Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Human stem cells show promise against fatal children's diseases

Scientists have used human stem cells to dramatically improve the condition of mice with a neurological condition similar to a set of diseases in children that are invariably fatal, according to an article in the June issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell.

4 Jun 2008

Compound in red wine could protect the heart from ageing

Researchers in the United States say a natural compound found in red wine may protect the heart against the effects of the ageing process.

4 Jun 2008

Tough action against underperforming hospitals and primary care trusts in UK

Health Minister Ben Bradshaw today set out new plans to drive up standards of care and tackle underperformance in our hospitals and primary care trusts.Tough action against underperforming hospitals and trusts

4 Jun 2008

Legal action proposed against parents who let children drink alcohol at home

The British Government is considering proposals which could include legal action against parents who allow their children to drink alcohol at home.

3 Jun 2008

More evidence red wine keep hearts young

How, scientists wonder, do the French get away with a clean bill of heart health despite a diet loaded with saturated fats?

3 Jun 2008

Job stress causing depression in workers in Victoria

A study by researchers at Melbourne University has found that almost one in six cases of depression among workers in Victoria are caused by job stress.

3 Jun 2008

Many patients with heart failure miscalculate life expectancy

Many patients with heart failure - especially younger ones and those with more severe disease - significantly overestimate how long they going to live, say Duke University Medical Center researchers.

3 Jun 2008

How and where fat is stored predicts disease risk better than weight

Young adults who abuse amphetamines may be at greater risk of suffering a heart attack, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

3 Jun 2008

How the cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe (Zetia) works

A new study in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, sheds light on the action of the drug ezetimibe (trade name Zetia), which is used to treat high cholesterol. Ezetimibe is unique among cholesterol-lowering drugs in that it works by cutting the amount of cholesterol taken in from the diet rather than by blocking cholesterol's manufacture in the body.

3 Jun 2008

You may not be what you eat after all!

A new study shows that increased eating does not necessarily lead to increased fat. The finding in the much-studied roundworm opens the possibility of identifying new targets for drugs to control weight, the researchers say.

3 Jun 2008

A magnetically contolled camera pill

Images from inside the body? It can be done with tiny cameras which the patient has to swallow. In the past there was no way of controlling the device as it passed through the body. Now it can be steered and stopped where desired, and even deliver images of the esophagus.

3 Jun 2008

Premature and low weight babies more likely to be autistic

According to new research children born prematurely and children born with a low-birth weight are more likely to develop autism.

3 Jun 2008

60% of people in the U.S. age 18 and older have at least one chronic medical condition

About six of every 10 people in the United States age 18 and older have at least one chronic medical condition, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research ands Quality.

3 Jun 2008

NGAL protein levels in simple urine test speed diagnosis of failing kidneys

Walk into any emergency department complaining of chest pain and you are likely to have blood drawn. Within hours it should be clear whether you've had a heart attack, based on enzyme levels in your blood and whether those levels reveal the tissue damage normally associated with a heart attack or other major cardiac event.

2 Jun 2008

Members of European Parliament discuss food labelling and heart health

Members of the European Parliament Heart Group meet today, 3 June, in Brussels, to discuss the link between nutrition and cardiovascular diseases and how labelling of food can help people choose products that are better for their hearts and vessels.

2 Jun 2008

Personal genomes may lead to personalized vitamin supplements

As the cost of sequencing a single human genome drops rapidly, with one company predicting a price of $100 per person in five years, soon the only reason not to look at your "personal genome" will be fear of what bad news lies in your genes.

2 Jun 2008

Appeals court decisions in Vioxx lawsuits indicate 'sanity still exists' in legal system, editorial states

State appeals courts in New Jersey and Texas last week "delivered a one-two punch to the liability suits against Merck for its Vioxx painkiller," an indication that "some sanity still exists in the tort system -- at least at the appellate level," according to a Wall Street Journal editorial.

2 Jun 2008

By-products of water chlorination linked to birth defects

Drinking water disinfected by chlorine while pregnant may increase the risk of having children with heart problems, cleft palate or major brain defects, according to a study published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Environmental Health.

2 Jun 2008

Survivors of childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma at higher risk of future health problems

Adults who survived childhood Hodgkin's Lymphoma should be especially vigilant about cancer and cardiovascular screenings, according to researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues.

2 Jun 2008

Study identifies most costly adverse events in children's hospitals

A large study of health records from 38 American children's hospitals has measured adverse events that most increase length of stay and overall cost. The researchers say their findings provide useful targets for hospital programs aimed at preventing harm to young patients.

2 Jun 2008