Feature Channels: Heart Disease

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Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a rapid irregular heartbeat caused by pooling blood in the heart which can lead to heart failure and stroke, are often treated with an ablation, a minimally invasive procedure used to remove the tissue which causes the pooled blood. Following this procedure, patients are often prescribed long-term, daily oral anticoagulation medications – also known as blood thinners. However, a new study shows the use of novel anticoagulants for AF prescribed on an “as-needed basis” guided by diligent pulse monitoring, can be a safe and effective alternative to lowering overall risk of stroke.

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Study pinpoints four factors that account for sex disparity in statin therapy.

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(Oak Park) -- Rush Oak Park Hospital is the first hospital in the surrounding area to acquire and use a newly approved technology that allows vascular surgeons to see in real-time the plaque they are removing during an atherectomy, a minimally invasive procedure that helps treat peripheral artery disease (PAD).  “The fact that a physician is visually guided while removing the buildup of plaque in the blood vessel can help prevent the formation of scar tissue, which can possibly lead to another blockage down the road,” says Charles Schubert, MD, the first vascular surgeon to use the Pantheris Lumivascular Atherectomy System at ROPH.

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Patients with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome who receive catheter ablation to cure their abnormal heart rhythms are just as likely as non-ablated patients to develop atrial fibrillation no matter what age they receive ablation, according to a new study.

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Patients with atherosclerosis are at a higher risk of osteoporosis. A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology—Endocrinology and Metabolism reports that atherosclerosis reduces the number of bone-forming cells, leading to loss of bone density. This study is highlighted as one of this month’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.

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Mothers with a history of depression are not physiologically “in sync” with their kids, according to a new study from Binghamton University. While researchers have known for a while that depression is associated with interpersonal problems with others, this is the first study to examine whether this is also evident physiologically.

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Atrial fibrillation patients taking warfarin, a popular anticoagulation drug, are at higher risk of developing kidney failure if anticoagulation levels are not properly managed, according to a new study from researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute.

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Study of more than 10,000 patients treated long term with the blood thinner, warfarin, reveals higher rates of dementia for patients with atrial fibrillation versus non-AF patients

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Giving daily doses of statins for a few days before and after heart surgery does not prevent heart muscle damage or the development of atrial fibrillation (AF), according to an international clinical trial led by the University of Oxford and funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

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The LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute has launched a pilot study to evaluate the potential benefits of a wireless heart monitoring system for patients with moderate to severe heart failure. The system tracks weight, blood pressure and other measures, and automatically sends the information to doctors and staff at the Cardiovascular Institute. The study is looking at whether this approach, designed to be simple and easy-to-use, can result in better outcomes for patients with heart failure.

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In a "real-world" analysis, the ACC/American Heart Association (AHA) Pooled Cohort Risk Equation for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events was shown to overestimate the five-year risk in adults without diabetes, according to a study published May 2 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

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Statins and aspirin together are needed to keep lifesaving bypass grafts open, but Jefferson researchers found patients are not taking these medications long-term.

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The award will fund the study of the role of both genes and the environment on the development of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of medical conditions that are common in aging adults, including obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and insulin resistance.

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Three PinnacleHealth patients recently underwent a new procedure for aortic valve reconstruction using the patients’ own heart tissue (pericardium) to create the new valves. Aortic valve reconstruction patients benefit from using their own pericardial tissue as it has fewer tendencies to scar and calcify, which is the main reason for failure of tissue valves obtained from animals. The body also is less likely to mount an immune response against the patient’s own tissue. In addition, these patients do not need lifelong blood thinners, which are required when mechanical aortic valves are used.

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Researchers have known for more than a decade that the risk of heart disease and stroke increases when people take pain relievers like ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. Now, scientists from the University of California, Davis, have uncovered some of the reasons why these drugs can harm heart tissue.

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Vitamin A is important for heart development in embryos, but whether it has a role in maintaining heart health is unclear. A new study in American Journal of Physiology—Heart and Circulatory Physiology finds that the heart is able to respond to vitamin A and the amount of vitamin A present has an effect. However, whether the effects are beneficial or harmful is still a mystery.

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Researchers have learned new information about how different people respond to aspirin, a globally prescribed drug in cardioprotection. The team identified more than 5,600 lipids in blood platelets and gained new insights into how these cells respond to aspirin.

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Scientists have used a novel gene therapy to halt the progression of pulmonary hypertension, a form of high blood pressure in the lung blood vessels that is linked to heart failure.

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While the Fontan procedure has improved the short- and mid-term outcomes for patients born with single ventricle anatomy, long-term complications of Fontan circulation include heart failure. These complications are thought to be secondary to elevated central venous pressure, chronic venous congestion and low cardiac output.

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A new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition appears to back up the adage that a little of what you fancy does you good. Including a small amount of chocolate each day could help prevent diabetes and insulin resistance. That’s one of the research findings from the Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), the University of Warwick Medical School, the University of South Australia and the University of Maine.

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Cardiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that sedentary behavior is associated with increased amounts of calcium deposits in heart arteries, which in turn is associated with a higher risk of heart attack.

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Pinellas County a Model for Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance, Scientists Unravel the Genetic Evolution of Zika Virus, Worm Infection Counters Inflammatory Bowel Disease and more in the Infectious Diseases News Source

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Among female registered nurses, working a rotating night shift for 5 years or more was associated with a small increase in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA.

