Cardiovascular
The Lead
Inflammation: From Mummies to Melanoma
March 21, 2013 1:46 pm | by Cynthia Fox | Articles | Comments
Inflammation is stirring up headlines again. Anti-inflammatory aspirin prevented thousands more cancers. The anti-inflammatory “miracle molecule” resveratrol came back. Psychologists report inflammation is stoked by even minor tensions. And archaeologists say all this knowledge is long overdue, as even Egyptian mummies have clogged arteries. We have been plagued by inflammation since the time of the Pharaohs.
Stem Cells Entering Heart can be Tracked with Nano-‘Hitchhikers’
March 21, 2013 10:58 am | News | Comments
The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine—infusing stem cells into...
Stem Cells Entering Heart can be Tracked with Nano-‘Hitchhikers’
March 21, 2013 10:58 am | News | Comments
The promise of repairing damaged hearts through regenerative medicine—infusing stem cells into...
Compound Developed by Scientists Protects Heart Cells During and After Attack
February 7, 2013 11:30 am | News | Comments
Using two different compounds they developed, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps...
A New Way to Open Clogged Arteries
May 21, 2013 11:03 am | News | CommentsOver the past few decades, scientists have developed many devices that can reopen clogged arteries, including angioplasty balloons and metallic stents. While generally effective, each of these treatments has drawbacks, including the risk of side effects.
Auto Emissions Transform Cholesterol
May 17, 2013 11:44 am | News | CommentsAcademic researchers have found that breathing motor vehicle emissions triggers a change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, altering its cardiovascular protective qualities so that it actually contributes to clogged arteries.
Study Suggest New Roles for ECMO
May 17, 2013 10:48 am | News | CommentsExtracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a procedure traditionally used during cardiac surgeries and in the ICU that functions as an artificial replacement for a patient's heart and lungs, has also been used to resuscitate cardiac arrest victims in Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
Spontaneous Mutations Crucial in Congenital Heart Disease
May 13, 2013 12:48 pm | News | CommentsEvery year, thousands of babies are born with severely malformed hearts, disorders known collectively as congenital heart disease. Many of these defects can be repaired though surgery, but researchers don’t understand what causes them or how to prevent them. New research shows that about 10 percent of these defects are caused by genetic mutations that are absent in the parents of affected children.
Protein Reverses Age-related Heart Failure
May 10, 2013 10:53 am | News | CommentsResearchers have identified a protein in the blood of mice and humans that may prove to be the first effective treatment for the form of age-related heart failure that affects millions of Americans. When the protein was injected into old mice, the hearts were reduced in size and thickness, resembling the healthy hearts of younger mice.
3-D Living Patch Built for Damaged Hearts
May 6, 2013 4:01 pm | News | CommentsBiomedical engineers have grown three-dimensional human heart muscle that acts just like natural tissue. This advancement could be important in treating heart attack patients or in serving as a platform for testing new heart disease medicines.
Study Evaluates Nanomaterial Toxicity
May 6, 2013 9:52 am | News | CommentsFor the first time, researchers from institutions around the country have conducted an identical series of toxicology tests evaluating lung-related health impacts associated with widely used engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). The study provides comparable health risk data from multiple labs, which should help regulators develop policies to protect workers and consumers who come into contact with ENMs.
Heart, Blood, Skeletal Muscle Can Share Genetic Origin
May 6, 2013 9:37 am | News | CommentsNew research out of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota shows that by turning on just a single gene, Mesp1, different cell types including the heart, blood and muscle can be created from stem cells. Stem cell researchers have been trying to generate different cell types for regenerative medicine for years. The gene Mesp1 was particularly interesting to cardiac researchers.
Stem Cells, Heart Cells Communicate without Touching
May 3, 2013 10:16 am | News | CommentsStem cells drawn from amniotic fluid show promise for tissue engineering, but it’s important to know what they can and cannot do. A new study has shown that these stem cells can communicate with mature heart cells and form electrical couplings with each other similar to those found in heart tissue.
'Transcription' Gene Influences Blood Vessel Formation
April 30, 2013 10:42 am | News | CommentsResearchers have discovered that disrupting a gene that acts as a regulatory switch to turn on other genes can keep blood vessels from forming and developing properly. Further study of this gene– a “transcription factor” called CASZ1– may uncover a regulatory network that influences the development of cardiovascular disease.
FDA 'Concerned' About Added Caffeine
April 30, 2013 3:12 am | by MARY CLARE JALONICK - Associated Press - Associated Press | News | CommentsLooking for a new way to get that jolt of caffeine energy? Food companies are betting snacks like potato chips, jelly beans and gum with a caffeinated kick could be just the answer. The Food and Drug Administration is closely watching the marketing of these foods and wants to know more about their safety.
