Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Study finds increase in implementation of evidence-based therapies for myocardial infarction

In an analysis of data from a coronary care registry in Sweden, between 1996-2007 there was an increase in the prevalence of use of evidence-based invasive procedures and pharmacological therapies for treatment of a certain type of heart attack, and a decrease in the rate of death at 30 days and one year after a heart attack for these patients, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

28 Apr 2011

UCLA's Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program improves patients' survival rate

Patients who received kidney transplants through the UCLA Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Program had the highest three-year transplant survival rate among patients who underwent the procedure at U.S. centers that perform 80 or more transplants a year, according to new government data.

28 Apr 2011

Positive results from Shire's Vyvanse clinical trial in schizophrenia

Shire plc, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive results from a signal-finding study of Vyvanse(R) Capsules assessing its effect in a prospective examination of adults with negative symptom predominant schizophrenia.

28 Apr 2011

Softgels as effective as tablets in delivering folic acid

Folic acid, an essential vitamin formulated to be part of a multivitamin + DHA liquid softgel capsule, is absorbed and available within the body in amounts similar to folic acid formulated for solid tablets, according to a study presented in a late breaking session at the Experimental Biology (EB) 2011 annual meeting.

28 Apr 2011

Five Loyola employees donate kidneys to complete strangers

Loyola University Medical Center is believed to be the first organization in the country, and perhaps the world, in which five employees have each donated kidneys to complete strangers with no strings attached.

28 Apr 2011

Vitamin E effective against severe fatty liver disease in some children

A specific form of vitamin E improved the most severe form of fatty liver disease in some children, according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Results appear in the April 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. A previous study found vitamin E effective in some adults with the disease.

28 Apr 2011

Simple home genetic test can identify health risk factors in young athletes

It's a simple home genetic test, but the results it produces can make workouts more effective, children's sports choices more appropriate and trainers' awareness of potential risk factors more precise.

28 Apr 2011

Cotinine can reduce plaques linked with dementia and prevent memory loss

Cotinine, a compound derived from tobacco, reduced plaques associated with dementia and prevented memory loss in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, a study led by researchers at Bay Pines VA Healthcare System and the University of South Florida found.

28 Apr 2011

Pfizer announces global launch of new child nutrition products

Pfizer Inc. today announced the global launch of its new advanced GOLD range of child nutrition products, developed to meet the changing nutritional and feeding needs of young children. The GOLD range of infant and follow-on formulas, and growing-up milks provides the right balance of high-quality nutrients needed to support ideal health, growth and development in growing children.

28 Apr 2011

Heart attacks more severe in the morning: Study

Heart attacks are more dangerous in the morning than at any other time of day, research has shown. The study has shown that compared with other times, patients who had an attack between 6am and noon suffered around 20% more damage to their hearts. Researchers say this pattern is thought to be linked to circadian rhythms, the 24-hour “body clock” processes that influence many biological functions including blood pressure.

28 Apr 2011

Legislative approaches needed to address obesity epidemic in Canada

With the increase in numbers of overweight children and young adults, Canada and other developed countries are facing an obesity epidemic and legislative approaches are required to address this issue, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

28 Apr 2011

Non-communicable diseases responsible for more than half of deaths worldwide, WHO report says

Chronic and non-communicable illnesses, such as cancer, diabetes and heart disease, are at epidemic proportions and cause more deaths worldwide than all other diseases combined, the WHO said in a report released Wednesday, Reuters reports.

28 Apr 2011

IAHF, Global Bridges launch tobacco treatment training for Mexico health care providers

Global Bridges, a healthcare alliance for tobacco dependence treatment based at Mayo Clinic, and its regional partner, the InterAmerican Heart Foundation in Dallas, Texas, announced today the first of a series of training courses for health care providers in Latin America on how to successfully treat tobacco users.

28 Apr 2011

Nursing environment linked to improved patient outcomes

Better working conditions and better staffing of nurses can significantly improve the care of patients with serious conditions, according to the latest nurse labor study by the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

28 Apr 2011

Blueberries can protect against heart disease and cancer

The first analysis of the healthful antioxidant content of blueberries that grow wild in Mexico, Central and South America concludes that some of these fruits have even more healthful antioxidants than the blueberries - already renowned as "super fruits" - sold throughout the United States.

28 Apr 2011

Women more likely to develop kidney damage after coronary angiogram

Women are at higher risk than men of developing kidney damage after undergoing a coronary angiogram, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.

28 Apr 2011

Deep Breeze launches telehealth Breeze@home system for COPD patients

Deep Breeze Ltd, the leader in Vibration Response Imaging technology, today announced that it is introducing its telehealth Breeze@homeT system, the first in-home quantitative approach to COPD lung monitoring.

28 Apr 2011

Kava tea may cause kidney failure and muscle breakdown

When a 34-year-old bicyclist was found collapsed on a roadside and rushed to the University of Rochester Medical Center emergency room on the verge of kidney failure and muscle breakdown, doctors were surprised to discover that a trendy tea derived from the kava plant was the cause of his ills.

28 Apr 2011

New nanoparticle imaging agent can help diagnose heart disease, breast cancer

Scientists are reporting development of a process for producing large quantities of a much-needed new imaging agent for computed tomography scans in heart disease, breast cancer and other diseases, and the first evidence that the material is safe for clinical use.

28 Apr 2011

Grapefruit can help reduce weight in obese adults

One-hundred percent grapefruit juice – a dieter's friend? A new study, published in Nutrition & Metabolism, concluded that enjoying a pre-meal snack of grapefruit, grapefruit juice or water as part of a reduced-calorie diet can be part of an effective weight loss strategy for obese adults.

28 Apr 2011