Feature Channels: Heart Disease

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Released: 17-Jan-2011 11:55 AM EST
Patient-Derived Stem Cells Could Help Test Cardiac Disease Treatments
American Technion Society

Scientists coax stem cells (created from skin cells of a patient with an inherited heart disease) into cardiac cells. Method holds promise for personalized medicine, and for studying diseased cells that can’t be easily biopsied.

Released: 14-Jan-2011 10:30 AM EST
Medicine Presents Update on Aortic Stenosis
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Prompt diagnosis and surgery can be lifesaving for older adults with aortic stenosis, according to an article in a recent issue of Medicine®. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

Released: 12-Jan-2011 8:00 PM EST
Research Demonstrates Legacy Effect of Blood Pressure Lowering Medications
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

In a study published in December 2010, in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association, investigators have shown that early treatment with blood pressure-lowering medications provides a long-term benefit of reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. The study was conducted by researchers from the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey (CVI) at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in collaboration with researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and the University of Leuven, Belgium.

7-Jan-2011 10:30 AM EST
New Measure Trumps HDL Levels in Protecting Against Heart Disease
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

New research from the University of Pennsylvania shows that a different metric, a measure of HDL function called cholesterol efflux capacity, is more closely associated with protection against heart disease than HDL cholesterol levels themselves. Findings study could lead to new therapies in the fight against heart disease.

Released: 11-Jan-2011 4:15 PM EST
Pump Up Your Heart in Five Easy Steps
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College

Did you know that a good night's sleep can help prevent heart disease? There are many simple ways to lower your risk. During February, American Heart Month, Dr. Holly Andersen, director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, offers some easy steps to improve heart health and overall well-being throughout the year.

30-Dec-2010 4:10 PM EST
Women with Both Diabetes and Depression at Higher Risk of Dying from Heart Disease, Other Causes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Depression and diabetes appear to be associated with a significantly increased risk of death from heart disease and risk of death from all causes over a six-year period for women, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 3-Jan-2011 11:00 AM EST
Penn Medicine Researcher Receives $6 Million Grant for Cardiovascular Disease Study
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

An international team of researchers led by Daniel J. Rader, MD, associate director of Penn Medicine’s Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics, has received a $6 million grant from the Paris-based Fondation Leducq to study the molecular genetics of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Released: 28-Dec-2010 1:30 PM EST
Poor Response to Anti-Anemia Drug Predicts Higher Risk of Heart Disease Or Death
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Patients with diabetes, kidney disease and anemia who don’t respond to treatment with an anti-anemia drug have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or death, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.

20-Dec-2010 5:00 PM EST
Gene Alteration in Mice Mimics Heart-Building Effect of Exercise
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

By tweaking a single gene, scientists have mimicked in sedentary mice the heart-strengthening effects of two weeks of endurance training, according to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center researchers.

Released: 10-Dec-2010 12:40 PM EST
Researchers Establish New Rule to Predict Risk of Stroke, Death from Surgery That Prevents It
UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have now developed a clinical risk prediction rule using factors such as sex, race and health history to assess the danger the surgery poses, while a modified version will help patients make a more fully informed choice about whether to have the procedure.

1-Dec-2010 11:00 AM EST
Aromatase Inhibitors Increased Risk of Heart Disease in Postmenopausal Women with Breast Cancer
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)

1) Increased risk for cardiovascular disease appears to be a drug class effect; 2) Risk is small in general population, but may be high in patients with risk factors; 3) Switching to aromatase inhibitors after tamoxifen use may decrease mortality unrelated to breast cancer.

2-Dec-2010 5:00 PM EST
Detection of Cardiac Biomarker Associated with Structural Heart Disease, Increased Risk of Death
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

With the use of a highly sensitive test, detection of the blood biomarker cardiac troponin T, a cardiac-specific protein, is associated with structural heart disease and an increased risk of all-cause death, according to a study in the December 8 issue of JAMA.

Released: 2-Dec-2010 2:00 PM EST
Leading Soy Science Experts Come to Consensus: Soyfoods Protect Against Breast Cancer, Lower Cholesterol, and Support Nutrient Adequacy
Pharmavite

Leading soy experts agree that including soyfoods in a balanced diet will have beneficial effects and improve nutrient intake among the U.S. population.

