Latest heart attacks Stories
Genome-wide study into new gene functions in the formation of platelets In a study into the genetics of blood cell formation, researchers have identified 68 regions of the genome that affect the size and number of platelets. Platelets are small cells that circulate in the blood and are key to the processes of blood clotting and wound healing. In this genome-wide study, the team used a multidisciplinary approach to successfully identify new genetic variants involved in the formation of...
Taking aspirin to ward off strokes or heart attacks is not worth the risk for healthy, middle-aged women, according to a new Dutch study published in the European Heart Journal. The researchers said that 50 women would need to take the medication for 10 years for just one to be helped - assuming they were all at high risk in the first place. "There are very few women who actually benefit," said the study’s lead author, Dr. Jannick Dorresteijn of University Medical Center Utrecht in...
Million Hearts' goal to prevent a million heart attacks and strokes in five years ATLANTA, Oct. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In the time needed to read out loud the headline on this story, someone has died from a stroke. Every 6 seconds, someone in the world dies from stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in support of World Stroke Day, Oct. 29, 2011, asks Americans to take immediate action to reduce their risk for stroke. Stroke is one of the leading causes of...
Research which claims to show that the introduction of patient choice in the NHS reduced deaths from heart attacks is flawed and misleading, according to a report published in The Lancet today (Monday). The original study was used by the Government to advance its controversial Health and Social Care Bill 2011 and was the basis for the Prime Minister's statement that 'competition is one way we can make things work better for patients'. In today's report, academics - led by Professor...
Plaque disruption is origin of less common type of myocardial infarction in women without significant obstructive coronary artery disease Researchers at the Cardiac & Vascular Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a hidden culprit in the battle against women's heart disease. Plaque disruption, a rupture or ulceration of cholesterol plaque in a coronary artery, has been discovered as the mechanism behind myocardial infarction (heart attack) in some women without...
An international consortium of scientists reports the discovery of five new genes that affect the risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD) and heart attacks in a study to be published in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics on September 22nd. Coronary artery disease is the most common cause of premature death and disability in the world and has a strong but incompletely characterised genetic contribution. The identification of the roles of various genes in the onset of heart...
Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine researchers are reporting a possible new blood test to help diagnose heart attacks. In the Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, researchers report that a large protein known as cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) is released to the blood following a heart attack. "This potentially could become the basis for a new test, used in conjunction with other blood tests, to help diagnose heart attacks," said senior author...
A UCSF study holds clues to why an emerging clinical trials option for heart attack patients has not been as successful as anticipated. Treatment of human hearts with bone marrow cells has led to limited to no success in improving their heart function even though a similar method has been much more effective in rodents. Scientists didn’t have a plausible research-based answer until now, according to the UCSF researchers. In a paper published this month in the scientific journal Science...
Prevention of heart attacks when statins are taken concomitantly remains unclear Elevated blood cholesterol levels are regarded as a risk factor for heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases. However, this does not necessarily mean that every cholesterol-lowering drug can also prevent heart attacks. For example, the benefit of the cholesterol-lowering drug ezetimibe is unclear. In particular, proof is lacking that patients have a greater benefit if they take ezetimibe in addition to...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched its “Million Hearts” initiative on Tuesday, a program that seeks to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes over the next five years by improving aspirin use, blood pressure, cholesterol control and preventing tobacco use. The department said the program is focused on two main objectives: empowering people to make healthy lifestyle choices and improving care for those that need treatment. Lifestyle choices such as...
