Cardiology News and Research

Latest Cardiology News and Research

Osteoporosis and men

A McMaster University researcher is alerting men and their doctors that osteoporosis isn't just a woman's problem but that the bone-wasting disease can severely afflict them, too.

30 Jan 2007

Statins slow the progression of aortic valve stenosis

The trial provides the first prospective clinical evidence that aortic valves have an active biology that can be targeted with medical therapy and contradicts research published in 2005 in the New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded statins did not halt the progression of aortic stenosis.

30 Jan 2007

Studies on heart disease do not provide sex-based analysis

Heart disease differences in men and women continue to be poorly understood because women are included in clinical trials far less than men, and even when women are included, study results are not reported by sex, according to a study in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

30 Jan 2007

CeNeRx BioPharma starts human trials of RIMA antidepressant

CeNeRx BioPharma, Inc. has announced the initiation of human clinical trials of Tyrima, CeNeRx's new drug candidate with a triple mechanism of action for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

30 Jan 2007

Psychological effects of heart surgery

Cases of congenital heart disease (CHD), in both adolescents and adults, have been on the rise for many years.

30 Jan 2007

Public reporting and pay for performance in hospital quality improvement

A Medicare pay-for-performance pilot project that rewards hospitals based on quality measures contributes to "modest" improvements in quality of care, according to a study published online Friday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Wall Street Journal reports .

30 Jan 2007

Virtual human metabolic network for medical science

Bioengineering researchers at UC San Diego have painstakingly assembled a virtual human metabolic network that will give researchers a new way to hunt for better treatments for hundreds of human metabolic disorders, from diabetes to high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

30 Jan 2007

Value based insurance design

Like a one-size-fits-all shirt that doesn't fit anyone very well, American health insurance plans charge every person the same out of pocket cost for medical services - regardless of their effect on a person's health.

30 Jan 2007

Stroke treatment helps victims recover brain function

A small but significant study in the U.S. has found that a treatment which was designed to clear blocked carotid arteries and prevent stroke has also improved brain function.

29 Jan 2007

Thailand the latest drug patent buster

Thailand's military government has used World Trade Organization (WTO) rules regarding intellectual property, to allow the sale of generic versions of two important drugs used to treat HIV/AIDS and heart disease.

29 Jan 2007

Money cannot buy you happiness

The most important sources of happiness are good health and freedom from financial worries, Professor Vani Borooah found.

29 Jan 2007

Scientists tackle huntingtin protein

McMaster scientists are very close to defining small molecule drugs that should be able to redirect the huntingtin protein from accumulating in the wrong place within brain cells, which could potentially translate to a therapy for Huntington's Disease (HD).

29 Jan 2007

Number of Parkinson's sufferers will double in next 25 years

The study highlights the significant challenge facing countries with rapidly growing economies, particularly in Asia, many of which are ill prepared to meet this impending public health threat.

29 Jan 2007

SH2B1 protein plays a key role in controlling body weight, response to insulin and leptin

A single protein in brain cells may act as a linchpin in the body's weight-regulating system, playing a key role in the flurry of signals that govern fat storage, sugar use, energy balance and weight, University of Michigan Medical School researchers report.

29 Jan 2007

North American Menopause Society releases guidelines saying HRT beneficial for younger women

The North American Menopause Society on Thursday released a revised position statement that said the benefits of short-term hormone replacement therapy for treatment of menopausal women likely outweigh the risks for younger women, the Wall Street Journal reports.

28 Jan 2007

Thailand plans to break antiretroviral patents

Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Songkhla plans to break patents on an antiretroviral drug and a drug for heart disease by issuing compulsory licenses to produce lower-cost versions, Ministry of Public Health spokesperson Suphan Srithamma announced on Thursday, AFP/Yahoo! News reports.

28 Jan 2007

New tool to detect depression in cancer patients

A tool to detect depression in cancer patients launched by the University of Liverpool will vastly improve patients' ability to come to terms with their disease.

28 Jan 2007

Alternative to artery-clogging trans fats

Alejandro's research group found a way to mix oil, water, monoglycerides and fatty acids to form a gel substance that provides the same structural and functional benefits as trans and saturated fats.

28 Jan 2007

Linemen more than twice as likely as other players to have metabolic syndrome

After retirement, National Football League (NFL) linemen - generally the heaviest players - are more than twice as likely as other players to have a syndrome that puts them at risk for heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases

28 Jan 2007

Link between MRI contrast agent and nephrogenic systemic fibrosis

New research has shown a possible association between a popular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent and the incidence of a rare disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) in patients with kidney disease, according to an editorial appearing in the March issue of Radiology.

28 Jan 2007