heart disease
The first genetic link in the evolution of the heart from three-chambered to four-chambered has been found, illuminating part of the puzzle of how birds and mammals became warm-blooded.
Frogs have a three-chambered heart. It consists of two atria and one ventricle.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (GICD) have traced the evolution of the four-chambered human heart to a common genetic factor linked to the development of hearts in turtles and other reptiles.
The research, published in the September 3 issue of the journal Nature, shows how a specific protein that turns on genes is involved in heart formation in turtle
Body mass index (BMI) readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from UCLA endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70.
Patients who had a cardiac resynchronization device combined with a defibrillator (CRT-D) implanted had a 34 percent reduction in their risk of death or heart failure when compared to patients receiving only an implanted cardiac defibrillator (ICD), according to a landmark study published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented today at the European Society of C
Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of a myriad of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes, among many others. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been challenging.
Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: The KYOTO HEART Study, which took place in Japan between January 2004 and January 2009, shows that the addition of valsartan to conventional antihypertensive treatment to improve blood pressure control is associated with an improved cardiovascular outcome in Japanese hypertensive patients at high risk of CVD events.
Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: Asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic cardiac patients randomised to an implanted cardiac resynchronisation device with defibrillator (CRT-D) have a 34% lower risk of heart failure or death than those receiving a standard implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD-only) (HR 0.66, p=0.001), according to results from the MADIT-CRT (Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Im
New Haven, Conn. -- Exposure to carbon monoxide, even at levels well below national limits, is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization for the elderly with heart problems, according to a study published today in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Barcelona, Spain, 30 August: A recently completed analysis of over one million hospital cases in Sweden during the period 1988 to 2004 has revealed that heart failure, relative to most common forms of cancer specific to men and women, represents a major health burden in respect to the risk of being hospitalised for the first time, poor overall survival and the number of premature life-years los
Barcelona, Spain, 30 August: "Today, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents an effective therapeutic alternative to conventional aortic valve replacement for patients who are at high risk or with contraindications to surgery, and the combination of the transfemoral and transapical approaches further increases the number of patients who can be treated" said Prof Dominique HIMB
Barcelona, Spain, 30 August: At present almost every month there are papers reporting the discovery of new genetic variants that affect the risk of coronary artery disease and heart attacks. This is a truly exciting time for both researchers and clinicians interested in understanding the genetic basis of heart disease.
Barcelona, Spain, 31 August: New 2009 Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary hypertension are made public today. The Guidelines have been jointly produced by a Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Respiratory Society (ERS); the Task Force also included experts from the International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT).
Barcelona, Spain, 30 August: A landmark international study led by McMaster University researchers found high doses of the blood thinner clopidogrel (Plavix) significantly reduce complications in heart patients undergoing angioplasty to clear blocked arteries.
Barcelona, Spain, 31 August: Cardiac events are the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery, and new guidelines issued today by the European Society of Cardiology address this common and complicated challenge.
Feelings of hopelessness appear to be associated with increased thickening of neck arteries in healthy, middle-aged women, while apathy among stroke survivors appears common and may impede recovery, according to two unrelated studies reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.
