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Showing posts from May, 2019

Heart disease deaths are not increasing in Morecambe Bay

Hundreds of under-75s have died from stroke and heart disease in Morecambe Bay in recent years, new figures show. It comes after a British Heart Foundation report revealed deaths from cardiovascular diseases in the UK among under-75s have risen for the first time in more than 40 years. Public Health England data shows 363 people under the age of 75 in the NHS Morecambe Bay CCG area died from heart disease between 2015 and 2017, the latest period for which data is available. It means a death rate of 37 in every 100,000 for the area, which is a 19% reduction on the death rate in 2011-13. This is an improvement on the previous six-year period - when the mortality rate dropped by 15% - and bucks the national trend. Likewise, 141 people died from stroke in 2015-17 - a death rate of 14 in 100,000. This is an 11% drop from 2011-13, compared to -4% over the previous six years. The BHF also says historic reductions in mortality rates have “slowed to a near standstill”.

Cerebrovascular Disease: A Serious Complication After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

A study published in the  International Journal of Hematology  found that the incidence of cerebrovascular disease (CVD) was approximately 10 times higher in patients after  allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) compared with the general Taiwanese population. Moreover, CVD was associated with the number of high-dose cytarabine courses given. The researchers retrospectively evaluated clinical data from adult patients who underwent HSCT at an Asian tertiary medical center between January 2003 and December 2015. The study aimed to estimate CVD incidence, identify associated host-related and transplant procedure-related risk factors, and measure clinical outcomes (overall survival [OS] and disease-free survival [DFS]). Data from 459 adult allogeneic HSCT recipients were assessed. Of this patient cohort, 4.4% (20/459) developed post-transplant CVD, 2.4% (11/459) had intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and 2.2% (10/459) had cerebrovascular infarction. Median follow-up wa

Certain placental stem cells can regenerate heart after heart attack

Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have demonstrated that stem cells derived from the placenta known as Cdx2 cells can regenerate healthy heart cells after heart attacks in animal models. The findings, published in the May 20 issue of  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences  ( PNAS ), may represent a novel treatment for regenerating the heart and other organs. "Cdx2 cells have historically been thought to only generate the placenta in early embryonic development, but never before were shown to have the ability to regenerate other organs, which is why this is so exciting. These findings may also pave the way to regenerative therapy of other organs besides the heart," said principal investigator Hina Chaudhry, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Regenerative Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. "They almost seem like a super-charged population of stem cells, in that they can target the site of an injury and travel direct

Women with coronary artery wall thickness at risk for heart disease

OAK BROOK, Ill. - The thickness of the coronary artery wall as measured by MRI is an independent marker for heart disease in women, according to a study published in the journal  Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging . Previous research has found limitations in cardiovascular risk assessment for women. For instance, there is evidence that the commonly used Framingham Risk Score, which provides estimates of cardiovascular disease risk based on age, sex and other factors, underestimates the chance of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events in asymptomatic women. Imaging tools like coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) tend to be used in patients with symptoms or more advanced cardiovascular disease, but are not recommended for liberal use in risk assessment among the general population with no cardiac symptoms. Recently, cardiac MRI has emerged as a promising tool for early detection of coronary artery disease. MRI can detect thickening in the walls of the arteries, a c

Heart attacks: Having a cold or flu could put you at risk of having a heart attack

PEOPLE who have had a flu or pneumonia may be six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke in the days after an infection. Who is at risk and how can this be prevented? Heart  and circulatory diseases cause more than a quarter of all deaths in the UK which means 170,000 deaths each year. There are more than 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks which makes it one every five minutes. They worrying statistics are made worse by recent studies which suggest that respiratory infections are thought to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. In a study at the European Respiratory Society, funded by the the Academy of Medical Sciences, found that several different organisms that cause respiratory infections also increase heart attack and strokes. In a  study  at the European Respiratory Society, funded by the the Academy of Medical Sciences, found that several different organisms that cause respiratory infections also increase heart attack a

