Culture | Page 2492 | Science Codex

FAST-MI results: Angina medications don't do much harm - or much good

Although medication which decreases the risk of angina attacks are frequently prescribed in patients who have sustained a myocardial infarction, the possible influence of medication on long-term survival is not known, with the exception of beta-blocking agents, which have been shown to decrease mortality in clinical trials performed 30 years ago.

Because antianginal drugs also protect the myocardium against ischemia (insufficient oxygen delivery to the heart muscle), there is a possibility that they may improve the prognosis of patients having suffered a heart attack.

ESC pilot registry in heart failure reflects improvement in chronic disease

With the increased prevalence of chronic heart failure (HF), there is a concomitant increase in the number of related hospitalisations; as chronic HF progresses, the risk of acute exacerbation increases.

Registries and surveys of HF have been generally conducted in patients with either chronic or acute conditions, but a description of the whole clinical history of patients with HF, including the acute episodes, consequent changes in clinical conditions and management strategies, have not been available.

The first European registry to evaluate the real-life epidemiology of atrial fibrillation ablation

Results presented today from the Atrial Fibrillation Ablation Pilot Study show that almost 40% of patients undergoing a catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation have no underlying disease associated with the arrhythmia, and precipitating factors are rare. The survey, which is a pilot survey from the ESC's EurObservational registry programme, also confirmed that symptoms are present in 86% of patients but vary considerably; symptoms include palpitations, fatigue, and shortness of breath or dizziness.

Optimal reperfusion in ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Primary PCI is the best reperfusion therapy for patients presenting with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. CJ Terkelsen and co-workers used the Western Denmark Heart Registry to describe the implementation of primary PCI in Denmark. Their study (including almost 10,000 patients) showed that a strategy with early diagnosis based on ECG recording in the ambulance and directing the patients straight to the catherization laboratory in the Primary PCI Centre, was associated with a lower mortality.

Study shows balloon pump use prior to angioplasty does not reduce heart muscle damage

DURHAM, N.C.—Inserting intra-aortic balloon pumps prior to angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) does not reduce the scope of heart muscle damage, a condition referred to as infarct size, according to a new study conducted by Duke University Medical Center researchers.

The findings were published online today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and presented at the European Society of Cardiology in Paris, France.

Fear of Canadian health care crisis overblown, says study

As Canada's population continues to age it could lead to skyrocketing health care costs and doctor shortages - but that concern may be greatly exaggerated, according to two studies by researchers from the University of British Columbia.

The research, by health economists at UBC's Centre for Health Services and Policy Research (CHSPR) in Healthcare Policy pointed to other factors that are driving up costs: greater use of specialists, more diagnostic tests for the elderly, and increased consumption of increasingly expensive drugs.

2,000-year-old ossuaries may reveal the location of the family of Caiaphas

In Jerusalem and Judah, ancient limestone burial boxes called ossuaries are fairly common archaeological finds, even from as far back as the 1st century B.C.

Since there is money in antiquities, forgers have also added inscriptions or decorations to fraudulently try and increase their value so when the Israel Antiquities Authority confiscated an ossuary with a rare inscription from antiquities looters three years ago, they turned to Prof. Yuval Goren of Tel Aviv University's Department of Archaeology to authenticate it.

Aging authorities differ on tweaks to Social Security's benefit structure

Experts agree that financial constraints and an aging population will require America to modify its Social Security system, but some also find that pushing back the eligibility age could be a major concern for those who rely on the program the most. The consequences — both positive and negative — of making the country's seniors wait to start claiming benefits are presented in the latest installment of the Public Policy & Report (PPAR) from the National Academy on an Aging Society, the policy institute of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA).

STOP-VT: A multi-center trial to evaluate catheter RF ablation with magnetic navigation for ischemic ventricular tachycardia

Results from the STOP-VT Study (Study to Obliterate Persistent Ventricular Tachycardia) were presented at the ESC Congress 2011 today. This is the first ever multi-center, global, prospective trial to evaluate a Remote Magnetic Navigation (RMN) system 1 for the treatment of ischemic Ventricular Tachycardia. The multi-center study was conducted at Na Holmoce Hospital (Prague), Hospital of University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA), Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis, USA), and Herzentrum Leipzig GmbH (Germany).

Elite cross-country skiing linked to increased risk of subsequent arrhythmias

A Swedish study presented at the ESC Congress 2011 today, found a higher incidence of arrhythmias in cross-country skiers with a long history of endurance training. Compared to those who had completed one single race, those who had completed 7 or more races had 29% higher risk of a subsequent arrhythmia. Further, elite athletes finishing at 100-160% of the winning time had 37% higher risk of arrhythmias than recreational athletes finishing at more than 241% of the winning time.

Anger predicts long-term mortality in patients with myocardial infarction

There is a growing awareness that psychological factors play a major role in triggering and modulating the progression of ischemic heart disease. Negative emotions such as hostility, anger, depression, anxiety and social isolation are cardio-toxic, whereas positive feelings characterized by imagination, empathy, and spiritual interests are cardio-protective.

MitraClip Therapy demonstrates benefits for heart failure patients

Results of an observational study presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting today in Paris demonstrate that the percutaneous catheter-based MitraClip treatment improves symptoms and promotes reverse left ventricular (LV) remodeling in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR), who do not respond to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT).

Job strain and overtime predict heart disease and mortality

A study presented today at the ESC Congress 2011 by Finnish researchers, showed that high job demands coupled with low job control to meet these demands, refer to a "high strain job" – a situation which is a risk for heart health and even mortality [1, 2]. Also, working long hours is detrimental to health and is associated with decreased cognitive function, higher heart disease and mortality e.g. [3, 4]. Japanese even have a word for this condition: 'karoshi' means death from overwork.

Leisure-time physical activity increases the risk of atrial fibrillation in men

A Norwegian survey carried out between 1974 and 2003 showed that there was a graded independent increase in the risk of AF with increasing levels of physical activity in a population-based study among men with ostensibly no other heart disease. In women the data were inconclusive.

The Homburg Cream and Sugar study

The Homburg Cream and Sugar (HCS) study was designed to determine whether the measurement of postprandial triglyceride in addition to the assessment of glucose tolerance and traditional risk factors might improve the prediction of cardiovascular events.