Sunday

FDA Approves Atacand® (Candesartan Cilexetil) for the Treatment of Heart Failure

[LINK]AstraZeneca today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) ATACAND® (candesartan cilexetil) for the treatment of heart failure (New York Heart Association Class II-IV and ejection fraction less than or equal to 40 percent) to reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular causes and reduce hospitalisations from heart failure. ATACAND is the first ARB in the US to receive an indication for reducing both cardiovascular mortality and hospitalisations for heart failure.

St. Joseph’s Named Top Cardiac Hospitalfor Second Year in a Row

[LINK]“In the next few years we will continue to grow our heart and lung programs, with a focus on adding more cardiovascular services, patient beds, physicians and medical staff, and research programs,” says Linda Hunt, St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center president. “Our goal is to create a distinctive clinical, academic and research environment that provides market leading technology to our patients, as well as unique, indispensable services for our community and the Southwest.”

FDA EXPERTS: "Naproxen Warning Unjustified"

[LINK]: "A report last year that linked the pain killer naproxen to heart attacks unnecessarily scared the public, experts charged Friday."

Saturday

WIERD NEWS: Family of heart attack victim plans to sue Jackson, hospital

CLICK HERE FOR FULL STORYAn elderly heart attack victim clinging to life was evicted from her hospital room to make way for Michael Jackson when he showed up with the flu, her family charged Friday.

New England Journal of Medicine Publishes Promising Study Results of NovoSeven(R) Coagulation Factor VIIa (Recombinant) in Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

LINK"One of the strongest predictors of mortality and morbidity in ICH patients is hematoma volume and with the administration of NovoSeven hematoma growth was significantly limited," said Dr. Stephan Mayer, associate professor and director, Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Columbia University Medical Center and lead investigator of the study. "The current medical and surgical treatment options for ICH are not effective. Thirty-five to fifty percent of patients die within one month and if they survive, they are living with serious neurological deficits. The current data suggest a possible change in our paradigm for the treatment of ICH."

WONDERFUL SURVIVOR STORY

Jack Hurst profile: The soul of an investor - Feb. 25, 2005------[LINK]: "Jack Hurst cannot walk, talk or so much as lift a fingertip. Other than a few muscles in his forehead and face, he is completely paralyzed. He's had ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) for more than 17 years."

Friday

Meditation Technique Helps Lower Blood Pressure

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Heart Attack Risk with HIV Drugs a Concern

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Wives of Smokers Run Risk of Stroke

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Medtronic recalling 2,000 defibrillators

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Thursday

waist sizes and asthma

A new study shows your waistline is the tell tale sign when it comes to heart disease. Researchers studied more than 10,000 people in three race groups over a six year period and found that the waist circumference was more strongly tied to cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels than the Body Mass Index or BMI

Migraine connected to heart disease risk factors

LINK: "According to a study published in Neurology, migraine sufferers are more likely to smoke, have high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure. They were also four times more likely to have a history of either stroke or heart disease before the age of 45."

Wednesday

COX-2.....commentary

: [LINK]: "FDA approval doesn't necessarily mean that a drug is totally safe, or that the company is safe from future lawsuits."

Toni Braxton on Women and Heart Disease

[LINK]Grammy-winning singer Toni Braxton appeared on "Good Morning America" to remind viewers that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women in the United States. Braxton suffered her own brush with heart disease while starring in the Broadway musical "Aida."

New Treatment for Brain Bleeds

LINKA drug commonly used to treat people with hemophilia may also be able to save the lives of those suffering from a type of stroke that causes bleeding in the brain.

FDA Approves AstraZeneca’s Atacand (candesartan cilexetil) for the Treatment of Heart Failure

LINK

Tuesday

National Cancer Institute - Cancer Bulletin for 2/22/05

LINK: "Advisors to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week recommended that 'black box' warnings be added to the label of the two COX-2 inhibitors currently for sale in the United States, and to a third that might be reintroduced (rofecoxib, or Vioxx)."

Purchase "Know Stroke Consumer Education" Kit

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.....[LINK]

Purchase NIH "Stroke Scale Training" DVD

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Trial Finds Ultrasound-aided Therapy Better Than Stroke Drug Alone

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke....LINK

The New York Times:Heartburn Relief, From Aciphex to Zantac

[LINK]

Monday

Age not a Factor for Heart Transplant Eligibility

Older heart transplant patients do just as well as their younger counterparts, so age shouldn't be a factor in determining transplant eligibility, claims a new study.[LINK]

Doc Says Military Needs Pain Pills

LINK: "An Army physician argued Thursday that some popular pain relievers 'are essential to the global war on terrorism' and should be kept on the market despite their potentially dangerous side effects. Without them, he said, the military cannot keep as many soldiers functioning on the battlefield.
"

Viagra As Stroke Treatment?