Heart attack: Single injection may drastically reduce risk of life-threatening condition

HEART ATTACK risk could be reduced with a single injection, according to new research. Scientists are in the process of creating the “holy grail” of gene therapy to reduce the risk of the deadly condition Heart attacks  can occur as a result of coronary heart disease. This condition develops when the arteries become narrowed, due to poor lifestyle choices such as a high fat diet and smoking, leading to less blood and oxygen entering the heart muscle. Coronary artery heart disease is the second most common cause of death in the UK with an estimated 900,000 people currently living with heart failure or damage. Heart attacks remain the leading cause of death in the  U.S.  More Details(References Link ) https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1125802/heart-attack-prevent-reduce-risk-new-gene-therapy-injection

Medical breakthrough raises hopes for heart attack patients

In brief British Heart Foundation hails the development as a major advance Researchers hope a treatment for humans could be available in five to ten years Thousands of lives a year could be saved in the UK after a ‘Holy Grail’ medical breakthrough raised hopes of an effective treatment for heart attack patients within five years. Heart attacks inflict major damage on the cardiac muscle which cannot be repaired, leaving a permanent scar that often leads to  heart failure  and death. Scientists have spent years testing out different ways to mend the damage through heart cell transplants, with little success. Now, researchers have developed a new technique that shows huge promise in regenerating the crucial cardiac muscle cells that are destroyed during a heart attack – largely healing debilitating scars. Research findings welcomed“We are really very excited. For the first time we have repaired heart damage in a large animal,” said lead researcher Professor Mauro Giacca, o

Arsenic in drinking water may change heart structure: Study

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Drinking water contaminated with arsenic may lead to thickening of the heart’s main pumping chamber in young adults, increasing the risk for future heart problems, a study warns. People are most frequently exposed to arsenic, a toxic metalloid, through drinking water in areas where groundwater is contaminated. “People drinking water from private wells, which are not regulated, need to be aware that arsenic may increase the risk for cardiovascular disease,” said Gernot Pichler from Hospital Hietzing/Heart Center Clinic Floridsdorf in Austria. “Testing those wells is a critical first step to take action and prevent exposure,” said Pichler, lead author of the study published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. Several studies have shown that arsenic exposure raises the risk of heart disease and its risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes. This is the first study to review the question in young American Indians in Oklahoma, Arizona and N

A Viagra-like medication could turn around heart failure

New research in sheep shows that a drug that doctors usually prescribe for the treatment of erectile dysfunction can also treat heart failure. In people with  heart failure , the heart muscle becomes unable to pump out blood efficiently, meaning that some organs may not receive the amount of oxygen that they need to function properly. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that 5.7 million adults in the United States have heart failure and that approximately half of the people with this condition die within about 5 years of receiving their diagnosis. Moreover, research that  Cardiac Failure Review  published in 2017 argued that there is a "global pandemic" of heart failure, with this condition affecting an estimated 26 million people worldwide. Such numbers suggest that finding new ways to treat heart failure is a priority for specialists who study this condition. Recently, Prof. Andrew Trafford led a team of researchers from the University of Man

Blood test may predict cardiovascular disease# Explore the possibilities towards better Cardiac Health at Tokyo

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New research suggests that a simple blood test, which doctors currently use to diagnose heart attacks, may be useful in predicting the risk of cardiovascular disease. New research suggests a simple blood test could accurately predict who will go on to develop cardiovascular disease. According to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association (AHA), almost half of the people living in the United States have some form of cardiovascular disease. In fact, according to 2016 figures,  121.5 million U.S. adults, or 48 percent of the entire population, have cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is a cluster of conditions that includes  hypertension . Doctors often call hypertension the "silent killer" because it does not show any visible symptoms until it is too late. The same AHA report predicts that by 2035, over 130 million adults will have a form of CVD that could bring costs in the U.S. to 1.1 trillion dollars. Currently,  heart disease  is the t