Fitness :: Brits keep fit to look good, not reduce cancer risk
UK men and women say reducing their risk of cancer is last on a list of reasons to exercise, according to a national survey by Cancer Research UK and Cannons.
Heart
Healthcare :: Increase in prescription drug cost sharing associated with lower rates of drug treatment, adherence
A review of previous studies indicates that an increase in prescription drug cost sharing is associated with a decrease in drug spending and use of pharmacies; and for some chronic conditions, higher cost sharing is associated with greater use of expensive medical services, according to an article in the July 4 issue of JAMA.
Pregnancy :: Studies show antidepressants not linked to birth defects
Two research studies published today in The New England Journal of Medicine found taking SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), anti-depression drugs, during pregnancy did not significantly increase the overall risk for most birth defects. However, each study found that taking SSRIs during pregnancy was associated with a small increase in the risk of certain rare birth defects ? but they were different birth defects.
Hypertension :: New approach to pulmonary hypertension shows promise
Researchers at the University of Alberta have identified a “central command system” for pulmonary hypertension, a disease that currently has no cure and kills thousands each year.
Imaging :: UT study reveals inaccuracies in cardiac PET-CT imaging, finds fixes
Current PET-CT scanners with standard commercial software designed to provide images of the heart are falsely indicating coronary artery disease in as many as 40 percent of patients, according to a study published today on the cover page of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
Liver :: Cardiac surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis
A new study on the outcome of cardiac surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis found that the surgery can safely be performed in patients with milder disease, while those with more severe cirrhosis are less likely to survive.
Heart Disease :: Faulty cell membrane repair causes heart disease
During vigorous exercise, heart muscle cells take a beating. In fact, some of those cells rupture, and if not for a repair process capable of resealing cell membranes, those cells would die and cause heart damage (cardiomyopathy).
Heart :: Calcium handling and cardiac arrhythmias, how the beat goes on
In the normal heart, the cycling of intracellular calcium in cardiac muscle cells is critical to the heart?s mechanical contraction and relaxation. Mutations in calcium-handling proteins in the heart have been linked to exercise-induced sudden cardiac death.
Heart :: Mending a broken heart – Dysferlin repairs cardiac cell rupture
Kevin Campell and fellow University of Iowa researchers have shown that a protein known as dysferlin plays a critical role in repairing the plasma membranes of cardiac muscle cells that are torn as a result of strain-induced injury.
Heart Attack :: Blood protein offers clues to heart attack in seemingly healthy people
We?ve all wondered how a seemingly healthy person can actually be at high risk for heart disease or a heart attack. Now researchers have uncovered a new clue to this mystery. The culprit: myeloperoxidase (MPO), a protein secreted by white blood cells that both signals inflammation and releases a bleach-like substance that damages the cardiovascular system.