Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Mid-life stroke in women

More women than men appear to be having a stroke in middle age, according to a study published June 20, 2007, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

23 Jun 2007

Estrogen use lowered one risk factor for heart disease among some younger postmenopausal women

A follow-up study to the federally funded Women's Health Initiative should help allay one concern in a subset of women in their 50s who are considering taking estrogen to relieve hot flashes.

23 Jun 2007

Three-dimensional ultrasound scanner provides in-depth view of the brain

Biomedical engineers at Duke's Pratt School of Engineering have adapted a three-dimensional ultrasound scanner that might guide minimally invasive brain surgeries and provide better detection of a brain tumor's location.

23 Jun 2007

Estrogen HRT can limit plaque accumulation in arteries

Estrogen can limit significantly the accumulation of plaque in the arteries of women in their 50s, according to a study published on Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (Newson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 6/20).

22 Jun 2007

Indiana Medicaid program to enroll disabled, elderly in managed care plans

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is negotiating two managed care contracts for state Medicaid beneficiaries who are blind, elderly or disabled, agency Secretary Mitch Roob said on Tuesday, the AP/Louisville Courier-Journal reports.

22 Jun 2007

Stem cells to repair damaged heart muscle

In the first trial of its kind in the world, 60 patients who have recently suffered a major heart attack will be injected with selected stem cells from their own bone marrow during routine coronary bypass surgery.

22 Jun 2007

Women more prone than men to have mid-life strokes

After analysing data from 17,000 people over the age of 18, taking part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers in the United States have found that women were more likely than men to have a stroke in mid-life.

21 Jun 2007

HRT not such a bad idea after all!

Older women struggling to cope with the symptoms of the menopause will be reassured by the latest research into hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

21 Jun 2007

High rate of misdiagnosis in patients in an acute vegetative state

New studies underline the importance of extreme caution in any decision to limit the life chances of patients during the acute phase of a vegetative state.

20 Jun 2007

Rheumatoid factor is a risk factor for heart disease in men

Scientists have found that a product of white blood cells linked to rheumatoid arthritis could cause heart disease in men.

20 Jun 2007

Obese heart attack patients more likely to survive after treatment than normal weight patients

Obese and very obese patients have a lower risk of dying after they have been treated for heart attacks than do normal weight patients, according to research published in the European Heart Journal today (Wednesday 20 June).

20 Jun 2007

Men fall short when it comes to managing their personal health

From skipping important health screenings to avoiding a visit to the doctor altogether, new results from a survey released by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) indicate men continue to fall short when it comes to managing their personal health.

20 Jun 2007

Why excessive body weight increases the risk for heart disease

New research from The University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center helps explain why excessive body weight increases the risk for heart disease.

20 Jun 2007

Two complementary commanders in charge of the brain

A probe of the upper echelons of the human brain's chain-of-command has found strong evidence that there are not one but two complementary commanders in charge of the brain, according to neuroscientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

20 Jun 2007

Intraoperative radiation therapy for breast cancer

Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) breast cancer specialists are using a new way to treat patients by delivering a one-time dose of radiation during surgery.

20 Jun 2007

Blackcurrants the best fruit of all

Researchers in the UK say when it comes to health giving properties the blackcurrant is more nutritious than any other fruit.

20 Jun 2007

Even pre-diabetes 'ups' the risk for heart disease

Australian researchers have found that even before the disease becomes full blown diabetes increases a persons risk for heart disease.

20 Jun 2007

Death rate for women with diabetes higher than that of men

A new analysis of data from three large national databases finds that in the 29 years between 1971 and 2000, the death rate of men with diabetes has dropped significantly, in line with the overall decline of the death rate for all Americans.

19 Jun 2007

Foie gras can speed amyloid development

University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine professor and researcher Alan Solomon, M.D., director of the Human Immunology and Cancer/Alzheimer's Disease and Amyloid-Related Disorders Research Program, led a team that discovered a link between foie gras prepared from goose or duck liver and the type of amyloid found in rheumatoid arthritis or tuberculosis.

19 Jun 2007

Researchers develop artificial blood vessels from muscle-derived stem cells and a biodegradable polymer

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine investigators have engineered artificial blood vessels from muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) and a biodegradable polymer that exhibit extensive remodeling and remain free of blockages when grafted into rats.

19 Jun 2007