Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Sildenafil reverses symptoms of Raynaud's

German researchers have discovered yet another use for Viagra (sildenafil), they say it relieves the symptoms and improves the circulation of patients with Raynaud's phenomenon.

8 Nov 2005

Aspirin may prevent skin cancer

Australian scientists say that common drugs such as aspirin may hold the key to reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.

8 Nov 2005

2 million American children at risk of diabetes

According to a new study, as many as 2 million children in the U.S. aged 12 to 19 have a prediabetic condition or prediabetes, that is often linked to obesity and physical inactivity.

8 Nov 2005

Statin drug reverses learning and attention deficits in a mouse model of the genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis type I

This week, researchers report evidence that a statin drug already shown to be safe for use in humans has proven effective at correcting cell-cell communication and curing learning disfunction in a mouse model of Neurofibromatosis type I, a human genetic disorder that causes learning disabilities in millions of people worldwide.

7 Nov 2005

Chlamydia pneumoniae may cause vision problems

Researchers at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (MEEI) have found that Chlamydia pneumoniae, a bacterium linked to heart disease and capable of causing chronic inflammation, was present in the diseased eye tissue of five out of nine people with neovascular, or "wet," age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

7 Nov 2005

First clinical study of FX06 treatment against damage caused by heart attacks

Central to the study is FXO6, a peptide developed and patented by Austro-American company Fibrex Medical. Fibrex will now test the tolerability and pharmacokinetics of FX06 in humans. The peptide reduces inflammatory responses of the heart muscle that can arise after treatment for a myocardial infarction. Tests will begin immediately on the first - healthy - subjects at the Vienna General Hospital.

7 Nov 2005

When it comes to heart attack risk - being pear shape is better than being apple shape

New research says that a far better way of assessing a persons heart attack risk is to look at waist-to-hip ratio rather than a person's relative height and weight.

7 Nov 2005

Campaigners say "safe cigarettes" will kill thousands

One of the world's largest tobacco companies, British American Tobacco (BAT), is apparently about to launch a so-called "safer" cigarette.

7 Nov 2005

Ads with gristle blood and bones to shock kids off junk food

A heart charity in the UK has launched a campaign to shock children away from junk food.

7 Nov 2005

Ultrasound to view heart's interior in three dimensions

Duke University engineers are developing technology that may enable physicians to someday use high frequency ultrasound waves both to visualize the heart's interior in three dimensions and then selectively destroy heart tissue with heat to correct arrhythmias.

7 Nov 2005

Waist-to-hip ratio, not body mass index, is the best measure of heart attack risk

Waist-to-hip ratio, not body mass index (BMI), is the best obesity measure for assessing a person's risk of heart attack, concludes a global study published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

7 Nov 2005

Scientists find new mechanism by which brain cells can be damaged during chronic neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center have targeted a new culprit and method of attack on neurologic functions in diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia associated with HIV.

7 Nov 2005

Exercise is good for multiple sclerosis, but it must be done correctly

Aerobic exercise is thought to help persons with multiple sclerosis fight fatigue, the most common symptom of the disease. Yet MS also appears to cause the body to heat up more quickly, compromising the ability to exercise.

3 Nov 2005

MRI measurements of scar tissue accurately predict the risk of arrhythmia-related sudden death

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the heart wall, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that people whose muscle wall thickness contained more than 25 percent scar tissue were approximately nine times more likely to test positive for a fast and dangerous heart rhythm known as ventricular arrhythmia.

3 Nov 2005