Released: 17-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EST
Gene Screening May Refine Prediction of Heart Attack Risk
Mayo Clinic

Testing for 11 specific genetic variations in hundreds of people with no history of heart disease provided information that led to revision of their estimated heart attack risk, say Mayo Clinic researchers.

12-Nov-2010 12:35 PM EST
Statin Therapy May be Overprescribed in Healthy People without Evidence of Diseased Arteries
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Rolling back suggestions from previous studies, a Johns Hopkins study of 950 healthy men and women has shown that taking daily doses of a cholesterol-lowering statin medication to protect coronary arteries and ward off heart attack or stroke may not be needed for everyone.

12-Nov-2010 1:40 PM EST
Combination of High-Tech CT Scans Just as Good as Older, More Tedious Imaging to Detect Coronary Artery Disease
Johns Hopkins Medicine

Heart imaging specialists at Johns Hopkins have shown that a combination of CT scans that measure how much blood is flowing through the heart and the amount of plaque in surrounding arteries are just as good as tests that are less safe, more complex and more time-consuming to detect coronary artery disease and its severity.

1-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Researchers Find Clue to Preventing Heart Complications Associated with Neonatal Lupus
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)

Women with anti-SSA/Ro antibodies and a previous child who has heart block—a condition where the electrical signal that makes the heart beat is damaged—may potentially decrease their risk of delivering another child with life threatening heart disease by taking hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil®), according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

1-Nov-2010 8:00 AM EDT
Urate Lowering Therapy Could Prevent Death Associated with Cardiovascular Disease in People with Gout
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)

The use of urate lowering therapy might successfully prevent death from cardiovascular disease in people with gout, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

2-Nov-2010 3:00 PM EDT
Test May Diagnose Deadly Niemann-Pick Type C Disease
Washington University in St. Louis

A fatal genetic disorder that frequently takes years to diagnose may soon be detectable with a simple blood test. For patients with Niemann-Pick type C disease, the test will make it possible to begin treatment earlier, when it is more likely to improve quality of life and to further extend lives.

Released: 1-Nov-2010 2:20 PM EDT
Batteries Included: Heart Patient Goes Home with Lifesaving Device
UC San Diego Health

On Friday, October 15th, Bradley Cantley, 41, headed home from UC San Diego Medical Center connected to a lifesaving heart machine called a left ventricular assisted device (LVAD). For patients with advanced heart failure, the mechanical pump rapidly improves circulation throughout the body and serves as a bridge to transplant.

Released: 1-Nov-2010 12:05 PM EDT
Recommendations for Managing Hypertension in Blacks Released
International Society on Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB)

ISHIB today released new recommendations recognizing that high blood pressure among African Americans is a severe health problem. The new consensus statement suggests that treatment should start sooner and be more aggressive among African Americans.

29-Oct-2010 3:40 PM EDT
Study Finds Fat Hormone’s Long-Sought Link to Heart Protection
Sanford Burnham Prebys

A protein called T-cadherin docks the fat hormone adiponectin to the heart, where it guards against stress-induced damage.

Released: 26-Oct-2010 11:30 AM EDT
In Challenging Infant Heart Defect, 2/3 May Have High Chance of Survival
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

For a fetus diagnosed prenatally with the severe heart defect hypoplastic left heart syndrome, surgery affords an excellent chance of early survival in two thirds of cases. A comprehensive prenatal evaluation is essential.

Released: 21-Oct-2010 4:00 PM EDT
Scientist Identifies Protein That May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute scientists identified that an injection of the protein apolipoprotein (apo)A-V may reduce high triglyceride levels in the blood and subsequently reduce coronary artery disease. Like cholesterol, elevated levels of triglyceride, a fat in the blood, is associated with the increased risk of heart disease—the number one cause of death in the United States.

Released: 12-Oct-2010 9:00 AM EDT
Kennedy Krieger Institute Launches First Phase II Clinical Trial of Heart Disease Treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Kennedy Krieger Institute

Kennedy Krieger Institute announced today the launch of a first‐of‐its‐kind, phase II clinical trial to investigate a treatment for heart disease in individuals with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Released: 6-Oct-2010 10:15 PM EDT
Doctors Evaluating Patients for Heart Problems Should Consider Checking Fat Deposits Around the Heart
Cedars-Sinai

Cardiac imaging researchers at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute are recommending that physicians not overlook fatty deposits around the heart when evaluating patients for risk of major heart problems.

