Feature Channels: Cardiovascular Health

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Although so-called clot-busting drugs are commonly used in the treatment of some patients with blood clots in the lungs, a new study conducted by researchers in Spain and the U.S. indicates the agents do not appear to be any more effective than traditional blood thinners for the majority of these patients. Clot-busters, or thrombolytic agents, also appear to increase the risk of death in patients with normal blood pressure.

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The most lethal and sudden heart event can be the toughest for doctors to diagnose. But a study by the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center shows a simple, new bedside test is effective for determining who’s most likely suffering from acute aortic dissection, a painful tearing in the lining of the body’s largest blood vessel. Aortic dissection lead to the sudden death of award-winning TV actor John Ritter in 2003.

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Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) effectively decreases the risk of cardiovascular death in elderly patients who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study conducted by researchers in Spain. The study is the first large-scale study to assess the impact of OSA and the effectiveness of CPAP treatment in cardiovascular mortality in the elderly.

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People who suffer sudden cardiac arrest at District libraries now have access to Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) at all locations thanks to a partnership between the Federation of Friends of DC Public Library, Mended Hearts, Inc. and The George Washington University Cheney Cardiovascular Institute.

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University of Maryland-led team’s study of calcium release events in heart cells that are smaller than well-known sparks may lead to new cardiovascular therapies.

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A NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center review of almost 500,000 cardiac cases nationally shows that the clinically indicated medical therapy reported in a widely publicized study was lost in translation to real-world heart care after its publication.

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Approximately 14 percent of all strokes occur during sleep, preventing many from getting clot-busting treatment, according to a study published in the May 10, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Gender may play an important role when choosing treatment options for clearing dangerously clogged arteries, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health.

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Cardiologists from the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center presented new research at The Heart Rhythm Society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions, May 4 -7 in San Francisco, California. Researchers presented recent findings about the value of expanding genetic screening for life threatening arrhythmia, advanced risk stratification for genetic conditions like Brugada Syndrome and the promise of novel spinal cord stimulation technology to treat atrial fibrillation.

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While children of all ethnicities can contract Kawasaki disease, a study led by researchers at the Kawasaki Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego finds that Filipino children with KD are at a higher risk for inflammation of the blood vessels of the heart than those of other Asian and non-Asian backgrounds.

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An international panel of experts from The Heart Rhythm Society and the European Heart Rhythm Association issued new guideline recommendations for all health care professionals about cardiovascular genetic testing at the Heart Rhythm Society’s 32nd Annual Scientific Sessions.

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Arsenic exposure and smoking each elevate the risk of disease. But when combined together, the danger of dying from cardiovascular disease is magnified, a new study finds.

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Contrary to what we’ve been told, eliminating or severely limiting fats from the diet may not be beneficial to cardiac function in patients suffering from heart failure, a study at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports.

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One of the largest studies of its kind has found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or muffin top are at higher risk for death than people whose fat collects elsewhere. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI).

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Contrary to some earlier studies, a Loyola University Health System study has found that religious activity does not help protect against high blood pressure.

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An examination of health literacy (such as understanding basic health information) among managed care patients with heart failure, a condition that requires self-management, found that nearly one in five have low health literacy, which was associated with a higher all-cause risk of death, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

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In an analysis of data from a coronary care registry in Sweden, between 1996-2007 there was an increase in the prevalence of use of evidence-based invasive procedures and pharmacological therapies for treatment of a certain type of heart attack, and a decrease in the rate of death at 30 days and one year after a heart attack for these patients, according to a study in the April 27 issue of JAMA.

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Tai chi, the ancient Chinese meditative exercise, may improve quality of life, mood and exercise self-efficacy in chronic heart failure patients, according to research led by a team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

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New research from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and Kent State University shows that salt intake raises blood pressure because it makes it harder for the cardiovascular system to simultaneously juggle the regulation of blood pressure and body temperature.

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The Johns Hopkins researchers who first showed that the commonly used blood pressure drug losartan may help prevent life-threatening aneurysms of the aorta in patients with Marfan syndrome have now discovered new clues about the precise mechanism behind the drug’s protective effects.

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Chronic inhalation of polluted air appears to activate a protein that triggers the release of white blood cells, setting off events that lead to widespread inflammation, according to new research in an animal model.

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Tart cherries have a unique combination of powerful antioxidants that may help reduce risk factors for heart disease, according to new research presented at the Experimental Biology annual meeting in Washington, DC. In a series of three studies, researchers from University of Michigan, University of Arizona and Brunswick labs studied the antioxidant levels and anti-inflammatory benefits of tart cherries.

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Scientists at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School are a step closer to treating, and perhaps preventing, muscle damage caused by neurodegenerative disorders and other forms of disease. In a newly published study, released today and cited as a Paper of the Week by the Journal of Biological Chemistry, the team has discovered that the gene polymerase I and transcript release factor, or PTRF, is an essential component of the cell process that repairs damaged muscle tissue. This discovery has the potential to lead to development of therapeutic treatment for patients who suffer from severe complications of diseases such as muscular dystrophy, cardiovascular disorders and other degenerative conditions.

