According to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), adding vorapaxar, an investigational platelet blocker, to standard antiplatelet therapy significantly reduces the long-term risk of recurrent cardiovascular events beyond one year in patients with a history of a prior heart attack. Researchers also identify a low-bleeding risk group among whom the clinical benefit of vorapaxar was particularly favorable. This research is presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2012 and published simultaneously in the Lancet. For more than a million Americans ...

Munich, Germany – Healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables, proteins and non-saturated fats are consumed more often by the wealthy while poorer people consume more carbohydrates, concludes a new study involving people from 17 countries. Results from the Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology (PURE) study were reported here today by Professor Salim Yusuf of the Population Health Research Institute, McMaster University and Hamilton Health Sciences, in Hamilton, Canada and principal investigator of the study. The study, involving 154,000 individuals from 628 communities, ...

Munich, Germany – Data presented today from the prospective Determination of Fractional Flow Reserve by Anatomic Computed Tomographic Angiography (DeFACTO) study show that, when compared to standard coronary angiography (CT), the non-invasive assessment of fractional flow reserve by computed tomography (FFRct) provides a more accurate determination of which lesions require invasive evaluation.(1) The results of the study were presented by Dr James K. Min, director of Cardiac Imaging Research and co-director of Cardiac Imaging at the Department of Medicine, Imaging and ...

Munich, Germany – Preliminary results from the Aliskiren Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Using Cardio-Renal Endpoints (ALTITUDE) do not support administration of aliskiren on top of standard therapy with renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) blockade in type 2 diabetics at high risk of cardiovascular and renal events, according to Professor Hans-Henrik Parving from Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Presenting results from the study today, he said the treatment "may even be harmful". The ALTITUDE trial was stopped prematurely in December 2011 on recommendation ...

Munich, Germany – The first trial to study the effect of platelet inhibition in patients with acute coronary syndromes managed medically without revascularisation has found no significant difference between prasugrel and clopidogrel in the prevention of death, myocardial infarction or stroke. The findings, from the phase III Targeted Platelet Inhibition to Clarify the Optimal Strategy to Medically Manage Acute Coronary Syndromes (TRILOGY ACS) study, were presented today at a Hot Line session of ESC Congress 2012 in Munich. TRILOGY ACS was double-blind, randomised trial ...

Munich, Germany – The novel angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor, LCZ696, demonstrated beneficial effects in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to results of the PARAMOUNT (Prospective compArison of ARNI with ARB on Management Of heart failUre with preserved ejectioN fracTion) trial. Approximately half of all heart failure patients have normal or nearly normal ejection fraction, a measure of their strength of cardiac contraction. However, while many studies have shown a benefit of pharmacological therapies in heart failure ...

Munich, Germany – Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists should be considered as a treatment option in hypertensive patients with diastolic heart failure, said Professor Burkert Pieske presenting results today of the Aldosterone Receptor Blockade in Diastolic Heart Failure (Aldo-DHF) study at ESC Congress 2012. Behind his conclusion lay results showing that mineralocorticoid receptor blockade with spironolactone improves cardiac function and structure, reduces neuroendocrine activation, and effectively reduces blood pressure in a patient population with symptomatic predominantly ...

Munich, Germany – Obesity triggers atrial fibrillation in fertile women, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Deniz Karasoy from Denmark. Atrial fibrillation and obesity are among the largest public health related challenges in the western world today. Atrial fibrillation is the commonest heart rhythm disorder and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity. Previous studies have demonstrated that obesity increases the risk of new-onset atrial fibrillation in individuals with known risk factors for developing atrial fibrillation ...

Munich, Germany – Female gender increases the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) aged >75 years by 20%, according to a study presented today at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Anders Mikkelsen, from Denmark. The results suggest that female gender should not be included as an independent stroke/thromboembolism (TE) risk factor in guidelines or risk stratification schemes used in treatment of patients with atrial fibrillation. The increased risk of stroke and TE in patients with atrial fibrillation depends on additional risk ...

Munich, Germany – Women with acute heart failure have similar in-hospital mortality to men but are less treated in the real world, according to results from the global ALARM-HF registry presented today at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings were presented by Dr John T. Parissis from Greece. Acute heart failure (AHF) is a frequent clinical situation with high short- and long-term mortality as well as high hospitalization rates. The Acute Heart Failure Global Registry of Standard Treatment (ALARM-HF) is an in-hospital chart audit survey which includes patients hospitalized ...

Munich, Germany – Drug eluting stents (DES) are used less often in women treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary artery disease than men treated with PCI for the same condition, according to research presented today, August 25, at the ESC Congress 2012. The findings from a country-wide Germany registry were presented by Dr Martin Russ. Coronary artery disease is still a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Europe and worldwide. During treatment with PCI, cardiologists can use bare metal stents (BMS) or the newer DES. While they do not ...

"It is well known that passive smoking is harmful for cardiovascular health, but the mechanism has not yet been discovered," said Dr Kaya. "We investigated the effects of passive smoking on the levels of three parameters – mean platelet volume (MPV), carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and lactate - in an effort to further understand this mechanism. We also looked at the correlation between the three parameters." Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a well established indicator of platelet activation that is increased in acute thrombotic events. It is suspected that carbon monoxide (CO) ...

