Rehab associated with reduced risk of death in women with CAD

Despite lifesaving benefits, fewer women than men get cardiac rehab

2013-03-07

(Press-News.org) SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013) —Women with coronary artery disease who completed a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program were two-thirds less likely to die compared to those who were not referred to the program. In addition, the mortality benefit derived from this evidence-based program appears to be much more striking in women than men with the same condition, yet referrals and attendance among women fall short, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session.

"Cardiac rehabilitation can be a lifesaver, especially for women with coronary artery disease, but many aren't being referred, and even when they are, they are less likely to attend," said Jillian Colbert, MD, cardiology fellow in training at the University of Calgary, and the study's lead investigator, who said the results validate the results of earlier smaller studies. "With such a substantial mortality benefit, we are hoping these findings will prompt health care providers to refer women more and that more women will ask about these programs."

In this study, only one in three women was referred to cardiac rehab. Of those, only half actually attended. Compared to men, women had lower rates of referral (31.1 vs. 42.2 percent of men; p END

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Land-use zoning may be able to reduce crime in urban areas, study finds

2013-03-07

Using zoning laws to shape the type of development and activity that occur in a neighborhood may be one way to reduce crime in urban areas, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Studying high-crime areas in the city of Los Angeles, researchers found that city blocks that included both residential and commercial zoning purposes experienced less crime than nearby blocks zoned primarily for commercial purposes. Crime was lowest in blocks zoned for residential-only uses, even in relatively high crime neighborhoods. The study found that single-use commercially zoned ...

Military caregivers aid injured warriors, but little is known about their needs, study finds

2013-03-07

Spouses, family members and others who provide informal care to U.S. military members after they return home from conflict often toil long hours with little support, putting them at risk for physical, emotional and financial harm, according to a new RAND Corporation report. Researchers estimate there are between 275,000 and 1 million women and men who are providing care or have provided care for military members or veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan. Caregivers include spouses, children and parents of military members and veterans. Despite the serious challenges ...

Comparing combination therapies for advanced head and neck cancer shows no improvement

2013-03-07

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is a potentially curable disease in nearly every patient at the time of diagnosis, yet despite the most aggressive efforts, up to 30-50 percent of patients may ultimately succumb to the disease. For diseases where outcomes are so uncertain, medical science frequently addresses the need by intensifying therapy. In the case of head and neck cancer, one of the great questions of the current day is whether or not addition of multiple drugs to radiation therapy is superior to the current standard ...

Scientists uncover source of ovarian stem-like cells prone to give rise to ovarian cancer

2013-03-07

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – In collaboration with colleagues at Cornell University, a team of cancer researchers at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has discovered cells with stem-cell properties in the ovary that can mutate to form tumors. The team demonstrated that when two important tumor suppressor genes are inactivated, a previously unknown subset of ovarian stem-like epithelial cells undergoes cancerous transformation. The findings, published today in the journal Nature, have important implications for our knowledge about ovarian cancer. "Sources of cells that ...

Program that pays for weight loss seems to pay off

2013-03-07

SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013) — Modest financial incentives offered over an extended period of time were significantly more likely to encourage sustained participation in a weight-loss program and long-term maintenance of weight loss than an identical program that did not offer financial rewards, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. One hundred healthy adult employees or dependents aged 18-63 years with a body mass index between 30 to 39.9 kg/m2 were each assigned to one of four weight loss groups: ...

Age matters in weight gain: Overweight at young age takes toll

2013-03-07

SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013) — Being overweight, especially from a young age, appears to lead to a bigger heart later in life, a condition that has been linked to serious heart problems and even death, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. Results of this longitudinal study found that people who carry excess weight over their lifetime are much more likely to have increases in left ventricular mass and relative wall thickness — both strong and independent predictors of cardiovascular morbidity and ...

Embolization procedure lowers levels of 'hunger hormone,' leads to weight loss

2013-03-07

SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013) — Suppressing a hunger-stimulating hormone with a minimally invasive procedure was safe in humans and led to significant weight loss for at least six months in a small preliminary study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, conditions that total more than $147 billion in medical costs each year. Excess weight also increases the risk for other conditions, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. "Weight ...

Cholesterol levels rise, fall with changing seasons

2013-03-07

SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013) — Cholesterol levels seem to fluctuate significantly with the turning seasons, which may leave some people with borderline high cholesterol at greater cardiovascular risk during the winter months, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. While prior studies have shown that heart attacks and heart-related deaths increase during the winter months, researchers in Brazil were interested in finding out whether the prevalence of high cholesterol—a well-known cardiovascular risk ...

Better living through mindfulness

2013-03-07

A new study from the University of Utah shows that individuals who describe themselves as being more mindful have more stable emotions and perceive themselves to have better control over their mood and behavior throughout the day. Higher mindful people also describe less cognitive and physiological activation before bedtime, suggesting that greater emotional stability during the day might even translate into better sleep. The study results will be presented later this month at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society. Prior studies of mindfulness—paying ...

Higher heart attack rates continue 6 years after Katrina

2013-03-07

SAN FRANCISCO (March 7, 2013)—New Orleans residents continue to face a three-fold increased risk of heart attack post-Katrina—a trend that has remained unchanged since the storm hit in 2005, according to research being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 62nd Annual Scientific Session. The new data—an update to previous analyses comparing the behavioral and heart health of people before and after the storm—show this heightened risk persists even though post-Katrina patients are more likely to be prescribed medications known to prevent heart attacks such ...

Tufts University School of Medicine, ATI Physical Therapy launch first-of-its-kind collaboration to make physical therapy education and career advancement more accessible and affordable

Rehab associated with reduced risk of death in women with CAD

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: