Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Exercise benefits influenced by sRAGE levels in diabetes

Increased levels of the soluble form of the receptor for advanced glycation end products may underly the beneficial effects of exercise in patients with Type 2 diabetes, research shows.

3 Aug 2012

Novel integrase inhibitor dolutegravir shows promise for HIV-1 treatment

The once-daily integrase inhibitor dolutegravir has shown promise in a phase III noninferiority study comparing it with twice-daily raltegravir for treatment of HIV-1, indicate study results presented at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington DC, USA.

3 Aug 2012

Home is where the heart is for congenital defect children

The American Heart Association recommends that children with a congenital heart defect deemed as being at high risk for developmental disorders are treated under a “medical home” model of care.

3 Aug 2012

‘Fifth link’ improves outcomes after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Neurologic outcomes for survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest are significantly improved after implementation of the 2010 American Heart Association's fifth link in the chain-of-survival concept for postresuscitation care, show Japanese study results.

3 Aug 2012

Diabetes impairs women’s sex life

Women with diabetes are less likely to find sex satisfying than those without the condition, despite having similar levels of interest and engagement in sexual activity, show study findings.

3 Aug 2012

Viewpoints: Orszag on CAP cost-control proposals; High-tech and health costs

The Center for American Progress proposals thus wisely recognize that there is no single strategy to continue the recent progress in slowing the growth in health-care costs. In contrast, the Republican budget plan put forward by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin seems based on a belief that all that's needed is to shift risks: from Medicare to beneficiaries through a premium-support program, and from the federal government to state governments by turning Medicaid into block grants.

3 Aug 2012

UI Hospital implants NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System in a patient with ALS

The University of Illinois Hospital & Health Sciences System is one of only a dozen hospitals nationwide to implant the NeuRx Diaphragm Pacing System in a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

3 Aug 2012

Researchers discover surprising and unexpected plasticity in the embryonic endothelium

UCLA stem cell researchers have found for the first time a surprising and unexpected plasticity in the embryonic endothelium, the place where blood stem cells are made in early development.

3 Aug 2012

Foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties

Overweight and obese individuals can achieve a decade's worth of important health benefits by losing just 20 pounds, even if they regain the weight later that decade, according to research presented at the American Psychological Association's 120th Annual Convention. With a focus on psychology's role in overcoming the national obesity epidemic, the session also examined research that indicates foods high in sugar and fat could have addictive properties.

3 Aug 2012

Weill Cornell Medical College receives NCATS grant to fund Clinical and Translational Science Center

Weill Cornell Medical College has received $49.6 million from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to fund its Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC).

3 Aug 2012

Mass. legislature approves bill to curb rise in health costs

The plan ties health spending increases to overall economic growth and encourages more coordinated care.

2 Aug 2012

IHME study identifies discrepancies between national surveys that track obesity

Despite the increasing awareness of the problem of obesity in the United States, most Americans don't know whether they are gaining or losing weight, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.

2 Aug 2012

Glutamatergic system involvement in BD supported

Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies suggest that brain levels of glutamate plus glutamine are elevated in bipolar disorder patients compared with mentally healthy individuals.

2 Aug 2012

3D scanner can identify early foot deformity in RA patients

Researchers report that a digital 3D foot scanner can detect foot deformities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even before clinical signs are present.

2 Aug 2012

Sickle cell trait link with sudden athlete death ‘confirmed’

Researchers say they have definitively confirmed that there is a link between the sickle cell trait and sudden cardiac death in African–American athletes.

2 Aug 2012

Emergency diverticulitis surgery victim of the ‘weekend effect’

Patients who have emergency surgery at weekends for acute diverticulitis have worse outcomes than those admitted on weekdays, the results of a US study show.

2 Aug 2012

Access to quality health care, political will essential for continued progress in reducing maternal mortality

In this Daily Beast opinion piece, Sarah Brown, an adjunct professor at the Institute for Global Health Innovations at Imperial College in London and global patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, and Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, head of obstetrics and gynecology and deputy head of clinical sciences at St. George's University of London, highlight the Global Health Policy Summit scheduled to take place in London on Wednesday.

2 Aug 2012

Starvation drives methamphetamine-related death in fruit flies

A new study finds that fruit flies exposed to methamphetamine drastically reduce their food intake and increase their physical activity, just as humans do. The study, which tracked metabolic and behavioral changes in fruit flies on meth, indicates that starvation is a primary driver of methamphetamine-related death in the insects.

2 Aug 2012

Financial viability of Social Security is in jeopardy because of outdated forecasting methods

The Social Security Trust Fund is off on its prediction by $730 billion for needed benefits in 2030. That is because its forecasting methods have hardly been updated since 1935 when the program first started, according to a study in the August issue of Demography.

2 Aug 2012

SPECT/CT with 99mTc-HMPAO-WBC can improve diagnosis of infectious endocarditis

When combined with standard diagnostic tests, functional imaging procedures have been shown to reduce the rate of misdiagnosed cases of infectious endocarditis. According to new research published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) with 99mTc-hexamethylpropleneamine oxime-labeled white blood cells (99mTc-HMPAO-WBC) can improve the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis in hard-to-diagnose cases.

2 Aug 2012