Pre-market approval by the FDA of cardiovascular devices is often based on studies that lack adequate strength or may have been prone to bias, according to a study in the December 23/30 issue of JAMA. The researchers found that of nearly 80 high-risk devices, the majority received approval based on data from a single study.
University of Iowa researchers have shown that a protein channel helps nerve sensors in blood vessels keep blood pressure in check. Without the protein channel, known as ASIC2, the sensors are unable to send the brain the signals it needs to properly control blood pressure.
Routinely used to treat patients for heart attack or high blood pressure, beta blockers are known for their role in helping to protect the heart. A new study in the January issue of the journal Anesthesiology looks at the effects of beta blockers on surgical outcomes, revealing that the cardioprotective effects of the medication could be compromised by acute surgical anemia.
Studies reveal that deaths from heart disease peak in December and January, with spikes on Christmas and New Year's Day. The goal is to diagnose them as quickly as possible.
Millions of Americans take Celebrex for arthritis or other pain. Many also take a low-dose aspirin daily to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Yet they may be getting little protection, because Celebrex keeps the aspirin from doing its job, a new study suggests.
Women with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) who report taking antidepressant and anti-anxiety medications have an increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, and death compared to women not taking these medications.
In 1999, researchers analyzed 12 years of Los Angeles County death certificates and found that heart attack deaths rise in the balmy Los Angeles winter and peak on Christmas and New Year’s Day. Cardiologist Robert Kloner discusses his research.
Obese patients who lost a moderate amount of weight by eating less and exercising more improved their cardiovascular health, says a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
New research shows a long-term benefit in screening people for CRP, a marker for inflammation, even if they have normal levels of bad cholesterol, because of increased long-term risk for heart attack, stroke and death.
In the first study to demonstrate a clear positive association between adolescent fitness and adult cognitive performance, researchers find that better cardiovascular health among teenage boys correlates to higher scores on a range of intelligence tests – and more education and income later in life.
The chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not improved since the 1950s, according to research by the University of Michigan Health System. Only 7.6 percent of victims survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Women who have gestational glucose intolerance (a condition less severe than gestational diabetes) exhibit multiple cardiovascular risk factors as early as three months after birth, according to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).
According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), youth with type 1 diabetes have now been found to have abnormal insulin resistance. Having abnormal insulin resistance appears to negatively affect heart, blood vessel and exercise function in this population.
People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them. But they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests.
Does stress increase blood pressure? This simple question has been the focus of intense research for many years. Now new research has for the first time established a link between a novel gene, phosducin, and the blood pressure response to stress in mice as well as humans. The studies were directed by scientists at the University of Freiburg and Muenster in Germany, and the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, in collaboration with other institutions in Europe and Canada.
The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.
A new study finds that atherosclerosis, hardening of the arteries, was common in ancient Egyptians, challenging a belief that vascular disease is a modern affliction caused by current-day risk factors such as stress and sedentary lifestyles.
Inhibition of a protein known to contribute to heart failure also appears to be protective of the heart in more acute cardiac stress injury, namely ischemia reperfusion, according to two studies conducted at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University. The studies will be presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009 in Orlando, Fla.
Healthy, older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid, irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase short- or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts at Johns Hopkins and the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA).
VCU Medical Center and Richmond Ambulance Authority partner in unique effort with Comprehensive Treatment Protocol.
Earlier this year, former First Lady Barbara Bush and comedian Robin Williams underwent aortic valve replacement surgery, but many patients may be missing out on the life-saving surgery, according to a study by the University of Michigan.
Pooling results from 21 studies, involving 622,381 men and women, researchers at Johns Hopkins have affirmed that migraine headaches are associated with more than twofold higher chances of the most common kind of stroke: those occurring when blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off by the buildup of plaque or a blood clot.
Dr. Charles H. Hennekens will present the first data in humans to show that all doses of aspirin used in clinical practice increase nitric oxide, and may decrease the development and progression of plaques leading to heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone.
To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts at Johns Hopkins.
Fewer than one-third of patients with heart failure are taking the three types of medications that are most effective in prolonging life and improving quality of life. The Mayo Clinic Health Letter provides an overview of treatments.
Many children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) who show normal blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office have high blood pressure when tested at home, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). The findings indicate that many CKD children are not appropriately treated for hypertension, which puts them at serious risk of developing heart disease.
