Cardiovascular Research: Atherosclerosis is Alzheimer's disease of blood vessels ♦ Taking statins before heart surgery can help reduce post-surgical complications

Atherosclerosis is Alzheimer's disease of blood vessels In atherosclerosis, plaque builds up on the inner walls of arteries that deliver blood to the body. Studying mice and tissue samples from the arteries of patients, researchers now suggest this accumulation is driven, at least in part, by processes similar to the plaque formation implicated in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson'

Heart valves made from tissue rather than metal may be better for middle-aged patients Patients between the ages of 40 and 70 who undergo aortic valve replacement (AVR) may fare better with tissue-based valves rather than metal-based valves.

Taking statins before heart surgery can help reduce post-surgical complications Using statins before and after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery can help reduce cardiac complications, such as atrial fibrillation, following surgery and also can reduce the risk of death during and after surgery.

Even small reductions in kidney function may damage heart, blood vessels Even small reductions in kidney function are associated with heart and blood vessel damage

Cardiovascular Research: Growing beating cardiac tissue from stem cells ♦ Treating more adults with statins would boost heart health\ ♦ risk of dying from heart disease

New research allows doctors to image dangerous 'hardening' of the arteries A radioactive agent developed in the 1960s to detect bone cancer can be re-purposed to highlight the build-up of unstable calcium deposits in arteries, a process that can cause heart attack and stroke. The technique could help in the diagnosis of these conditions in at-risk patients and in the development of new medicines.

Electrocardiogram screening may help predict kidney disease patients' risk of dying from heart disease Certain electrocardiogram measures helped investigators identify a subgroup of individuals with chronic kidney disease who had substantially elevated risks of dying from heart disease,.

Link between inherited DNA sequences, heart disease found The first study of its kind reveals the role of homozygosity and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). CAD is a terminal clinical manifestation of cardiovascular disease. Nearly one in six men and one in ten women die from this complex, multifactorial disorder originating from a complicated interplay of multiple genetic and environmental factors.

Treating more adults with statins would be cost-effective way to boost heart health\ A new study has found that it would be cost-effective to treat 48-67 percent of all adults aged 40-75 in the US with cholesterol-lowering statins. By expanding the current recommended treatment guidelines and boosting the percentage of adults taking statins, an additional 161,560 cardiovascular-related events could be averted, according to the researchers.

Growing beating cardiac tissue from stem cells: New model for early heart development Researchers have developed a template for growing beating cardiac tissue from stem cells, creating a system that could serve as a model for early heart development and as a drug-screening tool to make pregnancies safer. Scientists have mimicked human tissue formation by starting with stem cells genetically reprogrammed from adult skin tissue to form small chambers with beating human heart cells.

Pulmonary Research: Statins reduce major complications following lung surgery ♦ Tuberculosis bacteria hide in low oxygen niches of bone marrow stem cells ♦ Highly educated women stop smoking if the cost goes up

Acute pulmonary fibrosis may respond to autoimmune disease therapy  Patients with acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis responded well to therapies similar to those used to treat autoimmune diseases,  IPF, a devastating lung disease, scientists report. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a disease of unknown origin with no approved treatments. It results in scar tissue building up in the lungs. It affects more than 100,000 people in the United States and 5 million worldwide. The median survival rate is less than three years, and only 20 percent of patients survive five years beyond diagnosis.

Tuberculosis bacteria hide in low oxygen niches of bone marrow stem cells A new study is helping to shed light on latent tuberculosis and the bacteria's ability to hide in stem cells. Some bone marrow stem cells reside in low oxygen (hypoxia) zones.

Highly educated women stop smoking if the cost goes up Cigarette prices and images on cigarette packets have an impact on women in terms of continuing to smoke or quitting. In fact, less educated women are more responsive to pictorial labels on cigarette packets, as revealed by a Spanish study that has analyzed, for the first time, the generation differences among female smokers, a group which, despite policy measures, has not stopped growing.

