Heart Disease Weekly back issues from June 2009:
Heart disease patients carrying extra pounds do better, live longer.
Jun 07, 2009 ... Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role. In fact, data suggest obese patients with heart disease do better and tend to live longer ...
Study indicates that a common virus could cause high blood pressure.
Jun 07, 2009 ... A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney disease (see also Beth Israel Deaconess ...
Bone marrow cell therapy may be beneficial for patients with ischemic heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... The injection of bone marrow cells into the heart of patients with chronic myocardial ischemia (reduced blood flow to some areas of the heart) was associated with modest improvements in blood flow and function of the left ventricle, according to a study in the May 20 issue of JAMA (see ...
Extra support helps obese women cycle to and from work.
Jun 07, 2009 ... Increased daily exercise can prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease in obese women, but getting started and maintaining new habits is a challenge. A new study by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that extra support and encouragement can help ...
Genetic factors may predict depression in heart disease patients.
Jun 07, 2009 ... Individuals with heart disease are twice as likely to suffer from depression as the general population, an association the medical community has largely been unable to explain. Now, a new study by researchers at The Miriam Hospital, in conjunction with The Montreal Heart Institute, ...
Data on aneurysm discussed by V.R. Parachuri and colleagues.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Bangalore, India, "Congenital aneurysm of the body of the left atrium causing severe mitral incompetence is extremely rare. The cause of mitral incompetence has been attributed to a distortion of the mitral annulus by the aneurysm, or to coexisting ...
Reports outline angiography research from G. Ando and colleagues.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Messina, Italy, "A 57-year-old woman with acute left leg ischemia due to popliteal artery occlusion and deep T-wave inversion at ECG revealed she had suffered, the day before, from typical chest pain after a confrontational argument; yet, she had not ...
New angiology study results reported from W.J. Cantor et al.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... " In the Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), 2,201 stable patients with an occluded infarct-related artery (IRA) were randomized to percutaneous caronary intervention (PCI) or optimal medical treatment alone (MED). There was no difference in the primary end point of death, reinfarction, or ...
Researchers from University of Ioannina, Medical Department report on findings in angiology.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... " Two large trials, Clinical Outcomes Utilizing Revascularization and Aggressive Drug Evaluation (COURAGE) and Occluded Artery Trial (OAT), found no benefits of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus optimal medical therapy in chronic stable coronary artery disease and chronic ...
Research from I. Bendor and co-authors reveals new findings on angioplasty.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Israel, "Although unprotected left main coronary artery disease is considered by contemporary guidelines to be an indication for surgery, percutaneous coronary intervention may be necessary in patients at high surgical risk. To assess the outcome of ...
Research from INSERM in aortic stenosis provides new insights.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Background and aim of the study: Recent data have shown that aortic valve stenosis (AS) is an active and highly regulated process which shares similarities with atherosclerosis. However, AS cannot be considered as a purely atherosclerotic phenomenon, and a hypercholesterolemic rabbit ...
Study data from T. Principi and colleagues update understanding of behavior.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Ancona, Italy, "The behavior of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is assessed during mechanical ventilation (MV) and spontaneous breathing after extubation in critical patients. Thirty patients admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) were enrolled." ...
Researchers from Mayo Clinic describe findings in bioengineering.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from the United States, "A 67-year-old male who had received an aortic porcine bioprosthesis 15 years previously, presented with unstable angina. The patient underwent percutaneous coronary intervention with the resolution of chest pain." "A limited ...
Report summarizes cardiology study findings from Queen's University.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Kingston, Canada, "Aortico-left ventricular tunnel (ALVT) is a rare congenital cardiac defect that is usually managed by surgical or catheter intervention." "This case documents the 22 year follow up of a 44 year old man who has been managed ...
Researchers from Heart Center discuss findings in cardiology.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Background and aim of the study: Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) with leaflet tethering is a serious complication related to dilated cardiomyopathy. Although FMR with mitral leaflet tethering can be improved by secondary chordal cutting, the technique may compromise ...
Reports summarize cardiomyopathy study results from Kerckhoff Heart Center.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Bad Nauheim, Germany, "Consumption of natural hallucinogenic substances continues to be a problem. In this case we report from a young male patient presenting with an acute coronary syndrome with significant ST-elevation after the abuse of psychoactive ...
Royal Perth Hospital details research in cardiopulmonary bypass.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Cardiopulmonary bypass and cardiac surgery are associated with a significant systemic inflammatory response that may increase postoperative complications. This meta-analysis assessed whether the benefits and risks of corticosteroid use were dose dependent in adult cardiac surgery," ...
