Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Blood pressure drug shows potential as lung cancer treatment

A hormone that is important in the control of blood pressure also shrinks lung cancer tumors in mice, suggesting a new way to prevent or treat the deadly cancer, according to scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

19 Mar 2007

Arsenic in drinking water can lead to miscarriages and sudden infant death

For the first time, researchers have been able to show that mothers who drink water containing arsenic run an increased risk of having a miscarriage or losing their child in its first year. This has been demonstrated by a research team from Sweden and Bangladesh in an article published last Saturday in the Net edition of American Journal of Epidemiology.

14 Mar 2007

Tykerb (lapatinib) - new anti-cancer treatment approved

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Tykerb (lapatinib), a new targeted anti-cancer treatment, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda), another cancer drug, for patients with advanced, metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive (tumors that exhibit HER2 protein).

14 Mar 2007

Chemical cues turn embryonic stem cells into cerebellar neurons

Embryonic stem cells have shown a great deal of promise for alleviating heart disease and regenerating organs. But for some of the conditions for which people hold out the most hope - Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, for example - there's been little evidence to date that stem cells can work.

14 Mar 2007

Crocodiles provide clues to new pain treatments for humans

Sydney University researchers have identified how crocodiles and other reptiles detect temperature - shedding new light on their adaptation to environmental changes and pointing to new pain treatments for humans.

14 Mar 2007

Talk therapy works for panic disorder

Psychoanalytic therapies have been in professional use for over a century, but a new study from physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is the first to show that a classic psychoanalytic talk therapy is efficacious in treating panic disorder.

14 Mar 2007

Study aims to find which breast cancer patients need chemotherapy

Most postmenopausal women with small breast tumors don't need chemotherapy to reduce their recurrence risk after lumpectomy.

13 Mar 2007

Obese patients have a significantly higher risk of complications following surgery

The study, appearing in the March issue of the World Journal of Surgery, also found that morbidly obese patients had a death rate nearly twice as high as that of all other patients, as well as a higher rate of cardiac arrest.

13 Mar 2007

HIV in late childhood and adolescence a growing problem

Scientists have highlighted for the first time the plight of the growing number of older children and adolescents living with undiagnosed HIV and AIDS in Africa. In a study published today in Clinical Infectious Diseases, Wellcome Trust researchers claim that delay in recognising this problem means that the needs of this important group are not being met.

12 Mar 2007

A food supplement that could prevent the development of diabetes and atherosclerosis

The health benefits of cutting down on dietary saturated fatty acids and including higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids are well documented. Nutritional research is focusing on the effects of incorporating these healthier fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), into animal and human diets. CLA is present in dairy products and meat from ruminants and in very low amounts in our bodies.

11 Mar 2007

FDA strengthens safety information for Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a public health advisory outlining new safety information, including revised product labeling about erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), widely-used drugs for the treatment of anemia.

11 Mar 2007

More synergy in public health between Methodist-Houston and Weill Cornell

A noted authority in health services research, critical care and geriatric medicine, Dr. Marc D. Silverstein has been appointed chairman of a newly created Department of Public Health at The Methodist Hospital in Houston.

11 Mar 2007

Methylmercury contaminating fish - pregnant women warned

According to an international team of scientists pregnant women should be wary of eating some types of fish because of mercury contamination.

11 Mar 2007

Kidney disease in children: common but treatable

"Kidney disease occurs more often than we think, but it is also more treatable than we used to think, especially when caught early," says Barbara Fivush, M.D., director of nephrology at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

8 Mar 2007

Quick diagnosis test for streptococcal strains

A streptococcal infection may initially cause nothing more than a relatively harmless sore throat. It can, however, also lead to potentially fatal disease or lifelong disability.

8 Mar 2007

Computer key unlocks cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease

Danish and Belgian researchers have found a computer key that maps genes underlying heritable disorders, such as breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. These results will possibly ease the discovery of new medicines and improve treatment in various disorders.

8 Mar 2007

When it comes to antioxidants, orange could be the new red!

Scientists say a special variety of orange tomatoes may be healthier than the usual bright red ones.

8 Mar 2007

Lipitor given the green light for more heart risk patients

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. has given approval for the best seller drug Lipitor to be used in five new categories.

8 Mar 2007

FDA warning on mineral water from Armenia

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to drink certain brands of mineral water imported from Armenia due to the risk of exposure to arsenic, a toxic substance and known cause of cancer in humans.

8 Mar 2007

House panel requests marketing documents from pharmaceutical companies regarding off-label drug promotion

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has asked two stent manufacturers and three drug manufacturers to provide documents regarding the marketing of their products as part of the committee's investigation into the off-label use of drug-coated stents and prescription drugs, the Wall Street Journal reports.

8 Mar 2007