Physicians with California Pacific Medical Center are among the first in the nation to use a new advanced mapping technology to help treat patients suffering from debilitating and potentially dangerous heart rhythm disorders.
A diet high in fructose increases the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology’s 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, California. The findings suggest that cutting back on processed foods and beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) may help prevent hypertension.
Task Force Reviews and Updates the Official European Guidelines on Hypertension Management
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has received a $14.7 million, nine-year contract from the National Institutes of Health to be one of five institutions to lead a trial to determine if lowering systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients, without diabetes, to below the currently recommended level can reduce the incidence of cardiovascular and kidney disease and slow cognitive decline.
Each year, 200,000 Americans experience mini strokes called transient ischemic attacks, or TIAs. More than one-third will later have full strokes. But TIAs, like strokes, are treatable and preventable.
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have identified a key protein that promotes the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension in humans and mice. This groundbreaking discovery has implications for future drug therapies that may extend the life of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and prevent the need for lung transplantation, currently the only cure for this debilitating disease.
A study that includes twins finds that the risk of hip fracture was significantly increased following a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD), with analysis also suggesting a genetic predisposition to the development of CVD and fractures, according to a study in the October 21 issue of JAMA.
Treating hypertension in adults 60 years old and older can help them live longer, healthier lives, according to an updated review.
A new study recently published online by the American Heart Journal shows that more than half of all randomized clinical trials, or RCTs, for cardiovascular disease are not reporting vital information about the study populations race or ethnicity. NYU School of Medicine researchers found that out of the 156 cardiovascular disease RCTs analyzed, only 35% of trials reported any information on race or ethnicity between 1970 and 2006. From 2000 to 2006, 46% of trials included that information.
An updated Cochrane review finds that stroke patients who participate in a post-stroke walking program walk faster, longer and more independently than non-exercisers.
A new review shows that diuretics — inexpensive drugs often recommended as a first-line treatment for high blood pressure — are also effective when added as a second agent to other blood-pressure lowering drugs.
How far you can reach beyond your toes from a sitting position may be an indicator of how stiff your arteries are. Because arterial stiffness often precedes cardiovascular disease, the results suggest that this could be a quick measure of a person’s risk for heart attack or stroke.
The Vascular Disease Foundation (VDF) received a $1 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to promote the health of women who suffer from, or are in danger of suffering from, venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Maximizing the proportion of time spent performing chest compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) substantially improves survival in patients who suffer cardiac arrest outside a hospital setting, according to a multicenter clinical study that included UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Even though the incidence of atrial fibrillation is higher in men than women, a review of past studies and medical literature completed by cardiac experts at Rush University Medical Center shows that women are more likely than men to experience symptomatic attacks, a higher frequency of recurrences, and significantly higher heart rates during atrial fibrillation, which increases the risk of stroke.
In a small “proof of principle” study, stroke researchers at Johns Hopkins and the University of Illinois have found that a simple, one-minute eye movement exam performed at the bedside worked better than an MRI to distinguish new strokes from other less serious disorders in patients complaining of dizziness, nausea and spinning sensations.
African Americans have a significantly higher risk of developing potentially deadly DVT and PE compared with other ethnic populations in the U.S. The Office of Minority Health urges “Know Your Risk and Help Prevent Blood Clots.”
AHRQ has released "Staying Active and Healthy with Blood Thinners," a new 10-minute video to help educate patients about how to use anticoagulant drugs, commonly called blood thinners, safely. The video is available in both English and Spanish.
The world’s largest quality of life study of chronic angina patients has revealed that almost one in three experience frequent chest pain, which affects their daily life.
In 1958, a team comprised of a groundbreaking engineer -- Dean Franklin -- in concert with two exceptional physicians -- Drs. Robert Rushmer and Robert Van Citters – was laying the foundation for what would eventually become a radical new approach to health care: the noninvasive imaging and treatment of the heart.
Many people think twice before adding a dash of salt to their food, but don’t realize that the majority of dietary sodium comes from packaged foods and eating out, according to a new study.
Cardiac resynchronization can delay the progression of heart failure, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The treatment reduced the risk of serious heart failure events by 41 percent.
Black patients with high blood pressure experience poorer communication with their doctors than white patients do, a study led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has found.
RSS
Medicine keyboard_arrow_right
Sciencekeyboard_arrow_right
Life keyboard_arrow_right
Business keyboard_arrow_right
Journal News keyboard_arrow_right
By Location keyboard_arrow_right
Meetings, Grants, and Events keyboard_arrow_right