Research from F.J. Lopezlongo and co-researchers in the area of cardiovascular disease published.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease that may not always be related to the presence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The aim of this study was to determine if anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies are ...
Study data from L. Mascitelli et al provide new insights into cardiovascular disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Udine, Italy, "Physical inactivity is increasing in virtually all developed and developing countries and is estimated to cause 2 million deaths worldwide annually. Conversely, regular exercise contributes to the primary and secondary prevention of ...
Investigators at City Hospital target coagulation.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Birmingham, the United Kingdom, "Patients with indications for oral anticoagulation (OAC) undergoing percutaneous coronary artery stenting (PCI-S) represent a high-risk population for major bleeding complications. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is also ...
Research results from R. Chatzidaki and colleagues update understanding of congenital heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Few patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease reach adulthood without a cardiac operation. The prognosis for ''unrepaired'' Pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect is approximately 8% in the 1st decade of age," scientists in Thessaloniki, Greece report (see also Congenital ...
Studies from University of Pennsylvania update current data on critical care.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, "General intensive care units (ICUs) provide care across a wide range of diagnoses, whereas specialty ICUs provide diagnosis-specific care. Risk-adjusted outcome differences across ...
Findings from G.Y. Ji and co-authors provide new insights into ebstein anomaly.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "The case is reported of Ebstein's anomaly of the tricuspid valve with rheumatic mitral stenosis and aortic incompetence," researchers in Shanghai, People's Republic of China report (see also Ebstein Anomaly). "In this extremely rare clinical entity, right ventricular ...
Research from University of Nottingham in endocytosis provides new insights.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Elevated levels of low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in the plasma are a well-established risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease. Plasma LDL-C levels are in part determined by the rate at which LDL particles are removed from the bloodstream by hepatic uptake," ...
Recent findings in epidemics described by researchers from University of Sydney.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Camperdown, Australia, "Coronary heart disease (CHD) was an important epidemic in many developed countries in the 20th century and there is concern because the epidemic has affected Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia and is starting to affect ...
Reports from T. Tanaka and co-researchers add new data to research in genetics & genomics.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "The B vitamins are components of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) that contribute to DNA synthesis and methylation. Homocysteine, a by-product of OCM, has been associated with coronary heart disease, stroke and neurological disease," investigators in the United States report (see also Genetics ...
Scientists at National University target granulomatosis.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Denmark, "Experimental studies indicate that patients with Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) experience accelerated atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the occurrence of overt ischemic heart disease (IHD) is increased in WG." ...
Clinical Topicals Makes Breakthrough Migraine Treatment Available Free to Soldiers.
Jun 07, 2009 ... Clinical Topicals PHP announced that it is making its new migraine treatment available free to military personnel returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan (see also Headache and Migraine). According to published reports, alarming numbers of service men and woman on active ...
Findings from Harvard University provide new insights into heart attack.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from the United States, " TIMI (Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction) Risk Index (TRI) is a simple bedside score that predicts 30-day mortality in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI). We sought to evaluate whether TRI was predictive of long-term ...
Multiple Types of Heart Attacks Reduced by Prasugrel in TRITON-TIMI 38 Trial.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... Investigators from the Phase III TRITON-TIMI 38 study applied the new classification system for the Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction to the results of the study and showed that patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and ...
New heart attack study findings reported from S. Micovic and co-authors.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research published in the journal Heart Surgery Forum, "Mitral incompetence is a chronic sequela of myocardial infarction. It is caused by apical displacement and tethering of the mitral valve leaflets after myocardial infarction, resulting in incomplete coaptation." ...
Studies from M.F.L. Meijs and co-researchers in the area of heart attack published.
Jun 07, 2009 ... In this recent report, researchers in Netherlands conducted a study "To investigate the prevalence and determinants of unrecognised myocardial infarction (UMI). setting, patients: In this cross-sectional study in a tertiary centre, a delayed enhancement cardiac MRI (DE-CMR), which ...
Findings from University Medical Center in heart bypass surgery reported.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Ljubljana, Slovenia, "Advanced nonlinear methods of measuring heart rate variability (HRV) derived from the mathematics of complex dynamics and fractal geometry have provided new insights into the abnormalities of heart rate behavior in various pathologic ...
