MS drug shows promise for preventing heart failure

A drug already approved to treat multiple sclerosis may also hold promise for treating cardiac hypertrophy, or thickening of the cardiac muscle - a disorder that often leads to heart failure, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine report. The findings are published in the July 16 issue of Circulation: Heart Failure. Cardiac hypertrophy is a slow thickening of the heart muscle that shrinks the interior volume of the heart, forcing the organ to work harder to pump a diminishing volume of blood. "There comes a day when the heart just can't keep up any more, and it fails," says R. John Solaro, UIC distinguished university professor and head of physiology and biophysics. Cardiac hypertrophy, which afflicts one in 500 people, can be caused by high blood pressure or inherited through genes that control contraction of the heart. Solaro and his colleagues believe that if the thickening of the heart muscle could be slowed, or maybe even reversed, heart failure could be prevented

Exercise may ease depression in heart failure patients

Heart failure can take a heavy psychological toll, with many patients developing symptoms of depression. But a new study suggests that an exercise plan can ease the melancholy, creating improvements in mood that are comparable to the effects seen with medication. For roughly a year, researchers followed more than 2,000 people treated for congestive heart failure at 82 medical centers in the United States, France and Canada. Those who were assigned to a moderate aerobic exercise program - about 90 to 120 minutes a week - saw greater reductions in symptoms of depression than those who were not enrolled in such a program. "I think this shows that for patients who have heart failure, exercise is certainly an excellent treatment," said Dr. James A. Blumenthal, a professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center and the lead author of the study, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association. "It's something that most patients can engage in. It results in improved cardiorespiratory fitness, they have more stamina, and now we see that not only do they derive these physical benefits, but they also derive psychological benefits as well."

"Nordic Walking" benefits heart failure patients

Research presented at a conference this week suggests heart failure patients can benefit from "Nordic walking", where people walk with the help of poles as in cross-country skiing. This type of walking, which engages the upper as well as the lower body, is becoming increasingly popular in Europe: it is safe for older patients, especially those over 65, and after a short introductory course, can be practised outdoors without having to go to the gym. The lead author of the study is Andrzej Lejczak, a physiotherapist at the Military Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland. He presented the findings on 21 May, in Belgrade, Serbia, to delegates attending the Heart Failure Congress 2012, the main annual meeting of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

'Heart shrinking' trial to combat heart failure to begin

A trial using electricity to shrink the hearts of patients with heart failure is about to start in Liverpool. It will involve electrically stimulating one of the nerves leading to the heart, which it is hoped could shrink the heart and improve life expectancy. This is the first trial of the technique in humans, after it was shown to keep rats and dogs alive for longer

Heart failure 'affects memory'

Having heart failure, where part of the organ dies, can affect a person's brain to such an extent that they forget to take their medication, according to a study. Researchers found individuals with heart failure had worse short and long-term memory recall than those who were healthy. MRI scans also showed loss of grey matter in parts of the brain important for memory, reasoning and planning, according to Professor Osvaldo Almeida of the University of Western Australia. Writing in the European Heart Journal, he and colleagues warned that "patients with heart failure may have trouble following complex management strategies, and, therefore, treatment messages should be simple and clear". Natasha Stewart, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The biggest implication of this research is that patients may find it difficult to stick to treatment regimes and forget to take their medication. "It is important to speak to your GP and your heart failure nurse about what is best for you. "Together you can find a way to make your meds a part of your daily routine so that they are less easily forgotten."

Omecamtiv mecarbil provides new hope for heart failure patients

A new drug which helps the heart pump more easily could improve the lives of thousands of people afflicted by debilitating heart failure, research suggests. Omecamtiv mecarbil is the first of a new class of drugs, called myosin activators, targeting proteins that make the heart contract. Rather than forcing the heart to beat more often, the drug causes heart muscles to contract for longer, increasing the volume of blood pumped out with each stroke. A British trial reported in The Lancet medical journal showed that omecamtiv mecarbil significantly improved the heart function of 45 heart failure patients.

