Low levels of smoke raise risk of dying from heart disease, study shows

Just a few whiffs of tobacco smoke or dirty air can have a profound negative impact on your heart's health. Study results released today by the American Heart Association suggest that exposure to even a small amount of smoke - whether it's from your own cigarette or someone else's - greatly increases your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. The same goes for breathing in air polluted with carbon monoxide emissions. 'It doesn't require extreme exposure to have significant cardiovascular effects. Even passive exposures to ambient air pollution and secondhand smoke contribute to significant increases in cardiovascular mortality,' study author C. Arden Pope III, PhD, says in a statement

ESC: drug-eluting stents still a hot topic in Barcelona

"Three years after late stent thrombosis set off a firestorm at the European Society of Cardiology Congress here, the flames have died down, and drug-eluting stents are poised to move beyond proving they are not lethal. That's the take home message now that ESC is back in Barcelona, said Spencer King, III, MD, of St. Joseph Hospital, Heart and Vascular Institute in Atlanta, who discussed the current state of the art of drug-eluting stents in this exclusive InFocus video report with Executive Editor Peggy Peck"

TV and computer screen time could be linked with high blood pressure in young children

"Sedentary behaviors such as TV viewing and "screen time" involving computer use, videos and video games appear to be associated with elevated blood pressure in children, independent of body composition, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals - redOrbit

Twin study examines links between depression and coronary artery disease

"Major depression and coronary artery disease are only modestly related throughout an individual's lifetime, but studying how the two interact over time and in twin pairs paints a more complex picture of the associations between the conditions, according to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. For example, the association between coronary artery disease onset and major depression risk is much stronger over time than vice versa. "While an association between major depression and coronary artery disease has long been noted and recently confirmed, the direction and cause of this association remain unclear," the authors write as background information in the article. High cortisol levels, inflammation and changes in blood platelet function associated with depression may increase risk for coronary artery disease; coronary artery disease is a stressful event that may increase risk for depression; and shared genetic or environmental factors may underlie both conditions" - redOrbit

Heart disease patients with previous blockages more likely to die

"Heart disease patients with previous atherosclerosis (fat deposits in the walls of the arteries) are more likely to die in the hospital and less likely to be treated with recommended therapies, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers analyzed data from the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines - Coronary Artery Disease database to determine whether compliance with quality of care treatment for heart disease was associated with the extent of prior vascular disease. They examined records from 143,999 patients hospitalized in 438 facilities between 2000 and 2008. Overall in-hospital mortality for all patients was 5.3 percent, but those who had previous artery blockages were more likely to die while hospitalized than those who had no prior vascular disease. They were also less likely to undergo surgery to clear their new blockages, had longer hospital stays and received cholesterol-lowering drugs, counseling to stop smoking and angiotensin-coverting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors for left ventricular dysfunction less often" redOrbit

Silk Million Heart Challenge

"Silk Heart Health is on a journey. Our goal? To bring a million hearts across the country closer together than ever before. It's the Silk Million Hearts Challenge. Simply sign up, start a Silk Heart and begin to spread the love! For every friend you invite to join, your Silk Heart will grow a little bit bigger. And, with great prizes in store (like our $20,000 Ultimate Weekend Getaway!) the road to one million should be that much smoothe"

Daily aspirin may do more harm than good: study

"Healthy people taking a daily dose of aspirin to prevent heart attacks may be doing themselves more harm than good, according to a new study by British scientists. Researchers found that the risks of bleeding from taking aspirin were such that its routine use in healthy people "cannot be supported" -- although they did not dispute its use in patients with a history of vascular problems. The results of the Aspirin for Asymptomatic Atherosclerosis (AAA) study add to a long-running debate about whether the potential dangers of taking aspirin could outweigh the benefits from reducing the risk of clots. "We know that patients with symptoms of artery disease, such as angina, heart attack or stroke, can reduce their risk of further problems by taking a small dose of aspirin each day," said Professor Peter Weissberg, medical director of the British Heart Foundation which helped fund the research. "The findings of this study agree with our current advice that people who do not have symptomatic or diagnosed artery or heart disease should not take aspirin, because the risks of bleeding may outweigh the benefits." The study was led by Professor Gerry Fowkes from the Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases in Edinburgh, Scotland, and presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona Sunday." - AFP

US pop songwriter Greenwich dies of heart attack

"American songwriter Ellie Greenwich, who penned River Deep, Mountain High and other hits, has died, aged 68. She died of a heart attack after being admitted to a New York hospital for pneumonia treatment, her niece said. In a 50-year career, she was awarded some 25 gold and platinum discs. She collaborated with Phil Spector on Chapel of Love and Da Doo Ron Ron. She wrote Leader of the Pack with her ex-husband, which became the basis for a Broadway musical based on her life. Greenwich was a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and contributed to the success of many stars, including working with Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. She is also co-produced songs for Neil Diamond, including his hit Kentucky Woman. Other compositions included Do Wah Diddy Diddy and Look of Love" - BBC

