Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

FDA issues advice on Naproxen

The FDA has released the following statement on NIH halting a clinical trial involving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in patients at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease:

20 Dec 2004

Genzyme files for European approval of Myozyme for treatment of Pompe disease

Genzyme Corp. announced today that the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has accepted its marketing authorization application for Myozyme(R) (alglucosidase alfa), an investigational enzyme replacement therapy for Pompe disease.

20 Dec 2004

Aspirin overlooked as an effective and inexpensive means to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in diabetic women and young adults

Cardiovascular disease risk is extremely high in adults with diabetes. Yet women as well as people under 50 who have diabetes do not use aspirin, despite the fact that aspirin has been found an effective and inexpensive means to reduce risk of first and subsequent heart attack.

20 Dec 2004

Cherries could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes

Perhaps George Washington wouldn't have chopped down his father's cherry tree if he knew what chemists now know. They have identified a group of naturally occurring chemicals abundant in cherries that could help lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

20 Dec 2004

Size of myocardial infarct measured using MRI

In animal studies, researchers at Johns Hopkins have effectively used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure with 94 percent accuracy the size and amount of heart muscle damaged by a heart attack, known in medical terms as a myocardial infarct, or m.i., for short.

20 Dec 2004

Advice for patients who have been taking Celebrex or Bextra

The recent announcement that Celebrex, a popular pain drug in the same family as Vioxx, has been found to pose an increased risk of heart problems is bound to leave many pain patients stunned, confused and worried.

20 Dec 2004

Leading sports medicine and exercise science organization implements ACSM certified Personal Trainer

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has developed a new examination and certification to review and validate the knowledge and abilities of personal trainers.

20 Dec 2004

Polls show more teen girls see "alcopop" ads than women age 31-44

The American Medical Association (AMA) released the results of two nationwide polls today that reveal the extent of underage consumption and marketing exposure to "alcopops" or so-called "girlie drinks." The AMA expressed concern that hard-liquor brands are using these sweet-flavored malt beverages as "gateway" beverages to attract less-experienced drinkers.

20 Dec 2004

Potential safety risks with Celebrex

The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has consulted today with the Chairs of its peak advisory committees, the Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Committee (ADRAC) and the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee (ADEC), about the latest research into the safety of the arthritis drug, Celebrex.

20 Dec 2004

Model simulates dynamics of heart rhythm disorders

Dutch researcher Kirsten ten Tusscher has developed a model that can simulate the electrical behaviour of the heart during heart rhythm disorders. One of the things her model revealed is that the electrical activity of the heart during a rhythm disorder is much less chaotic than was originally thought.

20 Dec 2004

Pacemakers could play a future role in protecting epilepsy patients

Results of a UK study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlight how interruptions to the heart’s rhythm is an under-reported consequence of epileptic seizures, and that the use of cardiac pacemakers by some epilepsy patients could play a future role in protecting against sudden unexplained death.

20 Dec 2004

Discovery of new compound known as SP-4-84 could lead to improved chemotherapy treatments

The discovery of a new compound by Michigan State University researchers could lead to improved chemotherapy treatments for different types of cancers – potentially with fewer side effects.

20 Dec 2004

Wine, fish, dark chocolate, fruits and vegetables cut the risk of heart disease

Scientists in this week's Christmas issue of the BMJ have discovered the 'Polymeal', a set of ingredients which cuts the risk of heart (cardiovascular) disease by 76% and significantly increases life expectancy.

20 Dec 2004

Celebrex suspension

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that it has suspended the use of COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib (Celebrex™ Pfizer, Inc.) for all participants in a large colorectal cancer prevention clinical trial conducted by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

19 Dec 2004

10 to 20 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease but most don’t know it

10 to 20 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease but most don’t know it, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Center for Health Statistics.

19 Dec 2004

Obesity drug codenamed AOD9604 highly successful in trials

An Australian-owned obesity drug, developed by Melbourne-based biotechnology company Metabolic Pharmaceuticals Limited, is set to enter final human trials next year after successfully completing a Phase 2b human trial which proved that the drug induces weight loss and is very well tolerated with no evidence of the side effects commonly experienced with existing obesity drugs.

16 Dec 2004

Low-dose diuretic therapy for most patients with hypertension recommended

Patients with high blood pressure who take calcium channel blockers and diuretics have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) death compared to patients who take beta-blockers plus diuretics, according to a study in the current issue of JAMA.

16 Dec 2004

Cardiac and non-cardiac deaths peak during Christmas and New Year’s in part because people delay seeking medical treatment

Cardiac and non-cardiac deaths peak during Christmas and New Year’s in part because people delay seeking medical treatment, researchers report in today’s Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

14 Dec 2004

High pressure work deadlines boost heart attack risk six-fold

A high pressure work deadline boosts the chances of a heart attack within the next 24 hours by a factor of six, reveals research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

13 Dec 2004

Race may play an important role in determining a person's obesity and fitness levels

Race may play an important role in determining a person's obesity and fitness levels, shows a new study in the December issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP).

13 Dec 2004