Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

IHW study reveals high prevalence of CVD risk factors in India

The Indian Heart Watch (IHW) study has revealed the truth behind the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of key risk factors that are driving the country's growing cardiovascular disease (CVD) epidemic, in a first-of-a-kind presentation of data at the World Congress of Cardiology today.

21 Apr 2012

EMA CHMP recommends approval of AMAG’s ferumoxytol

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has issued a positive opinion for the approval of ferumoxytol, an intravenous (IV) iron therapy, for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in adult patients with chronic kidney disease.

21 Apr 2012

Significant gaps in public awareness about cardiovascular risks from tobacco use, secondhand smoke

A report released today at the World Heart Federation World Congress of Cardiology in Dubai reveals significant gaps in public awareness regarding the cardiovascular risks of tobacco use and secondhand smoke. The report, entitled "Cardiovascular harms from tobacco use and secondhand smoke", was commissioned by the World Heart Federation and written by the International Tobacco Control Project (ITC Project), in collaboration with the Tobacco Free Initiative at the World Health Organization.

21 Apr 2012

Study finds under-treatment of RHD in India, Africa

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is significantly under-treated in Africa and India according to the preliminary findings of a new global study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

21 Apr 2012

Updated results from CircuLite’s Synergy miniature ventricular support system clinical study

CircuLite, Inc. today announced that updated clinical data related to the Synergy miniature ventricular support system was presented in two oral presentations and one poster session at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation's 32nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions (ISHLT) in Prague, Czech Republic.

21 Apr 2012

March of Dimes selects UTMB scientist to receive Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award

The March of Dimes Foundation has chosen University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston assistant professor Muge Kuyumcu-Martinez to receive a two-year, $150,000 Basil O'Connor Starter Scholar Award. The grant will support her research on congenital heart defects, the most common type of major birth defect.

21 Apr 2012

Perivascular fat tissue may influence onset of atherosclerosis

Researchers at UC have confirmed that fat surrounding the outside of arteries in humans-particularly the left coronary artery-may influence the onset of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.

21 Apr 2012

Exercise may help smokers to quit, reduce risk of CVD

Exercise may help smokers to quit and remain smokefree, according to new data presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology. Moreover, exercise increases life expectancy in smokers and non-smokers alike.

21 Apr 2012

Large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure

Taking large doses of vitamin C may moderately reduce blood pressure, according to an analysis of years of research by Johns Hopkins scientists. But the researchers stopped short of suggesting people load up on supplements.

21 Apr 2012

Positive results from Alnylam’s ALN-PCS Phase I trial on severe hypercholesterolemia

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today positive results from its Phase I clinical trial of ALN-PCS, an RNAi therapeutic targeting PCSK9 for the treatment of severe hypercholesterolemia.

21 Apr 2012

Depression may increase risk of peripheral artery disease

Depression may be associated with an increased risk of arterial narrowing in the legs and pelvis, a condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago.

21 Apr 2012

FDA clears TomTec’s new 2D Cardiac Performance Analysis MR software solution

TomTec Imaging Systems announces the FDA 510(k) clearance for its new 2D Cardiac Performance Analysis MR software solution.

21 Apr 2012

Sports physicals don't dive deep enough into real issues that impact teen's health

Parenting a teenage athlete is a juggling act—monitoring homework, keeping up with practice and training schedules, weeks packed with competitions or games. It may seem like a never-ending "to do" list and that yearly sports physical can seems like just one more thing in a busy parent's life. But the quickest way of checking if off the list could be detrimental to a teen's health.

20 Apr 2012

New wiki of medical devices designed for resource-limited settings

In parts of the world without reliable electricity, a pedal-powered nebulizer could provide life-saving asthma treatments. Small wax-filled sleeping bags could keep premature infants warm. A salad spinner centrifuge for blood samples could help clinicians diagnose anemia.

20 Apr 2012

National award celebrates landmark discovery in gut flora and cardiovascular disease

Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., was recently honored with an inaugural Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from an organization comprised of the nation's most acclaimed academic medical centers and other groups, in recognition of Dr. Hazen's Nature article, "Gut flora dependent metabolism of dietary phosphatidylcholine contributes to cardiovascular disease."

20 Apr 2012

First study to look at link between gender and mother's cardiac disease

Women with heart disease are more likely to give birth to female rather than male babies according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology. The study found that three-quarters of the 216 children born to 200 pregnant women with diagnosed heart disease were female.

20 Apr 2012

New evidence helps explain additional health benefits of aspirin

New evidence is helping explain additional health benefits of aspirin. Researchers in Canada, Scotland and Australia have discovered that salicylate, the active ingredient in aspirin, directly increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase), a key player in regulating cell growth and metabolism. AMPK which is considered a cellular fuel-gauge is switched on by exercise and the commonly used anti-diabetic medication metformin.

20 Apr 2012

Access to family planning services important for adolescent women

In a Huffington Post "Global Motherhood" opinion piece, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin writes, "It warms my heart to see that safe motherhood and women's reproductive health are finally being recognized as important development issues," but "millions of women in developing countries still lack even the most basic care during pregnancy," leading to maternal death and injury and hundreds of millions of women lack access to family planning services, including modern contraceptives.

20 Apr 2012

RHD patients seek treatment in the very late stages of disease

Patients with rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are being admitted to hospital too late to prevent the need for heart surgery, according to a new study carried out by doctors in Yemen and presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

20 Apr 2012

Chip-scale NIST sensor successfully measures human brain activity

A miniature atom-based magnetic sensor developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has passed an important research milestone by successfully measuring human brain activity. Experiments reported this week verify the sensor's potential for biomedical applications such as studying mental processes and advancing the understanding of neurological diseases.

20 Apr 2012