Data from G. Iacobellis and colleagues advance knowledge in heart disease.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... "The role of adiponectin and epicardial adipose tissue in coronary artery disease (CAD) is a subject of debate. Whether plasma adiponectin concentration in the coronary circulation is locally modulated by the epicardial fat is still unexplored," scientists in Hamilton, Canada report (see ...
Findings from Y.L. Han et al in heart disease reported.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... " Cilostazol has been widely used to prevent peripheral vascular events, and its antiplatelet mechanisms may different from aspirin and clopidogrel. We hypothesized that cilostazol in addition to aspirin and clopidogrel effectively reduces systemic ischemic events after percutaneous ...
Investigators at Royal Liverpool University release new data on heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Liverpool, the United Kingdom, "Dialysis catheter-related infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients on dialysis. In recent years, there have been reported cases of infections with opportunistic environmental organism, Achromobacter ...
New findings reported from S.L. Niu and co-authors describe advances in heart disease.(Survey)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Beijing, People's Republic of China, " In China, low socioeconomic status (SES) may be a barrier for patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) to receive adequate treatment because of their inadequate access to,health resources. This study aims to ...
New heart disease data have been reported by scientists at Indiana University.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Metabolic syndrome (MS) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are both strongly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). Components of MS also cause CKD," investigators in the United States report (see also Heart Disease). "The incremental effect of CKD on CAD prevalence in MS ...
New heart disease findings from J.M. Griffith and co-researchers published.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from the United States, "The authors performed a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of 2 different formats of risk reduction information when using conjoint analysis to elicit values about heart disease prevention. Participants ages 30 to 75 were ...
New heart disease research from University of Athens, Medical Department discussed.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from Athens, Greece, "A 54-year-old female patient with a congenital ventricular septal defect (VSD) was admitted to the authors' hospital for an investigation of mild fever of four months' duration. Her history revealed pulmonary valve endocarditis contracted 18 years ...
New heart disease study findings have been published by N. Hitzeman and colleagues.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from the United States, "Acute coronary syndrome represents a spectrum of disease that includes unstable angina and non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Despite treatment with aspirin, beta blockers, and nitroglycerin, unstable angina or NSTEMI are ...
New heart disease study findings have been published by scientists at University of Toronto, Terrence Donnelly Heart Center.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... " Randomized trials have established efficacy of clopidogrel in various types of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The objective of this study was to examine the temporal trends and patterns of early clopidogrel use (within the first 24 hours of hospitalization) across the spectrum of ...
New heart disease study findings have been reported by Y. Konstantino and co-researchers.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, a member of the MMP superfamily is consistently implicated in the pathophysiology of atherosclerosis and plaque rupture, the most common mechanism responsible for acute coronary syndrome (ACS). To summarize the role of MMP-9 in atherosclerosis and its ...
New heart disease study findings recently were reported by researchers at University of Copenhagen.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Herlev, Denmark, "Hepatic lipase influences metabolism of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), a risk factor for ischemic cardiovascular disease (ICD: ischemic heart disease and ischemic cerebrovascular disease). We tested the hypothesis that genetic variation ...
Recent findings from Christian Medical College, Medical College highlight research in heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Vellore, India, "Background and aim of the study: Rheumatic heart disease is the most common cause of multivalvular disease in developing countries. Unless aggressive and timely intervention in the form of valve replacement is pursued, the condition ...
Reports from C.N. Pellegrini and colleagues advance knowledge in heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... In this recently published article, scientists in the United States conducted a study "To determine the efficacy of statin treatment in atrial fibrillation (AF) prevention in women. Cohort study using data obtained in the Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study (HERS)." ...
Reports from L. Bonello and colleagues advance knowledge in heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Among patients admitted in the emergency department for acute atypical chest pain those with an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who are mistakenly discharged home have high mortality. A recent retrospective study has demonstrated that multislice computed tomography (MSCT) coronary ...
Reports outline infection control study results from Columbia University.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from the United States, "The Massachusetts Department of Public Health appointed an Expert Panel to assess the problem of health care-associated infections (HAI) in the state and make recommendations regarding mandatory reporting." "At the Expert Panel's ...
Research from W.M. Zhang and co-authors provides new data about heart disease.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from Beijing, People's Republic of China, "Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common developmental anomaly, affecting approximately 1% of all newborns. Genetic factors play an important role in CHD's development." "Germline mutations in NK2 ...
Research on heart disease published by scientists at Uppsala University.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Uppsala, Sweden, " Antiplatelet therapy is essential treatment for acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Current therapies, however, have important limitations affecting their clinical success." "Ticagrelor, the first reversible oral P2Y(12) receptor ...