Heart failure patients need team help: MD (Canada)

"The 20 per cent of heart failure patients who don't see a doctor soon after leaving the hospital have a higher likelihood of dying within a year, a Canadian study indicates. Despite the seriousness of the condition, one in five heart failure patients fail to see a family doctor within 30 days of discharge from the emergency department (ED), which can lead to more visits to the hospital, according to a study in Tuesday's online issue of the journal Circulation. Distinct from sudden heart attacks or cardiac arrest, heart failure is defined as a heart's inability to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. The study looked at data for 10,599 patients who visited emergency departments in Ontario between April 2004 and March 2007

Heart failure on rise as population gets older (Canada)

"So, you used to be able to walk eight blocks with no problem and now you can barely walk two blocks without getting out of breath. Don't brush it off, assuming you're just getting old and out of shape: it's the most common sign of heart failure. In fact, it's what prompts many visits to the doctor - which is a good thing, because heart failure, by the numbers, is very scary. Of 100 people with heart failure today, less than half will be alive in five years; and less than 25 per cent will be around five years after that. That 100 people includes those who have been diagnosed and treated, not diagnosed and not treated, and diagnosed but not complying with treatment, says cardiologist Michael Chan. Heart failure is a serious condition and often leads to death, he says. It's not curable, but can be managed with the right medications in correct doses, if people follow their prescribed treatment and make some lifestyle changes. An estimated 10,000 Edmontonians and 600,000 Canadians are walking around with heart failure, which means their hearts don't function properly" - Edmonton Journal

Contributors to heart failure identified (USA)

"U.S. researchers have pinpointed a dozen genetic variants in a single gene linked to heart failure. The team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis analyzed the DNA of a large group of white patients with heart failure, and identified 129 variants in four genes that could be connected with heart failure. Further analysis of 1,117 whites with heart failure and 625 healthy whites led the researchers to identify 12 variants on the HSPB7 gene that are associated with heart failure. Confirmation of this association was achieved by analysis of an independent group of patients, the study authors noted. For this study, published December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the researchers used a technique they recently developed that allows targeted DNA sequencing. They plan to use this same approach to pinpoint additional genetic variants associated with heart failure, a disease influenced by multiple genetic factors." - HealthDay

Diabetics warned over heart failure (UK)

"A class of drugs used by some diabetics could increase their risk of heart failure and death, experts have said. People taking tablets known as sulphonylureas as their only therapy had a 24% to 61% increased risk of dying and up to a 30% increased risk of heart failure compared with people taking the drug metformin. The researchers said their findings back up current UK guidance that patients should be given metformin as a first treatment for Type 2 diabetes. Only those who cannot tolerate metformin should be given sulphonylureas as their only treatment, they said. The researchers found no increased risk for people taking a combination of metformin and sulphonylureas medicines, although they said more research was needed. Examples of sulphonylureas drugs include glibenclamide, gliclazide, glimerpirizide, glipizide, and gliquidone. Lead researcher Dr Ioanna Tzoulaki, from Imperial College London, said: "When we looked at metformin and sulphonylureas together we didn't see an increased risk of heart failure or death...."" - Press Association

Scientists jump-start the heart by gene transfer (USA)

Scientists from the Universities of Michigan and Minnesota show in a research report published online in the FASEB Journal that gene therapy may be used to improve an ailing heart's ability to contract properly. In addition to showing gene therapy's potential for reversing the course of heart failure, it also offers a tantalizing glimpse of a day when "closed heart surgery" via gene therapy is as commonly prescribed as today's cocktail of drugs. "We hope that our study will lead some day to the development of new genetic-based therapies for heart failure patients," said Todd J. Herron, Ph.D., one of the researchers involved in the study and research assistant professor of molecular and integrative physiology at the University of Michigan. "The advent of molecular motor-based gene transfer for the failing heart will hopefully improve cardiac function and quality of life for heart failure patients." - EurekAlert

Test 'spots blood disease danger' (UK)

"UK experts say they have found a way of predicting which thalassaemia patients are going to develop heart failure. The technique uses a magnetic resonance scanner to measure the level of iron in the heart, which builds to life-threatening levels in some patients. The study, published in the journal Circulation, suggests the technique leads to a 71% reduction in deaths. Thalassaemia is an inherited disorder of the blood system which causes a lack of haemoglobin. A government spokesman said it could significantly help in the management of people with thalassaemia. The teams at the Royal Brompton Hospital and Imperial College tried the technique on 652 patients over seven years" - BBC

New hope for heart failure patients

"A therapy called cardiac resynchronisation can significantly delay the progression of heart failure, according to a major international study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The treatment reduced the risk of serious heart failure events by 41 percent, the study found. 'This shows, for the first time, that the onset of heart failure symptoms and hospitalisation for heart failure can be delayed with pacing therapy,' said Dr David Wilber, a co-author of the study and director of the Cardiovascular Institute at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. A device implanted in the upper chest delivers electrical impulses that help synchronise contractions of the left ventricle, the heart's main pumping chamber. The study included 1,820 patients from 110 centres in the United States, Canada and Europe. Loyola enrolled 13 patients. All patients in the trial had been diagnosed with early stage, mild heart failure (Class 1 and Class 2 on the New York Heart Association classification system). The study's principle investigator is Dr Arthur Moss of the University of Rochester Medical Centre" - Science Centric