'Heart disease gene' uncovered (South Africa)

Stellenbosch, South Africa, scientists have identified a heart disease gene in a South African family that has been plagued by a rare heart condition for more than 300 years. The rogue gene - which contains a rare protein mutation - has been traced back to a Portuguese emigrant who came to the Cape from Madeira in 1694. Descendants of the man - who married a woman of Dutch descent - now live throughout South Africa. Until recently, they were far more likely than the general population to suffer fatal heart complications. Now, however, knowledge about their genetic status means they are forewarned and able to seek help in the form of pacemakers, which allow them to live relatively normal lives. The medical breakthrough, soon to be published in an international medical journal, is not only a major triumph for South African research but also for a father-and-son research team, professors Andries and Paul Brink, who spearheaded the project at different times during a 35-year research quest. - The Times

Healthy diet, exercise reduce heart attack risk

"Dr Philip Ades said that mild caloric restriction improves insulin resistance and improves a host of other cardiac risk factors, such as blood pressure, cholesterol level, clotting measures and measures of inflammation. He advises to eat 'real food', rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish and healthy oils in your diet and omit trans fats and minimize animal and dairy fats, processed flour and sugar. According to EatingWell magazine, Mediterranean cuisine including heart-healthy olive oil, protein-rich legumes, fish and whole grains with moderate amounts of wine and red meat would also help lower heart risk. Ades urges to maintain a normal weight and make daily exercise a part of the diet. Exercise is like a pill you need to take every day. This pill controls weight, lowers your blood pressure, prevents diabetes and heart disease, raises your (good) HDL cholesterol, improves your fitness and makes an individual feel happy. He also insists to keep a check on blood pressure and cholesterol profile"

New anti-clotting drug beats Plavix

A new anti-clotting drug, ticagrelor (Brilinta), was better than than clopidogrel (Plavix) in preventing new heart attacks and in reducing deaths among patients who have had a heart attack, a new study finds. "Clopidogrel is widely used in the treatment of acute coronary syndrome," said lead researcher Dr. Robert A. Harrington, director of the Duke Clinical Research Institute at Duke University. "Ticagrelor looks to be a superior antiplatelet agent in patients with acute coronary syndrome." Co-researcher Dr. Lars Wallentin, a professor of cardiology at the Uppsala Clinical Research Center at University Hospital, in Sweden, added that "now we have a new and better alternative to standard treatment to prevent patients with myocardial infarction from new myocardial infarction, and also to improve their chances of survival." The report is published in the August 30 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, to coincide with the planned presentation of the study Sunday at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Barcelona. - Drugs.com

Surgery better than angioplasty for narrowed neck artery

The latest results from the longest-running study yet confirm that surgery is better than artery-opening angioplasty in preventing strokes caused by blockage of the carotid artery, the largest vessel carrying blood to the brain. "In contrast with endovascular treatment [angioplasty], surgical patients had about half the rate of strokes in long-term follow-up," said Dr. Martin M. Brown, a professor of stroke medicine at University College London Institute of Neurology, and a senior author of two reports in the October issue of the Lancet Neurology - HealthDay

Abnormal heartbeats caused by changes in ion channel density

Two independent studies have determined how changes in the density of different ion channels in the surface membrane of heart muscle cells can lead to life-threatening abnormal heartbeats, according to research to be published in the August 24 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation - Science Daily

Hopelessness ups stroke risk in women

Feelings of hopelessness can place healthy women at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular events such as stroke, a new study finds. Previous studies had linked depression and hopelessness with heart disease, saying that optimism may protect women against cardiac problems. According to the study published in Stroke, healthy middle-aged women with chronic negative thinking and feelings of uselessness are more vulnerable to developing atherosclerotic plaques in their neck arteries, a precursor of stroke and subsequent heart attack. Thickening of arteries are reported to develop in these women who are generally healthy before relevant cardiovascular diseases occur. Scientists concluded that strong feelings of hopelessness in women are strong and early markers of cardiovascular diseases, adding that such women should seek medical consultation without delay

Little known type of cholesterol may pose the greatest heart disease risk (China)

Health-conscious people know that high levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the so-called "bad" cholesterol) can increase the risk of heart attacks. Now scientists are reporting that another form of cholesterol called oxycholesterol - virtually unknown to the public - may be the most serious cardiovascular health threat of all. Scientists from China presented one of the first studies on the cholesterol-boosting effects of oxycholesterol at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. The researchers hope their findings raise public awareness about oxycholesterol, including foods with the highest levels of the substance and other foods that can combat oxycholesterol's effects. "Total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and the heart-healthy high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) are still important health issues," says study leader Zhen-Yu Chen, Ph.D., of Chinese University of Hong Kong. "But the public should recognize that oxycholesterol is also important and cannot be ignored. Our work demonstrated that oxycholesterol boosts total cholesterol levels and promotes atherosclerosis ["hardening of the arteries"] more than non-oxidized cholesterol." - EurekAlert