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New research indicates supplementation with the "sunshine vitamin" may be particularly beneficial for overweight African-American adults, a population at increased risk for both cardiovascular disease and vitamin D deficiency.

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Researchers have found that a master clock gene does not fluctuate regularly as it does in non-obese animals. This means that a key gene clock of the cardiovascular system does not work properly when obesity is present. The findings are believed to be the first of their kind.

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Researchers from Wisconsin and Texas identify benefits of certain EET analogs that increase sodium excretion and lower blood pressure

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Johns Hopkins scientists have developed a simplified, cheaper, all-purpose method they say can be used by scientists around the globe to more safely turn blood cells into heart cells. The method is virus-free and produces heart cells that beat with nearly 100 percent efficiency, they claim.

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The availability of an in-house, around-the-clock interventional cardiology team dramatically decreases the time it takes to restore blood flow to heart attack patients, according to data presented this week. These findings were reported by researchers from Loyola University Health System (LUHS) at the American College of Cardiology annual meeting in New Orleans.

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Astronauts anticipate more trips to the moon and manned missions to Mars. But exposure to cosmic radiation outside the Earth’s magnetic field could be detrimental to their arteries.

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It turns out that exercising during pregnancy might be the earliest intervention strategy available to mothers for improving their child’s heart health after birth.

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Each year, more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. undergo implantation of a new ICD for heart rhythm abnormalities. Current medical guidelines advocate discussion of end of life care of these medical devices, including deactivation. Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine say that discussions should also address post-mortem donation of ICDs for product improvement or reuse overseas as pacemakers, to help reduce global health disparities.

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UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified one reason people with hypertension experience an even greater increase in their blood pressure when they exercise, and they’ve learned how to prevent the rise.

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A UCLA-led study has found that adherence to national guideline–recommended therapies for heart failure in an outpatient practice setting significantly lowered the mortality rate of heart failure patients.

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Less-invasive catheter-based aortic valve replacement has a similar one-year survival as open valve-replacement surgery for patients at high risk for surgery.

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Hospital admissions at Stony Brook University Medical Center were significantly reduced when using coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA) to evaluate Emergency patients with chest pain.

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New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has revealed an increased incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events in patients with severe psoriasis.

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New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reveals the role that guilt may play as a motivational tool for cardiovascular patients.

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New transcatheter heart valve studies will be presented at the American College of Cardiology meeting in New Orleans on April 3 and 4. The studies compare patient outcomes from minimally invasive catheter procedures with those from open-heart surgery. Two experts from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center are available for interviews: Raj Makkar, MD, and Saibal Kar, MD. The studies compare patient outcomes from minimally invasive catheter procedures with those from open-heart surgery.

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University of Utah cardiologist Roger Freedman will collect heart rate and blood oxygen information about Apa Sherpa during the climber's 21st ascent of Mt. Everest.

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Electrophysiologists at Rush University Medical Center are using a new robotic system that allows them to treat abnormal heart rhythms with greater precision. Rush is the first academic medical center in Chicago to use the Sensei Robotic Catheter system, a flexible robotic platform that integrates advanced levels of catheter control with 3D visualization.

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In the longest study of its kind, bariatric surgery has been shown to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients with diabetes. These results and other groundbreaking research were presented at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical College.

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The recent deaths of teen athletes may have parents wondering may be wondering if enough is being done to identify athletes at risk for dying suddenly. University of Michigan heart specialists weigh in on how best to reduce sudden deaths in competitive athletes

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Although recent evidence suggests that the clinical benefit may be uncertain for fibrates, a class of drugs used for the treatment of high lipid levels, use of these drugs is common in the U.S. and Canada, with usage increasing steadily in the last decade in the U.S., especially for a brand-name fibrate product, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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An analysis of previous studies that examined whether episodic physical activity and sexual activity can act as a trigger for cardiac events found an association between these activities and a short-term increased risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death, although the absolute risk was small and lessened among persons with high levels of regular physical activity, according to an article in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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In patients with a suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS; such as heart attack or unstable angina), use of a more sensitive test to detect the protein troponin in blood was associated with increased diagnosis of a heart attack and improved identification of patients at high risk of another heart attack and death in the following year, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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News release covers salt intake and the impact of too much sodium in a diet. The release also offers tips on how to lower sodium intake.

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A pilot study in healthy children and adolescents shows that it is feasible to screen for undiagnosed heart conditions that increase the risk of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA).

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On March 28, leading experts across multiple disciplines will convene at the 2nd World Congress on Interventional Therapies for Type 2 Diabetes to review the latest research on bariatric surgery as a treatment option. The three-day meeting, hosted by NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City, will bring together physicians, scientists and policymakers representing 60 countries. The Congress director is Dr. Francesco Rubino, one of the world's leading authorities on bariatric surgery for diabetes.

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Modifying a patient’s dosage of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel for 6 months depending on the patient’s level of platelet reactivity did not result in combined lower rates of nonfatal heart attack, stent thrombosis (clot) and cardiovascular death in patients who had a procedure such as balloon angioplasty and received a drug-releasing coronary stent, according to a study in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

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UNC researchers have discovered that a molecule called Wnt1 can improve the function of endothelial progenitor cells, increasing the blood flow to organs that previously had been cut off from the circulation.