Statins show promise to reduce major complications following lung surgery Statins have been shown to reduce complications from cardiovascular surgery. To determine whether statins might also help those undergoing major lung surgeries, a team of researchers conducted a well-designed study that randomized patients to receive either a statin or placebo before and after surgery. They found that patients undergoing major lung resection experienced fewer complications overall, however, the differences between groups for specific complications or changes in inflammatory markers failed to reach statistical significance.

Cardiovascular Research: Measuring kidney health could better predict heart disease risk ♦ Statins reduce mortality in coronary artery bypass graft surgery ♦ Years of good blood sugar control helps diabetic hearts

Measuring kidney health could better predict heart disease risk Simple measures of kidney function and damage may be just as good at predicting who is at risk for heart failure and death from heart attack and stroke as traditional tests of cholesterol levels and blood pressure

Preoperative statins reduce mortality in coronary artery bypass graft surgery The protective effect of various heart medications that patients are taking before undergoing coronary artery bypass graft surgery and concludes that statins reduce the risk of death by two thirds, or 67 percent, while no consistent effects were seen for other medications.

Years of good blood sugar control helps diabetic hearts Day in and day out, millions of people with diabetes test their blood sugar levels. And many may wonder if all the careful eating, exercise and medication it takes to keep those levels under control is really worth it. A major new study should encourage them to keep going -- and prompt them to work with their doctors on reducing their cardiovascular risk.

Endurance athletes should be tested while exercising for potentially fatal heart condition Some athletes who take part in endurance exercise such as marathon running, endurance triathlons or alpine cycling can develop heartbeat irregularities that can, occasionally, lead to their sudden death. New evidence shows that doctors who try to detect these irregularities by focusing on the left ventricle of the heart, or on the right ventricle while an athlete is resting, will miss important signs of right ventricular dysfunction that can only be detected during exercise and that could be fatal.

Cancer Research: Telomere changes predict cancer ♦ Surgery for terminal cancer patients still common ♦ statin use may lower risk of lung cancer death

Prolonged statin use may lower risk of lung cancer death Lung cancer patients who used statins in the year prior to a lung cancer diagnosis or after a lung cancer diagnosis had a reduction in the risk of death from the disease.

Surgery for terminal cancer patients still common The number of surgeries performed on terminally ill cancer patients has not dropped in recent years, despite more attention to the importance of less invasive care for these patients to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life

Telomere changes predict cancer A distinct pattern in the changing length of blood telomeres, the protective end caps on our DNA strands, can predict cancer many years before actual diagnosis. The pattern, which spanned 13 years before cancer diagnosis, could yield a new biomarker to predict cancer development with a blood test. This is the first reported trajectory of telomere changes over the years in people developing cancer.

Racial differences in male breast cancer outcomes While black and white men under age 65 diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer received similar treatment, blacks had a 76 percent higher risk of death than whites. Male breast cancer is a rare disease, accounting for less than 1% of all cancers in men and approximately 2% of all breast cancers in the United States. Black men have a higher incidence of breast cancer and are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age.

Scientists dramatically improve method for finding common genetic alterations in tumors Scientists have developed a significantly better computer tool for finding genetic alterations that play an important role in many cancers but were difficult to identify with whole-genome sequencing. The tool is an algorithm called CONSERTING.

Genetics Help Predict Heart Disease Risk, Statin Benefits

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It’s caused by a waxy substance called plaque that builds up inside the blood vessels of the heart. Risk factors include unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, lack of physical activity, unhealthy diet, and excess weight. Making lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, following a healthy diet, and being physically active, often can help prevent or treat heart disease. Medicines such as statins, which lower LDL cholesterol, may be prescribed if lifestyle changes aren't enough.

Genetics may one day help doctors know with precision which patients would most benefit from medication. Image credit: wildpixel/iStock/Thinkstock.

