Researchers Show New Antioxidant Could Help Treat Cardiovascular Disease

Researchers at the University of Glasgow believe they have found a potential new treatment for cardiovascular disease which reduces blood pressure. Scientists at the British Heart Foundation Glasgow Cardiovascular Research Centre (BHF GCRC) used a recently-developed antioxidant called MitoQ10 to prevent damage to the mitochondria of cells in an experimental model of hypertension and stroke.

First Human Receives Cardiac Stem Cells In Clinical Trial To Heal Damage Caused By Heart Attacks

Doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute announced today the completion of the first procedure in which a patient's own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells that were then injected back into the patient's heart in an effort to repair and re-grow healthy muscle in a heart that had been injured by a heart attack. The minimally-invasive procedure was completed on the first patient on Friday, June 26.

Finding The Best Heart Disease And Stroke Treatments For Patients With Diabetes Using New Tool

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Mayo Clinic have developed a computer model that medical doctors can use to determine the best time to begin using statin therapy in diabetes patients to help prevent heart disease and stroke. "The research is significant because patients with diabetes are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and statins are the single most commonly used treatment for patients at risk of heart disease and/or stroke," says Dr.

Markers Of Inflammation Are More Strongly Associated With Fatal Than Non-fatal Cardiovascular Events In The Elderly

A study published this week in the open access journal PLoS Medicine shows that for elderly people at risk of cardiovascular disease, the presence of inflammatory markers in the blood can identify that an individual is at a higher risk of a fatal rather than a non-fatal heart attack or stroke. Inflammation is an immune response to injury. However, inflammation is also thought to play a role in cardiovascular disease.

Groundbreaking Artificial Heart Implanted At UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School And Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School jointly announce the successful implant of the AbioCor® Total Replacement Heart, the world's first completely self-contained, fully implantable artificial heart, as well as the first internal artificial organ.

ACOG Refines Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring Guidelines

Refinements of the definitions, classifications, and interpretations of fetal heart rate (FHR) monitoring methods were issued today in new guidelines released by The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). The objective of the guidelines is to reduce the inconsistent use of common terminology and the wide variability that sometimes occurs in FHR interpretations.

Police Work Undermines Cardiovascular Health, Comparison To General Population Shows

It is well documented that police officers have a higher risk of developing heart disease: The question is why. In the most recent results coming out of one of the few long-term studies being conducted within this tightly knit society, University at Buffalo researchers have determined that underlying the higher incidence of subclinical atherosclerosis -- arterial thickening that precedes a heart attack or stroke -- may be the stress of police work.

Heart Electrical Conduction Abnormality Believed Not To Be Serious May Pose Cardiovascular Risks

New research indicates that a finding on a routine electrocardiogram that signals a disorder of the electrical conducting system in one part of the heart and previously believed to be benign is associated with an increased risk for atrial fibrillation, the implantation of a pacemaker or death, according to a study in the June 24 issue of JAMA.

New Therapy Found To Prevent Heart Failure

A landmark study has successfully demonstrated a 29 percent reduction in heart failure or death in patients with heart disease who received an implanted cardiac resynchronization therapy device with defibrillator (CRT-D) versus patients who received only an implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD-only).

Study Finds New Approach To Treating Heart Attacks Reduces Risk Of Life-Threatening Complications

Transferring heart attack patients to specialized hospitals to undergo angioplasty within six hours after receiving clot-busting drugs reduces the risk of life-threatening complications, according to a Canadian-led study published today.

Changing Paradigms In Hereditary Angioedema: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis And Treatment

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease affecting between 4,000 and 10,000 people in the United States. HAE causes recurrent attacks of intense localized edema involving the skin, airway, and visceral organs. While chronic therapy with attenuated androgens or plasmin inhibitors has been the mainstay of HAE therapy, many new therapies for prophylaxis and acute treatment are on the horizon.

A Handful Of Peanuts Will Do You Good, Says British Heart Foundation

In response to a study published in The Journal of Nutrition (1) which showed how eating peanuts reduced the risk of heart attack in women with type two diabetes, British Heart Foundation (BHF) cardiac nurse Ellen Mason said: "It is beneficial to include nuts in our diets as they are low in the saturated fats that raise our cholesterol.

Thousands At Risk From Hidden Heart Condition

Thousands of people in England are unaware that they are at risk of developing heart disease due to an undiagnosed genetic condition, says the Royal College of Physicians. Familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) is an inherited condition causing high levels of LDL cholesterol, and increased risk of coronary heart disease in men in their 50s and women in their 60s. Early treatment with statins has been shown to reduce risk and improve life expectancy to normal.

