Feature Channels: Cardiovascular Health

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Patients need information to make wise decisions about implanting ICDs, researchers say.

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An abdominal aortic aneurysm — a bulge in the large artery that carries blood away from the heart — can be immediately life-threatening if it grows large enough to rupture. The chance of survival when it ruptures is less than 10 percent. Many who find out they have that risk are able to have a minimally invasive repair. But up to 30 percent instead face a major open operation because of the location of the aneurysm. This new customized graft allows them, too, to have a quick recovery.

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Porter Hospital expert to discuss cure for leading cause of stroke on Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

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Even after successful treatment, patients with Cushing’s disease who were older when diagnosed or had prolonged exposure to excess cortisol face a greater risk of dying or developing cardiovascular disease, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM).

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Researchers have found a genetic variant that doubles the likelihood that people will have calcium deposits on their aortic valve. Such calcification, if it becomes severe, can cause narrowing or a blockage of the aortic valve, a condition called aortic stenosis. The study is the first large-scale, genome-wide association study to uncover a genetic link to aortic valve calcification. An article detailing the findings is published in the February 7, 2013 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

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Although heart disease remains the No. 1 killer nationally for women—responsible for one out of every three deaths—many of today’s women still underestimate the seriousness of the disease and their risks, says Liliana Cohen, MD, a board-certified cardiologist with The Robert Wood Johnson Medical Group.

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A new study, to be published in the Feb. 7, 2013 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, expands and deepens the biological and genetic links between cardiovascular disease and schizophrenia. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature death among schizophrenia patients, who die from heart and blood vessel disorders at a rate double that of persons without the mental disorder.

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If you exercise, eat right and don’t smoke, a history of heart disease in your family can still put you at risk – even if you are a female.

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New evidence shows the root of heart failure lies in misfolded proteins in the heart’s cells, according to University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers. The finding may pave the way for dramatically new treatment approaches.

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Healthy men and women show little difference in their hearts, except for small electrocardiographic disparities. But new genetic differences found by Washington University in St. Louis researchers in hearts with disease could ultimately lead to personalized treatment of various heart ailments.

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Experts from The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia were among the leaders of two large national studies showing that extending CPR longer than previously thought useful saves lives in both children and adults after in-hospital cardiac arrest.

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Many people who suffer from chronic kidney disease progressively lose their kidney function over time and eventually develop a condition called end-stage renal disease – the complete failure of the kidneys – placing them in need of lifelong dialysis or a kidney transplant.

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In the Jan. 8 issue of Cell Metabolism, Vanderbilt's Jens Titze and his colleagues report that – in contrast to the prevailing dogma – sodium levels fluctuate rhythmically with 7-day and monthly cycles. The findings, which demonstrate that sodium is stored in the body, have implications for blood pressure control, hypertension and salt-associated cardiovascular risk.

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People taking the blood pressure drugs called beta blockers may be less likely to have changes in the brain that can be signs of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013.

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Researchers at the Technion have found that heart attack patients with breathing disorders such as sleep apnea may benefit from mild-moderate sleep-disordered breathing. The findings could suggest ways to rebuild damaged heart tissue.

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Patients who quit smoking and took an aspirin and statin before undergoing treatment for blocked leg arteries were less likely to suffer a complication six months later, according to new research led by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center.

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Growing new blood vessels in the lab is a tough challenge, but a Johns Hopkins engineering team has solved a major stumbling block: how to prod stem cells to become two different types of tissue that are needed to build tiny networks of veins and arteries.

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Researchers have pinpointed a molecular mechanism needed to unleash the heart’s ability to regenerate, a critical step toward developing eventual therapies for damage suffered following a heart attack.

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A study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in November, traces hypertension to a newfound cellular source in the brain and shows that treatments targeting this area can reverse the disease.

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It is quite common for patients who have had heart surgery to experience anxiety and short-term memory loss as side effects. New research from Ryerson University has found that heart-surgery patients experiencing these conditions are less successful at self-managing care and risk re-admission to hospital.

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The study reports on the protective impact of healthy eating for individuals with cardiovascular disease who are taking medication to prevent a second heart attack, stroke or death.

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Amid the frenzy of decorating, planning and shopping for the holidays, health may take a backseat. However, the stress brought on by these activities plus cold temperatures could lead to heart attacks or heart-related complications if left unchecked.

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A new analysis of conflicting findings from hundreds of studies on the use of omega-3 fatty acids for cardiovascular disease finds that they do work, for this and other health concerns, and helps to explain some of the differing research results.

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Digoxin, a drug widely used to treat heart disease, increases the possibility of death when used by patients with a common heart rhythm problem − atrial fibrillation (AF), according to new study findings by University of Kentucky researchers. The results have been published in the prestigious European Heart Journal, and raises serious concerns about the expansive use of this long-standing heart medication in patients with AF.

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Researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have identified a genetic factor that prevents blockages from forming in blood vessels, a discovery that could lead to new therapies for cardiovascular diseases. The findings are described in the Nov. 19 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Cardiovascular disease will kill nearly 2.5 million people in the United States this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Over time, inflammation, collagen deposition and scar tissue formation can cause blood vessels to stiffen, a process called vascular fibrosis. Though researchers have known that the hormone aldosterone (Aldo) plays a role in this process, the precise mechanisms have been poorly understood.

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Age at onset of menarche (first menstrual cycle) is associated with increased body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and overall obesity in adulthood, according to a recent study.

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The presence of autoantibodies in the blood may be connected to a higher risk of the development of cardiovascular disease, not just in individuals with diagnosed autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, but in the general population, according to new research findings presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Researchers at The Methodist Hospital Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and the Baylor College of Medicine presented new data today that show two biomarkers can improve heart failure risk prediction as part of a simpler model.

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A landmark study could lead to fewer inappropriate shocks from implanted defibrillators.

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Heart failure patients with a condition called “heart block” derive significant benefit from cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), according to the results of the Block HF clinical trial, presented today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2012 meeting in Los Angeles.

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An international, clinical research trial has shown that patients with diabetes whose multi-vessel coronary artery disease is treated with bypass surgery live longer and are less likely to suffer severe complications like heart attacks than those who undergo angioplasty.

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Research by Johns Hopkins cardiologists suggests that electrocardiograms (ECGs), which are widely used tests to assess the heart’s electrical activity, may have a greater and more profound future role in predicting the risk of death from any cause, not just heart problems. In a study initially designed to determine which patients with heart failure were at highest risk of a dangerous heart rhythm disorder called ventricular tachycardia, and death, the researchers analyzed the ECGs of 850 patients using a new computer algorithm that detects abnormal heart rate patterns. They found a significant correlation between the ECG findings using the special analysis and the patients who died within five years of the test.

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Black men and women have twice the risk of fatal coronary heart disease as whites, but the disparity could be eliminated with better risk factor control.

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Hispanics and Latinos living in the U.S. are highly likely to have several major cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and smoking, according to a new, large-scale study.

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Anesthesiology residents may not be prepared to manage rare but life-threatening emergencies involving cardiac arrest during labor and delivery, suggests a stimulation study in the November issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Cognitive functions improve significantly after four months of high-intensity interval training program in middle-aged people with increased cardiovascular risk.

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Results of a large-scale, randomized clinical trial called RESPECT revealed that patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure is superior to medical therapy in preventing recurrent stroke, according to a presentation of findings today at the TCT conference.

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A gene known to be involved in cancer and cardiovascular development may be the cause of inflammation in the most common form of aortic aneurysm and may be a key to treatment, according to research from Nationwide Children’s Hospital. The study, appearing online in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology on October 18, 2012, is the first to show that Notch 1 signaling is activated in abdominal aortic aneurysmal tissue in mice and humans.

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Among nearly 45,000 men who were followed up for more than two decades, those with the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes had an associated greater risk of developing PAD.

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• Kidney failure patients have less sugar coating along the insides of their blood vessels, and they have high levels of the coating’s constituents in the blood, consistent with increased shedding. • Damage to this sugar coating may be responsible for kidney failure patients’ increased risks of heart problems. Heart disease is the number one killer of individuals with kidney disease.

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Exercise helps attenuate the premature cardiovascular aging that type 2 diabetes can cause. Findings being discussed at the Integrative Biology of Exercise VI meeting, co-sponsored by the American Physiological Society.

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Restoring diminished levels of a protein shown to prevent and reverse heart failure damage could also have therapeutic applications for patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI), suggests a new preclinical study published online October 9 in Circulation Research from researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University.

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A new study conducted by researchers in the Cardiac and Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center, found using beta-blockers, the standard of care for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), was not associated with a lower risk of heart attacks, death and strokes in patients suffering from CAD and those with risk factors for the disease, including those with a history of heart attack. The study appears in the October 3 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association).

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Among patients with either coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factors only, known prior heart attack, or known CAD without heart attack, the use of beta-blockers was not associated with a lower risk of a composite of cardiovascular events that included cardiovascular death, nonfatal heart attack or nonfatal stroke

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Since moderate drinking is common for more than a third of the population, the findings suggest the effect of increased alcohol consumption, even in moderate amounts, on atrial fibrillation risk in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease may be considerable.