Genetics also plays a role in heart disease risk. Numerous genetic variations known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are associated with disease risk. A group of researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Massachusetts General Hospital asked whether a composite of these SNPs could predict people who are at risk for heart disease complications and who might benefit the most from statin therapy.

The team analyzed data from 5 studies representing more than 48,000 people who had experienced almost 3,500 coronary heart disease-related events such as heart attack and death. The researchers calculated a genetic risk score for each participant based on 27 heart disease-associated SNPs and divided them into low, intermediate, and high genetic risk categories. The work was funded in part by NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute . Results appeared online on March 4, 2015, in The Lancet.

The scientists found that people with a high genetic risk score had an increased risk of coronary heart disease, even after adjusting for traditional risk factors such as age, cholesterol levels, and smoking history. Participants in the high genetic risk category had an approximately 70% greater risk of heart attack compared with those at lowest genetic risk.

The genetic risk score also predicted the ability of statin therapy to reduce the risk of a coronary heart disease-related event, such as a heart attack. Statin therapy resulted in 13%, 29%, and 48% relative risk reductions in the low, intermediate, and high genetic risk groups, respectively. This suggests that people with the highest genetic risk could have the largest clinical benefit from statin therapy.

“There is ongoing debate over which individuals should be allocated statin therapy to prevent a first heart attack,” says co-first author Dr. Nathan O. Stitziel of Washington University. “Genetics appears to be one way to identify high-risk patients.”

“These findings could play an important role in helping physicians understand which patients will benefit the most from statin therapy,” adds co-first author Dr. Jessica L. Mega of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The researchers note that genetic risk scores could also be used to help select participants for clinical trials, as they could identify people who might benefit most from a specific therapy, such as statins.

—by Carol Torgan, Ph.D.

3/1/15 Health News: Statins reduced risk of liver cancer ♦ Can coffee reduce your risk of MS? ♦ Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease reversed in Rats ♦ Plus More

Statin use associated with reduced risk of liver cancer  In a nested-case control study of individuals living in the UK, a part of the world with a relatively low incidence of liver cancer, statin use is associated with a decreased risk of liver cancer Continue Reading

Can coffee reduce your risk of MS?   Drinking coffee may be associated with a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study  Continue Reading

Type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease reversed in rats  A controlled-release oral therapy has been developed by scientists that reversed type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease in rats, according to a study. "Given these promising results in animal models of  type 2 diabetes we are pursuing additional preclinical safety studies to take this mitochondrial protonophore approach to the clinic" said the researchers.Continue Reading

African Americans who fled the South during great migration led shorter lives  Millions of African Americans moved from the South in the early 20th century to seek better job opportunities and higher wages, but a new study on the historic Great Migration shows that with improved economic conditions came a greater risk of mortality Continue Reading

GLP-1 secretion is reduced in overweight, pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes  The world's largest study looking at the secretion of the gut hormone GLP-1 has found that the secretion is reduced among overweight and obese people, people with pre-diabetes and newly diagnosed people with type 2 diabetes. Continue Reading

Senior Health News: Can virtual reality help treat anxiety in older people? ♦ Statins may not lower Parkinson's risk,♦ kin test may shed new light on Alzheimer

Can virtual reality help treat anxiety in older people?  Up to 25% of people aged 65 and over experience varying degrees of anxiety. Although cognitive behavioral therapy is a preferred treatment approach, it has limitations as people age (decreased mobility and visualization skills). Could virtual reality be an effective therapy for anxiety in older people? Continue Reading

Statins may not lower Parkinson's risk, experts say  The use of statins may not be associated with lowering risk for Parkinson's disease, according to a new study. The findings cast doubts on reports suggesting that the cholesterol-lowering medications may protect against this neurodegenerative brain disorder. Continue Reading

Independent home living or healthcare facility? Web tool to speed data collection By 2030, one in five Americans will be age 65 or older. To understand the role neighborhoods play in seniors' ability to 'age in place' -- living safely and independently in one's home of choice rather than in a healthcare facility -- researchers created a web application that speeds up researchers' data collection. Continue Reading

