Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Trans fats offer a double whammy

Along with the knowledge that 'trans fats' are particularly bad because they clog up arteries and increase the risk of heart attacks comes new information which makes them even more undesirable.

31 Jul 2007

Coated aspirin doesn't guarantee problem-free use

Some people take aspirin without ever having a problem with their stomach. Others develop low-grade stomach pain or get an ulcer.

31 Jul 2007

Directed nanoparticles deliver gene therapy

After binding DNA segments to tiny iron-containing spheres called nanoparticles, researchers have used magnetic fields to direct the nanoparticles into arterial muscle cells, where the DNA could have a therapeutic effect.

31 Jul 2007

Maverick medics in the UK find a cheap way to save sight

The maverick medics who are ophthalmic surgeons in Manchester are prescribing the drug Avastin to victims of the most common cause of blindness in the elderly, age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

31 Jul 2007

Lunchtime salads may not be such a healthy option!

A campaign group in the UK says some lunchtime salads and pasta contain so much salt that they should come with a health warning.

31 Jul 2007

Takeda responds to FDA recommendation on Actos

Following a joint meeting today of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee, Takeda Global Research & Development (TGRD) underscores its position that ACTOS(R) (pioglitazone HCl) offers a proven safety profile regarding the risk of cardiovascular disease.

30 Jul 2007

Avandia too risky says expert

One of the members of the advisory panel set up to discuss the future of the diabetes pill Avandia says it should be removed from the market because it is too risky and offers no advantage over other alternatives.

30 Jul 2007

ADHD drug given to toddlers

Reports in the UK suggest that almost 400,000 youngsters aged between 5 and 19 are being treated with Ritalin and similar drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, regardless of fears about the drugs' serious side-effects such as cardiovascular disorders, hallucinations and even suicidal thoughts.

30 Jul 2007

Polypill cure-for-all could become a killer

Doctors in Britain are warning that offering all men over 50 and all women over 60 a pill to protect them against heart disease and stroke, will only serve to encourage an unhealthy lifestyle.

30 Jul 2007

New WHO report on environmental hazards and child health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says millions of children die each year because of environmental hazards and one in five children in the poorest parts of the world will not reach their sixth birthday, mainly because of environment-related diseases.

30 Jul 2007

Treating bronchiolitis with steroids doesn't work

For infants with a common and potentially serious viral lower respiratory infection called bronchiolitis, a widely used steroid treatment is not effective.

27 Jul 2007

Europe approves MIRCERA to treat anaemia

Roche has announced that the European Commission has approved its innovative drug MIRCERA to treat anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD).

27 Jul 2007

Thiazolinediones increase risk of heart failure

A class of drugs commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes may double the risk of heart failure, according to a new analysis by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.

27 Jul 2007

Controversy over use of antipsychotic drugs for dementia

Antipsychotic drugs are approved mainly for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but they are also used for many other purposes.

27 Jul 2007

Antipsychotic drugs for dementia

Antipsychotic drugs are approved mainly for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but they are also used for many other purposes.

27 Jul 2007

New understanding of Sly Syndrome

The scientist who discovered “Sly Syndrome” nearly four decades ago and a team of colleagues at Saint Louis University are a step closer to finding an approach to treat the rare genetic disease.

26 Jul 2007

Concerns noted on study of soft drinks and metabolic syndrome

A recent observational study reported in the journal Circulation ("Soft Drink Consumption and Risk of Developing Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and the Metabolic Syndrome in Middle-Aged Adults") needs to be considered in the proper scientific context, especially in relation to other previously published research that has reached the opposite conclusion.

26 Jul 2007

Court rules in favor of Sandoz on Toprol Xl patent

Sandoz was pleased to learn this week that the U.S. Court of Appeals in St. Louis has affirmed a summary judgment by U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel invalidating patent protection on Toprol XL(R), a beta blocker used to treat angina, heart failure, and high blood pressure.

26 Jul 2007

Combination of blood pressure-lowering drugs stops loss of kidney function in rare genetic disease

A combination of two types of blood pressure-lowering drugs, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) plus an angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB), added to enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with agalsidase-beta (Fabrazyme, Genzyme Corporation, Cambridge, MA) is the first treatment shown to stop progressive loss of kidney function in patients with severe kidney involvement due to the rare genetic disorder Fabry disease, reports a study in the September Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

26 Jul 2007

Dexamethasone steroid treatment shows no benefit for kids with bronchiolitis

DMC Children's Hospital of Michigan has found that a common steroid treatment often prescribed for kids with bronchiolitis has no impact on improving their symptoms or in reducing hospitalization.

26 Jul 2007