Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Are there gender differences in management modalities?

There are major differences in the risk profile and characteristics of female patients treated for acute heart failure. Female patients are underrepresented in management trials on Heart Failure. According to data from the Euro Heart Survey on acute Heart Failure 2004-2005 in Europe, however, medical treatment has improved.

2 Sep 2007

Survey to evaluate arrhythmia rate in so-called high-risk MI patients

Sudden cardiac death is the leading cause of mortality in European and North-American countries. Studies have been attempting to identify the right population of patients at high risk of Sudden Cardiac Death ever since the introduction of the Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators (ICD).

2 Sep 2007

Does physical activity provide a molecular key to longevity?

Fitness and physical exercise are among the most neglected means to improve prognosis. They are the healthiest cardiovascular intervention. Even cardiologists focus on pharmacological treatment and evaluate classical risk factors without asking about daily exercise or objective measures of physical capacity. It is surprising considering the strong data that underscores the survival benefit of regular exercise training.

2 Sep 2007

Many city convenience stores lacking health foods

A survey of convenience stores in the south west section of Rochester has revealed that 95% offer little or no healthy foods.

30 Aug 2007

Triage guidelines for emergency heart patients studied

Two new studies led by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Department of Veterans Affairs Iowa City Health Care System provide reassuring findings for patients evaluated in the emergency room for possible acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the physicians who treat them.

30 Aug 2007

Small animal imaging facility is big boon to research

When powerful magnets line up the body's protons before radiofrequency waves can grab their attention away, it's called spin physics.

30 Aug 2007

New evidence links discontinuation of statin therapy to increased death rates in stroke survivors

Patients who stop taking cholesterol-lowering drugs within a year of surviving a stroke had a two-fold increased risk of death, researchers reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

30 Aug 2007

Discovery of novel cause of iron overload in patients with thalassemia

According to the study, thalassemia patients overproduce a protein called GDF15, which suppresses the production of a liver protein, hepcidin, which in turn leads to an increase in the uptake of dietary iron in the gut.

30 Aug 2007

Inhaling nitric oxide helps transplant success

Administering inhaled nitric oxide (NO) during surgery helps protect liver transplant patients from organ failure, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

30 Aug 2007

FDA approves Somatuline Depot to treat acromegaly

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate injection) for the treatment of acromegaly, a rare and potentially life threatening disease in adults caused by abnormal secretion of growth hormone (GH), commonly from a benign tumor located in the pituitary gland located in the brain.

30 Aug 2007

COPD can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) can no longer be judged as only a disease of the lungs, say authors of a Viewpoint in this week's COPD special edition of The Lancet.

30 Aug 2007

Prevalence of algatoxin in the marine environment appears to be increasing

If ingested, for example in seafood, these toxins can lead to discomfort or even illness. The algatoxin yessotoxin (YTX), which is found in both mussels and scallops in Norway, may be a potential disease risk factor in the consumption of seafood. "We don't know the long-term effects of YTX on people", says Monica Suarez Korsnes of the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science (NVH).

30 Aug 2007

New guidelines for childhood asthma recommend inhaled corticosteroids

New guidelines aimed at dealing with asthma have been released by government health experts in the United States.

30 Aug 2007

Early surgical removal of the ovaries increases a woman's risk of neurological disorders

New research suggests that premenopausal women who have their ovaries removed have an increased risk of developing neurological disorders such as dementia and Parkinsonism.

30 Aug 2007

Big leap in genomic screening of blood vessels from patient tissue

Scientists have developed a new method of capturing a complete genome-wide screening of blood vessel cells in their actual disease state, advancing the potential for genetic research on the tissue responsible for delivering nourishment that can accelerate the growth of both a cancer tumor or wound healing.

30 Aug 2007