 Doctors at Henry Ford Hospital here have begun studying Viagra as a possible treatment for strokes. Animal tests have indicated the sexual performance drug used by millions of men can improve memory and movement by helping injured brains develop new cells and blood vessels, researchers said. ...[LINK]

Viagra Linked to Aiding the Recovery of Stroke Victims

VIAGRA, the drug that has helped thousands of men revive their sex life, may also help stroke victims of both sexes make remarkable recoveries, doctors said yesterday.A new study has begun into alternative uses for the drug after it helped an American woman regain the use of her arms and legs and stand up without assistance following a severe stroke....[LINK]

Saturday

Women Laid Off Job May Run Risk of Heart Disease

A study of nearly 35,000 women shows that those who were involuntarily unemployed are more likely to have heart disease than are employed women and those who choose to stay at home, two researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report......MORE

Most people do not know what the signs of a heart attack are...Read this to find out:

National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute....LINK

FDA panel: Keep Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra on market

The popular painkillers Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx all pose a risk of heart trouble, but should be available to those who need them, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The panel strongly favored keeping Celebrex on the market, split over Bextra and favored Vioxx -- which is currently not on sale -- by a vote of just 17-16.......LINK

Friday

Cox-2s safety summit sees FDA scientist censored

David Graham, the high-profile scientist at America's Food and Drug Administration, has been banned from presenting new information about a controversial type of painkiller at a three-day summit on their safety starting today......link

Thursday

Size, Strength of Social Networks Influence Heart Disease Risk

Weight, cholesterol and blood pressure aside, women might be wise to factor in yet another barometer of heart health: the size and strength of their social circle------MORE

Heart Hormone Helps Identify Death Risk

Measuring levels of an inactive form of a hormone released by the heart can help predict mortality in coronary heart disease patients and offer better prognostic information than conventional cardiovascular disease risk factors, according to a new study.---------MORE

US FDA Scientist Won't Present New Pain Drug Data

A veteran scientist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday he had decided against presenting new data on the heart risk of pain relievers at a highly anticipated meeting later this week, saying he felt intimidated by FDA officials.--------MORE

Wednesday

New Study Links COX-2 Drugs To Increased Cardiac Risk

link

Tuesday

New York Times: Dental Health: Flossing Can Be a String to the Heart

Published: February 15, 2005

Gum disease has long been suspected of playing a role in heart disease and stroke. Now, a new study appears to make the relationship much more solid.

Writing in the journal Circulation, researchers report that people with gum disease are more likely to have changes in the carotid artery - a sign of atherosclerosis.

The researchers measured the levels of 11 bacteria from the mouths of more than 650 volunteers.

After taking into account known risk factors for vascular disease like hypertension, they looked for a link between various combinations of bacteria and thickening of the carotid artery, which they measured with ultrasound.

"The people who had the highest level of the four bacteria that were causally related to periodontal disease also had the thickest carotid arteries," said the lead author of the study, Dr. Moïse Desvarieux of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia.

One explanation may be that gum disease, like any other chronic infection, puts a stress on the body's immune system that can gradually lead to vascular disease, the study said.

So should people who want to avoid a heart attack reach for the dental floss? Dr. Desvarieux was cautious, noting that while an association between the bacteria and vascular disease seemed clear, the bacteria had not yet been proved to cause illnesses other than gum disease.

"Having said that," he said, "it's very hard for anybody to be against people having good oral health."

Stroke patients getting new drug at west Phoenix Hospital

Stroke patients at two Sun Health hospitals in the West Valley are getting a drug that zaps blood clots and saves healthy brain tissue at a rate 10 times the national percentage....link

Researchers confirm Vioxx nearly doubled cardiovascular risks in cancer prevention study

he largest prospective trial ever examining the anti-inflammatory drug Vioxx as a chemoprevention agent found that the risk of developing a cardiovascular "event" - heart attacks and/or strokes - was almost double in patients who received the drug, compared to patients who took the placebo, according to a study out Feb. 15 on-line in The New England Journal of Medicine. .....link

An implanted nerve stimulator helps drop foot sufferers walk faster and better

An innovative implanted nerve stimulator helps drop foot sufferers walk faster and better is a valuable aid in the rehabilitation of stroke patients.......LINK

Important new research identifies how brain cells die during a stroke

Medical Research Council (MRC) scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from British and Italian universities, have unveiled a mechanism that causes the death of brain cells (neurons) in stroke. The discovery may help explain why some therapy approaches for stroke have been unsuccessful and identifies potential research avenues for the development of new treatments for stroke and other degenerative brain diseases.......LINK

'Heavier drinkers risk strokes'

But lighter drinkers, particularly those who have a glass of red wine each day, reduce their risk of stroke, heart disease and diabetes.The findings, based on about 38,000 men, support advice that men should drink no more than two drinks per day.The Harvard University research appears in Annals of Internal Medicine......LINK

Blood chemical is a stroke risk

High levels of an amino acid in the blood are associated with an increased risk of stroke, say researchers.......LINK

BBC NEWS:Therapy hope for stroke victims

Stimulating the brain with a magnet may be a good treatment for stroke victims, say scientists........LINK

