Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Universal test for genetic diseases in unborn children in the pipeline

A team of British scientists have developed a ground-breaking new test to screen for genetic diseases in unborn children.

27 Oct 2008

Purple tomatoes the latest in the arsenal against cancer

British scientists have developed purple tomatoes which they believe may possibly help fight cancer.

27 Oct 2008

First-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis

Rheumatologists, dermatologists, and patient advocates have come together to publish the first-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a disease that mainly affects people who have psoriasis but also some people without it.

26 Oct 2008

Even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea increases cardiovascular risk

People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine in the UK.

26 Oct 2008

Genetically modified tomatoes rich in anthocyanins

Researchers from the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Great Britain, in collaboration with other European centres participating to the FLORA project, have obtained genetically modified tomatoes rich in anthocyanins, a category of antioxidants belonging to the class of flavonoids. These tomatoes, added to the diet of cancer-prone mice, showed a significant protective effect by extending the mice lifespan. The research has been published in the 26 October issue of Nature Biotechnology.

26 Oct 2008

Life in Canada more deadly for immigrants?

Immigrants who come to Canada seeking a better life may in fact be setting themselves up for possible premature death.

26 Oct 2008

Advancing medical research

Researchers from the University of Essex and medical counterparts from Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust are working together to develop successful partnerships in advancing medical research.

26 Oct 2008

FDA approves Boston Scientific's carotid artery stent

Boston Scientific Corporation has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its Carotid WALLSTENT Monorail Endoprosthesis for the treatment of patients with carotid artery disease who are at high risk for surgery.

23 Oct 2008

Exposure to low doses of mercury changes the way the arteries work

An international team of researchers has shown that mercury is another important factor in cardiovascular disease as it changes the way arteries work. One of the possible sources of exposure of humans to mercury is by eating contaminated fish.

23 Oct 2008

The most effective anti-smoking ads scare or disgust

According to researchers in the United States, in order for anti-smoking adverts to be effective they must either scare or disgust the audience.

23 Oct 2008

Researchers downplay value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA

Three Virginia Commonwealth University epidemiologists are downplaying the value of mandatory universal nasal screening of patients for MRSA, arguing that proven, hospital-wide infection control practices can prevent more of the potentially fatal infections.

23 Oct 2008

New obesity drug Tesofensine may have huge potential

According to trials, a new obesity drug, Tesofensine, which may be launched on the world market in a few years, can produce weight loss twice that of currently approved obesity drugs. The Danish company Neurosearch and a number of researchers at the Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen are behind the promising findings.

23 Oct 2008

Sudden cardiac death number one risk for patients on dialysis

In a 10-year study of more than a thousand kidney failure patients, sudden cardiac death emerged as the number one cause of death for patients on dialysis, according to a Johns Hopkins researcher. The study, already published online and appearing in the Nov. 2 issue of Kidney International, identified systemic inflammatory response and malnutrition as key risk factors for the fatal heart attacks.

22 Oct 2008

Medtronic launches new device to improve minimally-invasive treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms

Extending an unmatched record of innovation in the field of endovascular aortic repair, Medtronic, Inc., today announced the U.S. market launch of the Talent Thoracic Stent Graft on the Xcelerant Delivery System, which makes minimally-invasive treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms easier to perform.

22 Oct 2008

Developing depression after a heart attack increases one’s risk of death or readmission

Science has found many links between depression and other serious medical illnesses, such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, and heart disease. For example, people who develop depression following a heart attack (myocardial infarction) or chest pain (angina) have an elevated risk of cardiac death or hospital readmission over the following year.

22 Oct 2008

Aires Pharmaceuticals signs license agreement with NIH

Aires Pharmaceuticals Inc. today announced the signing of an exclusive license agreement with the U.S. National Institutes of Health for the patented use of a nitric oxide prodrug to treat cardiopulmonary conditions.

22 Oct 2008

A little exercise prolongs life expectancy for people with heart disease

Exercising once a week can help prolong life expectancy for people with heart disease according to a new study from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway.

21 Oct 2008

Discovery of genetic switch critical for cell survival in Hypoxia

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive. "A transcriptional suppressor, called hairy, is crucial for reducing the mismatch between supply and demand of oxygen," said Dan Zhou, first author on the study, published October 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

21 Oct 2008

Beta-blockers raise the risk of a heart attack after surgery

A new study has found that for some patients undergoing surgery, beta-blockers before and around the time of the operation increases their risk of heart attack and death.

21 Oct 2008

Junk food responsible for 35% of the world's heart attacks

New research by Canadian scientists says junk food causes a third of all heart attacks and it is diets heavy in fried foods, salty snacks and meat which are the culprits.

21 Oct 2008