Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Evolutionary biology research predicts precancerous tumors

In diverse ecosystems, packed with wildly different species, evolution whizzes along. As different species accumulate mutations, some adapt particularly well to their environment and prosper.

27 Mar 2006

Grape seed extract appears to lower blood pressure

Grape seed extract lowered the blood pressure of patients who participated in a UC Davis study of the benefits of the supplement on people with high blood pressure.

27 Mar 2006

Will we ever eat pigs genetically engineered to give us healthy fats?

Researchers in the U.S. have created pigs that produce omega-3 fatty acids, which are believed to improve heart function and help reduce the risks for heart disease.

26 Mar 2006

ADHD drug not safe for kids

According to a panel of experts advising the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the drug Provigil, although effective in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and teenagers, is not safe enough to win approval.

26 Mar 2006

Benefit of fish oils under question

In a turn up for the books, experts are now saying that contrary to the widely held belief that the omega 3 fats found in oily fish help prevent heart disease, this has not been proven.

26 Mar 2006

Regular exercise closes the fitness gap between young and old

According to new research the older we get the harder we have to work to keep fit.

26 Mar 2006

Long term reduction in LDL cholesterol dramatically reduces risk of heart disease

A new genetic analysis of more than 12,000 individuals has found that a decrease in low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, of as little as 15 percent, sustained over the long term can dramatically reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

23 Mar 2006

Significant association between smoking and erectile problems

Men who smoke a pack or more of cigarettes daily are 40 per cent more likely to be impotent than non-smokers, finds research in Tobacco Control.

23 Mar 2006

Divergent behavioral roles of angiotensin receptor intracellular signaling cascades

Researchers at the University at Buffalo and the University of Pennsylvania were the first to demonstrate that two intracellular events, both stimulated by the same cell receptor, can provoke different behaviors in mammals.

23 Mar 2006

Low-dose aspirin lowers potential for clot-forming blood cells - in both men and women

In what is believed to be the first direct comparison of blood cell testing in both sexes of 81 milligrams of acetyl salicylic acid a day, Hopkins researchers found aspirin therapy prevents the clumping together of these clot-forming cells, called platelets.

23 Mar 2006

Scientists create new molecule that holds promise in fighting disease via gene therapy

Inherited diseases, as well as many cancers and cardiovascular diseases, may eventually be helped by this approach, which delivers therapeutic genes directly to cells. These genes can correct genetic defects, for example, or help the body's immune system fight cancer cells.

23 Mar 2006

Jefferson neurosurgeons use innovative "Wingspan Stent System" to open clogged brain arteries

Neurosurgeons at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia are the first in the region and among the first in the nation to successfully use a new stent specifically designed to open potentially life-threatening clogged arteries in the brain, preventing a stroke.

22 Mar 2006

Angina is more dangerous for women than was previously thought

The collaborative study, led by UCL (University College London) and funded by the British Heart Foundation, found that angina in women is as common as it is in men, in contrast to heart attacks (myocardial infarction) which have a higher rate in men.

21 Mar 2006

Scientists develop new research mice to help understand "good" cholesterol

Scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues have developed new research mice to help them better understand how the body makes and uses "good" cholesterol to protect against heart attacks and strokes.

21 Mar 2006

Study identifies patients at risk for sudden cardiac death

Researchers have found a more accurate way to tell which children and teenagers are likely to be among the thousand or so who suddenly die each year in the United States from genetic heart conditions that cause arrhythmia

21 Mar 2006

Early blood pressure treatment with candesartan may postpone hypertension

A new study offers intriguing insight into the possibility of postponing hypertension among the 59 million Americans whose blood pressure is slightly high.

21 Mar 2006

Research finds blood type, age may be pivotal in transfusion success

The controversial practice of blood transfusions for patients suffering from cardiac episodes may lead to an increased risk of mortality, and may be correlated to transfusion blood type and blood age, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session.

21 Mar 2006

Low-income patients with treatable cardiac risk factors may benefit from telemedicine

Low-income patients with treatable cardiac risk factors may benefit from regular visits with an Internet based telemedicine doctor, according to interim results of a $4 million dollar study funded by the Pennsylvania State Department of Health and headed by Alfred Bove, MD, chief of cardiology at Temple University School of Medicine and Hospital.

21 Mar 2006

New research suggests it may be possible to separate the anticancer properties of vitamin D

At the right dose, vitamin D is important for bone development and may help protect against the development of several cancers, particularly colorectal cancer.

21 Mar 2006

Bariatric surgery may reduce risk of heart disease

"We believed the surgical patients would have a modest reduced risk, but instead we discovered there are significant and long-lasting heart benefits for this group," Dr. Batsis says.

21 Mar 2006