Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

‘All-metal’ hips may fail more often study finds as experts call for a ban

Metal-on-metal hips were developed to be more durable than traditional implants, which combine a ceramic or metal ball with a plastic socket. But recent experience suggests they may actually do worse, prompting the recall of one device made by Johnson & Johnson that critics argue should never have been allowed on the market.

14 Mar 2012

Cooler hands may improve results of work out: Study

Researcher Stacy Sims, a research scientist and exercise physiologist at Stanford University School of Medicine presented her findings Tuesday at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism scientific sessions in San Diego. “If you think about adipose [fat] tissue, it's a great insulator,” Sims said. For people who are obese, that means they often get too hot while exercising. “It would be like Lance Armstrong wearing a wet suit for the entire Tour de France,” she said. “We're trying to address those barriers.”

14 Mar 2012

World's tallest living man stops growing at 8ft 3 inches

Sultan Kosen has been named the world's tallest living man by Guinness World Records for three consecutive years. In the last three months, the 29-year-old Turkish man has only recently stopped growing thanks to receiving treatment in the U.S.

14 Mar 2012

Both low-carb and low-fat diets help improve blood vessel function in overweight people

Overweight people who shed pounds, especially belly fat, can improve the function of their blood vessels no matter whether they are on a low-carb or a low-fat diet, according to a study being presented by Johns Hopkins researchers at an American Heart Association scientific meeting in San Diego on March 13 that is focused on cardiovascular disease prevention.

14 Mar 2012

Modified Citrus Pectin binds and blocks harmful effects of Galectin-3

Galectin-3 sounds like a planet out of "Star Trek," but it can be much more ominous. Recently, distinguished integrative physician Isaac Eliaz, M.D., presented breakthrough research demonstrating that the protein Galectin-3 is an active biomarker for numerous life-threatening diseases. Even more importantly, Dr. Eliaz showed how Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP) binds and blocks Galectin-3 throughout the body.

14 Mar 2012

Scientists track genetic pathway of prostate cancer in new approach to drug discovery

Tracking the genetic pathway of a disease offers a powerful, new approach to drug discovery, according to scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine who used the approach to uncover a potential treatment for prostate cancer, using a drug currently marketed for congestive heart failure. Their findings are published in the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Mar 2012

Magnesium may help reduce blood pressure

Researchers from the University of Hertfordshire have found that magnesium supplements may offer small but clinically significant reductions in blood pressure. In a paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers also discovered that the size of the effect increased in line with increased dosage.

14 Mar 2012

Red meat associated with increased risk of death, nuts become the preferred protein substitute

A major new study, "Red Meat Consumption and Mortality" concludes that red meat is associated with a thirteen percent increased risk of death and substitution of other healthy protein sources for red meat lowers mortality risk, with nuts being the top choice. Over half the nuts eaten in the US are peanuts and they have more protein than any other nut.

14 Mar 2012

Too much red meat in diet can shorten lifespan: Study

According to Harvard researchers, publishing this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the risk of dying at an early age - from heart disease, cancer, or any other cause, rises in step with red-meat consumption. Eating too much red meat, which is high in saturated fat and cholesterol, has long been seen as unhealthy, especially for the heart. The new study, however, is the first to estimate the effect of red meat in diet on a person's lifespan.

13 Mar 2012

New recovery protocol treats heart failure patients with LVADs

Some patients with advanced heart failure caused by cardiomyopathy, the deterioration of function of the heart muscle, are benefitting from a new recovery protocol at the University of Louisville and Jewish Hospital, a part of KentuckyOne Health.

13 Mar 2012

New York Times Magazine examines 'medical brain drain'

"[T]he United States, with its high salaries and technological innovation, is ... the world's most powerful magnet for doctors, attracting more every year than Britain, Canada and Australia -- the next most popular destinations for migrating doctors -- combined," the New York Times Magazine reports in a story on how the promise of a better salary and working conditions is drawing newly trained doctors away from their countries to the U.S.

13 Mar 2012

Over 125,000 NYU Langone patients now use new biometric identification system

Launched just nine months ago, more than 125,000 patients at NYU Langone Medical Center are now using PatientSecure, a cutting-edge biometric identification system.

13 Mar 2012

Some adaptive motion trainers may still impose high stresses on the knee

New research conducted by the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Department of Physical Therapy calls into question the conventional wisdom that non-impact cardio machines, such as adaptive motion trainers (AMTs), apply minimum stress to the joints.

13 Mar 2012

Scientists develop realistic model to explain cellular signal processing

Scientists at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed a realistic model for explaining cellular signal processing.

13 Mar 2012

Researchers unlock mystery of how an inflammatory molecule is produced in the body

Cedars-Sinai researchers have unlocked the mystery of how an inflammatory molecule is produced in the body, a discovery they say could lead to advances in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, Type 2 diabetes and numerous other chronic diseases that affect tens of millions of people.

12 Mar 2012

Many Americans deficient in magnesium, sulfur and sulfate

Many Americans are deficient in magnesium, sulfur and sulfate, experts say. It's a problem that causes a variety of health issues that could be prevented with small changes to diet and behavior, including frequent soaks in Epsom salt.

12 Mar 2012

Zynex announces acquisition of NeuroDyne Medical

Zynex, Inc., a provider and developer of non-invasive medical devices for electrotherapy and stroke rehabilitation, neurological diagnosis and cardiac monitoring, announced the acquisition of substantially all the assets of NeuroDyne Medical, Corp., through its subsidiary Zynex NeuroDiagnostics, Inc., with an effective date of March 9, 2012.

12 Mar 2012

First Edition: March 12, 2012

Today's health policy headlines focus significant attention on key issues, dynamics and even personalities that will be in play when the Supreme Court takes up the health law later this month.

12 Mar 2012

Researchers identify genetic signature for eosinophilic esophagitis

Researchers have identified a genetic signature for a severe, often painful food allergy – eosinophilic esophagitis – that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for children unable to eat a wide variety of foods.

12 Mar 2012

Johns Hopkins epidemiologist named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine

Frederick L. Brancati, M.D., M.H.S., professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of Hopkins' division of general internal medicine, was named Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine by the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees.

12 Mar 2012