Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Periodontal disease can affect woman's chance of conceiving

Professor Roger Hart told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology that the negative effect of gum disease on conception was of the same order of magnitude as the effect of obesity.

5 Jul 2011

Prolonged exposure to air pollution can have visible, negative effects on brain

Long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to physical changes in the brain, as well as learning and memory problems and even depression, new research in mice suggests.

5 Jul 2011

Life satisfaction protects against coronary heart disease

While depression and anxiety have long been recognised as risk factors for heart disease, there is less certainty over the beneficial effects of a 'positive' psychological state, Now, following a study of almost 8000 British civil servants, researchers say that a satisfying life is indeed good for the heart.

5 Jul 2011

Adipose tissue might serve as target for treating obesity-related disorders

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have shown that the quality - not just the quantity - of adipose, or fat, tissue is a significant contributing factor in the development of inflammation and vascular disease in obese individuals.

5 Jul 2011

Women with sedentary lifestyle more likely to develop pulmonary embolism

Women who sit for long periods of time everyday are two to three times more likely to develop a life-threatening blood clot in their lungs than more active women, finds a study published on bmj.com today.

5 Jul 2011

Anti-inflammatory drugs may increase risk of atrial fibrillation

Commonly used painkillers to treat inflammation are linked to an increased risk of irregular heart rhythm, concludes a study published on bmj.com today.

5 Jul 2011

Varenicline may increase risk of adverse cardiovascular events among smokers

The use of varenicline to stop smoking is associated with a 72% increased risk of a serious adverse cardiovascular event, states an article in CMAJ.

5 Jul 2011

Significant gap exists in emergency care services for stroke patients

citywide study published online in today's issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association demonstrates racial disparities in the use of clot-busting drugs to treat acute ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.

2 Jul 2011

Senate to keep working next week on debt talks

The Senate abandoned plans for a July 4 break as time dwindled for lawmakers to strike a compromise on avoiding a government default and reducing mammoth federal deficits. In a challenge to President Barack Obama, the chamber's top Republican invited him to the Capitol to discuss the impasse with GOP lawmakers.

2 Jul 2011

U-M researchers a step closer to developing treatments for aging and chronic diseases

As our bodies first form, developing cells are a lot like children put on the school bus with their names and addresses pinned to their shirts. The notes identify one as a future heart cell, another as a liver cell, a third as a neuron. And that's what they each grow up to be. But once those cells reach adulthood, changes to those original marching orders caused by aging, disease and other stressors like smoking can precipitate a kind of identity crisis, researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have found.

2 Jul 2011

Research roundup: Hospital care in U.S. territories lags; health spending unevenly distributed

This study examines the quality of hospital care in the U.S. territories -- Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- and compares it to care in the states.

2 Jul 2011

Checklist to stay healthy and active in summer

The summer is a great season for getting in shape. Whether by playing a sport, doing an aerobic exercise routine, or just returning to that familiar running path -- this is the time for activity.

2 Jul 2011

STSI receives NIH grant to conduct heart-based research

Researchers looking to find a root cause for heart attacks and coronary artery disease will soon begin using a novel investigative approach that borders on science fiction as they work toward the holy grail of American medicine: preventing the nation's No. 1 killer.

2 Jul 2011

GWAS identifies 15 gene variants responsible for diversity of white blood cell counts

A trio of large-scale genome-wide association studies, or GWAS, have identified more than 15 gene variants responsible for the diversity of white blood cell counts among whites, African-Americans, and Japanese.

1 Jul 2011

New clot busting drug approved in UK

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (Nice), UK, has approved a new drug which one study has suggested could reduce the risk of death from a second heart attack by 20 per cent. The drug is manufactured by AstraZeneca as Brilique. It works by maintaining cardiac blood flow and stopping new blood clots from forming.

1 Jul 2011

Lantheus commences flurpiridaz F 18 PET MPI Phase 3 trial for detection of coronary artery disease

Lantheus Medical Imaging, Inc., a worldwide leader in diagnostic imaging, today announced the initiation of the first of two Phase 3 clinical trials to assess myocardial perfusion using Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with flurpiridaz F 18 in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease (CAD).

1 Jul 2011

Vitamin D-deficiency linked to deaths of famous musicians

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 - 5 December 1791), suffered from many infectious illnesses including catarrh, fever, sore throat, and bad colds from 1762 to 1791, the year of his death at 35 years of age.

1 Jul 2011

Genetic variation associated with increased risk of sudden cardiac arrest

A study by a global consortium of physician-scientists has identified a genetic variation that may predispose people to double the risk of having a sudden cardiac arrest, a disorder that gives little warning and is fatal in about 95 percent of cases.

1 Jul 2011

Study: Heart transplant patients more likely to get serious skin cancers

A new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation reveals that there is a significant risk of serious skin cancers, including cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, in heart transplant patients.

1 Jul 2011

PENNSAID Viscous Solution Phase 2 clinical trial for osteoarthritis pain meets primary endpoint

Nuvo Research Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to building a portfolio of products primarily for the treatment of pain, today announced receipt from Mallinckrodt Inc., a Covidien company (Covidien), of top-line results from a Phase 2 study conducted by Covidien, of twice-daily administration of PENNSAID Viscous Solution (topical diclofenac sodium viscous solution) 2% w/w, previously referred to as PENNSAID Gel.

30 Jun 2011