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An assistant professor of medicine in the University of Louisville's Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, won first place in the category of “Young Investigator Awards in Cardiovascular Health Outcomes and Population Genetics” from the American College of Cardiology earlier this month.

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FINDINGS Researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that cardiovascular disease patients who have high muscle mass and low fat mass have a lower mortality risk than those with other body compositions. The findings also suggest that regardless of a person’s level of fat mass, a higher level of muscle mass helps reduce the risk of death.

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Pediatric researchers have devised an innovative, safe and minimally invasive procedure that helps relieve rare but potentially life-threatening airway blockages occurring in children who had surgery for congenital heart defects.

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Molecular struts called microtubules interact with the heart’s contractile machinery to provide mechanical resistance for the beating of the heart, which could provide a better understanding of how microtubules affect the mechanics of the beating heart, and what happens when this goes awry.

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Why are black older adults at higher risk of repeat hospital admission after a heart attack? Treatment at hospitals with higher rates of missed nursing care may be a contributing factor, reports a study in the May issue of Medical Care.

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It has been disorienting to the scientific and medical community as to why different subtle changes in a protein-coding gene causes many different genetic disorders in different patients -- including premature aging, nerve problems, heart problems and muscle problems. no other gene works like this. According to a new study, co-authored by Binghamton University faculty Eric Hoffman, it has to do with cell “commitment.”

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Testosterone might be involved in explaining why men have a greater risk of heart attacks than women of similar age, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

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Breast cancer patients undergoing treatment with trastuzumab-containing regimens should be monitored for heart damage regardless of age. This is among the findings of a new study from the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, University Health Network (UHN).

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A new analysis of 204 studies involving more than 1.4 million people suggests that metformin, the most frequently prescribed stand-alone drug for type 2 diabetes, reduces the relative risk of a patient dying from heart disease by about 30 to 40 percent compared to its closest competitor drug, sulfonylurea.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center cardiology researchers have identified molecular ties between the growth of cancer cells and heart cells that suggest existing cancer drugs may be able to help those with enlarged heart cells – a condition that can lead to heart attacks and stroke.

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Olympic-style competition will be held May 20-21

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In a paper published in the April 13 issue of Nature Communications, investigators from Harvard report on a novel biochemical method that enables the rapid and repeated regeneration of selected molecular constituents in situ after device implantation, which has the potential to substantially extend the lifetime of bioactive films without the need for device removal.

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The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to heart disease research and education, launched a new logo and website today.

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Cornell researchers, working in collaboration with scientists in Switzerland, have identified a strong connection between a protein, SIRT5, and healthy heart function. SIRT5 has the ability to remove a harmful protein modification known as lysine succinylation, which robs the heart of its ability to burn fatty acids efficiently to generate the energy needed for pumping.

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New research presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting suggests that fat and blood sugar control and cardiovascular health start improving in the early stages of recovery before dramatic weight loss occurs.

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Constant stress is associated with signs of poor blood vessel health and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. New research presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting in San Diego finds that aerobic exercise kept the blood vessels of stressed rats working normally.

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High levels of fructose similar to amounts consumed within the American diet may predispose individuals to fast-onset, salt-sensitive hypertension, according to New research presented at the Experimental Biology 2016 meeting in San Diego.

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By studying the genetic makeup of those who manage to maintain clear arteries into old age, researchers have identified a possible genetic basis for the disease, as well as potential new opportunities to prevent it.

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An investigational stem cell therapy derived from patients’ own blood marrow significantly improved outcomes in patients with severe heart failure, according to a study from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute.

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Tests used to diagnose and assess the severity of coronary artery disease appear to function differently for women and men who have stable symptoms, according to researchers from Duke Clinical Research Institute.

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Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have launched a new four-year, $3.7 million multidisciplinary research center to investigate the relationship between sedentary behavior and cardiovascular risk factors in Latinas, who have a disproportionately higher chance of developing heart disease than the general population.

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Judith Hochman, MD, was awarded the ACC’s Distinguished Scientist Award in the Clinical Domain in honor of her contributions to the cardiovascular profession, and Sripal Bangalore, MD, was awarded the Douglas P. Zipes Distinguished Young Scientist Award in honor of his contributions to cardiovascular research. The awards were presented at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Sessions on April 4, 2016 in Chicago.

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Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai will present their Late-Breaking Clinical Trial findings and other important research results advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine at the American College of Cardiology’s 65th Annual Scientific Session and Expo

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Just released two-year follow up data comparing coronary-artery bypass grafting (CABG) with combined CABG and mitral-value repair in patients with moderate ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) found no significant differences in benefit. The patients with CABG and mitral-valve repair had an early hazard of longer hospital stay post-surgery, a higher incidence of postoperative supraventricular arrhythmias and higher rate of serious neurological events than those with CABG alone.

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A new multi-year study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Salt Lake City shows that testosterone therapy helped elderly men with low testosterone levels and pre-existing coronary artery disease reduce their risks of major adverse cardiovascular events — including strokes, heart attacks, and death.

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Today, new data demonstrates that for patients at intermediate-risk for open-heart surgery, transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) with the latest generation of balloon-expandable device – SAPIEN 3 – is superior to surgery, resulting in better patient outcomes. This study, conducted by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, in partnership with Edwards Lifesciences, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, and 50 centers across the United States and Canada, was presented today at the American College of Cardiology 65th Annual Scientific Session in Chicago and simultaneously published online in The Lancet.