Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) News and Research

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Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries of the body is higher than it should be. Much like the pressure of the air in a tire, if the pressure of the blood is too high it can damage the arteries and organs of the body. Just like the tire, if the pressure suddenly becomes very high, catastrophic events can happen. Similarly, if the pressure remains somewhat elevated for a long enough period of time, premature wear and failure can occur.

Hypertension has its worst effects on the heart, kidneys, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, hemorrhages of the retina of the eye, and generalized atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries all over the body).

Physical activity linked to children's brain and cognitive development, scholastic achievement

Over the past thirty years, physical activity among children has declined markedly. The public health implications of this decline include a growing prevalence of obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. A new issue of Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development expands the focus to ask whether physical activity is also related to children's brain and cognitive development and achievement in school.

3 Dec 2014

Researchers find way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss

Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College and the Gladstone Institutes have found a way to prevent noise-induced hearing loss in a mouse using a simple chemical compound that is a precursor to vitamin B3. This discovery has important implications not only for preventing hearing loss, but also potentially for treating some aging-related conditions that are linked to the same protein.

3 Dec 2014

People diagnosed with diabetes in midlife experience cognitive problems later

People diagnosed with diabetes in midlife are more likely to experience significant memory and cognitive problems during the next 20 years than those with healthy blood sugar levels, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests.

2 Dec 2014

Sanford-Burnham, Mayo Clinic scientists to jointly find new treatment for resistant hypertension

Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona and Mayo Clinic today announced that a joint team of scientists has been selected as a winner of GlaxoSmithKline's 2014 Discovery Fast Track Challenge.

2 Dec 2014

Phytel Annual Client Conference kicks off

The Phytel Annual Client Conference (PACC) kicked off today with an invitation-only Executive Forum at the luxurious Omni Fort Worth Hotel, hosting twice as many healthcare leaders as the 2013 event.

1 Dec 2014

Promising new therapeutic strategy for chronic kidney disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects at least one in four Americans who are older than 60 and can significantly shorten lifespan. Yet the few available drugs for CKD can only modestly delay the disease's progress towards kidney failure. Now, however, a team led by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, has found an aspect of CKD's development that points to a promising new therapeutic strategy.

1 Dec 2014

Pivotal Therapeutics announces accomplishments, financial results for Q3 2014

Pivotal Therapeutics Inc., ("Pivotal" or the "Company"), a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on Omega-3 therapies for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and overall health, announced its accomplishments and financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2014.

29 Nov 2014

Study reveals how one type of DNA damage may lead to several human diseases

Using a new imaging technique, National Institutes of Health researchers have found that the biological machinery that builds DNA can insert molecules into the DNA strand that are damaged as a result of environmental exposures. These damaged molecules trigger cell death that produces some human diseases, according to the researchers.

26 Nov 2014

Taking folic acid supplementation before conception reduces risk of SGA at birth

Taking folic acid before conception significantly reduces the risk of small for gestational age (SGA) at birth, suggests a new study published today (26 November) in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

26 Nov 2014

Plaque buildup in the arteries associated with mild cognitive impairment

In a study of nearly 2,000 adults, researchers found that a buildup of plaque in the body's major arteries was associated with mild cognitive impairment. Results of the study conducted at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center will be presented next week at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

25 Nov 2014

Children with NAFLD at substantial risk for high blood pressure

High blood pressure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are two emerging health problems related to the epidemic of childhood obesity. In a recent study, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine sought to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure in children with NAFLD, which places them at risk for premature cardiovascular disease.

24 Nov 2014

Investigational drug maintains normal potassium levels in patients with chronic kidney disease

Research published today found that the investigational drug patiromer decreased high potassium levels and maintained normal potassium levels in patients with chronic kidney disease. The results of a multicenter trial appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

21 Nov 2014

Obese people experience silent cardiac damage that fuels risk for heart failure

Using an ultrasensitive blood test to detect the presence of a protein that heralds heart muscle injury, researchers from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have found that obese people without overt heart disease experience silent cardiac damage that fuels their risk for heart failure down the road.

21 Nov 2014

Study shows blood pressure medication is not linked to breast cancer

Women who take a common type of medication to control their blood pressure are not at increased risk of developing breast cancer due to the drug, according to new study by researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah.

21 Nov 2014

Leaders in research hope to uncover promising drugs in pharma libraries, conduct clinical trials

Drugs for brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and motor neurone disease that have stalled in development could be revived thanks to the efforts of a global coalition of non-profit organizations and funders announced today.

19 Nov 2014

New research suggests potential role for MEK inhibitors in type 2 diabetes

A research team led by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has uncovered surprising new findings that underscore the role of an important signaling pathway, already known to be critical in cancer, in the development of type 2 diabetes.

18 Nov 2014

Metabolic syndrome screening in bipolar disorder warranted

The frequency of the metabolic syndrome in patients with bipolar disorder warrants systematic screening, say researchers, particularly among men, older patients and those receiving atypical antipsychotic treatment.

12 Nov 2014

New model explains how immune cells recognize, destroy bacteria

The innate immune system serves as the body's specialized armed forces division, comprised of a host of defense mechanisms used to battle bacterial infections. Among the system's warriors are white blood cells including the specialized macrophages, which maintain constant surveillance for foreign intruders or pathogens, functioning as the body's first line of defense, poised to attack at barrier sites including the skin, lungs and intestines.

11 Nov 2014

Obeticholic acid improves liver health in people with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis

An experimental drug aimed at treating a common liver disease showed promising results and potential problems in a multicenter clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health. The FLINT study found that people with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) who took obeticholic acid (OCA) had improved liver health during that period, including decreased inflammation and fat in the liver and decreased body weight versus people receiving a placebo. OCA was also associated with increases in itching and total cholesterol.

7 Nov 2014

Only one in every two young adults with hypertension receives advice on how to lower blood pressure

Far too many "teachable moments" are lost in a doctor's office during which young adults with hypertension could have learned how to reduce their blood pressure. In fact, only one in every two hypertensive young Americans does in fact receive such advice and guidance from a healthcare provider within a year from being diagnosed, says Heather M. Johnson of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US.

7 Nov 2014