Researchers tap inner fat to predict heart attack risk (Canada)

"First came BMI. Now comes hypertriglyceridemic waist - a cheap and simple way to identify people at increased risk of heart attack due to excess abdominal fat, even if they do not look obese. In a study published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, researchers from Quebec City's Laval University are reporting that a large waistline and high triglycerides - a type of blood fat - substantially increase the risk of coronary artery disease in both men and women" - Canada.com

The European Cook Book

"The European Cook Book is a unique collection of mouth-watering and culturally diverse recipes provided by the European Society of Cardiology National and Affiliated Societies. More than 40 tempting 3-course menus from around the world, combined with a comprehensive, but easy-to-understand section about the cardiovascular system, conditions which affect it and tips for improving and maintaining a healthy heart"

Life After Stroke Awards 2010 winners (UK)

"As the only national charity solely concerned with helping everyone affected by stroke, The Stroke Association recognises the huge and overwhelming impact a stroke can have. A host of celebrities honoured the achievements of stroke survivors at a star-studded Life After Stroke Awards in Central London on Tuesday June 15, 2010. Outstanding stroke survivors, carers, volunteers, major donors, corporate supporters and health professionals from across the UK were presented with their awards by a number of famous faces. This year's winners ranged from a 15 year old girl who is battling back to fitness following a devastating stroke at the age of 12, to a 70 year old lady who spent five years recovering from her stroke before setting up her very own local stroke club. There was a total of eleven Life After Stroke Awards dished out at Claridge's Hotel in what proved to be an emotional day for both winners and guests alike. The Life After Stroke Awards were hosted by DJ Neil 'Doctor' Fox with other celebrity guests including fashion designer Gareth Pugh, TV health expert Dr Hilary Jones, Welsh rugby star Michael Owen, acclaimed businesswomen Karren Brady and Hilary Devey, and actors Rupert Graves, Wendi Peters and Michelle Collins. Over 220 people from across the UK were nominated for a Life After Stroke Award in 2010. The Life After Stroke Awards 2010 are sponsored by LighterLife and Next"

Eating chocolate 'as good for your heart as 30 minutes exercise' (Australia)

"Researchers at the University of Adelaide found that dark chocolate "significantly" decreased blood pressure in subjects with hypertension. The benefits stem from chemicals called flanavols, which are present in high quantities in cocoa beans. The chemical stimulates the production of endothelial nitric oxide, which causes blood vessels to dilate. The research concluded that eating food high in flanavols could have an effect on blood pressure equivalent to that produced by 30 minutes of exercise. But the study stopped short of recommending the replacement of hypertension drugs with a chocolate diet. The sugar and fat found in the snacks could have a harmful effect on the heart, they said. "

Mixed results from major 5-year US diabetes study

A five-year study aimed at finding ways to reduce some complications of diabetes tried several approaches but failed to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. But the study did identify some effective ways to reduce common vision, kidney, and nerve-related problems

Mending Broken Hearts Art Tour (UK)

"The British Heart Foundation will be celebrating its 50th birthday next year. To mark this occasion, a fantastic array of leading contemporary British artists, including Sir Peter Blake, have created original works of art on the theme of 'Mending Broken Hearts'"

Detect your heart beat from a meter away (UK)

Scientists at the University of Sussex think they see a future without clinical electrodes. The non-contact electric potential sensor (EPS) which the team developed may one day enable patients to have their heartbeats monitored while they relax in their hospital bed or home. Other potential applications include MRI sensing probes, human-machine interfaces, non-destructive testing systems and ECG and EEG monitoring systems. The sensitivity of the EPS is sufficient to detect muscle signals and eye movements and potentially even brain and nerve signals

Bing unveils new medical query features

Microsoft has beefed up the medical information results for its Bing search engine. Now when looking for drugs, conditions and information on medical tests, Bing will provide results with an info box containing basic info and links to more data from reputable institutions, such as Mayo Clinic, NIH, and medical associations. New features include:

# Tweets from select health publishers in instant answers
# Instant health data tables for common inquiries like blood pressure or cholesterol levels
# Shortcuts to clinical trials for conditions including various cancer types and other major diseases
# New content partners including Harvard Health and the CDC

CMAJ - 15 June 2010

The Canadian Medical Association Journal - 15 June 2010, Volume 182, Issue 9, is now available online

Study uncovers new diabetes genes (UK)

Twelve new genes linked with type 2 diabetes have been found in a study into the differences in people's DNA and their risk of having the condition. A consortium including Edinburgh University scientists have identified "important clues to the biological basis of type 2 diabetes". It is hoped the findings will lead to better ways of treating the condition. The genes tend to be involved in working cells producing insulin, which controls levels of glucose in blood. The 12 new genes brings the total number linked with type 2 diabetes to 38. The study was led by researchers at Oxford University and forms part of the Wellcome Trust case control consortium

Anxiety may increase risk of heart disease

Anxiety disorders significantly increase a person's risk of developing heart disease and also raise the odds of suffering a fatal cardiac event, two new studies suggest. The first study, by Annelieke M. Roest, MSc, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, combined data from 20 studies on nearly 250,000 people. The average follow-up period was 11 years. The researchers found that anxiety was associated with a 26% increased risk of coronary heart disease and a 48% increased risk of heart-related death over the follow-up period, even after adjusting for known heart disease risk factors. The second study, by Imre Janszky, MD, PhD, of Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, Sweden, also found that anxiety disorders are predictive of future heart disease even after controlling for other risk factors such as blood pressure and smoking. Anxiety more than doubled the subsequent risk of developing coronary blockages or having a heart attack. They examined data on 50,000 young Swedish men evaluated for military service between ages 18 and 20, with a follow-up of about 37 years. The studies and an accompanying editorial by Joel Dimsdale, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of California-San Diego, are now online and scheduled for publication in the June 29 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Diabetes doubles risk of heart attack, stroke

Diabetes doubles the risk of developing serious blood vessel diseases and life-threatening events such as strokes and heart attacks, a new study shows. The findings emphasize the need to increase efforts to prevent diabetes, researchers report in a study published in The Lancet. The results of the study are also being presented at the American Diabetes Association's 70th annual scientific sessions in Orlando, Fla. British scientists analyzed data on nearly 700,000 people, each of whom had been monitored for about 10 years in 102 surveys in 25 countries

Obesity rate swells in 28 States (USA)

Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, with the No. 1 ranking going to Mississippi, where 33.8% of adults are obese, according to a new report, "F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America's Future 2010". High rates of obesity are associated with lower incomes, race, ethnicity, and less education, according to the report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Neck ultrasound effective in detecting coronary artery disease

Neck ultrasound could be effective in detecting coronary artery disease. The simple, inexpensive and noninvasive carotid artery ultrasound of the neck may be an alternative to the standard, expensive and more invasive coronary angiography. The ultrasound test can also be used to rule out the diagnosis of CAD in patients presenting with reduced heart pump function. The new study by researchers with NYU Langone Medical Center appears in the June 2010 issue of the American Heart Journal

Cardiac imaging breakthrough helps determine diminished blood flow to the heart

Research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 57th Annual Meeting is challenging the typical paradigm used to determine whether heart patients will benefit from invasive procedures like stent-placement or open-heart surgery. Current medical practice favors treating patients with coronary atherosclerosis (or hardening of the artery walls due to plaque build-up) with such procedures if a coronary artery is shown to be blocked by 70 percent or more in order to reduce symptoms and potentially prevent heart attack. However, a group of cardiac investigators are now finding that in addition to the degree of blockage, composition of the plaque causing the blockage also has significant impact on coronary artery blood flow. This may help explain why two people with similarly blocked coronary arteries can experience vastly different symptoms - ScienceDaily