Heart Disease :: New heart attack treatment unveiled
Doctors in the UK are to treat heart attack patients with stem cells taken from their own bone marrow in a pioneering attempt to prevent death and suffering.
Heart attack
Health :: Key to zebrafish heart regeneration uncovered
When a portion of a zebrafish’s heart is removed, the dynamic interplay between a mass of stem cells that forms in the wound and the protective cell layer that covers the wound spurs the regeneration of functional new heart tissue, Duke University Medical Center scientists have found.
Health :: How fish mend a broken heart
New evidence to explain how a common tropical fish mends a broken heart may suggest methods for coaxing the damaged hearts of mammals to better heal, researchers report. The researchers found that the hearts of zebrafish harbor progenitor cells that spring into action to restore wounded heart muscle. Cells from a membrane layer that surrounds the heart, called the epicardium, follow suit, invading the wounded cardiac tissue and stimulating the growth of new blood vessels.
Menopause :: Pituitary hormone in menopause under study
An interdisciplinary research team led by Dr. Joe Cannon (third from right) will examine the effects of follicle stimulating hormone on white blood cells. Future studies may lead to alternatives… Click here for more information. Regulating a hormone abundant in women approaching menopause could offer alternatives for hormone replacement therapy, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Vitamin :: Omega-3 fatty acids – Are the benefits just a fish tale?
The heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids — found in salmon, tuna and other cold-water fish — have long been touted. But according to the November issue of Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource, new research indicates that omega-3 fats might not be as beneficial as previously believed.
Breast Implants :: Stem cells from fat for breast reconstruction
Breast cancer survivors might one day avoid the prospect of invasive breast reconstruction surgery, opting instead for an approach that would involve using stem cells derived from their own fat, suggest University of Pittsburgh researchers who are studying the potential these cells may have for regenerating new breast tissue.
Heart Disease :: Two drinks daily help men avoid heart attack
Even healthy men may benefit from a drink or two daily to help lower the risk of heart attack, that can be like other lifestyle interventions such as regular physical activity, weight loss and quitting smoking.
Heart Disease :: Painkillers, ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart attacks
A class of painkillers which includes ibuprofen can increase the risk of heart attacks if taken over long periods. The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) has written to every doctor in the UK warning them that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) – which are routinely taken by arthritis and back pain sufferers – “may be associated with a small risk of heart attack or stroke” when used for long-term treatment.
Heart Disease :: GlaxoSmithKline’s COREG, carvedilol phosphate for cardiovascular conditions
GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) and Flamel Technologies (NASDAQ:FLML) announced FDA approval of once-a-day Coreg CR (carvedilol phosphate) extended-release capsules, for the treatment of three cardiovascular conditions: 1. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension. 2. A heart attack that has reduced how well the heart pumps (known medically as post-myocardial infarction left ventricular dysfunction). 3. Mild to severe heart failure.
Stroke :: Surgery Better Than Stents
Surgery outperformed the use of stents in a French trial of patients who had warning symptoms of stroke because of blockage of the carotid arteries, the main blood vessels to the brain. Indeed, the trial was cut short “for reasons of both safety and futility,” said a report in the Oct. 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The incidence of stroke or death in the 30 days and six months after a procedure was about twice as high for patients given a stent, a tube-like device to keep an artery open, than for those who had the surgery called endarterectomy.