Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

New research reveals effective treatments for gastrointestinal conditions

New research being presented at Digestive Disease Week- (DDW) reveals effective treatments for a number of gastrointestinal conditions, which are often chronic and costly.

22 May 2012

Heart disease risk assessment tools often underestimate CVD danger faced by RA patients

Heart disease risk assessment tools commonly used by physicians often underestimate the cardiovascular disease danger faced by rheumatoid arthritis patients, a Mayo Clinic study has found. Inflammation plays a key role in putting those with rheumatoid arthritis in greater jeopardy for heart disease, yet many cardiovascular disease risk assessment methods do not factor it in, the researchers note.

22 May 2012

Polarization Gating Spectroscopy may detect pancreatic cancer

By simply shining a tiny light within the small intestine, close to that organ's junction with the pancreas, physicians at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have been able to detect pancreatic cancer 100 percent of the time in a small study.

22 May 2012

Data from EarlySense contact-free monitor clinical study presented at ATS conference

EarlySense, a market leader in proactive patient care solutions, announced today the results of a clinical study conducted at a Dignity Health Hospital. The data was presented today in a poster presentation titled: Effect Of Contactless Continuous Patient Monitoring In A Medical-Surgical Unit On Intensive Care Unit Transfers: A Controlled Clinical Trial at the ATS International Conference in San Francisco.

22 May 2012

New knowledge related to host-parasite interaction in severe malaria

Researchers from Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the University of Copenhagen and the University of Edinburgh have uncovered new knowledge related to host-parasite interaction in severe malaria, concerning how malaria parasites are able to bind to cells in the brain and cause cerebral malaria - the most lethal form of the disease.

22 May 2012

Liposuction surgery reduces risk of ultraviolet-light induced skin cancer

Is it possible that liposuction or other fat removal procedures are beneficial for treating obesity and reducing the risk of cancer? When it comes to humans, scientists can't answer that question. They know that obesity increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But there have not been clinical studies to determine if the surgical removal of fat tissue would decrease cancer risk in humans.

22 May 2012

HSF-1 protein likely source of chemotherapy-related heart damage in mice

Blocking a protein in the heart that is produced under stressful conditions could be a strategy to prevent cardiac damage that results from chemotherapy, a new study suggests.

22 May 2012

Behavior support intervention can help reduce blood pressure in African-Americans

Behavioral support from peers and primary care office staff can help patients improve their blood pressure control by as much as starting a new drug, a new study found. Barbara J. Turner, M.D., M.S.Ed., M.A., M.A.C.P., of UT Medicine San Antonio, is the senior author.

22 May 2012

Data from Janssen’s SIMPONI Phase 3 study on ulcerative colitis

New study findings presented today show that subcutaneous induction regimens of the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy SIMPONI (golimumab) induced clinical response in a majority of patients with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) who had previously failed or were intolerant to conventional agents.

22 May 2012

Scientists unravel action mechanism of castor oil

Castor oil is known primarily as an effective laxative; however, it was also used in ancient times with pregnant women to induce labour. Only now have scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research succeeded in unravelling the mysteries of the action mechanism. A receptor by the name of EP3 on the cells of the intestine and uterus is apparently responsible. This is activated by an ingredient in the oil.

22 May 2012

$Children with pelvic and thigh fractures rarely develop dangerous blood clots$

Children with pelvic and thigh fractures rarely develop dangerous blood clots

Children with pelvic and thigh fractures develop dangerous blood clots so rarely that anti-clotting therapy should be given only to those with underlying conditions that increase clotting risk, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

21 May 2012

Young children with cystic fibrosis do not benefit from concentrated saline therapy

Concentrated saline therapy not effective in young children with cystic fibrosis NIH-funded study demonstrates importance of conducting pediatric clinical trials.

21 May 2012

Male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that affect reproductive health

A new study conducted by UCLA School of Nursing researchers has found that serious leisure male cyclists may experience hormonal imbalances that could affect their reproductive health. The study, "Reproductive Hormones and Interleukin-6 in Serious Leisure Male Athletes," was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

21 May 2012

Nighttime intensivists not associated with reduced mortality

Nighttime intensivist physician staffing in intensive care units (ICUs) with a low-intensity daytime staffing model is associated with reduced mortality, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference in San Francisco.

21 May 2012

New trial on home oxygen therapy for patients with chronic heart failure

Researchers at the University of Hull, in the UK, have just launched a major new trial investigating the effects of home oxygen therapy in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).

21 May 2012

Dyspnea limits sexual activity among older patients with COPD

Troublesome dyspnea that limits sexual activity is common among older patients with COPD, according to a new study from Denmark.

21 May 2012

Regenerative medicine researchers explore innovative ways to treat childhood conditions

About 3 percent of the babies born in the United States have a birth defect. Children without a birth defect are also susceptible to injury or disease. At The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), regenerative medicine researchers are exploring innovative ways to treat these conditions.

21 May 2012

Pantera Lux Paclitaxel Releasing Balloon highly promising for DES restenosis

Six-month results from the DELUX registry demonstrating excellent safety and efficacy results for the Pantera Lux Paclitaxel Releasing Balloon in more than 1000 patients were presented by Ralph Toelg, MD, Segeberger Heart Center Clinic, Germany, and Thomas Schmitz, MD, Elisabeth Hospital, Germany, at the EuroPCR 2012 congress in Paris last week.

21 May 2012

AltheRx reports positive Phase II results of Solabegron for OAB

AltheRx Pharmaceuticals, a privately-held clinical development company, presented positive results from its Phase II study of Solabegron in overactive bladder (OAB) at the American Urological Association Annual Meeting (Abstract # 520).

21 May 2012

Arctic accumulation of mercury comes from rivers

Environmental scientists at Harvard have discovered that the Arctic accumulation of mercury, a toxic element, is caused by both atmospheric forces and the flow of circumpolar rivers that carry the element north into the Arctic Ocean.

21 May 2012