http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have shown that using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure blood flow over atherosclerotic plaques could help identify plaques at risk for thrombosis. The findings, which appear in the March issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, offer a non-invasive application in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with atherosclerosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-mri-blood-atherosclerotic-plaque-dangerous.html Cardiology Fri, 05 Apr 2013 13:15:07 EST news284386406 (Medical Xpress)—New research by Yale University scientists sets the stage for improved management of acute tissue inflammation related to wounds and chronic inflammatory diseases by advancing current understanding of inflammatory processes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-inflammation-white-blood-cell-key.html Inflammatory disorders Thu, 28 Mar 2013 07:30:02 EST news283674268 Research paves the way for new approaches in the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, a progressive lung disease that can lead to heart failure within three years. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-breathtaking-treatments-fatal-lung-disease.html Medical research Mon, 11 Mar 2013 10:05:45 EST news282215135 LMU researchers led by Christian Weber have, for the first time, elucidated how cells that promote the development of atherosclerosis find their way to the blood vessel wall, where they stimulate the formation of obstructive deposits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-monocyte-migrations.html Medical research Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:50:01 EST news280495879 For women with aneurysms involving the brain blood vessels, pregnancy and delivery don't appear to increase the risk of aneurysm rupture, reports a paper in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-brain-aneurysm-rupture-pregnancy-delivery.html Neuroscience Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:57:30 EST news279464235 With a desire to inhibit metastasis, Cornell biomedical engineers have found the natural switch between the body's inflammatory response and how malignant breast cancer cells use the bloodstream to spread. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bioengineers-natural-breast-cancer-cells.html Cancer Wed, 23 Jan 2013 17:29:53 EST news278184587 A new technology called the Pipeline embolization device (PED) shows encouraging results in patients with certain types of difficult-to-treat brain aneurysms, reports the December issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-pipeline-device-option-difficult-to-treat-aneurysms.html Surgery Mon, 03 Dec 2012 12:48:20 EST news273761284 (Medical Xpress)—A Yale-led team of researchers has uncovered a genetic malfunction that may lead to hardening of the arteries and other forms of cardiovascular disease. The study appears in the journal Cell Reports. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-loss-gene-trigger-cardiovascular-disease.html Medical research Fri, 30 Nov 2012 08:02:31 EST news273484929 Blood vessels are extremely dynamic: depending on the external conditions, they can adapt their permeability for nutrients, their contractility, and even their shape. Unlike cardiac muscle cells, for example, the smooth muscle cells in blood vessels demonstrate a high degree of plasticity, so they can specialise or multiply as required, even repairing damage to the vessel wall. This vascular remodelling is evidently precisely regulated. Disruptions are extremely significant in conditions such as atherosclerosis or high blood pressure. At the Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, scientists conducting research on genetically modified mice have discovered how external signals regulate vascular remodelling at cell level. This has created an entirely new understanding of regulation, which could pave the way for new approaches in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-proteins-remodelling-blood-vessels.html Medical research Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:24:58 EST news272035465 Using new computer models of blood flow in the vicinity of cerebral aneurysms (dilated sections of blood vessels in the brain), it is now possible to calculate every detail of the patient-specific situation. This has resulted in powerful new techniques for predicting a further weakening or even rupture of the blood vessel's wall, and for effective intervention. Julia Mikhal was awarded a PhD on this topic by the University of Twente. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-aneurysms-patient-specific-valuable-asset-medical.html Medical research Fri, 02 Nov 2012 08:14:53 EST news271062876 Adolescent smokers have thicker artery walls indicative of early development of atherosclerosis, according to research presented today at the ESC Congress. The findings from the Sapaldia Youth Study were presented by Dr Julia Dratva from Switzerland. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-adolescent-smokers-artery.html Cardiology Mon, 27 Aug 2012 09:57:29 EST news265280241 Cancer metastasis, the escape and spread of primary tumor cells, is a common cause of cancer-related deaths. But metastasis remains poorly understood. Studies indicate that when a primary tumor breaks through a blood vessel wall, blood's "stickiness" tears off tumor cells the way a piece of tape tears wrapping paper. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-metastasis.html Cancer Fri, 24 Aug 2012 10:40:01 EST news265021775 (HealthDay) -- If you've ever been booted out of bed because of your icy feet, new research may help explain your plight. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-medical-mystery-cold-feet.html Medical research Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:20:01 EST news264427933 Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered that a naturally occurring molecule may play a role in preventing plaque buildup inside arteries, possibly leading to new plaque-fighting drugs and improved screening of patients at risk of developing atherosclerosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-molecule-atherosclerosis.html Cardiology Wed, 11 Jul 2012 13:12:06 EST news261231103 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a novel biomimetic strategy that delivers life-saving nanotherapeutics directly to obstructed blood vessels, dissolving blood clots before they cause serious damage or even death. This new approach enables thrombus dissolution while using only a fraction of the drug dose normally required, thereby minimizing bleeding side effects that currently limit widespread use of clot-busting drugs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-nanotherapeutic-clot-busting-drugs-obstructed-blood.html Medical research Thu, 05 Jul 2012 14:00:04 EST news260713194 Like detectives seeking footprints and other clues on a television "whodunit," science can also benefit from analyzing the tracks of important players in the body's molecular landscape. Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology, has done just that and illuminated a key step in the journey of inflammation-producing immune cells. The finding provides powerful, previously unknown information about critical biological mechanisms underlying heart disease and many other disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-key-immune-system-fueled-inflammation.html Immunology Sun, 01 Jul 2012 13:00:21 EST news260357364 Acute inflammatory diseases, such as sepsis, as well as chronic inflammatory diseases like diabetes and arthritis, develop as a result of sustained inflammation of the blood vessel wall. Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have discovered that a microRNA (small, non-coding RNA molecule) called miR-181b can reduce the inflammatory response that is responsible for such diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-boost-microrna-sepsis-inflammatory-diseases.html Inflammatory disorders Thu, 24 May 2012 12:01:08 EST news257076641 Researchers at UC have confirmed that fat surrounding the outside of arteries in humans—particularly the left coronary artery—may influence the onset of coronary artery disease, or atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-fat-arteries-onset-coronary-artery.html Cardiology Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:53:16 EST news254141588 (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 Researchers have identified an elusive gene responsible for Thrombocytopenia with Absent Radii (TAR), a rare inherited blood and skeletal disorder. As a result, this research is now being transformed into a medical test that allows prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling in affected families. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-scientists-elusive-platelet-limb-gene.html Genetics Sun, 26 Feb 2012 13:00:20 EST news249482330 Researchers have combined bioactive peptides to successfully stimulate wound healing. The in vitro and in vivo study, published today in PLoS ONE, demonstrates that the combination of two peptides stimulates the growth of blood vessels and promotes re-growth of tissue. Further development of these peptides could lead to a new treatment for chronic and acute wounds. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-bioactive-peptides-wound-vivo.html Medical research Fri, 24 Feb 2012 09:55:53 EST news249299746 A clinical trial of patients with diabetes has demonstrated that cryoplasty post-dilitation compared to conventional balloon angioplasty in the superficial femoral artery (SFA) decreased the risk of in-stent restenosis (ISR). Results from the COBRA clinical trial were presented today at the 23rd Annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-results-cobra-trial-tct.html Cardiology Fri, 11 Nov 2011 18:54:27 EST news240260061 Implanted stents can reopen obstructed arteries, but regrowth of cells into the vessel wall can entail restenosis. Research at LMU now shows that an antimicrobial peptide inhibits restenosis and promotes vascular healing. Thus, coating stents with this peptide could increase their clinical efficacy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-effective-lifetime-stents.html Medical research Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:24:00 EST news237119008 A Franco-British team of researchers has discovered a mysterious gene responsible for the extremely rare congenital Grey Platelet Syndrome that causes a bleeding disease. Only 50 cases have been reported to date. The team hopes that the results of their study will lead to the development of a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) test able to diagnose the disease. The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-scientists-elusive-gene-responsible-rare.html Genetics Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:02:59 EST news233316167 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 Researchers have identified an elusive gene responsible for Gray Platelet Syndrome, an extremely rare blood disorder in which only about 50 known cases have been reported. As a result, it is hoped that future cases will be easier to diagnose with a DNA test. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-anglo-french-team-elusive-gene-platelets.html Genetics Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:05:37 EST news230817906 A one-dose method for delivering gene therapy into an arterial wall effectively protects the artery from developing atherosclerosis despite ongoing high blood cholesterol. The promising results, published July 19 in the journal Molecular Therapy, came from research in rabbits. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-gene-therapy-blood-vessel-wall.html Medical research Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:23:38 EST news230307799 In Western societies, atherosclerosis of the arteries is one of the leading causes of death. Chronic, localized inflammation of the blood vessel wall facilitates the growth of fibrous plaques, which leads to narrowing or occlusion of the vessel, and thereby promotes heart attacks and stroke. The persistence of the inflammatory reaction is due to a loss of control over the activity of the immune system. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-fast-track-vascular-disease.html Medical research Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:59:16 EST news226317515 Patients who undergo a procedure to unblock a coronary artery are more likely to survive longer if they participate in structured follow-up care, according to research in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-follow-up-boosts-survival-odds-angioplasty.html Cardiology Mon, 16 May 2011 17:30:01 EST news224784256 If pending clinical trials prove successful, a new discovery published in The FASEB Journal could represent a major scientific leap toward human tissue regeneration and engineering. In a research report appearing online, Yale scientists provide evidence to support a major paradigm shift in this specialty area from the idea that cells added to a graft before implantation are the building blocks of tissue, to a new belief that engineered tissue constructs can actually induce or augment the body's own reparative mechanisms, including complex tissue regeneration. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-scientists-method-human-tissue-regeneration.html Medical research Thu, 12 May 2011 16:32:51 EST news224436750