Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Physical activity reduces CVD mortality risk in patients with hypertension

In the study, all-cause and CVD mortality risks were found to be significantly higher among study participants that didn't exercise compared with active participants at all blood pressure levels. Moreover, the excess mortality risks of physical inactivity, when converted into a "blood pressure equivalence of physical activity" measurement, revealed that physical inactivity was similar to a rise in mortality risk equivalent to an increase in blood pressure of 40-50 mmHg.

20 Apr 2012

HDAC9 gene can lead to obesity-induced body fat dysfunction

Cardiac researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have found that a certain cellular pathway is linked to obesity-related disorders, like diabetes, heart disease and fatty liver disease.

20 Apr 2012

Optimism could benefit the heart: A review of studies

A Harvard School of Public Health review of more than 200 studies suggests that optimism is good for the heart. The researchers looked at studies that had recorded psychological well-being and cardiovascular health. This revealed that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness appeared to be linked associated with a reduced risk of heart and circulatory diseases, regardless of a person's age, socio-economic status, smoking status or body weight. Disease risk was 50% lower among the most optimistic individuals.

19 Apr 2012

Study demonstrates far-reaching impact of voice disorders

Patients with voice problems have nearly as many days of short-term disability claim and work productivity losses as those with chronic conditions like asthma, heart disease and depression, according to new findings from Duke University Medical Center researchers. Per claim, voice disorders account for up to 40 lost workdays and about $3,400 in short-term disability payments annually.

19 Apr 2012

Doughnut hole is trouble spot for seniors on heart drugs, researchers find

A study documents that beneficiaries with cardiovascular conditions who reach the annual gap in coverage for prescription drugs, known as the doughnut hole, are more likely to stop taking their drugs because of the costs.

19 Apr 2012

Childhood obesity positively associated with HCC in adulthood

Childhood obesity is a widespread global epidemic and in parallel with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the leading cause of liver disease among children. New data presented today at the International Liver Congress- 2012 furthers this concern by showing that childhood obesity is positively linked with developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) - the most common form of liver cancer - in adulthood.

19 Apr 2012

Final data from Santaris’ miravirsen Phase 2a trial on HCV to be presented at ILC 2012

Santaris Pharma A/S, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of RNA-targeted therapies, will present final data from a Phase 2a trial showing that miravirsen given as a four-week monotherapy treatment provided robust dose-dependent anti-viral activity with a mean reduction of 2 to 3 logs from baseline in HCV RNA (log10 IU/mL) that was sustained well beyond the end of therapy.

19 Apr 2012

Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute to open new building on April 29

Patients with heart and vascular disease will be cared for in spacious, state-of-the-art private rooms when Johns Hopkins opens its new hospital building to the first patients on April 29. The Johns Hopkins Heart and Vascular Institute occupies a major part of the 1.6 million-square-foot facility, which has 560 all-private patient rooms with private baths and 33 expansive operating rooms.

19 Apr 2012

UCSD named among 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters

UC San Diego Medical Center, located in Hillcrest, has been named one of the nation's 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters. Ranked among the country's major teaching hospitals, the Medical Center was also one of twelve hospitals to receive the Everest Award. This award honors hospitals that have achieved both the highest current performance and the fastest long-term improvement over a five-year period in Reuter's national benchmarking study.

19 Apr 2012

U.S. Marshals seize contaminated ultrasound gel of Pharmaceutical Innovations

U.S. Marshals, acting at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, have seized Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel located at Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. in Newark, N.J., after an FDA analysis found that product samples contained dangerous bacteria. The seizure included all lots of the gel product manufactured between June 2011 and December 2011.

19 Apr 2012

First specific antidote for cocaine toxicity

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that an injectable solution can protect mice from an otherwise lethal overdose of cocaine. The findings could lead to human clinical trials of a treatment designed to reverse the effects of cocaine in case of emergency. Cocaine is involved in more than 400,000 emergency-room visits and about 5,000 overdose deaths each year in the United States.

19 Apr 2012

State roundup: Mass. seeks to improve medical malpractice system; Health exchange legislation progresses in Ala.

Seven Massachusetts hospitals plan to offer patients harmed by medical errors a prompt apology and financial settlements before they resort to lawsuits, part of a major new initiative to improve the state's cumbersome medical malpractice system. A coalition of physician, hospital, and patient groups planned to release details Wednesday of the initiative, called "Road Map to Reform,"' which they predict will increase reporting of medical mistakes and cut down on lengthy litigation that drives up health care costs and fuels distrust between caregivers and patients.

19 Apr 2012

Radiology and the Arts

Diagnostic radiologist Brett Prywitch, MD, has created a new art form by turning mammograms, X-rays, MRIs and other medical images into hauntingly beautiful works of art.

19 Apr 2012

Merck wins New Jersey FOSAMAX litigation

Merck, known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, today said a state court jury in New Jersey found in its favor in the Sessner v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a woman who blamed her jaw-related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

19 Apr 2012

CRF announces top 10 clinical research achievement awards

Ten outstanding clinical research projects from institutions around the country have been selected to receive the inaugural Clinical Research Forum Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards. The winning projects are compelling examples of the scientific innovation that results from the nation's investment in clinical research that can benefit human health and welfare.

19 Apr 2012

LVHT more common in afro-Caribbean athletes

Left-ventricular hyper-trabeculation (LVHT) - a feature of certain cardiomyopathies (chronic disease of the heart muscle) - has been found to be more common in black, male athletes according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

19 Apr 2012

Autologous BMMNCs reduce vascular growth in patients with diabetes

Autologous (self-donated) mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow (BMMNCs) have been found to significantly induce vascular growth when transplanted into patients with diabetes who are suffering from critical limb ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD), a complication of diabetes.

19 Apr 2012

Fluorescent fish shows oestrogenic chemicals’ impact on human body

Understanding the damage that pollution causes to both wildlife and human health is set to become much easier thanks to a new green-glowing zebrafish. Created by a team from the University of Exeter, the fish makes it easier than ever before to see where in the body environmental chemicals act and how they affect health.

19 Apr 2012

Positive results from CrystalGenomics’ CG100649 Phase 2b OA study

CrystalGenomics, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Korea, has just announced positive results from the Phase 2b osteoarthritis (OA) study of the CG100649, CrystalGenomics' next-generation NSAID candidate.

19 Apr 2012

Exactech selects MMI to evaluate novel cartilage repair treatment

Medical Metrics Inc, (MMI), an experienced provider of medical imaging core lab services for global clinical trials, has been selected by Exactech, Inc. to conduct an independent evaluation of medical images from the BiPhasic Cartilage Repair Implant (BiCRI) IDE Clinical Trial approved by the Taiwan FDA.

19 Apr 2012