http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Elderly mice suffering from age-related heart disease saw a significant improvement in cardiac function after being treated with the FDA-approved drug rapamycin for just three months. The research, led by a team of scientists at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, shows how rapamycin impacts mammalian tissues, providing functional insights and possible benefits for a drug that has been shown to extend the lifespan of mice as much as 14 percent. There are implications for human health in the research appearing online in Aging Cell: heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S., claiming nearly 600,000 lives per year. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-lifespan-extending-drug-late-life-reverses.html Medical research Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:32:40 EST news290089954 Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a deterioration in cardiac function that occurs in pregnant women during the last month or in the months following their pregnancy. This disorder can occur in women with no prior history of heart disease and the causes are not well understood. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-potential-biomarker-pregnancy-associated-heart-disease.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:00:01 EST news286022761 Long-term use of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) does not appear to be associated with impaired heart function in children and adolescents in a study that sought to determine the cardiac effects of prolonged exposure to HAART on children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), according to a report published Online First by JAMA Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-highly-antiretroviral-therapies-cardioprotective-hiv-infected.html Pediatrics Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:00:02 EST news285854971 (HealthDay)—There was no effect of intensive versus conventional insulin therapy during the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) on cardiac parameters as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in the Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) cohort (follow-up to the DCCT), but prior glycemic exposure had an impact on cardiac parameters, according to research published online March 21 in Diabetes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-cardiac-function-unaffected-prior-intensive.html Diabetes Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:59:21 EST news284990356 Groundbreaking new insights on the differences in cardiovascular pathophysiology between women and men will be presented by Marianne Legato, MD, a globally recognized expert in gender specific medicine, and consultant to the Women's Heart Foundation in her keynote address at the 98th Annual American Medical Women's Association (AMWA) Conference in New York City, on March 15-17, 2013. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-sex-differences-composition-heart-unique.html Cardiology Fri, 15 Mar 2013 16:16:07 EST news282582958 When a research team from Denmark and Sweden compared the therapeutic capabilities of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) versus bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) obtained from a single 84 year-old male donor with ischemic coronary disease to regeneratively treat myocardial infarction in a rat model, they found that the ASCs preserved more cardiac function in the test rats while neither stem cell type induced myocardial angiogenesis (blood vessel growth.) http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-stem-cell-source-important-factor.html Medical research Wed, 13 Feb 2013 17:01:59 EST news279997302 Patients who experience chest pain in the 24 hours preceding a heart attack, also called preinfarction angina, have smaller heart attacks and improved cardiac function in the contemporary cardiac stenting era, researchers found in a study published Jan. 22 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-chest-pain-prior-heart.html Cardiology Tue, 05 Feb 2013 09:36:55 EST news279279409 Global platelet reactivity is more effective than responsiveness to clopidogrel in identifying acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients at high risk of ischemic events, according to research presented at ESC Congress 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-global-platelet-reactivity-high-acs.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:30:03 EST news265371036 Recommendations for the practical management of CRT patients have been set out for the first time in an international consensus statement on cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in heart failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-crt-consensus-standardize-patients-worldwide.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Aug 2012 08:10:12 EST news265360204 The percutaneous catheter-based treatment of mitral regurgitation with the MitraClip system improves symptoms and cardiac function at one-year, according to results of a prospective observational study presented here today at ESC Congress 2012. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-effect-mitraclip-therapy-mitral-regurgitation.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 12:50:01 EST news265287693 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. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-mechanistic-effects-spironalactone-diastolic-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:06:05 EST news265284358 A promising new drug target for the treatment and prevention of heart failure has been discovered by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, NY, US. The study was presented at the ESC Congress 2012 by principal investigator Professor Roger J. Hajjar, MD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-drug-treatment-heart-failure.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:00:02 EST news265280484 Smoking is the most preventable risk factor for cardiac and lung disease and is expected to cause 1 billion deaths during the 21st century. Electronic cigarettes have been marketed in recent years as a safer habit for smokers, with several millions of people already using them worldwide. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-electronic-cigarettes-heart.html Addiction Sun, 26 Aug 2012 14:24:12 EST news265209831 For years, scientists have been looking for a good source of heart cells that can be used to study cardiac function in the lab, or perhaps even to replace diseased or damaged tissue in heart disease patients. To do this, many are looking to stem cells. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham), the Human BioMolecular Research Institute, and ChemRegen, Inc. have been searching for molecules that convert stem cells to heart cells for about eight years—and now they've found one. Writing in the August 3 issue of Cell Stem Cell, the team describes how they sifted through a large collection of drug-like chemicals and uncovered ITD-1, a molecule that can be used to generate unlimited numbers of new heart cells from stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-broken-heart-molecule-stem.html Medical research Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:00:07 EST news263126329 Rapamycin, an immunosuppressant drug used in a variety of disease indications and under study in aging research labs around the world, improved function and extended survival in mice suffering from a genetic mutation which leads to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and rare muscular dystrophies in humans. There are currently no effective treatment for the diseases, which include Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy and Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy. The familial form of DCM often leads to sudden heart failure and death when those affected reach their 40's and 50's. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-rapamycin-effective-mouse-inherited-heart.html Medical research Wed, 25 Jul 2012 14:00:02 EST news262439397 A development in 4D image reconstruction compensates for blurring caused by the beating of the heart, say researchers at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 59th Annual Meeting. The new method provides sharper-than-ever images of cardiac function to help pinpoint heart defects for better diagnoses and treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-hearts-4d-pet-image-reconstruction.html Medical research Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:00:01 EST news258639340 Obese adolescents with no symptoms of heart disease already have heart damage, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-obese-adolescents-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 21 May 2012 04:10:01 EST news256791572 (HealthDay) -- Cells that normally form scar tissue after a heart attack can be reprogrammed into functional heart cells in mice, according to an experimental study published online April 18 in Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-fibroblasts-reprogrammed-functioning-heart-cells.html Medical research Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:40:02 EST news254374839 A UCSF stem cell study conducted in mice suggests a novel strategy for treating damaged cardiac tissue in patients following a heart attack. The approach potentially could improve cardiac function, minimize scar size, lead to the development of new blood vessels – and avoid the risk of tissue rejection. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-stem-cell-mice-heart-patients.html Cardiology Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:10:01 EST news248538702 The heart relies heavily on oxidation of fatty acids for energy production. However, excess storage of fatty acids as triglycerides, within heart muscle cells, frequently observed in patients with obesity and diabetes, is often associated with cardiac dysfunction. The question remained: was this cause and effect? Now a team of investigators shows that baseline heart function "showed moderate, but significant improvement" in mouse models that overproduce an enzyme that breaks down these triglycerides, says principal investigator Jason Dyck, of the University of Alberta, Edmonton. The research is published in the February Molecular and Cellular Biology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-breakdown-triglycerides-heart-muscle-boosts.html Cardiology Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:59:17 EST news248540347 The chemokine CXCL12 acts as a chemical signal which mobilizes hematopoietic and other types of stem cells to leave the bone marrow and enter the circulation. Secretion of CXCL12 also guides these cells to sites at which the perfusion of tissue is sub-optimal due to localized obstruction of blood flow. These capabilities have made CXCL12 and its cognate receptor CXCR4 interesting candidates for therapies aimed at mitigating the effects of damage to the heart caused by myocardial infarction. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-perilous-ambivalent-role-cxcl12-cxcr4.html Cardiology Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:29:47 EST news241867778 A low-calorie diet eliminates insulin dependence and leads to improved heart function in obese patients with type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-restricted-calorie-diet-heart-function.html Cardiology Mon, 28 Nov 2011 01:04:21 EST news241664402 NIH-funded trial shows that therapy with bone-marrow derived cells does not improve heart function after six months; future clinical benefits still possible. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-stem-cell-therapy-heart-safe.html Cardiology Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:26:22 EST news240485170 Cellular reversion processes arise in diseases of the heart muscle, for example myocardial infarction and cardiomyopathy, which limit the fatal consequences for the organ. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim and the Schüchtermann Klinik in Bad Rothenfelde have identified a protein which fulfils a central task in this reversion process by stimulating the regression of individual heart muscle cells into their precursor cells. It is now planned to improve the self-healing powers of the heart with the help of this protein. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-diseased-hearts-future.html Medical research Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:58:02 EST news240235070 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have identified a new drug target that may treat and/or prevent heart failure. The team evaluated failing human and pig hearts and discovered that SUMO1, a so-called "chaperone" protein that regulates the activity of key transporter genes, was decreased in failing hearts. When the researchers injected SUMO1 into these hearts via gene therapy, cardiac function was significantly improved. This research indicates that SUMO1 may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of heart failure. The data are published online in Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-heart-failure.html Cardiology Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:00:10 EST news234618984 A follow-up of participants in a heart function study finds that the prevalence of left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (left ventricular filling [with blood] is abnormal and is accompanied by elevated filling pressures) had increased; that diastolic function had worsened in a nearly a quarter of patients; and that participants who had diastolic dysfunction were more likely to develop heart failure, according to a study in the August 24/31 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-diastolic-dysfunction-worsen-heart-failure.html Cardiology Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:54:35 EST news233337266 A new drug which offers a radically different approach to treating certain types of heart failure has been shown to improve cardiac function in heart failure patients in its first clinical trials. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-faster-longer-drug-heart.html Cardiology Fri, 19 Aug 2011 03:49:03 EST news232944529 Recent studies have shown that the heart contains cardiac stem cells that can contribute to regeneration and healing during disease and aging. However, little is known about the molecules and pathways that regulate these cells. Now, a new study utilizing a heart failure model is providing insight into one way to coax the cardiac stem cells into repairing the damaged heart. The research, published by Cell Press in the August 2011 issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell, finds that low doses of erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone best known for controlling the production of red blood cells, might reduce the risk of heart failure associated with some anticancer therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-hormone-heart-failure-chemotherapy.html Medical research Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:10:05 EST news231680062 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found in a Phase II trial that a gene therapy developed at Mount Sinai stabilized or improved cardiac function in people with severe heart failure. Patients receiving a high dose of the therapy, called SERCA2a, experienced substantial clinical benefit and significantly reduced cardiovascular hospitalizations, addressing a critical unmet need in this population. The data are published online in the June 27 issue of the American Heart Association journal Circulation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-gene-therapy-heart-failure.html Cardiology Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:27:34 EST news228497233 Contrary to what we've been told, eliminating or severely limiting fats from the diet may not be beneficial to cardiac function in patients suffering from heart failure, a study at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-hearts-fueled-fats.html Cardiology Wed, 04 May 2011 12:48:41 EST news223732100