Louisville man gets groundbreaking cardiac stem cell treatment

"After two heart attacks, Michael Jones of Louisville suffered heart failure that made him so weak he could manage only a few football passes now and then with his grandson. But after becoming one of the world's first heart patients to get an infusion of cardiac stem cells, Jones said he works out on a treadmill and bike and feels invigorated. 'I hope to have as normal a life as anyone,' 'the self-employed painting and remodeling contractor said at a news conference Friday. 'I might even start jogging again.' Jones, 66, received an infusion of his own stem cells through a minimally invasive catheterization procedure on July 17 - as part of a clinical trial being conducted by a team of University of Louisville physicians at Jewish Hospital

Healthy lifestyle halves heart failure risk

Men who follow a healthy lifestyle may cut their risk of heart failure in half. Researchers say it's the first time a large study has shown that modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, alcohol use, and smoking, can have a significant impact on the lifetime risk of congestive heart failure. About 550,000 Americans each year are diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and 20%-50% die from the disease. The condition occurs when the heart is no longer strong enough to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Although medical treatments can slow the progression of the disease, there is no cure. In an editorial that accompanies the study in The Journal of the American Medical Association, Veronique L. Roger, MD, MPH, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., says the findings underscore a powerfully simple message - that a healthy lifestyle will help prevent heart disease and greatly enhance overall health

Obesity and diabetes double risk of heart failure

The twin epidemics of obesity and type 2 diabetes will continue to fuel an explosion in heart failure, already the world's most prevalent chronic cardiovascular disease, according to John McMurray, professor of cardiology at the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, and President of the Heart Failure Association. He reported that around one-third of patients with heart failure have evidence of diabetes, and for them the outlook is very serious. For doctors, he added, effective treatment is "very difficult".

Anemia associated with greater risk of death in heart disease patients

A new study appearing in Congestive Heart Failure has found that the presence of anemia in patients with chronic heart failure is associated with a significantly increased risk of death. The findings also show that anemia is associated with a poorer degree of left ventricular function and a lower left ventricular ejection fraction, an objective measure of cardiac function - PhysOrg.com

Non-invasive stem cell procedure shows promise to repair heart tissue

"For the first time, researchers at the University at Buffalo have shown that it is possible to repair cardiac tissue and, in turn, reverse heart failure by injecting adult bone marrow stem cells into skeletal muscle. The researchers used an animal model to demonstrate that the non-invasive procedure could increase myocytes, or heart cells, by two-fold and reduce cardiac tissue injury by 60 percent. In addition, the therapy improved function of the left ventricle - the primary pumping chamber of the heart - by 40 percent. It even reduced fibrosis - the hardening of the heart lining that impairs its ability to contract-by up to 50 percent....The development has been reported in a paper appearing online in the Articles-in-Press section of the American Journal of Physiology -- Heart Circulation Physiology

Cardiac patients take NASA super plastic to heart

"A NASA technology that was developed for an aerospace high-speed research program is now part of an implantable device for heart failure patients. NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., created an advanced aerospace resin, named Langley Research Center's Soluble Imide, or LaRC-SI. It is highly flexible, resistant to chemicals, and withstands extreme hot and cold temperatures. The 'super plastic' was determined to be biologically inert, making it suitable for medical use, including implantable device" - NewsBlaze

Chemical recipe could repair hearts (UK)

"A chemical recipe has been discovered that could pave the way to repairing failing hearts with stem cells. The cocktail of three proteins described by scientists kick-starts the transformation of embryonic stem cells into beating heart cells. Two of the proteins are "transcription factors", biological agents that influence the activity of genes. The third is a heart-specific "chromatin remodeller" that alters chromosome structure. Together they appear to hold the key to creating new heart muscle cells that one day could be used to rebuild failed hearts. Heart failure can occur as a result of a heart attack, or a condition that puts the heart under strain, such as a birth defect, faulty valve or high blood pressure. The result is a permanently damaged and weakened heart, causing symptoms of breathlessness and fatigue and greatly increasing the risk of premature death. An estimated 68,000 new cases of heart failure occur each year in the UK. According to official figures, the condition is responsible for around 11,500 deaths a year. However, the actual number is likely to be much higher, since the death certificates of people who die from heart failure often cite other causes such as coronary heart disease. Once damaged, the heart has little ability to regenerate itself. For this reason, it is a primary target for research into reconstructive stem cell therapies." - Channel 4