'Control valve' within heart cells could protect body during heart attacks
...ener of mitoKCa could protect against a blood flow blockage similar to that during a heart attack. Rabbit hearts that received the drug had heart attacks that were half the size of untreated hearts. "We're at a new frontier of discovery," O'Rourke says. "If we can determine how mitochondrial ion channels ...Engineered blood vessels prove durable and clot resistant
...those with peripheral vascular disease, the severe blockage of a leg artery that can lead to amputation....Cholesterol drug helps heart failure patients without high cholesterol
... was due to viral or genetic causes rather than to blockage of heart vessels caused by high cholesterol. The heart failure patients in this study, therefore, are rather young (53 to 55) and otherwise healthy patients who often qualify for heart transplants, he says. Because their heart failure isn't caused ...Evaluation needed to gauge silent threat lurking within stroke patients
...in. "Compared to patients with strokes caused by blockage in small vessels in the brain, patients with TIA or large-vessel strokes have a higher likelihood of also having coronary artery disease, whether or not they have a clear history of heart disease," Adams said. While there are guidelines for coronary ...Brain transportation system defect linked to Huntington's by UCSD team
...affic. "These findings support our hypothesis that blockage of neuronal transportation is related to several neurodegenerative diseases," said the study's senior author, Lawrence S.B. Goldstein, Ph.D., UCSD professor of cellular and molecular medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. "In a...Stanford computer model shows bypass surgery more cost-effective than stents
...ne of the biggest problems with stents is that the blockage often reappears, a process called restenosis, requiring a repeat procedure. A new generation of stents includes drugs to combat the re-narrowing of the blood vessel. While the current study did not address drug-coated stents directly, Yock said their...Study suggests common use of investigational breast cancer test
...ems such as lymphedema (arm swelling caused by the blockage of lymph flow). Large trials are under way to examine the safety and accuracy of SNB. However, the procedure is already gaining popularity, and there is concern that premature adoption of SNB as standard care may compromise these ongoing trials. T...Stroke treatment may come from physiological determinations not time frame, says Pitt
...g the type of treatment for acute stroke caused by blockage of large vessels in the brain can best be decided by measuring both the amount of brain tissue that is threatened but not yet dead (ischemic penumbra) and the amount of brain that is already dead (ischemic core), according to groundbreaking Universit...Aspirin withdrawal may pose risk to coronary patients
... the blood and reduce the risk of developing acute blockage in the coronary arteries. "Coronary patients preparing for dental work or surgery are often advised to stop taking aspirin in order to avoid increased bleeding," said Dr. Ferrari. "Our study serves as a reminder for all medical professionals who tre...Women & men differ in heart disease traits and treatment
...artery disease if they had a 50 percent or greater blockage in at least one major vessel. The study also looked at the levels of certain enzymes that can be measured in the blood to determine if a heart attack really occurred. Women in the study tended to be older and to have more health problems than the m...Atkins-Type dieters report new cases of serious illness
... A 53-year-old man who developed a severe artery blockage after 2-1/2 years on a high-protein, low-carb diet. A woman who developed recurring kidney stones and elevated cholesterol and had her gall bladder removed after following a high-protein, low-carb diet. Also available for interviews: a patient of ...Five more African countries to benefit from Schistosomiasis Control Initiative
... not escape become trapped in the liver, causing a blockage and extreme damage, eventually leading to death. Those most at risk of schistosomiasis are school-age children, women, and those involved in occupations such as irrigation farming and fishing....New ultrafast MRI benefits stroke patients
...he three-minute protocol also correctly identified blockage for treatment with clot-busting drugs. "The conventional 20-minute MRI may be distressing for patients who are already agitated by stroke symptoms, such as a weak arm or leg or a speech deficit," Dr. Gillard said. "Despite the machine noise and possi...Its never too late to start exercising and losing weight , Joslin study shows
..., kidney disease and nerve damage. Coronary artery blockage remains a major killer among people with diabetes, he said. How the study was conducted The study of 35 obese subjects included three groups of volunteers; all were obese and had a body mass index above 30 kg/m2 had insulin resistance. It ha...Emergency cardiac monitoring strategy tested in ambulances
...erate. So the initial treatment goal is to get the blockage in the obstructed artery open as quickly as possible before any more heart cells die." The new "tele-electrocardiography" system consists of an easily-attachable 12-lead cardiac monitor that takes readings every 30 seconds and can detect ischemia,...MUHC researchers develop new way to test for sleep apnea in children
...oxygen levels associated with sleep-related airway blockage are used to prioritize children needing urgent treatment. Dr. Robert Brouillette, MUHC pediatrician and professor of Pediatrics at McGill University said, "This new method of diagnosing sleep apnea and of prioritizing treatment schedules is a signif...Discovery changes ideas about damage from strokes
...nd oxygen delivery to the brain are interrupted by blockage or breakage of a blood vessel. At first, brain cells are shocked, not killed, but their chances of recovery decrease rapidly as time passes. If given within an hour of the stroke, a drug called t-PA can prevent extensive damage by dissolving the...Risk for lowered cognitive performance is greater in people at high risk for stroke
...ar brain injury, premature shrinkage of the brain, blockage of arteries, and cerebral infarction (dead brain tissue resulting from insufficient blood to an area) may also be linked to the risk of stroke and cognitive functioning. "Interestingly a number of strong risk factors for stroke and for AD are the sam...Distance to hospital affects heart attack survival
...rcent. "With prompt medical attention, a person's blockage to the heart, which causes a heart attack, can often be dissolved. That reduces damage to the heart and greatly lowers morbidity and mortality," says Liam O'Neill, assistant professor of policy analysis and management in the College of Human Ecology ...New technique for opening blocked carotid arteries significantly lowers complication risk
...ing out the blockage. "For restenosis (a returned blockage in the same artery), there is no doubt that this i...h the large artery in the groin to the site of the blockage in the neck. Through this catheter they deploy a tiny filter and position it past the plaque blockag...