http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Although chelation therapy with the drug disodium EDTA has been used for many years with limited evidence of efficacy for the treatment of coronary disease, a randomized trial that included patients with a prior heart attack found that use of a chelation regimen modestly reduced the risk of a composite of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, but the findings do not support the routine use of chelation therapy for treatment of patients who have had a heart attack, according to a study in the March 27 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-chelation-therapy-result-small-reduction.html Cardiology Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:00:01 EST news283522928 (HealthDay)—Does a common test of blood pressure in the ankle help gauge heart disease risk for adults without any symptoms? A new government-appointed panel says there's just not enough evidence to say yes or no on the issue at this time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-experts-ankle-blood-pressure-gauge.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:50:01 EST news282852255 (HealthDay)—The Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) has published "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" in vascular medicine, a list of five tests and procedures that are commonly used but can be unnecessary or even harmful. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-unnecessary-vascular.html Cardiology Tue, 26 Feb 2013 13:40:01 EST news281105052 Among patients with peripheral artery disease and intermittent claudication (pain in the calf that comes and goes, typically felt while walking), 24 weeks of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor ramipril was associated with improvement in pain-free and maximum walking times and the physical health aspect of quality of life, according to a study appearing in the February 6 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-ace-inhibitor-patients-peripheral-artery.html Cardiology Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:01:31 EST news279302473 Among nearly 45,000 men who were followed up for more than two decades, those with the risk factors of smoking, hypertension, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes had an associated greater risk of developing PAD, according to a study in the October 24/31 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-men-cardiovascular-factors-peripheral-artery.html Cardiology Tue, 23 Oct 2012 16:00:01 EST news270224699 The overall rate of death in patients hospitalized with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI; a certain pattern on an electrocardiogram following a heart attack) decreased from 1995 to 2010 in France, with possible factors associated with this decline including an increase in the proportion of STEMI patients who were women younger than age 60, and an increase in the use of reperfusion therapy and recommended therapeutic measures following a heart attack, according to a study being published online by JAMA. The study is being released early to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-factors-survival-heart-france.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 02:00:01 EST news265186863 (Medical Xpress)—The Lifestyle Modification Clinic at the University of Connecticut Health Center offers patients an alternative to the typical weight loss programs or fad diets. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-fad-diets-lifestyle-modification-clinic.html Health Fri, 24 Aug 2012 08:30:05 EST news265015147 (Medical Xpress) -- Depression was linked with an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a study of more than 1,000 men and women with heart disease conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-depression-linked-peripheral-artery-disease.html Cardiology Thu, 09 Aug 2012 08:53:00 EST news263721168 (HealthDay) -- For patients with diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), long-term limb salvage is favorable; however, long-term survival remains poor, particularly for those with peripheral artery disease (PAD) or chronic renal insufficiency, according to a study published online July 18 in Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-good-long-term-limb-salvage-diabetic.html Diabetes Sun, 29 Jul 2012 17:40:01 EST news262800461 Patients with blocked arteries to their extremities, known as peripheral artery disease (PAD) or critical limb ischemia (CLI), may now find relief from lower leg pain and wounds caused by impaired leg artery circulation with the previously unproven therapy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA). The XCELL trial results now available in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), reports that infrapopliteal nitinol stenting to treat CLI is safe and effective in improving wound healing, providing pain relief, and promoting amputation-free survival. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-angioplasty-procedure-blood-blocked-arteries.html Cardiology Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:58:16 EST news262353441 A new investigational platelet blocker reduces the rate of clotted arteries and the need for artery-opening revascularization procedures in the legs in people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to new research presented in the American Heart Association’s Emerging Science Series webinar. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-platelet-blocker-blood-clots-artery-opening.html Cardiology Thu, 21 Jun 2012 06:45:34 EST news259479926 The link between psoriasis and cardiovascular events has been observed for years, however the mechanics were unknown. For the first time, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine researchers have discovered preclinical evidence demonstrating that the inflammatory skin disease leads to cardiovascular disease. Further, the research demonstrated that aggressive reversal of psoriasis reduces the cardiovascular risk as well. Psoriasis is a chronic disease of the immune system that appears as raised, inflamed, scaly red patches of skin and is often associated with intense itch. In the United States, it affects between two and a half to six million patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-mechanistic-discovery-links-psoriasis-cardiovascular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 10 May 2012 13:02:55 EST news255873762 (HealthDay) -- People with peripheral artery disease have an increased short- and long-term risk of death after undergoing a procedure to open clogged heart arteries, a new study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-angioplasty-risky-poor-leg-circulation.html Cardiology Wed, 09 May 2012 19:10:01 EST news255805908 Research led by vascular surgeons at Dartmouth-Hitchcock may offer new hope to sufferers of peripheral artery disease, the cause of nearly 60,000 lower-limb amputations annually, through the use of a patient's own stem cells. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-peripheral-artery-disease.html Medical research Wed, 02 May 2012 12:30:03 EST news255176579 Depression may be associated with an increased risk of arterial narrowing in the legs and pelvis, a condition known as peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology 2012 Scientific Sessions in Chicago. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-depression-linked-greater-peripheral-artery.html Cardiology Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:14:56 EST news254135677 Autologous (self-donated) mononuclear cells derived from bone marrow (BMMNCs) have been found to significantly induce vascular growth when transplanted into patients with diabetes who are suffering from critical limb ischemia caused by peripheral artery disease (PAD), a complication of diabetes. The team of researchers in Seville, Spain who carried out the study published their results in a recent issue of Cell Transplantation (20:10), now freely available on-line. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-autologous-bone-marrow-derived-mononuclear-cell.html Medical research Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:14:02 EST news253973634 (HealthDay) -- New long-term research now suggests that fully biodegradable stents are safe to use in heart arteries. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-dissolvable-heart-artery-stents-safe.html Cardiology Mon, 16 Apr 2012 17:24:27 EST news253815859 An experimental blood thinning drug made by the pharmaceutical giant Merck may reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack but also boosts the danger of internal bleeding, researchers said Saturday. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-merck-blood-thinner-results.html Cardiology Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:12:54 EST news251835164 (HealthDay) -- Aspirin works as well as Plavix in patients with blocked leg arteries, a new European study finds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-aspirin-good-plavix-poor-leg.html Cardiology Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:10:01 EST news249151072 Women with peripheral artery disease, or PAD, are two to three times more likely to have a stroke or heart attack than those without it ― yet it's often unrecognized and untreated, especially in women, according to a new American Heart Association scientific statement. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-peripheral-artery-disease-undertreated-understudied.html Cardiology Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:00:05 EST news248543343 A research team led by UC Davis Health System scientists has developed a novel technique to enhance bone growth by using a molecule which, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body's stem cells to travel to the surface of bones. Once these cells are guided to the bone surface by this molecule, the stem cells differentiate into bone-forming cells and synthesize proteins to enhance bone growth. The study, which was published online today in Nature Medicine, used a mouse model of osteoporosis to demonstrate a unique treatment approach that increases bone density and prevents bone loss associated with aging and estrogen deficiency. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-method-stem-cells-bone-formation.html Medical research Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:55:56 EST news247744547 Supervised exercise was shown to be more effective than stenting or medication for improved walking ability in patients with peripheral artery disease. The findings from a national study were reported today at the 2011 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions meeting. Rhode Island Hospital is one of hospitals participating in the national CLEVER study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-stents-pad-patients.html Cardiology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:53:08 EST news240670377 Peripheral artery disease, or "PAD," is a common and dangerous condition that affects tens of millions of Americans -- often unknowingly -- and can restrict blood flow to the legs, kidneys or other vital organs. PAD, which remains underdiagnosed, is often a sign of a more widespread accumulation of fatty deposits in the heart, brain or legs and, if untreated, it is one of the most common causes of preventable heart attack, stroke, leg amputations and death. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-accfaha-guideline-peripheral-artery-disease.html Cardiology Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:33:07 EST news236525578 Since 2007 Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) has become an alternative treatment for elderly patients with severe aortic stenosis at high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement. At present, durability and hemodynamic performance of transcatheter aortic valves remain unclear. Our single center data of the German Heart Center in Munich demonstrates a sustained improvement of hemodynamic performance up to 3 years after CoreValve implantation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-hemodynamic-results-transcatheter-aortic-valve.html Cardiology Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:38:32 EST news233923080 Thrombotic (clotting) and bleeding events are complications that may occur after surgery. With the aging population in the western world, there are more patients undergoing orthopedic surgery than ever before. This makes understanding the risk of complications from orthopedic surgery exceedingly important. However, there is a lack of data investigating the incidence of thrombotic and bleeding complications in orthopedic surgery. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-patients-coronary-artery-disease.html Cardiology Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:21:59 EST news233922097 This is the result of a recent experimental study carried out at the University Hospital Freiburg in Germany and funded by the German Research Foundation. In an animal model of peripheral artery disease, blood flow to the lower leg was significantly improved after treatment with the so-called "antagomir"-inhibitor. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-inhibition-micrornas-growth-blood-vessels.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:42:38 EST news233836945 For cardiologists, coronary artery disease is the most important presentation of atherosclerosis. Patients with coronary artery disease may also have symptomatic or asymptomatic atherosclerosis in other vascular areas (peripheral artery disease). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-atherosclerosis-limited-heart.html Cardiology Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:11:25 EST news233831420 Millions of adults with peripheral artery disease are not receiving the medications needed to reduce their risk of heart attack, stroke and death, according to research in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-millions-peripheral-artery-disease-vital.html Cardiology Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:01:12 EST news227793503 Outcomes of bypass surgery to repair blocked arteries in the legs tend to be better in the roughly one-in-five people who have inherited a specific genetic variation from both parents, according to a study presented at the late-breaking clinical trials session of the Vascular Annual Meeting in Chicago on June 18, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-genetic-factor-linked-long-term-success.html Genetics Mon, 20 Jun 2011 09:44:26 EST news227781851 The first three patients to undergo an investigational surgical procedure for peripheral vascular disease that involves the patient's own stem cells continue to do well, reports the University of Louisville surgeon who is the principal investigator. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-university-louisville-surgeons-prosthetic-bypass.html Medical research Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:38:58 EST news227540311