Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Government and nurses call for a major shake-up of Australia's health system

Plans by the federal government to address the dire shortage of general practitioners by making better use of other health professionals is in some ways in line with calls from the Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) for a major reform to the way health services are funded and delivered.

11 Jun 2008

Study finds obese people have higher lifetime medical costs despite shorter life expectancies

Obese U.S. residents in their 20s will incur lifetime medical bills between $5,340 and $29,460 more than their healthy-weight peers despite shorter life spans, according to a study published online in the journal Obesity, USA Today reports.

11 Jun 2008

Sunshine vitamin protect against heart attacks

In a study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, it has been found that men with low levels of vitamin D have an increased risk for heart attacks.

10 Jun 2008

Agfa HealthCare assigned second phase RIS/PACS agreement with First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University

Agfa HealthCare has announced that it has been chosen to implementation a second phase RIS/PACS program at The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University in China.

10 Jun 2008

Cancer prevention: the natural way

Certain dietary-based substances may prevent some cancers from developing and research at the University of Leicester is looking at natural compounds which may lead to a cancer chemopreventive drug.

10 Jun 2008

Having heart surgery? Watch your blood sugar

Nearly half of all heart surgery patients may experience blood sugar levels high enough to require temporary insulin treatment after their operation, even though they've never had diabetes, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Health System.

10 Jun 2008

Researchers block the transmission of malaria in animal tests

By disrupting the potassium channel of the malaria parasite, a team of researchers has been able to prevent the malaria parasites from forming in mosquitoes and has thereby broken the cycle of infection during recent animal tests.

10 Jun 2008

Common cause of loss of sight may be avoided by diet rich in omega-3

New research suggests that one of the most common causes of vision loss could be avoided by eating food rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

10 Jun 2008

Calls for tougher rules on complementary medicines in Australia

Pressure from a consumer group has prompted the Australian Federal Government to consider the introduction of far more stringent disclosure rules regarding complementary medicines.

10 Jun 2008

Low levels of vitamin D in men linked to heart attack

Low levels of vitamin D appear to be associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) in men, according to a report in the June 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

9 Jun 2008

Chinese red yeast rice reduces repeat heart attacks

A clinical study on patients who have suffered a heart attack found that a partially purified extract of Chinese red yeast rice, Xuezhikang (XZK), reduced the risk of repeat heart attacks by 45%, revascularization (bypass surgery/angioplasty), cardiovascular mortality and total mortality by one-third and cancer mortality by two-thirds.

9 Jun 2008

Diabetes explosion on the cards for Brits

According to a charity in Britain, unless there is a major change in lifestyle, by 2025 there will be 3.6 million people with diabetes in England.

9 Jun 2008

Latest research suggests tight glucose control for diabetics

It has been found that keeping tight control of blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics reduces the risk of kidney disease by 21 percent, and that weight gain, the use of multiple drug combinations and getting blood sugar too low, too quickly may all have been factors in causing early deaths.

9 Jun 2008

Presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee Obama criticizes health care proposal of opponent McCain

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on Thursday during a rally at a Bristol, Va., high school said that the health care proposal of presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) would not expand health insurance to all U.S. residents, the Washington Times reports.

8 Jun 2008

Walgreen agrees to pay $35 million to settle allegations of improper medication switches for Medicaid beneficiaries

Walgreen has agreed to pay $35 million to settle allegations that the company improperly switched the form of generic medications prescribed to Medicaid beneficiaries to receive higher reimbursements from the program, the Hartford Courant reports (Levick, Hartford Courant, 6/5).

8 Jun 2008

New NHS guidelines on recreational drug use in nightclubs

New guidelines have been written which will assist nightclub staff in deciding whether to call ambulances for unwell clubbers. At present, there is a worry that inappropriate management has lead to clubbers only being referred to hospital after significant problems have occurred - leading to increased risk of injury and death.

5 Jun 2008

New perspective on coronary disease thanks to ultrasound

Compared to other techniques, Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) is much better at monitoring the increase or decrease of atherosclerosis in the coronary arteries. Can the method even be used to predict the odds of a heart attack or other cardiovascular event? Studies indicate this may be the case, states Professor Clemens von Birgelen in his inaugural address at the University of Twente.

5 Jun 2008

Alcohol halves the risk of rheumatoid arthritis

Research from scientists in Sweden has found that drinking alcohol halves the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

5 Jun 2008

Prostate Cancer Foundation 'beefs up' cancer research

The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has committed more than $19 million in new research funding for scientific investigations focused on discovering new treatments for recurrent prostate cancer. A total of eight programs representing 18 leading research institutions and 36 researchers were selected as part of the foundation's 2008 Challenge Awards. The funded programs will receive the first of three annual payments, ranging between $500,000 and $1.0 million per program, this week.

4 Jun 2008

New grant to enable University of Rochester to increase HIV research by 25 percent

The University of Rochester today announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded a team of more than 50 researchers a five-year, $3.2 million grant.

4 Jun 2008