Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Positive results from Amgen's AMG 145 Phase 1b study on patients with LDL-C

Amgen announced today positive results from a Phase 1b clinical study of AMG 145, an investigational PCSK9 inhibitor, in patients with high cholesterol who were taking statins. The study demonstrated that multiple doses of AMG 145 significantly reduced serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), also known as "bad" cholesterol, by up to 81 percent versus placebo (maximum reduction) in subjects on low to moderate doses of statins/

26 Mar 2012

NSBRI, NASA's Johnson Space Center extend cooperative agreement

NASA's Johnson Space Center has awarded a five-year, $120 million extension of its cooperative agreement with the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, or NSBRI, of Houston.

26 Mar 2012

Periodontal treatment linked with decrease in hospital admissions, medical care costs

Today, during the 41st Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), held in conjunction with the 36th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, an abstract titled "Periodontal Therapy Reduces Hospitalizations and Medical Care Costs in Diabetics" to determine if periodontal treatment was associated with the number of hospitalizations and cost of medical care among diabetics with periodontal disease.

26 Mar 2012

MicroRNAs linked to imminent threat of heart attack

Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute have, for the first time ever, made a connection between tiny genetic molecules called microRNAs and the imminent threat of a heart attack, according to a new study.

26 Mar 2012

Men with type 2 diabetes more likely to develop major cardiovascular events

According to a new study by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), men with type 2 diabetes treated with insulin without a history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) were at higher risk for major cardiovascular events (e.g., death, heart attack, stroke) compared with men who had a history of CVD.

26 Mar 2012

Obesity in later life linked to decreased mental faculties

The study found said out of 250 test subjects involving people over 59 years old, people between 60 and 70 who had the highest BMIs also had the lowest cognitive function. There was also a connection between visceral fat -- otherwise known as the belly fat around the torso - and poor mental abilities. The study, which was published in the British journal Age and Aging, measured the subjects fat-related measures including BMI, waist circumference and the amount of visceral - which could be close to organs - and subcutaneous -under the skin - fat using a abdominal CT scan. Cognitive ability was determined by a test called a Mini-Mental State Examination.

25 Mar 2012

Serco to provide community health services for NHS Suffolk

Serco has been selected by NHS Suffolk to provide services including district nurses and community hospitals. Serco won the contract worth around £140 million. Services are currently provided by Suffolk Community Healthcare (SCH), part of NHS Suffolk, and will transfer by this autumn.

25 Mar 2012

Alcohol linked to 25% increase in liver disease deaths

The first report from the fledgling National End of Life Care Intelligence Network warns that the victims of liver disease are getting younger, with deaths increasing among people in their forties. Deaths rose from 9,231 in 2001 to 11,575 in 2009; some 60% of these were men, and 90% of them were under 70. Deaths are more common in England's northern regions marked by high unemployment and low educational achievement.

25 Mar 2012

Heart attack may soon be predicted by a simple blood test

Researchers have found a simple test that could predict whether a patient is about to have a heart attack. They used a blood sample to detect cells that have sloughed off of damaged blood vessel walls to predict a heart attack.

25 Mar 2012

New cholesterol lowering drugs on the horizon

The new drugs in development by pharmaceutical makers are injectable medications that block a protein called PCSK9. These drugs have shown promise in early clinical trials for slashing bad LDL cholesterol further than widely used statins can alone. Their biggest advocates say PCSK9 blockers have the potential to be the next multibillion-dollar class of heart drugs.

25 Mar 2012

Real-time, non-invasive test to detect heart attack

What if your doctor could tell you in real-time, with a non-invasive test as to whether or not you might be having an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or in simpler terms, a heart attack?

23 Mar 2012

New method to easily identify cause of rare diseases

Sanford Health Children's Research Center researcher, Kyle Roux, PhD, has revealed a new method of research that will allow the cause of disease—particularly rare diseases—to become more easily identified.

23 Mar 2012

'The Hunger Games' film could raise awareness about hunger

In this post in State Department's "DipNote" blog, Paul Weisenfeld, assistant to the administrator of the USAID Bureau of Food Security, writes of the new film "The Hunger Games," "I was struck by how much the premise relates to the very heart of what we are trying to address at USAID and through Feed the Future."

23 Mar 2012

Weight loss does not improve self-esteem in obese teen girls

Obese white teenage girls who lose weight may benefit physically, but the weight change does not guarantee they are going to feel better about themselves, according to a Purdue University study.

23 Mar 2012

FDA clears multiple enhancements to St. Jude Medical's FFR measurement guidewire

St. Jude Medical, Inc., a global medical device company, today announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for multiple enhancements to its PressureWire Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) measurement guidewire.

23 Mar 2012

European Commission grants marketing authorization for use of BYETTA with basal insulin

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company announced today that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization to BYETTA (exenatide twice-daily) as an adjunctive therapy to basal insulin, with or without metformin and/or Actos (pioglitazone), for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults who have not achieved adequate glycemic control with these agents.

23 Mar 2012

Long daily sedentary periods cause a health risk despite physical activity

Good physical condition is a route to better health, and in order to improve it, exercising several days a week is recommended. Although it is possible to become healthier by exercising, long daily sedentary periods cause a health risk despite physical activity.

23 Mar 2012

Intensive exercise routines astronauts during long-duration spaceflights

Astronauts have been taking part in short spaceflight missions since 1961. They have only recently begun to spend significantly longer times in space, with missions extending for months, since the days of the Russian Mir space station (1986-2001) and extended stays on the International Space Station.

23 Mar 2012

State roundup: Union seeks $80M from N.Y. for health aides' insurance

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo and lawmakers lurch toward a budget deal, the state's largest health-care union is asking Albany for another bailout of its troubled insurance fund. The union, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, is asking the state for $80 million more in Medicaid dollars so it can keep on providing health insurance to personal-care aides.

23 Mar 2012

FBR accepts entries for 11th annual Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Awards

The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) announced today it is accepting entries for the 11th annual Michael E. DeBakey Journalism Awards. The awards, named after FBR's late chairman, Dr. Michael E. DeBakey, honor professional journalists whose reporting has enhanced public understanding of how the humane and responsible use of animal models leads to medical and scientific discoveries.

23 Mar 2012