Released: 30-Sep-2010 11:00 AM EDT
UCLA Receives $12.5M to Lead International Project to Study Proteins Implicated in Heart Disease
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA has received a five-year, $12.5 million contract award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to spearhead an international consortium of medical experts that will study proteins that may be involved in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Released: 22-Sep-2010 5:05 PM EDT
Clinical Trial Establishes Catheter-Based Aortic Valve Replacement as New Standard of Care for Patients Who Cannot Undergo Surgery
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center

One-year data from the PARTNER clinical trial, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrate that transcatheter aortic-valve implantation, compared with standard therapy, resulted in significantly lower rates of death among patients who cannot undergo surgery for aortic stenosis. The results will be presented tomorrow as a Late Breaking Trial at the 22nd annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium.

16-Sep-2010 4:30 PM EDT
Self-Management Counseling for Patients With Heart Failure Does Not Improve Outcomes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Patients with mild to moderate heart failure who received educational materials and self-management counseling in an attempt to improve adherence to medical advice did not have a reduced rate of death or hospitalization compared to patients who received educational materials alone, according to a study in the September 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Released: 17-Sep-2010 10:25 AM EDT
National Health Organizations Hail House Subcommittee Approval of the Heart for Women Act
Society for Women's Health Research (SWHR)

National health organizations today applauded the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee for their favorable vote on legislation to improve the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the leading killers of American women -- heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases.

Released: 15-Sep-2010 2:20 PM EDT
Molecule Involved in Heart Failure Now Implicated in Heart Attack Damage
Thomas Jefferson University

A molecule known to be involved in progressive heart failure has now been shown to also lead to permanent damage after a heart attack, according to researchers at Thomas Jefferson University.

Released: 15-Sep-2010 2:20 PM EDT
Researchers Nationwide Ask for New Focus on “Sudden Death” Heart Disorder
Thomas Jefferson University

An abrupt, fatal heart attack in a young athlete on the playing field is a tragedy destined to repeat itself over and over until more is understood about hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), a genetic disorder that is the most common cause of sudden death in young people but which affects people of all ages.

10-Sep-2010 11:00 AM EDT
Diet and Exercise Intervention for Patients at Risk for Heart Disease Improves Quality of Life
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A lifestyle intervention incorporating exercise training and diet counseling in primary health care settings appears to improve quality of life among adults at moderate to high risk for heart disease and appears cost-effective compared to standard care, according to a report in the September 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Released: 31-Aug-2010 6:00 AM EDT
International Symposium Hosted by Nationwide Children’s Hospital Explores Hybrid Approach to Congenital Heart Disease
Nationwide Children's Hospital

Interventional cardiologists and cardiothoracic surgeons throughout the United States and the world, who treat patients with congenital heart disease, will gather at the Hilton Columbus at Easton Town Center August 31-September 2, 2010 for the International Symposium on the Hybrid Approach to Congenital Heart Disease (ISHAC). This is the fifth annual ISHAC, and this year, the Symposium returns to Columbus after a shared meeting with Mario Carminati’s, MD, workshop last year in Milan, Italy.

Released: 16-Aug-2010 10:40 AM EDT
Mount Sinai Pioneers New Method for Detecting High-Risk Cardiovascular Disease
Mount Sinai Health System

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time developed a way to visualize coronary artery plaques vulnerable to rupture using multi-color computed tomography (CT), an innovation that will lead to better and earlier diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.

5-Aug-2010 4:30 PM EDT
Adversity in Childhood Can Increase Heart Risk in Adulthood
American Psychological Association (APA)

Early life adversity through poverty, social isolation or abuse in childhood is linked to heightened reactivity, which can lead to heart disease later on, a leading expert on stress and disease said Saturday.

2-Aug-2010 2:00 PM EDT
SORTing Out the Links Between Cholesterol and Coronary Heart Disease
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

The true power of genomic research lies in its ability to help scientists understand biological processes, particularly those that – when altered – can lead to disease. This power is demonstrated dramatically in a pair of papers published today in the journal Nature. In the first, a global team of researchers describes 95 different variations across the genome that contribute in different degrees to alterations in blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels in multiple human populations. In the second report, close examination of just one of these common variants not only reveals the involvement of an unexpected genetic pathway in lipid metabolism but also provides a blueprint for using genomic findings to unravel biological connections between lipid levels and coronary heart disease.

