Cardiovascular Research: Switch for health heart muscle ♦ Half-dose combo of common diuretics a 'win-win' for hypertension ♦Potential value of antidepressant in some stroke victims

Research in mice shows potential value of antidepressant in some stroke victims Working with mice, researchers have added to evidence that a commonly prescribed antidepressant called fluoxetine helps stroke victims improve movement and coordination, and possibly why.

Switch for health heart muscle Researchers have discovered a protein, called Mel18, that regulates the development of heart muscle. Faults in the production of Mel18 in early cardiac cells may play a role in heart defects. The findings could help grow cardiac cells in the laboratory from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS).

Depressed patients have more frequent chest pain even in the absence of coronary artery disease Depressed patients have more frequent chest pain even in the absence of coronary artery disease, according to results. The findings suggest that pain and depression may share a common neurochemical pathway

Half-dose combo of common diuretics a 'win-win' for hypertension The combination of two commonly used diuretics, each at half dose, can significantly reduce blood pressure without the side-effects caused by full doses of either alone.

Spironolactone 'a clear winner' for resistant hypertension In patients with poor blood pressure control despite treatment with a combination of three drugs (‘resistant hypertension’), addition of the diuretic spironolactone was significantly more effective than adding other blood pressure lowering drugs.