have successfully reversed diabetes in mice using stem cells, paving the way for a breakthrough treatment for a disease that affects nearly one in four Canadians.

28 Jun 2012

Study suggests adverse role for BclI polymorphism in obesity and insulin resistance

A large study in people at risk of diabetes has found a direct association between the presence of a small genetic alteration in a hormone receptor and increased body fat and insulin resistance. The results, to be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, suggest an adverse role for a previously described genetic variant, the BclI polymorphism.

28 Jun 2012

Researchers design microparticles that can deliver oxygen quickly into the bloodstream

Patients unable to breathe because of acute lung failure or an obstructed airway need another way to get oxygen to their blood—and fast—to avoid cardiac arrest and brain injury. A team led by researchers at Boston Children's Hospital has designed tiny, gas-filled microparticles that can be injected directly into the bloodstream to quickly oxygenate the blood.

28 Jun 2012