American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session tip sheet for March 16, 2015
2015-03-16
(Press-News.org) The studies below will be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session on Monday, March 16.
1. New Insights on Endurance Sports and Atrial Fibrillation
Previous studies have suggested endurance athletes may face a slightly higher risk of developing atrial fibrillation, a condition in which the heartbeat becomes irregular or rapid. A new study shows that among runners, the total number of years a person has been running is the factor most closely associated with atrial fibrillation risk, as compared to other measures of running behavior such as running frequency, intensity or distance. The study is based on responses from more than 2,800 runners to an online questionnaire designed by cardiologists at Lehigh Valley Health Network. Although it remains clear that physical activity, including running, is beneficial for heart health, the findings suggest physicians should consider atrial fibrillation risk when assessing older patients with a history of endurance sports, said Sanjeev Nair, M.D., a cardiology fellow at Lehigh Valley Health Network and the study's lead author. He added that a long-term study assessing atrial fibrillation risk factors in runners versus non-runners would help to clarify the potential role of endurance running in atrial fibrillation development.
Nair will present the study, "Are Years of Training an Independent Predictor of Atrial Fibrillation in Older Runners?" on Monday, March 16 at 8 a.m. PT/11 a.m. ET/3 p.m. UTC in Room 3.
2. Educating Children About Heart Disease Prevention May Reduce Parents' Risk
A new study suggests that school-aged children who participate in educational programs about heart health may be bringing good lessons home. Researchers performed a prospective community-based study in the city of São Paulo, Brazil that randomized 265 students, ages 6 to 10 years-old, to two different educational approaches. The control group (128 children) received written educational materials for their parents that included information about nutrition, exercise and smoking cessation. The intervention group (137 children) received the same materials in addition to a weekly one-hour educational program taught by a multidisciplinary team of nurses, nutritionists, physical educators and teachers who used educational games, plays, cooking classes and seminars to teach heart disease prevention.
At the start of the study, researchers collected health data from 416 parents, including their weight, height and blood pressure, and calculated their Framingham Cardiovascular Risk score--the risk of developing heart disease within 10 years. Roughly one out of three parents who were deemed to be at intermediate or high risk at the beginning of the study improved such that they were considered at low cardiovascular risk after their children participated in the multidisciplinary program for one year. No risk reduction was observed in the control group.
Luciana Fornari, M.D., Ph.D., University São Paulo, Brazil, and lead study author said when it comes to developing healthy habits, we typically think of parents as having the most influence on their children. However, she said these findings suggest that children who learn how to lead healthier lives through a variety of school-based programs may actually influence their parents' heart health more so than conventional strategies.
Fornari will present the study, "Children First Study II: How an Educational Program in Cardiovascular Prevention at Public Schools Can Improve Parents' Cardiovascular Risk," on Monday, March 16 at 10:45 a.m. PT/1:45 p.m. ET/5:45 p.m. UTC in Room 6B.
INFORMATION:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-03-16
To pack two meters of DNA into a microscopic cell, the string of genetic information must be wound extremely carefully into chromosomes. Surprisingly the DNA's sequence causes it to be coiled and uncoiled much like a yoyo, scientists reported in Cell.
"We discovered this interesting physics of DNA that its sequence determines the flexibility and thus the stability of the DNA package inside the cell," said Gutgsell Professor of Physics Taekjip Ha, who is a member of the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois. "This is actually very elementary ...
2015-03-16
Mayo Clinic research finds direct evidence of gadolinium deposition in neuronal tissues following intravenous administration of gadolinium-based contrast agents used in MRI exams. The findings were recently published online in the journal Radiology.
In this study, Mayo Clinic identified patients who donated their body to medical research and had undergone multiple gadolinium contrast-enhanced MRI exams during their lifetime. Brain tissue samples from these patients were then compared to donors who had never received a gadolinium contrast agent. The patients exposed to ...
2015-03-16
DURHAM, N.C. -- The warm soft folds of the intestines are teeming with thousands of species of bacteria. Collectively known as the gut microbiome, these microbes help break down food, synthesize vitamins, regulate weight and resist infection.
If they're so key to health, what factors shape an individual's gut microbial makeup?
Previous studies have pointed to the food we eat, the drugs we take, genetics, even our house dust. Now, a new study in baboons suggests that relationships may play a role, too.
The researchers studied social interactions, eating habits and ...
2015-03-16
The global human population is growing faster than the water supply. Investigators recently analyzed various models and trends to assess both optimistic and pessimistic projections of future water use and shortages.
"Historically, water supply has grown through alternating periods of rapid growth and stagnation, and we now seem to be entering a new period of stagnation while the population continues to grow," said Dr. Anthony Parolari, lead author of the WIREs Water article. "To avoid water scarcity from this point forward, the alternatives include further water supply ...
2015-03-16
Human babies appear to need more of a nutritional boost from breast-milk proteins than do infants of one of their closest primate relatives, suggests a study comparing human milk with the milk of rhesus macaque monkeys.
The research team, led by the University of California, Davis, came to this conclusion after developing a new technique for comparing the proteome -- all detectable proteins -- of human milk with the proteome of the rhesus macaque monkey.
The researchers expect the findings will provide a better understanding of human breast-milk composition and identify ...
2015-03-16
A new study highlights the complicated spillover effects of incarceration on the quality of relationships.
Although paternal incarceration in the past 2 years was mostly inconsequential for fathers' reports of relationship quality, mothers connected to these recently incarcerated men reported lower overall relationship quality, lower supportiveness, and greater physical abuse. Surprisingly, current paternal incarceration was positively associated with some indicators of relationship quality.
"The fact that current and recent paternal incarceration have countervailing ...
2015-03-16
MAYWOOD, Ill. (March 16, 20125) - Minimally invasive surgery can prevent a fatal rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm.
And now a new study has found the procedure can extend lives even in patients who are at high risk for surgery due to such risk factors such as advanced age, diabetes, smoking and kidney disease.
However, not all high-risk patients - especially those undergoing cancer treatment -- benefit, the study found. The decision on whether to perform the procedure "should be individualized, depending on the number and severity of risk factors," reported corresponding ...
2015-03-16
Improving the efficiency by which crops use water is a critical priority for regions facing increased drought or diminished groundwater resources. Now researchers have found that this can be achieved by genetically altering plants' stomata, the tiny openings on the leaf surface through which carbon dioxide is absorbed and water evaporates.
"We now have genetic tools to pre-adapt crops to future, drier climates. The goal here is to maintain or improve productivity with less water," said Dr. Peter Franks, lead author of the New Phytologist study.
INFORMATION: ...
2015-03-16
EVANSTON, Ill. --- A Northwestern University-led study in the emerging field of nanocytology could one day help men make better decisions about whether or not to undergo aggressive prostate cancer treatments.
Technology developed by Northwestern University researchers may help solve that quandary by allowing physicians to identify which nascent cancers are likely to escalate into potentially life-threatening malignancies and which ones will remain "indolent," or non-aggressive.
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was once the recommended screening tool for detecting ...
2015-03-16
A new study led by Elizabeth Archie, Clare Boothe Luce Asistant Professor of Biology at the University of Notre Dame, has found that social interactions have direct effects on the gut microbiome.
Archie points out that most, if not all, animals have a gut microbiome -- an incredibly diverse "rainforest" of bacteria that lives in the intestine and helps animals digest food, make vitamins and fight disease.
The new study revealed that baboons that had closer social bonds had more similar gut bacteria than animals with weaker social ties.
"In the last few years, scientists ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] American College of Cardiology's 64th Annual Scientific Session tip sheet for March 16, 2015