Skin test may shed new light on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases  Scientists have discovered a skin test that may shed new light on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The study showed that skin biopsies can be used to detect elevated levels of abnormal proteins found in the two diseases.Continue Reading

2/21/15 Health News: Safety and efficacy of statins exaggerated-- Rivers source antibiotic resistance--Higher risk of second stroke identified-- higher risk of second stroke identified

Safety, life-saving efficacy of statins have been exaggerated, says scientist  Statins, the cholesterol-lowering drugs prescribed to prevent heart attacks, are not as effective nor as safe as we have been led to believe, researchers say. Statins produce a dramatic reduction in cholesterol levels, but have failed to substantially improve cardiovascular outcomes, they add, stating that 'statistical deception' has been used to inflate claims Continue Reading

Thames study: Rivers can be a major source antibiotic resistance  Rivers and streams could be a major source of antibiotic resistance in the environment. A new study found that greater numbers of resistant bacteria exist close to some waste water treatment works, and that these plants are likely to be responsible for at least half of the increase observed. Continue Reading

Patients at higher risk of second stroke identified  Risk of recurrent stroke is higher in patients who have low blood flow to the back of the brain, a six-year, multi-center trial has found, and the condition can be visualized using specialized software that analyzes blood flow using standard MRI. Continue Reading

Immune cells commit suicide to prevent allergy  Scientists have demonstrated that the production of type E immunoglobulins (IgE) by B lymphocytes induces a loss in their mobility and the initiation of cell death mechanisms. These antibodies, present in small quantities, are the most powerful "weapons" in the immune system and can trigger extremely violent immune reactions or immediate allergies (asthma, urticaria, allergic shock) as soon as their levels rise, even slightly. Continue Reading

Anti-inflammatory mechanism of dieting and fasting revealed  Researchers have found that a compound produced by the body when dieting or fasting can block a part of the immune system involved in several inflammatory disorders such as type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease Continue Reading

2/25/14 Health News: Large Protein Stops Bacterias Ability To Cause Disease - Infections Harm Memory in Older Persons - Could Statins Be Used to Fight a Deadly Viral Infection?

Production of an Exceptionally Large Surface Protein Prevents Bacteria From Forming Clumps and Reduces Their Ability to Cause Disease

A genetic mechanism that controls the production of a large spike-like protein on the surface of Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria alters the ability of the bacteria to form clumps and to cause disease, according to a new University of Iowa study. The new study is the first to link this genetic mechanism to the production of the giant surface protein and to clumping behavior in bacteria. It is also the first time that clumping behavior has been associated with endocarditis, a serious infection of heart valves that kills 20,000 Americans each year. The findings were published in the journal PLOS Pathogens. "Our study suggests that clumping could be a target for therapy," says Horswill. "If we could find drugs that block clumping, I think they would be potentially really useful for blocking staph infections." Continue Reading

Could Infections Harm Memory in Older Adults?

Exposure to several types of common infections could be associated with memory problems, a new study suggests. The authors caution, however, that further research is needed to draw concrete conclusions. Scientists from the University of Miami and Columbia University in New York City were scheduled to present their research at an American Stroke Association meeting in San Diego. Continue Reading

Could Statins Be Used to Fight a Deadly Viral Infection?

Two Perelman School of Medicine microbiologists may have found a way to use statins, the well-known blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drugs, to fight the hantavirus, a mysterious and lethal microorganism that appeared suddenly in the US southwest over 20 years ago. That first outbreak led to the deaths of more than a dozen people, most of them in their prime. The last reported outbreak happened in Yellowstone Park in 2012. A PLOS Pathogens paper by Penn microbiologists Paul Bates, PhD, and Kenneth Briley, PhD, published reports that four proteins key to cholesterol synthesis and uptake are highjacked by the hantavirus to enter human host cells.Continue Reading