Heart Disease Researcher Wins Scholarship

Accredited Practising Dietitian and PhD student Janice Sangster has been awarded the Dietitians Association of Australia (DAA)/Unilever Australasia Postgraduate Research Scholarship for her work on weight loss, physical activity and heart disease. Janice will carry out a lifestyle program to encourage people with heart disease to be a healthy weight and take part in regular physical activity.

FDA Grants LUCASâ„¢ 2 Chest Compression System 510(k) Clearance In The United States

Physio-Control Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), announced today that LUCASâ„¢ 2, the next-generation LUCASâ„¢ Chest Compression System, has been granted 510(k) market clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

New Data Proves Effectiveness Of Medtronic Insertable Cardiac Monitor In Detecting AF, Most Common Heart Rhythm Disorder

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia, affecting an estimated 7 million people worldwide, including 4.5 million in the European Union1,2. Data presented today as a Hot Line session at the EUROPACE 2009 congress on the XPECT clinical trial, sponsored by Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), shows that the Medtronic Reveal® XT Insertable Cardiac Monitor (ICM) reliably identifies patients with AF (sensitivity of 96.

First Human Receives Cardiac Stem Cells In Clinical Trial To Heal Damage Caused By Heart Attacks

Doctors at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute announced today the completion of the first procedure in which a patient's own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells that were then injected back into the patient's heart in an effort to repair and re-grow healthy muscle in a heart that had been injured by a heart attack. The minimally-invasive procedure was completed on the first patient on Friday, June 26.

Four Out Of 106 Heart Replacement Valves From Pig Hearts Failed

Pig heart valves used to replace defective aortic valves in human patients failed much earlier and more often than expected, says a report from cardiac surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. This is the first report to demonstrate this potential problem, the researchers say.

Oral Health Center Has Focus On Disease As A Whole

Australia's premier research centre for all aspects of oral health will be established at the University of Adelaide thanks to a $2.4 million Federal Government grant. The new Centre of Clinical Research Excellence (CCRE) for Oral Health, which will be part of the University's School of Dentistry, is being funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Nearly Half Of Heart Attack Patients Treated By Primary Angioplasty

This year's results from the Myocardial Ischaemia National Audit Project (MINAP) show that nearly half of heart attack patients are receiving primary angioplasty rather than thrombolytic (clot-busting) drugs. Primary angioplasty is a medical procedure to re-open the blocked coronary artery causing the heart attack, and has better outcomes than thrombolytic drugs.

Heart Attack Patient Treated With Own Heart Stem Cells In Clinical Trial

Doctors at a heart center in the US announced yesterday that the first of 24 heart attack patients taking part in a clinical trial has successfully undergone a procedure where his own heart tissue was used to grow specialized heart stem cells that were then injected back into his heart where it is hoped they will repair and regenerate healthy heart muscle in place of that injured by heart attack.

Cardiac Function Improved By Early Heart Attack Therapy With Bone Marrow Extract

A UCSF study for the treatment of heart failure after heart attack found that the extract derived from bone marrow cells is as effective as therapy using bone marrow stem cells for improving cardiac function, decreasing the formation of scar tissue and improving cardiac pumping capacity after heart attack. Findings were published online and in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Molecular Therapy.

European Society Of Cardiology Congress 2009: 29 August To 2 September, 2009

The latest news on procedures, drugs and equipment in the field of cardiology will be presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress which will take place in Barcelona, from 29 August to 2 September. With over 30,000 participants, the ESC Congress is the world's biggest cardiology meeting. A record number of abstract submissions - 9,848 - were registered this year, reflecting how the meeting is now the main platform for cardiovascular research.

MADIT-CRT Trial Meets Primary Endpoint

Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) and the University of Rochester Medical Center announced that the landmark MADIT-CRT trial has met its primary endpoint. Preliminary results show Boston Scientific cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillators (CRT-Ds) to be associated with a significant 29 percent reduction (p=0.003) in death or heart failure interventions when compared to traditional implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Patients With Moderate To Severe Periodontitis Need Evaluation For Heart Disease Risk

Additional research is called for and patients with moderate to severe periodontitis should receive evaluation and possible treatment to reduce their risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a special consensus paper by editors of The American Journal of Cardiology and Journal of Peridontology in the July 1, 2009 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier.