Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Women live longer but quality of life is often poor

According to scientists in the United States women may live longer lives but the quality of their lives is often poor.

3 May 2009

Discovery of gene associated with narcolepsy

Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have identified a gene associated with narcolepsy, a disorder that causes disabling daytime sleepiness, sleep attacks, irresistible bouts of sleep that can strike at any time, and disturbed sleep at night. The gene has a known role in the immune system, which strongly suggests that autoimmunity, in which the immune system turns against the body's own tissues, plays an important role in the disorder.

3 May 2009

Women live longer, not better, largely because of obesity and arthritis

Obesity and arthritis that take root during early and middle age significantly contribute to women's decreased quality of life during their senior years, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

3 May 2009

Chemical found in medical devices impairs heart function

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have found that a chemical commonly used in the production of such medical plastic devices as intravenous (IV) bags and catheters can impair heart function in rats.

3 May 2009

Wealthier people choose better diets - but pay more per calorie

As people become more educated, studies have demonstrated that they tend to choose foods that are lower in calories but higher in nutrients. They also pay more. In a study published in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from the University of Washington compared the eating habits and food costs of a sample of 164 adults in the Seattle, Washington area.

3 May 2009

Extremely shy? - help is at hand

Help is at hand for those who suffer from extreme shyness. Shyness in its extreme form can have a huge impact on peoples' lives because it results in an avoidance of the usual common social situations, such as meeting new people or going on a date, and can also have an impact on work situations.

30 Apr 2009

Many patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D

Australian researchers have discovered that many critically ill patients in intensive care are deficient in vitamin D.

30 Apr 2009

Out-of-pocket costs reduce patients' willingness to start treatment for their chronic illnesses

Patients newly diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes or high cholesterol are significantly more likely to delay initiating recommended drug treatment if they face higher co-payments for medications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

30 Apr 2009

Smoking, hypertension and BMI are the leading preventable risk factors for premature mortality in the U.S.

The researchers found that smoking is responsible for 467,000 premature deaths each year, high blood pressure for 395,000, and being overweight for 216,000. The effects of smoking work out to be about one in five deaths in American adults, while high blood pressure is responsible for one in six deaths.

30 Apr 2009

Obstructive sleep apnea leads to poorer prognosis after stroke

Stroke victims tend to do worse if they also have diagnosed or undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea prior to having the stroke, according to a study presented April 28, 2009, at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting in Seattle.

30 Apr 2009

Full kidney removal is not always the best treatment for small renal tumors

Nephron-sparing treatments, such as partial nephrectomy, thermal ablation and active surveillance, minimize these risks and are viable options for patients with early-stage (T1a) kidney tumors, according to a new clinical guideline issued by the American Urological Association (AUA).

30 Apr 2009

Conscientiousness is a good thing in a mate

This is the first large-scale analysis of what the authors call the "compensatory conscientiousness effect," the boost in health reported by those with conscientious spouses or romantic partners. The study appears this month in Psychological Science .

30 Apr 2009

Excessive increase in heart rate before exercise doubles risk of sudden cardiac death in later life

French researchers have discovered a simple and cheap method of predicting who is at greater risk of dying suddenly and unexpectedly from a heart attack.

30 Apr 2009

New computer-controlled system to improve the accuracy of blood tests

Blood tests are common procedures in medicine and sometimes several are required over a prolonged period.

30 Apr 2009

Arterial disease of the leg frequently overlooked in patients with heart disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) of the legs, in which the arteries become blocked with plaque and blood supply to the legs is reduced, affects eight million people in the U.S. Early detection of PAD is important because it can limit the ability to walk and exercise, it may place patients at greater risk for limb loss and it increases the chance of having a heart attack or stroke.

30 Apr 2009

ADA releases official stance on obesity, reproduction and pregnancy outcomes

Diet and nutrition counseling for virtually all overweight and obese women of childbearing age can reduce health risks associated with excess weight for mothers and children alike, according to a newly released position paper from the American Dietetic Association and the American Society of Nutrition.

30 Apr 2009

Urine proteome pattern may predict coronary artery disease

Proteome analysis, a screening requiring only a patient's urine specimen, shows promise as a reliable and noninvasive way to diagnose atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease in the future, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology Annual Conference 2009.

30 Apr 2009

Oral delivery system for RNAi therapeutics

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) report on a novel approach to the delivery of small bits of genetic material in order to silence genes using "RNA interference"-and in the process, discovered a potent method of suppressing inflammation in mice similar to what occurs in a range of human diseases.

30 Apr 2009

URMC expert informs lupus patients on nutrition myths, realities

With May being Lupus Awareness Month, next week University of Rochester Medical Center rheumatologist Jennifer Anolik, M.D., Ph.D., will offer a free public talk that sheds light on how sensible eating and fitness habits can help patients better manage the disease.

30 Apr 2009

Small differences in our genes shed light on human history

By examining very small differences in people's genes, scientists from Cornell University have developed a new tool for identifying big events in human history and pinpointing the origins of specific gene mutations.

30 Apr 2009