Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Macrophages may have role blocking obesity

Macrophages - the scavenger cells of the body's immune system - are known as troublemakers for the role they play in obesity, but Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have found that the cells can also be saviors when it comes to metabolism.

22 May 2007

Impact of lifestyle on GI health

According to new research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2007 (DDW), lifestyle factors like choosing your diet regimen or ordering an appetizer for dinner may have a significant impact on the gastrointestinal (GI) system, affecting your risk for certain diseases, weight and general GI-related activity.

22 May 2007

Red wine protects men from prostate cancer

Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch .

22 May 2007

Child obesity boom in China

Childhood obesity is widely recognised as a major contributor towards cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, sleep disorders, and psychological and social problems.

22 May 2007

New data on natural probiotic bacterial strain of Bifantis shows anti-inflammatory properties

The biotechnology company Alimentary Health today announced results from two studies that demonstrate the anti-inflammatory activity of a natural probiotic bacterial strain of human origin, Bifantis (Bifidobacterium infantis 35624), in models of arthritis and Salmonella infection.

22 May 2007

Weill Cornell Medical College students help change global health policy

In a move to improve global public health, Weill Cornell Medical College students have helped place a lifesaving heart disease drug onto the World Health Organization's (WHO) list of essential medicines.

22 May 2007

Healthy body weight throughout life prevents onset of physical disability later in life

Maintaining a healthy body weight throughout adulthood may help prevent or delay the onset of physical disability as we age, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

22 May 2007

GSK strongly disagrees with conclusions reached in NEJM article on Avandia

GlaxoSmithKline has issued the following response to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) on Avandia (rosiglitazone maleate), a widely used and highly effective treatment for type 2 diabetes.

22 May 2007

Blood-thinning drugs need closer monitoring

Natalie Oake and colleagues report on a meta-analysis of studies that recorded hemorrhages and thromboembolic (blood clot) events in patients taking blood-thinners.

22 May 2007

Drug brand name can influence treatment decisions by patients

The brand name of a drug can strongly influence treatment decisions by patients, according to a randomized trial of decision aids by researchers from McMaster University.

22 May 2007

FDA in trouble over widely used diabetic drug Avandia

A diabetes pill which has been widely used since 1999 is now suspected of increasing the risk of heart attacks for those taking it.

22 May 2007

First beating heart transplant procedure in the US

Protected by its own nutrients and blood supply, a beating heart supported by an investigational organ preservation device was successfully transplanted into a 47-year-old man with congestive heart failure and pulmonary hypertension on Sunday, April 8.

18 May 2007

Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes treated with Revlimid are living longer and remaining transfusion independent

New updated results from a pivotal Phase II trial evaluating Revlimid in patients with an incurable blood cancer known as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were presented by Dr. Alan List, from the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, at the 9th International Symposium on MDS currently taking place in Florence, Italy.

18 May 2007

Safer medical implants

A pair of Florida State University researchers have received a major grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study ways of preventing the body from developing scar tissue around biomedical devices such as coronary artery stents - a problem that affects thousands of patients each year.

18 May 2007

Quality improvement effort pays off in diabetes care

Spending money to improve diabetes care at federally qualified community health centers is a sound investment, according to one of the first studies to examine the clinical and economic impact of quality improvement on diabetes care.

18 May 2007

Study breaks link between lycopene and prostate cancer prevention

Tomatoes might be nutritious and tasty, but don't count on them to prevent prostate cancer.

18 May 2007

Long-term treatment with anti-clotting drug clopidogrel improves stenting outcomes in diabetic patients

A study showing that diabetic patients who are treated with long-term anti-clotting therapy are less likely to have a heart attack or die more than a year after stenting has been named among the best research papers presented at the 30th Annual Scientific Sessions of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI).

18 May 2007