Vitamin E fails to join heart-health regimen
...asured the intima-media thickness of their carotid arteries on each visit through ultrasound. After three years, participants who took the vitamin E showed significantly less oxidized LDL in the blood, but had comparable progression of atherosclerosis to those who took no vitamin E. "This means there's eith...Angioplasty or medical therapy immediately after heart attack?
... and primary angioplasty (widening of the coronary arteries with balloon inflation) provide a clinical benefit over the use of anti-clotting drugs given to patients in hospital, these two strategies for the treatment of severe heart attack have not been directly compared. Eric Bonnefoy and colleagues from Un...Smokers infections increase risk of early atherosclerosis
...ultrasound scans to examine changes in the carotid arteries (the main vessels supplying blood to the brain) of 826 men and women ages 40 to 79. The participants were part of the Bruneck Study, a prospective, population-based survey in Bruneck, Italy, designed to identify factors contributing to atheroscleros...Can an aspirin a day keep atherosclerosis at bay?
...hat aspirin not only decreases inflammation in the arteries and the growth of the atherosclerotic plaque, but it also beneficially alters the consistency of the plaque that remains." Atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, is a main cause of heart attacks and strokes, two leading causes of d...Drug improves survival in primary pulmonary hypertension patients
...order in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries rises far above normal levels for no apparent reason. This abnormally high pressure is associated with changes in the small blood vessels in the lungs that increase resistance to blood flow. When the smaller blood vessels in the lungs become more...Vitamin E is important for early prevention of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged women
...n addition, ultrasound examinations of the carotid arteries and bifurcations (branches) were performed. Among ...erotic plaques at one or more sites in the carotid arteries and 34% had no plaques.2 Low intakes of vitamin E were significantly associated with plaques in the ...High levels of C-reactive protein indicate early heart disease
...and the actual presence of calcium in the coronary arteries is a new finding," Wang says. A study limitation was that CRP levels were obtained four to eight years before the imaging scans, which may have blurred the link between atherosclerosis and CRP, says Wang. Future studies should clarify how best to ...Bone-marrow cell transplantation could save limbs
...T. Lower limb ischaemia is due to narrowing of the arteries and is a common condition, which if left untreated can lead to gangrene, amputation, and sometimes death. The disorder is usually associated with chronic peripheral arterial disease and can result in severe leg pain at rest and walking, as well as no...Drug to lower cholesterol also slows calcium build-up in arteries
...tudying calcium deposits inside patients' coronary arteries with computed tomography techniques, such as elect...p. Researchers found that calcium in the coronary arteries progresses if left untreated. They also found that lipid-lowering therapy (in this case cerivastati...Long-term effects of tirofiban similar to abciximab in patients having coronary-artery angioplasty
...ents who undergo angioplasty for narrowed coronary arteries (the arteries that supply the heart with blood). Platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors reduce the clumping tog...New device finds silent clots, may help prevent strokes
...n the past, we could detect something entering the arteries of the brain, but we could not tell if it was a very small gas bubble or blood clot. It was like a policeman who could detect a speeding vehicle but didn't know whether it was a small car or a large truck," Russell says. "With multifrequency transc...Linoleic acid intake may help cut stroke risk
...cunar infarction (strokes involving the many small arteries that supply the deeper parts of the brain) and 19 percent reduction in hemorrhagic stroke (caused by bleeding). "When we adjusted for other fatty acids, these associations become weak, but the association between linoleic acid and the stroke risk pe...Panel advises easing selection criteria to boost supply of donor hearts
... is common to find evidence of narrowed or blocked arteries beginning in middle age, Zaroff says. However, often hearts are rejected because no cardiologist is available to perform the angiography. "We know that perfectly good hearts in that age range are rejected because this examination was not performed,...Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent heart disease by improving arterial elasticity
...rtery elasticity. Increased stiffness in the large arteries can lead to systolic hypertension and increased pulse pressure (the difference between diastolic and systolic pressure), both factors that may contribute to increased coronary risk. Thirty-eight middle-aged men and women with elevated plasma total c...Conjoined twins celebrate first birthday at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital
...also showed that while each child possesses normal arteries feeding the brain, a portion of the veins draining the brain return to the other twin. If doctors can't preserve and reroute those veins normally, both twins may be at risk for stroke. Once the doctors separate the twins, they face the challenge of ...Genetic variant reduces immune response, yet protects against atherosclerosis
...status, as well as ultrasound studies of the major arteries in the neck. Of the 810 patients, the Duke researchers found 55 to have the TLR4 polymorphism. "When compared to the other patients, those with the polymorphism had lower levels of inflammatory immune proteins known as cytokines, as well as other adh...Drug combo curbs artery re-closing after some heart attacks
...e effective than aspirin alone at keeping coronary arteries open after some heart attacks, researchers report ...clots or fibrinolytic drugs to destroy clots. But arteries reocclude after the successful use of fibrinolytics in as many as 30 percent of patients within the ...Socioeconomic factors affect blood pressure
...olic blood pressure (0.4 mmHg). "As we age, our arteries stiffen and systolic blood pressure increases while diastolic blood pressure decreases," says co-author Donna Arnett, Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. "This results in a greater pulse pressure...Drug developed at Duke appears effective in treating respiratory failure in newborns
...ngs to pick oxygen. However, constricted pulmonary arteries in some newborns prevent the passage from closing, so the physician must immediately provide oxygenation for the newborn. One oxygenation method is the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a smaller version of the heart-lung machine use...Post-transplant nerve regrowth better with young hearts, quick surgery
...f the nerves requires nerve fibers to regrow along arteries to reach the new heart," Bengel says. "Extensive scar tissue along this path may impede the regrowth. Hence, extensive reinnervation is more likely if there were few complications during transplant surgery. "This study suggests that sympathetic re...