   
27-Jul-2010 4:20 PM EDT
Americans Cut Risk of Heart Disease Death in Half, Prevention Is Key
Health Behavior News Service

Americans halved their risk of dying from coronary heart disease over the past 20 years. Prevention -- not treatment -- made the biggest difference.

29-Jul-2010 7:00 AM EDT
Higher HDL-C Concentrations May Not Always Be a Good Measure of Heart Risk
Pacific Biomarkers

Dr. Amar Sethi, VP of Science and Technology at Pacific Biomarkers, Inc, observed that in ischemic heart disease patients untreated with statins, there is a difference in the way bad cholesterol is removed from the body by the HDL particle. They found that a particle called pre-β1 HDL is increased, while LCAT—the enzyme that packs cholesterol into the core of the HDL particle—is reduced.

Released: 30-Jul-2010 2:45 PM EDT
Resveratrol Found to Suppress Inflammation, Free Radicals
University at Buffalo

Resveratrol, a popular anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant extract, appears also to suppress inflammation in humans, based on results from the first prospective human trial of the extract conducted by University at Buffalo endocrinologists.

23-Jul-2010 4:30 PM EDT
Treatments for Blocked Carotid Arteries Vary by U.S. Region
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

Medicare beneficiaries in some parts of the United States appear more likely to receive carotid endarterectomy, a surgical procedure to clear blockages in the artery supplying blood to the head, whereas those in other regions more often receive stents for the same condition, according to a report in the July 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23-Jul-2010 12:20 PM EDT
Heart Bypass Does Not Impair Neurocognitive Function in Children with Less Complex Defects
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

School-aged children who undergo cardiopulmonary bypass during surgery for less complicated congenital heart defects do not appear to suffer impairments in intelligence, memory, motor skills and behavior.

Released: 21-Jul-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Young Women Have Greater In-Hospital Mortality Rates than Young Men in New Jersey Following Heart Attacks
Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

A new study by researchers at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has found that women between the ages of 35 and 54 were more likely to die in hospitals following heart attacks than men of a similar age. This finding from a sample of more than 423,000 patients can be seen as surprising, given that women, on average, develop their first acute myocardial infarction -- or heart attack -- about 10 years later than men, and are overall less likely to develop myocardial infarction than are men.

Released: 21-Jul-2010 6:00 AM EDT
The Methodist Hospital Only in U.S. to Offer Life-Sustaining, Portable Heart/Lung Machine
Houston Methodist

A portable heart/lung machine helps move critically ill patients easily and safely to different areas of the hospital for medical tests or from outlying hospitals to the medical center for specialized treatment.

1-Jul-2010 9:00 PM EDT
Researchers Explore Links Between Heart and Kidneys
Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott

Research is yielding new understanding of the interactions between the heart and the kidneys—particularly the cardiorenal syndrome, in which failure of either organ can lead to failure of the other. Recent insights into the complex interrelationships between the heart and kidneys are presented in a special symposium section of the July issue of The American Journal of Medical Sciences (AJMS), official journal of the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation.

29-Jun-2010 9:45 AM EDT
Higher Testosterone May Raise Risk of Heart Disease in Elderly Men
Endocrine Society

A large U.S. multicenter study shows that older men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease in the future. The results were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

24-Jun-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Report Examines Whether Statins Prevent Death in High-Risk Individuals Without Heart Disease
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A meta-analysis of previously published studies finds no evidence that statins are associated with a reduced risk of death among individuals at risk for but with no history of cardiovascular disease, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

24-Jun-2010 5:00 PM EDT
Aggressive Control of Cardiac Risk Factors Might Not Benefit All Patients With Diabetes
JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association

A mathematical model suggests that aggressively pursuing low blood pressure and cholesterol levels may not benefit, and could even harm, some patients with diabetes, according to a report in the June 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

22-Jun-2010 11:35 AM EDT
Researchers Discover How Estrogen Can Prevent Vascular Disease without Increasing Cancer Risk
UT Southwestern Medical Center

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have pinpointed a set of biological mechanisms through which estrogen confers its beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system, independent of the hormone’s actions on cancer.

18-Jun-2010 2:00 PM EDT
Certain Obese People are Not at High Risk of Heart Disease, Diabetes
Endocrine Society

Obese people without metabolic risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, do not have the elevated cardiovascular risk typical of obesity, but they represent only a small percentage of the obese population, according to a long-term study. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society’s 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.



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