Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Post-traumatic stress disorder causes early death from heart disease

Vietnam veterans who experienced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were twice as likely to die from heart disease as veterans without PTSD, a new Geisinger study finds.

8 Jul 2008

Keeping a food diary doubles diet weight loss

Keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss according to a study from Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research. The findings, from one of the largest and longest running weight loss maintenance trials ever conducted, will be published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

8 Jul 2008

A suspect found for SIDS

New evidence is suggesting that a chemical imbalance in the brain may be the cause of some cot deaths.

8 Jul 2008

Experts call for cholesterol drugs to be used in young children

Medical specialists in the U.S. are calling for more stringent cholesterol screenings for young children.

8 Jul 2008

Sex advice for older men says "use or lose it"

A new study by researchers in Finland has some advice for older men when it comes to preserving their sexual function.

7 Jul 2008

93-year old man with life threatening aneurysm treated using new fenestrated endograft stent

In a New York City metro-area first, a 93-year-old Bronx man underwent implantation of a new stent graft at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the only center on the Eastern Seaboard with access to this investigational device. The new stent graft was implanted under an FDA-approved clinical trial protocol.

7 Jul 2008

Disruption of blood sugar levels after heart surgery is common

A study reveals today that inadequate blood sugar control in patients having heart surgery is associated with a four fold increase in post-surgery death and major complications - and that the blood sugar disturbances occur in patients with and without diabetes.

7 Jul 2008

Resveratrol shown to reduce age related health problems

Researchers in the U.S. have found that a compound found in grapes and red wine can significantly reduce age related health problems.

7 Jul 2008

Screening athletes for heart disorders would save lives

Athletes who take part in competitive sport should be screened for potentially fatal heart problems before they compete, according to a study published on BMJ.com.

4 Jul 2008

Resveratrol mimics the beneficial effects of eating fewer calories

Large doses of a red wine ingredient can ward off many of the vagaries of aging in mice who begin taking it at midlife, according to a new report published online on July 3rd in Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.

3 Jul 2008

Scientists shed new light into early mechanisms governing cardiovascular specification

The mature heart is composed by different cell types, including contractile cardiac cells, vascular cells, smooth muscle cells as well as pacemaker cells.

3 Jul 2008

Research sheds light on the molecular basis of SIDS

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a condition that unexpectedly and unexplainably takes the lives of seemingly healthy babies aged between a month and a year.

3 Jul 2008

Resveratrol improves health, but not longevity in aging mice

Scientists have found that the compound resveratrol slows age-related deterioration and functional decline of mice on a standard diet, but does not increase longevity when started at middle age.

3 Jul 2008

Safer, more effective stents will be available next week for patients with clogged arteries

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will be one of the first medical centers in the region to begin using a new generation of drug-coated stents next week following a major study and the Food and Drug Administration's approval of their use.

3 Jul 2008

Weight loss program or exercise, which is best?

In the first study of its kind, using sophisticated methods to measure body composition, the nationally known commercial weight loss program, Weight Watchers, was compared to gym membership programs to find out which method wins in the game of good health.

3 Jul 2008

Mouse embryonic stem cells used to build heart parts

Researchers have shown that they can put mouse embryonic stem cells to work building the heart, potentially moving medical science a significant step closer to a new generation of heart disease treatments that use human stem cells.

2 Jul 2008

Coronary arterial calcium scans help detect overall death risk in the elderly

Measuring calcium deposits in the heart's arteries can help predict overall death risk in American adults, even when they are elderly, according to a new study published in the July issue of Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

2 Jul 2008

Artichoke leaf extract shown to lower cholesterol

Researchers at the University of Reading have found that an over-the-counter Artichoke Leaf Extract (ALE) from the globe artichoke plant can lower cholesterol in otherwise healthy individuals with moderately raised levels.

2 Jul 2008

Erection problems less in men who have intercourse more often

Having intercourse more often may help prevent the development of erectile dysfunction (ED). A study published in the July 2008 issue of The American Journal of Medicine reports that researchers have found that men who had intercourse more often were less likely to develop ED.

2 Jul 2008

Pharmaceutical companies say new approach by FDA has led to decrease approvals of new medications

An "intensifying focus on safety and a diminished tolerance for side effects" by FDA have "dramatically lowered" the chances that experimental medications will reach the market and have led to a recent decrease in approvals of new treatments, according to pharmaceutical companies, the Wall Street Journal reports.

2 Jul 2008