Researchers at University of California have published new data on heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Physical activity is one of the mainstays of secondary prevention in people with heart disease. It is not well understood, however, how the presence of heart disease or a history of habitual exercise prior to the study modify any mortality-sparing effects of leisure-time physical ...
Researchers from Saarland University report details of new studies and findings in the area of heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from Homburg, Germany, " Patients after repair of congenital right heart disease (CRHD) may exhibit left ventricular (LV) dyssynchrony (LVD). However, the diagnosis of LVD is difficult and its reliability limited because current methods do not assess LVD of the whole ...
Researchers from Selcuk University detail findings in heart disease.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Coronary artery disease is one of the most common causes of complete atrioventricular block (AVB) in adults. In this study, we evaluated whether prompt revascularization of the coronary artery occlusion can ameliorate newonset complete AVB due to acute coronary syndrome (ACS)," ...
Scientists at Arizona State University discuss research in heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from the United States, "The aim of this project is to improve the detection of coronary occlusions using an approach based on the recording and analysis of isolated diastolic heart sounds associated with turbulent blood flow in occluded coronary arteries. The ...
Studies from Harvard University provide new data on heart disease.(Clinical report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research published in the journal Epidemiology, "It is not yet established what specific measures of obesity might be most strongly associated with risk of coronary artery disease. We compared the waist-height ratio to waist-hip ratio, waist circumference, and body mass ...
Studies from T.Y. Wang and colleagues yield new information about heart disease.(Report)
Jun 07, 2009 ... " Because acute occlusion of coronary arteries supplying the inferolateral myocardium frequently eludes standard 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) diagnosis, these patients may present as non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS). We examined culprit artery occlusion ...
Studies from University of New South Wales provide new data on heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "The evidence for the efficacy of walking in reducing the risk of and preventing coronary heart disease (CHD) is not completely understood. This meta-analysis aimed to quantify the dose-response relationship between walking and CHD risk reduction for both men and women in the general ...
Studies from Y.L. Han and co-authors have provided new information about heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research published in the Chinese Medical Journal, " Recurrent ischemic events occurred even during routine use of 75 mg clopidogrel in addition to aspirin, that indicated a potentially insufficient maintenance dosage of clopidogrel. The aim of the present study was to ...
Study data from J.J. Silbiger and colleagues update understanding of heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from the United States, "Non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis (NBTE) is a rare disorder characterized by sterile, thrombotic vegetations of the heart valves. Clinically, NBTE occurs in the setting of various malignancies and autoimmune phenomena, notably ...
Study data from S. Ferraro and co-authors update knowledge of heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Novara, Italy, "The wide variability of NT-proBNP levels in acute coronary syndromes could arise from sympathetic activation and glomerular impairment. The aim of the study was to investigate, in this setting, the dependence of NT-proBNP from Chromogranin ...
University of Tehran, Tehran Heart Center details research in heart disease.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to recent research from Iran, "We describe a 32-year-old man who presented in a febrile, unconscious state with unusual staphylococcal endocarditis. We diagnosed the patient's illness by using transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), which revealed a giant vegetation on the left ...
Research results from Emory University update knowledge of heart failure.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "The race- and sex-specific epidemiology of incident heart failure (HF) among a contemporary elderly cohort are not well described. We studied 2934 participants without HF enrolled in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study (mean [SD] age, 73.6 [2.9] years; 47.9% men; 58.6% white; ...
Findings in life sciences reported from J.Y. Zhou and co-researchers.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from Beijing, People's Republic of China, "Background and aim of the study: Calcification is the major contributory factor of clinical failure of glutaraldehyde (GA)-fixed bioprosthetic heart valves. The study aim was to evaluate a novel approach to prevent ...
Recent studies from Dalhousie University add new data to life sciences.
Jun 07, 2009 ... "Background and aim of the study: Decellularized materials, which represent a popular option for a variety of applications in regenerative medicine, including bioprosthetic heart valves, offer the opportunity to study cellular responses to extracellular matrix biochemistry and ...
Reports from Yeungnam University highlight recent research in life sciences.
Jun 07, 2009 ... According to a study from South Korea, "Apolipoprotein (apo) C-III is a marker protein of triacylglycerol (TG)-rich lipoproteins and high-density lipoproteins (HDL), and has been proposed as a risk factor of coronary heart disease. To compare the physiologic role of reconstituted HDL ...