Munich, Germany – Spinal cord stimulation improves heart function and could become a novel treatment option for heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 25, by Professor Hung-Fat Tse from Hong Kong. Heart failure is a progressive weakening of the heart muscle. It is a chronic condition that occurs when the heart cannot pump blood to meet the body's needs. When heart failure is present, not enough blood is circulating, which may cause fatigue. Further, fluid accumulation in the abdomen and legs and congestion in the lungs is ...

Munich, Germany – Copeptin predicts prognosis in patients with heart failure, according to research presented at the ESC Congress today, August 25, by Professor Stefan Störk from Germany. Increased levels of copeptin were associated with increased frequencies of typical co-morbidities of heart failure, increased severity of heart failure, and increased risk of all-cause death. "Knowledge on the prognosis of patients with a chronic condition enables the physician to tailor the speed and intensity of treatment options to the individual patient," said Professor Störk. ...

Munich, Germany – People who have a cardiac arrest during or shortly after exercise are three times more likely to survive than those who have a cardiac arrest that is not exercise related, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 26. The findings from the Amsterdam Resuscitation Study (ARREST) were presented by Dr Arend Mosterd from the Netherlands. "Although physical activity is the best way to promote cardiovascular health, exercise can also trigger an acute cardiac event leading to death," said Dr Mosterd. "These dramatic and often high ...

Munich, Germany – A novel blood test that predicts sudden death risk in heart failure patients is set to help physicians decide which patients would benefit from implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). The findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2012 today, August 26, by Professor Samuel Dudley from Chicago, IL, US. Approximately 5 million patients in the US have heart failure, a condition where the heart is unable to pump blood adequately, and nearly 550,000 people are diagnosed annually. Heart failure is the single most common cause of admission to hospitals ...

Munich, Germany – Cardiovascular screening with ECG in young athletes is a cost effective way of diagnosing cardiac abnormalities, at just 138 Swiss Francs (about €115) per athlete. The findings were presented today, August 26, at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Andrea Menafoglio from Switzerland. Sport is beneficial for health in most people. But for the small minority of the population who has cardiovascular abnormalities, sport can cause harm and very rarely – in one to three per 100,000 athletes per year – it can lead to sudden cardiac death. "The cardiac arrest of ...

Munich, Germany – Electrical storm (ES) is a potent risk factor for mortality and morbidity, according to research presented today, August 26, at the ESC Congress 2012 by Dr Federico Guerra from Italy. Data was also presented on which patients are prone to developing ES and how effective current treatments are. Sustained ventricular arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia (VT) or ventricular fibrillation (VF), are often seen as serious and devastating events, given their ability to lead to cardiac arrest and death if not treated promptly. Dr Guerra said: "The cluster ...

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Kevin Speer has a "new paradigm" for describing how the world's oceans circulate — and with it he may help reshape science's understanding of the processes by which wind, water, sunlight and other factors interact and influence the planet's climate. A Florida State University professor of oceanography with a passion for teaching, Speer and a colleague recently published a significant paper in the respected journal Nature Geoscience. Working with John Marshall, an oceanography professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Speer reviewed ...

Scientists have known for decades that cancer cells use more glucose than healthy cells, feeding the growth of some types of tumors. Now, a team that includes researchers from the National Institutes of Health's new National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) has identified compounds that delay the formation of tumors in mice, by targeting a key enzyme that governs how cancer cells use glucose and its metabolites. The study, published August 26 in the advance online publication of Nature Chemical Biology, was led by researchers from the Koch Institute ...

New model of muscular dystrophy provides insight into disease development Muscular dystrophy is a complicated set of genetic diseases in which genetic mutations affect the various proteins that contribute to a complex that is required for a structural bridge between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides the physical and chemical environment required for their development and function. The affects of these genetic mutations in patients vary widely, even when the same gene is affected. In order to develop treatments for this disease, it is important ...

Muscular dystrophy is a complicated set of genetic diseases in which genetic mutations affect the various proteins that contribute to a complex that is required for a structural bridge between muscle cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides the physical and chemical environment required for their development and function. The affects of these genetic mutations in patients vary widely, even when the same gene is affected. In order to develop treatments for this disease, it is important to have an animal model that accurately reflects the course of the disease ...

Politics and genetics have traditionally been considered non-overlapping fields, but over the past decade it has become clear that genes can influence political behavior, according to a review published online August 27th in Trends in Genetics. This paradigm shift has led to novel insights into why people vary in their political preferences and could have important implications for public policy. "We're seeing an awakening in the social sciences, and the wall that divided politics and genetics is really starting to fall apart," says review author Peter Hatemi of the ...

Recent evidence and new treatments for colonic diverticulitis that may help clinicians manage and treat the disease are summarized in a review in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Diverticular disease, in which sac-like protrusions form in the wall of the colon, is common in developed countries, although it is increasing throughout the world, likely because of lifestyle changes. In people with the disease, about 25% will develop symptoms, which include abdominal pain and changed bowel habits, often leading to a diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. The widespread ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – A new study suggests that nicotinamide, more commonly known as vitamin B3, may be able to combat some of the antibiotic-resistance staph infections that are increasingly common around the world, have killed thousands and can pose a significant threat to public health. The research found that high doses of this vitamin increased by 1,000 times the ability of immune cells to kill staph bacteria. The work was done both in laboratory animals and with human blood. The findings were published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation by researchers ...