http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The Journal of the American Heart Association published the conclusive results from a study directed by Dr. Éric Thorin of the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI), which suggests for the first time that a blood protein contributes to the early development of atherosclerosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-early-biomarker-atherosclerosis.html Cardiology Tue, 14 May 2013 03:19:10 EST news287720328 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 (Medical Xpress)—An antidepressant drug used since the 1960s may also hold promise for treating sickle cell disease, according to a surprising new finding made in mice and human red blood cells by a team from the University of Michigan Medical School. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-antidepressant-sickle-cell-disease.html Medical research Tue, 19 Feb 2013 14:40:01 EST news280506114 Researchers at the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center (PARCC) have shown how adhesion of Neisseria (N.) meningitidis to human microvessels in a humanized mouse model leads to the characteristic cutaneous lesions of meningococcal sepsis. This work, published on January 24 in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens, is an important demonstration of the direct role of adhesion, specifically Type IV pili mediated adhesion, plays in the development of the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-pathogenic-bacteria-adhering-human-vascular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 Jan 2013 17:00:11 EST news278265511 A federally funded study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center has found that children with mild to moderate kidney disease have abnormally thick neck arteries, a condition known as carotid atherosclerosis, usually seen in older adults with a long history of elevated cholesterol and untreated hypertension. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-abnormal-carotid-arteries-children-kidney.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:39:17 EST news267359950 An analysis of the relationship between several vascular function measures and blood pressure levels finds that certain measures including higher aortic stiffness were associated with a higher risk of new hypertension; however, initial blood pressure was not independently associated with risk of progressive aortic stiffening, suggesting that vascular stiffness may be a precursor rather than the result of hypertension, according to a study in the September 5 issue of JAMA. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-stiffening-aortic-wall-linked-high.html Cardiology Tue, 04 Sep 2012 16:00:10 EST news265964540 A study comparing whether endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFCs) derived from human placenta or those derived from human umbilical cord blood are more proliferative and better for forming new blood vessels has found that ECFCs derived from human placenta are more vasculogenic. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-blood-vessel-potential-stem-cells.html Medical research Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:20:07 EST news261937162 People with mild vascular disease that causes damage to the retina in the eye are more likely to have problems with thinking and memory skills because they may also have vascular disease in the brain, according to a study published in the March 14, 2012, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-eye-health-brain.html Neuroscience Wed, 14 Mar 2012 16:00:02 EST news250952963 The sex hormone oestrogen could help protect women from cardiovascular disease by keeping the body's immune system in check, new research from Queen Mary, University of London has revealed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-estrogen-women-cardiovascular-disease.html Cardiology Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EST news232302641