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Statins are drugs used to lower cholesterol. Your body needs some cholesterol to work properly. But if you have too much in your blood, it can stick to the walls of your arteries, narrowing or even blocking them.

Tackling insulin resistance may reduce recurrence after stroke

Giving pioglitazone to stroke survivors with insulin resistance but no overt diabetes reduces their risk of having a recurrent vascular event, shows the randomised Insulin Resistance Intervention after Stroke trial.

18 Feb 2016

Anti-cancer drug delays onset of Alzheimer's disease

Researchers have identified a drug that targets the first step in the toxic chain reaction leading to the death of brain cells, suggesting that treatments could be developed to protect against Alzheimer's disease, in a similar way to how statins are able to reduce the risk of developing heart disease.

15 Feb 2016

Experimental nanoparticle therapy shows promise for fighting primary liver cancer

An experimental nanoparticle therapy that combines low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and fish oil preferentially kills primary liver cancer cells without harming healthy cells, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.

9 Feb 2016

African-American patients with connective tissue diseases at risk for cardiovascular disease

A study based on medical records from more than a quarter million adult patients found that African-American patients with connective tissue diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis were twice as likely as white patients to suffer from narrowed or atherosclerotic blood vessels, which increase the risk of a heart attack, stroke or death.

5 Feb 2016

Amgen announces approval of cholesterol-lowering medication Repatha (evolocumab) Injection in Japan

Amgen today announced that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has approved the cholesterol-lowering medication Repatha (evolocumab) Injection, the first proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor to be approved in Japan.

22 Jan 2016

Best management unclear for patients needing carotid revascularisation

Research highlights the vulnerability of patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis to stroke while awaiting revascularisation.

19 Jan 2016

Using statins before and after heart surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, mortality risks

Using statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery and also can reduce the risk of death during and after surgery, according to a review article posted online today by The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

13 Jan 2016

Cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin could become effective treatment for Parkinson's

A clinical trial using cholesterol-lowering treatment Simvastatin in people living with Parkinson's is getting underway in centres across the country -- with the hope that it could become one of a number of effective treatments available to treat Parkinson's.

12 Jan 2016

Gallstones, statins increase risk of acute pancreatitis, shows study

Idiopathic pancreatitis is often caused by small gallstones that are difficult to observe prior to surgery, shows a study from the University of Eastern Finland. Small gallstones were found in surgery from two out of three idiopathic pancreatitis patients.

8 Dec 2015

Could statins treat muscular dystrophy? An interview with Dr. Nick Whitehead and Dr Stan Froehner

In addition to their well established cholesterol lowering benefits, statins also have potent anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and antioxidant effects, which continue to be identified in a wide range of diseases.

30 Nov 2015

Columbia University data scientists create world's first catalog of therapeutic venom

What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led a pair of Columbia University data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.

26 Nov 2015

Urine-derived iPSCs model could help predict patient response to cholesterol-lowering drugs

We all know how important it is to keep our levels of blood cholesterol - especially the 'bad' variety - in check with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Although cholesterol is a key structural component of cell membranes and is vital for the biosynthesis of certain hormones and vitamins, high levels can lead to the formation of arterial plaques, which are a major risk factor for coronary heart disease.

20 Nov 2015

Johns Hopkins researchers present new healthcare tips from American Heart Association Meeting

Linking digital activity trackers to smartphones and periodically pinging users with personalized texts that urge them to walk more can significantly increase physical activity levels and spark healthy behavior changes, according to findings of a pilot study conducted at Johns Hopkins.

13 Nov 2015

Disclosing genetic risk for CHD results in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

A group of researchers led by Mayo Clinic has discovered that disclosing genetic risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) results in lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), also known as bad cholesterol. The findings of the Myocardial Infarction Genes (MI-GENES) Study were presented today at the annual American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2015 as a late-breaking clinical trial.

10 Nov 2015

Patients who take cholesterol medications before endovascular surgery experience better outcomes

Rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is one of the most dramatic medical emergencies a person can face. It usually strikes without warning, killing approximately 50 percent of those who experience it before they reach a hospital. Of those who do get to a health facility alive, only about 50 percent survive.

29 Oct 2015

New studies raise important questions about impact of statin therapy on effectiveness of flu vaccines

A new pair of studies suggests that statins, drugs widely used to reduce cholesterol, may have a detrimental effect on the immune response to influenza vaccine and the vaccine's effectiveness at preventing serious illness in older adults. Published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings, if confirmed by additional research, may have implications for flu vaccine recommendations, guidelines for statin use around the time of vaccination, and future vaccine clinical trials in seniors.

29 Oct 2015

Stopping cholesterol medications before surgery may increase risk of death during recovery

Patients who stop taking cholesterol medications before surgery are following outdated recommendations, and significantly increasing their risk of death if they don't resume taking the medications within two days after surgery, according to a study of more than 300,000 patients being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2015 annual meeting.

28 Oct 2015

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