http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/heart_disease/ Read current medical research on risk factors, causes and prevention of heart disease, strokes, and peripheral arterial disease. What new treatment options are under development? en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/heart_disease/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161821.htm Scientists have uncovered new information about the mechanism by which brain cells die following a stroke, as well as a possible way to mitigate that damage. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122161821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124835.htm Using highly precise measurements of plasma lipoprotein concentrations determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, researchers performed genetic association analysis across the whole genome among 17,296 women of European ancestry. This large scale analysis of the effects of common genetic variation on plasma lipoprotein profile, a critical component of cardiovascular risk, identified 43 genetic loci contributing to lipoprotein metabolism. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120124835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116192345.htm Coronary artery bypass graft patients who were screened for depression after surgery and then cared for by a nurse-led team of health care specialists via telephone reported improved quality of life and physical function compared to those who received their doctors' usual care, according to a new study. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116192345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193642.htm Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease or stroke, according to a new study. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119193642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161004.htm Baked or boiled fish is associated with more benefit from heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids than fried, salted or dried fish. Caucasian, Japanese-American and Latino men may be more likely to get the health benefits of fish than African-American or Hawaiian men, perhaps because of how their fish is prepared or genetic predisposition. Omega-3s from plant sources such as soy may do more to improve women's heart health than fish sources. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161004.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173202.htm Researchers have found biochemical processes that chip away at the aorta causing aortic dissection. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173202.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102040.htm A new generation of implanted devices that help a failing heart function properly is significantly more effective than the previous version, making these new devices an appropriate permanent therapy for many of the more than 5 million Americans who suffer from heart failure. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102040.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122095421.htm Emergency medical service (EMS) providers in the United States assess an estimated 350,000 cardiac arrests each year. Only 5 to 10 percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest survive. Better quality cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) provided by prehospital EMS providers may be associated with better patient outcome. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091122095421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111553.htm In a new study, researchers report that a class of heart medications called beta-blockers can have a helpful, or harmful, effect on the heart, depending on their molecular activity. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163210.htm A modified soybean oil increased the level of an omega-3 fatty acid in humans more than regular soybean oil. The modified oil may provide a plant-based alternative source of omega-3s. However, the oil's health effectiveness as a food ingredient remains to be proven. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121609.htm An innovative method is being used to repair the breastbone after it is intentionally broken to provide access to the heart during open-heart surgery. The technique uses a state-of-the-art adhesive that rapidly bonds to bone and accelerates the recovery process. This procedure has been performed on over 20 patients as part of a pilot study. Doctors aim to apply the technique in over 500 patients across the globe over the next 12-24 months. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091112121609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116205246.htm New data in humans shows that all doses of aspirin used in clinical practice increase nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is released from the blood vessel wall and may decrease the development and progression of plaques leading to heart attacks and strokes. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116205246.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161000.htm The percentage of overweight and obese adults in the United States has increased over the past two decades -- undermining efforts to reduce heart disease risk factors. Rising obesity is associated with the lower likelihood of having optimal blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Another study indicates that weight loss may correct structural heart damage in obese patients. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161000.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173151.htm A woman who suffers sudden cardiac arrest is significantly less likely than a man to exhibit the decrease in the heart's pumping ability that is widely recognized as a precursor, says a new study. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173151.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101407.htm After treatment with sildenafil, heart function significantly improved in children and young adults with single-ventricle congenital heart disease who have had the Fontan operation. Sildenafil is a drug commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101407.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101354.htm Some children may suffer greater consequences of secondhand smoke exposure. In both toddlers and adolescents, obesity enhances the cardiovascular toxicities of secondhand smoke exposure. Toddlers had a four times greater risk of secondhand smoke exposure when compared to adolescents, despite having similar reported home exposures. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120314.htm People who experience a lot of negative emotions and do not express these experience more health problems, according to new research. Researchers discovered that heart failure patients with a negative outlook reported their complaints to a physician or nurse far less often. The personality of the partner can also exert a considerable influence on these patients. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118120314.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161011.htm Between 1999 and 2006, the prevalence of adults in the US with high levels of LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol, decreased by about one-third, according to a new study. But a high percentage of adults still are not being screened or treated for high cholesterol levels. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161008.htm Eight percent of obese people misperceived their body size, believing they did not need to lose weight or that they could afford to gain weight. While those who misperceived their need for weight loss thought they were healthier than others their age, they had the same risk factors for heart disease as other obese patients. Those who misperceived their body size were less likely to exercise and see a physician than their counterparts who accurately perceived their body size. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161008.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184541.htm The largest national stem cell study for heart disease showed the first evidence that transplanting a potent form of adult stem cells into the heart muscle of patients with severe angina results in less pain and an improved ability to walk. They also experienced fewer deaths than those who didn't receive stem cells. The stem cells were injected in an effort to spur the growth of small blood vessels in the heart muscle. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118110656.htm An analysis of quality of cardiac care following the public release of data on measures of care at hospitals in Ontario, Canada, did not result in significant system-wide improvement in hospitals' performance on most quality of care indicators, according to a new study. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118110656.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092618.htm The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study shows. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118092618.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124005.htm Inhibition of a protein known to contribute to heart failure also appears to be protective of the heart in more acute cardiac stress injury, namely ischemia reperfusion, according to two new studies. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117124005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161017.htm Hardening of the arteries has been detected in Egyptian mummies, some as old as 3,500 years, suggesting that the factors causing heart attack and stroke are not only modern ones; they afflicted ancient people, too. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103435.htm The electrical measurements on the electrocardiogram can often mislead physicians in diagnosing the heart condition left ventricular hypertrophy, causing other screening tests to be ordered before a definitive conclusion can be made, according to a new study. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103435.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116114526.htm During a single hospitalization, acute heart attack patients averaged a total ionizing radiation dose equal to 725 chest X-rays. Researchers need to better determine which and when ionizing radiation tests are best used in heart attack patients. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116114526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163204.htm Patients with coronary heart disease who practiced the stress-reducing transcendental meditation technique had nearly 50 percent lower rates of heart attack, stroke, and death compared to nonmeditating controls, according to the results of a first-ever study. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115123713.htm To best detect early signs of life-threatening heart defects in young athletes, screening programs should include both popular diagnostic tests, not just one of them, according to new research from heart experts. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115123713.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103709.htm Software tools are being developed that can search and compare patient data at hospitals across Europe to find children with closely matched conditions. The doctors can then study how the matched patients at other hospitals were treated and whether that treatment was successful. The information will greatly improve doctors’ ability to choose the right path for their own patient. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184529.htm Most heart failure patients who develop kidney failure in the hospital do not recover from it before going home and are at increased risk of either being re-hospitalized or dying within the year, according to a new study. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117184529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161120.htm A police officer who works the night shift, typically from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m., already is at a disadvantage when it comes to getting a good "night's" sleep. Add frequent overtime to that schedule, and an officer may be climbing into bed as the sun comes up, setting the stage for short and unrestful slumber. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161120.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161006.htm Women who participated in a motivational cardiac rehab program designed for women experienced less symptoms of depression. The positive impact of the women-centered program remained six months after the 12-week study ended. Other research shows that positive emotions in men and women may protect from heart disease. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117161006.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094827.htm Many patients with diabetes should forego angioplasties for heart disease and just take medicine instead, a new study suggests. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117094827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191011.htm In a new study, patients were more likely to survive without brain damage after a cardiac arrest if emergency medical technicians lowered their body temperature early during resuscitation. Cooling is recommended for comatose patients after cardiac arrest, and this study demonstrates the potential benefits of beginning cooling even sooner during the arrest in the pre-hospital setting. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191011.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085047.htm Heart experts are calling premature the early halt of a study on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing. Cardiovascular atherosclerosis, as it is also known, is believed responsible for one in three deaths in the United States each year. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085047.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116094455.htm Pooling results from 21 studies, involving 622,381 men and women, researchers have affirmed that migraine headaches are associated with more than twofold higher chances of the most common kind of stroke: those occurring when blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off by the buildup of plaque or a blood clot. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116094455.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085038.htm Researchers found that patients with very low levels of Vitamin D were 77 percent more likely to die, 45 percent more likely to develop coronary artery disease, and 78 percent were more likely to have a stroke than patients with normal levels. Patients with very low levels of Vitamin D were also twice as likely to develop heart failure than those with normal Vitamin D levels. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116085038.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191009.htm Scientists report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191009.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191019.htm Researchers have developed microscopic polymer beads that can deliver an antioxidant enzyme made naturally by the body into the heart. Injecting the enzyme-containing particles into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack reduced the number of dying cells and resulted in improved heart function days later. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191019.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030095515.htm A new study finds that heart failure patients willing to take part in clinical trials have a better prognosis than those unwilling to do so. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091030095515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115123715.htm Researchers are reporting what is believed to be the first conclusive evidence in men that the long-term ill effects of vitamin D deficiency are amplified by lower levels of the key sex hormone estrogen, but not testosterone. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115123715.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173200.htm Researchers have identified a substance in the blood that may be useful in predicting an individual's risk for heart disease. The substance is cystine, an oxidized form of the amino acid cysteine and an indirect measure of oxidative stress. In a study of more than 1,200 people undergoing cardiac imaging because of suspected heart disease, people with high levels of cystine in the blood were twice as likely to have a heart attack or die over the next few years. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116173200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163216.htm Healthy, older adults free of heart disease need not fear that bouts of rapid, irregular heartbeats brought on by vigorous exercise might increase short- or long-term risk of dying or having a heart attack, according to a report by heart experts. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116163216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143615.htm A protein long thought to be a secondary regulator in the heart's response to stressors like hypertension actually appears to be a primary regulator according to new research. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116143615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116114534.htm The incidence of stroke or mini-stroke related to a coronary angioplasty remained steady over a 15-year period, according to a new study. Researchers say this is good news because physicians now are performing the artery-opening procedure on older patients who are sicker and need more complicated treatment. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116114534.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173610.htm A new study adds to a growing body of research seeking to evaluate and understand possible sex differences associated with anti-platelet therapies. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091109173610.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191017.htm Many heart attack patients have high levels of cardiac biomarkers in the blood for several months after leaving the hospital, with more shortness of breath and chest pain, according to new study. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191015.htm The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside a hospital was found to be twice as high when bystanders performed continuous chest compressions without mouth-to-mouth breathing than when bystanders performed standard CPR. In those receiving standard CPR (alternating between 30 compressions and 2 breaths), survival was 6 percent. In contrast, 11 percent survived if bystanders kept pumping on their chest and did not stop for mouth-to-mouth breaths until emergency medical services arrived. Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191015.htm