Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Six bad bugs increasingly escaping effects of antibiotics

Infectious disease experts warn that new drugs are urgently needed to treat six drug-resistant bacteria that cause most hospital infections and increasingly escape the effects of antibiotics.

1 Dec 2008

Scientists discover new properties of imidazolium salts

Scientists at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have uncovered new properties of imidazolium salts (IMSs), which suggest that they could play a vital role in disease prevention and treatment.

1 Dec 2008

Cardiac CT effectively assesses coronary artery stenosis

Cardiac CT can effectively assess coronary artery stenosis, according to a large study performed at Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, The Netherlands.

1 Dec 2008

Vitamin D deficiency could lead to heart problems

Vitamin D deficiency - which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness - may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

1 Dec 2008

High levels of prenatal smoking exposure affects sleep in early babies

A study in the Dec. 1 issue of the journal Sleep is the first to show that high levels of prenatal smoking exposure strongly modify sleep patterns in preterm neonates, which places infants at a higher risk for developmental difficulties that could persist throughout early and middle childhood.

1 Dec 2008

New cream for vaginal dryness approved

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its subsidiary Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s New Drug Application (NDA) for Synthetic Conjugated Estrogens-A (SCE-A) 0.625 mg/g Vaginal Cream.

1 Dec 2008

Scientists show function of helical band in heart

Scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created images of the heart's muscular layer that show, for the first time, the connection between the configuration of those muscles and the way the human heart contracts.

1 Dec 2008

Diet may regulate obesity health risks, but genes decide, says new research

The risk of obese people developing the metabolic syndrome that leads to diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, can not be solved by a one-size-fits-all diet programme, according to new scientific findings.

1 Dec 2008

Scientists hope European grant can improve healthy ageing

Researchers hope to achieve healthy ageing by enhancing body healing capacity and reducing chronic inflammation.

1 Dec 2008

Liver disease tackled with dedicated unit at Imperial College London

Liver disease death rates are rising in the UK, in contrast to other common diseases such as heart disease and cancer, and the new Robert Hesketh Hepatology Clinical Research Facility aims to provide care and develop new therapies to reverse this trend.

1 Dec 2008

Breakthrough for dialysis patients

Suffering from end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a growing number of patients at the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), have become the beneficiaries of a North American breakthrough: high efficacy hemodiafiltration (HDF).

28 Nov 2008

First study showing how protein fine-tunes the heart

Dr Andrew Whitten, Dr Cy Jeffries and Professor Jill Trewhella, from the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, with Samantha Harris, from the University of California, USA, have the first data showing how a protein in heart muscle cells works to maintain regular heart function.

27 Nov 2008

Advanced CT scans 100 percent accurate in checking for clogged arteries

In a development that researchers say is likely to quell concerns about the value of costly computed tomography (CT) scans to diagnose coronary artery blockages, an international team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins reports solid evidence that the newer, more powerful 64-CT scans can easily and correctly identify people with major blood vessel disease and is nearly as accurate as invasive coronary angiography.

26 Nov 2008

Discovery of mechanism linking serotonin with regulation of food intake

Genetic mouse models have provided surprising insight into mechanisms linking serotoninergic compounds with the regulation of feeding behavior and body weight.

26 Nov 2008

New Canadian mental health charity announced

The Canadian Psychiatric Research Foundation (CPRF) announced today that it is joining forces with Mental Health Partnerships of Canada.

26 Nov 2008

Researchers identify molecule that tells your brain your stomach is full

In studies with mice and rats, researchers have found that a chemical messenger called NAPE is made in the small intestine after the animals ate a greasy meal. After eating, NAPE - N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, a mouthful in itself -- enters the blood and travels to the brain, where it quashes hunger signals.

26 Nov 2008

Defective calcium metabolism in nerve cells contributes to neurological disorder

Defective calcium metabolism in nerve cells may play a major role in a fatal genetic neurological disorder that resembles Huntington's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in a mouse study.

26 Nov 2008

Scientists create synthetic Heparin in more varieties

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have learned to customize a key human enzyme responsible for producing heparin, opening the door to a more effective synthetic anticoagulant as well as treatments for other conditions.

25 Nov 2008

Study examines medical cost increases for individuals living with diabetes

People diagnosed with diabetes spend over $4,100 more each year on medical costs than people who don't have diabetes, a gap that increases substantially each year following the initial diagnosis, according to a study published online today in the journal Diabetes Care.

25 Nov 2008

Receipt of ventricular assist devices associated with poor outcomes, high costs

Medicare patients who receive ventricular assist devices (a type of heart pump) have high rates of death, illness, prolonged hospital stays, with resulting high costs of care, according to a study in the November 26 issue of JAMA.

25 Nov 2008