“In our study we focused on the coronary disease pattern underlying coronary artery disease and found that, for left main coronary artery disease, 49 percent of the phenotypic variation that is due to genetic effects was inherited. This substantial heritability is even higher than that for coronary artery disease or myocardial infarction in general.”

Why is this important? It can provide for more intensive screening and treatment strategies for patients that have known heart disease clumped in their family. It really does offer some very important clinical implications. Let’s hope we can pinpoint even more aspects of left sided heart disease. Think of the good that would come out of that!

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Left Main Coronary Heart Disease Is Proven To Be Inherited

… Discovered surprising responses of the heart to mock cardiac surgery in a mouse model. When the heart was stopped and restarted — mimicking the conditions used in most heart bypass surgery — scientists found hearts with coronary disease from genetically modified mice were more resistant to damage than hearts without coronary disease.

So what do you think? Have you ever heard of this before? The research team detailed their findings in the October issue of the journal of Critical Care Medicine.

via Science Daily/United Press International

Post from: Blisstree

Confirmed Heart Protection Mechanism Among Cardiac Patients

Lead author Dr. Jose A. Suaya, of Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., found that women participated less in cardiac rehabilitation than did men, older people less than younger people and non-whites significantly less than whites.

Cardiac rehabilitation consists of monitored exercise protocols as well as lifestyle and nutritional education.   It wouldn’t be offered if it didn’t prove to be a positive experience in ones treatment.  So get your butt going!  Go on, don’t be scared.

via Science Daily 

Post from: Blisstree

Cardiac Rehabilitation Not Being Taken Advantage Of Consistantly

Researchers at Barts and the London Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry found that screening was most effective if done between the ages of 1 and 9. They said the screening at this age detected 88 percent of affected individuals.

Once an “affected” child is identified, the parents would then be screened. This could ultimately help in the medical prevention and treatment of the child and the adult. Killing 2 birds with 1 stone! I am all for it.

There is blood work done routinely in children of this age anyway, might as well add a cholesterol panel to the blood work as well! Doesn’t hurt anything. What do you think? Would you screen your child for cholesterol?

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Screen Your Toddler For Cholesterol- “Dr’s Orders”

Researchers at University of Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found that women with a family history of heart disease were less likely than men to change habits such as smoking and infrequent physical activity. In fact, they were more likely to engage in lifestyle choices that increase their risk of heart disease than are women who didn’t report a history of heart disease.

Seriously speaking, we need to be smarter than that. If you know what a risk factor is, which I know most of us do, then why not do all that you can to change the situation? Us women need to stick together and support and encourage each other. Find a buddy to walk and diet with or ask your partner to help you make lifestyle changes so you will be here to enjoy life together. Yeah, it sound kind of serious when I put it like that huh?

What do you do to help yourself stay on track? Do you find it difficult or is it a piece of cake? I know that personally, I need a kick in the ol’ butt every once in a while.

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Women Are Less Likely To Make Lifestyle Changes That Favor The Heart

Twice as many women as men ages 45 to 64 have undetected or “silent” myocardial infarctions, suggesting a general diagnosis problem; however, Warwick University Medical School researchers say doctor’s gender may hinder early diagnosis of heart disease in women.

This is sort of interesting. The doctors gender affects the diagnosis of heart disease. And which sex had the “quicker hand” to diagnosing coronary disease? If you guessed the female physicians then you are correct, but only towards males. The female doctors showed a clear bias in favor of male patients when considering age as a diagnostic factor, opposed to their male counterparts.

So I guess this would mean on the other hand if you have a female doctor and you are a women, then you have more of a chance of having a “silent” heart attack or undiagnosed heart disease? The study was indeed very small, only 100 or so clinicians. I will be interested to see if they do a larger study on this since there are so many women in medicine currently. I will keep my eye out.

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Doctor’s Gender Affects Diagnosis Of Heart Disease

The pump is implanted into the patient’s body and pumps blood from the weakened left ventricle to the rest of the body at the same rate as a healthy heart. In addition to helping 75 percent of patients stay alive for at least six months, or until a donor heart becomes available, the device assists patients’ original hearts regain function, thereby allowing other organs to heal by restoring blood flow.

The device is about the size of a “D” sized battery which will allow it to help patients both big and small and male and female. Pretty cool!

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Heart Failure Pump Developed

Implanting human embryonic stem cells in rats four days after they had heart attacks repaired heart muscles and improved heart function, researchers from the University of Washington and the biotechnology company Geron report in an article appearing Monday in the journal Nature Biotechnology.

Previous attempts to “heal” with stem cells in a cardiac fashion have failed secondary to the limited success of deriving heart cells from the stem cells, as well as their failure to thrive. Imagine what could happen to the stem cell market if these same results can be found in humans. Wow!

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

Heart Cells Rebuilt Using Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Cardiac disease is the leading cause of death in the “Western world”. And with heart disease being so prevalent, too many patients deal with cardiac fibrosis on a daily basis.

The National Institutes of Health and the Novartis Corp. have funded an animal study that may lead to a possible treatment…

The animal study, led by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, demonstrates a bone morphogenic molecule known as rhBMP7 can reverse the cardiac fibrosis process, offering the possibility of a therapeutic target for the debilitating condition.

via Science daily

Post from: Blisstree

A New Treatment On The Horizon For Cardiac Fibrosis

New research has been done to study how aggressive physicians should be with cholesterol lowering drugs among their elder population. We all know that when you are 35 with high lipids, you are put on high doses of lipid lowering meds, but now so will your older hyperlipidemia buddies!

The study, funded by drug manufacturer Pfizer, is said to be the first to compare the effects of 80 mg versus 10 mg doses of the same statin formulation, Lipitor, in older patients. Earlier data show the minimum dosage 10 mg can reduce LDL levels 30 percent to 40 percent, while the maximum dosage 80 mg can lower LDL levels by 50 percent.

50% is pretty darn substantial, don’t you think? Are you on cholesterol medication? What is it and how is it dosed? You might have something new to discuss at your next doctors appointment. Glad to be of service. Do me a favor, don’t tell your doctor my name, haha.

For all my US readers, have a splendid 4th of July! God Bless America!

via Science Daily

Post from: Blisstree

High Doses of Cholesterol Medication Plays A Huge Part In The Elder Population