Missing Parkinson’s Link Found
April 26, 2013 9:32 am | News | CommentsResearchers have described a missing link in understanding how damage to the body’s cellular power plants leads to Parkinson’s disease and, perhaps surprisingly, to some forms of heart failure. These cellular power plants are called mitochondria.
Air Pollution a Possible Link to Hardened Arteries
April 25, 2013 10:53 am | News | CommentsLong-term exposure to air pollution may be linked to heart attacks and strokes by speeding up atherosclerosis, or "hardening of the arteries," according to new research. The study that found that higher concentrations of fine particulate air pollution were linked to a faster thickening of the inner two layers of the common carotid artery.
Implanted ‘Bracelet’ Treats Chronic Heartburn
April 11, 2013 10:31 am | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsA tiny magnetic bracelet implanted at the base of the throat is greatly improving life for some people with chronic heartburn who get limited relief from medicines. It's a novel way to treat severe acid reflux, which plagues millions of Americans and can raise their risk for more serious health problems.
Heart Repair Breakthroughs Replace Surgeon’s Knife
March 24, 2013 11:36 am | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsHave a heart problem? If it’s fixable, there’s a good chance it can be done without surgery, using tiny tools and devices that are pushed through tubes into blood vessels.
Radiation for Breast Cancer Can Harm Hearts
March 13, 2013 5:24 pm | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsWomen treated with radiation for breast cancer are more likely to develop heart problems later, even with the lower doses used today, troubling new research suggests. The risk comes from any amount of radiation, starts five years after treatment and lasts for decades, doctors found.
FDA Adds Heart Risk Warning to Zithromax
March 12, 2013 5:27 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe Food and Drug Administration is warning doctors and patients that a widely used antibiotic from Pfizer can cause rare but deadly heart rhythms in some patients. The agency said Tuesday that it is adding new warnings to the label of Zithromax, which is commonly used to treat bronchitis, pneumonia and other infections.
Irregular Heartbeat Symptoms, Care Differ by Gender
March 12, 2013 10:20 am | News | CommentsWomen with atrial fibrilation have more symptoms and lower quality of life than men with the same heart condition, according to an analysis of patients in a large national registry.
DNA Strand Length Can Predict Patient Life Expectancy
March 11, 2013 10:17 am | News | CommentsCan the length of strands of DNA in patients with heart disease predict their life expectancy? Researchers who studied the DNA of more that 3,500 patients with heart disease, say yes it can.
Even Ancient Mummies Had Clogged Arteries
March 10, 2013 8:50 pm | by MARIA CHENG - AP Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsEven without modern-day temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies searching for the condition. Researchers say that suggests heart disease may be more a natural part of human aging rather than being directly tied to contemporary risk factors like smoking, eating fatty foods, and not exercising.
Yeast Holds Potential for New Drugs
February 26, 2013 9:37 am | News | CommentsWhile studying a mutant strain of yeast, researchers may have found a new target for drugs to combat cholesterol and fungal diseases.
Tweaking Gene Expression to Repair Lungs
February 26, 2013 9:31 am | News | CommentsPrevious studies found that smokers with COPD had the most significant decrease in one of the enzymes controlling chemical modifications to DNA, called HDAC2. Now, researchers showed that development of progenitor cells in the lung is specifically regulated by the combined function of two highly related HDACs, HDAC/1 and /2.
Mediterranean-style diets found to cut heart risks
February 25, 2013 6:36 am | by MARILYNN MARCHIONE - AP Chief Medical Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsPour on the olive oil, preferably over fish and vegetables: One of the longest and most scientific tests of a Mediterranean diet suggests this style of eating can cut the chance of suffering heart-related problems, especially strokes, in older people at high risk of them.
Growth Factor Can Improve Damaged Lungs
February 19, 2013 11:09 am | News | CommentsIn a study of mice, researchers have identified a new molecular pathway involved in the growth of tiny air sacs called alveoli that are crucial for breathing. The experiments may lead to the first successful treatments to regrow the air sacs in people who suffer from diseases such as emphysema, in which the air sacs have been destroyed by years of smoking.
Customized Graft Improves Aneurysm Treatment
February 19, 2013 11:04 am | News | CommentsAn abdominal aortic aneurysm- a bulge in the large artery that carries blood away from the heart- can be immediately life-threatening if it grows large enough to rupture. The chance of survival when it ruptures is less than 10 percent. Many people who find out they have that risk are able to have a minimally invasive repair. But up to 30 percent instead face a major open surgery with a long recovery because of the location of the aneurysm. Now, a new graft customized to their individual anatomy allows them, too, to have a quick recovery.
