Copyright 2012 Medical News TodayLatest Health News and Medical News posted throughout the day, every day.http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/cardiovascular/admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin)editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors)en-us Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241529.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241529.php A recent study, published just in time for Valentine's Day, states that dark chocolate is the "heart-healthy" way to go, not only on Valentine's day, but all year long. Dr...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241399.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241399.phpAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects 5-9% of youth and is frequently treated with stimulant medications, such as methylphenidate and amphetamine products. A recent safety communication from the US Food and Drug Administration advised that all patients undergoing ADHD treatment be monitored for changes in heart rate or blood pressure...ADHD Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241527.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241527.phpBlood pressure is primarily produced when the heart muscle contracts - it is the pressure of blood upon the walls of the blood vessels. There are two recordings, a high one (systolic) and a lower one (diastolic). The systolic pressure is measured when the heart contracts, while the diastolic one is gauged just before the heart contracts...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241441.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241441.phpA recent study published by The Lancet suggests that males with a certain variant on their Y-chromosome are at a 50% higher risk of developing coronary artery disease (CAD)...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241278.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241278.phpA short spinning session can trigger the same biochemical indications as a heart attack - a reaction that is probably both natural and harmless, but should be borne in mind when people seek emergency treatment for chest pain, reveals a study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241283.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241283.phpResearchers at Rice University and Texas Children's Hospital have turned stem cells from amniotic fluid into cells that form blood vessels. Their success offers hope that such stem cells may be used to grow tissue patches to repair infant hearts...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241285.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241285.phpWithin a few years, a new generation of easy-to-use blood-thinning drugs will likely replace Coumadin for patients with irregular heartbeats who are at risk for stroke, according to a journal article by Loyola University Medical Center physicians. Unlike Coumadin, the new drugs do not require patients to come in to the clinic on a regular basis to check the dose...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 08 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241296.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241296.php"Economy Class Syndrome" is a myth, your risk of developing a blood clot during a long-distance economy trip by plane is not higher than in first class, researchers report in an article published in Chest...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241246.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241246.php 1...Diabetes Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241207.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241207.phpAn innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241210.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241210.phpThe anti-blood clot regimen that adds the drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to aspirin treatment is unlikely to prevent recurrent strokes and may increase the risk of bleeding and death in patients with subcortical stroke according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012...Stroke Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241144.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241144.phpFor patients with a type of irregular heart beat called atrial fibrillation (AF), a new anti-clotting drug might be better at preventing clot-related strokes while minimizing the risk of causing a bleeding stroke. The research was presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241149.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241149.phpA new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes...Heart Disease Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241171.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241171.phpMost studies have found that binge drinking is associated with a loss of alcohol's protective effect against ischemic heart disease (IHD) and most studies have found an increase of coronary risk among binge drinkers...Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241105.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241105.phpThough pacemakers require only small amounts of energy (about 1 millionth of a Watt), their batteries have to be replaced periodically, which means multiple surgeries for patients...Medical Devices / Diagnostics Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241112.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241112.phpOccasional erratic heart rhythms appear to cause about one-fifth of strokes for which a cause is not readily established, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012. About one-third of survivors leave the hospital with the cause of their stroke still undetermined...Stroke Thu, 02 Feb 2012 07:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241094.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/241094.phpAccording to a study in the February edition of Liver Transplantation, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is a specific predictor of 90-day survival after liver transplantation...Transplants / Organ Donations Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241028.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241028.phpWith the U.S...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241009.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241009.phpIndividuals who drink diet soft drinks on a daily basis may be at increased risk of suffering vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death. This is according to a new study by Hannah Gardener and her colleagues from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and at Columbia University Medical Center...Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241000.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/241000.phpAustralian researchers have found evidence that heart failure is associated with a decline in people's mental processes and a loss of grey matter in the brain. These changes can make it more difficult for heart failure (HF) patients to remember and carry out instructions such as taking the correct medication at the right times...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240952.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240952.php The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) welcomes an "intriguing" study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, featuring a completely novel approach for improving endothelial function in heart failure¹...Cardiovascular / Cardiology Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240960.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240960.php A meta-analysis done by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) into the relationship between alcohol consumption and heart disease provides new insight into the long-held belief that drinking a glass of red wine a day can help protect against heart disease. "It's complicated," says Dr. Juergen Rehm, director of social and epidemiological research at CAMH. Dr...Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240964.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240964.php A drug used to treat multiple sclerosis may also be effective at preventing and reversing the leading cause of heart attack, a new study has found. Scientists found that Gilenya, a drug recently approved in the US for treating MS, was effective at reversing the symptoms of ventricular hypertrophy in mice...Heart Disease Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240986.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/240986.phpStatins given to female patients are as effective in preventing the occurrence of cardiovascular events as they are for men, researchers from Boston and New York reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Cardiovascular events include stroke, heart attack, and angina. William J. Kostis, Ph.D., M.D...Statins Tue, 31 Jan 2012 03:00:00 PSThttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240948.phphttp://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/240948.php Updated appropriate use criteria released recently offer detailed guidance on when to use an invasive procedure to improve blood flow to the heart and how to choose the best procedure for each patient. The clinical scenarios, written by a group of cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, affirm the role of revascularization for patients with acute coronary syndromes and significant symptoms...Cardiovascular / Cardiology