Heart Disease News and Research

Latest Heart Disease News and Research

Lack of sleep could make you fat

Lack of sleep could make you fat. In an editorial published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, two Northwestern University researchers stress the need to better understand the growing epidemic of obesity in the United States by studying how loss of sleep alters the complex metabolic pathways that control appetite, food intake and energy expenditure.

10 Jan 2005

New portable infectious disease detector

A portable device similar to today's home pregnancy tests that can quickly detect the presence of infectious diseases, including HIV-AIDS and measles, as well as biological agents such as ricin and anthrax, is the object of a new joint university/industry research project.

10 Jan 2005

Potential new therapies for cancer and bleeding disorders

Lexicon Genetics announced today that it has advanced two of its drug discovery programs into preclinical development in preparation for investigational new drug (IND) applications.

10 Jan 2005

Rotary blood pump shows promise for pediatric patients

Ventricular assist devices (VADs), blood pumps used in heart failure situations, now have the potential for use in additional patient groups. Scientists and clinicians gathered at the 11th Congress of the International Society of Rotary Blood Pumps in Germany last year to discuss past lessons learned and future directions for this technology.

10 Jan 2005

Serono announces the availability of Saizen for adult growth hormone deficiency

Serono announced today the availability of Saizen [somatropin (rDNA origin) for injection] for use in the treatment of patients with adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD), following its FDA approval.

10 Jan 2005

Scientists identify a protein that regulates alcohol-withdrawal seizures

Seizures are the most life-threatening, as well as disconcerting, symptoms of withdrawal in people who are alcoholics and who abruptly stop drinking. Heavy consumption of alcohol, or ethanol, the substance in beer, wine and liquor that is addictive, leads to changes in the brain.

10 Jan 2005

Body drumming a hit for phobics

Conquering a fear of heights or spiders might be as easy as some strategic body drumming.

10 Jan 2005

Why the Mediterranean diet appers to protect against breast cancer

U.S. researchers have uncovered reasons why the Mediterranean diet, with its high intake of oleic acid-rich olive oil, seems to protect against breast cancer. They have also found evidence that oleic acid may have a future role in treatment. The findings are reported (Monday 10 January) in Annals of Oncology.

9 Jan 2005

Statins lower C-reactive protein (CRP), a major new risk factor for heart disease marked by inflammation

For years, doctors have believed that statin therapy lowers the risk of heart disease solely by lowering levels of cholesterol.

9 Jan 2005

Medical device innovations - fabricating the future

Two large pieces of metal lie on the floor of what looks like a mini-factory in the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute. The whirring machinery here stamps out prototypes of medical devices imagined by clinicians and researchers to help with diagnostic testing or surgical procedures.

9 Jan 2005

Trial of naproxen and celecoxib suspended

Use of study drugs in a large, federally funded Alzheimer prevention trial has been suspended following a decision by the study's leadership on Dec. 17, 2004.

9 Jan 2005

System to help babies avoid brain damage

The same heightened electrical activity that indicates an adult taking a treadmill test isn't getting enough oxygen to his heart is now being measured during labor to see if it can better identify babies in serious distress who need immediate delivery.

9 Jan 2005

Potential cure for lymphoma in HIV patients

Stem cell transplants have become the standard of care for patients with relapsed lymphoma, but not for patients who suffer from both this disease and HIV.

7 Jan 2005

New guidelines for treating diabetes

Every year, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) issues Clinical Practice Recommendations, a series of updated recommendations to help health care providers treat people with diabetes using the most current research available.

7 Jan 2005

New form of treatment for cancer of the larynx

Surgeons at Montefiore Medical Center are using a new form of treatment for cancer of the larynx that allows for quicker recovery and shorter hospital stays, and saves the voice box so patients retain the ability to speak.

7 Jan 2005

Ascorbic acid doesn't seem to help physical exercise performance

Orange juice or other sources of vitamin C (ascorbic acid), may (or may not) benefit you in terms of health and exercise, but contrary to what many people thought previously, ascorbic acid doesn't seem to help physical exercise performance.

6 Jan 2005

Reduced progression of atherosclerosis tied to statin drugs lowering fats, protein

Aggressive therapy with statins -- drugs that inhibit cholesterol synthesis -- works better than moderate statin therapy in reducing fats and proteins in the blood that have been linked to atherosclerosis, a new multi-center study concludes. Statins’ effects on both complex compounds appear beneficial in cutting patients’ cardiovascular risks.

6 Jan 2005

Glia cells may be essential for the normal development of nerve cells responsible for hearing and balance

Traditionally viewed as supporting actors, cells known as glia may be essential for the normal development of nerve cells responsible for hearing and balance, according to new University of Utah research. The study is reported in the January 6, 2005 issue of Neuron and is co-authored by scientists at the University of Washington.

6 Jan 2005

States to explore putting restrictions on AIDS drug Trizivir

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has sent a letter dated October 20, 2004, to the heads of all state Medicaid programs asking them put in use treatment authorization request (TAR) procedures on GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) fixed-dose combination AIDS drug, Trizivir, as a standalone regimen for treatment naïve patients.

6 Jan 2005

New hope for millions of patients suffering from liver damage (cirrhosis)

Millions of patients suffering from liver damage (cirrhosis) and failure may benefit from research by the Universities of Edinburgh and Southampton which may lead to new life-saving treatments. There is currently no cure for liver cirrhosis and a patient's only hope of survival is to receive a liver transplant.

5 Jan 2005