Good Fat vs. Bad Fat

Quality of Fat, Not Quantity, Could be Dietary Key to Avoiding Heart Disease and Stroke - You are what you eat: Getting more fish and good fats can keep heart disease and stroke at bay, new research shows.Two studies with those conclusions appear in this week's issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine........LINK

Simpler Blood Thinning Medication Prevents Strokes

Several new studies show the medication ximelagatran (Exanta), which could simplify anticoagulation therapy, is as effective as other common therapies for preventing stroke and recurrent blood clots........LINK

People can change some stroke risk factors

High blood pressure is a big risk factor for stroke, but people with normal blood pressure can have a stroke. In a new study, researchers have identified other key determinants of this debilitating neurologic problem.The good news is that some of the risk factors are modifiable, meaning patients themselves can change them and potentially reduce their risk of stroke. Important modifiable risk factors identified include smoking and being overweight........LINK

Monday

STUDY: New Pain Relievers Boost Blood Pressure More

LINK: "Arthritis drugs known as COX-2 inhibitors raise blood pressure more than older pain relievers, which may explain why the newer medicines have been linked to heart attacks

STUDY: "Women who drank five grams or more of wine a day had increased Heart Rate Variability,"

LINK: "Researchers at Sweden's Karolinska Institute in Stockholm found that women who had already suffered a heart attack or had heart surgery for blocked arteries had higher Heart Rate Variability (HRV) if they drank moderately than if they were teetotal."

Arthritis Drug Seen to Cut Heart Risk

Methotrexate, used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, may also reduce the risk of atherosclerosis and circulatory diseases affecting the heart and brain, investigators have found----------LINK

UC BERKELEY: THE DASH DIET

Weight-loss diets—Atkins, Zone, Beverly Hills, Scarsdale, Grapefruit, Sugar Busters, Drinking Man's, and countless others—achieve fame but then sink because they don't work over the long haul. And some are downright dangerous. We are seldom enthusiastic about "diets." There is one exception: DASH, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, an eating plan proven to lower blood pressure and help reduce blood cholesterol. It can also help you lose weight, particularly in conjunction with regular exercise.Good news about DASH is accumulating.-------LINK

Sunday

Periodontal Bacteria associated with Cardiovascular Disease Factor

LINK

Saturday

“BROKEN HEART” SYNDROME: REAL, POTENTIALLY DEADLY BUT RECOVERY QUICK

CLICK: "Johns Hopkins scientists discover that emotional shock can trigger sudden, reversible heart failure that is not a classic heart attack

Shocking news, such as learning of the unexpected death of a loved one, has been known to cause catastrophic events, such as a heart attack. 

Now, researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that sudden emotional stress can also result in severe but reversible heart muscle weakness that mimics a classic heart attack.  Patients with this condition, called stress cardiomyopathy but known colloquially as “broken heart” syndrome, are often misdiagnosed with a massive heart attack when, indeed, they have suffered from a days-long surge in adrenalin (epinephrine) and other stress hormones that temporarily “stun” the heart. "

Friday

Fiber-rich diet lowers cholesterol as well as drugs

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BP Drugs Reduce Pneumonia Risk in Stroke Patients"

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Heart Disease: Hidden Killer

Many of the roughly 850,000 Americans who have heart attacks each year don't even know they're at risk until it's too late. physicians have tried over the past few years to drill the most common risk factors for heart disease into all of us. But, she continues, many people are still walking around with untreated conditions that put them at high risk for heart disease – conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and smoking.

CBS News: Helpful Heart Road Less Traveled

[LINK] Cardiac rehabilitation is a program of monitored exercise and lifestyle counseling. It's one of the most effective ways to protect yourself from repeat heart problems, but a solid majority of cardiac patients skip it

Thursday

Aggressive Lipid Lowering With Statins Better Than Moderate...

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Migraine with Loss-Of-Vision Linked to Stroke Risk

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Congenital Heart Information Network

C.H.I.N. is an international organization that provides reliable information, support services and resources to families of children with congenital heart defects and acquired heart disease, adults with congenital heart defects, and the professionals who work with them.....LINK

Rheumatoid arthritis likely linked to heart disease; doctors cannot yet explain the connection

U.S. government scientists recently released a somewhat surprising report that people who have rheumatoid arthritis may be more likely to suffer heart attacks. Doctors say they do not yet understand why the connection would exist. The new findings may end up playing a role in controversies over arthritis pain medicines like Celebrex, Bextra and Vioxx. All have been accused of causing heart attacks in some of their users.
....LINK

Stem cell offers hope for fixing heart damage

Scientists have discovered a rare type of stem cell in the hearts of newborn infants that shows promise for repairing congenital heart defects -- and may someday be used even in adults to fix the damage of heart attacks......LINK

Tuesday

MedlinePlus: Bran in Diet Seen to Lower Risk of Heart Disease

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High-Risk Women Not Achieving Optimal Lipid Levels

[LINK]

Stopping Aspirin Heightens Risk of New Coronary Events in Heart Disease...

[LINK].

Sunday

Health Maintenance: Controlling Cholesterol

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