Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Exercise testing to predict mitral regurgitation

In as many as one in five people over age 55, when the heart contracts to send blood around the body, some degree of backward leakage occurs across the mitral valve, a condition known as mitral regurgitation (MR).

12 Dec 2007

Exercise testing may help predict seriousness of mitral regurgitation

12 Dec 2007

Adult stem cell heart attack study updated

Doctors are using patients' own bone marrow stem cells (progenitor cells) to treat the damage to cardiac muscle after a heart attack in a study at Emory University School of Medicine.

12 Dec 2007

The key to a long and healthy life - Mediterranean diet plus regular exercise

Researchers have produced even more evidence of the benefits of a Mediterranean-style diet and regular physical activity.

11 Dec 2007

Popular heartburn drug given the all clear

Concerns that a drug used to treat stomach conditions such as heartburn could cause heart problems have been laid to rest by a comprehensive review.

11 Dec 2007

Study finds disease management programs improve the quality of health care

Disease management programs that help guide the care of patients with chronic health problems appear to improve the quality of health care, but there is little evidence that such efforts actually save money, according to a study issued by the RAND Corporation.

10 Dec 2007

New studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists

The 2007 American College of Neuropsychopharmacology Annual Meeting will feature hundreds of new studies on brain and behavior from the world's leading scientists.

10 Dec 2007

Most adults with conditions that increase cardiovascular disease risk have hypertension

Nearly three-fourths of American adults with conditions such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes or others that raise their risk for cardiovascular complications also have hypertension (high blood pressure), according to a report in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Dec 2007

Mediterranean diet and exercise each associated with lower death rate over 5 years

Eating a Mediterranean diet and following national recommendations for physical activity are each associated with a reduced risk of death over a five-year period, according to two reports in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

10 Dec 2007

Living longer with obesity means heavier burden for hospitals

Living longer with obesity can lead to both longer hospital stays and more avoidable trips to the hospital, according to two new studies from Purdue University.

10 Dec 2007

International team gets new award to research the causes of bladder problems that affect one in six adults

An international research project which aims to solve why some people feel the constant need to urinate - a condition that affects one in every six adults - has received a prestigious new £420,000 award from the leading UK-based urology journal and charity BJU International.

10 Dec 2007

Being in good shape after 40 reduces risk of stroke

People who have good physical function after the age of 40 may lower their risk of stroke by as much as 50 percent compared to people who are not able to climb stairs, kneel, bend, or lift as well, according to research published in the December 11, 2007, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Dec 2007

Resverlogix receives FDA approval to start clinical trial for RVX-208

Resverlogix Corp. has announced that it has received approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 1a clinical trial of oral RVX-208 in the USA. RVX-208 is a novel first-in-class small molecule that increases the production of ApoA-I and HDL.

10 Dec 2007

FDA concludes no increased risk of cardiac events for patients treated with omeprazole and Nexium

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued its final assessment of two small, open, long-term, clinical studies in patients with gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), comparing anti-reflux surgery with either omeprazole (SOPRAN study) or NEXIUM (LOTUS study) treatment.

10 Dec 2007

Doctors trained on patient simulators exhibit superior skills

Senior internal medicine residents who are trained in critical resuscitation skills on patient simulators become more skilled than residents who undergo traditional training, according to new research.

10 Dec 2007

Depression screening for cancer patients too often falls between the cracks

Depression is known to be associated with cancer yet too many cancer patients are not screened for this mental disorder, according to researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute and the Roudebush VA Medical Center.

10 Dec 2007

Umbilical cord blood transplant may confer advantages over bone marrow transplant for kids with life-threatening metabolic disorders

Children born with inherited metabolic disorders that cause organ failure and early death can be treated successfully with umbilical cord blood transplants from unrelated donors and, in some cases go on to live for many years, according to a study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers.

10 Dec 2007

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers used as fire retardants could be harmful

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), chemicals used as fire retardants, can be found in numerous items in the home, such as the television, computer, toaster and the sofa.

10 Dec 2007

Calcium in coronary arteries may be linked to increased risk for heart disease in low-risk women

About 5 percent of women considered low-risk for heart disease by current classification standards have evidence of advanced coronary artery calcium and may be at increased risk for cardiovascular events, according to a report in the December 10/24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Dec 2007

Abdominal obesity predicts heart disease

Abdominal obesity is a strong independent risk factor for heart disease, and using the waist-hip ratio rather than waist measurement alone is a better predictor of heart disease risk among men and women, researchers reported in a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

10 Dec 2007